Anthony the Great

"Saint Anthony Abbot" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Anthony Abbot (disambiguation).

Saint

Anthony the Great
Saint Anthony the Great by Michael Damaskinos 16th century
Venerable and God-bearing
Father of Monasticism
Father of All Monks
Born12 January 251
Koma, Province of Egypt, Roman Empire
Died17 January 356(356-01-17) (aged 105)
Mount Colzim, Province of Egypt, Roman Empire
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Assyrian Church of the East
Oriental Orthodox Churches
Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Lutheranism (ELCA)
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Major shrineMonastery of St. Anthony, Egypt
Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, France
Feast17 January (Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion), Lutheranism (ELCA)
22 Tobi (Coptic calendar)
Attributesbell; pig; book; Tau Cross[1][2] Tau cross with bell pendant[3]
PatronageAnimals, skin diseases, farmers, butchers, the poor, basket makers, brushmakers, gravediggers,[4] Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Rome[5]

Anthony the Great (‹See Tfd›Greek: Ἀντώνιος Antṓnios; Arabic: القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; Latin: Antonius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲛⲧⲱⲛⲓ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as Anthony of Padua, by various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast day is celebrated on 17 January among the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar.

The biography of Anthony's life by Athanasius of Alexandria helped to spread the concept of Christian monasticism, particularly in Western Europe via its Latin translations. He is often erroneously considered the first Christian monk, but as his biography and other sources make clear, there were many ascetics before him. Anthony was, however, among the first known to go into the wilderness (about AD 270), which seems to have contributed to his renown.[6] Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural temptation during his sojourn in the Eastern Desert of Egypt inspired the depiction of his temptations in visual art and literature.

Anthony is invoked against infectious diseases, particularly skin diseases. In the past, many such afflictions, including ergotism, erysipelas, and shingles, were referred to as Saint Anthony's fire.

  1. ^ Jack Tresidder, ed. (2005). The Complete Dictionary of Symbols. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-4767-5.
  2. ^ Cornwell, Hilarie; James Cornwell (2009). Saints, Signs, and Symbols (3rd ed.). Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8192-2345-6.
  3. ^ Liechtenstein, the Princely Collections, catalogue of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, p. 276 [1]
  4. ^ Michael Walsh, ed. (1991). Butler's Lives of the Saints (Concise, Revised & Updated, 1st HarperCollins ed.). San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0-06-069299-5.
  5. ^ "Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Cenni storici (1701–2001)". Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica (in Italian). Vatican, Roman Curia. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  6. ^ Endsjø, Dag Øistein (2008). Primordial landscapes, Incorruptible Bodies. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4331-0181-6.