Quote in context
Anthony on love beyond fear
Anthony the Great · Apophthegmata Patrum, Anthony 32
“I no longer fear God; I love him. For love casts out fear.”
Plain English
Anthony is describing mature holiness. The goal is not servile terror but a love that has been purified over time.
Why it matters
The saying became a desert-father summary of spiritual growth from fear toward love.
Who said it
Anthony the Great
c. 251 – 356 · Born in Coma, Egypt · Egypt
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.
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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