Be sancto Antonio
The Call to Detachment
Anthony's name and life reflect a profound turning away from the vanity of the world.
The name Anthony comes from 'ana,' meaning 'upward,' and 'tenens,' meaning 'holding'—as if he were holding onto heavenly things while looking down on the things of the world. He turned away from the world because it's unclean, restless, fleeting, deceptive, and bitter. Augustine says of this: 'O unclean world, why do you make such a clamor?' Why do you try to turn us away? Do you want to hold onto us while you yourself are fleeing? What would you do if you were to remain? Whom would you not deceive, you sweet-talking thing, who, while bitter yourself, lie about offering sweet nourishment? Athanasius wrote his life.
Battles in the Desert
Anthony undergoes severe demonic trials and learns to discern the devil's deceptive traps.
When Anthony was twenty, he heard the Gospel read in church: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor." He sold all his possessions, gave the money to the poor, and began to live as a hermit. He endured countless temptations from demons. Once, after he had overcome the spirit of lust through the power of faith, the devil appeared before him in the form of a small black boy, prostrating himself and confessing that he had been defeated by him. For he had also obtained through prayer the grace to see the demon of lust as it lay in wait for young people. When he saw it in that form, he said, "You have appeared to me in a most vile shape; I will fear you no longer." Another time, while he was hiding in a tomb, a crowd of demons attacked him so severely that his attendant carried him out on his shoulders, thinking he was dead. When everyone who had gathered wept for him as if he were dead, Anthony suddenly came back to life while they were grieving, and he had his attendant carry him back to that same tomb. As he lay there prostrate from the pain of his wounds, he stirred himself with the strength of his spirit to engage the demons in battle. Then they appeared in various forms of wild beasts and tore at him again, most cruelly, with their teeth, horns, and claws. Then, suddenly, a wonderful light appeared and put all the demons to flight, and Anthony was healed immediately. Realizing that Christ was present, he said, "Where were you, good Jesus?" Where were you? Why weren't you here from the start to help me and heal my wounds? The Lord replied, "Anthony, I was here, but I was waiting to see you fight. Now, because you’ve fought like a man, I’ll make your name known throughout the whole world." He was so full of fervor that when Emperor Maximian was killing Christians, he would follow the martyrs, hoping to be worthy to become a martyr with them, and he was deeply saddened that martyrdom wasn't granted to him. — 2. While he was traveling to another desert, he found a silver dish and began to ask himself, "Where did this silver dish come from, when there are no human footprints to be seen here?" If it had fallen from a traveler, it certainly couldn't have stayed hidden, given its size. "This is your trick, devil, but you'll never be able to change my will." As he said this, the dish vanished like smoke.
Visions of the World
Anthony receives divine visions regarding the snares of the world and the power of humility.
Afterward, he found a huge mass of real gold, but just as fire makes gold vanish, so he fled to the mountain, where he remained for twenty years, shining with countless miracles; one time, while he was caught up in the spirit, he saw the whole world full of snares, all connected to one another. He cried out, "Oh, who can escape these?" And he heard the answer: "Humility." Sometimes, as he was being lifted through the air by angels, demons would appear to block his path, accusing him of the sins he had committed since the beginning of his life. The angels replied to them, "You have no right to bring up things that have already been wiped away by the mercy of Christ." If you know of anything from the time... ...he became a monk, bring that forward." And when they failed to prove their case, the liberated Antonius was lifted on high, and his accuser was cast down.
Wisdom and Moderation
Anthony teaches the importance of moderation and the reality of Christ's reign over demonic pride.
Anthony tells a story about himself: "I once saw the devil, who was huge in stature. He had the audacity to call himself the power and providence of God, and he asked me, 'Anthony, what do you want me to give you?'" But I spat in his face, and arming myself with the name of Christ, I threw my whole self against him, and he vanished at once. At another time, the devil appeared to him so tall that his head seemed to touch the sky. When Anthony asked him who he was, he replied that he was Satan, and added, "Why do the monks attack me like this, and why do Christians curse me?" Anthony replied, "They do it justly, because they are often troubled by your traps." The devil said, "I don't trouble them at all; they trouble each other. I have been reduced to nothing, because Christ now reigns everywhere." One time, an archer saw blessed Anthony enjoying himself with the brothers, and it displeased him. Anthony said to him, "Put an arrow in your bow and pull it." He did so, and when Anthony told him to do it a second and third time, the archer said, "If I pull it any further, I'll break it." Anthony replied, "It's the same in the work of God. If we try to stretch beyond our measure, we'll break all the sooner. It's helpful, therefore, to relax the tension sometimes." Hearing this, he went away edified.
Counsel for the Soul
Anthony provides practical spiritual guidance on solitude, guarding the heart, and renouncing worldly attachments.
Someone asked Anthony, saying, "What must I keep to be pleasing to God?" He replied, "Wherever you go, always keep God before your eyes; in whatever you do, follow the witness of Holy Scripture; and wherever you sit, don't leave that place in a hurry." Keep these three things, and you'll be saved. A certain abbot asked Anthony, "What should I do?" Anthony replied, "Don't trust in your own righteousness; practice self-control over your appetite and your tongue; and don't regret what is past." Anthony said again: "Just as fish die if they stay too long on dry land, so monks lose their resolve for quiet if they linger outside their cells or spend too much time with worldly people." Anthony said once more, "Whoever sits in solitude and remains quiet is delivered from three battles: the battle of hearing, the battle of speaking, and the battle of seeing; he will have to fight only one battle, which is the battle of the heart." — Some brothers went with an old man to visit Abbot Anthony, and Anthony told them, "You've had a good companion in this old man." Then he said to the old man, "Have you found good brothers with you, abba?" The old man replied, "I have indeed found them good, but their dwelling has no door; for anyone who wants to can enter the stable and untie the donkey." He said this because everything that was in their heart was immediately on their lips. Abbot Anthony said, "It's important to know there are three types of physical impulses: one from nature, another from overeating, and the third from the devil." A certain brother had renounced the world, but not completely, because he still held onto some things for himself. Anthony told him, "Go and buy some meat." He went and bought it, but as he was carrying it back, dogs tore him to pieces. Anthony said to him, "Those who renounce the world but still want to hold onto money are attacked and torn apart by demons in just this way."
Prophecy and Persecution
Anthony experiences visions of the Church's future suffering and confronts the Arian persecutors.
While Anthony was being worn down by weariness in the desert, he said, "Lord, I want to be saved, but my thoughts won't let me." He got up, went outside, and saw someone sitting and working, then getting up and praying. It was an angel of the Lord, who told him, "Do this, and you'll be saved." When the brothers had asked Anthony about the state of souls, a voice called to him the following night, saying, "Get up, go out, and look." And look, he saw someone tall and terrifying, lifting his head up to the clouds, who was holding back with outstretched hands some who wanted to fly to heaven with wings, though he couldn't stop others who were flying freely. He heard great joy mixed with immense sorrow, and he understood that this was the ascent of souls, and that the devil was the one holding them back—the one who kept those who were guilty, and who grieved over the flight of the saints whom he couldn't hold. Once, while Anthony was working with the brothers, he looked up to heaven and, having seen a sad vision, threw himself down before God and prayed that He would avert the coming evil. When the brothers asked him about it, he told them with tears and sobs that an unheard-of evil was hanging over the ages. "I saw," he said, "the altar of God surrounded by a multitude of horses, which were tearing everything apart with their hooves. For in a great whirlwind, the Catholic faith will be subverted, and men, like beasts of burden, will plunder the sacraments of Christ." And the voice of the Lord came, saying, "They will treat my altar with abomination." Two years later, the Arians broke out and destroyed the unity of the Church, defiled the baptistery and the churches, and slaughtered Christians on the altars like sheep. An Egyptian leader named Ballachius, who was an Arian, was harassing the Church of God and publicly stripping and beating virgins and monks, so Anthony wrote to him: "I see the wrath of God coming upon you; stop persecuting Christians now, before the wrath of God overtakes you, for it threatens you with imminent destruction." The wretch read the letter, laughed at it, and threw it to the ground in contempt. After having the messengers severely beaten, he sent this reply back to Anthony: "Since you care so much about monks, the discipline of our rigor will soon reach you, too." Five days later, while he was riding his own very gentle horse, he was thrown to the ground by a bite from the horse itself, and after his legs were gnawed and torn, he died within three days.
The Path of Patience
Anthony concludes his life by teaching the necessity of patience and finally enters into peace.
When some brothers asked Anthony for a word of salvation, he said: "You've heard the Lord saying, 'If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other.'" They said to him: "We can't do that." He replied: "At least bear one patiently." They said: "We couldn't even do that." To which Anthony replied: "At least do not wish to strike more than you are struck." They replied, "We couldn't do that either." Then Anthony said to his disciple, "Prepare some broth for these brothers, because they are too delicate; prayer alone is what you need." These things are read in the Desert Fathers. At last, the blessed Anthony, in the 105th year of his life, kissed the brothers and rested in peace. Under Constantine, who began his reign around the year of our Lord 350.
Read the original Latin
Antonius dicitur ab ana, quod est sursum, et tenens, quasi superna tenens et mundana despiciens. Despexit autem mundum, quia immundus, inquietus, transitorius, deceptivus, amarus. De his dicit Augustinus: o munde immunde, quid perstrepis? Quid avertere conaris? Nos tenere vis fugiens? Quid faceres, si maneres? Quem non deciperes duleis, qui amarus dulcia alimenta mentiris? Ejus vitam Anastasius scripsit.
Antonius cum XX csset annorum et audiret legi in ecclesia: si vis perfectus esse, vade et vende omnia, quae habes et da pauperibus, omnia sua vendens pauperibus erogavit et eremiticam vitam duxif. Vir innumerabilia daemonum tentamenta sustinuit. Quadam vice dum spiritum fornicationis virtute fidei superasset, dyabolus in specie pueri nigri ante eum prostratus apparuit et se ab eo victum confessus est. Nam et hoc precibus impetravit, ut videret fornicationis daemonem juvenibus insidiantem: quem cum in praedicta forma vidisset, dixit: vilissima mihi apparuisti specie, te ultra non timebo. Alia vice dum in quodam tumulo latitaret, multitudo daemonum eum adeo laceravit, quod minister ejus quasi mortuum eum propriis humeris asportaret, cumque eum omnes, qui convenerant, quasi mortuum plorassent, dolentibus cunctis subito Antonius reviviscit et a ministro ad praedictum tumulum se iterum portari fecit. Qui cum ibi ex dolore vulnerum prostratus jaceret, ex virtute animi ad conflictum daemones excitabat, Tunc illi in formis variis ferarum apparuerunt et eum iterum dentibus, cornibus et singuibus crudelissime laceraverunt. Tunc subito splendor mirabilis ibi apparuit et daemones cunctos fugavit, Antonius autem continuo sanatus est. Ibique Christum adesse intelligens ait: ubi eras, bone Jesu?
ubi eras? quare non à principio fuisti hic, ut me adjuvares et vulnera mea sanares. Cui dominus: Antoni, hic eram, sed exspectabam videre certamen tuum: nunc autem, quia viriliter dimicasti, in toto orbe te faciam nominari. Tanti autem fervoris erat, quod, cum Maximianus imperator christianos occideret, ipse martires sequebatur, ut cum iis marlir fieri mereretur, et veherftenter tristabatur, eo quod sibi marlirium non daretur. — 2. Cum autem in alteram eremum pergeret, argenteum discum reperit et intra se sic dicere coepit: unde hic argenteus discus, ubi hominum vestigia nulla videntur? Si enim viatori cecidisset, utique prae sui magnitudine latere non posset. Hoc, dyabole, artificium tuum est, voluntatem tamen meam nunquam poteris immutare, et hoc dicens, discus ut fumus evanuit.
Postmodum ingentém massam veri auri reperit, sed ut incendium aurum fugit, sieque ad montem fugiens XX annis ibi permansit innumeris coruscans miraculis, Quadam vice dum in spiritu raptus esset, totum mundum laqueis se invicem connectentibus plenum vidit. Qui exclamans ait: o quis istos evadet? et audivit: humilitas. Aliquando dum ab angelis in aére elevaretur, adsunt daemones et ejus transitum prohibent, peccata ejus ab exordio nativitatis ejus objicientes. Quibus angeli: non debetis illa narrare, quae Christi pietate jam sunt deleta. Si qua autem scitis, ex quo . factus est monachus, illa proferte. Et cum in probatione deficerent, liber Antonius in sublime tollitur et liber deponitur.
Narrat Antonius de se dicens: vidi aliquando dyabolum celsum corpore, qui se Dei virtutem et providentiam ausus est dicere et ait: quid vis, ut a me tibi detur, Antoni? At ego sputa in os ejus congeminans totum me in eum Christi nomine armatus ingessi et statim evanuit. Huic dyabolus aliquando in tanta proceritate apparuit, quod coelum capite tangere videretur. Quem cum Antonius, quis esset, interrogasset et ipse se satanam esse dixisset, addidit satanas: cur me sic impugnant monachi et maledicunt christiani? Cui Antonius: juste hoc faciunt, quia tuis saepe insidiis molestantur, Et ille: ego eos nequaquam molesto, sed ipsi invicem se conturbant, ego enim ad nihilum sùm redactus, quia jam in cunctis partibus regnat Christus. Quidam sagittarius beatum Antonium gaudentem cum fratribus quadam vice conspexit et ei displicuit, cui Antonius: pone sagittam in arcu et trahe. Quod et fecit, cumque hoc secundo et tertio fieri mandasset, dixit sagittarius: tantum trahere potero, quod de ejus fractione dolebo. Cui Antonius: sic est in opere Dei, quoniam si snpra mensuram tendere vellemus, citius frangeremur: expedit ergo rigorem aliquando relaxari.
Hoc audiens ille aedificatus recessit,
Interrogavit quidam Antonium dicens: quid custodiens placebo Deo? Et respondens dixit: quocunque vadis, semper Deum pro oculis tuis habeas, in his, quae agis, testimonium sacrae scripturae adhibeas, in quocun que loco sederis, non inde cito recedas. Haec tria custodi et salvus eris. Abbas quidam interrogavit Antonium dicens: quid faciam? Cui Antonius: non confidas in tua justitia, ventris et linguae sit tibi continentia et ne poenitearis de re transacta. Dixit iterum Antonius: sicut pisces, si in sicco tardaverint, moriuntur, ita et monachi extra cellam tardantes aut cum viris saecularibus immorantes a quietis proposito resolvuntur. Iterum dixit Antonius: qui sedet in solitudine et quiescit, a tribus bellis eripitur, scilicet auditus, locutionis et visus et contra unum tantummodo pugnam habebit, scilicet cordis. à.
Quidam fratres cum quodam sene ad abbatem Antonium visitandum iverunt dixitque Antonius fratribus: bonum comitem habuistis senem hunc. Deinde dixit seni: bonos fratres invenisti tecum, abba ? Cui ille: bonos quidem inveni, sed habitatio eorum non habet januam: quicunque enim vult, intrat in stabulum et solvit asinum. Hoc autem dicebat, quoniam omnia, "quae erant in corde eorum, statim erant in ore. Dixit abbas Antonius: scire convenit, quoniam sunt tres motus corporales, unus quidem naturae, alins ex ciborum plenitudine, tertius ex daemone. Frater quidam renuntiaverat saeculo, sed non plene, quia quaedam adhuc sibi retinebat. Cui Antonius: vade et eme carnes, qui vadens emit carnes et portans eas dum veniret, lacerabant eum canes. Cui Antonius: qui renuntiant saeculo et volunt habere pecunias, ita impugnati a daemonibus discerpuntur.
Antonius dum in eremo taedio afficeretur, dixit: domine, volo salvus fieri et non permittunt me cogitationes meae, Et surgens exivit foras et vidit quemdam sedentem atque operantem et deinde surgentem et orantem. — Erat autem angelus domini et dixit ei: sic fac et salvus eris. Cum quadam vice fratres de statu animarum ab Antonio quaesivissent, sequenti nocte vox vocaeit eum dicens: surge et exi et vide. Et ecce vidit quemdam longum et terribilem caput usque ad nubes tollentem, qui quosdam pennatos ad coelum volare cupientes extensis manibus prohibebat et alios libere pervolantes retinere non poterat; et maximum gaudium mixtum cum nimio dolore audiebat et intellexit animarum illum esse adscensum et dyabolum prohibentem, qui quasdam obnoxias retineret et de sanctorum volatu, quos retinere non poterat, sic doleret, Aliquando dum cum fratribus operaretur Antonius, suspiciens in coelum cum tristem visionem vidisset, provolutus ante Deum rogavit, ut futurum scelus averteret, fratribus vero super hoc eum interrogantibus cum lacrimis et singultibus dixit, quod inauditum scelus seculis immineret. Vidi, inquit, altare Dei a multitudine equorum circumdatum, qui calcibus omnia discerpebant: magno enim turbine fides catholica subvertetur et homines jumentis similes Christi sacramenta diripient, factaque est vox domini dicens: abominabuntur altare meum. Post duos autem annos erumpentibus Arianis ecclesiae unitatem seiderunt, baptisterium et ecclesias pollaerunt et super altaria christianos ad instar ovium mactaverunt.
Dux quidam Aegyptius Arianus nomine Ballachius cum ita ecclesiam Dei infestaret et virgines et monachos nudatos publice verberaret, sie ei scripsit Antonius: video iram Dei super te venientem: jam desine persequi christianos, ne ira Dei te occupet, qui proximum tibi minatur interitum. Infelix legit epistolam, irrisit et in eam 7 exsecrans ad terram projecit ac portitores verberibus multis afficiens Antonio talia remandavit: quando tibi est tanta cura de monachis, ad te quoque perveniet nostri disciplina rigoris. Post quinque autem dies equum suum mansuetissimum insidens morsu ipsius equi ad terram projicitur et corrosis atque laceratis cruribus intra triduum exspiravit. Cum quidam fratres verbum salutis ab Antonio quaesivissent, ait ille: audiistis dominum dicentem , si quis te percusserit in maxillam, praebe ei alteram. Dicunt ei: hoc implere non possumus. Et ille: saltem de una patienter ferte. Et illi: etiam nec haec possemus. Quibus Antonius: saltem ne velitis percutere magis, quam percuti.
Et illi: nec hoc possemus. Tunc Antonius dixit discipulo suo: succos praepara fratribus istis, quia nimis delicati sunt: sola oratio necessaria est vobis. Haec in vitis patrum leguntur. Tandem beatus Antonius CV anno vitae suae fratres deosculans in pace quievit sub . Constantino, qui coepit circa annum domini GGCXL.
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