De sancto Paulo eremita
The Flight to the Desert
Saint Paul the Hermit retreats into the wilderness to escape the brutal persecutions of the Roman Empire.
Paul the first hermit, as Jerome testifies—who wrote his life—fled to the vast desert during the heat of the Decian persecution, and there he remained in a certain cave for sixty years, unknown to men. This Decius, however, is said to have been Gallienus, who had two names and began his reign in the year of our Lord 256. For Saint Paul, seeing the many kinds of torments being inflicted upon Christians, fled into the desert. At that time, two young Christians were captured; one had his whole body smeared with honey and was left exposed to be torn apart under the hot sun by the stings of flies, horseflies, and wasps. The other, however, was placed on a very soft bed in a most pleasant spot, where there was a temperate breeze, the sound of streams, the singing of birds, and the scent of flowers; yet the young man was bound with floral-colored ropes in such a way that he could not help himself with his hands or feet. A certain young woman, beautiful in body but shameless, came and treated the young man, who was filled with the love of God, in an indecent manner. But when he felt motions in his flesh contrary to reason, and having no weapons with which to defend himself from the enemy, he bit off his own tongue and spat it into the face of the shameless woman; in this way, he put the temptation to flight through pain and earned a trophy worthy of praise. Terrified by the torments of these and others, Saint Paul sought the desert.
The Meeting of the Saints
Anthony is guided by miraculous creatures to find Paul, leading to a humble and holy encounter between the two hermits.
At that time, while Anthony was first considering himself a hermit among the monks, he was taught in a dream that there was another who lived a much better life in the desert than he did. While searching for him through the woods, he encountered a hippocentaur—a creature part man and part horse—who showed him the way. Afterward, he met an animal carrying dates that looked like a man from the waist up, but had the body of a goat below. When Anthony adjured him by God to say who he was, the creature replied that he was a Satyr, a god of the woods according to the errors of the Gentiles; finally, a wolf met him and led him to the cell of Saint Paul. Paul, sensing Anthony's arrival, locked the door with a bolt, but Anthony begged him to open it, declaring that he would never leave but would rather die there. Overcome, Paul opened the door for him, and immediately they both rushed into each other's arms. When it was time to eat, a raven brought a double portion of bread, and when Anthony marveled at this, Paul replied that God provided for him this way every day, and had doubled the ration because of his guest. A pious dispute arose over who was more worthy to break the bread.
The Passing of the Hermit
Paul passes into glory, and Anthony witnesses his soul ascending, eventually burying him with the help of lions.
Paul offered it to his guest, and Anthony to his elder. Finally, both reached out their hands and divided the bread into equal parts. But as Anthony was returning and nearing his own cell, he saw angels carrying Paul's soul. He hurried back and found Paul's body kneeling in prayer, so upright that he thought he was still alive. But when he realized he was dead, he said, "O holy soul, what you practiced in life, you have shown in death." Since he had no way to bury him, two lions suddenly appeared and dug a grave; once he was buried, they returned to the forest. Anthony took Paul's tunic, which was woven from palm leaves, and wore it afterward on feast days. He died at about the age of 287.
Read the original Latin
Paulus primus eremita , ut testatur Hieronymus , qui ejus vitam conscripsit, fervente Decii persecutione eremum vastissimum adiit ibique in quadam spelunca LX annis hominibus incognitus permansit. Iste autem Decius dicitur fuisse Gallienus, qui fuit binomius, qui coepit anno domini CCLVI. Videns enim sanctus Paulus Christianis tot tormentorum genera irrogari in eremum aufugit. Eo siquidem tempore duo juvenes christiani comprehenduntur, quorum unus toto corpore melle perungitur et sub ardore solis aculeis muscarum et strabonum et yesparum lacerandus exponitur. Alter vero mollissimo lecto imponitur et in loco amoenissimo collocatur, ubi aéris erat temperies, rivorum sonitus, cantus avium et florum olfactus; funibus tamen floreis coloribus obtectis sic juvenis cingitur, ut manibus vel pedibus se juvare non posset. Adest quaedam juvencula corpore pulcherrima et impudica ac impudice tractat juvenem Dei amore repletum. Cum autem ille in carne motus contrarios rationi sensisset, non habens arma, qnibus ab hoste se eruat, linguam propriam dentibus suis incidit et in faciem impudicae exspuit et sic tentationem dolor fugavit et trophaeum lande dignum promeruit. Horum et aliorum poenis sanctus Paulus territus eremum petiit.
Eo tempore cum Antonius primum se inter nionachos eremicolam cogitaret, in somnis alium se multo meliorem eremum colere edocetur. Qui dum eum per silvas inquireret, obvium habuit hippocentaurum, hominem equo mixtum, qui ei viam dextram demonstravit. Postmodum obvium habuit animal, ferens fructus palmarum, supra ymagine hominis insignitum, deorsum vero caprae formae habens. Qui dum ipsum per Deum conjuraret, ut sibi diceret, quis esset, respondit se esse Satyrum, Deum silvarum secundum errorem gentilium, Postremo obviavit ei lupus, qui eum ad cellam sancti Pauli perduxit. Paulus autem Antonium praesentiens ostium sera clausit, Antonius vero rogat, ut sibi aperiat, asserens, se nunquam inde recessurum, sed ibi potius moriturum. Victus Paulus ei aperuit, statimque ambo in amplexus ruunt. Cumque hora prandii adesset, corvus duplicatam panis partem attulit, cumque de hoc Antonius miraretur, respondit Paulus, quod Deus sibi omni die taliter ministrabat et praebendam propter hospitem duplicaverat. Pia lis oritur, quis magis dignus esset panem dividere.
Defert Paulus hospiti et Antonius seniori. Tandem uterque manum : apponunt et in aequas partes panem dividunt. Cum autem Antonius rediens jam cellae suae appropinquaret, vidit angelos Pauli animam deferentes, qui velociter rediens invenit corpus Pauli flexis genubus in modum orantis erectum, ita ut ipsum vivere aestimaret, Sed cum ipsum mortuum didicisset, ait: o sancta anima, quod gerebas in vita, in morte monstrasti. Cum autem non haberet, unde sepulturam faceret, ecce duo leones advenerunt et foveam paraverunt sepultoque eo ad silvam redierunt. Antonius autem tunicam Pauli ex palmis contextam assumsit, qua postmodum in solemnitatibus utebatur. Obiit autem circa annos CCLXXXVII.
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