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A beautiful portrait of the radical devotion of St. Antony and his call to holy living. "It was truly amazing that being alone in such a desert Antony was niether distracted by the demons who confronted him, nor was he frightened of their ferocity when so many four-legged beasts and reptiles were there. But truly he was one who, as Scripture says, having trusted in the Lord, was like Mount Zion, keeping his mind unshaken and unruffled; so instead the demons fled and the wild beasts, as it is written, made peace with him."--from The Life of Antony Athanasius (c. 295-373) was an Alexandrian whose life was committed at an early age to the Christian community growing there. He became a controversial bishop and one of the most vivid and forceful personalities in political and religious affairs. His famous account, The Life of Antony, inaugurated the genre of the lives of the saints and established the frame of Christian hagiography, quickly attaining the status of a classic and becoming one of the most influential writings in Christian history. It tells the spiritual story of St. Antony, the founder of Christian monasticism. A pioneer in spiritual experience, he marked a new epoch in the Christian experience and set the terms for the Church's ideal of the life of devotion. He transferred the center of monastic life from the periphery of established communities to the barren and isolated setting of a hermitage, away from civilization, in a location of solitude and serenity. The Life of Antony is a beautiful portrait of what a life committed to God demands and promises.… (more)
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It's a really fascinating tale of a man who didn't want anything to disrupt his prayer life and dedication to serve God in solitude. His friends provided bread for him which they lowered down into his cave in the desert and he lived there alone for years - well, that's not exactly true - because he was in a constant spiritual battle with Satanic temptations of all sorts. Later on many came to him in the desert mountains for counseling, prayer, healing, exorcism and teaching.
Fascinating to read about one of the desert monks of the early church. I always think: Why? Why all this seclusion, extreme self-imposed affliction? But then again. How much do I really pray and how often do I get distracted in this busy world? Sometimes a cave could come in handy. Well, I don't know. My exploration of the spiritual classics both baffles me and intrigue me.