Anthony the Great

c. 251 – 356 · b. Coma, Egypt

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Father of Christian monasticism; Egyptian hermit whose life was written by Athanasius. Withdrew to the desert c. 285 and helped pattern the eremitic life.

Why Anthony the Great matters

Anthony went into the Egyptian desert around AD 270 to be alone with God, and against his intention started a movement. Within fifty years there were thousands of monks living in cells in the desert, and the church had a new option besides bishop or martyr: monk. Athanasius's Life of Antony made him famous across the empire — Augustine read it and converted partly because of it. Every Christian monastic tradition, East and West, traces back to one Egyptian peasant who decided to live alone with God.

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Common questions

Who was Anthony the Great?: Anthony the Great (251–356) — Father of Christian monasticism; Egyptian hermit whose life was written by Athanasius. Withdrew to the desert c. 285 and helped pattern the eremitic life.
Who did Anthony the Great teach?: Macarius of Alexandria.

Works

Sayings of the Desert Fathersc. 300
Collected sayings of Antony and the Egyptian desert fathers.
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Sources for biography

Athanasius, Vita Antonii primary
Jerome, De Viris Illustribus 88 primary
Apophthegmata Patrum (Anthony) primary

documented connections(2)

knew of (incoming) Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius wrote the Vita Antonii and reports having served Anthony personally.
Athanasius, Vita Antonii (preface)
knew of Athanasius of Alexandria
Anthony visited Alexandria in support of Athanasius against the Arians (338).
Athanasius, Vita Antonii 69-71

tradition connections(3)

knew of (incoming) Pachomius the Great
Pachomius is depicted as familiar with the Antonian model though they did not directly meet.
Vita Prima Pachomii 120
taught by (incoming) Macarius of Alexandria
Palladius reports Macarius of Alexandria as a disciple of Antony; the relationship is preserved in the desert-father tradition rather than in a contemporary document.
Palladius, Historia Lausiaca 18
succeeded in see (incoming) Sisoes the Great
Sisoes settled on Antony's mountain (Mount Colzim) after Antony's death; this is a hagiographic succession of place rather than an episcopal see, but is the standard tradition. Use with caution.
Apophthegmata Patrum, alphabetical collection s.v. Sisoes 1, 28

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