Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great was born in Koma (in Lower Egypt) in 251 to Christian landowning parents. His parents died when he was around 20, leaving Anthony and his sister to take care of their large estate. But when he heard Matthew 19 read in church, where Jesus instructed a rich young man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, Anthony was so moved that he did just that: he gave about 120 acres to his neighbors and sold the rest, giving the proceeds to people in need. He got rid of all his possessions and even placed his sister in the care of a “house of virgins” (likely an early Christian nunnery).
Freed from the burden of everything he ever owned, Anthony became a hermit. Though he was not, as some claim, the first Christian monk, his influence in the spread of early Christian monasticism cannot be denied. He was committed to strict asceticism: he lived in the desert west of Alexandria for over a decade, and subsisted only on bread, salt, and water. Eventually, Anthony decided this life was a bit too cosmopolitan for his tastes and decided to really retreat from the world. He settled on a mountain (called Pispir) east of the Nile, where he lived alone in an abandoned Roman fort for two decades. It was here that he faced his famous temptation (vote him on for more deets!). Despite his best efforts, Anthony developed something of a following. Pilgrims would come to visit and throw food to him over the wall. A community of ascetics formed in the nearby caves, and after 20 years, he emerged and began to teach them.
He eventually moved on once more, and at about 62 years of age settled on Mount Colzim (southeast of Cairo). He lived there for 45 years, during which he would receive visitors and occasionally travel across the desert back to Pispir. He died in 356, at the tender age of 105.
While he was something of a celebrity monk during his lifetime, his popularity and influence only grew after his death. This was partly because Anthony had the good fortune to meet and befriend one Athanasius of Alexandria, who wrote a hagiography of Anthony shortly after his death, which became whatever the premodern equivalent of a New York Times Bestseller is. Think of it like The Shack of its time, especially because it’s easy to picture Anthony living in one.
Anthony also goes by a good number of names, including Anthony the Great (not, it turns out, a family name), Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony of the Desert, and the Father of All Monks, just to name a few.
— Ian Lasch
Collect for Anthony the Great
O God, as you by your Holy Spirit enabled your servant Antony to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; so give us grace to follow you with pure hearts and minds, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul of Thebes
He is known as Paul of Thebes, or Paul the First Hermit, or Paul the Anchorite. No matter how he is known, Paul’s contributions to Christian life are far-reaching and deeply spiritual. Paul is considered the first Christian hermit, kicking off a lifestyle grounded in faith and prayer.
Paul was born in Egypt in 227 and died at an amazing age of 113 in Thebes.
Orphaned and caught in the middle of a family dispute, he trekked to the desert of Thebes at 16 years old during the persecution of the Roman Emperors Decius and Valerianus. He lived in a cave, relying on nearby resources for food and water. Then, at 43 years old, as the story goes, a raven started to bring him daily bread.
Paul lived a solitary life. However, he welcomed a significant visitor around 342, from Anthony the Great, who was following instructions from his dream to find Paul. They shared bread, prayers, and blessings.
As they met near the end of Paul’s life, he shared his burial wishes. Tradition says Anthony was aided by two lions who dug the grave with their claws.
Many followed his way of life. The Order of St. Paul the First Hermit was founded in Hungary in his honor in the 13th century.
Paul is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo in the Philippines, where the cathedral is sanctified for him. The Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite, near the Red Sea, is a major pilgrimage site.
In the Episcopal Church, St. Paul in the Desert in Palm Springs, CA, is named for him.
Paul was canonized in 491. His feast is celebrated on January 10 by the Roman Catholics, January 15 in the Anglican Communion and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and February 9 in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Paul is the patron saint of children, based on a 15th-century tradition of miracles occurring through intercession to him. As such, the Pauline Fathers still bless children on his feast day.
He is featured in The Life of St. Paul the First Hermit by St. Jerome of Stridon, and in three YouTube videos: The Story of Saint Paul the First Hermit; Saint Paul of Thebes & Saint Alexius of Rome; and Saint Paul of Thebes Saint Story for Kids.
Paul is symbolized by a palm tree, two lions, and a raven.
— Neva Rae Fox
Collect for Paul of Thebes
Saint Paul the Hermit, lover of silence and faithful servant of God, teach us to seek the Lord above all else. Help us detach from worldly distractions and grow in prayer, trust, and holiness. Pray for us, that our hearts may always rest in God. Amen.
97 comments on “Anthony the Great vs. Paul of Thebes”
Ravens and lions, oh my! Has to be Paul for me.
Email is back to being only 1 day late.
you can always just go to lentmadness.org.
I'm voting for the raven who had enough sense to feed people.
And I like the collect for Paul of Thebes.
I was impressed by how long both of these lived, particularly in their times. Obviously, introversion is the way to go for the long run!
Well, as hermits with limited exposure to other people, they wouldn't have been exposed to a lot of germs, I guess.
Although Paul was first, I find more inspiration by Anthony's free renouncement of wealth and moves to demonstrate his faith in several locations during his long life.
I have attended a service at St Paul in the Desert, which is a beautiful little church. Nevertheless, I voted for Anthony. I was impressed that his body continued to live for two years after his death
(62 + 45 =107). “About.” I appreciated hearing what inspired him to act. John Wesley said the eucharist was a converting ordinance, and that has remained in my mind. Scripture too seems to be a “converting ordinance.” Imagine hearing a passage and then doing it. I imagine that the rich young man finds his fulfillment in Anthony. That seems powerful, the idea that we can help one another across time, and that death is no barrier. If nothing else, Anthony stimulates my imagination.
once again, can't vote, but I'm going with Anthony
Have you tried clearing your cache?
I have a dear friend in Palm Springs who attends St. Paul's in the Desert, but somehow it never occurred to me that the church was dedicated to THIS St. Paul and not the author of all those letters! So thanks very much for the info today. He gets my vote and I'm off to learn more about him.
Yeah, I was all set to vote for Anthony when I was reminded that he sold his sister's inheritance and parked her in a convent. MAYBE she was into that, but... BOUNDARIES, dude.
That was the dealbreaker for me!
I am actually slowly becoming a hermit with just my dog for companionship. I actually think it's something I could do indefinitely, because I find society deeply troubling. This was a tough choice today! But I was swayed toward Paul by the lions and ravens.
So the lions buried him (because he wouldn't have made much of a lunch?)
I can't believe we had to choose between Edith Stein and Amy Carmichael yesterday when both of them would have trounced these two today.
I voted for Paul because of the Raven. Otherwise neither of them struck me enough to really be into which one wins.
This is going to be another close one.
Continuing to be frustrated that I don't get the emails like I used to. Some don't even come until the next day when it's too late to vote. Anyone know what the problem is? In prior years, I received the email each day right after 8:00 a.m.
Just go to the website
I was able to start getting the emails again by going to the website and entering my log in info. Then they sent me an email with a link
so that I could update my email preferences (which newsletters to get, etc).
> His parents died when he was around 20, leaving *Anthony and his sister* to take care of *their* large estate. But when he heard Matthew 19 read in church, where Jesus instructed a rich young man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, Anthony was so moved that he did just that: he gave about 120 acres to his neighbors and sold the rest, giving the proceeds to people in need. . .. He got rid of all *his* possessions and even placed his sister in the care of a “house of virgins” (likely an early Christian nunnery).
He did what now?
Nope, nope, nopity nope. I don't think you get to abandon your dependents whilst selling all your possessions and devoting your life to God.
I mean, I guess it's possible that he discussed all this with his sister and she was on board with the plan; but without that detail? So much nope.
Can someone explain to me how Paul of Thebes welcomed Anthony the Great in 342 when he died in 341?
Anthony sold everything the family had and sent his sister to a nunnery. I cannot vote for anyone who did this to a sister.
Any saint who puts children first has my vote. Paul it is.
I don't like either, no hermits for me!
I could not vote for Anthony "the Great." As noble as his mission was, he forced his sister into a convent to accomplish it. Where was her right of self-determination? Yes, in the 21st century we have a different understanding of women's rights than existed in the third century, but I cannot get past his apparent disregard of how she wished to live her life.
Thank you for the helpful comments. Voting for Paul.
Two hermits. Nevertheless, I voted for Paul, patron saint of children.
And where is our limerick writer this year?
Definitely a tough one, so many similarities!
"vote him on for more deets!" piqued my curiosity and made me smile.
sending your sister off to a nunnery just doesn't set well with me.
Even though I was not enchanted by either guy, I voted more AGAINST Anthony than FOR Paul. Did not care at all for his high hended macho thing, giving it all away, and then dumping his poor sister, who apparently had no voice in the matter.
I voted for Paul - because he's the patron saint of children, and our brown and black children need all the help they can get right now.
I looked up Anthony of Egypt's patronage: monasticism, skin diseases (specifically ergotism or "St. Anthony's Fire"), butchers, gravediggers, and domestic animals. Yeah, I'm sticking with the patron saint of children.
Wwho is proofreading these posts of the saints each day? Anyone? Wrong collect today. Poor bio another day. This is not a good look.
Who*
Apparently I need to proofread myself! :0
Administration has changed. Adjustments must be made. We need to practice patience (all the time).
Both these guys lived mostly alone and ate what they could find yet lived to be centenarians! Can we learn from them?
Although I strive to be a contemplative, neither of these guys really drives me. I hope Anthony's sister wanted to be sent off to the nunnery. That's a negative point for him. What made me decide was the story of Paul's burial. Nice to know there was a guy so saintly that lions helped bury him. I love wild and crazy stories like that about Biblical figures and saints.
Paul for his willingness to receive his daily bread from a brother creature who recognized him as kin. Stranger things have happened in the world of saints.