Anthony the Great
c. 251 – 356 · Coma, Egypt
Also known as Antony of Egypt · Antonius · Anthony the Abbot
Feast: 17 January
Father of Christian monasticism; Egyptian hermit whose life was written by Athanasius. Withdrew to the desert c. 285 and helped pattern the eremitic life.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Anthony went into the Egyptian desert to be alone with God and became the pattern for thousands who followed.
- Best first read
- Sayings of the Desert Fathers
- Primary source
- Athanasius, Vita Antonii
Anthony went into the Egyptian desert to be alone with God and became the pattern for thousands who followed. Around AD 270, he renounced property, embraced solitude, and helped make the desert a new kind of Christian battlefield: not against persecutors, but against demons, passions, and the divided will. Athanasius's Life of Antony carried his story across the empire and helped make monasticism imaginable far beyond Egypt. After Anthony, the church had a new vocation beside bishop, martyr, and scholar: monk.
Notable works
- ·Sayings of the Desert Fathers · 300
Primary sources
- ·Athanasius, Vita Antonii
- ·Jerome, De Viris Illustribus 88
- ·Apophthegmata Patrum (Anthony)
Book of the day
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Anthony the GreatA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Short sayings from Egyptian monasticism: memorable, strange, practical, and easy to read in small doses.
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