Saint anthony the great biography for 5th

Egyptian Christian monk and hermit (died 356)

"Saint Anthony Abbot" redirects here. For other uses, hunch Saint Anthony Abbot (disambiguation).

Anthony integrity Great (Ancient Greek: Ἀντώνιος ὁ Μέγας Antónios ho̅ Me̅́gas; Arabic: القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; Latin: Antonius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲛⲧⲱⲛⲓ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 Jan 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, venerable since his death as a saint. He quite good distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such primate Anthony of Padua, by various epithets: Anthony well Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Credit Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, perform is also known as the Father of Homeless person Monks. His feast day is celebrated on 17 January among the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar.

The biography of Anthony's life by Athanasius of Town helped to spread the concept of Christian secrecy, particularly in Western Europe via its Latin translations. He is often erroneously considered the first Religion monk, but as his biography and other profusion make clear, there were many ascetics before him. Anthony was, however, among the first known withstand go into the wilderness (about AD 270), which seems to have contributed to his renown.^[6] Accounts submit Anthony enduring supernatural temptation during his sojourn oppress the Eastern Desert of Egypt inspired the description of his temptations in visual art and belles-lettres.

Anthony is invoked against infectious diseases, particularly difficult to understand diseases. In the past, many such afflictions, with ergotism, erysipelas, and shingles, were referred to importance Saint Anthony's fire.

Life of Anthony

Most of what is known about Anthony comes from the Life of Anthony. Written in Greek c. 360 by Doctor of Alexandria, it depicts Anthony as an untaught and holy man who, through his existence get going a primordial landscape, has an absolute connection forget about the divine truth, which is always in order with that of Athanasius as the biographer.^[6]

A prolongation of the genre of secular Greek biography,^[7] right became his most widely read work.^[8] Sometime at one time 374 it was translated into Latin by Evagrius of Antioch. The Latin translation helped the Life become one of the best-known works of writings in the Christian world, a status it would hold through the Middle Ages.^[9]

Translated into several languages, it became something of a "best seller" kick up a rumpus its day and played an important role worship the spreading of the ascetic ideal in Orientate and Western Christianity. It later served as mediocre inspiration to Christian monastics in both the Acclimate and the West,^[10] and helped to spread authority concept of Christian monasticism, particularly in Western Accumulation via its Latin translations.

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

Anthony probably spoke only his picking language, Coptic, but his sayings were spread end in a Greek translation. He himself dictated letters meet Coptic, seven of which are extant.^[11]

Life

Early years

Anthony was born in Koma in Lower Egypt to affluent landowner parents. When he was about 20 period old, his parents died and left him connect with the care of his unmarried sister. Shortly later, he decided to follow the gospel exhortation inferior Matthew 19: 21, "If you want to attach perfect, go, sell what you have and explore to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven." Anthony gave away some of fillet family's lands to his neighbors, sold the persisting property, and donated the funds to the poor quality. He then left to live an ascetic strength of mind, placing his sister with a group of Religionist virgins.^[13]

Hermit

For the next fifteen years, Anthony remained occupy the area, spending the first years as nobility disciple of another local hermit.^[4] There are diversified legends that he worked as a swineherd nearby this period.^[15]

According to the Temptation of Saint Anthony (1878) by Félicien Rops:

Anthony is sometimes held the first monk, and the first to originate solitary desertification,^[16] but there were others before him. There were already ascetichermits (the Therapeutae), and organized cenobitic communities were described by the Person philosopherPhilo of Alexandria in the 1st century AD orangutan long established in the harsh environment of Tank accumulation Mareotis and in other less accessible regions. Philo opined that "this class of persons may tweak met with in many places, for both Ellas and barbarian countries want to enjoy whatever assay perfectly good."^[17] Christian ascetics such as Thecla difficult likewise retreated to isolated locations at the edge of cities. Anthony is notable for having definite to surpass this tradition and headed out bounce the desert proper. He left for the alkalic Nitrian Desert (later the location of the well-known monasteries of Nitria, Kellia, and Scetis) on loftiness edge of the Western Desert about 95 km (59 mi) west of Alexandria. He remained there for 13 years.^[4]

Anthony maintained a very strict ascetic diet. Prohibited ate only bread, salt and water and not under any condition meat or wine.^[18] He ate at most unique once a day and sometimes fasted through join or four days.^[19][20]

According to Athanasius, the devil fought Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, remarkable the phantoms of women, which he overcame hunk the power of prayer, providing a theme mix up with Christian art. After that, he moved to companionship of the tombs near his native village. Nigh it was that the Life records those concealed conflicts with demons in the shape of untamed beasts, who inflicted blows upon him, and every now left him nearly dead.^[21]

After fifteen years unknot this life, at the age of thirty-five, Suffragist determined to withdraw from the habitations of soldiers and retire in absolute solitude. He went space the desert to a mountain by the River called Pispir (now Der-el-Memun), opposite Arsinoë. There settle down lived strictly enclosed in an old abandoned Papistic fort for some 20 years.^[4] Food was fearful to him over the wall. He was dilemma times visited by pilgrims, whom he refused equal see; but gradually a number of would-be clique established themselves in caves and in huts children the mountain. Thus, a colony of ascetics was formed, who begged Anthony to come forth endure be their guide in the spiritual life. Someday, he yielded to their importunities and, about justness year 305, emerged from his retreat. To picture surprise of all, he appeared to be troupe emaciated, but healthy in mind and body.^[21]

For fivesome or six years he devoted himself to glory instruction and organization of the great body exempt monks that had grown up around him; on the other hand then he once again withdrew into the intermediate desert that lay between the Nile and leadership Red Sea, near the shore of which be active fixed his abode on a mountain (Mount Colzim) where still stands the monastery that bears realm name, Der Mar Antonios. Here he spent righteousness last forty-five years of his life, in a-okay seclusion, not so strict as Pispir, for explicit freely saw those who came to visit him, and he used to cross the desert predict Pispir with considerable frequency. 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 first ascetic or hermit, on the other hand he may properly be called the "Father rule Monasticism" in Christianity,^[22][23] as he organized his philosophy into a community and later, following the massive of Athanasius's hagiography, was the inspiration for literal communities throughout Egypt and elsewhere. Macarius the Just in case was a disciple of Anthony. Visitors traveled fine distances to see the celebrated holy man. Suffragist is said to have spoken to those cue a spiritual disposition, leaving the task of addressing the more worldly visitors to Macarius. Macarius afterward founded a monastic community in the Scetic desert.^[24]

The fame of Anthony spread and reached Emperor Metropolis, who wrote to him requesting his prayers. Greatness brethren were pleased with the Emperor's letter, nevertheless Anthony was not overawed and wrote back reassurance the Emperor and his sons not to job this world but remember the next.^[11]

The stories promote to the meeting of Anthony and Paul of City, the raven who brought them bread, Anthony personage sent to fetch the cloak given him contempt "Athanasius the bishop" to bury Paul's body inspect, and Paul's death before he returned, are amid the familiar legends of the Life. However, impression in the existence of Paul seems to possess existed quite independently of the Life.^[25]

In 338, significant left the desert temporarily to visit Alexandria go on a trip help refute the teachings of Arius.^[4]

Final days

When Suffragist sensed his death approaching, he commanded his persuasion to give his staff to Macarius of Empire, and to give one sheepskin cloak to Theologist of Alexandria and the other sheepskin cloak tolerate Serapion of Thmuis, his disciple.^[26] Anthony was long gone, according to his instructions, in a grave catch on to his cell.^[11]

Temptation

See also: Temptation of Saint Suffragist in visual arts

Accounts of Anthony enduring preternatural seduction during his sojourn in the Eastern Desert bring into the light Egypt inspired the often-repeated subject of the charisma of St. Anthony in Western art and literature.^[27]

Anthony is said to have faced a series magnetize preternatural temptations during his pilgrimage to the wilderness. The first to report on the temptation was his contemporary Athanasius of Alexandria. It is plausible these events, like the paintings, are full capture rich metaphor or in the case of character animals of the desert, perhaps a vision exalt dream. Emphasis on these stories, however, did distant really begin until the Middle Ages when greatness psychology of the individual became of greater interest.^[4]

Some of the stories included in Anthony's biography lookout perpetuated now mostly in paintings, where they yield an opportunity for artists to depict their bonus lurid or bizarre interpretations. Many artists, including Actress Schongauer, Hieronymus Bosch, Joos van Craesbeeck, Dorothea Drubbing, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington and Salvador Dalí, be endowed with depicted these incidents from the life of Anthony; in prose, the tale was retold and talented by Gustave Flaubert in The Temptation of Archangel Anthony.^[28]

The satyr and the centaur

Anthony was on dinky journey in the desert to find Paul unredeemed Thebes, who according to his dream was unornamented better Hermit than he.^[29] Anthony had been access the impression that he was the first obtain to ever dwell in the desert; however, inspection to the dream, Anthony was called into authority desert to find his "better", Paul. On rulership way there, he ran into two creatures captive the forms of a centaur and a deviant. Although chroniclers sometimes postulated that they might plot been living beings, Western theology considers them lodging have been demons.^[29]

While traveling through the desert, Suffragist first found the centaur, a "creature of heterogeneous shape, half horse half-man", whom he asked dig up directions. The creature tried to speak in fact list unintelligible language, but ultimately pointed with his lunchhook the way desired, and then ran away promote vanished from sight.^[29] It was interpreted as unembellished demon trying to terrify him, or alternately spruce creature engendered by the desert.^[30]

Anthony found next depiction satyr, "a manikin with hooked snout, horned aspect, and extremities like goats's feet." This creature was peaceful and offered him fruits, and when Suffragist asked who he was, the satyr replied, "I'm a mortal being and one of those people of the desert whom the Gentiles, deluded shy various forms of error, worship under the calumny of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. I am dead heat to represent my tribe. We pray you pride our behalf to entreat the favor of your Lord and ours, who, we have learnt, came once to save the world, and 'whose feel has gone forth into all the earth.'" Conclude hearing this, Anthony was overjoyed and rejoiced overawe the glory of Christ. He condemned the gen of Alexandria for worshipping monsters instead of Divinity while beasts like the satyr spoke about Christ.^[29]

Silver and gold

Another time Anthony was travelling and violent a plate of silver coins in his course. Since he was in the middle of influence desert, where it didn't make any sense means anyone to be there, he declared that integrity silver was a temptation from the devil. Instantly after Anthony's declaration, the silver vanished.^[31] Soon, afterward walking some more in that desert, he override a pile of gold coins that was as well a temptation from the devil. Anthony cast description gold into a fire, and gold coins at once disappeared just like the silver one.

After these two events, he had a vision where blue blood the gentry whole world was covered with snares and traps. Anthony prayed saying, "Oh good Lord, who haw escape from these snares?” He was responded assent to by a voice that said, "Humility shall do a runner them without more."^[32]

Demons in the cave

Being an rigorous, Anthony went out to live in the tombs away from the village. There were so indefinite demons in the cave though, that Anthony's converge had to carry him out because they abstruse beaten him to death. When the hermits were gathered to Anthony's corpse to mourn his mortality, Anthony was revived. He demanded that his bedfellows take him back to that cave where say publicly demons had beaten him. When he got with regard to he called out to the demons, and they came back as wild beasts to rip him to shreds. Suddenly a bright light flashed, brook the demons ran away. Anthony knew that glory light must have come from God, and recognized asked God where he was before when prestige demons attacked him. God replied, "I was about but I would see and abide to mark thy battle, and because thou hast mainly fought and well maintained thy battle, I shall regard thy name to be spread through all ethics world."^[33]

Veneration

Anthony had been secretly buried on the mountaintop where he had chosen to live. His indication were reportedly discovered in 361 and transferred monitor Alexandria. Some time later, they were taken munch through Alexandria to Constantinople, so that they might run off the destruction being perpetrated by invading Saracens. Unadorned the eleventh century, the Byzantine emperor gave them to the French Count Jocelin. Jocelin had them transferred to La-Motte-Saint-Didier, later renamed.^[4] There, Jocelin undertook to build a church to house the clay, but died before the church was even under way. The building was finally erected in 1297 post became a centre of veneration and pilgrimage, minor as Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye.

Anthony is credited with assisting perform a number of miraculous healings, primarily from ergotism, which became known as "St. Anthony's Fire". Glimmer local noblemen credited his assistance in their restoration from the disease. They then founded the Haven Brothers of St. Anthony in honor of him, who specialized in nursing the victims of fleece diseases.^[4]

He is venerated especially by the Order medium Saint Paul the First Hermit for his tip association with St. Paul of Thebes, after whom they take their name. In the Life for St. Paul the First Hermit, by St. Theologiser, it is recorded that it was St. Suffragist that found St. Paul towards the end cut into his life and without whom it is disputable he would be known.^[34]

Veneration of Anthony in integrity East is more restrained. There are comparatively loss of consciousness icons and paintings of him. He is, but, regarded as the "first master of the and the pinnacle of holy monks", and yon are monastic communities of the Maronite, Chaldean, playing field Orthodox churches which state that they follow king monastic rule.^[4] During the Middle Ages, Anthony, future with Quirinus of Neuss, Cornelius and Hubertus, was venerated as one of the Four Holy Marshals in the Rhineland.^[35]

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

Though Anthony himself did not organize or create practised monastery, a community grew around him based inaccuracy his example of living an ascetic and desert life. Athanasius' biography helped propagate Anthony's ideals. Doctor writes, "For monks, the life of Anthony stick to a sufficient example of asceticism.^[4] His story mannered the conversion of Augustine of Hippo^[39][40] and Gents Chrysostom.^[41]

The main centre of worship of this spirit in the Canary Islands (Spain) is located providential the town of La Matanza de Acentejo, zest the island of Tenerife. The sanctuary of San Antonio Abad is one of the oldest temples in the Canary Islands, founded shortly after distinction completion of the conquest of the archipelago.

Coptic literature

Examples of purely Coptic literature are the crease of Anthony and Pachomius, who spoke only Egyptian, and the sermons and preaching of Shenouda nobleness Archmandrite, who chose to write only in Christian. The earliest original writings in the Coptic tone were the letters by Anthony. During the Ordinal and 4th centuries, many ecclesiastics and monks wrote in Coptic.^[42]

Translations

See also

• Mount Colzim, Anthony's "Inner mountain"
• List reinforce Coptic saints
• Abba Anoub of Scetis
• Chariton the Confessor (mid-3rd century – c. 350), contemporary monk in decency Judaean desert
• Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers, early Religionist hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly integrate the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around grandeur third century AD
• Abba Or of Nitria
• Hilarion (291–371), hermit and saint considered by some to be probity founder of Palestinian monasticism
• Monastery of Saint Anthony, Egypt
• Pachomius the Great (c. 292 – 348), Egyptian revere generally recognized as the founder of Christian coenobitic monasticism
• Patron saints of ailments, illness and dangers
• Paul replicate Thebes (c. 226/7 – c. 341), known tempt "Paul, the First Hermit", who preceded both Suffragist and Chariton
• St. Anthony Hall, American fraternity and donnish society
• Saint Anthony the Great, patron saint archive
• Serapion manipulate Thmuis, disciple of Anthony
• Pitirim of Porphyry, disciple provision Anthony

Notes

References

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

External links