Antony the Great and Paul the Simple

Whether the Egyptians or others are to be counted the founders of this philosophy, everyone agrees that Antony, the great monk, brought this way of life, by his conduct and fitting disciplines, to the height of exactness and perfection. His fame spread so widely through the deserts of Egypt that the emperor Constantine, because of the man’s reputation for virtue, sought his friendship, honored him with letters, and urged him to write about anything he might need. He was an Egyptian by birth, from a distinguished family of Coma, a place near the Heraclea that lies on the borders of Egypt. He was still a youth when he lost his parents. He gave what he inherited from his father to the people of his village, sold the rest of his possessions, and gave the money to the needy, for he knew that philosophy does not consist merely in giving up property but in distributing it rightly. He came to know the devout men of his time and imitated the virtues of them all. Believing that the practice of goodness, though hard at first, would become a delight through habit, he thought out ever stricter forms of self-discipline, and day by day he added to them by self-control, as though he were always just beginning his undertaking. He subdued the body’s love of pleasure by hard work, and held back the passions of the soul with the help of divine wisdom. [a]

His food was bread and salt, his drink water, and he never broke his fast until after sunset. He often went two days or more without eating. He kept watch, so to speak, all night long and went on praying until daybreak. If he ever slept, it was only for a little while on a small mat; but usually the bare ground was his bed. He refused to anoint himself with oil, and refused baths and similar luxuries, which are likely to slacken the body’s firmness through moisture. It is said that he never at any time saw himself naked. He neither had book learning nor admired it, but he valued good understanding, since it comes before letters and is what discovered them in the first place. He was exceedingly gentle and kind to all, prudent and courageous. He was cheerful in conversation and friendly in debate, even when others made the disputed questions an occasion for quarreling. By his own manner and a kind of wisdom he calmed quarrels as they grew and brought people back to moderation. He also cooled the heat of those who talked with him and set their behavior in order.

Although his extraordinary virtues had filled him with divine foreknowledge, he did not regard knowing the future as a virtue, and he did not advise others to seek this gift rashly. He held that no one would be punished or rewarded for being ignorant of the future or knowing it, since true blessedness lies in serving God and keeping his laws. “But,” he said, “if anyone wants to know the future, let him keep his soul continually purified. Then he will have power to walk in the light and to understand what is going to happen, for God will reveal the future to him.” He never let himself be idle. He urged all who seemed inclined to lead a good life to work hard, to examine themselves, and to confess their sins before the One who made the day and the night. When they did wrong, he urged them to write the wrong down, so that they would be ashamed of their sins and afraid that someone might find the many things recorded there. For each would fear that if the paper were traced to him, he would be exposed to others as a wicked man.

More than anyone else he came forward boldly and with great zeal to defend those who had been wronged, and for their sake he often went into the cities. For many came out to him and pressed him to plead for them with the rulers and men in power. All the people felt honored to see him, listened eagerly to what he said, and agreed with his arguments; but he preferred to stay unknown and hidden in the deserts. When he was forced to visit a city, he always went back to the deserts as soon as he had finished the work he had taken on. For he said that as fish are nourished in the water, so the desert is the world made ready for monks; and as fish die when they are thrown onto dry land, so monks lose their steadiness when they go into cities. He behaved obligingly and graciously toward everyone who saw him, and he took care neither to be nor to seem proud. I have given this brief account of Antony’s manner of life so that, by comparison, an idea of his philosophy may be formed from this description of his conduct in the desert.

He had many famous disciples. Some of them flourished in Egypt and Libya, others in Palestine, Syria, and Arabia. Each disciple, no less than his master, lived his life among the people where he settled, ordered his own conduct, taught many, and joined them to the same virtues and philosophy. But it would be hard for anyone to find Antony’s companions or their successors, even by searching carefully through the cities and villages, for they sought to stay hidden more earnestly than many ambitious men now seek popularity and fame through pomp and show.

We must tell, in order of time, the story of Antony’s most famous disciples, and above all that of Paul, called the Simple. It is said that he lived in the countryside and was married to a beautiful woman. Having caught her in the act of adultery, he laughed calmly and swore that he would live with her no longer. He left her to the adulterer and went at once to join Antony in the desert. It is further said that he was exceedingly gentle and patient. Since he was old, unused to the hardships of the monastic life, and newly arrived, Antony tested his strength with various trials, and found nothing unworthy in him. When he had given proof of perfect philosophy, he was sent to live alone, as one who no longer needed a teacher. And God himself confirmed Antony’s testimony. By his deeds God showed the man to be most illustrious, and greater even than his teacher in tormenting and driving out demons. [c]