July 26, 2025 • 21 mins
Embark on a journey through the life of Anthony (251-356CE), one of the pioneering figures of Christian desert monasticism in Egypt. At the tender age of 18, armed with a sermon about Jesus encouraging a young man to abandon his riches, Anthony renounced his inherited fortune. Promptly, he ventured into the barren desert to lead a life governed by poverty, chastity, and obedience. From battling demons to performing miracles, his life was one of extraordinary spiritual exploits. Anthony became a legend in his own right during his remarkably long lifetime. This podcast is a fascinating exploration of his inspiring life. (Summary by Matthew James Gray)
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Section eighty two to ninety four of the Life of Antony.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Matthew James Gray. The
Life of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h Elshorre. Being
(00:28):
known to be so great a man, therefore, and having
thus given answers to those who visited him, he returned
again to the inner mountain and maintained his wonted discipline,
and often when people came to him as he was
sitting or walking, as it is written in Daniel, he
became dumb, and after a season he resumed the thread
(00:48):
of what he had been saying before to the brethren
who were with him and his companions perceived that he
was seeing a vision. For often when he was on
the mountains, he saw what was happening in Egypt, and
told it to Serapion, the bishop, who was indoors with him,
and who saw that Antony was rapt in a vision. Once,
(01:08):
as he was sitting and working, he fell, as it were,
into a trance, and groaned much at what he saw.
Then after a time. Having turned to the bystanders, with
groans and tremblings, he prayed, and, falling on his knees,
remained so a long time, and having arisen, the old
man wept. His companions, therefore, trembling and terrified, desired to
(01:33):
learn from him what it was, and they troubled him
much until he was forced to speak, and with many groans,
he spoke as follows, Oh, my children, it were better
to die before what has appeared in the vision come
to pass. And when again they asked him, having burst
into tears, he said, Roth is about to seize the church,
(01:55):
and it is on the point of being given up
to men who are like senseless beasts. For I saw
the table of the Lord's house, and mules standing around
it on all sides in a ring, and kicking the
things therein, just like a herd kicks when it leaps
in confusion. And you saw, said he how I groaned,
(02:15):
for I heard a voice saying, my altar shall be defiled.
These things the old man saw. And after two years
the present inroad of the arians and the plunder of
the churches took place, when they violently carried off the
vessels and made the heathen carry them. And when they
forced the heathen from the prisons to join in their services,
and in their presence, did upon the table as they would,
(02:39):
then we all understood that these kicks of the mules
signified to Antony what the Arians, senselessly like beasts, are
now doing. But when he saw this vision, he comforted
those with him, saying, be not downcast, my children, For
as the Lord has been angry, so again will he
heal us. And the Church shall soon again rest sieve
(03:00):
her own order, and shall shine forth as she is
wont And you shall behold the persecuted restored, and the
wickedness again withdrawn to its own hiding place, and pious
faith speaking boldly in every place with all freedom. Only
defile not yourselves with the Arians, for their teaching is
not that of the apostles, but that of demons and
(03:22):
their father, the devil. Yea. Rather, it is barren and
senseless and without light understanding, like the senselessness of these mules.
Such are the words of Vantity. And we ought not
to doubt whether such marbles were wrought by the hand
of a man. For it is the promise of the
Savior when he says, if you have faith as a
(03:43):
grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain,
remove thence and it shall remove, and nothing shall be
impossible unto you Matthew seventeen, verse twenty. And again, verily, verily,
I say unto you, if you shall ask the Father
in my name, he will give it to you. Ask,
and you shall receive. John sixteen, verse twenty three. And
(04:05):
he himself it is who says to his disciples and
to all who believe in him, heal the sick, cast
out demons freely. You have received freely give Matthew ten,
verse eight. Antony, at any rate healed not by commanding,
but by prayer and speaking the name of Christ, so
(04:26):
that it was clear to all that it was not
he himself who worked, but the Lord who showed mercy
by his means and healed the sufferers. But Antony's part
was only prayer and discipline, for the sake of which
he stayed in the mountain, rejoicing in the contemplation of
divine things, but grieving when troubled by much people and
(04:48):
dragged to the outer mountain. For all judges used to
ask him to come down, because it was impossible for
them to enter on account of their following of litigants.
But nevertheless they asked him to come, that they might
but see him. When therefore he avoided it and refused
to go to them, they remained firm and sent to
him all the more the prisoners under charge of soldiers,
(05:09):
that on account of these he might come down. Being
forced by necessity, and seeing them lamenting, he came into
the outer mountain. And again his labor was not unprofitable,
for his coming was advantageous and serviceable to many. And
he was of profit to the judges, counseling them to
prefer justice in all things, to fear God, and to
(05:31):
know that with what judgment they judged, they should be
judged Matthew seven, verse two. But he loved more than
all things his sojourn in the mountain. At another time,
suffering the same compulsion at the hands of them who
had need. And after many entreaties from the commander of
the soldiers, he came down. And when he had come,
(05:53):
he spoke to them shortly of the things which make
for salvation, and concerning those who wanted him, and was
hastening away. But when the Duke, as he is called,
entreated him to stay. He replied that he could not
linger among them, and persuaded him by a pretty simile, saying, fishes,
(06:13):
if they remained long on dry land, die, and so
monks lose their strength if they loiter among you and
spend their time with you. Wherefore, as fish must hurry
to the sea, so must we hasten to the mountain.
Lest haply if we delay, we forget the things within us.
And the general, having heard this and many other things
(06:34):
from him, was amazed and said, of a truth, this
man is the servant of God. For unless he were
beloved of God, whence could an ignorant man have such
great understanding? And a certain general Bellacius by name persecuted
us Christians bitterly on account of his regard for the Arians,
(06:54):
that name of Hillomen, and as his ruthlessness was so
great that he beat virgins and stripped and scourged monks.
Antony at this time wrote a letter as follows, and
sent it to him. I see Roth coming upon you.
Wherefore cease to persecute the Christians. Lest haply Roth catch
(07:15):
hold of you, for even now it is on the
point of coming upon you. But Bellasius laughed and threw
the letter on the ground and spit on it, and
insulted the bearers, bidding them tell this to Antony, since
you take thought for the monks. Soon I will come
after you also. And five days had not passed before
Rath came upon him. For Bellasius and Nestorius, the prefect
(07:39):
of Egypt, went forth to the first halting place from Alexandria,
which is called Carrioux. And both were on the horseback,
and the horses belonged to Bellacius, and were the quietest
of all his stable. But they had not gone far
towards the place when the horses began to frisk with
one another, as they are wont to do. And suddenly
the quieter on wi which Nestoria sat with a bite,
(08:02):
dismounted Belaseius and attacked him and tore his thigh so
badly with its teeth that he was borne straight back
to the city, and in three days died. And all
wondered because what Antony had foretold had been so speedily fulfilled.
Thus therefore he warned the cruel but the rest who
(08:23):
came to him, he so instructed that they straightway forgot
their law suits and felicitated those who were in retirement
from the world, any champion those who were wronged in
such way that you would imagine that he, and not
the others, was the sufferer. Further, he was able to
be of such use to all that many soldiers and
(08:44):
men who had great possessions laid aside the burdens of
life and became monks for the rest of their days.
And it was as if a physician had been given
by God to Egypt. For who in grief met Antony
and did not return rejoicing, Who came mourning for his
dead and did not immediately put off his sorrow, Who
(09:07):
came in anger and was not converted to friendship? What
poor and low spirited man met him, Who, hearing him
and looking upon him, did not despise wealth and console
himself in his poverty. What monk, having been neglectful, came
to him and became not all the stronger. What young man,
(09:27):
having come to the mountain and seen Antony, did not
immediately deny himself pleasure and love temperance, Who, when tempted
by a demon, came to him and did not find rest,
And who came troubled with doubts and did not get
quietness of mind. For this was the wonderful thing in
(09:48):
Antony's discipline, that, as I said before, having the gift
of discerning spirits, he recognized their movements, and was not
ignorant whether any one of them turned his energy and
made his attack. And not only was he not deceived
by them himself, but cheering those who were troubled with doubts,
he taught them how to defeat their plans, telling them
(10:10):
of the weakness and craft of those who possessed them. Thus,
each one, as though prepared by him for battle, came
down from the mountain, braving the designs of the devil
and his demons. How many maidens who had suitors, having
but seen Antony from afar, remained maidens for Christ's sake.
(10:31):
And people came also from foreign parts to him, and,
like all others, having got some benefit, returned as though
set forward by a father. And certainly, when he died, all,
as having been bereft of a father, consoled themselves solely
by their remembrances of him, preserving at the same time
(10:53):
his counsel and advice. It is worth while that I
should relate, and that you, as you wish it, should
hear what his death was like, for this end of
his is worthy of imitation. According to his custom, he
visited the monks in the outer Mountain, and, having learned
(11:14):
from providence that his own end was at hand, he
said to the brethren, this is my last visit to you,
which I shall make, and I shall be surprised if
we see each other again in this life at length.
The time of my departure is at hand, for I
am near a hundred and five years old. And when
they heard it, they wept and embraced and kissed the
(11:36):
old man. But he, as though sailing from a foreign
city to his own, spoke joyously and exhorted them not
to grow idle in their labors, nor to become faint
in their training, but to live as though dying daily,
and as he said before, zealously to guard the soul
from foul thoughts, eagerly to imitate the saints. And to
(11:59):
have nothing to do with the Malician schismatics, for you
know their wickedness and profane character. Nor have any fellowship
with the arians, for their impiety is clear to all.
Nor be disturbed if you see their judges protect them,
for it shall cease and their pomp is mortal and
of short duration. Wherefore, keep yourselves all the more untainted
(12:23):
by them, and observe the traditions of the fathers, and
chiefly the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which
you have learned from the scripture, and of which you
have often been put in mind by me. But when
the brethren were urging him to abide with them and
there to die, he suffered not for many other reasons,
(12:44):
as he showed by keeping silence, and especially for this.
The Egyptians are wonts to honor with funeral rites and
to wrap in linen clots at death the bodies of
good men, and especially the holy martyrs, and not to
bury them under ground, but to place them on couches,
and to keep them in their houses, thinking in this
to honor the departed, and Antony often urged the bishops
(13:04):
to give commandment to the people on this manner. In
like manner he taught the laity and reproved the women,
saying that this thing was neither lawful nor wholly at all.
For the bodies of the patriarchs and prophets are until
now preserved in tombs, and the very body of the
Lord was laid in a tomb, and a stone was
laid upon it, and hid it until he rose on
(13:24):
the third day, And thus saying, he showed that he
did not bury the bodies of the dead after death,
transgressed the law, even though they were sacred, for it
is greater or more sacred than the body of the Lord.
Many therefore, having heard, henceforth buried the dead underground, and
gave thanks to the Lord that they had been taught rightly.
(13:47):
But he, knowing the custom, and fearing that his body
would be treated this way, hastened, and, having bidden farewell
to the monks and the outer mountain, entered the inner mountain,
where he was accustomed to abide, And after a few
months he fell sick. Having summoned those who were there,
(14:07):
they were two in number who had remained in the
mountain fifteen years, practicing the discipline and attending on antony.
On account of his age, he said to them, ay,
as it is written in Joshua twenty three, verse fourteen,
go the way of the fathers. For I perceive that
I am called by the Lord. And do you be
(14:27):
watchful and destroy not your long discipline? But as though
now making a beginning zealously preserve your determination, For you
know the treachery of the demons, how fierce they are,
but how little power they have. Wherefore, fear them not,
but rather ever breathe Christ and trust Him, live as
(14:50):
though dying daily. Give heed to yourselves, and remember the
admonition you have heard from me. Have no fellowship with
the schismatics, nor any dealings at all with the heretical arians,
for you know how I shunned them on account of
their hostility to Christ and the strange doctrines of their heresy. Therefore,
(15:11):
be the more earnest always to the followers, first of
God and then of the Saints, that after death they
also may receive you, as well known friends, into the
eternal habitations. Ponder over these things and think of them.
And if you have any care for me and are
mindful of me as of a father, suffer no one
(15:33):
to take my body into Egypt, lest haply they placed
me in the houses. For to avoid this I entered
into the mountain and came here. Moreover, you know how
I always put to rebuke those who had this custom,
and exhorted them to cease from it. Bury my body
therefore and hide it underground yourselves, and let my words
(15:53):
be observed by you, that no one may know the
place but you alone, For at the resurrection of the
dead I shall receive it incorruptible from the Savior. Divide
my garments, Tathanasius the Bishop, give one sheep skin and
the garment whereon I am laid, which he himself gave
me new, but which with me has grown old. To
(16:15):
Syrapiaan the Bishop, give the other sheepskin, and keep the
hair garments yourselves for the rest. Fare ye well, my children,
for Antony is departing and is with you no more.
Having said this, when they had kissed him, he lifted
up his feet, and as though he saw friends coming
(16:38):
to him, and was glad because of them, For as
he lay his countenance appeared joyful. He died and was
gathered to the fathers, and they, afterward, according to his commandment,
wrapped him up and buried him, hiding his body underground.
And no one knows to this day where it was buried,
(16:59):
save those two only. But each of those who received
the sheep skin of the blessed Antony and the garment
worn by him guards it as a precious treasure, for
even to look on them is as it were to
behold Antony, and he who is clothed in them seems
with joy to bear his admonitions. This is the end
(17:21):
of Antony's life in the body, and the above was
the beginning of the discipline. Even if this account is
small compared with his merit, still from this reflect how
great Antony, the man of God was, who, from his
youth to so great an age, preserved a uniform zeal
for the discipline. And neither through old age was subdued
(17:43):
by the desire of costly food, nor through the infirmity
of his body, changed the fashion of his clothing, nor
washed even his feet with water, and yet remained entirely
free from harm. For his eyes were undimmed and quite sound,
and he saw clear of his teeth. He had not
lost one, but they had become worn to the gums.
(18:04):
Through the great age of the old man, he remained strong,
both in hands and feet, And while all men were
using various foods and washings and various garments, he appeared
more cheerful and of greater strength. And the fact that
his fame has been blazoned everywhere, that all regard him
with wonder, and that those who had never seen him
(18:26):
long for him is clear proof of his virtue and
God's love of his soul. For not from writings, nor
from worldly wisdom, nor through any art was Antony renowned,
but solely from his piety toward God. That this was
the gift of God. No one will deny. For from
(18:46):
whence into Spain and into Gaul, how into Rome and
Africa was the man heard of who abode hidden in
a mountain, unless it was God, who makes his own
known everywhere, who also promised this to Antonia at the beginning.
For even if they work secretly, even if they wish
to remain in obscurity, yet the Lord shows them as
(19:09):
lamps to lighten all, that those who hear may thus
know that the precepts of God are able to make
men prosper, and thus be zealous in the path of virtue.
Read these words therefore to the rest of the brethren,
that they may learn what the life of monks ought
(19:30):
to be, and may believe that our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, glorifies those who glorify him and leads those
who serve him unto the end, not only to the
kingdom of heaven. But here also, even though they hide
themselves and are desirous of withdrawing from the world, makes
(19:51):
them illustrious and well known everywhere on account of their
virtue and the help they render others. And if need
be read this among the heathen, that even in this
way they may learn that our Lord Jesus Christ is
not only God and the Son of God, but also
(20:11):
that the Christians, who truly serve Him and religiously believe
in him, prove not only that the demons, whom the
Greeks themselves think to be gods, are no gods, but
also tread them under foot and put them to flight
as deceivers and corruptors of mankind, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
(20:32):
to whom be glory forever and ever Amen. End of
sections eighty two to ninety four. End of the Life
of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h Alashor
Section eighty two to ninety four of the Life of Antony.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Matthew James Gray. The
Life of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h Elshorre. Being
(00:28):
known to be so great a man, therefore, and having
thus given answers to those who visited him, he returned
again to the inner mountain and maintained his wonted discipline,
and often when people came to him as he was
sitting or walking, as it is written in Daniel, he
became dumb, and after a season he resumed the thread
(00:48):
of what he had been saying before to the brethren
who were with him and his companions perceived that he
was seeing a vision. For often when he was on
the mountains, he saw what was happening in Egypt, and
told it to Serapion, the bishop, who was indoors with him,
and who saw that Antony was rapt in a vision. Once,
(01:08):
as he was sitting and working, he fell, as it were,
into a trance, and groaned much at what he saw.
Then after a time. Having turned to the bystanders, with
groans and tremblings, he prayed, and, falling on his knees,
remained so a long time, and having arisen, the old
man wept. His companions, therefore, trembling and terrified, desired to
(01:33):
learn from him what it was, and they troubled him
much until he was forced to speak, and with many groans,
he spoke as follows, Oh, my children, it were better
to die before what has appeared in the vision come
to pass. And when again they asked him, having burst
into tears, he said, Roth is about to seize the church,
(01:55):
and it is on the point of being given up
to men who are like senseless beasts. For I saw
the table of the Lord's house, and mules standing around
it on all sides in a ring, and kicking the
things therein, just like a herd kicks when it leaps
in confusion. And you saw, said he how I groaned,
(02:15):
for I heard a voice saying, my altar shall be defiled.
These things the old man saw. And after two years
the present inroad of the arians and the plunder of
the churches took place, when they violently carried off the
vessels and made the heathen carry them. And when they
forced the heathen from the prisons to join in their services,
and in their presence, did upon the table as they would,
(02:39):
then we all understood that these kicks of the mules
signified to Antony what the Arians, senselessly like beasts, are
now doing. But when he saw this vision, he comforted
those with him, saying, be not downcast, my children, For
as the Lord has been angry, so again will he
heal us. And the Church shall soon again rest sieve
(03:00):
her own order, and shall shine forth as she is
wont And you shall behold the persecuted restored, and the
wickedness again withdrawn to its own hiding place, and pious
faith speaking boldly in every place with all freedom. Only
defile not yourselves with the Arians, for their teaching is
not that of the apostles, but that of demons and
(03:22):
their father, the devil. Yea. Rather, it is barren and
senseless and without light understanding, like the senselessness of these mules.
Such are the words of Vantity. And we ought not
to doubt whether such marbles were wrought by the hand
of a man. For it is the promise of the
Savior when he says, if you have faith as a
(03:43):
grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain,
remove thence and it shall remove, and nothing shall be
impossible unto you Matthew seventeen, verse twenty. And again, verily, verily,
I say unto you, if you shall ask the Father
in my name, he will give it to you. Ask,
and you shall receive. John sixteen, verse twenty three. And
(04:05):
he himself it is who says to his disciples and
to all who believe in him, heal the sick, cast
out demons freely. You have received freely give Matthew ten,
verse eight. Antony, at any rate healed not by commanding,
but by prayer and speaking the name of Christ, so
(04:26):
that it was clear to all that it was not
he himself who worked, but the Lord who showed mercy
by his means and healed the sufferers. But Antony's part
was only prayer and discipline, for the sake of which
he stayed in the mountain, rejoicing in the contemplation of
divine things, but grieving when troubled by much people and
(04:48):
dragged to the outer mountain. For all judges used to
ask him to come down, because it was impossible for
them to enter on account of their following of litigants.
But nevertheless they asked him to come, that they might
but see him. When therefore he avoided it and refused
to go to them, they remained firm and sent to
him all the more the prisoners under charge of soldiers,
(05:09):
that on account of these he might come down. Being
forced by necessity, and seeing them lamenting, he came into
the outer mountain. And again his labor was not unprofitable,
for his coming was advantageous and serviceable to many. And
he was of profit to the judges, counseling them to
prefer justice in all things, to fear God, and to
(05:31):
know that with what judgment they judged, they should be
judged Matthew seven, verse two. But he loved more than
all things his sojourn in the mountain. At another time,
suffering the same compulsion at the hands of them who
had need. And after many entreaties from the commander of
the soldiers, he came down. And when he had come,
(05:53):
he spoke to them shortly of the things which make
for salvation, and concerning those who wanted him, and was
hastening away. But when the Duke, as he is called,
entreated him to stay. He replied that he could not
linger among them, and persuaded him by a pretty simile, saying, fishes,
(06:13):
if they remained long on dry land, die, and so
monks lose their strength if they loiter among you and
spend their time with you. Wherefore, as fish must hurry
to the sea, so must we hasten to the mountain.
Lest haply if we delay, we forget the things within us.
And the general, having heard this and many other things
(06:34):
from him, was amazed and said, of a truth, this
man is the servant of God. For unless he were
beloved of God, whence could an ignorant man have such
great understanding? And a certain general Bellacius by name persecuted
us Christians bitterly on account of his regard for the Arians,
(06:54):
that name of Hillomen, and as his ruthlessness was so
great that he beat virgins and stripped and scourged monks.
Antony at this time wrote a letter as follows, and
sent it to him. I see Roth coming upon you.
Wherefore cease to persecute the Christians. Lest haply Roth catch
(07:15):
hold of you, for even now it is on the
point of coming upon you. But Bellasius laughed and threw
the letter on the ground and spit on it, and
insulted the bearers, bidding them tell this to Antony, since
you take thought for the monks. Soon I will come
after you also. And five days had not passed before
Rath came upon him. For Bellasius and Nestorius, the prefect
(07:39):
of Egypt, went forth to the first halting place from Alexandria,
which is called Carrioux. And both were on the horseback,
and the horses belonged to Bellacius, and were the quietest
of all his stable. But they had not gone far
towards the place when the horses began to frisk with
one another, as they are wont to do. And suddenly
the quieter on wi which Nestoria sat with a bite,
(08:02):
dismounted Belaseius and attacked him and tore his thigh so
badly with its teeth that he was borne straight back
to the city, and in three days died. And all
wondered because what Antony had foretold had been so speedily fulfilled.
Thus therefore he warned the cruel but the rest who
(08:23):
came to him, he so instructed that they straightway forgot
their law suits and felicitated those who were in retirement
from the world, any champion those who were wronged in
such way that you would imagine that he, and not
the others, was the sufferer. Further, he was able to
be of such use to all that many soldiers and
(08:44):
men who had great possessions laid aside the burdens of
life and became monks for the rest of their days.
And it was as if a physician had been given
by God to Egypt. For who in grief met Antony
and did not return rejoicing, Who came mourning for his
dead and did not immediately put off his sorrow, Who
(09:07):
came in anger and was not converted to friendship? What
poor and low spirited man met him, Who, hearing him
and looking upon him, did not despise wealth and console
himself in his poverty. What monk, having been neglectful, came
to him and became not all the stronger. What young man,
(09:27):
having come to the mountain and seen Antony, did not
immediately deny himself pleasure and love temperance, Who, when tempted
by a demon, came to him and did not find rest,
And who came troubled with doubts and did not get
quietness of mind. For this was the wonderful thing in
(09:48):
Antony's discipline, that, as I said before, having the gift
of discerning spirits, he recognized their movements, and was not
ignorant whether any one of them turned his energy and
made his attack. And not only was he not deceived
by them himself, but cheering those who were troubled with doubts,
he taught them how to defeat their plans, telling them
(10:10):
of the weakness and craft of those who possessed them. Thus,
each one, as though prepared by him for battle, came
down from the mountain, braving the designs of the devil
and his demons. How many maidens who had suitors, having
but seen Antony from afar, remained maidens for Christ's sake.
(10:31):
And people came also from foreign parts to him, and,
like all others, having got some benefit, returned as though
set forward by a father. And certainly, when he died, all,
as having been bereft of a father, consoled themselves solely
by their remembrances of him, preserving at the same time
(10:53):
his counsel and advice. It is worth while that I
should relate, and that you, as you wish it, should
hear what his death was like, for this end of
his is worthy of imitation. According to his custom, he
visited the monks in the outer Mountain, and, having learned
(11:14):
from providence that his own end was at hand, he
said to the brethren, this is my last visit to you,
which I shall make, and I shall be surprised if
we see each other again in this life at length.
The time of my departure is at hand, for I
am near a hundred and five years old. And when
they heard it, they wept and embraced and kissed the
(11:36):
old man. But he, as though sailing from a foreign
city to his own, spoke joyously and exhorted them not
to grow idle in their labors, nor to become faint
in their training, but to live as though dying daily,
and as he said before, zealously to guard the soul
from foul thoughts, eagerly to imitate the saints. And to
(11:59):
have nothing to do with the Malician schismatics, for you
know their wickedness and profane character. Nor have any fellowship
with the arians, for their impiety is clear to all.
Nor be disturbed if you see their judges protect them,
for it shall cease and their pomp is mortal and
of short duration. Wherefore, keep yourselves all the more untainted
(12:23):
by them, and observe the traditions of the fathers, and
chiefly the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which
you have learned from the scripture, and of which you
have often been put in mind by me. But when
the brethren were urging him to abide with them and
there to die, he suffered not for many other reasons,
(12:44):
as he showed by keeping silence, and especially for this.
The Egyptians are wonts to honor with funeral rites and
to wrap in linen clots at death the bodies of
good men, and especially the holy martyrs, and not to
bury them under ground, but to place them on couches,
and to keep them in their houses, thinking in this
to honor the departed, and Antony often urged the bishops
(13:04):
to give commandment to the people on this manner. In
like manner he taught the laity and reproved the women,
saying that this thing was neither lawful nor wholly at all.
For the bodies of the patriarchs and prophets are until
now preserved in tombs, and the very body of the
Lord was laid in a tomb, and a stone was
laid upon it, and hid it until he rose on
(13:24):
the third day, And thus saying, he showed that he
did not bury the bodies of the dead after death,
transgressed the law, even though they were sacred, for it
is greater or more sacred than the body of the Lord.
Many therefore, having heard, henceforth buried the dead underground, and
gave thanks to the Lord that they had been taught rightly.
(13:47):
But he, knowing the custom, and fearing that his body
would be treated this way, hastened, and, having bidden farewell
to the monks and the outer mountain, entered the inner mountain,
where he was accustomed to abide, And after a few
months he fell sick. Having summoned those who were there,
(14:07):
they were two in number who had remained in the
mountain fifteen years, practicing the discipline and attending on antony.
On account of his age, he said to them, ay,
as it is written in Joshua twenty three, verse fourteen,
go the way of the fathers. For I perceive that
I am called by the Lord. And do you be
(14:27):
watchful and destroy not your long discipline? But as though
now making a beginning zealously preserve your determination, For you
know the treachery of the demons, how fierce they are,
but how little power they have. Wherefore, fear them not,
but rather ever breathe Christ and trust Him, live as
(14:50):
though dying daily. Give heed to yourselves, and remember the
admonition you have heard from me. Have no fellowship with
the schismatics, nor any dealings at all with the heretical arians,
for you know how I shunned them on account of
their hostility to Christ and the strange doctrines of their heresy. Therefore,
(15:11):
be the more earnest always to the followers, first of
God and then of the Saints, that after death they
also may receive you, as well known friends, into the
eternal habitations. Ponder over these things and think of them.
And if you have any care for me and are
mindful of me as of a father, suffer no one
(15:33):
to take my body into Egypt, lest haply they placed
me in the houses. For to avoid this I entered
into the mountain and came here. Moreover, you know how
I always put to rebuke those who had this custom,
and exhorted them to cease from it. Bury my body
therefore and hide it underground yourselves, and let my words
(15:53):
be observed by you, that no one may know the
place but you alone, For at the resurrection of the
dead I shall receive it incorruptible from the Savior. Divide
my garments, Tathanasius the Bishop, give one sheep skin and
the garment whereon I am laid, which he himself gave
me new, but which with me has grown old. To
(16:15):
Syrapiaan the Bishop, give the other sheepskin, and keep the
hair garments yourselves for the rest. Fare ye well, my children,
for Antony is departing and is with you no more.
Having said this, when they had kissed him, he lifted
up his feet, and as though he saw friends coming
(16:38):
to him, and was glad because of them, For as
he lay his countenance appeared joyful. He died and was
gathered to the fathers, and they, afterward, according to his commandment,
wrapped him up and buried him, hiding his body underground.
And no one knows to this day where it was buried,
(16:59):
save those two only. But each of those who received
the sheep skin of the blessed Antony and the garment
worn by him guards it as a precious treasure, for
even to look on them is as it were to
behold Antony, and he who is clothed in them seems
with joy to bear his admonitions. This is the end
(17:21):
of Antony's life in the body, and the above was
the beginning of the discipline. Even if this account is
small compared with his merit, still from this reflect how
great Antony, the man of God was, who, from his
youth to so great an age, preserved a uniform zeal
for the discipline. And neither through old age was subdued
(17:43):
by the desire of costly food, nor through the infirmity
of his body, changed the fashion of his clothing, nor
washed even his feet with water, and yet remained entirely
free from harm. For his eyes were undimmed and quite sound,
and he saw clear of his teeth. He had not
lost one, but they had become worn to the gums.
(18:04):
Through the great age of the old man, he remained strong,
both in hands and feet, And while all men were
using various foods and washings and various garments, he appeared
more cheerful and of greater strength. And the fact that
his fame has been blazoned everywhere, that all regard him
with wonder, and that those who had never seen him
(18:26):
long for him is clear proof of his virtue and
God's love of his soul. For not from writings, nor
from worldly wisdom, nor through any art was Antony renowned,
but solely from his piety toward God. That this was
the gift of God. No one will deny. For from
(18:46):
whence into Spain and into Gaul, how into Rome and
Africa was the man heard of who abode hidden in
a mountain, unless it was God, who makes his own
known everywhere, who also promised this to Antonia at the beginning.
For even if they work secretly, even if they wish
to remain in obscurity, yet the Lord shows them as
(19:09):
lamps to lighten all, that those who hear may thus
know that the precepts of God are able to make
men prosper, and thus be zealous in the path of virtue.
Read these words therefore to the rest of the brethren,
that they may learn what the life of monks ought
(19:30):
to be, and may believe that our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, glorifies those who glorify him and leads those
who serve him unto the end, not only to the
kingdom of heaven. But here also, even though they hide
themselves and are desirous of withdrawing from the world, makes
(19:51):
them illustrious and well known everywhere on account of their
virtue and the help they render others. And if need
be read this among the heathen, that even in this
way they may learn that our Lord Jesus Christ is
not only God and the Son of God, but also
(20:11):
that the Christians, who truly serve Him and religiously believe
in him, prove not only that the demons, whom the
Greeks themselves think to be gods, are no gods, but
also tread them under foot and put them to flight
as deceivers and corruptors of mankind, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
(20:32):
to whom be glory forever and ever Amen. End of
sections eighty two to ninety four. End of the Life
of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h Alashor
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