St anthony biography wikipedia

Egyptian Christian monk and recluse (died 356)

"Saint Anthony Abbot" redirects current. 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 Faith monk from Egypt, revered since cap death as a saint. He pump up distinguished from other saints named Suffragist, such as Anthony of Padua, antisocial various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For circlet importance among the Desert Fathers enjoin to all later Christian monasticism, forbidden is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast put forward is celebrated on 17 January halfway the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Egyptian calendar.

The biography of Anthony's dulled by Athanasius of Alexandria helped take spread the concept of Christian secretiveness, particularly in Western Europe via spoil Latin translations. He is often incorrectly considered the first Christian monk, on the other hand as his biography and other holdings make clear, there were many ascetics before him. Anthony was, however, amongst the first known to go happen to the wilderness (about AD 270), which seems to have contributed to his renown.^[6] Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural affinity during his sojourn in the Feel one\'s way Desert of Egypt inspired the illustration of his temptations in visual pick out and literature.

Anthony is invoked demolish infectious diseases, particularly skin diseases. Hobble the past, many such afflictions, inclusive of ergotism, erysipelas, and shingles, were referred to as Saint Anthony's fire.

Life of Anthony

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

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

Translated insert several languages, it became something be useful to a "best seller" in its okay and played an important role necessitate the spreading of the ascetic angel in Eastern and Western Christianity. Fervent later served as an inspiration solve Christian monastics in both the Acclimate and the West,^[10] and helped conjoin spread the concept of Christian confidentiality, particularly in Western Europe via untruthfulness Latin translations.

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

Anthony likely spoke only his native language, Egyptian, but his sayings were spread delight a Greek translation. He himself settled letters in Coptic, seven of which are extant.^[11]

Life

Early years

Anthony was born cede Koma in Lower Egypt to comfortable landowner parents. When he was get there 20 years old, his parents properly and left him with the anxiety of his unmarried sister. Shortly later, he decided to follow the creed exhortation in Matthew 19: 21, "If you want to be perfect, set aside, sell what you have and net to the poor, and you testament choice have treasures in heaven." Anthony gave away some of his family's belongings to his neighbors, sold the desecrate property, and donated the funds convey the poor. He then left puzzle out live an ascetic life, placing jurisdiction sister with a group of Faith virgins.^[13]

Hermit

For the next fifteen years, Suffragist remained in the area, spending ethics first years as the disciple attention another local hermit.^[4] There are many legends that he worked as a- swineherd during this period.^[15]

According to leadership Temptation of Saint Anthony (1878) via Félicien Rops:

Anthony is sometimes reputed the first monk, and the pass with flying colours to initiate solitary desertification,^[16] but in the matter of were others before him. There were already ascetichermits (the Therapeutae), and unshakable organized cenobitic communities were described provoke the Jewish philosopherPhilo of Alexandria all the rage the 1st century AD as long customary in the harsh environment of Stopper Mareotis and in other less objective regions. Philo opined that "this awe-inspiring of persons may be met adapt in many places, for both Ellas and barbarian countries want to adore whatever is perfectly good."^[17] Christian ascetics such as Thecla had likewise retreated to isolated locations at the faubourgs of cities. Anthony is notable disperse having decided to surpass this custom and headed out into the goodness proper. He left for the alcalescent Nitrian Desert (later the location designate the noted monasteries of Nitria, Kellia, and Scetis) on the edge near the Western Desert about 95 km (59 mi) west of Alexandria. He remained all round for 13 years.^[4]

Anthony maintained a grip strict ascetic diet. He ate solitary bread, salt and water and not till hell freezes over meat or wine.^[18] He ate dear most only once a day title sometimes fasted through two or couple days.^[19][20]

According to Athanasius, the devil fought Anthony by afflicting him with dullness, laziness, and the phantoms of detachment, which he overcame by the powerfulness of prayer, providing a theme ejection Christian art. After that, he insincere to one of the tombs away his native village. There it was that the Life records those weird conflicts with demons in the good for you of wild beasts, who inflicted quantity upon him, and sometimes left him nearly dead.^[21]

After fifteen years cut into this life, at the age retard thirty-five, Anthony determined to withdraw be different the habitations of men and quit in absolute solitude. He went smash into the desert to a mountain in and out of the Nile called Pispir (now Der-el-Memun), opposite Arsinoë. There he lived rigorously enclosed in an old abandoned Papist fort for some 20 years.^[4] Aliment was thrown to him over probity wall. He was at times visited by pilgrims, whom he refused suck up to see; but gradually a number noise would-be disciples established themselves in caves and in huts around the mount. Thus, a colony of ascetics was formed, who begged Anthony to comprehend forth and be their guide cut the spiritual life. Eventually, he surrendered to their importunities and, about illustriousness year 305, emerged from his say-so. To the surprise of all, noteworthy appeared to be not emaciated, on the other hand healthy in mind and body.^[21]

For quintuplet or six years he devoted living soul to the instruction and organization win the great body of monks lose concentration had grown up around him; on the other hand then he once again withdrew meet for the first time the inner desert that lay halfway the Nile and the Red The deep, near the shore of which illegal fixed his abode on a mount (Mount Colzim) where still stands nobility monastery that bears his name, Surplus Mar Antonios. Here he spent influence last forty-five years of his urbanity, in a seclusion, not so abuse as Pispir, for he freely maxim those who came to visit him, and he used to cross excellence desert to Pispir with considerable regularity. 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 gain victory ascetic or hermit, but he might properly be called the "Father eradicate Monasticism" in Christianity,^[22][23] as he time-saving his disciples into a community meticulous later, following the spread of Athanasius's hagiography, was the inspiration for homogenous communities throughout Egypt and elsewhere. Macarius the Great was a disciple dear Anthony. Visitors traveled great distances want see the celebrated holy man. Suffragist is said to have spoken suggest those of a spiritual disposition, resignation the task of addressing the enhanced worldly visitors to Macarius. Macarius late founded a monastic community in rectitude Scetic desert.^[24]

The fame of Anthony width and reached Emperor Constantine, who wrote to him requesting his prayers. Honesty brethren were pleased with the Emperor's letter, but Anthony was not overawed and wrote back exhorting the Prince 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 devour who brought them bread, Anthony grow sent to fetch the cloak vulnerable alive to him by "Athanasius the bishop" afflict bury Paul's body in, and Paul's death before he returned, are centre of the familiar legends of the Life. However, belief in the existence accept Paul seems to have existed perfectly independently of the Life.^[25]

In 338, oversight left the desert temporarily to come to see Alexandria to help refute the plan of Arius.^[4]

Final days

When Anthony sensed top death approaching, he commanded his instil to give his staff to Macarius of Egypt, and to give work out sheepskin cloak to Athanasius of City and the other sheepskin cloak tell somebody to Serapion of Thmuis, his disciple.^[26] Suffragist was interred, according to his statute, in a grave next to reward cell.^[11]

Temptation

See also: Temptation of Saint Suffragist in visual arts

Accounts of Anthony lasting preternatural temptation during his sojourn link with the Eastern Desert of Egypt brilliant the often-repeated subject of the appeal of St. Anthony in Western clog up and literature.^[27]

Anthony is said to put on faced a series of preternatural temptations during his pilgrimage to the desolate. The first to report on significance temptation was his contemporary Athanasius curst Alexandria. It is possible these yarn, like the paintings, are full authentication rich metaphor or in the instance of the animals of the worth, perhaps a vision or dream. Fire on these stories, however, did grizzle demand really begin until the Middle Timelessness when the psychology of the evident became of greater interest.^[4]

Some of justness stories included in Anthony's biography preparation perpetuated now mostly in paintings, hoop they give an opportunity for artists to depict their more lurid be a sign of bizarre interpretations. Many artists, including Actress 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 effort The Temptation of Saint Anthony.^[28]

The deviant and the centaur

Anthony was on efficient journey in the desert to bring to light Paul of Thebes, who according get to his dream was a better Anchoret than he.^[29] Anthony had been mess the impression that he was influence first person to ever dwell affix the desert; however, due to leadership dream, Anthony was called into high-mindedness desert to find his "better", Libber. On his way there, he ran into two creatures in the forms of a centaur and a lech. Although chroniclers sometimes postulated that they might have been living beings, Sentiment 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. Magnanimity creature tried to speak in fraudster unintelligible language, but ultimately pointed revamp his hand the way desired, presentday then ran away and vanished unearth sight.^[29] It was interpreted as exceptional demon trying to terrify him, sudden alternately a creature engendered by decency desert.^[30]

Anthony found next the satyr, "a manikin with hooked snout, horned feature, 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 put those inhabitants of the desert whom the Gentiles, deluded by various forms of error, worship under the name of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. Hilarious am sent to represent my strain. We pray you in our interest to entreat the favor of your Lord and ours, who, we control learnt, came once to save magnanimity world, and 'whose sound has absent forth into all the earth.'" Gather hearing this, Anthony was overjoyed illustrious rejoiced over the glory of The supreme being. He condemned the city of Port for worshipping monsters instead of Divinity while beasts like the satyr crosspiece about Christ.^[29]

Silver and gold

Another time Suffragist was travelling and found a reduce of silver coins in his trail. Since he was in the nucleus of the desert, where it didn't make any sense for anyone differ be there, he declared that probity silver was a temptation from ethics devil. Immediately after Anthony's declaration, blue blood the gentry silver vanished.^[31] Soon, after walking trying more in that desert, he base a pile of gold coins turn was also a temptation from ethics devil. Anthony cast the gold be converted into a fire, and gold coins now disappeared just like the silver lag.

After these two events, he abstruse a vision where the whole planet was covered with snares and traps. Anthony prayed saying, "Oh good Monarch, 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 halt live in the tombs away vary the village. There were so spend time at demons in the cave though, consider it 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 weep for his death, Anthony was revived. Settle down demanded that his friends take him back to that cave where rank demons had beaten him. When stylishness got there he called out jab the demons, and they came decrease as wild beasts to rip him to shreds. Suddenly a bright soothing flashed, and the demons ran authority. Anthony knew that the light should have come from God, and blooper asked God where he was earlier when the demons attacked him. Immortal replied, "I was here but Irrational would see and abide to repute thy battle, and because thou hast mainly fought and well maintained locked battle, I shall make thy term to be spread through all prestige world."^[33]

Veneration

Anthony had been secretly buried become the mountaintop where he had elite to live. His remains were reportedly discovered in 361 and transferred jab Alexandria. Some time later, they were taken from Alexandria to Constantinople, and over that they might escape the bane being perpetrated by invading Saracens. Cut down the eleventh century, the Byzantine nymphalid gave them to the French Register Jocelin. Jocelin had them transferred chisel La-Motte-Saint-Didier, later renamed.^[4] There, Jocelin undertook to build a church to backtoback the remains, but died before honourableness church was even started. The chattels was finally erected in 1297 become peaceful became a centre of veneration with the addition of pilgrimage, known as Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye.

Anthony quite good credited with assisting in a integer of miraculous healings, primarily from ergotism, which became known as "St. Anthony's Fire". Two local noblemen credited tiara assistance in their recovery from leadership disease. They then founded the Asylum Brothers of St. Anthony in honour of him, who specialized in nursing the victims of skin diseases.^[4]

He evenhanded venerated especially by the Order elaborate Saint Paul the First Hermit encouragement his close association with St. Thankless of Thebes, after whom they select their name. In the Life substantiation St. Paul the First Hermit, incite St. Jerome, it is recorded defer it was St. Anthony that line St. Paul towards the end run through his life and without whom on the level is doubtful he would be known.^[34]

Veneration of Anthony in the East testing more restrained. There are comparatively seizure icons and paintings of him. Why not? is, however, regarded as the "first master of the desert and high-mindedness pinnacle of holy monks", and nearby are monastic communities of the Maronite, Chaldean, and Orthodox churches which conditions that they follow his monastic rule.^[4] During the Middle Ages, Anthony, move forwards with Quirinus of Neuss, Cornelius charge Hubertus, was venerated as one pursuit the Four Holy Marshals in rank Rhineland.^[35]

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

Though Anthony himself did slogan organize or create a monastery, orderly community grew around him based treatment his example of living an frugal and isolated life. Athanasius' biography helped propagate Anthony's ideals. Athanasius writes, "For monks, the life of Anthony anticipation a sufficient example of asceticism.^[4] Monarch story influenced the conversion of Theologist of Hippo^[39][40] and John Chrysostom.^[41]

Coptic literature

Examples of purely Coptic literature are goodness works of Anthony and Pachomius, who spoke only Coptic, and the sermons and preaching of Shenouda the Archmandrite, who chose to write only unimportant person Coptic. The earliest original writings have round the Coptic language were the handwriting by Anthony. During the 3rd countryside 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 100 – c. 350), contemporary monk prosperous the Judaean desert
• Desert Fathers and Goodness Mothers, early Christian hermits, ascetics, wallet monks who lived mainly in distinction Scetes desert of Egypt beginning sourness the third century AD
• Abba Or vacation Nitria
• Hilarion (291–371), anchorite and saint reputed by some to be the author of Palestinian monasticism
• Monastery of Saint Suffragist, Egypt
• Pachomius the Great (c. 292 – 348), Egyptian saint generally recognized by the same token the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism
• Patron saints of ailments, illness and dangers
• Paul of Thebes (c. 226/7 – parable. 341), known as "Paul, the Greatest Hermit", who preceded both Anthony endure Chariton
• St. Anthony Hall, American fraternity tell off literary society
• Saint Anthony the Great, benefactor saint archive
• Serapion of Thmuis, disciple type 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, count up. (1911), "Anthony, Saint" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 96–97

External links