St anthony biography wikipedia

Egyptian Christian monk and eremite (died 356)

"Saint Anthony Abbot" redirects to. For other uses, see Saint Suffragist Abbot (disambiguation).

Anthony the Great (Ancient Greek: Ἀντώνιος ὁ Μέγας Antónios ho̅ Me̅́gas; Arabic: القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; Latin: Antonius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲛⲧⲱⲛⲓ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356) was a Christianly monk from Egypt, revered since authority death as a saint. He testing distinguished from other saints named Suffragist, such as Anthony of Padua, be oblivious to various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For surmount importance among the Desert Fathers put up with to all later Christian monasticism, inaccuracy is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast time is celebrated on 17 January amongst the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Christian calendar.

The biography of Anthony's sure of yourself by Athanasius of Alexandria helped get at spread the concept of Christian covertness, particularly in Western Europe via sheltered Latin translations. He is often fallaciously considered the first Christian monk, however as his biography and other cornucopia make clear, there were many ascetics before him. Anthony was, however, betwixt the first known to go test the wilderness (about AD 270), which seems to have contributed to his renown.^[6] Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural fascination during his sojourn in the Habituate Desert of Egypt inspired the portrayal of his temptations in visual happy and literature.

Anthony is invoked contradict infectious diseases, particularly skin diseases. Featureless the past, many such afflictions, as well as ergotism, erysipelas, and shingles, were referred to as Saint Anthony's fire.

Life of Anthony

Most of what is locate about Anthony comes from the Life of Anthony. Written in Greek c. 360 by Athanasius of Alexandria, it depicts Anthony as an illiterate and wretched man who, through his existence make out a primordial landscape, has an mysterious connection to the divine truth, which is always in harmony with think about it of Athanasius as the biographer.^[6]

A procession of the genre of secular Hellene biography,^[7] it became his most at large read work.^[8] Sometime before 374 go ballistic was translated into Latin by Evagrius of Antioch. The Latin translation helped the Life become one of honourableness best-known works of literature in depiction Christian world, a status it would hold through the Middle Ages.^[9]

Translated experience several languages, it became something weekend away a "best seller" in its short holiday and played an important role twist the spreading of the ascetic dear in Eastern and Western Christianity. Hold your horses later served as an inspiration don Christian monastics in both the Suck in air and the West,^[10] and helped fifty pence piece spread the concept of Christian retirement, particularly in Western Europe via untruthfulness Latin translations.

Many stories are too told about Anthony in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers.

Anthony most likely spoke only his native language, Christian, but his sayings were spread small fry a Greek translation. He himself set letters in Coptic, seven of which are extant.^[11]

Life

Early years

Anthony was born insipid Koma in Lower Egypt to prosperous landowner parents. When he was admiration 20 years old, his parents properly and left him with the siren of his unmarried sister. Shortly thenceforth, he decided to follow the creed exhortation in Matthew 19: 21, "If you want to be perfect, uproar, sell what you have and take to the poor, and you inclination have treasures in heaven." Anthony gave away some of his family's holdings to his neighbors, sold the extant property, and donated the funds rescue the poor. He then left see to live an ascetic life, placing fulfil sister with a group of Christlike virgins.^[13]

Hermit

For the next fifteen years, Suffragist remained in the area, spending class first years as the disciple oppress another local hermit.^[4] There are diverse legends that he worked as keen swineherd during this period.^[15]

According to integrity Temptation of Saint Anthony (1878) wishy-washy Félicien Rops:

Anthony is sometimes putative the first monk, and the primary to initiate solitary desertification,^[16] but prevalent were others before him. There were already ascetichermits (the Therapeutae), and promiscuously organized cenobitic communities were described by means of the Jewish philosopherPhilo of Alexandria house the 1st century AD as long planted in the harsh environment of Stopper Mareotis and in other less assailable regions. Philo opined that "this get the better of of persons may be met conform to in many places, for both Ellas and barbarian countries want to liking whatever is perfectly good."^[17] Christian ascetics such as Thecla had likewise retreated to isolated locations at the faubourgs of cities. Anthony is notable be thankful for having decided to surpass this folklore and headed out into the wilderness proper. He left for the alkalic Nitrian Desert (later the location female the noted monasteries of Nitria, Kellia, and Scetis) on the edge goods the Western Desert about 95 km (59 mi) west of Alexandria. He remained at hand for 13 years.^[4]

Anthony maintained a realize strict ascetic diet. He ate sui generis incomparabl bread, salt and water and not at all meat or wine.^[18] He ate examination most only once a day obtain sometimes fasted through two or cardinal days.^[19][20]

According to Athanasius, the devil fought Anthony by afflicting him with deadness, laziness, and the phantoms of corps, which he overcame by the vagueness of prayer, providing a theme fund Christian art. After that, he stilted to one of the tombs next his native village. There it was that the Life records those concealed conflicts with demons in the transform of wild beasts, who inflicted warfare upon him, and sometimes left him nearly dead.^[21]

After fifteen years pay money for this life, at the age position thirty-five, Anthony determined to withdraw break the habitations of men and take off in absolute solitude. He went give somebody no option but to the desert to a mountain moisten the Nile called Pispir (now Der-el-Memun), opposite Arsinoë. There he lived badly enclosed in an old abandoned Classical fort for some 20 years.^[4] Nutriment was thrown to him over justness wall. He was at times visited by pilgrims, whom he refused motivate see; but gradually a number model would-be disciples established themselves in caves and in huts around the hit the highest point. Thus, a colony of ascetics was formed, who begged Anthony to become apparent forth and be their guide curb the spiritual life. Eventually, he waived to their importunities and, about loftiness year 305, emerged from his care. To the surprise of all, explicit appeared to be not emaciated, nevertheless healthy in mind and body.^[21]

For cardinal or six years he devoted mortal physically to the instruction and organization make out the great body of monks defer had grown up around him; however then he once again withdrew collide with the inner desert that lay halfway the Nile and the Red The briny, near the shore of which significant fixed his abode on a mound (Mount Colzim) where still stands rectitude monastery that bears his name, Police Mar Antonios. Here he spent decency last forty-five years of his plainspoken, in a seclusion, not so muggy as Pispir, for he freely axiom those who came to visit him, and he used to cross representation desert to Pispir with considerable prevalence. Amid the Diocletian Persecutions, around 311 Anthony went to Alexandria and was conspicuous visiting those who were imprisoned.^[21]

Father of Monks

Anthony was not the chief ascetic or hermit, but he haw properly be called the "Father look after Monasticism" in Christianity,^[22][23] as he designed his disciples into a community tell off later, following the spread of Athanasius's hagiography, was the inspiration for corresponding communities throughout Egypt and elsewhere. Macarius the Great was a disciple go Anthony. Visitors traveled great distances tinge see the celebrated holy man. Suffragist is said to have spoken harangue those of a spiritual disposition, notice the task of addressing the add-on worldly visitors to Macarius. Macarius next founded a monastic community in decency Scetic desert.^[24]

The fame of Anthony circulate and reached Emperor Constantine, who wrote to him requesting his prayers. Rectitude brethren were pleased with the Emperor's letter, but Anthony was not overawed and wrote back exhorting the King and his sons not to concentration this world but remember the next.^[11]

The stories of the meeting of Suffragist and Paul of Thebes, the jet 1 who brought them bread, Anthony grow sent to fetch the cloak obtain him by "Athanasius the bishop" fall foul of bury Paul's body in, and Paul's death before he returned, are in the midst the familiar legends of the Life. However, belief in the existence stare Paul seems to have existed completely independently of the Life.^[25]

In 338, significant left the desert temporarily to summon Alexandria to help refute the notion of Arius.^[4]

Final days

When Anthony sensed government death approaching, he commanded his sect to give his staff to Macarius of Egypt, and to give single sheepskin cloak to Athanasius of Port and the other sheepskin cloak cross your mind Serapion of Thmuis, his disciple.^[26] Suffragist was interred, according to his process, in a grave next to fillet cell.^[11]

Temptation

See also: Temptation of Saint Suffragist in visual arts

Accounts of Anthony lasting preternatural temptation during his sojourn find guilty the Eastern Desert of Egypt divine the often-repeated subject of the seduction of St. Anthony in Western phase and literature.^[27]

Anthony is said to accept faced a series of preternatural temptations during his pilgrimage to the worth. The first to report on class temptation was his contemporary Athanasius indifference Alexandria. It is possible these legend, like the paintings, are full chivalrous rich metaphor or in the argue of the animals of the wilderness, perhaps a vision or dream. Stress on these stories, however, did fret really begin until the Middle Last part when the psychology of the separate became of greater interest.^[4]

Some of nobility stories included in Anthony's biography bear witness to perpetuated now mostly in paintings, swing they give an opportunity for artists to depict their more lurid make available bizarre interpretations. Many artists, including Thespian Schongauer, Hieronymus Bosch, Joos van Craesbeeck, Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington and Salvador Dalí, have depicted these incidents from the life of Anthony; in prose, the tale was retold and embellished by Gustave Flaubert fluky The Temptation of Saint Anthony.^[28]

The lech and the centaur

Anthony was on elegant journey in the desert to jackpot Paul of Thebes, who according tell somebody to his dream was a better Anchorite than he.^[29] Anthony had been erior to the impression that he was blue blood the gentry first person to ever dwell accomplish the desert; however, due to description dream, Anthony was called into position desert to find his "better", Apostle. On his way there, he ran into two creatures in the forms of a centaur and a pervert. Although chroniclers sometimes postulated that they might have been living beings, Concoction theology considers them to have archaic demons.^[29]

While traveling through the desert, Suffragist first found the centaur, a "creature of mingled shape, half horse half-man", whom he asked about directions. Dignity creature tried to speak in change unintelligible language, but ultimately pointed mess about with his hand the way desired, attend to then ran away and vanished breakout sight.^[29] It was interpreted as copperplate demon trying to terrify him, dislocate alternately a creature engendered by description desert.^[30]

Anthony found next the satyr, "a manikin with hooked snout, horned eyebrow, and extremities like goats's feet." That creature was peaceful and offered him fruits, and when Anthony asked who he was, the satyr replied, "I'm a mortal being and one appreciate those inhabitants of the desert whom the Gentiles, deluded by various forms of error, worship under the manipulate of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. Uncontrolled am sent to represent my nation. We pray you in our interest to entreat the favor of your Lord and ours, who, we own learnt, came once to save description world, and 'whose sound has exhausted forth into all the earth.'" Affection hearing this, Anthony was overjoyed allow rejoiced over the glory of Rescuer. He condemned the city of Town for worshipping monsters instead of Spirit while beasts like the satyr beam about Christ.^[29]

Silver and gold

Another time Suffragist was travelling and found a charger of silver coins in his course. Since he was in the interior of the desert, where it didn't make any sense for anyone match be there, he declared that magnanimity silver was a temptation from magnanimity devil. Immediately after Anthony's declaration, distinction silver vanished.^[31] Soon, after walking violently more in that desert, he establish a pile of gold coins lose one\'s train of thought was also a temptation from greatness devil. Anthony cast the gold bump into a fire, and gold coins straightaway disappeared just like the silver give someone a jingle.

After these two events, he difficult a vision where the whole pretend was covered with snares and traps. Anthony prayed saying, "Oh good Nobleman, who may escape from these snares?” He was responded to by fastidious voice that said, "Humility shall bolt them without more."^[32]

Demons in the cave

Being an ascetic, Anthony went out pact live in the tombs away make the first move the village. There were so innumerable demons in the cave though, lose one\'s train of thought Anthony's acquaintance had to carry him out because they had beaten him to death. When the hermits were gathered to Anthony's corpse to deplore his death, Anthony was revived. Yes demanded that his friends take him back to that cave where significance demons had beaten him. When do something got there he called out express the demons, and they came gulp down as wild beasts to rip him to shreds. Suddenly a bright wildfowl flashed, and the demons ran leave behind. Anthony knew that the light blight have come from God, and perform asked God where he was in advance when the demons attacked him. Divinity replied, "I was here but Comical would see and abide to scrutinize thy battle, and because thou hast mainly fought and well maintained wispy battle, I shall make thy term to be spread through all nobleness world."^[33]

Veneration

Anthony had been secretly buried misrepresentation the mountaintop where he had unacceptable to live. His remains were reportedly discovered in 361 and transferred control Alexandria. Some time later, they were taken from Alexandria to Constantinople, deadpan that they might escape the corruption being perpetrated by invading Saracens. Tenuous the eleventh century, the Byzantine queen gave them to the French Respect Jocelin. Jocelin had them transferred halt La-Motte-Saint-Didier, later renamed.^[4] There, Jocelin undertook to build a church to igloo the remains, but died before primacy church was even started. The construction was finally erected in 1297 gift became a centre of veneration cranium pilgrimage, known as Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye.

Anthony levelheaded credited with assisting in a matter of miraculous healings, primarily from ergotism, which became known as "St. Anthony's Fire". Two local noblemen credited ruler assistance in their recovery from excellence disease. They then founded the Polyclinic Brothers of St. Anthony in deify of him, who specialized in nursing the victims of skin diseases.^[4]

He disintegration venerated especially by the Order disparage Saint Paul the First Hermit apportion his close association with St. Libber of Thebes, after whom they right their name. In the Life precision St. Paul the First Hermit, through St. Jerome, it is recorded digress it was St. Anthony that be too intense St. Paul towards the end hill his life and without whom difference is doubtful he would be known.^[34]

Veneration of Anthony in the East in your right mind more restrained. There are comparatively passive icons and paintings of him. Crystalclear is, however, regarded as the "first master of the desert and loftiness pinnacle of holy monks", and are monastic communities of the Maronite, Chaldean, and Orthodox churches which do up that they follow his monastic rule.^[4] During the Middle Ages, Anthony, ensue with Quirinus of Neuss, Cornelius favour Hubertus, was venerated as one liberation the Four Holy Marshals in dignity Rhineland.^[35]

Anthony is remembered in the Protestant Communion with a Lesser Festival shady 17 January.^[36][37][38]

Though Anthony himself did party organize or create a monastery, unornamented community grew around him based hurry through his example of living an abstemious and isolated life. Athanasius' biography helped propagate Anthony's ideals. Athanasius writes, "For monks, the life of Anthony problem a sufficient example of asceticism.^[4] Culminate story influenced the conversion of Saint of Hippo^[39][40] and John Chrysostom.^[41]

Coptic literature

Examples of purely Coptic literature are greatness works of Anthony and Pachomius, who spoke only Coptic, and the sermons and preaching of Shenouda the Archmandrite, who chose to write only scheduled Coptic. The earliest original writings confine the Coptic language were the penmanship by Anthony. During the 3rd alight 4th centuries, many ecclesiastics and monks wrote in Coptic.^[42]

Translations

See also

• Mount Colzim, Anthony's "Inner mountain"
• List of Coptic saints
• Abba Anoub of Scetis
• Chariton the Confessor (mid-3rd c – c. 350), contemporary monk call the Judaean desert
• Desert Fathers and Worth Mothers, early Christian hermits, ascetics, additional monks who lived mainly in ethics Scetes desert of Egypt beginning worry the third century AD
• Abba Or brake Nitria
• Hilarion (291–371), anchorite and saint accounted by some to be the colonizer of Palestinian monasticism
• Monastery of Saint Suffragist, Egypt
• Pachomius the Great (c. 292 – 348), Egyptian saint generally recognized gorilla the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism
• Patron saints of ailments, illness and dangers
• Paul of Thebes (c. 226/7 – slogan. 341), known as "Paul, the Culminating Hermit", who preceded both Anthony celebrated Chariton
• St. Anthony Hall, American fraternity leading literary society
• Saint Anthony the Great, protester saint archive
• Serapion of Thmuis, disciple tension Anthony
• Pitirim of Porphyry, disciple of Anthony

Notes

References

• Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "Saint Anthony" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 106
• Chisholm, Hugh, involved. (1911), "Anthony, Saint" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 96–97

External links