St. Antony of Egypt

"If you wish to be perfect,
go, sell that you have
and give to [the] poor;
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
(Matt. 19:21)

Monasticism has a humble beginning with individual Christians in Egypt who felt a greater need of solitude, prayer and penance. One of these is known today as St. Antony of Egypt, St. Antony the Great, St. Antony of the Desert or St. Antony the Hermit.

(Summary based on Medieval Sourcebook: Athanasius, Life of St. Antony)

Antony was born in 250 AD in a wealthy Christian family. His parents died when he was eighteen or twenty and he was left to care for a much younger sister. One day he entered the Church when the gospel dealing with the young rich man was being read and heard the words quoted above which he felt Christ addressed to him. So he decided to sell all he had and give the money to those in need in his town. He placed his sister in the care of some virgins (Convent) and he began the quest for holiness of life. Antony began to live alone in the town, worked to support himself and began to visit ascetics and hermits to learn from their examples of how he should live a holy life.

As Antony began his ascetic life, he was tormented by desire of the flesh. The Devil, seeing his resistance, one night took on the form of a woman who tempted him but but was able to resist the Devil through faith, prayer and fasting. His ascetic life was severe. He often slept on the floor or went without sleep a whole night, ate bread once a day and drank only water; he sometimes skipped meals.

One day Antony moved to the nearby desert to live in an abandoned tomb. He asked people he knew to bring him bread periodically. While there, the Devil tried to weaken his resolve to live a virtuous life by severe beatings to the point of unconsciousness. Seeing that the spirit of lust nor blows weakened his resolve, the Devil tried to frighten him. One night many evil spirits made such an uproar that an earthquake seemed to shake the place, then they appeared in the likeness of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, serpents, asps, scorpions and wolves in threatening postures. Antony remained watching with unshaken soul. In mockery he said, "'If there had been any power in you, it would have sufficed had one of you come, but since the Lord hath made you weak you attempt to terrify me by numbers: and a proof of your weakness is that you take the shapes of brute beasts.' And again with boldness he said, 'If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us'". So the evil spirits left and Antony saw a ray of light coming from the unopened roof; feeling well again he asked the vision why he had not come sooner to relieve his pains. "And a voice came to him, 'Antony, I was here, but I waited to see thy fight; wherefore since thou hast endured, and hast not been worsted, I will ever be a succour to thee, and will make thy name known everywhere.'"

St. Antony the Hermit

Antony was now 35 years old. He asked an old man he had befriended to live with him in the desert. The old man declined due to old age and because it was not the custom to do so.

Now Antony traveled to the mountain (Mt. Pispir) east of the Nile where he found an abandoned fort full of reptiles which left at his presence. He had some bread with him and found water inside. There he dwelt as a hermit praying and disciplining his soul. Antony received loaves of bread let down from above every six months. Relatives would come to visit him but he refused to let them in, so they used to stay outside sometime for days. On such an occasion they heard voices and crying, 'Go from what is ours. What dost thou even in the desert? Thou canst not abide our attack.' So at first those outside thought there were some men fighting with him, and that they had entered by ladders; but when stooping down they saw through a hole there was nobody, they were afraid, accounting them to be demons, and they called on Antony." So Antony came to the door, told them to make the sign of the cross and leave.

After almost 20 years there were many men who desired to imitate his discipline and some of his acquaintances came and broke down the door of his dwelling. When they saw him they marveled because his body was like it had been 20 years earlier, in prime shape despite fasting and his struggle with demons. "His soul was free from blemish, for he was neither contracted as if by grief, nor relaxed by pleasure, nor possessed by laughter or dejection, for he was not troubled when he beheld the crowd, nor overjoyed as been saluted by many. But he was altogether even as being guided by reason, and abiding in a natural state." Through Antony the Lord healed many in body and cleansed others from evil spirits.

Discernment of Spirits