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having disposed of the rest of his property, he distributed the proceeds to the poor. For he saw that it was the part of a zealous philosopher not only 1.13.3 to strip himself of wealth, but also to spend it on what was needful. And associating with the zealous men of his time, he emulated the virtues of all of them; and having proved that the good life, though difficult at first, would become pleasant by habit, he devised methods of more intense discipline, and daily he increased in self-control, and as if always beginning, he renewed his zeal, chastising the pleasures of the body with its hardships, and with a God-inspired purpose setting himself against the 1.13.4 passions of the soul. His food was only bread and salt, and his drink water, and the time for his meal was sunset. Often he remained without food for two or more days. He was always vigilant, so to speak, for whole nights, and would reach the daytime praying; and if indeed he tasted sleep, he would sleep for a moment on a mat. For the most part, lying on the ground, he made the bare earth itself his bed. 1.13.5 He renounced the use of anointing with oil and of baths and similar things, as they change the tension of the body to laxity through moisture. And they say that he was never seen naked. He did not know letters, nor did he admire them, but he praised a good mind as being older 1.13.6 than letters and their very inventor. He became most gentle and most humane and prudent and courageous, and was gracious to those who met him and inoffensive to those with whom he conversed, even if they conducted their discussions contentiously. For somehow with his own character and a certain knowledge he wisely quelled a growing rivalry and brought it to measure and tempered the tone of those conversing with him 1.13.7 and regulated their manners. But having through so many virtues become full of divine foreknowledge, he did not consider foreknowing the future a virtue, and on this account he advised not to labor in vain about this, declaring that neither would the one who is ignorant of the future be held accountable, nor would the one who knows it be enviable on that account; for that which is truly blessed consists in revering God and keeping His laws. But if, he says, this is a concern to anyone, let him purify his soul; for this can make it clairvoyant and knowledgeable of future events when God reveals the future beforehand. 1.13.8 He himself did not tolerate being idle, and he exhorted the one who intended to live well to work and to examine himself and to take account of what he had done night and day. And if he had done anything improper, this was to be written down, so that for the future he might refrain from his sins, feeling shame for himself if he found many things written down, and at the same time fearing, lest his writing be discovered and he become 1.13. manifest to others as being wicked. But moreover, concerning the protection of the wronged, he became, if anyone ever was, exceedingly zealous; and for these reasons he often visited the cities. For many, lamenting to him, constrained him to act as an envoy on their behalf to the rulers and those in authority; for each one would have prized it highly to see him and to hear him speak and to obey his command, since even being so great he was eager to be unknown 1.13.10 and to remain hidden in the deserts. But if ever, being constrained, he came into a city to help those in need, having arranged that for which he came, he immediately returned to the desert. For he said that the watery element nourishes fish, but the desert brings adornment to monks, and likewise that the former, on touching dry land, abandon life, while the latter, by approaching the cities, destroy their monastic solemnity. And making himself obedient and pleasing to those who saw him, he took care neither to have a haughty nature nor to seem to be so. 1.13.11 But I have been led to say these few things about Antony's manner of life, so that by using what has been said as examples, we may consider the philosophy of the man. He had very many and most renowned disciples, of whom some were distinguished in Egypt and Libya, and others in Palestine and Syria and Arabia. And

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ἄλλην οὐσίαν διαθεὶς τὸ τίμημα τοῖς πενομένοις διένειμε. σπουδαίου γὰρ εἶναι φιλοσόφου κατεῖδεν μὴ μόνον 1.13.3 ἑαυτὸν γυμνῶσαι χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς δέον ταῦτα ἀναλῶσαι. συγγενόμενος δὲ τοῖς κατ' αὐτὸν σπουδαίοις τὰς πάντων ἐζήλωσεν ἀρετάς· δοκιμάσας δὲ τὸν ἀγαθὸν βίον ἡδὺν ἔσεσθαι τῇ συνηθείᾳ καὶ χαλεπὸν ὄντα τὰ πρῶτα, τρόπους περινοῶν συντονωτέρας ἀσκήσεως, καθ' ἡμέραν ἐπεδίδου τῇ ἐγκρατείᾳ, καὶ ὡς ἀεὶ ἀρχόμενος ἀνενέου τὴν προθυμίαν, ταῖς μὲν ταλαιπωρίαις τοῦ σώματος τὰς ἡδονὰς κολάζων, θεοσόφῳ δὲ προαιρέσει τοῖς 1.13.4 πάθεσι τῆς ψυχῆς ἀντιταττόμενος. ἦν δὲ αὐτῷ τροφὴ μόνος ἄρτος καὶ ἅλας, ὕδωρ δὲ ποτόν, καὶ ἀρίστου καιρὸς δυόμενος ἥλιος. πολλάκις δὲ δύο καὶ πλείους ἡμέρας διέμενεν ἄσιτος. ἠγρύπνει δὲ ἀεὶ μέν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ὁλοκλήρους νύκτας, καὶ εὐχόμενος τῆς ἡμέρας ἐφήπτετο· εἰ δ' ἄρα καὶ ὕπνου ἐγεύσατο, ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς ἀκαριαῖον ἐκάθευδε. τὰ πολλὰ δὲ καὶ χαμαὶ κείμενος αὐτὴν μόνην 1.13.5 τὴν γῆν στρωμνὴν ἐποιεῖτο. ἐλαίου τε τὴν ἀλοιφὴν καὶ λουτρῶν καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων τὴν χρῆσιν παρῃτεῖτο, ὡς ὑγρότητι τὸ σύντονον τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὸ χαῦνον μεταβάλλουσαν. φασὶ δὲ μηδὲ γυμνὸν αὐτὸν θεαθῆναί ποτε. γράμματα δὲ οὐδὲ ἠπίστατο οὐδὲ ἐθαύμαζεν, ἀλλὰ νοῦν ἀγαθὸν ὡς πρεσ1.13.6 βύτερον τῶν γραμμάτων καὶ αὐτὸν τούτων εὑρετὴν ἐπῄνει. ἐγένετο δὲ πρᾶος τὰ μάλιστα καὶ φιλανθρωπότατος καὶ ἐχέφρων καὶ ἀνδρεῖος, χαρίεις τε τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι καὶ ἄλυπος οἷς διελέγετο, εἰ καὶ ἐριστικῶς τὰς διαλέξεις ἐποιοῦντο. σοφῶς γάρ πως τῷ οἰκείῳ ἤθει καὶ ἐπιστήμῃ τινὶ φιλονικίαν αὐξομένην κατέπαυε καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέτρον μετετίθει καὶ τῶν ὁμιλούντων 1.13.7 αὐτῷ τὸν τόνον ἐκίρνα καὶ τοὺς τρόπους ἐρρύθμιζε. διὰ τοσούτων δὲ ἀρετῶν ἔμπλεως θείας προγνώσεως γεγονὼς οὐχ ἡγεῖτο ἀρετὴν προειδέναι τὸ μέλλον, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο μὴ πονεῖν εἰκῇ περὶ τοῦτο συνεβούλευεν, οὔτε τὸν ἀγνοοῦντα τὰ ἐσόμενα εὐθύνας ὑφέξειν οὔτε τὸν εἰδότα παρὰ τοῦτο ζηλωτὸν ἔσεσθαι ἀποφαινόμενος· τὸ γὰρ ἀληθῶς μακάριον ὑπάρχειν ἐν τῷ σέβειν τὸν θεὸν εἶναι καὶ τοὺς νόμους αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτου, φησί, μέλει τῳ, καθαρευέτω τὴν ψυχήν· τουτὶ γὰρ δύνασθαι διορατικὴν αὐτὴν ποιεῖν καὶ τῶν ἐσομένων ἐπιστήμονα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ μέλλον προαναφαίνοντος. 1.13.8 ἀργεῖν δὲ οὔτε αὐτὸς ἠνείχετο καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα καλῶς βιοῦν ἐργάζεσθαι παρεκελεύετο καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀνακρίνειν καὶ λόγον τιθέναι ὧν ἐποίησε νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν. εἰ δέ τι μὴ δέον πέπραχεν, ἀναγράφεσθαι τοῦτο, ἵνα τοῦ λοιποῦ φείδοιτο τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἑαυτὸν αἰδούμενος εἰ πολλὰ εὕροι ἐγγεγραμμένα, ἅμα τε δεδιώς, μὴ φωραθείσης αὐτῷ τῆς γραφῆς κατά1.13. δηλος ἄλλοις γένηται μοχθηρὸς ὤν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὰς προστασίας τῶν ἀδικουμένων, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, ὑπερφυῶς σπουδαιότατος ἐγένετο· καὶ τούτων ἕνεκα πολλάκις εἰς τὰς πόλεις ἐφοίτα. παροδυρόμενοι γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλοὶ ἐβιάζοντο πρεσβεύειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐν τέλει· πολλοῦ γὰρ ἂν ἕκαστος ἐτιμήσατο ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ λαλοῦντος ἀκοῦσαι καὶ κελεύοντι πειθαρχῆσαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ τηλικοῦτος ὢν ἐσπούδαζεν ἀγνοεῖσθαι 1.13.10 καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐρημίαις λανθάνειν. εἰ δὲ καὶ βιασθείς ποτε εἰς πόλιν ἦλθεν ἐπικουρῆσαι δεομένοις, διαθεὶς ὅτου χάριν παρεγένετο αὐτίκα ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρημον ἐπανῄει. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἰχθύας ἔλεγε τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν τρέφειν, μοναχοῖς δὲ κόσμον φέρειν τὴν ἔρημον, ἐπίσης τε τοὺς μὲν ξηρᾶς ἁπτομένους τὸ ζῆν ἀπολιμπάνειν, τοὺς δὲ τὴν μοναστικὴν σεμνότητα ἀπολλύειν τοῖς ἄστεσι προσιόντας. πειθήνιον δὲ καὶ κεχαρισμένον τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἑαυτὸν παρέχων ἐπεμελεῖτο μήτε φύσιν ὑπερορῶσαν ἔχειν μήτε δοκεῖν εἶναι τοῦτο. 1.13.11 ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν μικρὰ ἄττα τῶν ᾿Αντωνίου πολιτευμάτων εἰπεῖν προήχθην, ἵν' ὑποδείγμασι χρώμενοι τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀναλογισώμεθα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν φιλοσοφίαν. πλείστους δὲ καὶ εὐδοκιμωτάτους μαθητὰς ἔσχεν, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Λιβύῃ, οἱ δὲ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ καὶ Συρίᾳ καὶ ᾿Αραβίᾳ διέπρεψαν. καὶ