Saint Anthony of Egypt - Research Paper Example

Saint Anthony of Egypt Introduction Saint Anthony is known mostly for his devotional work in the monastery as he is among the first Christians to live a life of sanctified solitude. He drew inspiration from the gospel of Matthew chapter 19 verse 21 which holds that, "if thou wilt perfect, go sell all that thou hast and give to the poor" of which he sold his inheritance and gave it to the less fortunate. His saintly life influenced multitudes in his time and even generations that followed. His life has significantly contributed to the history of Christianity, and it forms the foundation of church values today. His life is documented by one of his apostolic disciples Saint Athanasius, who is a renowned Christian leader. Biographical Information He was born in 250AD to a well to do hermitic family in the middle of Egypt and died in 356 AD having lived for more than 100 years1. His Christian parents protected him from dangerous worldly examples by watching him carefully in their home away from any pagan literature. He was born during the time Roman Catholicism was vast spreading, but the pagan doctrines were still profound in Rome2. When he was 20 years old, he was orphaned and he inherited the vast wealth of his parents. Because of his desire to live an apostolic life, he gave up the wealth to the poor and devoted his life to serving God. Saint Anthony placed his sister in a house of virgins which was the first reference to modern Christian nunnery and later started living in solitude3. As a disciple of Saint Paul of Thebes, Anthony began his practice of austere life at the age of 20 and later withdrew for complete solitude to a remote tomb in the desert. When he was 35 years old, he journeyed further into the wilderness to Fort Pispir across the Nile4. During his retreat, he began his legendary work overcoming the devil's temptations famous in Christianity theology and iconography. In 305, he reemerged from his retreat to share with his monistic life fellow hermits, whom he successfully converted to his ways. After the end of the Christian persecution, he moved to a mountain in the desert where he established modern-day monastery, Dayr Mari Antonios5. He visited Alexandria twice in his life and his second venture was to preach against Arianism, whose heretical doctrine teachings were against Jesus Christ being the same substance as God the Father. Saint Anthony grew to be famous because of his work, and people traveled to this wilderness retreat for instructions and benefit from miracles of his holy bidding. He died in 356 and was buried by two of his disciples, who did not embalm his grave above ground in the ancient Egyptian manner6. Major Works Saint Anthony from his struggles has come to be regarded as the father of modern Christian monasticism7. His actions to lead solitude life inspired large following of people who could come and pay pilgrimage to the fort at the mountain where he had stayed for 20 years8. The individuals who used to visit him later established a colony of ascetics around the mountain living in caves and huts. These people begged him to offer them spiritual guidance and at around 305 AD, he conceded and emerged from his Fort9. He then devoted himself to instructing the colony of monks which had grown in large numbers around his fort. It is from these actions that the modern idea of monastery work is founded. He could later move into seclusion again, but this time, he was free to meet whoever came to visit him and often, he visited the nearby Pispir, where he later established a church. He journeyed to Alexandria twice during the Christian persecution, and then went to preach against Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ10. During the persecutions, Saint Anthony hoped that he might be chosen for martyrdom, but the governor of Alexandria overlooked him although he presented himself conspicuously. He openly encouraged imprisoned Christians, even those who were standing before judges facing execution11. His impact could later be felt in Alexandria during his second trip to refute the Arians, where he shared the message of hope with the masses.12 He drew large multitudes pagans included, converted a lot of people and performed a lot of miracles. He grew famous as a saint in the Middle Ages providing spiritual and practical advice to people and his disciples, who later ensured his movement established. Emperor Constantine the great and his sons are said to have written to him seeking administrative advice for the Christian empire he had created13. In his response, he advised the emperor not to have much thought of the present, but to be aware of the judgment that was to come for Christ was the true eternal king. Analysis of Saint Anthony’s Works The life that Saint Anthony had is a demonstration of what Christian norms should be based on; that is perseverance and a philanthropic hearts. He lived a hermit life that drove him even to desperation, but he was strong willed and did not give up. He was weary of life and the world from his limited point of view in his monastery in the mountains14. People used to make pilgrimages to the mountains, and at one point when they stopped, Saint Anthony started to view his life as worthless. He started to get tempted as any Christian can be tempted, and his faith was almost wearing off. He began to long for earthly things such as money, women and other worldly goods that he thought might have given him pleasures. Modern Christians are faced with the same challenges that he faced that are after testing someone’s faith15. Humility and perseverance as illustrated by Saint Anthony should be the virtues to hold onto to avoid wearing off of one’s faith. The art of giving to the poor according to Jesus’ teaching are the grounds on which Saint Anthony built his faith. He sold his inheritance and gave it to the poor and later worked hard in harsh conditions in the desert, toiling between prayer and work. Jesus taught his disciples on how to love and treat the less fortunate for in the eyes of the Lord, they have a place. Apostolic teachings in the Bible have it that man must work hard for him to eat, and a lazy man should not be given food. Saint Anthony was a very hardworking and he even cultivated a garden of vegetables in his monastery, from which he could feed the weary travelers who came to visit across the desert. The monastery that he created transformed the ways of solitude as later improvements could reveal the way an individual could pray16. Regardless of several devilish temptations, he remained strong just like Jesus Christ when Lucifer was tempting Him. Resisting temptation is a virtue that Christians should embrace so as to maintain their faith in the Savior. Several forms of temptations flogged Saint Anthony in his entire solitary life and that made him weary and his health degraded relevant to Job in the bible, but still he didn’t denounce his faith. In a dream, the Queen of Sheba appeared to him and tormented him with all sorts of worldly pleasures on condition that he abandoned his solitary life to live with her. Also, the queen employed all charms to lure him; Saint Anthony resisted the temptations and remained even stronger. The rhetoric of the experiences of Saint Anthony shows Christians how they should live by embracing virtues such as humility, perseverance, love and being prayerful. Conclusion The instructions and experiences of Saint Anthony still live today in the form of monastic life. Several monks still preserve the broad features of Saint Anthony's ascetic system of training. Therefore, Saint Anthony is talked of highly especially among the Roman Catholics simply because of the monasticism trainings. He may not have been a great organizer or legislator of monks, but still, he managed to change some Christian ways of life. His success can be attributed to his commanding personality and higher character that stood out throughout his entire life. His doctrines are said to have been impeachable as he stood his ground even during the Christian persecution. He will forever be remembered as a man full of urbanite gentleness, whose moderation and morality established monasticism. 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