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MyPrayerTower
SaintsJanuary 17, 2025

St. Anthony the Great — The Father of Monks

He heard one Bible verse and sold everything he owned. He moved to the desert to punch demons. The extreme life of the first Desert Father.

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MyPrayerTower Team
5 min read Spiritual Study

St. Anthony (251-356) lived to be 105. He heard the Gospel: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor." Unlike us, he actually did it. He moved into an abandoned fort in the Egyptian desert.

The Wrestling Match

The devil hated him. Anthony was physically beaten by demons in his cave. When asked how he won, he said: "I saw the snares of the Enemy spread over the whole earth. And I asked, 'What can get through these?' And a voice answered me: 'Humility'."

The Legacy

He didn't write books. But his biography (written by St. Athanasius) became the "Harry Potter" of the 4th century. Thousands of people flocked to the desert to imitate him, starting the Monastic movement.


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