The Apophthegmata Patrum (lit. Sayings of the Fathers) (Latin: Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum Greek: ἀποφθέγματα τῶν πατέρων) is the name given to various collections of letters from Roman Egyptian Orthodox monks popularly known as Sayings of the Desert Fathers. These testimonials consist of stories, sayings of real life episodes attributed to the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers from approximately the 3rd until the 5th centuries AD.