Saint Anthony (c. 251-356) was an Egyptian Christian during the Roman Empire. He is a pioneer of Christian monastic life and a famous leader of the Desert Fathers.
Saint Anthony's life was filled with many miraculous things. How he suffered from the devil's multiple attacks with illusions, but was blessed with wisdom to discern and expose the devil's tricks. He even mentioned that the devil had tempted him in the form of a woman, so he focused on fasting and praying to overcome his desires. Whenever he thinks about the flames of the end judgment and the undead insects, he can resist the temptation of the devil. The devil saw that he was strong and launched multiple attacks, including physical punishment and the persecution of wild beasts and reptiles, all of which he defeated one by one.
Saint Anthony lived a simple life, sometimes taking several days to eat bread, salt, and water. It is wonderful that he did not appear haggard due to this kind of asceticism, but rather appeared healthy due to inner peace and joy. Although he often resides in seclusion in the wilderness, he is willing to show up and help those in need. God not only gave him the authority to heal and drive away demons, but also gave him wisdom to encourage and cultivate other cultivators and those with weak hearts through words. Among the people who came to see Antony were many philosophers, officers, and kings. He always treated him with honesty and never showed favoritism. For the Greek philosophers who were skilled in sophistry, Antony raised Christ and the cross with lively faith; He vigorously rebuked the heretics of the Asian school without compromise. It is admirable that Anthony glorifies God in all these things, and he often says, "Why are you surprised by these things? It was not I who did them, but Christ who did them

Early life
Saint Anthony grew up in a wealthy Christian family. Since childhood, he has had a quiet and peaceful personality, and often goes to church with his family, which is different from young people who despised faith at that time. When Saint Anthony was around eighteen to twenty years old, his parents passed away one after another, and he entrusted him with a large fortune and his sister. Once, while walking on the road, Saint Anthony pondered repeatedly how the apostles had abandoned everything and followed the Lord. Saint Anthony walked into the church while pondering these things. At that time, someone was reading the Gospel, and it was Jesus who said to the wealthy young man, "If you are willing to be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; come and follow me." This sentence deeply inspired Saint Anthony to reserve some of his wealth for his sister and sell the rest to help the poor. Not long after, he heard another sentence: "So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow has its own worries; one day's difficulties are enough." Saint Anthony then gave up all his property and entrusted his sister to respected and reliable virgins before entering into a life of seclusion. In order to be better alone and undergo asceticism, he wandered to an abandoned castle in the desert, hence also known as the "Godfather of the Desert".

The period of seclusion
At that time, the trend of seclusion had not yet flourished, so everyone who expected to pay attention to spiritual life often practiced alone near their hometown. Saint Anthony first retired near his home for fifteen years and learned from the hermits living nearby how to live a good life of seclusion. When Saint Anthony was in his thirties, he crossed the Nile River and lived on a mountain called Mt. Pispir in the desert, in a military castle that had been abandoned for many years, pursuing a life of prayer and solitary practice. When Saint Anthony first moved in, there were many snakes in the castle, so he drove them out first. This is true in terms of living environment, and it should also be practiced in the same way in terms of spirituality. Saint Anthony locked himself in the castle for twenty-five years. One of his friends gives him the bread he needs for half a year twice a year because the local weather is dry and the bread is not easily spoiled; In addition, there is a spring water source inside the castle to supply drinking water. For Saint Anthony, as long as there is God present, water and bread are enough.
According to Athanasius' biography of Saint Anthony, during this period, Saint Anthony only did two things besides contemplating God: first, to fight against his inner desires; 2、 Fight against the power of the devil. It can be seen that during these twenty-five years, he spent two-thirds of his time fighting against sin. Nevertheless, Saint Anthony did not wither from solitary practice and warfare. Due to Saint Anthony's 25 year residence in the fortress, his friends were always concerned about his health, so they broke in and entered the castle 25 years later. They thought they would see a frail old man, but they saw Saint Anthony's appearance more calm and healthy than twenty-five years ago. This matter has also attracted the attention and appreciation of people at that time.

Therefore, the character and wisdom of Saint Anthony attracted many people to seek his advice, which influenced his solitary life. At that time, the crowd following Saint Anthony followed his example and also practiced alone in caves or small houses near Mount Pisbury, while Saint Anthony regularly met and guided them, which lasted for five to six years.
Subsequently, Saint Anthony retired to the wilderness of Mount Colzim between the Nile River and the Red Sea, where he spent his last 45 and a half years of solitary life. Although Saint Anthony valued solitude, he also cared about the lives of other Christians, so he often traveled between his own chamber and Mount Pisibis. During the persecution of Roman Emperor Maximinus in 311 AD, Saint Anthony went to Alexandria twice, willing to die alongside the persecuted Christians at that time. He visited and comforted the imprisoned Christians. When the governor saw Saint Anthony proclaiming his faith regardless of life and death, he ordered Saint Anthony to leave Alexandria and even imposed punishment. However, Saint Anthony remained steadfast in his argument with the governor, and ultimately the matter was resolved. Saint Anthony also returned safely to the fortress he had been hiding in. Later, Saint Anthony no longer needed a completely solitary life, so he organized his followers into a monastic group. He became the abbot of this early monastery and connected similar groups into a network.

Memorial of passing away
Around 355 AD, Saint Anthony and Athanasius devoted themselves to fighting against the prevalent heretical Arianism at that time. The following year, Saint Anthony passed away. At that time, the funeral custom in Egypt was to use spices to embalm the body, so that it could be preserved for a long time without decay. Saint Anthony was strongly opposed to this, so he ordered before his death that his body be buried in the soil by the disciples of Mecca, Livus, and Ama; The burial site should be kept strictly confidential and not disclosed to outsiders. Saint Anthony's last wish was to present Athanasius with a sheepskin garment and a coat that he usually wears, as a token of his eternal unity with Athanasius in faith. Another sheepskin coat was gifted to Bishop Shanraben. The bitter clothes he wore were preserved by the monks as a commemoration.
The monastic style of Saint Anthony influenced future generations of Christians, particularly represented by Saint Augustine. In his Confessions, Saint Augustine described the impact he had on Saint Anthony after witnessing his life (at that time Saint Anthony had been dead for thirty years). Saint Augustine said, "We are amazed to hear that in such a recent era, right in our own time, your supernatural signs have shown unwavering evidence in pure faith within the Catholic Church." Although Saint Anthony was not the first hermit, his example led to the flourishing of monastic life and earned him the title of "Father of the monastic movement" by later generations.

Saint Anthony's spiritual thoughts focus on dealing with the body and sin, as well as addressing the issue of loneliness. Saint Anthony believed that one should underestimate the physical body in order to preserve the soul. Therefore, all time should be devoted to the soul, reducing the care for the body and restraining oneself from suffering. However, simply dealing with the physical body cannot make spiritual life complete, and further efforts are needed to deal with sin. Saint Anthony believed that the way to deal with sin is to meditate more on one's own sin and God's judgment.
While dealing with the body and sin, the loneliness of the soul is also an aspect that cannot be ignored. Saint Anthony advocates solitary practice, through long periods of quiet solitude, in order to see more deeply the darkness in the soul. Nevertheless, Saint Anthony also urged the brothers to confess their sins to each other. Therefore, Saint Anthony's spiritual thoughts on dealing with sin not only emphasize personal reflection, but also emphasize the need to face each other with brothers in order to have a sound monastic life.
For believers who pursue spiritual growth, Anthony said, 'Compared to heaven, what we give up is extremely insignificant.'. Christians should also be constantly vigilant, not thinking that their spiritual life is safe after a certain stage, but constantly pursuing holiness and avoiding temptation with the same enthusiasm. If there is any virtue that can help us establish spiritual life and overcome the devil, it is: "Fasting and staying up at night, constantly praying, being gentle and kind, not easily angered, being calm and composed, not valuing money, not being complacent and arrogant, being humble and patient, donating to charity, etc., but most importantly, committing to Christ

The famous Bishop Athanasius once wrote the book "The Life of Saint Anthony". Athanasius was the main figure who laid the foundation for the theology of the Trinity in Christianity. He also personally lived with Antony and became his disciple. This book has high reliability and great reading value. The reason why the biography of Saint Anthony became a classic is that it became an important document and reference for later monasticism. Perhaps many Christians believe that monasticism is just a tradition of Catholicism and does not provide much benefit to "Orthodox" believers. However, Athanasius himself, as well as Augustine and Martin Luther, were greatly influenced by this book. Therefore, we have reason to believe that from this book, we will receive valuable teachings created by spiritual destiny. Anthony once emphasized, "The guidance given to us by the Bible is sufficient, but it is better for us to encourage each other in faith." Therefore, Athanasius wrote this book under the many demands of the people.