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systems. They consider him a father and a farmer, they regulate their own lives by his models and they consider him, though absent, to be present through the observance of his laws. A single word preserved from those educated in succession is sufficient to establish a commonwealth out of philosophy. Let the prophet Isaiah also say of him: "Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and kinsmen in Jerusalem."

6 Let these words of the prophecy of Jeremiah also be said of Antony: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb, I consecrated you"; for he practiced holiness as if it were his foster-sister. He possessed holy humility as an inheritance from the womb and established self-control through Christ as the beginning of his philosophy. Come, let us also from the story of Job place this crown on the head of the righteous one: "For there was a man in the land" of Egypt, named Antony, "a man blameless, true, God-fearing, just, abstaining from every evil thing," and "that man was noble among those from the rising of the sun." Of what sun? - Of the sun of righteousness; for his risings were the apostles, whose kinship Antony had; let the mantle of nobility be called of the spirit.

7 And Solomon too can make a proverb about this righteous man: "A great man and a merciful man is a precious thing, but it is a task to find a faithful man." We have found, therefore, we have found the one sought by the wise man, but while he spoke of finding a faithful man, Paul did not speak thus. But what does he say? - "Who through faith conquered kingdoms," alluding to Antony and his followers; for he, disdaining the kingdoms of the world, glory, honor, and wealth, wrestled them down, "obtained promises" of the future, "stopped the mouths of lions," of pleasures, "escaped the edge of the sword," that is, worldly wisdom, "was made strong out of weakness," of incontinence, "became mighty in war" against the devil, "put to flight the armies of aliens," of the demons. "Women received their dead by resurrection," as many mothers as brought their sinful children to the righteous one.

8 But indeed he was also "tortured," "died by the slaughter of the sword," "experienced bonds and imprisonment" "and scourgings," "he was stoned, he was sawn in two"; for while many suffered these things for piety's sake, he himself, as the father of all, suffered with all; "he went about in sheepskins, in goatskins," emulating Elijah in meekness; "being destitute" in the flesh and "afflicted," for he knew that afflictions are the way to the kingdom of heaven; "mistreated," since Antony preferred "to be mistreated with the people of God" "rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin." "Of whom the world was not worthy"; therefore, while still alive, he transferred himself to heaven. Then let us go through the great body of the prophets. Let Christ the head seal the encomia at hand, saying even now: "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force"; for Antony wasted away his body, he bridled his soul, he punished his pleasures, he abstained from luxury, he was unsparing of satiety, he used sleep only so much as to benefit his nature, he considered even the name of fornication abominable, he enjoyed few of the things of the earth. He was entirely for heaven, entirely for the life above, considering the things here a loss. He lived by virtues alone, being dead to the passions.

9 He had the enemy as a plaything, the devil fell at his feet. Having confidence, "he trod upon the asp and the basilisk, he trampled" the spiritual "lion and the dragon." He considered temptations a gain, afflictions a commerce. He considered joy to be in mourning for sins, wealth in being poor. He had all things, because he had nothing. He was master of all things; for he was a slave to nothing. He despised all things; for he was in need of nothing. Let us also, as many as are at his festival, come to emulate him

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συστήματα. Ἐκεῖνον πατέρα καὶ γεωργὸν νομίζουσιν, ἐκείνου τοῖς τύποις τοὺς ἑαυτῶν βίους ῥυθμίζουσι καὶ τὸν ἀπόντα διὰ τῆς φυλακῆς τῶν νόμων παρεῖναι νομίζουσι. Λόγος εἷς τῶν ἐκ διαδοχῆς παιδευθέντων σῳζόμενος ἱκανὸς πολιτείαν τὴν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας συστήσασθαι. Λεγέτω περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης· «Μακάριος ὃς ἔχει σπέρμα ἐν Σιὼν καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ.»

6 Λεγέσθω περὶ Ἀντωνίου καὶ ταῦτα τῆς Ἰερεμίου προφητείας τὰ ῥήματα· «Πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ, ἐπίσταμαί σε καὶ πρὸ τοῦ <σε> ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίακά σε»· τὴν γὰρ ἁγιωσύνην ὡς σύντροφον ἐπετήδευε. Κλῆρον ἐκ μήτρας τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκέκτητο ταπείνωσιν καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀρχὴν τὴν σωφροσύνην τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ ἔθετο. ∆εῦρο καὶ τοῦτον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἱστορίας ἐνδύσωμεν τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ δικαίου τὸν στέφανον· «Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ» κατ' Αἴγυπτον, ὄνομα Ἀντώνιος, «ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, ἀληθινός, θεοσεβής, δίκαιος, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος» καὶ «ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος εὐγενὴς τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν.» Ἡλίου ποίου; -Τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης· ἐκείνου γὰρ ἀνατολαὶ ὑπῆρχον οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ὧν τὴν συγγένειαν Ἀντώνιος εἶχε· ἡ περιβολὴ τῆς εὐγενείας τοῦ πνεύματος καλείσθω.

7 Καὶ Σολομών τι περὶ τοῦ δικαίου τούτου καὶ αὐτὸς παροι-μιάσασθαι δύναται· «Μέγα ἄνθρωπος καὶ τίμιον ἀνὴρ ἐλεήμων, ἄνδρα δὲ πιστὸν ἔργον εὑρεῖν.» Εὕραμεν τοίνυν, εὕραμεν ἡμεῖς τὸν τῷ σοφῷ ζητούμενον, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἔλεγεν ἄνδρα πιστὸν εὑρεῖν, Παῦλος δὲ οὐχ οὕτως. Ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; - «Οἳ διὰ πίστεως κατηγωνίσαντο βασιλείας», Ἀντώνιον καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνου ζηλωτὰς αἰνιττόμενος· οὗτος γὰρ τὰς βασιλείας τοῦ κόσμου, δόξαν, τιμήν τε καὶ πλοῦτον ὑπερφρονῶν κατεπάλαισεν, «ἐπέτυχεν ἐπαγγελιῶν» τοῦ μέλλοντος, «ἔφραξε στόματα λεόντων» τῶν ἡδο νῶν, «ἔφυγε τὰ στόματα μαχαίρας» τὴν ἔξωθεν σοφίαν, «ἐνεδυναμώθη ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας» τῆς ἀκρατείας, «ἐγενήθη ἰσχυρὸς ἐν πολέμῳ» τῷ πρὸς τὸν διάβολον, «παρεμβολὰς ἔκλινεν ἀλλοτρίων» τῶν δαιμόνων. «Ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν» ὅσαι μητέρες ἁμαρτωλοὺς παῖδας τῷ δικαίῳ προσήνεγκαν.

8 Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ «ἐτυμπανίσθη», «ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανε», «δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς» «καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβεν», «ἐλιθάσθη, ἐπρίσθη»· πολλῶν γὰρ ταῦτα πασχόντων δι' εὐσέβειαν, αὐτὸς πᾶσιν ὡς πατὴρ πάντων συνέπασχε· «περιῆλθεν ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασι», ζηλῶν τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐν πραότητι· «ὑστερούμενος» τῇ σαρκὶ καὶ «θλιβόμενος», ὁδὸν γὰρ εἶναι τὰς θλίψεις τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας ἐγίνωσκε· «κακουχούμενος», ἐπειδὴ μᾶλλον ἐβούλετο «συγκακουχεῖσθαι τῷ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ» Ἀντώνιος «ἢ πρόσκαιρον ἔχειν ἁμαρτίας ἀπόλαυσιν.» «Οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῦ ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος»· τοιγαροῦν ἔτι ζῶν ἑαυτὸν εἰς οὐρανὸν μετέστησεν. Ἔπειτα δὲ τὸ πολὺ σῶμα τῶν προφητῶν διέλθωμεν. Χριστὸς ἡ κεφαλὴ σφραγιζέτω τὰ ἐν χερσὶν ἐγκώμια, ἔτι καὶ νῦν λέγων· «ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιαστή ἐστι καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν»· ἔτηκεν γὰρ Ἀντώνιος τὸ σῶμα, ἐχαλίνου τὴν ψυχήν, ἐκόλαζε τὰς ἡδονάς, ἀπείχετο τρυφῆς, ἀφείδετο κόρου, ὕπνῳ τοσοῦτον ὅσον ὠφελεῖν τὴν φύσιν ἐκέχρητο, βδελυκτὴν τῆς πορνείας καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐνόμιζεν, ὀλίγα τῆς γῆς ἀπήλαυσεν. Ὅλος δὲ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἦν, ὅλος τῆς ἄνω ζωῆς, ζημίαν τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἡγούμενος. Μόναις ἔζη ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, νεκρὸς ὑπάρχων τοῖς πάθεσι.

9 Παίγνιον εἶχε τὸν ἐχθρόν, ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὁ διάβολος ἔπιπτεν. «Ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον» τεθαρρηκὼς «ἀνέβαινεν, λέοντα» τὸν νοητὸν «κατεπάτει καὶ δράκοντα.» Κέρδος ἡγεῖτο τοὺς πειρασμούς, τὰς θλίψεις ἐμπορίας. Ἐνόμιζε τὴν χαρὰν ἐν τῷ πενθεῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, τὸν πλοῦτον ἐν τῷ πένεσθαι. Πάντα εἶχεν, ἐπειδὴ μηδὲν εἶχεν. Πάντων ἦν κύριος· οὐδενὶ γὰρ ἐδούλευε. Πάντων ὑπερεφρόνει· οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἐδέετο. Οὗ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ζῆλον αὐτοῦ ἔλθωμεν ὅσοι τε ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει αὐτοῦ