Anthony of Thebes, Saint (250?-356), was the founder of Christian monasticism. Anthony spent much of his life as a hermit in the Egyptian desert. He established religious communities of hermits that became models for monastic life.
Anthony was born in a village in Egypt. When he was about 20, Anthony gave away his possessions and began to live a hermit’s life of asceticism (self-denial). He studied with another hermit and later spent about 15 years living in empty tombs near his home. There he practiced spiritual discipline alone. He later lived in an abandoned desert fort for 20 years, where he fasted, prayed, and worked. During that time, his reputation as a holy man grew, and eventually he left his solitude to teach others the ascetic life. Anthony spent the last years of his life in solitude on a mountain.
Saint Athanasius wrote the influential Life of Anthony in 357. It described Anthony’s piety and his legendary battles against temptations sent by the Devil. Anthony’s feast day is January 17.
