Life of Antony

 He was content with what he found, and sought nothing more. After the death of his parents, he was left alone with one very young sister and he was a

 he signified love for one another and thus filled, he would return to his own place of the hermitage then he himself, gathering to himself the thing

 I undertook to tickle the young, and I have been called the spirit of fornication. How many who wished to be chaste have I deceived! How many who were

 to learn of the ascetic from the life of the great Elijah, as in a mirror his own life always. Thus, then, having strengthened himself, Antony departe

 he forgot the contest of Antony, but came to his aid. So, looking up, he saw the roof as if opening, and a certain ray of light coming down to him. An

 that these were at work, and they themselves, being afraid, called for Antony. But he listened more to these than he cared for those. And coming near

 the Scriptures are sufficient for teaching but it is good for us to exhort one another in the faith, and to anoint one another with words. And you, t

 In this the Lord is also a helper, as it is written: To everyone who chooses the good, God works with him for the good. And so that we may not be negl

 in the air about us, and they are not far from us and there is a great difference among them. And concerning their nature and their difference would

 enemy: Having pursued I will overtake and again by another: I will take the whole world in my hand, as a nest, and I will take it up as abandoned egg

 God said to the sinner: Why do you declare my 26.884 statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth? For they do all things, and they speak, and make

 worlds from which they ought rather to be despised as weak. For the true angel, sent by the Lord against the Assyrians, had no need of crowds, nor of

 they themselves lied. So also concerning the river's water they sometimes babble for having seen many rains occurring in the parts of Ethiopia, and k

 God so granting. For the vision of the saints is not troubled. For he will not strive, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear their voice. But it hap

 is of our virtue and life but to cast out demons, this grace is of the Savior who gave it. Whence to those who boast not in virtue, but in signs, and

 long-nosed. Then as I was saying Why then are you here? he said Why do the monks, and all other Christians, blame me in vain? Why do they curse me e

 was cast out, and the conceit of others was stopped and all were persuaded to despise the demonic plotting, marveling at the grace given to Antony by

 zeal for he himself also prayed to be martyred, as I said before. He therefore seemed to be grieving, because he had not been martyred but the Lord

 and a few neglected palm trees. Antony, therefore, as if moved by God, loved the place for this was what he who had spoken to him by the banks of the

 you are hesitating, but depart 26.920 for I am a servant of Christ. As Antony said these things, they fled, as if pursued by the whip of his word. Th

 examine, and test yourselves. Therefore, let each one take account to himself day by day of his actions by day and by night and, if he has sinned, le

 and for them to enter, this indeed he did not permit, but said: Go, and you will find her, if she has not died, healed. For this is not my achievement

 Amoun had fallen asleep at the hour in which his old man saw his soul being carried up. And indeed both these and those marveled at the purity of Anto

 to hinder so that he might not pass through. But when his guides fought against them, they demanded an account, whether he was not subject to them. So

 he conversed for their benefit but he yielded to him in the matter of prayer, not being ashamed to learn himself. For he often inquired, and 26.940 a

 believing they were being helped. Indeed, so many became 26.944 Christians in those few days, as many as one might see become in a year. Then, when so

 that Christ was made manifest as a man whereas you, separating the soul from heaven, claim that it has wandered and fallen from the vault of the heav

 we understand by faith, this you attempt to construct through words and often you are not even able to express what we understand so that the operat

 but faith working through love for Christ which if you also should have, you will no longer seek proofs through words but you will consider faith in

 Arians act irrationally like beasts. And when he saw this vision, he exhorted those with him, saying: Do not be disheartened, children for just as th

 coming upon you Therefore cease persecuting Christians, lest at any time the wrath should seize you for it is already about to come upon you. But Ba

 we shall see one another again in this life. It is time for me at last to depart for I am nearly one hundred and five years old. So when they heard t

 Remember me as a father. Do not let anyone take my body to Egypt, lest they place it in their houses for it was for this reason that I went into the

 those who are hiding themselves, and are striving to withdraw, He makes manifest and renowned everywhere on account of both their own virtue and the b

God said to the sinner: Why do you declare my 26.884 statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth? For they do all things, and they speak, and make noises, and act hypocritically, and cause confusion for the deception of the innocent. Indeed, they even make loud noises, and laugh foolishly and hiss; and if no one pays attention to them, then they weep and wail as though defeated. The Lord, therefore, as God, muzzled the demons; but we, having learned from the saints, ought to act as they did, and imitate their courage. For they too, seeing these things, said: When the sinner rose up against me, I became deaf, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things; and again: But I was as a deaf man and did not hear, and as a mute who does not open his mouth. And I became as a man who does not hear. Therefore let us neither listen to them, as they are foreign to us, nor obey them, even if they rouse us to prayer, or speak about fasts; but let us rather attend to the purpose of our own ascetic practice, and not be deceived by them who do everything with guile. And we must not fear them, even if they seem to attack, or even if they threaten death; for they are weak, and can do nothing but only threaten. Now, I have already spoken of this in passing; and now I must not shrink from speaking about them more fully; for the reminder will be a safeguard for you. When the Lord came, the enemy fell, and his powers were weakened. For this reason, then, though he can do nothing, still like a tyrant, even in his fall he is not quiet, but threatens, if only with words; and let each 26.885 of you consider this, and he can despise the demons. For if they were bound in such bodies as we are, it would be possible for them to say, “We do not find men when they are hidden, but when we find them, we harm them.” And we, by hiding, could escape their notice, shutting doors against them. But if they are not so, but can enter though the doors are shut, and are in all the air, they and the devil who is their chief; and they are malevolent and ready to do harm, and, as the Savior said, the devil, the father of wickedness, is a murderer from the beginning; and we now live and conduct our lives especially against him: it is clear that they have no power. For neither does place hinder them from plotting, nor do they see us as their friends, that they should spare us, nor are they lovers of good, that they should reform; but rather they are evil; and nothing is more important to them than to harm those who love virtue and worship God. But because they can do nothing, for this reason they do nothing but only threaten; for if they were able, they would not delay, but would at once work evil, having a ready will for this, and especially against us. For behold, now we are gathered together and speak against them, and they know that as we advance, they grow weak. If, therefore, they had authority, they would not have left a single one of us Christians alive; for godliness is an abomination to a sinner. But since they can do nothing, for this reason they wound themselves all the more; because they can do none of the things they threaten. Then, this too must be considered, in order not to fear them: if the power were theirs, they would not come with a crowd, nor produce phantoms, nor would they use schemes by changing their forms; but it would be enough for just one to come, and to do that which he is able and wishes to do; and especially because everyone who has authority does not destroy with phantoms, nor does he frighten with crowds, but at once uses his authority as he wishes. But 26.888 the demons, being able to do nothing, play as if on a stage, changing their forms, and frightening children with the phantom of their crowds and their disguises

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ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ 26.884 δικαιώματά μου, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματός σου; Πάντα γὰρ ποιοῦσι, καὶ λαλοῦσι, καὶ θορυβοῦσι, καὶ ὑποκρίνονται, καὶ ταράττουσι πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀκεραίων. Καὶ κτύπους γοῦν ποιοῦσι, καὶ γελῶσιν ἀφρόνως καὶ συρίττουσιν· ἂν δὲ μή τις αὐτοῖς προσέχῃ, λοιπὸν κλαίουσι καὶ θρηνοῦσιν ὡς ἡττηθέντες. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Κύριος ὡς Θεὸς ἐφίμου τοὺς δαίμονας· ἡμᾶς δὲ, μαθόντας ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων, πρέπει κατ' ἐκείνους ποιεῖν, καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀνδρίαν αὐ τῶν. Καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι ταῦτα βλέποντες ἔλεγον· Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, ἐκωφώθην, καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγα θῶν· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς μήτε ἀκούωμεν αὐτῶν ὡς ἀλλο τρίων ὄντων ἡμῶν, μήτε ὑπακούωμεν αὐτῶν, κἂν εἰς εὐχὴν ἐγείρωσι, κἂν λαλῶσι περὶ νηστειῶν· τῇ δὲ προθέσει τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἑαυτῶν μᾶλλον προσέχωμεν, καὶ μὴ παρ' ἐκείνων ἀπατώμεθα πάντα πραττόντων μετὰ δόλου. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς, κἂν ἐπέρ χεσθαι δοκῶσι, κἂν θάνατον ἀπειλῶσιν· ἀσθενεῖς γάρ εἰσι, καὶ οὐδὲν δύνανται, ἢ μόνον ἀπειλεῖν. Ἤδη μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτου παρερχόμενος εἴρη κα· καὶ νῦν δὲ πλατύτερον εἰπεῖν τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν οὐκ ὀκνητέον· ἀσφαλὴς γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ ὑπόμνησις ἔσται, Ἐπιδημήσαντος τοῦ Κυρίου, πέπτωκεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ἠσθένησαν αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν μηδὲν δυνάμενος ὅμως ὡς τύραννος, καὶ πεσὼν οὐκ ἠρε μεῖ, ἀλλὰ κἂν λόγοις μόνον ἀπειλεῖ· καὶ τοῦτο ἕκα 26.885 στος ὑμῶν λογιζέσθω, καὶ δύναται καταφρονεῖν τῶν δαιμόνων. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τοιούτοις σώμασιν ἦσαν ἐνδε θέντες, ὥσπερ ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς, δυνατὸν ἦν αὐτοῖς λέγειν, ὅτι Κρυπτομένους μὲν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οὐχ εὑρίσκο μεν, εὑρόντες δὲ βλάπτομεν. Ἠδυνάμεθα δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς κρυπτόμενοι λανθάνειν αὐτοὺς, κλείοντες κατ' αὐτῶν θύρας. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ εἰσὶν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κεκλεισμένων τῶν θυρῶν εἰσελθεῖν δύνανται, καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ ἀέρι τυγ χάνουσιν αὐτοί τε καὶ ὁ τούτων πρῶτος διάβολος· εἰσὶ δὲ κακοθελεῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸ βλάπτειν ἕτοιμοι, καὶ, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστὶν ὁ τῆς κακίας πατὴρ διάβολος· ζῶμεν δὲ νῦν ἡμεῖς καὶ μᾶλ λον κατ' αὐτοῦ πολιτευόμεθα· δῆλοί εἰσι μηδὲν ἰσχύοντες. Οὔτε γὰρ τόπος αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ἐπιβουλεύειν κωλύει, οὔτε φίλους ἡμᾶς ὁρῶσιν ἑαυτῶν, ἵνα φεί σωνται, οὔτε φιλάγαθοί εἰσιν, ἵνα διορθώσωνται· ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλόν εἰσι πονηροί· καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐστι περι σπούδαστον ὡς τὸ βλάπτειν τοὺς φιλαρέτους καὶ θεο σεβοῦντας. ∆ιὰ δὲ τὸ μηδὲν δύνασθαι ποιεῖν, διὰ τοῦ το οὐδὲν ποιοῦσιν, ἢ μόνον ἀπειλοῦσιν· εἰ γὰρ ἠδύ ναντο, οὐκ ἂν ἔμελλον, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἐνήργουν τὸ κακὸν, ἑτοίμην ἔχοντες εἰς τοῦτο τὴν προαίρεσιν, καὶ μάλι στα καθ' ἡμῶν. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν νῦν συνελθόντες κατ' αὐ τῶν λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ἴσασιν, ὅτι, προκοπτόντων ἡμῶν, ἀσθενοῦσιν αὐτοί. Εἰ τοίνυν εἶχον ἐξουσίαν, οὐδένα ἂν ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀφῆκαν ζῇν· βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲν δύναν ται, διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς τιτρώσκουσιν· ὅτι μηδὲν δύνανται ποιεῖν ὧν ἀπειλοῦσιν. Ἔπειτα κἀκεῖνο λογίζεσθαι χρὴ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τού τους· εἰ τὸ δυνατὸν ὑπῆρχεν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἂν ἤρχοντο μετ' ὄχλου, οὐδὲ φαντασίας ἐποίουν, οὐδὲ μετασχη ματιζόμενοι ἐμεθόδευον· ἀλλ' ἤρκει καὶ μόνον ἐλθεῖν ἕνα, καὶ ποιῆσαι τοῦτο ὅπερ δύναται καὶ βούλεται· καὶ μάλιστα ὅτι πᾶς ὁ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων οὐ μετὰ φαντασίας ἀναιρεῖ, οὐδὲ τοῖς ὄχλοις ἐκφοβεῖ, ἀλλ' εὐ θὺς ὡς βούλεται τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ καταχρᾶται. Ἀλλ' 26.888 οἱ δαίμονες, μηδὲν δυνάμενοι, παίζουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ σκη νῆς, ἀλλάττοντες τὰς μορφὰς, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐκφο βοῦντες, τῇ τῶν ὄχλων φαντασίᾳ καὶ τοῖς σχηματι

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