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His Growing Fame
81. And the fame of Antony came even unto kings. For Constantine
Augustus, and his sons Constantius and Constans the Augusti wrote
letters to him, as to a father, and begged an answer from him. But he
made nothing very much of the letters, nor did he rejoice at the
messages, but was the same as he had been before the Emperors wrote to
him. But when they brought him the letters he called the monks and
said, “Do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us, for he is a
man; but rather wonder that God wrote the Law for men and has spoken to
us through His own Son.” And so he was unwilling to receive the
letters, saying that he did not know how to write an answer to such
things. But being urged by the monks because the emperors were
Christians, and lest they should take offence on the ground that they
had been spurned, he consented that they should be read, and wrote an
answer approving them because they worshipped Christ, and giving them
counsel on things pertaining to salvation: “not to think much of the
present, but rather to remember the judgment that is coming, and to
know that Christ alone was the true and Eternal King.” He begged them
to be merciful and to give heed to justice and the poor. And they
having received the answer rejoiced. Thus he was dear to all, and all
desired to consider him as a father.
82. Being known to be so great a man, therefore, and having thus given
answers to those who visited him, he returned again to the inner
mountain, and maintained his wonted discipline. And often when
people-came to him, as he was sitting or walking, as it is written in
Daniel, he became dumb, and after a season he resumed the thread of
what he had been saying before to the brethren who were with him. And
his companions perceived that he was seeing a vision. For often when he
was on the mountains he saw what was happening in Egypt, and told it to
Serapion the bishop, who was indoors with him, and who saw that Antony
was wrapped in a vision. Once as he was sitting and working, he fell,
as it were, into a trance, and groaned much at what he saw. Then after
a time, having turned to the bystanders with groans and trembling, he
prayed, and falling on his knees remained so a long time. And having
arisen the old man wept. His companions, therefore, trembling and
terrified, desired to learn from him what it was. And they troubled him
much, until he was forced to speak. And with many groans he spake as
follows: “O, my children, it were better to die before what has
appeared in the vision come to pass.” And when again they asked him,
having burst into tears, he said, “Wrath is about to seize the Church,
and it is on the point of being given up to men who are like senseless
beasts. For I saw the table of the Lord's House, and mules standing
around it on all sides in a ring, and kicking the things therein, just
like a herd kicks when it leaps in confusion. And you saw,” said he,
“how I groaned, for I heard a voice saying, "My altar shall be
defiled."“ These things the old man saw, and after two years the
present inroad of the Arians and the plunder of the churches took
place, when they violently carried off the vessels, and made the
heathen carry them; and when they forced the heathen from the prisons
to join in their services, and in their presence did upon the Table as
they would. Then we all understood that these kicks of the mules
signified to Antony what the Arians, senselessly like beasts, are now
doing. But when he saw this vision, he comforted those with him,
saying, “Be not downcast, my children; for as the Lord has been angry,
so again will He heal us, and the Church shall soon again receive her
own order, and shall shine forth as she is wont. And you shall behold
the persecuted restored, and wickedness again withdrawn to its own
hiding-place, and pious faith speaking boldly in every place with all
freedom. Only defile not yourselves with the Arians, for their teaching
is not that of the Apostles, but that of demons and their father the
devil; yea, rather, it is barren and senseless, and without light
understanding, like the senselessness of these mules.”
83. Such are the words of Antony, and we ought not to doubt whether
such marvels were wrought by the hand of a man. For it is the promise
of the Saviour, when He saith, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say to this mountain, remove hence and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be impossible unto yours .” And again, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask the father in My name He will
give it you. Ask and ye shall receive .” And He himself it is who saith
to His disciples and to all who believe on Him, “ Heal the sick, cast
out demons; freely ye have received, freely give .”
84. Antony, at any rate, healed not by commanding, but by prayer and
speaking the name of Christ. So that it was clear to all that it was
not he himself who worked, but the Lord who showed mercy by his means
and healed the sufferers. But Antony's part was only prayer and
discipline, for the sake of which he stayed in the mountain, rejoicing
in the contemplation of divine things, but grieving when troubled by
much people, and dragged to the outer mountain. For all judges used to
ask him to come down, because it was impossible for them to enter on
account of their following of litigants. But nevertheless they asked
him to come that they might but see him. When therefore he avoided it
and refused to go to them, they remained firm, and sent to him all the
more the prisoners under charge of soldiers, that on account of these
he might come down. Being forced by necessity, and seeing them
lamenting, he came into the outer mountain, and again his labor was not
unprofitable. For his coming was advantageous and serviceable to many;
and he was of profit to the judges, counselling them to prefer justice
to all things; to fear God, and to know, “that with what judgment they
judged, they should be judged .” But he loved more than all things his
sojourn in the mountain.
85. At another time, suffering the same compulsion at the hands of them
who had need, and after many entreaties from the commander of the
soldiers, he came down, and when he was come he spoke to them shortly
of the things which make for salvation, and concerning those who wanted
him, and was hastening away. But when the duke, as he is called,
entreated him to stay, he replied that he could not linger among them,
and persuaded him by a pretty simile, saying, “Fishes, if they remain
long on dry land, die. And so monks lose their strength if they loiter
among you and spend their time with you. Wherefore as fish must hurry
to the sea, so must we hasten to the mountain. Lest haply if we delay
we forget the things within us.” And the general having heard this and
many other things from him, was amazed and said, “Of a truth this man
is the servant of God. For, unless he were beloved of God, whence could
an ignorant man have such great understanding?”
86. And a certain general, Balacius by name, persecuted us Christians
bitterly on account of his regard for the Arians – that name of
ill-omen. And as his ruthlessness was so great that he beat virgins,
and stripped and scourged monks, Antony at this time wrote a letter as
follows, and sent it to him. “I see wrath coming upon thee, wherefore
cease to persecute the Christians, lest haply wrath catch hold of thee,
for even now it is on the point of coming upon thee.” But Balacius
laughed and threw the letter on the ground, and spit on it, and
insulted the bearers, bidding them tell this to Antony: “Since thou
takest thought for the monks, soon I will come after thee also.” And
five days had not passed before wrath came upon him. For Balacius and
Nestorius, the Prefect of Egypt, went forth to the first halting-place
from Alexandria, which is called Chaereu, and both were on horseback,
and the horses belonged to Balacius, and were the quietest of all his
stable. But they had not gone far towards the place when the horses
began to frisk with one another as they are wont to do; and suddenly
the quieter, on which Nestorius sat, with a bite dismounted Balacius,
and attacked him, and tore his thigh so badly with its teeth that he
was borne straight back to the city, and in three days died. And all
wondered because what Antony had foretold had been so speedily
fulfilled.
87. Thus, therefore, he warned the cruel. But the rest who came to him
he so instructed that they straightway forgot their lawsuits, and
felicitated those who were in retirement from the world. And he
championed those who were wronged in such a way that you would imagine
that he, and not the others, was the sufferer. Further, he was able to
be of such use to all, that many soldiers and men who had great
possessions laid aside the burdens of life, and became monks for the
rest of their days. And it was as if a physician had been given by God
to Egypt. For who in grief met Antony and did not return rejoicing? Who
came mourning for his dead and did not forthwith put off his sorrow?
Who came in anger and was not converted to friendship? What poor and
low-spirited man met him who, hearing him and looking upon him, did not
despise wealth and console himself in his poverty? What monk, having
being neglectful, came to him and became not all the stronger? What
young man having come to the mountain and seen Antony, did not
forthwith deny himself pleasure and love temperance? Who when tempted
by a demon, came to him and did not find rest? And who came troubled
with doubts and did not get quietness of mind?
88. For this was the wonderful thing in Antony's discipline, that, as I
said before, having the gift of discerning spirits, he recognised their
movements, and was not ignorant whither any one of them turned his
energy and made his attack. And not only was he not deceived by them
himself, but cheering those who were troubled with doubts, he taught
them how to defeat their plans, telling them of the weakness and craft
of those who possessed them. Thus each one, as though prepared by him
for battle, came down from the mountain, braving the designs of the
devil and his demons. How many maidens who had suitors, having but seen
Antony from afar, remained maidens for Christ's sake. And people came
also from foreign parts to him, and like all others, having got some
benefit, returned, as though set forward by a father. And certainly
when he died, all as having been bereft of a father, consoled
themselves solely by their remembrances of him, preserving at the same
time his counsel and advice.
Preface
Part I: Antony's Youth
and First Struggles with Demons
Part II: He Dwells
Among the Tombs
Part III: He Goes to
the Desert
Part IV: His Sermon to
the Young Men
Part V: His Life in
the Desert
Part VI: He Goes to
the Inner Desert
Part VII: Advice and
Assistance for Visitors
Part VIII: His
Discourses Against Schismatics, Arians, and Pagans
Part IX: His Growing Fame
Part X: His Death
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