St. Anthony of the Desert
St. Anthony of the Desert was born in Lower Egypt in 251 in a region named Coma close to Herakleopolis Magna. Rich landowners, Anthony's parents passed away when he was about 18 years old. He received a sizable fortune to assist him in taking care of his unmarried sister. Ideally, he sold his vast inheritance and donated the proceeds to the underprivileged, while also giving certain things away for free. Anthony's activities are inspired by Jesus' teachings from the book of Matthew, where Jesus claimed that in order to achieve true prosperity in heaven, one had to let rid of material possessions. St Anthony secured a place for his dear sister in a convent, and he started by becoming a disciple of a hermit.
The Father of All Monks
St Anthony grew up to become an Egyptian monk who was regarded as the father of all monks. He lived between the years 251 to 356 when he died and was secretly buried on the mountain top where he used to live. However huge his name was regarded as a significant historical figure he still was given many titles such as St. Anthony the Abbot, St Anthony the Great, St. Anthony the Anchorite, , St Anthony of Thebes, Abba Antonius and the Father of All Monks. His actions and works during his long life depicted him as an ascetic person who gave his life more to his spiritual beliefs than anything else. This concept made the people who lived along with him to identify him as a monastic person.
A Life of Solitude
Anthony travelled to the Nitrian Desert region 60 miles west of Alexandria. The Nitrian Desert was a genuinely desolate land where he stayed for about 13 years making him one of the first ascetics to live in separation from the people in the middle of a desert. Anthony ended up earning the title, "Father of monasticism" as his presumed holy life and deeds attracted hundreds of men and women to explore into the desert to join communities that lived in a monastery. These cities were organized into minor districts by the Desert Fathers, notably his one disciple, Macarius.
Temptations and Trials
Athanasius who wrote about St Anthony's biography says us that the devil attacked St. Anthony with laziness, boredom, and visions of ladies. Anthony faced these temptations with prayer and ascetic practices. He moved to a tomb, living there for quite some time. Metaphorically speaking this made the devil furious by his life of long devotion to prayer and beat Anthony physically, rendering him unconscious. By grace, his friends were visiting him only to find him unconscious, and they took him to a church, where he finally recovered from the injuries.
A Life of Devotion and Isolation
Surprisingly if that was not enough, he returned to the desert to a mountain around the Nile called Pispir, where St Anthony resided in isolation in an ancient Roman fort for almost twenty years. His peace was brought to a halt when the devil attacked Anthony again. The demons were in the form of wild animals like lions, wolves, scorpions, and snakes. When the demons approached to seize him, St Anthony laughed at them saying if at all the demons had any authority over him then only one would have been sufficient to fight him. The demons disappeared. As he lived in the fort he did not allow any person in to see him and neither would he go outside the walls of the fort. Food was passed to him through a small crack where he listened to the visitors' questions and gave advice.
Legacy and Influence
After many years living in isolation, he left the fort, and with the aid of locals, he managed to break down the door. Folks who witnessed his appearance were stunned by his resounding complexion and demeanour, having withstood the harsh conditions very well. Anthony was labelled a hero, and his legacy started spreading as from this point. He later went to Fayyum, where he preached about the Christian faith and then returned to the Roman fort. In 311, Anthony had this desire to be martyred, and so he left for Alexandria, where he often visited imprisoned Christians as he gave support to them in their hardships. The governor was not pleased with Anthony publicly proclaiming and ministering the Christian faith disregard less of the consequences. The governor expelled him away from the city. Anthony was not frightened as he argued to make the governor angry and cause suffering and martyrdom, but the governor yielded, and Anthony survived.
The Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great
St Anthony again returned to the Roman fort and had people visiting him in large numbers just to get his advice. Anthony saw this visits as a distraction and made him leave the fort for the desert. He travelled for three days into the wilderness where he stumbled upon some palm trees and a spring of water. He chose to live next to them. It wasn't long enough until his new home became famous and soon a large number of people started again seeking his spiritual teachings. It was at this point that the monastery of Saint Anthony the Great got constructed.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Anthony worked in a garden where he wove mats of rushes. Anthony's spiritual advice with that of his followers was compiled then in a book "Sayings of the Desert Fathers." Anthony visited the monks in the monastery who lived on the outskirts of the desert by the Nile.
Recognition and Prophecy
News involving Anthony's life of purity and wisdom reached Emperor Constantine I, who then wrote to him giving praise and requesting Anthony's prayers. Anthony's disciples were delighted with the letter, but Anthony wasn't paying any attention to it. His brother monks consistently told him that Emperor Constantine loved the church. Anthony agreed by writing him a reply, in which he blessed the emperor and offered a prayer for peace and safety of the church and the empire. Another account that was given by Athanasius states that Saint Anthony heard a voice telling him to go out and see. Anthony followed the sound and went out where he saw an angel who wore a girdle with a cross resembling a holy Tonsure and a head cover. He then sat to braid palm leaves, stood up to pray and then again sat to weave. Anthony suddenly heard a voice that assured him of rest. As from that moment on, he wore that tunic and began spinning palm leaves and was never bored again. Anthony had a prophecy over his name about the great persecution of the church which came to pass a while later as well as the rampant heresy that came up involving Arianism. Anthony also foretold the triumph of the Church over these evils. St Anthony also prophesied Macarius' holiness and legacy.
The Influence of St. Paul the Hermit
Apart from all the good tales surrounding this icon who has a feast day of January 17, legend has it that Anthony was tempted by pride, thinking to himself that no one before had lived long enough in the desert and practiced asceticism than him. Anthony had a mystical experience urging him to seek out St. Paul the Hermit who practiced extreme asceticism and lived for over half a century in the desert. After Paul's death, Anthony wrapped him in a tunic given to him by Athanasius of Alexandria and buried Paul.
Teaching Against Heresy
Anthony travelled to Alexandria in 338 and stayed there for a short time to help disprove the teachings of Arius. Though an illiterate man, Anthony was still lucky in warning the heretics and showing them the erroneousness of their ideas.
The Final Resting Place
In his late years, he gave his staff to Saint Macarius and gave Saint Athanasius, and Saint Serapion, one sheepskin cloak each. Anthony's last wish was to be laid to rest in an unmarked, secret grave. Anthony's body is claimed to have been discovered in 361 and taken to Alexandria. Later on, his remains were moved from Alexandria to Constantinople, to help avoid desecration and destruction by the invading Saracens at the time. The Byzantine emperor who ruled in the eleventh century sent the body to the French Count Jocelin, who transferred to La-Motte-Saint-Didier which renamed to Saint-Antoine-en-Dauphiné. Anthony's tomb is associated with some miraculous healings, mainly from ergotism.
Bibliography
Gustave, C 1977, The Temptation of St Anthony, 1st edition, p. 11.
Bratton, Robert L., and Robert E. Nesse. “St. Anthony’s fire: diagnosis and
Management of erysipelas.” American family physician 51 (1995): 401-401.
Flaubert, Gustave. The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Modern Library Classics (Paper, 2001.
