to them a way of life such as never in youth. 22.5 And having moistened palm leaves he says to him: “Take these, weave a rope as I do.” The old man weaves until the ninth hour, having toiled to make fifteen fathoms. Therefore, having observed it, Antony was displeased and says to him: “You have woven poorly; unweave it and weave it again from the beginning”; having brought this vexation upon him while he was fasting and an old man, so that the old man, becoming discouraged, might flee from Antony. But he both unwove it and wove the same palm leaves again, although it was more difficult because they had become wrinkled. But Antony, seeing that he neither grumbled nor became fainthearted nor was vexed, was struck with compunction. 22.6 And at sunset he says to him: “Do you want us to eat a piece of bread?” Paul says to him: “As it seems good to you, Abba.” And this again moved Antony, the fact that he did not eagerly run to the news of food but cast the authority upon him. So, having set the table, he brings loaves. And Antony, having set out the hard-tack biscuits, which weighed six ounces each, soaked one for himself, for they were dry, and three for the other. And Antony began a psalm which he knew, and having chanted it twelve times he prayed twelve times, in order to test Paul. 22.7 And he again prayed with him eagerly; for he would have chosen, as I think, to shepherd scorpions than to live with an adulterous woman. And after the twelve prayers they sat down to eat late in the evening. Antony, therefore, having eaten the one biscuit, did not touch another. But the old man, eating more slowly, still had some of his little biscuit; Antony waited until he should finish and says to him: “Eat another biscuit, daddy.” Paul says to him: “If you eat, I will too; but if you do not eat, I will not eat.” Antony says to him: “It is enough for me; for I am a monk.” 22.8 Paul says to him: “It is enough for me too; for I too wish to become a monk.” He gets up again and makes twelve prayers and chants twelve psalms. He sleeps for a little while in the first part of the night, and gets up again to chant at midnight until daybreak. Therefore, when he saw the old man eagerly following his way of life he says to him: “If you are able to do so every day, stay with me.” Paul says to him: “If there is anything more, I do not know; but as for these things which I have seen, I do them easily.” Antony says to him on the following day: “Behold, you have become a monk.”22.9 Antony, therefore, being convinced after some months that he was of a perfect soul, being very simple, with grace working with him, builds a cell for him about three or four miles away, and says to him: “Behold, you have become a monk; stay by yourself so that you may also have experience of demons.” Paul, therefore, having lived there for one year, was deemed worthy of the grace against demons and sicknesses. Among these, one time an exceedingly terrible demoniac was brought to Antony, having a ruling spirit, which even blasphemed heaven itself. 22.10 So Antony, having attended to him, says to those who had brought him: “This work is not for me; for against this order of the ruling spirits I have not yet been deemed worthy of the gift, but this is for Paul.” So Antony, going to Paul, brings them and says to him: “Abba Paul, cast this demon out of the man so that he may depart to his own home in good health.” Paul says to him: “And why not you?” Antony says to him: “I have no time, I have other work.” And Antony, having left him, went back to his own cell. 22.11 So the old man, having stood up and having prayed an effectual prayer, speaks to the demoniac: “Abba Antony has said, ‘Come out of the man.’” But the demon, with blasphemy, cried out, saying: “I am not coming out, you wretched old man.” So, taking his sheepskin, he struck him on the back, saying: “‘Come out,’ Abba Antony has said.” The demon again reviled both Antony and him more violently. Finally he says to him: “Are you coming out, or shall I go and tell Christ? By Jesus, if you do not come out right now, I will go and tell Christ, and he will bring woe upon you.” 22.12 The demon again blasphemed further, crying: “I am not coming out.” Paul, therefore, being enraged at the demon, went outside the guest-quarters at the very height of noon; and the Egyptian heat is akin to the furnace of Babylon.
ἐκείναις πολιτείαν οἵαν οὐδέποτε ἐν νεότητι. 22.5 Καὶ βρέξας θαλλοὺς λέγει αὐτῷ· "∆έξαι, πλέξον σειρὰν ὡς κἀγώ". Πλέκει ὁ γέρων ἕως ἐννάτης ὀργυίας δεκαπέντε μοχθήσας. Θεασάμενος οὖν ὁ Ἀντώνιος δυσηρεστήθη καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· "Κακῶς ἔπλεξας· ἀπόπλεξον καὶ ἄνωθεν πλέξον"· νήστει αὐτῷ ὄντι καὶ ἡλικιώτῃ ταύτην ἐπαγαγὼν τὴν σῆψιν, ἵνα δυσφορήσας ὁ γέρων φύγῃ τὸν Ἀντώνιον. Ὁ δὲ καὶ ἀπέπλεξε καὶ πάλιν ἔπλεξε τοὺς αὐτοὺς θαλλούς, εἰ καὶ δυσχερέστερον διὰ τὸ ἐρρυτιδῶσθαι. Θεασάμενος δὲ ὁ Ἀντώνιος ὅτι οὔτε ἐγόγγυσεν οὔτε ἐμικροψύχησεν οὔτε ἠγανάκτησε, κατενύγη. 22.6 Καὶ δύναντος τοῦ ἡλίου λέγει αὐτῷ· "Θέλεις φάγωμεν ἄρτου κλάσμα;" Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Παῦλος· "Ὡς δοκεῖ σοι, ἀββᾶ". Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἔκαμψε τὸν Ἀντώνιον, τὸ μὴ προσδραμεῖν προθύμως τῇ τῆς τροφῆς ἀγγελίᾳ ἀλλ' αὐτῷ ἐπιρρῖψαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Θεὶς οὖν τὴν τράπεζαν φέρει ἄρτους. Καὶ θεὶς ὁ Ἀντώνιος τοὺς παξαμάδας ἔχοντας ἀνὰ ἓξ οὐγκιῶν, ἑαυτῷ μὲν ἔβρεξεν ἕνα, ξηροὶ γὰρ ἦσαν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ τρεῖς. Καὶ βάλλει ψαλμὸν ὁ Ἀντώνιος ὃν ᾔδει, καὶ δωδέ κατον αὐτὸν ψάλας δωδέκατον ηὔξατο, ἵνα δοκιμάσῃ τὸν Παῦλον. 22.7 Ὁ δὲ πάλιν προθύμως συνηύχετο· ᾑρεῖτο γὰρ ὡς οἶμαι σκορπίους ποιμᾶναι ἢ μοιχαλίδι γυναικὶ συζῆσαι. Μετὰ δὲ τὰς δώδεκα προσευχὰς ἐκαθέσθησαν φαγεῖν ἑσπέρας βαθείας. Φαγὼν οὖν ὁ Ἀντώνιος τὸν ἕνα παξαμᾶν ἄλλου οὐχ ἥψατο. Ὁ δὲ γέρων σχολαιότερον ἐσθίων ἔτι εἶχε τοῦ παξαμαδίου· ἐξεδέχετο ὁ Ἀντώνιος ἕως οὗ τελέσῃ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· "Φάγε, παπία, καὶ ἄλλον παξαμᾶν". Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Παῦλος· "Ἐὰν σὺ ἐσθίῃς, κἀγώ· σοῦ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίοντος οὐκ ἐσθίω". Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἀντώνιος· "Ἐμοὶ ἐπαρκεῖ· μοναχὸς γάρ εἰμι". 22.8 Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Παῦλος· "Ἀρκεῖ κἀμοί· κἀγὼ γὰρ θέλω μοναχὸς γενέσθαι". Ἐγείρεται πάλιν καὶ ποιεῖ δεκαδύο εὐχὰς καὶ δεκαδύο ψαλμοὺς ψάλλει. Καθεύδει μικρὸν τοῦ πρωτουπνίου, καὶ πάλιν ἐγείρεται ψάλλειν μεσονυκτίῳ ἕως ἡμέρας. Ὡς οὖν εἶδε τὸν γέροντα προθύμως ἐπακολουθήσαντα αὐτοῦ τῇ πολιτείᾳ λέγει αὐτῷ· "Ἐὰν δύνασαι καθ' ἡμέραν οὕτως, μένε μετ' ἐμοῦ". Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Παῦλος· "Ἐὰν μέν τί ποτε πλέον, οὐκ οἶδα· ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἃ εἶδον ποιῶ εὐχερῶς". Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἀντώνιος τῇ ἑξῆς· "Ἰδοὺ γέγονας μοναχός".22.9 Πληροφορηθεὶς οὖν ὁ Ἀντώνιος μετὰ μῆνας ῥητοὺς ὅτι τελείας ἐστὶ ψυχῆς, λίαν ὢν ἁπλοῦς, τῆς χάριτος αὐτῷ συνεργούσης, ποιεῖ αὐτῷ κέλλαν ὡς ἀπὸ σημείων τριῶν ἢ τεσσάρων, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· "Ἰδοὺ γέγονας μοναχός· μένε κατ' ἰδίαν ἵνα καὶ πεῖραν δαιμόνων λάβῃς". Οἰκήσας οὖν ἔτος ἓν ὁ Παῦλος χάριτος ἠξιώθη κατὰ δαιμόνων καὶ νοσημάτων. Ἐν οἷς ποτὲ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν δεινότατος ἤχθη τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ δαιμονιῶν ἀρχοντικὸν ἔχων πνεῦμα, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐδυσφήμει. 22.10 Προσσχὼν οὖν ὁ Ἀντώ νιος λέγει τοῖς ἀγαγοῦσιν· "Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον· κατὰ γὰρ τούτου τοῦ τάγματος τοῦ ἀρχοντικοῦ οὔπω ἠξιώθην χαρίσματος, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο Παύλου ἐστίν". Ἀπελθὼν οὖν Ἀντώνιος πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἀπάγει αὐτοὺς καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· "Ἀββᾶ Παῦλε, ἔκβαλε τὸ δαιμόνιον τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἵνα ὑγιαίνων ἀπέλθῃ εἰς τὰ ἴδια". Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Παῦλος· "Σὺ γὰρ τί;" Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἀντώνιος· "Οὐ σχολάζω ἐγώ, ἄλλο ἔχω ἔργον". Καὶ καταλείψας αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀντώνιος πάλιν ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν κέλλαν. 22.11 Ἀνα στὰς οὖν ὁ γέρων καὶ προσευξάμενος ἐνεργῆ προσευχὴν προσλαλεῖ τῷ δαιμονιῶντι· "Εἴρηκεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀντώνιος ὅτι "Ἔξελθε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου"". Ὁ δὲ δαίμων μετὰ δυσφημίας ἔκραξε λέγων· "Οὐκ ἐξέρχομαι, κακόγηρε". Λαβὼν οὖν τὴν μηλωτὴν αὐτοῦ κατὰ νώτου ἔτυπτεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ""Ἔξελθε" εἴρηκεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀντώνιος". Λοιδορεῖ καὶ τὸν Ἀντώνιον καὶ αὐτὸν πάλιν ὁ δαίμων σφοδρότερον. Τέλος λέγει αὐτῷ· "Ἐκβαίνεις, ἢ ὑπάγω λέγω τῷ Χριστῷ. Μὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐὰν οὐκ ἐκβαίνῃς ἤδη ἄρτι ὑπάγω λέγω τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ οὐαί σοι ἔχει ποιῆσαι". 22.12 Προσεδυσφήμει πάλιν ὁ δαίμων κράζων· "Οὐκ ἐξέρχομαι". Χολέσας οὖν ὁ Παῦλος κατὰ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω τῆς ξενίας κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν σταθερὰν μεσημβρίαν· τῶν δὲ Αἰγυπτίων τὸ καῦμα συγγενές ἐστι τῆς καμίνου τῆς Βαβυλωνίας.