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PATROLOGOS edutainment

On a fine contest you have entered with the monks in Egypt, since you have decided to measure up to them and even to surpass them with your virtuous ascetic life. For by now you have monasteries as well and the monastic life is well represented through your paradigm. 

Justifiably therefore someone could praise this purpose of yours, and through your prayers hopefully God will bring it to fulfillment. 

But since you have asked to hear by me as well about the life of the blessed Antony, how he began his ascetic life, and who he was before this, and what was the end of his life, and if they are true the things that are said about him, so that, in this way, you also might imitate his zeal, for this reason, with great willingness I have accepted your request. 

Because for me also it is great the profit and the benefit that I receive by simply the remembrance of Antony. And I know that you also, as soon as you hear about him, along with the admiration that you shall feel for the man, you will also wish and crave to emulate his purpose. Because Antony's way of life is for the monks an excellent standard of ascetic life. 

Do not be incredulous, therefore, about what you have heard of him, by people who have narrated these things to you, but rather you should consider that just a few of his feats you have heard by them; Because only so much these people have managed to recount to you. 

And me too, for my part, since I was exhorted by you, I will send you through this letter of mine as much as I could write down, recalling a few things about him; 

you however do not stop asking questions to those who sail with the boats towards your territories. For perhaps, in this way, that is, by each one saying what he knows, it will be achieved to some extent to be properly completed the history of him. 

And I wanted, after I received your letter, to invite some of the monks, and especially those who used to visit him very often, in order to learn, maybe, something more and thus be able to write to you a more complete narrative. 

But since the season for the maritime voyages was coming to its end, and the letter-bearer was in a hurry to depart, for this reason I hastened to write this letter to your piety, with everything that I know on my own and everything that I was able to learn from him, for I have seen him many times since I lived next to him for quite some time, and in fact I was pouring water over his hands for him to wash himself. 

And in every instance, I took care to be all true the things that I wrote, so that in case someone hears more than these he would not disbelieve, and in case someone learns less than what he should have learned he would not disregard the man. 

Antony was Egyptian as to his origin. His parents were of noble descent and owners of considerable property. And since they were Christians, he also was reared in a Christian manner. 

While he was a little child, he was raised near his parents and he knew nothing else other than them and his home. But when he grew older and became a youth and he grew quite tall, he didn't desire at all to learn letters, because he wanted to avoid the interactions with the other children of his age; all his yearning was to remain an unaffected person living in his home, as it is written in the Scripture regarding Jacob as well. 

He was going to the church, however, together with his parents and he was neither lazy, during his childhood, nor was he contemptuous about anything as he was advancing in age, but he was rather very obedient to his parents and he was paying great attention to the reading of the holy books and he was gaining great benefit for himself from these readings. 

And he was neither pestering his parents for food of various and luxurious kinds, being a child of parents with sufficient property, nor did he seek the pleasures associated with food, but he was content with what he would find and he wasn't looking for anything more. 

After the death of his parents, he remained alone with a very young sister of his. He was then eighteen or even twenty years old and since then he was looking after the house and after his sister. 

Six months had not passed yet since the death of his parents, when one Sunday morning while he was going to the church, as was his custom, he was pondering in his mind, and as he walked he was thinking, how the apostles abandoned everything and followed the Saviour; 

and how the Christians in the Book of the Acts were selling their possessions and were bringing and placing the proceeds at the feet of the apostles in order for them to distribute them to the poor, and what and how great of a reward awaits for them in heavens. 

So while he was pondering these things, he entered the church where at that moment it coincided that the Gospel was being read aloud and then he heard the Lord saying to the rich man; «If you want to be perfect go and sell all your possessions and distribute them to the poor and come follow me and you will have tresors in the heavens». 

And Antony, as if he had been given the gift by God to commemorate the saints and as if it had been read for him only this evangelical passage, he immediately went out of the church, and the properties that he had from his ancestors, he gave them away for free to his fellow villagers, so that they would not disturb him or his sister in the least; 

he had about three hundred arable fields, which were fertile and very good; and the other movable property they had he sold them all, and after he gathered enough money, he gave them to the poor. He only kept some for his sister. 

And when he entered again in the church and he heard the Lord saying «Do not be anxious about tomorrow», in the evangelical reading, he couldn't bear to wait anymore and after he exited the temple, he shared also those to the poor. 

He entrusted his sister to the care of some familiar and faithful virgins, and after he handed her over to a convent in order to be raised, he began practicing the ascetic life near his home, giving good heed to himself and living his life with patience. 

And he began practicing asceticism near his home, because back then, there did not exist yet organized monasteries in Egypt and no monk had known yet the great desert. Therefore, every one who wished to guard himself, he practiced asceticism on his own not very far away from his own village. 

Now, at that time, there was an elder in the neighbouring village, who, since his youth, was living ascetically as a monk. As soon as Antony saw him, his zeal was immediately ignited to imitate him. And in the beginning, he also started remaining in places around the village. 

And when he listened from there that somewhere there was some great ascetic hermit, he would go and search for him, like the wise bee. And he wouldn't return to the place where he lived, if he wouldn't see him first and he wouldn't receive some spiritual provision from him, that would be useful to him in the path of virtue. 

So while he was living there the beginning of his ascetic life, he was constantly pondering how he would not occupy himself anymore with the family matters, nor remember his relatives, but how to gather instead all his desire and all his zeal into the intensity of the ascetic life. 

And he was working with his hands, because he heard that the one who doesn't work should not eat either. And one part of the product from his work he would spend it for his food, and the rest of it he would distribute to the poor. 

And he was continually praying, since he heard that each one must pray in private and unceasingly while he is working. And he was very attentive during the reading of the Scripture, in order to memorize everything and not let anything escape from him from the writtens, and in order to use his memory from then on instead of the books. 

Antony, therefore, was living in this way and he was loved by all. And he was also practicing sincere obedience towards the great men of zeal, that he was visiting and he was applying upon himself the advantages of the zeal and of the ascesis of each one of them. 

To some ascetic he would discern his character of graciousness, while to some other he would see his intense willingness in the prayers. To one he would appreciate the lack of irritability and to another the philanthropy. He was paying attention both to the one who was doing vigils, as to the other who loved the learning and the studies. 

And he would admire one for his patience, and another for the fasts and for his sleeping on the ground. And upon one he would observe the meekness, and upon another the forbearance. And for all the monks together he would notice the piety towards Christ and the love that they had to each other. 

And thus full of spiritual gains he would return to his own ascetic hermitage, and he would keep reminiscing about all this and he would study everything in his mind and he would make sure to apply it all upon himself. 

With the monks of his own age he would not argue for any reason, and the only courteous competition that he would show towards them was only about how to not appear inferior to them in the virtues. And he was doing this in such manner, that he wouldn't grieve anyone of them, and they would also rejoice with him for this effort of his. 

All your fellow villagers therefore and the good people with whom he associated, when they were seeing him living in such a way, they were calling him friend of God, and others loved him as their own child, others as their brother. 

The envious devil however, as a hater of all good that he is, he could not bear seeing such intention and good disposition in this young man. Thus, all the cunning tricks, that he has well studied since the old times, he attempted to apply them against Antonio as well. 

In the beginning, therefore, he was tempting him in order to distract him from the ascetic life, suggesting into his mind the memory of his estates, the care for his sister, the love of the relatives, the love for the money, the ambition, the pleasure of the variety of foods and the other comforts of life, and finally, the strictness of the virtue and the fact that a great effort is required for its acquisition. 

He also projected to him the weakness of the body and the length of the life, which is short however for the conquest of virtue. In general, he was causing him a great obfuscation of thoughts into his mind, with the intention to distract him from the right intention. 

But when the enemy saw that he was completely incapable to overcome the good predisposition of Antony, and rather be utterly crushed by the firmness of him, and be overturned by his great faith and drop defeated by the continuous prayers of Antony, 

so then, relying upon his weapons which focus their action in the area of the human body under the navel of the belly and boasting about them, because these are the first traps that he is setting up against the young ascetics, he comes again with hostile dispositions against the young man, noisily disturbing him by night, and troubling him during the daytime, so that even those who were watching him could perceive the battle that was going on between those two. 

Because while the devil was submitting dirty thoughts to him, Antony was rejecting them with prayers. And while he was exhorting him by tickling his senses, Antony was blushing out of shame, and he was fortifying his body well, with the faith, the prayers and the fasts. 

And the wretched devil, had the patience to transform himself even into a woman at night, and to mimic all the female behaviours, merely in order to deceive Antony. 

But he was quenching inside himself the flame of this delusion of the devil, by remembering Christ and his noble origin, which, being a Christian, he ought it to Him, and also by thinking that, the soul is something mental and immaterial and not carnal. 

Another time again, the enemy was secretly suggesting to him the sweetness of pleasure, but he was pretending being angered and saddened, and remembering in his mind the threat of hell and the misery that the worm causes, and setting these things in opposition to the temptations, he would pass unharmed through them. 

And all these were taking place in order to humiliate the enemy. Because the one who thought that he would become equal to God, was now made a buffoon by a youngster. And the one who boasted that he is the lord of the flesh and the blood of the humans, was now knocked down by a man who was wearing flesh. 

Because the Lord was working within Antony, the Lord who put on flesh for our sake and with His body He gave us the victory against the devil, so that each man who is really struggling can say; «It is not I, but the grace of God which is in me». 

Finally, since the devil did not succeed in this way either to defeat Antony, but instead he saw himself being expelled from the heart of the young man, gnashing his teeth, as the Scripture says, and like someone mad, as he is dark in the mind, such then he appears in his imagination as well, as a black child. 

And as if he was giving way, he wouldn't enter his thoughts any more, because that deceitful one had been expelled from there, but assuming now a human voice he was saying to him; I have certainly deceived many and even more of them I have defeated, but now that I wanted to wage my attack against you and on your spiritual labors, I got defeated, as if I had to fight against many. 

Then, when Antony asked him; «Who are you who stand next to me and you say these words?», he immediately emitted pitiful shouts saying; «I am a friend of fornication, I am the one who sets the ambushes and I cause arousing and tickling to the young people, and I have been called the spirit of fornication». 

How many people who wanted to live with prudence I have deceived! How many people who wanted to live with temperance I persuaded them to sin with tickling exhortations and arousings! 

I am that spirit, on account of which the prophet accuses the Israelites who fell and says; «The spirit of fornication has deceived you», because it was because of me that they had fallen into the sin. I am the one who has disturbed you many times and on all these occasions I was defeated by you. 

And after Antony thanked the Lord and received great courage against the devil, he said to him; 

So, you are very despicable, because not only you are blank of mind but you are also powerless like a little child. From now on, therefore, I'm not going to worry about you; «For the Lord is my helper and I will despise my enemies». 

As soon as the black one heard these, he fled, choking down his voices, and fearing even to come close to Antony. 

This was the first feat of Antony against the devil; 

or rather, this achievement took place through Antony but it was of the Lord, Who «condemned the sin of the flesh so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the desires and the demands of the flesh, but under the direction of the Spirit». 

But although the demon was defeated, Antony did not stagnate afterwards nor did he neglected to examine himself; but the enemy also, although defeated, he did not stop ambushing him in order to attack him. Again he kept on prowling around like the lion, looking for some pretext and opportunity against him. 

Antony however, having learned from the Scriptures that the treacheries of the enemy are numerous, he gave himself even more intensely to the discipline, because he was thinking that, although the devil had not succeeded to deceive his heart with the pleasures of the body, he would definitely try to set an ambush for him through some other method; because the demon is a frient of the sin. 

More and more therefore he was hardening his body and he was subjugating it to his will fearing lest, while he overcame some temptations by others he would finally get seduced. He decided therefore to accustom himself to more stringent discipline. 

And while many admired him, he comfortably endured the effort of asceticism; because his eagerness that remained stable for a long time inside his soul had already produced in him a good disposition, so that even if he received some small suggestion or proposition from the others, he would demonstrate great zeal for everything. 

Because he was keeping vigils a lot and many times he remained sleepless even the whole night. And he didn't do that one time only but very often, and it was provoking the admiration of the people. 

He was eating once a day, after the sunset. Sometimes he was eating every two days, and very often every four days. His food was bread with salt, and his drink was just water. 

For meats and for wine it is unnecessary even to talk about it. Because surely these things someone would not encounter not even to other great ascetics. For sleeping a rush mat was sufficient to him; but most of the times he was lying without anything and he was sleeping on the bare ground. 

He avoided anointing his skin with oil, and he was saying that the young ascetics, must give themselves to the discipline with more willingness and not to seek the things which make the body sluggish, but on the contrary, to habituate it to diligence, remembering in their minds the saying of the apostle; 

«When I am weak, then I am strong». Because as he was saying, the tone of the soul is strong, only when the pleasures of the body are weakened. 

But Antony also had another wonderful thought; that neither the way of virtue, nor the separation from the world that takes place for its sake, should not be measured in terms of the passage of time, but in terms of the zeal and the predisposition. 

For this reason Antony did not mention the past but every day that dawned he considered it a new beginning of his ascetic life, toiling more and more for his spiritual advancement and always bringing to his memory the saying of Paul; 

«I forget and leave behind me everything that happened in the past, and I run constantly to what lies ahead». He also remembered the voice of the prophet Elijah, who was saying; «The Lord lives, and today I appeared before Him». 

Antony, therefore, was observing, regarding this saying by the prophet Elijah, that, by saying «today», he was not counting the time passed, but, considering every moment as new beginning, he was tending with zeal every day to present himself as it should be before God, pure hearted and prepared to obey at His will only and to no one else. 

And he used to tell himself, that the ascetic must always acquire knowledge of the career of the great Elijah having it as a mirror of his own life. 

So after Antony fortified himself in this way, he departed and went to the tombs, which were located far away from the village, and having requested to someone he knew to bring him bread for many days, he entered in one of the tombs. Then, the man he knew shut the door from the outside and he remained alone in there. 

And then, not being able the enemy to stand this situation, but mainly because he was afraid lest little by little he fills the desert with ascetics, he came to the cemetery one night along with a multitude of demons and he hurt him so much, that he fell upon the ground dumb and unconscious from the tortures. 

And as Antony was assuring us later, the pains were so intense, so that someone could say than the blows of the humans, could never have caused such great suffering. 

With the providence of God, however, because the Lord never overlooks those who hope in Him, the next day the man he knew came there in order to bring him the bread; 

As soon as he opened the door, and saw him fallen on the ground like dead, immediately he loaded him on his back and transferred him in the church of the village, where he put him on the ground. 

Then, many of his relatives and of the inhabitants of the village, came and sat around him as if Antony was dead. 

At midnight however, Antony came to his senses and as soon as he got up, as he saw everyone sleeping and only his known man being awake, he waved at him to come close to him, and he asked him to take him on his back again and to take him to the tombs, without waking up no one. 

That man therefore transferred him, and after, as usual, he shut the door from the outside, he remained inside alone again. 

He certainly couldn't stand upright because of the wounds of his body, but as he was lying down, he was praying. And when the prayer ended, he shouted loud; «Here I am, Antony; I am not avoiding the wounds that you are causing to me. Because, even if you would cause me more, nothing is going to separate me from the love of Christ». 

Afterwards he also sang; «Though a whole army would line up against me, my heart will not be afraid». These things, then, the ascetic believed and these things he was saying. 

The enemy who despises good however, surprised that after so many wounds Antony had the courage to come back again to the tombs, he gathered all the demons together, like the dogs, and burning with anger, he said; 

You see, that we did not stop him neither with the spirit of fornication, nor with the wounds of the body; but on the contrary, now he shows even more audacity against us. For this, let us attack him in another method. 

So then the demons, during the night, were making such a crashing noice, so that one could might think, that the whole place was shaking. 

And as the transformations into various forms of evil are easy for the devil to perform, the demons were giving the impression, that they had cracked the four walls of the small building and that they were ready to attack transformed into beasts and reptiles, creatures of the imagination. 

Immediately then the whole place was filled by imaginary lions, bears, leopards, bulls, snakes, scorpions and wolves. And each one of them was moving and acting in its own way in accordance to its species. 

The lion was roaring, wanting to rush at him, the bull seemed to be trying to pierce him with the horns, the snake crawled towards him but without reaching him and the wolf seemed as if he wanted to charge but he was holding back. And in general, the sounds of all these beasts together were terrible, and their ferocity unbearable. 

And while these animals were biting Antony and they were abusing him, he was certainly feeling severe physical pain, but he was remaining fearless and he was maintaining himself in a state of mental vigilance. 

And while he was groaning due to the physical pain, his thinking, however, was sober and as if mocking them, he was saying; If you had real power, one only of you would be enough to come. 

But because the Lord has broken your strength, for this reason, even if you are trying to frighten me with your multitude, the fact that you are mimicking the forms and the voices of the irrational beasts, is a sign of your weakness. 

And full of courage, he was saying to them again; If you are able and if you have received authority over me, don't hold back, but attack; but if you are not able, why are you fussing in vain? Because our faith in the Lord it's a seal of safety for us and an impregnable wall that protects us. 

So they made a lot of attempts, and they were gnashing their teeth against him, but rather they were ridiculing themselves and not him. 

The Lord, however, did not forget the heroic struggle of Antony, but he hastened to help him in this temptation too. 

So when Antony raised his eyes, he saw the roof as if being opened and a ray of light coming down upon him. Then suddenly the demons disappeared and the pain of the body immediately stopped, and the building was once more intact. 

When Antony felt the divine presence and assistance, and took a deep breath and he was relieved of his pains, addressed a prayer towards this divine apparition that was presented to him, and he was saying; Where have you been? Why didn't you show up from the beginning, in order to stop my suffering? 

Then a voice was heard saying to him; Antony, I was here, but I waited to watch your struggle. Since, therefore, you went through it all with patience and you were not defeated, I will always be your helper and I will make you famous everywhere. 

As soon as he heard this, he stood up and prayed and he was so much strengthened, that he felt within himself that his body received much more power than what he had before. His age at that time was about thirty-five years. 

The next day, after he came out of the tomb, he was even more disposed for godliness and going to that old man, he was begging and asking him to go to the wilderness together to live there. 

But when that old man because of his age he refused and because it didn't exist yet such habit, he immediately left on his own to the mountain. 

But the enemy once more, observing his zeal and wanting to hinder him, he projected to his imagination to see on the road a large silver disk. 

Antonios, however, who understood the craft of the despiser of goodness he stopped, and looking at the disk he intimidated the devil that was in it, by saying; 

How was this disc found in the desert? This road is not very crowded and there are no traces to indicate that people passed from here. Because, if it had fallen from someone, it wouldn't be possible not to be perceived, so big that it is. But also the one who lost it, if he came back and looked for it, he would surely find it, because the place is a desert. 

Therefore, this is a trick of the devil. You won't hinder me, oh devil, with this, my desire for the desert. But both you and your disk together you are heading to perdition. And while Antonius was still saying these words, the disk disappeared like the smoke of the fire. 

Another time, as he was departing towards the mountain, he saw gold scattered upon the streets, not imaginary gold but for real this time. 

We don't know if it was the enemy who scattered this gold, or one of the higher powers, in order to educate the athlete and in order to show the devil that Antony was not interested for the real money either; he himself did not clarify this matter, and we didn't find out either, except only that what appeared was real gold. 

Antony certainly marveled at the great quantity of the gold, but, as one goes through the fire by jumping over it, in the same way he passed by the gold and he didn't even turn his head to look at it. On the contrary, he was running so fast on the road, in order for that place to be hidden from his eyes and never again be able to find it. 

With all these events therefore strengthened his spirit much more, and Anthtony rushed towards the mountain. 

There, across the river, he found a deserted lodging which was full of reptiles, because it was abandoned for a long time; he settled there and he took up residence in it. 

And after these reptiles immediately left the lodging, as if someone was chasing them, Antony obstructed the entrance and stored up bread for six months as the inhabitants of Thebes in Egypt use to do, and frequently, the loaves are preserved even for a whole year without spoiling; 

having also water inside with him, he lived in there alone as if he had been submerged to the deepest parts of the lodging, and neither he was ever going out, nor he was seeing anyone of those who were coming to him. 

Therefore, Antony spent a lot of time in this continuous ascetic life, and only twice a year he was receiving the loaves that they were lowering to him from the roof of the lodging. 

His acquaintances who were coming in order to visit him, as he did not allow them to enter inside the lodging and many times they were staying outside for whole days and nights, they were hearing sounds from inside as if from crowds of people who were knocking and making noise and were producing terrible voices and they were shouting; Get out of our places! What do you have to do with the desert? You cannot bear our wickedness. 

The visitors at first thought that those who were doing battle with him, were some people who climbed with ladders and entered inside the lodging. But when they bowed to a hole of the door and they saw no one, then they finally realised that they were demons, and they got scared, and they were asking for the help of Antony. 

But Antony cared more for his visitors who were outside than for the demons. And coming close to the door he was begging his people to go away and to not be afraid. Because he was saying that the demons are creating imaginations on those who are afraid. But you however seal yourselves with the sign of the Cross and depart with confidence, and leave them to mock themselves 

Then they would depart fortified by the sign of the Cross, and he remained without being harmed at all by the demons, and without ever getting tired from his ascetic struggles, because the reinforcement of the heavenly apparitions that he was seeing, as well as the weakness of the enemies, provided him with great relief in the hardships, and were giving him more eagerness for the ascetic life. 

And indeed, his acquaintances were constantly coming thinking that they would find him dead, but instead of that they heard him sing; «Let God arise and his enemies will be immediately scattered, and all who hate him they shall flee from his presence». 

«As the smoke disappears, so they will disappear too. As the candle melts in the fire, so the sinners will also perish before the face of God». 

And again; «All hostile nations surrounded me and with the invocation of the name of the Lord I repulsed them». 

About twenty years he lived alone pursuing the ascetic life in this way, without visiting anyone and without having frequent communication with people. 

After these years however, many people zealously wanted to imitate his ascetic life, and some of his acquaintances came and they opened the door by force, Antony was forced to come out with an exalted and god-like face as though he had came out from some shrine. 

This was the first time, since he came to the lodging, that he presented himself to those who were coming to see him. 

As soon as they saw him, they admired seeing that his body was in the exact same condition and he had neither gained weight, untrained as he was, nor had he become emaciated from fasting and from the battles with the demons. 

He was exactly as they knew him before his departure to the desert. His moral spirit was pure as well as the state of his soul because he was neither contracted from boredom, nor was his mind distracted from some pleasure, and he was neither sullen nor laughing. 

Because he neither got agitated as he saw so many people, nor he got excited at being embraced by so many people, but he was perfectly balanced, because he was governed by reason and he was natural in his behavior. 

The Lord then healed, through Antony, many of those present there who suffered from bodily ailments; and he cleansed others from the demons. 

The Lord also gave to Antony the grace of speech and thus he consoled many of them who were sad and he reconciled others, if they were hostile to each other, and as an epilogue he was saying to everyone, that we should not prefer anything in this world above the love of Christ. 

And discussing to them he convinced many to prefer the ascetic life prompting them to reflect upon the future goods and the philanthropy that God showed to us Who «did not spare not even his own Son, but He gave him up for our own salvation.» 

And so, from then on, monasteries were founded in the mountains and the desert was changed into a city, inhabited by monks who left their villages and were registered as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. 

Once when Antony had to cross the canal of Arsinoë, because it was necessary to visit the brothers, the canal was full of crocodiles. Then he simply prayed and they all entered the water, him and his companions, and they all passed through unharmed. 

And when he returned to his monastery, he continued his spiritual labors with the same modesty and with the same zeal. 

With his continuous speeches he was increasing the willingness to those who were already monks, and he was motivating and all the others who were present there into passionately loving the ascetic life. 

Therefore, very soon, with its attractive speeches, many monasteries came into being, and he was abbot of all of them and their spiritual father. 

End of first part