Summary Of The Document Life Of Saint Antony Of Egypt

The document Life of Saint Antony of Egypt is a letter which tells the story of what it sounds like: St Antony’s life and piety. It was written by Athanasius, who was the bishop of Alexandria at the time. He expounds upon Antony’s piety and turns even what some might consider faults into some of Antony’s greatest virtues.
For example, as a boy, Antony refused to learn to read, preferring to remain ignorant. Much of the world’s population may think this to be simple laziness. Here was a boy, born into great wealth, given an incredibly rare opportunity to learn to read, and he refused? It might seem even odder when considering that in the Middle Ages, monks were some of the only literate people and were responsible for most of the books and manuscripts from this time period. How could such a prominent and upstanding monk not want to be literate? How would he read the Bible? But Athanasius is quick to point out how this aversion to all things letters is actually a manifestation of Anthony’s virtue. According to Athanasius, …show more content…
He wandered out into the desert, found an abandoned fortress filled with serpents, and decided that it was the perfect place to live for the next two decades of his life. As Athanasius put it,” For nearly twenty years he continued to discipline himself this way, not going out himself and being seen by other only rarely.” Athanasius never mentions the word “friend”, but the saint surely had many very dedicated acquaintances. These “acquaintances” would bring food and water to Antony while he was alone so that when he needed to, he could eat. They would only come every six months. Even so, nobody was allowed into Antony’s “shrine”, as Athanasius described it. In fact, Antony only emerged when people began literally breaking down the door to try to get in. Some wanted to learn from him as he had from other desert hermits, and others no doubt wanted to make sure he was not a rotting