St. Antony of the Desert

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St. Antony of the Desert
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Antony of Egypt

• Born ca.251 Herakleopolis Magna, Egypt
• Died 356 Mount Colzim, Egypt
• In art bell pig book Cross of Tau

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Life of Anthony

• written in Greek around 360 by Athanasius of
  Alexandria
• Sometime before 374, it was translated into Latin
  by Evagrius of Antioch. The Latin translation
  helped the Life become one of the best known
  works of literature in the Christian world, a
  status it would hold through the Middle Ages.
• In addition to the Life, several surviving
  homilies and epistles of varying authenticity
  provide some additional autobiographical detail.

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• The term "Father of Monasticism" is misleading,
  as Christian monasticism was already being
  practiced in the deserts of Egypt. Ascetics
  commonly retired to isolated locations on the
  outskirts of cities.
• Anthony is notable for being one of the first
  ascetics to attempt living in the desert proper,
  completely cut off from civilization. His
  lifestyle was remarkably harsher than that of his
  predecessors.
• There had already existed the Therapeutae, pagan
  ascetic hermits and loosely organized cenobitic
  communities, like the Essenes. By the 2nd century
  there were also famous Christian ascetics.
• Saint Anthony decided to follow this tradition
  and headed out into the alkaline desert region
  called Nitria in Latin (Wadi El Natrun today),
  about 95 km (59 mi) west of Alexandria, some of
  the most rugged terrain of the Western Desert.
• Here he remained for some 13 years.

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• He was secretly buried on the mountain-top where
  he had chosen to live.
• His remains were reportedly discovered in 361,
  and transferred to Alexandria. Some time later,
  they were taken from Alexandria to
  Constantinople, so that they might escape the
  destruction being perpetrated by invading
  Saracens.
• Later, in the eleventh century, the emperor gave
  them to the French count Jocelin. Jocelin had
  them transferred to La-Motte-Saint-Didier, which
  was then renamed Saint-Antoine-en-Dauphiné.

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• There, Anthony is credited with assisting in a
  number of miraculous healings, primarily from
  ergotism (poisoning from fungus in rye), which
  became known as "St. Anthony's Fire".
• He was credited by two local noblemen of
  assisting them in recovery from the disease. They
  then founded the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony
  in honour of him.
• He is regarded as the "first master of the desert
  and the pinnacle of holy monks", however, and
  there are monastic communities of the Maronite,
  Chaldean, and Orthodox churches which state that
  they follow his monastic rule.

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TEMPTATIONS OF ST. ANTONY
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