# Life of Antony - Author: [Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/athanasius/) - Latin title: *Vita Antonii* - Date: ca. 357–360 (probable) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 26 (Paris: Migne, 1857), cols. 835–976 (reprinting the Benedictine edition of B. de Montfaucon, Paris, 1698) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: G. J. M. Bartelink, ed., Athanase d'Alexandrie: Vie d'Antoine, SC 400 (Paris: Cerf, 1994) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/ - Passages: 95 ## Life of Antony 0 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-0 - Source: PG 26:837a–840c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Athanasius writes for monks abroad who asked about Antony’s life, telling what he himself saw and learned from Antony. ### Greek text Ἀγαθὴν ἅμιλλαν ἐνεστήσασθε πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μοναχοὺς, ἤτοι παρισωθῆναι, ἢ καὶ ὑπερβάλλεσθαι τούτους προελόμενοι τῇ κατʼ ἀρετὴν ὑμῶν ἀσκήσει. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν λοιπὸν μοναστήρια, καὶ τὸ τῶν μοναχῶν ὄνομα πολιτεύεται. Ταύτην μὲν οὑν τὴν πρόθεσιν δικαίως ἄν τις ἐπαινέσειε, καὶ εὐχομένων ὑμῶν, ὁ Θεὸς τελειώσειεν· ἐπειδὴ δὶ ἀπῃτησατε καὶ παρʼ ἐμοῦ περὶ τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀντωνίου, μαθεῖν θέλοντες ὅπως τε ἤρξατο τῆς ἀσκήσεως, καὶ τίς ἦν πρὸ ταύτης, καί ὁποῖον ἔσχε τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος, καὶ εἰ ἀληθῆ τὰ περὶ αὑτοῦ λεγόμενά ἐστιν,ίνα καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνου ζῆλον ἑαυτοὺς ἀγάγητε* μετὰ πολλῆς προθυμίας ἐδεξάμην τὸ παρʼ ὑμῶν ἐπίταγμα. Κάμοὶ γὰρ μέγα κέρδος ὠφελείας ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ μόνον Ἀντωνίου μνημονεύειν. Οἶδα δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες, μετά τοῦ θαυμάσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, θελήσετε καὶ ζηλῶσαι τήν ἐκείνου πρόθεσιν ἔστι γὰρ μοναχοῖς ἱκανὸς χαρακτὴρ πρὸς ἄσκησιν ὁ ’Λντωνίου βίος. Οἷς μὲν οὖν ἠκούσατε περὶ αὐτοῦ παρά τῶν ἀπαγγειλάντων, μή ἀπιστήσητε, ὀλίγα δὲ μᾶλλον ἀκηκοέναι παρʼ αὐτῶν νομίζετε· πάντως γὰρ κάκεῖνοι μόγις τοσαῦτα διηγήσαντο. Ἐπεὶ καγὼ, προτραπεὶς παρʼ ὑμῶν, ὅσα ἂν διὰ τῆς ἐπιπολῆς σημανῶ, ὀλίγα τῶν ἐκείνου μνημονεύσας ἐπιστείλω· καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ παύσησθε τοὺς ἐνθένδε πλέοντας ἐρωτᾷν.Ἴσως γὰρ, ἑκάστου λέγοντος ὅπερ οἶδε, μόγις ἐπαξίως ἡ περὶ ἐκείνου γένηται διήγησις. Ἐβουλόμην γὰρ οὖν, δεξάμενος ὑμῶν τήν ἐπιστολὴν, μεταπέμψασθαί τινας τῶν μοναχῶν, τῶν μάλιστα πυκνότερον εἰωθότων πρὸς αὐτὸν παραγίνεσθαι ’ ὡς ἄν τι πλέον μαθὼν πληρὲστερον ὑμῖν ἐπιστείλω· ἐπειδὴ δὲ γὰρ καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῶν πλωΐμων συνέκλειε, καὶ ὁ γραμματοφόρος ἔσπευδεʼ διὰ τοῦτο ἅπερ αὐτός τε γινώσκω (πολλάκις γὰρ αὐτὸν ἑώρακα), καὶ ἃ μαθεῖν ἠδυνήθην παρʼ αὐτοῦ, ἀκολουθήσας αὐτῷ χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον, καὶ ἐπιχέων ὕδωρ κατᾶ χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, γράψαι τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ ὑμῶν ἐσπούδασα· πανταχοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας φροντίσας, ’ἱνα μήτε πλέον τις ἀκού- ### English translation (Claude) You have entered on a good rivalry with the monks in Egypt, choosing either to equal them or even to surpass them in your training in virtue. For now there are monasteries among you too, and the name of monks is established among you. One would rightly praise this purpose; and may God bring it to completion in answer to your prayers. Since you have asked me also about the way of life of the blessed Antony, wishing to learn how he began his discipline, who he was before it, what kind of end his life had, and whether what is said about him is true, so that you may lead yourselves to emulate him, I received your command with great eagerness. For to me too it is a great gain merely to remember Antony; and I know that you too, when you have heard, will not only admire the man but will also wish to emulate his purpose; for the life of Antony is a sufficient pattern of discipline for monks. Do not disbelieve what you have heard about him from those who brought you the news; rather think that you have heard only a little from them; for they could hardly have told so much. Since I too, urged on by you, will write only a few of the things about him, as much as I can indicate in a letter, do not stop questioning those who sail from here. For perhaps, if each tells what he knows, the account of him will barely be worthy of him. When I received your letter, I wished to send for some of the monks, especially those who used to visit him most often, so that I might learn something more and write to you more fully; but since the sailing season was closing and the letter-carrier was in haste, I have hastened to write to your piety what I myself know (for I saw him often), and what I was able to learn from him, having followed him for no short time and poured water on his hands. Everywhere I have taken care for the truth, so that no one, hearing more … ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 3:11: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Poured water on his hands” echoes Elisha’s service of Elijah (2 Kgs 3:11), i.e. served him as a disciple. - The preface breaks off in the scan (marked “…”); its last lines are lost. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. pref. (PG 26:837a–840c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-0). ## Life of Antony 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-1 - Source: PG 26:840d–841b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony, born to well-off Christian parents in Egypt, grew up quiet, obedient, attentive to the Scripture readings, and content with simple food. ### Greek text Λντώνιος γένος μὲν ἦν Αἰγύπτιος, εὐγενῶν δὲ γονέων καὶ περιουσίαν αὐτάρκη κεκτημένων, καί Χριστιανῶν αὐτῶν ὅντων, Χριστιανικῶς ἀνήγετο καὶ αὐτός. Καὶ παιδίον μὶν ὢν, ἐτρέφετο παρά τοῖς γονεῦσι, πλέον αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ οἷʼκου μηδὲν ἕτερον γινι σκων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ αὐξήσας ἐγένετο παῖς, καὶ πρ‹ έκοπτε τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, γράμματα μὲν μαθεῖν οὐκ ἠνέσχετ βουλόμενος ἐκτὸς εἶναι καὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας συε ηθείας· τήν δὲ ἐπιθυμίαν πᾶσαν εἶχε, κατὰ τὸ γεγρα( μένον περὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, ὡς ἄπλαστος οἰκεῖν ἐν τῇ οῗκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Συνήγετο μέντοι μετά τῶν γονέων ἐν τῷ Κυριακῷ· καὶ οὔτε ὡς παῖς ἐρῥᾳθόμει, οῦκ ὡς τῇ ἡλικίᾳ προκόπτων κατεφρόνει· ἀλλά καὶ το γονεῦσιν ὑπετάσσετο, καὶ τοῖς ἀναγνώσμασι προ έχων, τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν έν ἑαυτῷ διετήρε Οῦτε δὲ πάλιν ὡς παῖς ἐν μετρίᾳ περιουσίᾳ τυγχάνι ἠνώχλει τοῖς γονεῦσι ποικίλης καὶ πολυτελοῦς Eva: τροφῆς, οὔτε τὰς ἐκ ταύτης ἡδονὰς ἐζήτει· μόνοις οἷς ηὕρισκεν ἠρκεῖτο, καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἐζήτει. ### English translation (Claude) Antony was an Egyptian by race, of well-born parents who possessed sufficient property; and since they were Christians, he too was brought up in a Christian way. As a child he was raised by his parents, knowing nothing besides them and the house. When he grew and became a boy and advanced in years, he would not consent to learn letters, wishing to be apart even from the company of other children; and all his desire was, as is written of Jacob, to live a plain life in his home. He used, however, to go with his parents to the Lord’s house; and neither as a child was he idle, nor as he grew older did he become contemptuous; but he was subject to his parents, and attending to the readings he kept within himself the benefit he drew from them. Nor again, though as a child he lived in moderate wealth, did he trouble his parents for varied and costly food, nor did he seek the pleasures it brings; he was content with whatever he found and sought nothing more. ### Scripture references - Gen 25:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Learn letters”: that is, he did not go to school; how far Antony could read is discussed by modern scholars. - “Live a plain life in his home” echoes the Septuagint of Gen 25:27, where Jacob is called ἄπλαστος, “plain,” dwelling in tents. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 1 (PG 26:840d–841b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-1). ## Life of Antony 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-2 - Source: PG 26:841b–844a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hearing Christ’s words to the rich man read in church, the young Antony gave away his family land to his village. ### Greek text Μετᾶ δὲ τὸν θάνατον τῶν γονέων, αὐτὸς μόνης κατελείφθη μετὰ μιάς βραχυτάτης ἀδελφῆςθ καὶ i ἐτῶν ἐγγὺς δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ, ἢ καὶ εἷʼκοσι γεγονὼς» αῖ τός τε τῆς οἶκέας καὶ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἐφρόντιζεν. Οῦπ δὶ μῆνες ’ἐξ παρῆλθον τοῦ θανάτου τῶν γονέων αἱ τοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς προερχόμενος εἷς · Κυριπικὸν, καὶ συνάγων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐλογίζετο περιπατῶν, πῶς oi μὲν ἀπόστολοι πάντα κατε λιπόντες ἠκολούθησαν τῷ Σωτῆρι· οἱ δὲ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι πωλοῦντες τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἔφερον καὶ ἐτίθουν ita, τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων, εἷς διάδοσιν τῶν χρείε ἒχόντων, τίς τε καὶ πόση τούτοις ἐλπῖς ἐν οὐρανο _ ἀπόκειται. Ταῦτα δὴ ἐνθυμούμενος, εἰσῆλθεν εἶςι ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ συνέβη τότε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἀναγ νώσκεσθαι, καὶ ἤκουσε τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος τῷ πλουσίῳ · Εἰ Θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε, πώλησον πάντα τά ὑπάρχοντά σοι, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ὀ δὲ ’Δντώνιος, ὥσπερ θεόθεν ἐσχηκὰ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων μνήμην, καὶ ὡς διʼ αὐτὸν γενομένι τοῦ ἄναγνώσματος, ἐξελθὼν εὐθὺς ἐκ τοῦ Κυριακοῦ, τὰς μὲν κτήσεις ἃς εἶχεν ἐκ προγόνων (ἄρουραι δὲ ἦσαν τριακόσιαι εὔφοροι καὶ πάνυ καλαὶ), ταύτας ἐχαρίσατο τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς κώμης, ’ἱνα είς μηδʼ ὁτιοῦν ὀχλήσωσιν αὖτῷ τε καὶ τῇ ἀδελφῇ. Τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ### English translation (Claude) After the death of his parents he was left alone with one very young sister; and being about eighteen or twenty years old, he took care of the house and of his sister. Not six months had passed since his parents’ death when, going as usual to the Lord’s house and collecting his thoughts, he reflected as he walked how the apostles left everything and followed the Savior; and how those in the Acts sold what they had and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet for distribution to those in need; and what and how great a hope was laid up for them in heaven. Pondering these things, he entered the church; and it happened that the Gospel was then being read, and he heard the Lord saying to the rich man: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and come, follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Antony, as though he had received the memory of the saints from God, and as though the reading had been made for his sake, went out at once from the Lord’s house. The possessions he had from his forebears (three hundred arouras, fertile and very fine) he gave to the people of the village, so that they should not trouble him and his sister in anything at all. The rest … ### Scripture references - Matt 19:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:27: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 4:34–35: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - An aroura was an Egyptian land measure of a little over half an acre. - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”); its last lines are lost. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 2 (PG 26:841b–844a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-2). ## Life of Antony 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-3 - Source: PG 26:844a–845a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony placed his sister with consecrated virgins, began an ascetic life near his village, learned from older ascetics, worked, prayed, and memorized the Scriptures. ### Greek text Ὠς δὲ,πάλιν εἰσελθὼν εἷς τὸ Κυριακὸν, ἤκουσεν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Κυρίου λὲγοντος, Μὴ μεριμνήσητε περὶ τῆς αὔριον, οὐκ ἀνασχόμενος ἔτι μένειν, ἐξελθὼν διέδωκε κάκεῖνα τοῖς μετρίοις, Τὴν δὲ ἀδελφὴν παραθέμενος γνωρίμοις καὶ πισταῖς παρθένοις, δούς τε αὐτὴν εἷς Παρθενῶνα ἀνατρέφεσθαι, αὐτὸς πρὸ τῆς οἷʼκίας ἐσχόλαζε λοιπὸν τῇ ἀσκήσει, προσὲχων ἑαυτῷ καὶ καρτερικῶς ἑαυτὸν ἄγων. Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν οὕτως ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ συνεχῆ μοναστήρια, οὐδʼ ὅλως ᾔδει μοναχὸς τὴν μακρὰν ἔρημον, ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν βουλομένων ἑαυτῷ προσέχειν οὐ μακρὰν τῆς ἰδίας κώμης καταμόνας ἠσκεῖτο. Ἦν τοίνυν ἐν τῇ πλησίον κώμῃ τότε γέρων, ἐκ νεότητος τὸν μονήρη βίον ἀσκήσαςʼ τοῦτον ἰδὼν Ἀντώνιος ἐζήλωσεν ἐν καλῷ· καὶ πρῶτον μὶν ἤρξατο καὶ αὐτὸς μένειν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τῆς κώμης τόποις. Κἀκεῖθεν εἴ που τινὰ σπουδαῖον ἤκουεν, προερχόμενος ἐζήτει τοῦτον ὡς ἡ σοφή μέλισσα· καὶ οὗ πρότερον εἷς τὸν ἴδιον τόπον ἀνέκαμπτεν, εί μή τοῦτον ἑωράκει, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐφόδιόν τι τῆς εἷς ἀρετὴν ὁδοῦ παρʼ αὗτοῦ λαβὼν, ἐπανῄει. Ἐκεῖ τοίνυν τὰς ἀρχὰς διατρίβων, τὴν διάνοιαν ὲστάθμιζεν, ὅπως πρὸς μὲν τὰ τῶν γονέων μὴ ἐπιστρέφηται, μηδὲ τῶν συγγενων μνημονεύῃ· ὅλον δὲ τὸν πόθον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχῃ περί τὸν τόνον τῆς ἀσκήσεως. Είργάζετο γοῦν ταῖς χερσὶν, ἀκούσας· Ὁ ἀργὸς μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω καὶ τὸ μὲν εἰς τὸν ἄρτον, τὸ δὲ εἱς τοὺς δεομένους ἀνήλισκε. Προσηύχετο δὲ συνεχῶς, μαθὼν, ὅτι δεῖ κατʼ ἰδίαν προσεύχεσθαι ἀδιαλείπτως. Καὶ γὰρ προσεῖχεν οὕτως τῇ ἀναγνώσει, ὡς μηδὲν τῶν γεγραμμένων ἄπʼ αὐτοῦ πίπτειν χαμαὶ, πάντα δὶ κατέχειν, καὶ λοιπὸν αὐτῷ τήν μνήμην ἀντὶ βιβλίων γίνεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) And when he entered the Lord’s house again and heard the Lord saying in the Gospel, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow,” he could not bear to stay any longer, but went out and gave those things too to the poor. Entrusting his sister to well-known and faithful virgins, and giving her to a house of virgins to be brought up, he himself from then on devoted himself to discipline in front of his house, attending to himself and training himself with endurance. For there were not yet so many monasteries in Egypt, nor did any monk at all know the far desert; but each who wished to attend to himself practiced discipline alone, not far from his own village. There was then in the next village an old man who had practiced the solitary life from his youth. Antony saw him and emulated him in what was good; and at first he too began to stay in the places in front of the village. And from there, if he heard of some earnest person anywhere, he went out and sought him like a wise bee, and did not go back to his own place until he had seen him; and having received from him something like provisions for the road to virtue, he would return. Spending his beginnings there, he steadied his mind so as not to turn back to his parents’ things nor to remember his relatives, but to have all his longing and all his zeal for the intensity of discipline. He worked with his hands, having heard: “He who is idle, let him not eat”; and he spent part on bread and part on those in need. He prayed constantly, having learned that one must pray in private without ceasing. For he attended so carefully to the reading that nothing of what was written fell from him to the ground, but he retained everything, and thereafter his memory served him instead of books. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 3:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Thess 5:17: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “A house of virgins” (παρθενών) is an early reference to a community of consecrated women. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 3 (PG 26:844a–845a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-3). ## Life of Antony 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-4 - Source: PG 26:845a–845b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony learned a particular virtue from each ascetic he visited and sought to combine them all, winning the affection of his village. ### Greek text Οὕτω μὶν οὖν ἑαυτὸν ἄγων, ἠγαπᾶτο παρὰ πάντων ὁ Ἀντώνιοςʼ αὐτὸς δὲ τοῖς σπουδαίοις, πρὸς οὓς ἀπήρχετο, γνησίως ὑπετάσσετο, καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ἑκάστου τὸ πλεονέκτημα τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τῆς ἀσκήσεως κατεμάνθανε· καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὸ χαρίεν τοῦ δὲ τὸ πρὸς τὰς εὐχὰς σύντονον ἐθεώρει· καὶ ἄλλου μὲν τὸ ἀόργητον, ἄλλου δὶ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον κατενόειʼ καὶ τῷ μὶν ἀγρυπνοῦντι, τῷ δὲ φιλολογοῦντι προσεῖχεʼ καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐν καρτερίᾳ, τὸν δὲ ἐν νηστείαις καὶ χαμευνίαις ἐθαύμαζε· καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν πραότητα, τοῦ δὲ τὴν μακροθυμίαν παρετηρεῖτοʼ πάντων δὲ ὁμοῦ τήν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην ἐσημειοῦτο· καὶ οὕτω πεπληρωμὲνος, ὑπέστρεφεν εἷς τὸν ἴδιον τοῦ ἀσκητηρίου τόπον· λοιπὸν αὐτὸς τὰ παρʼ ἑκάστου συνάγων εἷς εαυτὸν, καὶ σπουδάζων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὰ πάντων δεικνύων καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς καθʼἡλικίαν ἴσους οὐκ ἦν φιλόνεικος, ἢ μόνον ’ίνα μὴ δεύτερος ἐκείνων ἐν τοῖς βελτίοσι φαίνηται* καὶ τοῦτο ἔπραττεν ὥστε μηδένα λυπεῖν, ἀλλὰ κάκείνους ἐπʼ αὐτῷ χαίρειν. Πάντες μὲν οὖν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς κώμης καὶ οἱ φιλόκαλοι, πρὸς οὒς εἶχε τὴν συνήθειαν, οὕτως αὐτὸν ὁρῶντες, ὲῖάῖοᾷςῗθεᾉξζλῆἶʼκαὲὴδίξιέᾲεὲς ωειδνξοι δὲ aiam; ἠσπάζοντο. ### English translation (Claude) Leading himself in this way, Antony was loved by all. He himself submitted sincerely to the earnest men whom he visited, and learned for himself the particular strength of each in zeal and discipline. He observed the graciousness of one and the intensity in prayer of another; he noted the freedom from anger of one and the kindness of another; he paid attention to one as he kept vigil and to another as he loved study; he admired one for endurance, another for fasting and sleeping on the ground; he watched the gentleness of one and the long-suffering of another; and in all alike he marked the piety toward Christ and the love for one another. Filled in this way, he returned to his own place of discipline, thereafter gathering into himself what he had from each, and striving to show in himself the virtues of all. With those of his own age he was not competitive, except only that he should not appear second to them in what was better; and this he did in such a way as to grieve no one, but so that they too rejoiced over him. So all the people of the village, and the lovers of good with whom he was acquainted, seeing him thus, called him God-beloved, and welcomed him, some as a son, others as a brother. ### Translation notes - The last line is garbled in the scan; “called him God-beloved, and welcomed him, some as a son, others as a brother” is translated by sense from the surviving words. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 4 (PG 26:845a–845b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-4). ## Life of Antony 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-5 - Source: PG 26:845b–849a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The devil tempted the young Antony with memories, pleasures, and finally sexual thoughts and apparitions, but Antony overcame them by faith, prayer, fasting, and the thought of judgment. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ μισόκαλος καὶ φθονερὸς διάβολος οὐκ ἤνεγκεν ὁρῶν ἐν νεωτέρῳ τοιαύτην πρόθεσιν. Ἀλλʼ οἷα μεμελέτηκε ποιεῖν, ἐπιχειρεῖ καὶ κατὰ τούτου πράττειν· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπείραζεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσκήσεως καταγαγεῖν, ὑποβάλλων μνήμην τῶν κτήμάτων, τῆς ἀδελφῆς τὴν κηδεμονίαν, τοῦ γένους οίκειότητα, φιλαργυρίαν,,φιλοδοξίαν, τροφῆς τήν ποικίλην ἡδονὴν, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀνέσεις τοῦ βίου, καῖ τέλος τὸ τραχὺ τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ ὡς πολὺς αὐτῆς ἐστιν ὁ πόνοςο τοῦ τε σώματος τὴν ἀσθένειαν ὑπετίθετο, καὶ τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μῆκος. Καὶ ὅλως πολυν ἤγειρεν αὐτῷ κονιορτὸν λογισμῶν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, paco-xi αὐτὸν ἀποσχοινίσαι τῆς ὀρθῆς προαιρέσεως. Ὠς δὲ εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἀσθενοῦντα πρὸς τήν τοῦ ’ᾼντωνίου πρόθεσιν, καὶ μᾶλλον ἑαυτὸν καταπαλαιόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου περῥότητος, καὶ ἀνατρεπόμενον τῇ πολλῇ πίστει, καὶ πίπτοντα ταῖς συνεχέσιν ’Δντωνίου προσευχαῖς τότε δὴ τοῖς ἐπʼ ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρὸς ὅπλοις ἑαυτοῦ θαρῥῶν, καί καυχώμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις (ταῦτα γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὰ πρῶτα κατᾶ τῶν νεωτέρων ἔνεδρα), προσέρχεται κατὰ τοῦ νεωτέρου, νυκτὸς μὲν αὖτὸν θορυβῶν, μεθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ οὕτως ἐνοχλῶν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ὁρῶντας aio-06σθαῖ γινομένην ἀμφοτέρων πάλην. Ὀ μὶν γὰρ ὑπέβαλλε λογισμοὺς ῥυπαροὺς, ὁ δὲ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἀνέτρεπε τούτους· καὶ 6 μὶν ἐγαργάλιζεν, ὁ δὲ, ὡς ἐρυθριᾷν δοκῶν, τῇ πίστει καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ νηστείαις ἐτείχιζε τὸ σῶμαο καὶ ὁ μὶν διάβολος ὑπέμενεν ὁ ἄθλιος καί ὡς γυνὴ σχηματίζεσθαι νυκτὸς, καὶ πάντα τρόπον μιμεῖσθαι, μόνον ἵνα τὸν ’Λντώνιον ἀπατήσῃ· ὁ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνθυμούμενος, καὶ τὴν διʼ αὐτὸν εὐγένειαν, καὶ τὸ νοερὸν τῆς ψυχῆς λογιζόμενος, ἀπεσβέννυε τὸν ἄνθρακα τῆς ἐκείνου πλάνης. Πάλιν τε ὁ μὶν ἐχθρὸς ὑπέβαλλε τὸ λεῖον τῆς ἡδονῆς· 6 δὲ, ὀργιζομένῳ καὶ λυπουμένῳ ἐοικὼς, ἀπειλὴν τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ σκώληκος τὸν πόνον ἐνεθυμεῖτο· καὶ ἀντιτιθεὶς ταῦτα, διέβαινε τούτων ἀβλαβής. Ἧν δὲ ταῦτα πάντα πρὸς αἰσχύνην γινόμενα τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ’νομίσας ὅμοιος γενέσθαι Θεῴ ὑπὸ νεανίσκου νῦν ὲπαίζετο· καὶὸ σαρκὸς “pag”; mo- vne-nvnuu...'......-- 1-1.L-.n, ι ι - :0; κατακαυχὼμενος ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου σάρκα φοροῦντος ικ-Αᾼκρσλ v.....; _-__- -.ς ο ν υ -.. _, ἐνετρέπετο. Συνήργει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος αὐτῷ,- σάρκᾷ ιʼ..3-.--,ι-..- η ι «- ι - - mlefiincpopésag, καὶ τῷ σώματι δοὺς. τὴν κατὰ Ξ. ### English translation (Claude) But the devil, who hates what is good and is envious, could not bear to see such a purpose in a young man; and what he is accustomed to do, he set about doing against him too. First he tried to draw him away from his discipline, suggesting the memory of his possessions, care for his sister, the ties of family, love of money, love of glory, the varied pleasure of food, and the other relaxations of life, and finally the roughness of virtue and how great its labor is; and he suggested the weakness of the body and the length of time. In short, he raised a great dust-cloud of thoughts in his mind, wishing to cut him off from his right choice. But when the enemy saw himself weak against Antony’s purpose, and rather himself thrown down by his firmness, overturned by his great faith, and falling before Antony’s constant prayers, then, trusting in the weapons “in the navel of his belly” and boasting in them (for these are his first snares against the young), he attacked the young man, troubling him by night and so harassing him by day that even those who saw it perceived the struggle between the two. The one suggested filthy thoughts, the other overturned them by his prayers; the one tried to excite him, the other, as if blushing, fortified his body with faith, prayers, and fasts. The wretched devil even endured to take the form of a woman by night and to imitate her in every way, only to deceive Antony; but Antony, thinking of Christ and the nobility given through him, and considering the spiritual nature of the soul, quenched the coal of the enemy’s deceit. Again the enemy suggested the smoothness of pleasure; but Antony, like one angered and grieved, pondered the threat of the fire and the torment of the worm; and setting these against it, he passed through unharmed. All this happened to the shame of the enemy. For he who thought to become like God was now mocked by a youth; and he who boasted against flesh and blood was put to flight by a man who wore flesh. For the Lord worked with him, who took flesh for us and gave the body the victory over the devil … ### Scripture references - Job 40:16 (40:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 66:24: allusion, high confidence - Mark 9:48: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 14:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “In the navel of his belly” quotes Job 40:16 (LXX 40:11), said of the beast Behemoth and applied to the devil’s use of the body’s desires. - The last lines of the chapter are badly garbled in the scan; “who took flesh for us and gave the body the victory over the devil” is translated by sense, and the end is lost (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 5 (PG 26:845b–849a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-5). ## Life of Antony 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-6 - Source: PG 26:849a–852a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Defeated, the devil appeared to Antony as a black boy, confessed himself the spirit of sexual immorality, and fled when Antony rebuked him. ### Greek text Τέλος γοῦν, ὡς οὐκ ἠδυνήθη τὸν Ἀντώνιον οὐδʼ ἐν τούτῳ καταβαλεῖν ὁ δράκων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔβλεπεν ἑαυτὸν ἐξωθούμενον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ, τρίζων τοὺς ὀδόντας, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καί ῶσπερ ἐξιστάμενος, οἷός ἐστι τὸν νοῦν, τοιοῦτος Ερ---- ε· ὕστερον καὶ τῇ φαντασίᾳ μέλας αὐτῷ φαίνεται παῖς· καὶ ὥσπερ ὑποπίπτων, οὐκέτι μὲν λογισμοῖς ἐπέδαι- -.--- [νηι η non.. _ Α -_ νεν ςέκσέελητο γὰρ ὁ δόλιος), λοιπὸν δὲ ἀνθρωπίνῃ,χρώμενος φωνῇ, ἔλεγε· Πολλοὺς μὲν ἠπάτησα, καὶ πλείστους κατέβαλον· νῦν δὲ, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλοῖς καὶ Lup? ιιι-,ὁ...Λ --9- --νγ ο ρ.. - _ _ ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ τοῖς σοῖς πόνοις προσβαλὼν, ἠσθένησας Εἷτα τοῦ Ἀντωνίου πυθομένου· Τίς εἴ σὺ ὁ τοιαῦτα λαλῶν παρʼ ἐμοί; εὐθὺς ἐκεῖνος οἰκτρὰς ἠφίει φωνάς· Ἐγὼ τῆς πορνείας εἰμὶ φίλος· ἐγω τὰ ταύτην ἐνεδρα, καὶ τοὺς ταύτης γαργαλισμοὺς κατὰ τῶν νέων ἀνεδεξάμην, καὶ πνεῦμα πορνείας κέκλημαι. Πόσους θέλοντας σωφρονεῖν ἠπάτησα; Πόσους trxpatesuopévoug (ὅθι μετέπεισα γαργαλίζωνί Ἐγιθ εἰμι διʼ ὂν καὶ ὁ προφήτης μέμφεται τοὺς πεσόντας, λέγων· Πνεύματι πορνείας ἐπλανήθητε· διʼ ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι σκελισθὲντες. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πολλάκις σοι ὸχλήσας, καὶ τοσαυτάκις ἀνατραπεὶς παρὰ σοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος εὐχαριστήσας τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ καταθαρρήσας αὐτοῦ, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· Πολὺ τοίνυν εὐκαταφρόνητος τυγχάνεις· καὶ γὰρ μέλας εἴ τὸν νοῦν, καὶ ὡς παῖς ἀσθενής· οὐδὲ μία μοι λοιπόν ἐστι φροντὶς περί σοῦ· Κύριος γὰρ ἐμοὶ βοηθὸς, κάγὼ ἐπόψομαι τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ μέλας ἐκεῖνος, εὐθὺς ἔφυγε καταπτήξας τὰς φωνὰς, καί φοβηθεὶς ἔτι κᾶν ἐγγίσαι τῷ ἀνδρί. ### English translation (Claude) At last, when the dragon could not overthrow Antony even in this, but saw himself thrust out of his heart, gnashing his teeth, as it is written, and as if beside himself, he appeared to him in imagination as a black boy, such as he is in mind. And as though falling down before him, he no longer attacked him with thoughts (for the crafty one had been cast out), but now using a human voice he said: “Many have I deceived, and very many have I overthrown; but now, having attacked you and your labors as I did many others, I have proved weak.” When Antony asked, “Who are you, that speak such things to me?” he at once uttered piteous cries: “I am the friend of sexual immorality; I have taken upon myself its snares and its incitements against the young, and I am called the spirit of sexual immorality. How many who wished to be chaste have I deceived! How many who practiced self-control have I won over by inciting them! I am the one on whose account the prophet blames the fallen, saying, ‘You were led astray by a spirit of sexual immorality’; for it was through me that they were tripped up. I am the one who troubled you so often and was so often overthrown by you.” Antony gave thanks to the Lord, and, taking courage against him, said to him: “You are very contemptible, then; for you are black in mind and weak as a child. I have no further care about you; for the Lord is my helper, and I shall look upon my enemies.” Hearing this, the black one at once fled, cowering at the words, and afraid even to come near the man. ### Scripture references - Ps 112:10 (111:10 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Hos 4:12: quotation, high confidence - Ps 118:7 (117:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The demon’s appearance as a “black boy” follows the ancient imagery of demons as dark beings, set against the light of the saints; it is translated as written. - Hos 4:12 is quoted from the Septuagint; πορνεία is rendered “sexual immorality.” Ps 118:7 (LXX 117:7). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 6 (PG 26:849a–852a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-6). ## Life of Antony 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-7 - Source: PG 26:852a–853b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After his first victory Antony intensified his discipline with vigils, fasting, and hard bedding, treating each day as a new beginning, after the example of Paul and Elijah. ### Greek text Τοῦτο πρῶτον ἆθλον Ἀντωνίου γέγονε κατᾶ τοῦ διαβόλου· μᾶλλον δὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ τοῦτο γέγονεν ἐν τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ τὸ κατόρθωμα, τοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατακρίναντος ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ, ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν, τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα. Ἀλλʼ οὔτε Ἀντώνιος, ὡς ὑποπεσὸντος τοῦ δαίμονος, ἡμέλει λοιπὸν καὶ κατεφρόνει ἑαυτοῦ· οὔτε ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ὡς ἡττηθεὶς, ’ἐπαύετο τοῦ ἐνεδρεύειν. Περιήρχετο γὰρ πάλιν ὡς λέων, ζητῶν τινα πρόφασιν κατʼ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος, μαθὼν ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν πολλὰς εἶναι τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, συντόνως ἐκέχρητο τῇ ἀσκήσει, λογιζόμενος, ὅτι, εἱ καί μή ἴσχυσε τὴν καρδίαν ἐν ἡδονῇ σώματος ἀπατῆσαι, πειράσειν πάντως διʼ ὲτέρας ἐνεδρεῦσαι μεθόδου· ἔστι γὰρ φιλαμαρτήμων ὁ δαίμων. Μᾶλλον οὗν καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπεπίαζε τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἐδουλαγώγει, μήπως, ἐν ἄλλοις νικήσας, ἐν ἄλλοις ὑποσυρῇ. Βουλεύεται τοίνυν σκληροτέραις ἀγωγαῖς ἑαυτὸν ἐθίζειν. Καὶ πολλοὶ μὶν ἐθαύμαζον, αὐτὸς δὲ ῥᾷον τὸν πόνον ἔφερεν. ἡ γὰρ προθυμία τῆς ψυχῆς, πολὺν χρόνον ἐμμείνασα, ἕξιν ἀγαθὴν ἐνειργάζετο ἐν αὐτῷ· ὥστε καὶ μικρὰν πρόφασιν λαμβάνοντα παρʼ ἐτέρων, πολλὴν είς τοῦτο τὴν σπουδὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι· ἠγρύπνει γὰρ τοσοῦτον, ὡς πολλάκις καὶ ὅλην τὴν νύκτα διατελεῖν αὐτὸν ἄυπνον · καὶ τοῦτο δὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλά καὶ πλειστάκις ποιῶν ἐθαυμάζετο. Ἤσθιέ τε, ἅπαξ τῆς ήμὲρας μετὰ δύσιν ἡλίου· ἦν δʼ ὅτε καὶ διὰ δύο, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ διὰ τεσσάρων μετελάμβανε. Καὶ ἦν αὗτῷ ἡ τροφὴ ἄρτος καὶ ἅλας· καὶ τὸ ποτὸν ὕδωρ μόνον. Περῖ γὰρ κρεῶν καὶ οίνου περιττόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν· ὅπου γε οὐδὲ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις σπουδαίοις ηὑρίσκετό τι τοιοῦτον. Εἲς δὲ τὸν ὕπνον ἠρκεῖτο ψιαθίῳ· τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς μόνης κατέκειτο. Ἀλείφεσθαι δὲ ἐλαίῳ παρῃτεῖτο, λέγων μᾶλλον πρέπειν τοὺς νεωτέρους ἐκ προθυμίας ἔχειν τὴν ἄσκησιν, καὶ μὴ ζητεῖν τὰ χαυνοῦντα τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθίζειν αὐτὸ τοῖς πόνοις, λογιζομένους τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ῥητόν ’Ὁταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἶμι. Τότε γὰρ ἔλεγεν ἰσχύειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸν τὸνον, ὅταν αἱ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενῶσιν ἡδοναί. Καὶ ἦν αύτῷ παράδοξος ὅντως καὶ οὗτος ὁ λογισμός· ού γὰρ ἠξιοῦ χρόνῳ μετρεῖν τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδὸν, οὐδὲ τὴν διʼ αύτὴν ἀναχώρησιν, ἀλλᾶ πόθῳ καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει. Αὐτὸς γοῦν οὐκ ἐμνημόνευε τοῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου· 9\\\..ν ι l, ι ἠπ νη ~ 9,1, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ἡμέραν, ὡς ἀρχὴν ἔχων τῆς ἀσκήσεως, μείζω τὸν πόνον εἶχεν εἷς προκοπὴν, ἐπιλέγων ἑαυτῷ τὸ τοῦ Παύλου ῥητὸν συνεχῶς· Τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος· μνημονεύων τε καὶ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ προφήτου Ἠλίου λέγοντος ο Ζῇ Κύριος, ᾧ παρέστην ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ σήμερον. Παρετηρεῖτο γὰρ, ὅτι, σήμερον λέγων, οὐκ ἐμέτρει τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον· ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀρχὴν ἀεὶ καταβαλλόμενος, καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐσπούδαζεν ἑαυτὸν,παριστάνειν τοιοῦτον, οἷον χρὴ φαίνεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, καθαρὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ἕτοιμον ὑπακούειν τῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ μηδενὶ ἄλλῳ. Ἔλεγε δὲ έν ἑαυτῷ, δεῖν τὸν άσκητὴν ἐκ τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ μεγάλου Ἠλίου καταμανθάνειν, ὡς ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον ἀεί. ### English translation (Claude) This was Antony’s first contest against the devil; or rather, this success in Antony was the Savior’s, who “condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” But neither did Antony, now that the demon had fallen, grow careless thereafter and neglect himself, nor did the enemy, as one defeated, stop lying in wait. For he went about again like a lion, seeking some occasion against him. Antony, having learned from the Scriptures that the wiles of the enemy are many, practiced his discipline intensely, reckoning that even if the enemy had not been able to deceive his heart with bodily pleasure, he would certainly try to ensnare him by some other method; for the demon loves sin. So more and more he mortified his body and kept it in subjection, lest, having conquered in some things, he should be dragged down in others. He resolved, therefore, to accustom himself to a harsher way of life. Many marveled, but he bore the labor easily; for the eagerness of his soul, persisting for a long time, produced a good habit in him, so that even when he took only a slight occasion from others, he showed great zeal for it. He kept vigil so much that he often passed the whole night without sleep; and since he did this not once but very often, he was admired. He ate once a day, after sunset; sometimes he took food every two days, and often every four. His food was bread and salt, and his drink water only. Of meat and wine it is superfluous even to speak, since nothing of the kind was found even among the other earnest men. For sleep a rush mat was enough for him; for the most part he lay on the bare ground. He refused to anoint himself with oil, saying that it was more fitting for young men to pursue discipline eagerly and not to seek what relaxes the body, but to accustom it to labors, keeping in mind the Apostle’s saying: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” For he said that the vigor of the soul is strong when the pleasures of the body are weakened. And this reasoning of his was truly remarkable: he did not think it right to measure the way of virtue, or his withdrawal for its sake, by time, but by desire and choice. He himself did not keep count of the time that had passed; but each day, as though he were only beginning his discipline, he took greater pains to advance, constantly repeating to himself Paul’s saying: “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”; and remembering also the words of the prophet Elijah: “The Lord lives, before whom I stand today.” For he observed that in saying “today” Elijah was not measuring the time that had passed; but as though always making a beginning, he strove each day to present himself such as one ought to appear before God, pure in heart and ready to obey his will and no other. And he used to say to himself that the ascetic ought always to learn his own life from the conduct of the great Elijah, as in a mirror. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:3–4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Pet 5:8: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:11: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 9:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:10: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - One line in the scan near “did not keep count of the time” is noise and is passed over. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 7 (PG 26:852a–853b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-7). ## Life of Antony 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-8 - Source: PG 26:853b–856c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony shut himself in a distant tomb, where demons beat him almost to death; a friend found him and carried him to the village church. ### Greek text Οὕτω δὴ οὗν συσφίγξας ἑαυτὸν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ἀπήρχετο εἷς τὰ μακρὰν τῆς κώμης τυγχάνοντα μνήματα, καὶ παραγγείλας ἑνὶ τῶν γνωρίμων διʼ ἡμερῶν πολλῶν αὐτῷ κομίζειν τὸν ἄρτον, αὐτὸς εἶσελθὼν εἰς ’ἐν τῶν μνημάτων, καὶ κλείσαντος ἐκείνου κατʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν θύραν, ἔμενε μόνος ἔνδον. Even ἡ μὴ φέρων ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ἀλλᾶ μὴν καὶ φοβούμενος, μὴ κατʼ ὀλίγον καὶ τήν ἔρημον ἐμπλήσῃ τῆς ἀσκήσεως· προσελθὼν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ μετᾶ πλήθους δαιμόνων, τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν ἔκοψε, πληγαῖς, ὡς καὶ ἄφωνον αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν βασάνων κεῖσθαι χαμαί· διεβεβαιοῦτο γὰρ οὕτω σφοδροὺς γεγενῆσθαι τοὺς πόνους, ὡς λέγειν μή δύνασθαι τὰς παρᾶ ἀνθρώπων πληγὰς τοιαύτήν ποτὶ βάσανον ἐμποιῆσαι. Θεοῦ δὲ προνοίᾳ (οὐ γὰρ παρορᾷ Κύριος τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπʼ αὐτὸν), τῇ ἑξῆς παραγίνεται ὁ γνώριμος, κομίζων τοὺς ἄρτους αύτῷ ἀνοίξας τε τὴν θύραν, καὶ τοῦτον ἲδὼν χαμαὶ κείμενον ὡς νεκρὸν, βαστάσας ἔφερεν εἷς τὸ τῆς κώμης Κυριακὸν, καὶ τίθησιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πολλοί τε τῶν συγγενῶν, καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς κώμης, παρεκαθέζοντο ὡς ἐπὶ νεκρῷ τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ. Περὶ δὲ τὸ μεσονύκτιον είς ἑαυτὸν ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, καὶ διεγερθεὶς, ὡς εἶδε πάντας κοιμωμένους, 9. ### English translation (Claude) Bracing himself in this way, Antony went off to the tombs that lay far from the village; and having arranged with one of his acquaintances to bring him bread at intervals of many days, he entered one of the tombs, and when the other had shut the door on him, he remained alone inside. The enemy could not bear this, and feared that little by little Antony would fill the desert too with his discipline; so he came one night with a multitude of demons and beat him with such blows that he lay on the ground speechless from the torments. Antony affirmed that the pains were so severe that he could say that blows from human beings could never cause such torment. But by God’s providence (for the Lord does not overlook those who hope in him), the next day his acquaintance came, bringing him the bread; and opening the door and seeing him lying on the ground as if dead, he lifted him up, carried him to the Lord’s house in the village, and laid him on the ground. Many of his relatives and of the villagers sat around Antony as around a corpse. But about midnight Antony came to himself and woke, and when he saw them all asleep … ### Translation notes - The end of the chapter is lost in the scan (marked “…”); chapter 9 continues with his being carried back to the tomb. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 8 (PG 26:853b–856c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-8). ## Life of Antony 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-9 - Source: PG 26:856c–857c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Back in the tomb, Antony defied the demons, who came at him in the shapes of wild beasts; he mocked their weakness and trusted in Christ. ### Greek text Ἀπηνέχθη οὖν παρᾶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ συνήθως τῆς Θύρας κεκλεισμένης, ἔνδον ἧν πάλιν μόνος. Καὶ στήκειν μὲν οὐκ ἴσχυε διὰ τὰς πληγάς: ἀνακείμενος δὶ ηὔχετο. Καὶ μετᾶ τήν εὐχὴν ἔλεγε μετᾶ κραυγῆς· Ὧδε εἶμι ἐγὼ Ἀντώνιος· ού φεύγω τὰς παρʼ ὑμῶν πληγάς. Κᾶν γὰρ πλείονας ποιήσητε, οὐδὲν με χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἶτα καὶ ἔψαλλεν ο Ἐὰν παρατάξηται ἐπʼ ἐμὲ παρεμβολὴ. οὗ φοβηθήσεται ἡ καρδία μου. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀσκητὴς ἐφρόνει καῖ ἔλεγε ταῦταʼ ὁ δὲ μισόκαλος ἐχθρὸς, θαυμάσας, ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τὰς πληγὰς ἐθάρῥησεν ἐλθεῖν, συγκαλέσας αὐτοῦ τοὺς κύνας, καὶ διαῤῥηγνυμενος, ἔφηʼ Ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ού πνεύματι πορνείας, οὗ πληγαῖς ἐπαύσαμεν τοῦτονʼ ἀλλὰ καὶ θρασύνεται καθʼ ἡμῶν· προσέλθωμεν ἄλλως αὐτῷ. Εὕκολον δέ τῷ διαβόλῳ τὰ εἰς κακίαν σχήματα. Τότε δὴ οὖν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ κτύπον μὲν τοιοῦτον ποιοῦσιν, ὡς δοκεῖν πάντα τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον σείεσθαιο τοὺς δὲ τοῦ οἰκίσκου τέσσαρας τοίχους ὥσπερ ῥήξαντες οἱ δαίμονες, ἔδοξαν διʼ αὐτῶν ἐπεισέρχεσθαι, μετασχηματισθέντες εἰς Θηρίων καὶ, ἑρπετῶν φαντασίαν· καὶ ἦν ὁ τόπος εὐθὺς πεπληρωμένος φαντασίας λεόντων, ἄρκτων, λεοπάρδων, ταύρων, καὶ ὄφεων, ἀσπίδων, καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ λύκων. Καὶ ἕκαστον μὲν τούτων ἐκίνει κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον σχῆμα. Ὁ λέων ὠρύετο, θέλων ἐπελθεῖν, ό ταῦρος ἐδόκει κερατίζειν, ό ὄφις ἕρπων ούκ ἔφθανε, καὶ ό λύκος ὁρμῶν ἐπείχετοο καὶ ὅλως πάντων ὁμοῦ ἦσαν τῶν φαινομένων οἱ ψόφοι δεινοὶ, καὶ οἱ θυμοὶ χαλεποί. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος, μαστιζόμενος καὶ κεντούμενος παρʼ αὐτῶν, ᾔσθετο μὲν δεινοτέρου πόνου σωματικοῦ. Ἀτρέμας καὶ μᾶλλον τῇ ψυχῇ γρηγορῶν ἀνέκειτοʼ καὶ ἔστενε μὲν διὰ τὸν τοῦ σώματος πόνον· νήφων δέ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ ὥσπερ χλευάζων, ἔλεγεν· Εἰ δύναμίς τις ἦν ἐν ύμῖν, ἢρκει καί μόνον ἕνα ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλθεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξενεύρωσεν ὑμᾶς ὁ Κύριος, διὰ τοῦτο κᾶν τῷ πλήθει πειράζετέ πως ἐκφοβεῖν· γνώρισμα τῆς ἀσθενείας ὑμῶν τὸ τὰς ἀλόγων ὑμᾶς μιμεῖσθαι μορφάς. Θαρρῶν γοῦν πάλιν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ δύνασθε καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἐλάβετε κατʼ ἐμοῦ, μὴ μέλλετε, ἀλλʼ ἐπίσητε· εί δέ μὴ δύνασθε, τί μάτην ταράσσεσθε; Σφραγὶς γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ τεῖχος είς ἀσφάλειαν ή είς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν πίστις. Πολλὰ τοίνυν ἐπιχειρήσαντες, ἐτριξον κατʼ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀδόντας, ὃτι μᾶλλον ἔπαιζον ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ούκ ἐκεῖνον. ### English translation (Claude) So he was carried back by the man, and with the door shut as usual he was again alone inside. He could not stand because of the blows, but he prayed lying down. And after his prayer he said with a shout: “Here I am, Antony; I do not flee from your blows. Even if you inflict more, nothing will separate me from the love of Christ.” Then he also sang: “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.” Such were the ascetic’s thoughts and words; but the enemy who hates the good, amazed that even after the blows Antony had dared to come back, called together his dogs and, bursting with rage, said: “You see that we have stopped him neither by the spirit of sexual immorality nor by blows; he is even bold against us. Let us attack him another way.” Forms for doing evil come easily to the devil. So in the night they made such a din that the whole place seemed to shake; and the demons, as though they had broken through the four walls of the little dwelling, seemed to come in through them, transformed into the appearance of beasts and creeping things. At once the place was filled with apparitions of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, snakes, asps, scorpions, and wolves; and each of them moved according to its own form. The lion roared, wanting to spring on him; the bull seemed about to gore; the snake crawled but did not reach him; the wolf rushed at him but was held back; and altogether the noises of all the apparitions together were terrible, and their fury fierce. Antony, scourged and goaded by them, felt still more terrible bodily pain; but he lay unshaken, all the more watchful in soul. He groaned because of the pain of his body, but, sober in mind and as if mocking them, he said: “If there were any power in you, it would have been enough for just one of you to come; but since the Lord has made you powerless, you try somehow to frighten me by your numbers. It is a sign of your weakness that you imitate the forms of irrational beasts.” And taking courage again he said: “If you are able, and have received power against me, do not delay, but attack; but if you are not able, why trouble yourselves in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety for us.” So after many attempts they gnashed their teeth against him, because they were making a mockery of themselves rather than of him. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:35: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:39: allusion, high confidence - Ps 27:3 (26:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 9 (PG 26:856c–857c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-9). ## Life of Antony 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-10 - Source: PG 26:860a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A light from heaven drove the demons away, and a voice promised Antony that the Lord would always help him and make him known everywhere. ### Greek text Ὀ δὲ Κύριος οὐδὲ ὲν τούτῳ ἐπελάθετο τῆς ἀθλήσεως Ἀντωνίου, ἄλλʼ εἶς ἀντίληψιν αὐτοῦ παραγέγονεν. Ἀναβλέψας γοῦν, εἶδε τὴν στέγην ὥσπερ διανοιγομένην, καὶ ἀκτῖνά τινα φωτὸς κατερχομὲνην πρὸς αὐτόν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν δαίμονες ἐξαίφνης ἄφαντοι γεγόνασιν· ὁ δὲ πόνος τοῦ σώματος εὐθὺς ἐπέπαυτο, καὶ ὁ οἶκος πάλιν ἦν ὁλόκληρος. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος, αίσθὸμενος τῆς ἀντιλήψεως, καὶ πλέον ἀναπνεύσας, κουφισθείς τε τῶν πόνων, ἐδέετο τῆς φανείσης ὀπτασίας, λέγων · Ποῦ ἦς; διὰ τί μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐφάνης, ’ἱνα μου τὰς ὀδύνας παύσῃς; Καὶ φωνή γὲγονε πρὸς αὐτόν* Ἃντώνιε, ὧδε ἤμην, ἄλλᾶ περιέμενον ἰδεῖν ’τὸ σὸν ἀγώνισμα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑπέμεινας, καὶ οὐχ ἡττήθης, ἔσομαί σοι ἀεὶ βοηθὸς, καὶ ποιήσω σε ὀνομαστὸν πανταχοῦ γενέσθαι. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας, ἀναστὰς ηὔχετο· καὶ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν, ὡς αἰσθέσθαι αὐτὸν, ὅτι πλείονα δύναμιν ἔσχεν ἒν τῷ σώματι μᾶλλον, ἧς εἶχε τὸ πρότερον Ἦν δὲ τότε λοιπὸν ἐγγὺς τριάκοντα καὶ πέντε ἑτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) But the Lord did not forget Antony’s struggle in this either, but came to help him. Looking up, he saw the roof as if opening, and a beam of light coming down to him. The demons suddenly vanished, the pain of his body ceased at once, and the building was whole again. Antony, perceiving the help, breathing more freely and relieved of his pains, entreated the vision that had appeared, saying: “Where were you? Why did you not appear at the beginning, to put an end to my pains?” And a voice came to him: “Antony, I was here, but I was waiting to see your contest. Since, then, you have endured and have not been defeated, I will always be your helper, and I will make your name known everywhere.” Hearing this, he got up and prayed; and he was so strengthened that he felt that he had more power in his body than he had before. He was then about thirty-five years old. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 10 (PG 26:860a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-10). ## Life of Antony 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-11 - Source: PG 26:860a–861a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When the old ascetic would not come with him, Antony set out alone for the mountain and saw through the devil’s trick of a silver dish in the road. ### Greek text Τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς προελθὼν, ἔτι μᾶλλον προθυμότερος ἦν εἷς τὴν Θεοσὲβειαν, καὶ γενόμενος πρὸς τὸν γέροντα τὸν παλαιὸν ἐκεῖνον, ἠξίου τήν ἔρημον οἰκῆσαι σὺν αὐτῷ. Τοῦ δὶ παραιτησαμένου διά τε τήν ἡλικίαν, καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδέπω εἶναι τοιαύτην συνήθειαν, εὐθὺς αὐτὸς ὥρμησεν εἷς τὸ ὅρος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, βλέπων αὐτοῦ την σπουδὴν καὶ Θέλων ἐμποδίσαι ταύτην, ὑπέβαλεν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἀργυροῦ δίσκου μεγάλου φαντασίαν. Ἀντώνιος δὲ, συνεῖς τοῦ μισοκάλου τήν τέχνην, ἔστη, καὶ τῷ δίσκῳ βλέπων, τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ διάβολον ἤλεγχε λέγων· Πόθεν ἐν ἐρήμῳ δίσκος; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ὁδὸς αὕτη τετριμμένη, οὖδέ ἐστιν ἴχνος ὁδευσάντων ὧδὲ τινων· ἐκπεσὼν οὐκ ἠδύνατο λαθεῖν μέγιστος ὤν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἀπολέσας, ἀναστρέψας καὶ ζητήσας εὗρεν ἂν διὰ τὸ ἔρημον εἶναι τὸν τόπον. Τοῦτο τὲχνη τοῦ διαβόλου γέγονεν. Οὐκ ἐμποδίσεις ἐν τούτῳ μου τήν προθυμίαν, διάβολε. Τοῦτο γὰρ σὺν σοὶ εἷή εἷς ἀπώλειαν. Καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ Ἀντωνίου λὲγοντος, ἐξέλιπεν ἐκεῖνος, ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρός. ### English translation (Claude) The next day he went out, still more eager for godliness, and coming to that old man he asked him to live in the desert with him. When the old man declined, because of his age and because there was not yet any such custom, Antony at once set out himself for the mountain. But again the enemy, seeing his zeal and wishing to hinder it, cast in his path the appearance of a large silver dish. Antony, understanding the craft of the hater of good, stood still, and looking at the dish he exposed the devil in it, saying: “Where does a dish come from in the desert? This road is not a trodden one, nor is there any trace of travelers here. If it had fallen, it could not have gone unnoticed, being so very large. Besides, the one who lost it would have turned back to look for it and found it, since the place is deserted. This is the devil’s craft. You will not hinder my eagerness by this, devil; let this go with you to destruction.” And as Antony said this, it vanished like smoke before fire. ### Scripture references - Acts 8:20: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 68:2 (67:3 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Let this go with you to destruction” echoes Peter’s words to Simon in Acts 8:20. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 11 (PG 26:860a–861a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-11). ## Life of Antony 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-12 - Source: PG 26:861a–861b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Passing by real gold without a glance, Antony crossed the river and shut himself in an abandoned fort, receiving bread only twice a year. ### Greek text Εἶτα πάλιν οὐκ ἔτι φαντασίαν, ἀληθινὸν δὲ χρυσὸν ἐῤῥιμμὲνον ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἑώρακεν ἀπερχόμενος. Εἴτε δὶ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ δείξαντος, εἴτε τινὸς κρείττονος δυνάμεως γυμναζούσης τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ δεικνυούσης τῷ διαβόλῳ, ὅτι μηδὲ τῶν ἀληθῶς φροντίζει χρημάτων· οὔτε αὐτὸς ἀπήγγειλεν, οὕτε ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν, πλὴν ὅτι χρυσὸς ἦν ὁ φαινόμενος. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος τὸ μὲν πλῆθος ἐθαύμασεν, ὡς δὲ πῦρ ὑπερβὰς, οὕτως αὐτὸν παρῆλθεν ὡς μηδὲ στραφῆναιʼ ἀλλὰ καὶ δρόμῳ σπουδάσαι τοσοῦτον, ὥστε κρύψαι καὶ λαθεῖν τὸν τόπον. Μᾶλλον οὖν καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπιτείνας τὴν πρόθεσιν, ὥρμησεν εἰς τὸ ὅρος. Καὶ παρεμβολὴν ἔρημον, καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον μεστὴν ἑρπετῶν εὑρὼν εἷς τὸ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ, ἐκεῖ μετέθηκεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν αὐτῇ. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἑρπετὰ, ὥσπερ τινὸς διώκοντος, εὐθὺς ἀνεχώρησαν· αὐτὸς δὲ, τὴν εἷʼσοδον ἀναφράξας, καὶ ἄρτους εἷς μῆνας,ἓξ ἀποθέμενος (ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο Θηβαῖοι, καὶ πολλάκις μὲνουσι καὶ ὅλον ἒνιαυτὸν ἀβλαβεῖς), ἔχων ἔνδον ὕδωρ, ὥσπερ ἐν ἀδύτοις ἐγκαταδυόμενος μόνος ἔμενεν ἔνδον, μήτε αὐτὸς προϊὼν, μήτε τινὰ τῶν ἐρχομένων βλέπων. Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν πολὺν χρόνον οὕτω συνῆψεν ἀσκούμενος κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν μόνον ἅνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος δεύτερον δεχόμενος τοὺς ἄρτους. ### English translation (Claude) Then again, as he went on, he saw not an apparition but real gold scattered in the road. Whether the enemy showed it to him, or some higher power was training the athlete and showing the devil that he did not care even for real wealth, Antony himself did not tell, nor do we know; we know only that what appeared was gold. Antony marveled at the quantity, but stepping over it as one steps over fire, he passed by without even turning, and even hurried on at a run, so as to hide the place from himself and lose sight of it. Intensifying his purpose more and more, he set out for the mountain. And finding on the far side of the river a deserted fort, full of creeping things because of the length of time it had been abandoned, he moved there and lived in it. The creeping things left at once, as though someone were chasing them; and he blocked up the entrance, laid up bread for six months (the Thebans do this, and often it keeps unharmed for a whole year), and, having water inside, went in as into an inner shrine and remained alone within, neither going out himself nor seeing any of those who came. So he continued a long time in this discipline, receiving bread only twice a year, let down from the roof. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 12 (PG 26:861a–861b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-12). ## Life of Antony 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-13 - Source: PG 26:861b–864c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Visitors outside Antony’s fort heard demons raging within, but Antony told them to seal themselves with the cross and was found singing Psalm 68. ### Greek text Οἵ δὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενοι τῶν γνωρίμων, ἐπεὶ μή συνεχώρει τούτους εἰσελθεῖν, ἔξω. πολλάκις ἡμέρας καὶ νύκτας ποιοῦντες,ἤκουον ὡς ὄχλων ἔνδον θορυβούντων, κτυπούντων, φωνὰς ἀφιέντων οἰκτρὰς, κραζόντων·. Ἀπόστα τῶν ἡμετέρων· τί σοὶ καὶ τῇ ἐρήμῳ; οὐ φέρεις ἡμῶν τήν ἐπιβουλήν. Τὴν μὲν οὗν ἀρχὴν εἶναί τινας σὺν αὖτῷ μαχομὲνους ἀνθρώπους, καὶ τούτους διὰ κλιμάκων εἷʼσεληλυθὲναι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνόμιζον οἱ ἔξωθεν· ὡς δὲ διά τινος τρυμαλιᾶς παρακύψαντες, οὐδένα ἔβλεπον, τότε δὴ λογισάμενοι δαίμονας εἶναι τούτους, καὶ φοβηθέντες αὐτοὶ, τὸν ’Λντώνιον ἐκάλουν. Ὁ δὶ μᾶλλον τούτων ἤκουεν, ἢ ἐκείνων ἐφρόντιζε. Καὶ προσελθὼν ἐγγὺς τῆς θύρας, παρεκάλει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναχωρεῖν καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι· οὕτω γὰρ ἔλεγε τοὺς δαίμονας φαντασίας ποιεῖν κατά τῶν δειλιώντων. Ὑμεῖς οὖν σφραγίσατε ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ἄπιτε θαρῥοῦντες· καὶ τούτους ἄφετε παίζειν ἑαυτοῖς. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀπήρχοντο τετειχισμένοι τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ. Ὀ δὲ ἔμενε, καὶ οὐδὲν έβλάπτετο παρʼ αὐτῶν· ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἔκαμνεν ἀγωνιζόμενος· ἡ γὰρ προσθήκη τῶν γινομένων αὐτῷ τῶν ἅνω θεωρημάτων, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀσθένεια, πολλὴν αὐτῷ τῶν πόνων ἀνάπαυλαν παρείχετο, καὶ εἷς πλείονα προθυμίαν παρεσκεύαζε. Καὶ γὰρ συνεχῶς παρέβαλλον οἱ γνώριμοι, νομίζοντες εὑρίσκειν αὑτὸν νεκρὸν, καὶ ἤκουον αὐτοῦ ψάλλοντος· Ἀναστήτω, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ έχθροῖ αὐτοῦ, καὶ φυγέτωσαν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ οἱ μισοῦντες αὐτόν. Ὧς ἐκλείπει καπνὸς, έκλειπέτωσαν · ὡς τήκεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς, οὕτως ἀπόλοιντο ### English translation (Claude) Those of his acquaintances who came to him, since he did not allow them to enter, often spent days and nights outside, and they heard what sounded like crowds inside, making an uproar, banging, uttering pitiful cries and shouting: “Get away from what is ours! What have you to do with the desert? You will not withstand our attack.” At first those outside thought that there were some men fighting with him, who had got in to him by ladders; but when they peeped through a crack and saw no one, they reckoned that these were demons, and being afraid themselves they called to Antony. He heard them rather than paying attention to the demons; and coming near the door he urged the men to go away and not be afraid; for, he said, the demons create such apparitions against the fearful. “So seal yourselves and go away with courage, and let them mock themselves.” So they went away, fortified with the sign of the cross. He remained and suffered no harm from them; nor did he grow weary in the struggle; for the increase of the visions from above that came to him, and the weakness of his enemies, gave him great rest from his labors and prepared him for greater eagerness. For his acquaintances came constantly, thinking they would find him dead, and they heard him singing: “Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, and let those who hate him flee from his face. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire, so let … perish …” ### Scripture references - Ps 68:1–2 (67:2-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Mark 1:24: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Seal yourselves”: make the sign of the cross. - The chapter breaks off in the middle of Ps 68:1–2 (LXX 67:2–3) (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 13 (PG 26:861b–864c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-13). ## Life of Antony 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-14 - Source: PG 26:864c–865c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After about twenty years of seclusion Antony emerged unchanged in body and serene in soul, healed and counseled many, and drew many into the monastic life. ### Greek text Εἴκοσι τοίνυν ἐγγὺς ἔτη διετέλεσεν, οὕτω καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ἀσκούμενος, οὔτε προϊὼν, οὔτε παρά τινων συνεχῶς βλεπόμενος. Μετά δὲ ταῦτα, πολλῶν ποθούντων καὶ θελόντων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄσκησιν ζηλῶσαι, ἄλλων τε γνωρίμων έλθόντων, καὶ βίᾳ τὴν θύραν καταβαλόντων καὶ έξεωσάντων· προῆλθεν ὁ ’Δντώνιος ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος ἀδύτου μεμυσταγωγημένος καὶ θεοφορούμενος· καὶ τότε πρῶτον ἀπὸ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐφάνη τοῖς ἐλθοῦσι πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, ὡς εἶδον, ἐθαύμαζον ὁρῶντες αὐτοῦ τό τε σῶμα τὴν αὐτὴν ἕξιν ἔχον, καὶ μήτε πιανθὲν, ὡς ἀγύμναστον, μήτε ἰσχνωθὲν ὡς ἀπὸ νηστειῶν καὶ μάχης δαιμόνων τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν οἷον καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως ᾔδεισαν αὐτόνʼ τῆς δὲʼ ψυχῆς πάλιν καθαρὸν τὸ ἦθος οὔτε γὰρ ὡς ὑπὸ ἀνίας συνεσταλμένον ἦν, οὕτε ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς διακεχυμένον, οὕτε ὑπὸ γέλωτος ἢ κατηφείας συνεχόμενονο οὔτε γὰρ ἑωρακὼς τόν ὄχλον ἐταράχθη, οὕτε ὠς ὑπὸ τοσούτων κατασπαζόμενος ἐγεγήθειο ἀλλʼ ὅλος ἦν ’ίσος, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου κυβερνώμενος, καὶ ἐν τῷ κατά φύσιν ἑστώς. Πολλοὺς γοῦν τῶν παρόντων τὰ σώματα πάσχοντας ἐθεράπευσεν 6 Κύριος διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄλλους ἀπὸ δαιμόνων έκαθάρισε. Χάριν τε ἐν τῷ λαλεῖν ἐδίδου τῷ Ἀντωνίῳο καὶ οὕτω πολλοὺς μὶν λυπουμένους παρεμυθεῖτο, ἄλλους δὲ μαχομένους διήλλαττεν εἰς φιλίαν· πᾶσιν ἐπιλέγων μηδὲν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ προκρίνειν τῆς εἷς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης. Διαλεγόμενος δὲ καὶ παραινῶν μνημονεύειν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῆς είς ἡμᾶς γενομένης τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ὃς οὐκ ἐφείσατο τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόνʼ ἔπεισε πολλοὺς αἱρήσασθαι τὸν μονήρη βίον· καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν γέγονε καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι μοναστήρια, καὶ ἠ ἔρημος ### English translation (Claude) For nearly twenty years he continued in this way, training himself alone, neither going out nor being seen with any regularity by anyone. After this, since many longed and wished to imitate his discipline, and other acquaintances came and broke down the door by force and pushed it in, Antony came out as though from an inner shrine, initiated into mysteries and filled with God; and then for the first time he appeared from the fort to those who came to him. When they saw him, they were amazed to see that his body was in the same condition as before, neither grown fat from lack of exercise nor wasted from fasting and fighting with demons; he was just as they had known him before his withdrawal. And the character of his soul was pure: it was neither shrunk by grief nor relaxed by pleasure, nor gripped by laughter or dejection. He was neither troubled at seeing the crowd, nor overjoyed at being greeted by so many; but he was entirely even, as one governed by reason and standing in his natural state. Through him the Lord healed many of those present who suffered in body, and cleansed others of demons. He gave Antony grace in speaking; and so he comforted many who were grieving and reconciled others who were at odds, urging everyone to prefer nothing in the world to the love of Christ. As he talked with them and urged them to remember the good things to come and the love for humanity that God has shown us, “who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,” he persuaded many to choose the solitary life. And so from then on there came to be monasteries even in the mountains, and the desert … ### Scripture references - Rom 8:32: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”); its last words are lost. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 14 (PG 26:864c–865c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-14). ## Life of Antony 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-15 - Source: PG 26:865c–865d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony crossed a crocodile-infested canal unharmed and, by his constant teaching, inspired many new monasteries, which he led as a father. ### Greek text λιίἓῗνλζρείας δὲ γενομένης διελθεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν τοῦ Ἀρσινοΐτου διώρυγα (χρεία δὲ ἦν ἡ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπίσκεψις), πλήρης ἦν ἡ διώρυξ κροκοδείλων. Καὶ μόνον εὐξάμενος, ἐνέβη αὐτός τε καὶ,πάντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ διῆλθον ἀβλαβεῖς. Ὑποστρέψας δὲ εἰς τὸ μοναστήριον, τῶν αὐτῶν εἴχετο σεμνῶν καὶ νεανικῶν πόνων. Διαλεγόμενός τε συνεχῶς, τῶν μὶν ἤδη μοναχῶν τὴν προθυμίαν ηὔξανε, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων τοὺς πλείστους εἷς ἔρωτα τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἐκίνει, καὶ ταχέως, ἕλκοντος τοῦ λόγου, πλεῖστα γέγονε μοναστήρια, καὶ πάντων αὐτῶν ὡς πατὴρ καθηγεῖτο. ### English translation (Claude) When it became necessary for him to cross the canal of Arsinoe (he needed to visit the brothers), the canal was full of crocodiles. He simply prayed and went in, he and all who were with him, and they crossed unharmed. Returning to the monastery, he kept to the same holy and vigorous labors. By talking with them constantly he increased the eagerness of those who were already monks, and moved most of the others to love of the ascetic life; and quickly, as his word drew them, very many monasteries came into being, and he guided them all as a father. ### Translation notes - The first word is garbled in the scan; “when it became necessary” is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 15 (PG 26:865c–865d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-15). ## Life of Antony 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-16 - Source: PG 26:865d–868b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony begins his address to the monks: having begun the ascetic life, they should never slacken, for a short life of toil buys an eternal kingdom. ### Greek text Μιᾷ γοῦν ἡμέρᾳ προελθὼν, καὶ πάντων τῶν μοναχῶν ἐλθόντων πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀξιούντων τε παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον, ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς τῇ Αἰγυπτιακῇ φωνῇ ταῦταʼ Τὰς μὶν Γραφὰς ἱκανὰς εἶναι πρὸς διδασκαλίαν ἡμᾶς δὲ καλὸν παρακαλεῖν ἀλλήλους ἐν τῆ πίστει, καὶ ἀλείφειν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις. Καὶ ὑμεῖς τοίνυν ὡς τέκνα φέρετε τῷ πατρὶ λέγοντες ἃ οἴδατε κάγὼ δὶ ὡς τῇ ἡλικίᾳ πρεσβύτερος ὑμῶν, ἃ οῖδα καὶ ὧν πεπείραμαι μεταδίδωμι. Ἔστω δὶ προηγουμένως κοινὴ πᾶσιν αὕτη σπουδὴ, ἀρξαμένους μή ὑπενδοῦναι, μηδὶ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν τοῖς πόνοις, μηδὲ λέγειν. Ἐχρονίσαμεν ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὡς ἀρχόμενοι ’ καθʼ ἡμέραν, τὴν προθυμίαν ἐπαυξήσωμεν. ’Όλος γὰρ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρωπων βίος βραχύτατός ἐστι, μετρούμενος πρὸς τοὺς μέλλοντας αἰῶνας· ὥστε καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἡμῶν μηδὲν εἶναι πρὸς τήν αἰώνιον ζωήν. Καὶ πᾶν μὶν πρᾶγμα ἓν τῷ κόσμῳ τοῦ ἀξίου πιπράσκεται, καὶ ἴσον ’ίσῳ τις ἀντικαταλλάσσει· ἡ δὲ ἐπαγγελία τῆς αῗωνίου ζωῆς ὀλίγου τινὸς ἀγοράζεται, Γέγραπται γάρʼ Αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐβδομήκοντα ἔτη, ἐὰν δὶ ἐν δυναστείαις, ὀγδοήκοντα ἔτη, καὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν, κόπος καὶ πόνος. Ὅταν τοίνυν πάντα τά ὁγδοήκοντα ἔτη, ἢ καὶ ἑκατὸν διαμείνωμεν ὲν τῇ ἀσκήσει, οὐκ ἴσα τοῖς ἑκατὸν ἔτεσι βασιλεύσομεν, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τῶν ἑκατὸν αἰῶνας αἰώνων βασιλεύσομενʼ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἀγωνισάμενοι, ούκ ὲν γῆ κληρονομοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἔχομεν τὰς ἐπαγγελίας· πάλιν δὲ φθαρτὸν ἀποθέμενοι τὸ σῶμα, ἄφθαρτον ἀπολαμβάνομεν αὐτό. ### English translation (Claude) One day, then, when he had gone out, and all the monks had come to him and asked to hear a word from him, he spoke to them in the Egyptian language as follows: “The Scriptures are sufficient for instruction; but it is good for us to encourage one another in the faith and to anoint one another with our words. So you, as children, bring to your father what you know; and I, as your elder in years, will share with you what I know and have experienced. Let this above all be the common zeal of all of us: having begun, not to give up, nor to lose heart in our labors, nor to say, ‘We have spent a long time in the ascetic life’; but rather, as though beginning each day, let us increase our eagerness. For the whole life of human beings is very short when measured against the ages to come, so that all our time is nothing compared with eternal life. Everything in the world is sold for what it is worth, and one exchanges like for like; but the promise of eternal life is bought for very little. For it is written: ‘The days of our life are seventy years, and if in strength, eighty years, and most of them are toil and trouble.’ When, then, we persevere in the ascetic life for the whole eighty years, or even a hundred, we shall not reign for an equal hundred years; instead of the hundred we shall reign for ages of ages. And having struggled on earth, we do not receive our inheritance on earth, but have the promises in heaven. And again, laying aside a corruptible body, we receive it back incorruptible. ### Scripture references - Ps 90:10 (89:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:42: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:53: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “The Egyptian language”: Coptic. Antony’s address runs from here to chapter 43. - Ps 90:10 is quoted in the Septuagint form (LXX 89:10). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 16 (PG 26:865d–868b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/0/#p-16). ## Life of Antony 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-17 - Source: PG 26:868b–869c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Renouncing possessions is a small price for the kingdom of heaven; the monks should acquire the virtues, which alone go with them after death. ### Greek text ’Ώστε τέκνα, μὴ ἐκκακῶμεν, μηδὲ νομίζωμεν, χρονίζειν, ἢ μέγα τι ποιεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἄξια τα παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τήν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἷς ἡμᾶς δόξαν. Μηδὲ είς τὸν κόσμον βλέποντες νομίζωμεν μεγάλοις τισὶν ἀποτετάχθαιο καί γὰρ καὶ αύτή πᾶσα ἡ γῆ βραχυτάτη πρὸς ὅλον τὸν οὐρανόν ἐστιν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς κύριοι ἐτυγχάνομεν, καὶ ἀπετασσόμεθα τῇ γῇ πάσῃ, οὐδὲν ἄξιον ἦν πάλιν πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὡς γὰρ εἷʼ τις καταφρονήσειε μιᾶς χαλκῆς δραχμῆς, ἵνα κερδήσῃ χρυσᾶς δραχμὰς ἔκατὸν, οὕτως ὁ πάσης τῆς γῆς κύριος ὢν, καὶ ἀποτασσόμενος αὐτῇ, ὀλίγον ἀφίησι, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα λαμβάνει. Εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ἀξίά τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐστιν, ἡ ἄρα ἀφεὶς ὀλίγας ἀρούρας, ὡς οὐδὲν καταλιμπάνων, κᾶν οἰκίαν ἢ χρυσίον ἱκανὸν ἀφῇ, οὐκ ὀφείλει καυχᾶσθαι ἢ ἀκηδιᾷν. ’Ἄλλως τι ὀφείλομεν λογίζεσθαι, ὅτι, κᾶν μὴ ἀφῶμεν διʼ ἀρετὴν, ἀλλʼ ὕστερον ἀποθνήσκοντες καταλιμπάνομεν αὐτὰ πολλάκις καὶ οἷς οὗ θέλομεν, ὡς ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής. Διά τί οὖν μή διʼ ἀρετὴν ἡμεῖς καταλιμπάνομεν, *ίνα καὶ βασιλείαν κληρονομήσωμεν ; Διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲ τοῦ κτᾶσθαί τις ἡμῶν ἐπιθυμίαν λαμβανέτω. Τί γὰρ κέρδος ταῦτα κτᾶσθαι, ἃ μηδὲ αʼίρομεν μεθʼ έαυτῶν ; τί οὐ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνα κτώμεθα, ἃ καὶ μεθʼ ἒαυτῶν ἆραι δυνάμεθα, ἅτινά ἐστι φρόνησις, δικαιοσύνη, σωφροσύνη, ἀνδρεία, σύνεσις, ἀγάπη, φιλοπτωχία, πίστις ἡ εἷς Χριστὸν, ἀοργησία, φιλοξενία ; Ταῦτα κτώμενοι, εὑρήσομεν αὐτά πρὸ ἑαυτῶν ἐκεῖ ποιοῦντα ἡμῖν ξενίαν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῶν πραέων. ### English translation (Claude) So, children, let us not lose heart, nor think that we are spending a long time or doing something great. For ‘the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.’ Nor, when we look at the world, let us think that we have renounced anything great; for even the whole earth is very small compared with the whole heaven. If, then, we were lords of the whole earth and renounced the whole earth, it would again be worth nothing compared with the kingdom of heaven. As someone might despise one copper drachma in order to gain a hundred gold drachmas, so he who is lord of the whole earth and renounces it gives up little and receives a hundredfold. And if the whole earth is not worth as much as heaven, then the one who has left a few arouras, as though leaving nothing, even if he leaves a house or a good deal of gold, ought not to boast or lose heart. Besides, we ought to reckon that even if we do not leave these things for virtue’s sake, we leave them afterwards when we die, often even to those we would not wish, as the Preacher recalled. Why, then, do we not leave them for virtue’s sake, so that we may also inherit a kingdom? Therefore let none of us even conceive the desire to possess. For what gain is there in possessing what we cannot take with us? Why do we not rather acquire those things which we can take with us, namely prudence, justice, self-control, courage, understanding, love, love of the poor, faith in Christ, freedom from anger, hospitality? If we acquire these, we shall find them going before us, preparing hospitality for us there, in the land of the meek. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:18: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:29: allusion, medium confidence - Eccl 2:18–19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 6:7: echo, medium confidence - Matt 5:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “The Preacher” is Ecclesiastes (Eccl 2:18–19). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 17 (PG 26:868b–869c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-17). ## Life of Antony 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-18 - Source: PG 26:869c–869d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Like a servant who works every day, the monk must persevere daily, since past labors do not excuse present negligence, as Ezekiel and the fall of Judas show. ### Greek text ”Ωστε καὶ ἐκ τοιούτων πειθέτω τις ἑαυτὸν μὴ ὀλιγωρεῖν· καὶ μάλιστα, ἐὰν λογίσηται, δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ὀφείλοντα τῷ δεσπότῃ δουλεύειν. ’Ὠσπερ οὖν ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ ’ἀν τολμήσῃ λέγεινʼ Ἐπειδή χθὲς εἰργασάμην, οὐκ ἐργάζομαι σήμερον· οὐδὲ τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον μετρῶν, παῦσεται τῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν, ἀλλά καθʼ ἡμέραν, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ γέγραπται, τὴν αὐτὴν προθυμίαν δείκνυσιν, ἵνα τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ ἀρέσκῃ, καὶ μὴ κινδυνεύσῃ· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐπιμένωμεν τῇ ἀσκήσει, εἰδότες, ὅτι, ἐὰν μίαν ἡμέραν ἀμελήσωμεν, οὐ διὰ τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον ἡμῖν συγχωρήσει, ἀλλά διὰ τήν ἀμέλειαν ἀγανακτήσει καθʼ ἡμῶν. Οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεχιὴλ ἠκούσαμεν· οὕτως καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας διὰ νύκτα μίαν ἀπώλεσε καὶ τοῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου τὸν ### English translation (Claude) So let each one persuade himself by such considerations not to be negligent; and especially if he reckons that he is the Lord’s servant and owes service to his master. A servant would not dare to say, ‘Since I worked yesterday, I will not work today’; nor will he measure the time that has passed and rest in the days that follow; but each day, as is written in the Gospel, he shows the same eagerness, so as to please his master and not be in danger. So let us too persevere each day in the ascetic life, knowing that if we neglect it for one day, the Lord will not pardon us for the sake of the time that has passed, but will be angry with us for our negligence. So we have heard in Ezekiel too; so too Judas, because of one night, lost the … of the time that had passed … ### Scripture references - Luke 17:7–10: allusion, medium confidence - Ezek 18:24: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 33:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”); the sense is that Judas lost the labor of all his past time. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 18 (PG 26:869c–869d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-18). ## Life of Antony 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-19 - Source: PG 26:872a–872b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Living as though each day were one’s last guards against sin, greed, grudges, and lust, and keeps the soul mindful of judgment. ### Greek text Ἐχὼμεθα οὖν, τέκνα, τῆς ἀσκήσεως, καὶ μή ἀκηδιῶμεν. Ἐχομεν γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τὸν Κύριον συνεργόν, ὡς γέγραπται,’ Παντὶ τῷ προαιρουμένῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν συνεργεῖ ὁ Θεὸς εἷς τὸ ἀγαθόν. Εἷς δὲ τὸ μὴ ὀλιγωρεῖν ἡμᾶς καλὸν τὸ τοῦ ’Δποστόλου ῥητὸν μελετᾷν, τὸ, Καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀποθνήσκω. Ἂν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἀποθνήσκοντες καθʼ ἡμέραν, οὕτως ζῶμεν, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσομεν. ’Ἐστι δὲ τὸ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον, ἵνα, ἐγειρόμενοι καθʼ ἡμέραν, νομίζωμεν μὴ μένειν ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ πάλιν μέλλοντες κοιμᾶσθαι, νομίζωμεν μὴ ἐγείρεσθαι. ἀδήλου φύσει καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν οὔσης, καὶ μετρουμένης καθʼ ἡμέραν παρᾶ τῆς Προνοίας. Οὕτω δὲ διακείμενοι, καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν οὕτω ζῶντες, οὔτε ἀμαρτήσομεν, οὔτε τινὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἕξομεν, οὔτε μηκιιοῦμὲν τινι, οὔτε θησαυρίσομεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἀλλʼ ὡς καθʼ ἡμέραν προσδοκῶντες ἀποθνήσκειν, ἀκτήμονες ἐσόμεθα, καὶ πᾶσι πάντα συγχωρήσομεν ἐπιθυμίας δὲ γυναικὸς, ἢ ἄλλης ῥυπαρᾶς ἡδονῆς, οὐδʼ ὅλως κρατήσομεν, ἀλλʼ ὡς παρερχομένην ἀποστραφησόμεθα · ἀγωνιῶντες ἀεὶ καὶ προβλέποντες τήν ἡμέραν τῆς κρίσεως. Ἀεί γὰρ ὁ μείζων φόβος καὶ ὁ ἀγὼν τῶν βασάνων διαλύει τὸ λεῖον τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ τήν ψυχὴν κλίνουσαν ἀνίστησιν. ### English translation (Claude) Let us hold fast, then, children, to the ascetic life and not grow listless. For in this we have the Lord as our fellow worker, as it is written: ‘God works together for good with everyone who chooses the good.’ And so that we may not be negligent, it is good to meditate on the Apostle’s saying, ‘I die every day.’ For if we too live as dying every day, we shall not sin. The saying means this: when we rise each day, we should think that we will not survive until evening; and again, when we are about to sleep, we should think that we will not rise, since our life is by nature uncertain and is measured out to us day by day by Providence. Disposed in this way and living in this way each day, we shall neither sin, nor desire anything, nor bear a grudge against anyone, nor store up treasure on earth; but as people who expect to die each day, we shall be without possessions and forgive everyone everything. Desire for a woman or for any other filthy pleasure we shall not entertain at all, but shall turn away from it as something that passes, always struggling and looking ahead to the day of judgment. For the greater fear and the dread of torments always dissolve the smoothness of pleasure and raise up the soul when it is falling. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:28: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:31: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:19: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The saying on God working for good is a free form of Rom 8:28. - “Bear a grudge” translates a word garbled in the scan, by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 19 (PG 26:872a–872b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-19). ## Life of Antony 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-20 - Source: PG 26:872b–873b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Virtue is not far off but within us: it is the soul remaining straight, as God made it, and needs only our will. ### Greek text Οὐκοῦν ἀρξαμενοι καὶ ἐπιβάντες ἤδη τῇ ὀδῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐπεκτεινώμεθα μᾶλλον ’ἱνα φθάσωμεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν. Καὶ μηδεὶς είς τὰ ὀπίσω στρεφέσθω, ὡς ἡ γυνή τοῦ Λώτ· μάλιστα ὅτι Κύριος εἷʼρηκεν· Οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τήν χεῖρα ἐπʼ ἄροτρον, καὶ στραφεὶς εἷς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὔθετός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τὸ δὲ στραφῆναι οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν μεταμεληθῆναι, καὶ πάλιν κοσμικὰ φρονεῖν, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε δὲ ἀκούοντες περὶ ἀρετῆς. μηδὲ ξενίζεσθε περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος· οὐ γὰρ μακρὰν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἐστιν οὐδʼ ἔξωθεν ἡμῶν συνίσταται, ἐν ἱςΔ τῆν ’βασιλείαψ ἡμῖν δέ ἐστι τὸ ἔργον, καὶ εὔκολόν ἐστι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἐὰν μόνον θελήσωμεν. ’Έλληνες μὲν οὖν ἀποδημοῦσι, καὶ θάλατταν περῶσι, ἵνα γράμματα μάθωσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ χρείαν ἔχομεν ἀποδημῆσαι διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὔτε περᾶσαι θάλατταν διὰ τὴν ἀρετήν. Φθάσας γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Ἡ,βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστινʼ Οὐκοῦν ή ἁρετὴ τοῦ θέλειν ἡμῶν μόνου χρείαν ἔχει· ἐπειδήπερ ὲν ἡμῖν ἐστι, καὶ ἐξ ἡμῶν συνίσταται. Τῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς τὸ νοερὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἐχούσης, ἠ ἁρετὴ συνίσταται. Κατὰ φύσιν δὲ ἔχει. ὅτʼ ἂν ὡς γέγονε μένει, γέγονε δὲ καλὴ καὶ εὖθὴς λίαν. Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς παραγγέλλων ἔλεγε τῷ λαῷ Εὐθύνατε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσραήλ· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης· Εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους ὑμῶν. Τὸ γὰρ εὗθεῖαν εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ κατὰ φύσιν νοερὸν αὐτῆς ὡς ἐκτίσθη. Πάλιν δὲ ὅτʼ ἂν ὲκκλίνῃ. καὶ ἐν διαστροφῇ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν γένηται, τότε κακία ψυχῆς λέγεται. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἔστι δυσχερὲς τὸ πρᾶγμα· ἐὰν γὰρ μείνωμεν ὡς γεγόναμεν, ἐν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἐσμεν ἐὰν δὲ λογιζώμεθα τὰ φαῦλα, ὡς κακοὶ κρινόμεθα. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἔξωθεν ἦν ποριστέον τὸ πρᾶγμα, δυσχερὲς ὅντως ἦν· εἱ δὲ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστι, φυλάξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ ῥυπαρῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ ὡς παρακαταθήκην λαβόντες, τηρήσωμεν αὐτήν. ### English translation (Claude) Since, then, we have begun and have already set out on the road of virtue, let us strain forward all the more, so as to reach what lies ahead. And let no one turn back, like Lot’s wife, especially since the Lord has said: ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and turns back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.’ To turn back is nothing other than to change one’s mind and to think worldly thoughts again. Do not be afraid when you hear about virtue, nor be astonished at the word; for it is not far from us, nor does it come into being outside us; the work is within us, and the thing is easy, if only we will it. The Greeks travel abroad and cross the sea to learn letters; but we have no need to travel abroad for the kingdom of heaven, nor to cross the sea for virtue. For the Lord has told us beforehand: ‘The kingdom of heaven is within you.’ Virtue, then, needs only our will, since it is in us and arises from us. For virtue exists when the soul keeps its intellectual part in its natural state. And it is in its natural state when it remains as it was made; and it was made beautiful and exceedingly straight. That is why Joshua son of Nun, giving charge to the people, said: ‘Make your heart straight toward the Lord God of Israel’; and John said: ‘Make your paths straight.’ For the soul’s being straight is this: its intellectual part being in its natural state, as it was created. When, on the other hand, it turns aside and becomes distorted from its natural state, then this is called vice of the soul. So the thing is not difficult; for if we remain as we were made, we are in virtue; but if we think evil thoughts, we are judged as evil. If, then, the thing had to be procured from outside, it would truly be difficult; but since it is in us, let us guard ourselves from filthy thoughts, and as people who have received a deposit, let us keep it … ### Scripture references - Phil 3:13: allusion, high confidence - Gen 19:26: allusion, high confidence - Luke 9:62: quotation, high confidence - Luke 17:21: quotation, high confidence - Josh 24:23: quotation, high confidence - Matt 3:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 6:20: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Antony quotes Luke 9:62 and Luke 17:21 with “kingdom of heaven” for “kingdom of God.” - A few words in the middle (“the work is within us”) and at the end are garbled in the scan; the end is marked “…”. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 20 (PG 26:872b–873b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-20). ## Life of Antony 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-21 - Source: PG 26:873b–876b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony warns the monks against anger and desire and introduces the demons, who fill the air and wage war against Christians. ### Greek text Ἤ. Ἔστω δὲ ἡμῖν ἀγὼν, ὥστε μὴ τυραννεῖν ἡμῶν θυμὸν, μηδὲ κρατεῖν ἡμῶν ἐπιθυμίαν. Γέγραπται γάρ, ὅτι Ὀργὴ ἀνδρὸς δικαιοσύνην θεοῦ οὐ κατεργάζεται· ἡ δὲ ἐπιθυμία, συλλαβοῦσα, τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν· ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία, ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἀπολύει θάνατον. Οὕτω δὲ πολιτευόμενοι νήφωμεν ἀσφαλῶς· καὶ, ὡς γέγραπται, πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρῶμεν ἑαυτῶν τὴν καρδίαν. Ἐχθροὺς γὰρ ἔχομεν δεινοὺς καὶ πανούργους, τοὺς πονηροὺς δαίμονας· καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἐστὶν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολοςο Οὐ ’ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ *πνευματικᾶ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. Πολὺς μὲν οὖν ἐστιν αὐτῶν ὁ ὄχλος ἐν τῷ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἀέρι, ’καὶ μακρὰν οὐχ εἱσὶν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν· πολλή δὲ-τίς ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ διαφορά. Καὶ περί μὲν τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς πολὺς ἂν εἷή λόγος, καὶ ἄλλων μειζόνων ἢ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἔστι τὸ τοιοῦτον διήγημα ' το δὲ νῦν κατεπεῖγον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, γνῶναί ἐστι μόνον τὰς καθʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν πανουργίας. ### English translation (Claude) Let it be our struggle that anger may not tyrannize over us nor desire master us. For it is written: ‘The anger of man does not work the righteousness of God’; and ‘desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.’ Living in this way, let us keep sober and safe, and, as it is written, ‘keep our heart with all vigilance.’ For we have terrible and crafty enemies, the evil demons; and against them is our wrestling, as the Apostle said: ‘not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.’ Great is their crowd in the air around us, and they are not far from us; and there is great difference among them. About their nature and their differences there would be much to say, and such an account belongs to others greater than we are; what is urgent and necessary for us now is only to know their wiles against us. ### Scripture references - Jas 1:20: quotation, high confidence - Jas 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:23: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:12: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 21 (PG 26:873b–876b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-21). ## Life of Antony 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-22 - Source: PG 26:876b–876d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The demons were created good but fell; they envy Christians, and discerning their wiles requires prayer, discipline, and the Spirit’s gift of discernment. ### Greek text Πρῶτον τοίνυν τοῦτο γινώσκωμεν, ὅτι οἳ δαίμονες οὐ καθʼ ὅ δαίμονες καλοῦνται, οὕτω γεγόνασιν· οὐδὲν γὰρ κακὸν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεόςʼ ἀλλὰ καλοὶ μὲν γεγόνασι καὶ αὐτοὶ, ἐκπεσόντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς οὐρανίου φρονήσεως, καὶ λοιπόν περὶ τήν γῆν καλινδούμενοι, τοὺς μὲν ’Έλληνας ἠπάτησαν ταῖς φαντα- _I___. ( α- tu υ τʼ μ -, σίαις, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς φθονοῦντες,ποὶντα niveum,,θέλοντες ἐμποδίζειν ἡμᾶς τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς avsa—09' ἶίνα ὅθεν ἐξέπεσον αὐτοὶ ἀνέλθωμενἡμεῖςζ ριʼ ὃ καί πολλῇς εὐχῆς, καὶ ἀσκήσεώς ἔστι χρείαο ’ίνα τις, λαβὼν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρισμα διακρίσεως πνευμάτων, γνῶναι δυνηθῇ τὰ κατʼ αὐτους· καὶ τὶνες μὲν αὐτῶν εἷσεν ἔλαττον φαῦλοι, τίνες δὲ ἐκείνων φαυλότεροι, καὶ περὶ ποῖονʼ ἐπιτήδευμα ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἔχει τὴν σπουδὴν, καὶ πῶς ςἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἀνατρέπεται καὶ ἐκβάλλεται. Πολλᾶ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστι τὰ πανουργεύματα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς κινήματα. Ὀ μὲν οὗν μακάριος Ἀπόστολος καὶ οἱ κατʼ αὐτὸν ᾔδεισαν τὰ τοιαῦτα Λέγοντες· Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀφʼ ὧν ἐπειράθημεν παρʼ αὐτῶν, ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ### English translation (Claude) First, then, let us know this: the demons were not made as what they are now called, demons; for God made nothing evil. They too were made good; but having fallen from the heavenly wisdom, and rolling about the earth ever since, they deceived the Greeks with apparitions; and envying us Christians, they set everything in motion, wishing to hinder our ascent to heaven, so that we may not go up to the place from which they fell. Therefore there is need of much prayer and discipline, so that one may receive through the Spirit the gift of discernment of spirits and be able to know what concerns them: which of them are less wicked, and which more wicked than the others; to what pursuit each of them gives its zeal; and how each of them is overthrown and cast out. For their tricks and the movements of their plotting are many. The blessed Apostle and those with him knew such things, saying: ‘For we are not ignorant of his designs’; and we, from what we have experienced at their hands, ought to … one another from them … ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 12:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 2:11: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:31: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - A line in the middle (“set everything in motion … our ascent”) is garbled in the scan and translated by sense; the chapter breaks off at the end (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 22 (PG 26:876b–876d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-22). ## Life of Antony 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-23 - Source: PG 26:876d–877c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When evil thoughts fail, the demons try terrifying apparitions and false prophecies, which vanish before faith and the sign of the cross. ### Greek text Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν, ἐὰν ἴδωσι καὶ πάντας μὲν Χριστιανοὺς, μάλιστα δὶ μοναχοὺς, φιλοπονοῦντας καὶ προκόπτοντας, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπιχειροῦσι καὶ πειράζουσιν, ἐχόμενα τρίβου τιθέντες σκάνδαλα· σκάνδαλα δὲ αὐτῶν εἰσιν οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοί. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς φοβεῖσθαι τὰς ὑποβολὰς αὐτῶν· εὐχαῖς γὰρ καὶ νηστείαις καὶ τῇ εἷς τὸν Κύριον πίστει πίπτουσιν εὐθὺς ἐκεῖνοι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πεσόντες ού παύονται, αὖθις δὲ πάλιν προσέρχονται πανούργως καὶ δολίως. Ἐπειδᾲν γὰρ in φανεροῧ καὶ ῥυπαρᾶς ἡδονῆς μή δυνηθῶσιν ἀπατῆσαί τὴν καρδίαν, ἄλλως πάλιν ἐπιβαίνουσι· καὶ λὀιπὸν φαντασίας ἀναπλάττοντες ἐκφοβεῖν προσποιοῦνται, μετασχηματιζόμενοι, καὶ μιμούμενοι γυναῖκας, θηρία, ἑρπετὰ, καὶ μεγέθη σωμάτων, καὶ πλῆθος στρατιωτῶν. Ἀλλʼ οὐδέ οὕτῶς δεῖ τὰς τούτων φαντασίας δειλιᾷνʼ οὐδὲν γάρ εἰσιν, ἀλλά καὶ ταχέως ἀφανίζονται· ἐὰν μάλιστα τῇ πίστει καὶ τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἑαυτόν τις περιφράττῃ Τολμηροὶ δὲ εἰσι καὶ λίαν ἀναιδεῖς. Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ οὕτως ἡττηθῶσιν, ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ πάλιν ἐπιβαίνουσι. Καὶ προσποιοῦνται μαντεύεσθαι, καὶ προλέγειν τὰ μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἐρχόμενα, δεικνύειν τε ἔαυτοὺς ὑψηλοὺς ἄχρι τῆς στέγης φθάνοντας, καὶ πλατεῖς τῷ μεγέθει· ’ίνα οὓς οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν ἀπατῆσαι τοῖς λογισμοῖς, κᾶν ταῖς τοιαύταις φαντασίαις ὑφαρπάλοιπὸν ὖπάγονται τὸν ἄρχοντα ἑαυτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) These demons, then, if they see all Christians, and especially monks, toiling and making progress, first attack and tempt them, setting stumbling-blocks near the path; and their stumbling-blocks are evil thoughts. But we must not fear their suggestions; for by prayers and fasting and faith in the Lord they fall at once. Yet even when they have fallen they do not stop, but come again, craftily and deceitfully. For when they cannot deceive the heart by open and filthy pleasure, they attack again in another way, and now, fashioning apparitions, they pretend to frighten us, transforming themselves and imitating women, wild beasts, creeping things, huge bodies, and multitudes of soldiers. But not even so must we fear their apparitions; for they are nothing, and they quickly vanish, especially if one fortifies himself with faith and the sign of the cross. They are bold and utterly shameless. For if they are defeated even in this way, they attack again in another. They pretend to prophesy and to foretell what will come days later, and they show themselves tall enough to reach the roof and broad in size, so that those whom they could not deceive by thoughts they may snatch away by such apparitions … they bring in their ruler. ### Scripture references - Ps 140:5 (139:6 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The end of the chapter is garbled and partly lost in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 23 (PG 26:876d–877c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-23). ## Life of Antony 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-24 - Source: PG 26:877c–880b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Though the devil appears as the fiery monster of Job 41 and boasts of his power, Christ has bound him like a captive beast, and his light is only a foretaste of the fire prepared for him. ### Greek text Καὶ φαίνεσθαι αὐτοὺς πολλάκις ἔλεγε τοιούτους, οἷον τὸν διάβολον τῷ Ἰὼβ ὁ Κύριος ἀπεκάλυψε, λέγων· Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς εἶδος ἑωσφόρου. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαρῥιπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρόςʼ ἒκ μυκτήρων αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται καπνὸς καμίνου καιομὲνης πυρὶ ἀνθράκων. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρακες · φλὸξ δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται. Τοιοῦτος δὶ φαινόμενος ὁ τῶν δαιμονίων ἅρχων, ἐκφοβεῖ, καθὰ προεῖπον, μεγάλα λαλῶν ὁ πανοῦργος, ὡς πάλιν ἐξήλεγξεν αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος, τῷ μὲν Ἰὼβ λέγων· Ἥγηται μὶν γὰρ σίδηρον ἄχυρα, χαλκὸν δὲ ὥσπερ ξύλον σαθρόν· ἥγηται δὲ θάλασσαν ὥσπερ ἐξάλειπτρον, τὸν δέ τάρταρον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτον · ἓλογίσατο ἄβυσσον ὡς περίπατον· διὰ δὲ τοῦ προφήτου· Εἶπεν ὁ ἐχθρός Διώξας καταλήψομαι· καὶ πάλιν διʼ ἑτέρου· Τήν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρί μου, ὡς νεοσσιὰν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὠὰ ἀρῶ. Καὶ ὅλως τοιαῦτα κομπάζειν ἐπιχειροῦσι, καὶ ἐπαγγελλονται ταῦτα, ὅπως ἀπατήσωσι τοὺς θεοσεβοῦντας. Ἀλλʼ ἡμᾶς οὐδʼ οὕτως πάλιν χρὴ τοὺς πιστοὺς τάς τε φαντασίας τούτου φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ ταῖς φωναῖς αὐτοῦ προσέχειν. Ψεύδεται γὰρ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως ἀληθὲς λαλεῖ. Ἀμέλει τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα λαλῶν καί θρασυνόμενος, μὶν δράκων εἱλκύσθη τῷ ἀγκίστρῳ παρα τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὡς δὲ κτῆνος φορβαίαν ἔλαβε περὶ τὰς ῥῖνας, ὡς δὲ δραπέτης κρίκῳ δέδεται τοὺς μυκτῆρας, καὶ ψελλίῳ τετρύπηται τὰ χείλη, Καὶ δέδεται μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ὡς στρουθίον, εἷς τὸ καταπαίζεσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν· τίθενται δὲ αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ δαίμονες, ὡς σκορπίοι καὶ ὄφεις, εἰς τὸ καταπατεῖσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Καὶ τούτου γνώρισμα, τὸ νῦν ἡμᾶς πολιτεύεσθαι κατʼ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἐξαλείφειν καὶ τήν οἰκουμένην καταλαμβάνειν, ἰδοὺ νῦν οὐ δύναται κωλῦσαι τήν ἄσκησιν ὑμῶν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἐμὲ λαλοῦντα κατʼ αὐτοῦ. Μὴ τοίνυν προσέχωμεν οἷς ἂν λαλῇ (ψεύδεται γὰρ), μηδὲ δειλιῶμεν αὐτοῦ τὰς φαντασίας, ψευδεῖς καὶ αὐτὰς τυγχανούσας. Οὐ γὰρ φῶς ἐστιν ἀληθὲς τὸ φαινόμενον ἐν αύταῖςʼ τοῦ δὲ ἡτοιμασμένου πυρὸς αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον τὰ προοίμια καὶ τὰς εἰκόνας φέρουσι · καὶ ἐν οἷς κατακαίεσθαι μὲλλουσιν, ἐν τούτοις ἐκφοβεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πειράζουσιν. ’Δμέλει φαίνονται, καὶ παρʼ αὐτὰ πάλιν ἀφανίζονται· βλάψαντες μὶν οὐδένα τῶν πιστῶν, φέροντες ### English translation (Claude) He said that they often appear like the devil as the Lord revealed him to Job, saying: ‘His eyes are like the appearance of the morning star. From his mouth go forth burning lamps, and hearths of fire are cast about; from his nostrils goes forth the smoke of a furnace burning with a fire of coals. His breath is coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.’ Appearing in this form, the prince of the demons frightens people, as I said before, the crafty one speaking great things, as the Lord again exposed him, saying to Job: ‘He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood; he counts the sea as an ointment-pot, and the tartarus of the abyss as a captive; he reckons the abyss a place to walk’; and through the prophet: ‘The enemy said, I will pursue and overtake’; and again through another: ‘I will seize the whole world in my hand like a nest, and I will take it up like eggs that are left.’ In short, they try to boast of such things and make such promises, so as to deceive the godly. But not even so must we, the faithful, fear his apparitions or pay attention to his voice. For he lies, and speaks nothing true at all. Indeed, though he speaks such and so many things and is so bold, he was drawn out with a hook by the Savior like a dragon; like a beast of burden he took a halter about his nostrils; like a runaway slave he has his nostrils bound with a ring and his lips pierced with a bracelet. He has been bound by the Lord like a sparrow, to be mocked by us; and he and the demons with him are set like scorpions and snakes, to be trodden underfoot by us Christians. A proof of this is that we now live in opposition to him. For see, he who promised to wipe out the sea and to seize the world cannot now stop your discipline, nor even me as I speak against him. Let us not attend, then, to whatever he may say (for he lies), nor fear his apparitions, since they too are false. For it is not true light that appears in them; rather, they carry the preludes and images of the fire prepared for them; and with the very things in which they are to be burned, they try to frighten people. They appear, and at once vanish again, having harmed none of the faithful, bearing … ### Scripture references - Job 41:18–21 (41:10-Job LXX): quotation, high confidence - Job 41:27 (41:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Job 41:31–32 (41:23-Job LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 15:9: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Job 41:1–2 (40:25-Job LXX): allusion, high confidence - Job 41:5 (40:29 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Luke 10:19: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:41: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The descriptions of the beast in Job 40–41 (LXX) are applied to the devil. - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 24 (PG 26:877c–880b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-24). ## Life of Antony 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-25 - Source: PG 26:881a–881b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons may even imitate psalm-singing, Scripture reading, monks, and calls to prayer and fasting, but only to drive the simple to despair and turn them from the ascetic life. ### Greek text Δόλιοι δέ είσι καὶ ἓτοιμοι πρὸς πάντα μεταβάλλεσθαι καὶ μετασχηματίζεσθαι. Πολλάκις γοῦν καὶ ψάλλειν μετʼ ᾠδῆς προσποιοῦνται μὴ φαινόμενοι, καὶ μνημονεύουσι τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν λέξεων ο ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ ἀναγινωσκόντων ἡμῶν, εὐθὺς ὥσπερ ἠχὼ λέγουσιν αὐτοὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πολλάκις ἅπερ ἀνέγνωσται · καὶ κοιμωμένους ἡμᾶς διεγείρουσιν εἷς προσευχάς καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ποιοῦσι, σχεδὸν μή ἐπιτρέποντες ἡμῖν μηδὲ κοιμᾶσθαι. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ ἀποτυποῦντες ἑαυτοὺς είς σχήματα μοναχῶν, ὠς εὐλαβεῖς προσποιοῦνται Λαλεῖν, ἵνα τῷ ὁμοίῳ σχήματι πλανήσωσι, καὶ Λοιπὸν ἔνθα θέλουσιν ὲλκύσωσι τοὺς ἀπατηθέντας παρʼ αὐτῶν. Ἀλλʼ οὐ χρή προσέχειν αὑτοῖς, κᾶν εἰς προσευχὴν διεγείρωσι, κᾶν συμβουλεύωσι μήθʼ ὅλως ἐσθίειν, κᾶν κατηγορεῖν καὶ ὀνειδίζειν προσποιῶνται, ἐν οἷς ποτε συνέγνωσαν ἡμῖν. Οὐ γὰρ διʼ εὐλάβειαν ἢ ἀλήθειαν ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα τοὺς ἀκεραίους εἷς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐνέγκωσιν, καὶ ἀνωφελῆ τὴν ἄσκησιν εἷʼπωσι, ναυτιᾶσαί τε ποιήσωσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς φορτικοῦ καὶ βαρυτάτου ὄντος τοῦ μονήρους βίου, καὶ ἐμποδίσωσι τοὺς κατʼ αὐτῶν πολιτευομένους. ### English translation (Claude) They are crafty and ready to change and transform themselves into anything. Often, at any rate, without appearing, they pretend to sing psalms, and they recite words from the Scriptures; and sometimes, when we are reading, they at once repeat over and over, like an echo, the very things that were read. They rouse us from sleep to prayer, and do this constantly, scarcely letting us sleep at all. Sometimes, too, shaping themselves into the forms of monks, they pretend to speak like devout men, so that by the likeness of their appearance they may lead people astray and then drag those they have deceived wherever they wish. But we must not pay attention to them, even if they rouse us to prayer, even if they counsel us not to eat at all, even if they pretend to accuse and reproach us for things they once excused in us. For they do this not for the sake of devotion or of truth, but to bring the simple to despair, to call the ascetic life useless, to make people loathe the solitary life as burdensome and very heavy, and to hinder those who live in opposition to them. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 11:14: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 25 (PG 26:881a–881b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-25). ## Life of Antony 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-26 - Source: PG 26:881b–884a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even when demons speak the truth, as when they confessed Christ, they must not be heeded, for Christ silenced them and Christians have the Scriptures. ### Greek text Ὁ μὲν οὗν προφήτης ἀποσταλεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐταλάνιζε τοὺς τοιούτους λέγων · Οὐαὶ ὁ ποτίζων τόν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀνατροπὴν θολεράν. Τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα ἐπιτηδεύματα καὶ ἐνθυμήματα ἀνατρεπτικά τῆς εἷς ἀρετὴν φερούσης ἐστὶν ὁδοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος αὐτὸς διʼ ἑαυτοῦ, καίτοι τάληθῆ λέγοντας τοὺς δαίμονας (ἀληθῆ γὰρ ἔλεγον· Σὺ εἴ ὁ Υἱὸς Θεοῦ) ὅμως ἐφίμου, καὶ λαλεῖν ἐκώλυε, μή ποτε μετά τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν κακίαν ἐπισπείρωσι, καὶ ’ἱνα καὶ ἡμᾶς συνεθίσῃ, μηδέποτε τοῖς τοιούτοις προσἐχειν, κᾶν δοκῶσι τάληθή λέγειν ο καὶ γὰρ ἀπρεπὲς, ἔχοντας ἡμᾶς τὰς ἁγίας Γραφὰς, καὶ τὴν παρά τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἓλευθερίαν, διδάσκεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, τοῦ μὴ τηρήσαντος τήν ἰδίαν τάξιν, ἀλλʼ ἓτερα ἀνθʼ ἒτέρων φρονήσαντος. Διά τοῦτο καὶ λαλοῦντα τοῦτον τάσ ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν λέξεις κωλύει λέγων · Τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ° Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματός σου;~ Πάντα γὰρ ποιοῦσι, καὶ λαλοῦσι, καὶ θορυβοῦσι, καὶ ὑποκρίνονται, καὶ πράττουσι πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀκεραίων. Καὶ κτύπους οὖν ποιοῦσι, καί γελῶσιν ἀφρόνως καὶ συρίττουσιν θρηνοῦσιν ὡς ἡττηθέντες. ### English translation (Claude) The prophet sent by the Lord pronounced such beings wretched, saying: ‘Woe to him who gives his neighbor to drink a muddy overthrow.’ For such practices and thoughts overthrow the road that leads to virtue. And the Lord himself, even though the demons spoke the truth (for they did speak truly when they said, ‘You are the Son of God’), nevertheless muzzled them and forbade them to speak, lest along with the truth they should also sow their own wickedness, and to accustom us never to pay attention to such beings, even if they seem to speak the truth. For it is unfitting that we, who have the holy Scriptures and the freedom given us by the Savior, should be taught by the devil, who did not keep his own rank but turned his mind to one thing instead of another. That is why he forbids him even when he speaks the words of the Scriptures, saying: ‘But to the sinner God said: Why do you recite my statutes, and take my covenant in your mouth?’ For they do everything, they speak, make an uproar, pretend, and act, to deceive the simple. They make banging noises, laugh senselessly, and hiss; … they weep and lament as if defeated. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Luke 4:41: allusion, high confidence - Mark 1:25: allusion, medium confidence - Jude 1:6: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 50:16 (49:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Hab 2:15 is quoted in the Septuagint form. - A line is lost in the scan before the last clause (marked “…”); the sense seems to be that when no one heeds them, the demons lament as defeated. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 26 (PG 26:881b–884a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-26). ## Life of Antony 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-27 - Source: PG 26:884a–884c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Following the psalmist, monks should be deaf to the demons, whatever they urge, and not fear their threats, for they are powerless. ### Greek text Ὁ μὲν οὗν Κύριος ὡς Θεὸς ἔφίμου τοὺς δαίμονας ἡμᾶς δὲ, μαθόντας ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων, πρέπει κατʼ ἐκείνους ποιεῖν, καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀνδρίαν αὐτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ κάκεῖνοι ταῦτα βλεποντες ἔλεγον Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, κωφώθην, καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, και ἰσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν ' καὶ πάλιν · Ἐγὼ δὶ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὑκ ἢκουον, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος ούκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὑτοῦ. καὶ ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων. -.-........-.ης Ούκοΰν καὶ ἡμεῖς μήτε ἀκούωμεν αὐτῶν ὡς ἀλλοτρίων ὄντων ἡμῶν, μήτε ὑπακούωμεν αὑτῶν, κᾶν εἷς εὐχὴν ἐγείρωσι, κᾶν λαλῶσι περὶ νηστειῶν τῇ δί προθέσει τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἑαυτῶν μᾶλλον προσέχωμεν, καὶ μὴ παρʼ ἐκείνων ἀπατώμεθα πάντα πραττόντων μετᾶ δόλου. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς, κᾶν ἐπέρχεσθαι δοκῶσι, κᾶν θάνατον ἀπειλῶσιν ἀσθενεῖς γάρ εἶσι, καὶ οὑδὶν δύνανται, ἣ μόνον ἀπειλεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) The Lord, then, as God, muzzled the demons; but we, having learned from the saints, ought to act toward them as the saints did and imitate their courage. For they too, seeing these things, said: ‘When the sinner stood against me, I was mute and humbled, and kept silent even from good things’; and again: ‘But I, like a deaf man, did not hear, and was like a mute who does not open his mouth; and I became like a man who does not hear.’ So let us neither listen to them, since they are strangers to us, nor obey them, even if they rouse us to prayer, even if they speak about fasting; but let us rather attend to our own purpose in the ascetic life, and not be deceived by them, since they do everything with guile. We must not fear them, even if they seem to attack us, even if they threaten death; for they are weak and can do nothing but threaten. ### Scripture references - Ps 39:1–2 (38:2-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 38:13–14 (37:14-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 27 (PG 26:884a–884c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-27). ## Life of Antony 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-28 - Source: PG 26:884d–888a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since the Lord’s coming the demons are powerless; their threats, crowds, and disguises prove their weakness, while a true angel, as against the Assyrians, acts with quiet authority. ### Greek text Ἤδη μὶν οὖν περὶ τούτου παρερχόμενος εἴρηκα καὶ νῦν Εἰ πλατύτερον εἰπεῖν τὰ περῖ αὐτῶν ούκ ὀκνητέον ἀσφαλής γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ ὑπόμνησις ἔσται. Ἐπιδημήσαντος τοῦ Κυρίου, πέπτωκεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ἠσθένησαν αἱ δυνάμεις αὑτοῦ. Διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν μηδὲν δυνάμενος ὅμως ὡς τύραννος, καὶ πεσὼν οὑκ ἠρεμεῖ, ἀλλὰ κᾶν λόγοις μόνον ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τοῦτο ἕκαστος ὑμῶν λογιζέσθω, καὶ δύναται καταφρονεῖν τῶν δαιμόνων. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τοιούτοις σώμασιν ἦσαν ἐνδεθέντες, ὥσπερ ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς, δυνατὸν ἧν αὐτοῖς λέγειν, ὅτι Κρυπτομένους μὲν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οὐχ εὑρίσκομεν, εὑρόντες δὲ βλάπτομεν. Ἡδυνάμεθα δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς κρυπτόμενοι λανθάνειν αὐτοὺς, κλείοντες κατʼ αὐτῶν θύρας. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ εἰσὶν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κεκλεισμένων τῶν θυρῶν εἰσελθεῖν δύνανται, καὶ έν τῷ παντὶ ἀέρι τυγχάνουσιν αὐτοί τε καὶ ὁ τούτων πρῶτος διάβολος εἶσὶ 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 μᾶλλον κατʼ αὐτοῦ πολιτευόμεθα· δῆλοί εἰσι μηδὲν ἰσχύοντες. Οὔτε γάρ τόπος αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ἐπιβουλεύειν κωλύει, οὔτε φίλους ἡμᾶς ὁρῶσιν έαυτῶν,ίνα φείσωνται, οὔτε φιλάγαθοί εἶʼσιν, ἵνα διορθώσωνται· ἀλλά καὶ μᾶλλόν εἰσι πονηροί· καὶ οὐδὲν αὑτοῖς ἐστι περισπούδαστον ὡς τὸ βλάπτειν τοὺς φιλαρέτους καὶ θεοσεβοῦντας. Διὰ δὲ τὸ μηδὲν δύνασθαι ποιεῖν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲν ποιοῦσιν, ἢ μόνον ἀπειλοῦσιν· εἰ γὰρ ἠδύναντο, οὐκ ἂν ἔμελλον, ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς ἐνήργουν τὸ κακὸν, ἑτοίμην ἔχοντες εἷς τοῦτο τὴν προαίρεσιν, καὶ μάλιστα καθʼ ἡμῶν. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν νῦν συνελθόντες κατʼ αὐτῶν λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ἴσασιν ὅτι, προκοπτόντων ἡμῶν, " ἀσθενοῦσιν αὐτοί. Εἴ τοίνυν εἶχον ἐξουσίαν, οὐδένα ἂν ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀφῆκαν ζῇν · βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲν δύνανται, διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς τιτρώσκουσιν · ὅτι μηδὲν δύνανται ποιεῖν ὧν ἇπειλοῦσιν.”Επειτα κάκεῖνο λογίζεσθαι χρὴ, πρὸς τὸ μή φοβεῖσθαι τούτους· εἰ τὸ δυνατὸν ὑπῆρχεν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἃν ἤρχοντο μετʼ ὄχλου, οὐδὲ φαντασίας ἐποίουν, οὐδὲ μετασχηματιζόμενοι έμεθόδευον · ἀλλʼ ἤρκει καὶ μόνον ἐλθεῖν ἕνα, καὶ ποιῆσαι τοῦτο ὅπερ δύναται καὶ βούλεται· καὶ μάλιστα ὅτι πᾶς ὁ τήν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων οὐ μετὰ φαντασίας ἀναιρεῖ, οὐδὲ τοῖς ὄχλοις ἐκφοβεῖ, ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς ὠς βούλεται τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ καταχρᾶται. Ἀλλʼ οἱ δαίμονες, μηδὲν δυνάμενοι, παίζουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς, ἀλλάττοντες τὰς μορφὰς, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐκφοβοῦντες, τῇ τῶν ὅχλῶν φαντασίᾳ καὶ τοῖς σχηματισμοῖς· ἐξ ὧν μᾶλλον καταφρονητέοι ὡς ἀσθενεῖς ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι. Ὁ γοῦν ἀληθινὸς ἅγγελος, ἀποσταλεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου κατᾶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, οὗ χρείαν ἔσχεν ὄχλων, οὐ φαντασίας τῆς ἔξωθεν, οὐ κτύπων, οὐ κρότων ἀλλʼ ἡρέμα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ἐκέχρητο, καὶ ἀνεῖ- ### English translation (Claude) I have already spoken of this in passing; but now I must not shrink from speaking about them more fully, for the reminder will make you safe. Since the Lord came, the enemy has fallen and his powers have grown weak. That is why, though he can do nothing, he still does not keep quiet even after his fall, but like a tyrant he threatens, even if only in words. Let each of you reckon this, and he will be able to despise the demons. If they were bound in bodies such as ours, they could say: ‘We do not find people when they hide, but when we find them we harm them’; and we too could hide and escape them by shutting the doors against them. But they are not like this: they can come in when the doors are shut, and they are in all the air, they and their chief, the devil; they are malevolent and ready to harm; and, as the Savior said, the father of wickedness, the devil, is a murderer from the beginning. Yet we are alive now, and indeed we live in opposition to him; so it is clear that they have no strength. For no place hinders them from plotting, nor do they regard us as their friends so as to spare us, nor are they lovers of good so as to correct us; on the contrary they are wicked, and nothing is so dear to them as harming those who love virtue and revere God. But because they can do nothing, they do nothing but threaten; for if they could, they would not delay, but would at once carry out their evil, since their will is ready for it, especially against us. See, here we have come together and are speaking against them, and they know that as we advance they grow weak. If, then, they had the authority, they would not have let a single one of us Christians live; for ‘godliness is an abomination to a sinner.’ But since they can do nothing, they wound themselves all the more, because they can do none of the things they threaten. Next, one must also consider this, so as not to fear them: if they had the power, they would not come with a crowd, nor make apparitions, nor use tricks by transforming themselves; it would be enough for one alone to come and do what he can and wills. Above all, anyone who has authority does not kill by means of apparitions nor frighten with crowds, but at once uses his authority as he wishes. But the demons, being able to do nothing, play as though on a stage, changing their forms and frightening children with the appearance of crowds and with their shapes; and for this reason they ought rather to be despised as weak. The true angel, at any rate, sent by the Lord against the Assyrians, had no need of crowds, nor of outward apparitions, nor of banging or clattering; he quietly used his authority and slew … ### Scripture references - John 8:44: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Sir 1:25 (Sirach): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Godliness is an abomination to a sinner” is Sir 1:25. - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”); the angel struck down the Assyrian army (2 Kgs 19:35). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 28 (PG 26:884d–888a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-28). ## Life of Antony 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-29 - Source: PG 26:888b–888d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The devil had no power over Job except what God allowed, and the demons could not even enter the pigs without Christ’s leave. ### Greek text Ἐὰν δὲ τις τὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ λογίσηται, καὶ εἷʼπῃ, Διὰ τί οὖν ἐξελθὼν ὁ διάβολος πάντα κατʼ αὐτοῦ πεποίηκε; καὶ τῶν μὲν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτὸν ἐψίλωσε, τὰ δὲ τέκνα ἀνεῖλε, καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἔπαισεν ἕλκει πονηρῷ ; γινωσκέτω πάλιν ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὡς οὐκ ἦν ὁ διάβολος ὁ ἰσχύων, ἀλλʼ ὁ Θεὸς 6 παραδιδοὺς αὗτῷ πρὸς πεῖραν τὸν Ἰώβ· ἀμέλει μηδὲν δυνάμενος ποιῆσαι, ᾔτησε καὶ λαβὼν πεποίηκεν. Ὥστε καὶ ὲκ τούτου μᾶλλον καταγνωστέος ἐστὶν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ὅτι, καίτοι θέλων, οὐδε καθʼ ἑνὸς ἴσχυσεν ἀνθρώπου δικαίουʼ εἲ γὰρ ἴσχυσεν, οὐκ ἂν ᾔτησεν· αἰτήσας δὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεῦτερον, φαίνεται ἀσθενὴς καὶ μηδὲν δυνάμενος. Καὶ οὐ θαυμαστὸν εἷ κατᾶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ κατὰ τῶν κτηνῶν αὐτοῦ ἐγίνετο ὄλεθρος, εἰ μὴ συγχωρήσας ἦν ὁ Θεόςʼ ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ κατᾶ χοίρων ἔχει τὴν ἐξουσίαν· Παρεκάλουν γὰρ, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ γέγραπται, τὸν Κύριον, λέγοντες· Ἐπίτρεψον ἡμῖν ἀπελθεῖν είς τοὺς χοίρους. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲ χοίρων ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν κατʼ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγενημένων ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔχουσι. ### English translation (Claude) If anyone, considering the story of Job, should say, ‘Why then did the devil go out and do everything against him, stripping him of his possessions, killing his children, and striking him with an evil sore?’ let such a person know in turn that it was not the devil who had the strength, but God who handed Job over to him to be tested. Indeed, being able to do nothing himself, the devil asked, and having received permission, he did what he did. So from this too the enemy is all the more to be condemned, because, though he wished it, he could not prevail even against one righteous man; for if he had been able, he would not have asked. And by asking not once but a second time, he is shown to be weak and able to do nothing. And it is no wonder that he did not prevail against Job, when destruction did not come even upon his cattle unless God had permitted it. He does not even have authority over pigs; for, as it is written in the Gospel, the demons begged the Lord, saying, ‘Let us go into the pigs.’ And if they do not have authority even over pigs, much less do they have it over human beings made in the image of God. ### Scripture references - Job 1:12: allusion, high confidence - Job 2:6–7: allusion, high confidence - Matt 8:31: quotation, high confidence - Mark 5:12: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 29 (PG 26:888b–888d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-29). ## Life of Antony 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-30 - Source: PG 26:888d–889b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God alone is to be feared; the demons fear the ascetic virtues and the authority Christ gave his followers to trample them. ### Greek text Τὸν Θεὸν ἄρα μόνον φοβεῖσθαι δεῖ· τούτων δὶ καταφρονεῖν, καί μηδʼ ὅλως αὐτοὺς δεδιέναι. Ἀλλᾶ καὶ μᾶλλον ὅσον ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἐπιτείνωμεν ἡμεῖς τήν ἄσκησιν κατʼ αὐτῶν. Μέγα γὰρ ὅπλον ἐστὶ κατʼ αὐτῶν βίος ὀρθὸς, καί ἡ πρὸς Θεὸν πίστις. Φοβοῦνται γοῦν τῶν ἀσκητῶν τὴν νηστείαν, τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν, τὰς εὐχάς, τὸ πρᾶον, τὸ ἥσυχον, τὸ ἀφιλάργυρον, τὸ ἀκενόδοξον, τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην,τὸ φιλόπτωχον, τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας, τὸ ἀόργητον, καὶ προηγουμένως τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ πάντα ποιοῦσιν,’ίνα μὴ ἔχωσι τοὺς καταπατοῦντας αὐτούς. ’Ίσασι γάρ τήν κατʼ αὐτῶν δοθεῖσαν χάριν τοῖς πιστοῖς παρά τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέγοντος αὐτοῦ· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. ### English translation (Claude) God alone, then, must be feared, while these must be despised and not dreaded at all. Indeed, the more they do these things, the more let us intensify our discipline against them. For an upright life and faith in God are a great weapon against them. They fear the ascetics’ fasting, vigils, prayers, gentleness, quietness, freedom from love of money and from vainglory, humility, love of the poor, almsgiving, freedom from anger, and above all their piety toward Christ. That is why they do everything they do, so as not to have people who trample them underfoot. For they know the grace given to the faithful against them by the Savior, who said: ‘Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.’ ### Scripture references - Luke 10:19: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 30 (PG 26:888d–889b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-30). ## Life of Antony 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-31 - Source: PG 26:889b–892a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons only seem to foretell: being swift, they see travelers on the road and run ahead to announce them, but they know nothing that has not yet begun to happen. ### Greek text Ᾰν τοίνυν καὶ προλέγειν ὑποκρίνωνται, μὴ προσποιείσθω τις. Πολλάκις γὰρ πρὸ ἡμερῶν λέγουσι τοὺς μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἀπαντῶντας ἀδελφούς· καὶ ἔρχονται μὲν ἐκεῖνοι. Ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο οὗτοι, οὐ κηδόμενοι τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἀλλ”ίνα πιστεύειν αὐτοῖς πείσωσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τότε λοιπὸν ὑποχειρίους ἔχοντες, ἀπολέσωσιν· ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ προσέχειν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ λέγοντας ἀνατρέπειν χρὴ, ὅτι μὴ χρείαν ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς τούτων. Τί γὰρ θαυμαστὸν, εἴ λεπτοτέροις χρώμενοι σώμασι μᾶλλον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοὺς ἀρξαμένους ὁδεύειν ἑωρακότες, προλαμβάνουσι τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ ἀπαγγέλλουσι; τοῦτο καὶ ’ίππῳ τις έπικαθήμενος προλέγει, προλαμβάνων τοῦ ὁδεύοντος τοῖς ποσίν· ὥστε οὐδʼ έν τούτῳ χρή θαυμάζειν αὐτούς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν μὴ γενομένων προγινώσκουσιν· ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ πάντα γινώσκων πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν. Οὗτοι δὲ ἃ βλέπουσιν, ὡς κλέπται, προτρέχοντες ἀπαγγέλλουσι. Πόσοι νῦν τὰ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅτι συνήλθομεν, καὶ ὁμιλοῦμεν κατʼ αὐτῶν σημαίνουσι, πρὶν παρʼ ἡμῶν τις ἀπελθὼν ἀπαγγείλῃ; Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ παῖς τις ταχυδρόμος ποιῆσαι δύναται, προλαβὼν τὸν βραδύναντά. Ὃ δὲ λέγω, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Ἂν τις ἄρξηται περιπατεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς Θηβαΐδος, ἢ ἀπό τινος ἄλλης χώρας, πρὶν μὲν ἄρξηται περιπατεῖν, οὐκ ἴσασιν εἰ περιπατήσειʼ περιπατοῦντα δὲ τοῦτον ἑωρακότες, προτρέχουσι,καὶ πρὶν αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαγγέλλουσι· καὶ οὕτω συμβαίνει τοῦτον μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἐλθεῖν. Πολλάκις δὲ τῶν περιπατούντων ὑποστρεφόντων, ἐψεύσαντο αὐτοί. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, they pretend to foretell the future, let no one pay attention. For often they tell days beforehand of brothers who will arrive days later; and those brothers do come. They do this not out of care for those who hear, but to persuade them to trust them, and then, once they have them in their power, to destroy them. Therefore one must not attend to them, but even when they speak one must refute them, since we have no need of them. For what wonder is it if, using bodies finer than those of human beings, and having seen people who have set out on a journey, they outrun them and announce their coming? A man on horseback can also foretell this, outrunning the one who goes on foot; so we should not marvel at them for this either. For they foreknow nothing of what has not yet happened; God alone is the one who knows all things before they come to be. These, like thieves, run ahead and report what they see. How many of them are even now reporting our affairs, that we have met and are speaking against them, before any of us has gone off to tell it! A swift-running boy could do this too, outrunning a slower one. What I mean is this: if someone begins to walk from the Thebaid or from some other region, before he begins to walk they do not know whether he will walk; but having seen him walking, they run ahead, and before he arrives they announce him; and so it happens that he arrives days later. But often, when the travelers turn back, they have lied. ### Extrabiblical texts - Sus 42 (Susanna): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Bodies finer than those of human beings”: Athanasius, like many early Christians, speaks of demons as having subtle bodies; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 31 (PG 26:889b–892a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-31). ## Life of Antony 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-32 - Source: PG 26:892a–892b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons predict the Nile flood only because they have seen the rains in Ethiopia, like David’s watchman seeing a runner from a height; Providence can overturn their predictions. ### Greek text Οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοῦ ποταμίου ὕδατος ἔστιν ὅτε φλυαροῦσιν · ἑωρακότες γὰρ πολλοὺς ὑετοὺς γινομενους έν τοῖς τῆς Αἰθιοπίας μέρεσι, καὶ εἰδότες, ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἡ πλημμύρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ γίνεται, πρὶν έλθεῖν εἷς τὴν Αἴγυπτον τὸ ὕδωρ, προτρέχοντες λέγουσι. Τοῦτο δʼ ἂν καὶ οἱ ἅνθρωποι εἰρήκασιν, εἰ τοσοῦτον ἠδύναντο δραμεῖν, ὅσον ἐκεῖνοι. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ σκοπὸς τοῦ Δαβὶδ, ἀνερχόμενος είς ὑψηλον, μᾶλλον τοῦ κάτω μένοντος προέβλεπε τὸν ἐρχόμενον· καὶ αὐτὸς δὶ ὁ προτρέχων ἔλεγε πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων, οὐ τὰ μὴ γενόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἤδη ὁδεύοντα καί γινόμενα · οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι κάμνειν αἱροῦνται, καὶ σημαίνουσιν ἄλλοις,“ἰνα μόνον ἀπατῶσιν· ἃν μέντοι ἡ Πρόνοια μεταξύ τι βουλεύσηται περὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἢ τῶν ὁδευόντων (ἔξεστι γάρ αὐτῇ), ἐψεύσαντο οἱ δαίμονες, καὶ ἠπατήθησαν οἱ προσεσχηκότες αὐτοῖς.. ### English translation (Claude) So too they sometimes babble about the river’s water. For having seen heavy rains falling in the regions of Ethiopia, and knowing that the river’s flood comes from them, they run ahead and tell of it before the water reaches Egypt. Human beings too would have said this, if they could run as fast as they do. And as David’s watchman, going up to a height, saw the man coming sooner than the one who stayed below; and as the runner himself told it before the others, not things that had not happened, but things already on the way and happening; so these too choose to take the trouble and signal it to others, only to deceive them. But if Providence meanwhile decides something different about the waters or the travelers (for it is free to do so), the demons have lied, and those who heeded them have been deceived. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 18:24–27: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 32 (PG 26:892a–892b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-32). ## Life of Antony 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-33 - Source: PG 26:892b–893a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pagan oracles were demonic guesswork, like a physician’s or a farmer’s forecasts; foreknowledge has no value for salvation, which depends on faith and keeping the commandments. ### Greek text Οὕτω συνέστη τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων μαντεῖα, καὶ οὕτως ἐπλανήθησαν παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων τὸ πρίν ἀλλᾶ καὶ οὕτω πέπαυται λοιπὸν ἡ πλάνη. Ἦλθε γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ὁ σὺν αὐτῇ τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας καταργήσας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ γινώσκουσιν ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν· ἀλλʼ ὡς κλέπται, ἃ παρʼ ἄλλοις ὁρῶσι, ταῦτα διαβάλλουσι καὶ μᾶλλον στοχασταί εἰσιν ἢ προγνῶσται. Διὸ, κᾶν ἀληθῆ ποτε τοιαῦτα λέγωσι, μηδʼ οὕτως αὐτοὺς θαυμαζέτω τις. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἰατροὶ πεῖραν ἔχοντες τῶν νοσημάτων, ἐπειδὰν θεωρήσωσιν ἐν ἄλλοις τήν αὐτὴν νόσον, πολλάκις στοχαζόμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας προλέγουσι. Καὶ κυβερνῆται δὲ καὶ γεωργοὶ πάλιν, ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας βλέποντες τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος κατάστασιν, προλέγουσιν ἢ χειμῶνα ἢ εὕδιον ἀέρα ἔσεσθαι· καὶ ού διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ θείας ἐπιπνοίας αὐτοὺς ἄν τις εἷʼποι προλέγειν, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας καὶ τῆς συνηθείας. Ὅθεν εί καὶ οἳ δαίμονες τὰ αὐτά ποτε στοχαζόμενοι λέγουσι, μὴ διὰ τοῦτό τις αὐτοὺς θαυμαζέτω, μηδὲ προσεχέτω τούτοις. Τί γὰρ χρήσιμον τοῖς ἀκούουσι τὸ εἰδέναι παρὰ τούτων πρὸ ἡμερῶν τὰ ἐρχόμενα; ἢ ποία σπουδή τὰ τοιαῦτα γινώσκειν, κᾶν ἀληθῶς γινώσκῃ ; οὐ γὰρ ἀρετῆς ἐστι τοῦτο ποιητικὸν, οὐδὲ ἤθους ἀγαθοῦ πάντως ἐστὶ τοῦτο γνώρισμα. Ούδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν κρίνεται διὰ τί ούκ οἶδε, καὶ οὐδεὶς μακαρίζεται, ὅτι μεμάθηκε καὶ ἔγνω· ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις ἕκαστος ἔχει τὴν κρίσιν, εἰ τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκε, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς γνησίως ἐφύλαξεν. ### English translation (Claude) In this way the oracles of the Greeks were set up, and in this way people were formerly led astray by the demons; but even so the error has now come to an end. For the Lord has come, who brought the demons to nothing along with their very craftiness. For they know nothing of themselves; but like thieves they pass on what they see among others, and they are guessers rather than foreknowers. Therefore, even if they sometimes say true things of this kind, let no one admire them for it. For physicians too, who have experience of diseases, when they see the same disease in others, often foretell its course, guessing from experience. Helmsmen and farmers, again, seeing the state of the sky from experience, foretell either a storm or fair weather; and no one would say for that reason that they foretell by divine inspiration, but from experience and practice. So even if the demons sometimes say the same things by guessing, let no one admire them for it, or heed them. For what use is it to the hearers to know from them days beforehand what is coming? Or what zeal should there be to know such things, even if one knows them truly? For this does not produce virtue, nor is it at all a mark of good character. None of us is judged for what he does not know, and no one is called blessed because he has learned and known; but each one will be judged on this: whether he has kept the faith and truly guarded the commandments. ### Scripture references - 2 Tim 4:7: echo, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 33 (PG 26:892b–893a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-33). ## Life of Antony 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-34 - Source: PG 26:893a–893c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The aim of discipline and prayer is to please God and defeat the devil, not to foreknow; a pure soul can see further than demons, as Elisha did. ### Greek text ’Ὀθεν οὐ δεῖ περὶ πολλοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖσθαι· οὐδὲ διὰ ταῦτα ἀσκεῖσθαι καὶ πονεῖν, ἵνα προγινώσκωμεν, ἀλλʼ ’ίνα Θεῷ καλῶς πολιτευόμενοι ἀρέσωμεν. Εὕχεσθαί τι χρὴ, οὐχ ’ίνα προγινώσκωμεν, οὐδὲ τοῦτον τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἀπαιτεῖν μισθόνʼ ἀλλʼ ’ίνα συνεργὸς ἡμῖν είς τήν κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου νίκην ὁ Κύριος γένηται. Εἰ δὲ ἅπαξ καὶ τοῦ προγινώσκειν ἡμῖν μέλει, καθαρεύωμεν τῇ διανοίᾳ. Ἐγὼ γὰρ πιστεύω, ὅτι καθαρεύουσα ψυχὴ πανταχόθεν,καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἑστῶσα, δύναται, διορατικὴ γενομένη, πλείονα καὶ μακρότερα βλέπειν τῶν δαιμόνων, ἔχουσα τὸν ἀποκαλύπτοντα Κύριον αὐτῇ· οἵα ἧν ἡ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου βλέπουσα τὰ κατα τὸν Γιεζῆ, καὶ ὁρῶσα τὰς παρʼ αὐτὴν ἑστώσας δυνάμεις. ### English translation (Claude) Therefore we must not make much of these things, nor practice discipline and toil for their sake, in order to foreknow, but in order to please God by living well. And we must pray, not in order to foreknow, nor ask for this as the reward of our discipline, but that the Lord may be our fellow worker for victory over the devil. But if we do care at all about foreknowing, let us be pure in mind. For I believe that a soul pure in every way and standing in its natural state can, having become clear-sighted, see more and farther than the demons, since it has the Lord to reveal things to it; such was the soul of Elisha, which saw what Gehazi had done and beheld the powers standing beside him. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 5:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:17: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 34 (PG 26:893a–893c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-34). ## Life of Antony 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-35 - Source: PG 26:893c–896c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons flee the sign of the cross; visions of holy angels come quietly, bring joy and peace, and take away fear, as with Zechariah, the women at the tomb, and the shepherds. ### Greek text ’Όταν τοίνυν νυκτὸς ἔρχωνται πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ θέλωσι τὰ μέλλοντα λαλεῖν, ἢ λέγωσιν. Ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν οἱ ἄγγελοι· μή προσέχετε, ψεύδονται γάρ. Ἂν δὲ καὶ ἐπαινῶσι τήν ἄσκησιν ὑμῶν, καὶ μακαρίζωσιν ὑμᾶςʼ μήτε ύπακούετε, μήθʼ ὅλως προσποιεῖσθε τούτους· σφραγίζετε δὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὸν οἷκον, καὶ εὕχεσθε· καὶ ὄψεσθε αὑτοὺς καὶ γινομένους ἀφανεῖς. δειλοὶ γάρ εἷʼσι καὶ πάνυ φοβοῦνται τό σημεῖον τοῦ Κυριακοῦ σταυροῦ· ἐπειδήπερ ἐν αύτῷ τούτους ἁποδυσάμενος, παρεδειγμάτισεν ὁ Σωτήρ. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἆναιδέστερον στήκωσιν, ἐξορχούμενοι καὶ ποικιλλόμενοι ταῖς φαντασίαις· μὴ δειλιάσητε, μηδὶ πτήξητε, μηδὲ ὡς καλοῖς αὐτοῖς προσέχητε· καὶ γὰρ τήν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν φαύλων παρουσίαν εὐχερὲς καὶ δυνατόν ἐστι διαγνῶναι, τοῦ Θεοῦ διδόντος οὕτως. Ἦ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων ὁπτασία οὐκ ἔστι τεταραγμένη. Οὐκ ἐρίσει γὰρ, οὔτε κραυγάσει, οὐδὲ ἀκούσει τις τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῶν. Ἡσύχως δὲ καὶ πράως γίνεται οὕτως, ὡς εὐθὺς χαρὰν καὶ ἀγαλλίασιν καὶ θάρσος ἐγγίνεσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ· ἔστι γὰρ μετʼ αὐτῶν ὁ Κύριος, ὃς ἐστιν ἡμῶν μὲν χαρὰ, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡ δύναμις· οἷʼ τε λογισμοὶ αὐτῆς ἀτάραχοι καὶ ἀκύμαντοι διαμένουσιν· ὥστε καταυγαζομένην αὐτὴν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς, τοὺς φαινομένους θεωρεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ πόθος τῶν θείων καί τῶν μελλόντων αὐτῇ ἐπεισέρχεται, καὶ θελήσει πάντως συναφθῆναι τούτοις, εί άπήρχετο μετʼ αὐτῶν. Ἐὰν δὶ καὶ, ὡς ἄνθρωποι, τινες φοβηθῶσι τήν τῶν καλῶν ὀπτασίαν, ἀφαιροῦσιν οἱ φαινόμενοι τὸν φόβον παρʼ αὐτὰ τῇ ἀγάπῃ· ὡς ἐποίησε Γαβριὴλ τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ, καὶ ὁ φανεὶς ἄγγελος ἐν τῷ θείῳ μνημείῳ ταῖς γυναιξὶ, καὶ ὁ τοῖς ποιμέσι λὲγων ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· Μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ἐστι γὰρ ὁ φόβος ἐκείνων οὗ κατὰ δειλίαν ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς τῶν κρειττόνων παρουσίας. Τοιαύτη μὶν οὖν ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ὀπτασία. ### English translation (Claude) When, then, they come to you by night and wish to tell you the future, or say, ‘We are the angels,’ pay no attention, for they lie. And if they praise your discipline and call you blessed, do not listen to them, nor pay them any regard at all; rather, seal yourselves and the house, and pray; and you will see them vanish. For they are cowards and are greatly afraid of the sign of the Lord’s cross, since by it the Savior stripped them and made an example of them. And if they stand their ground more shamelessly, dancing about and changing their apparitions, do not be afraid or cower, nor attend to them as though they were good. For it is easy and possible, when God grants it, to distinguish the presence of the good from that of the evil. The vision of the holy ones is not turbulent; for ‘he will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice.’ It comes so quietly and gently that at once joy, gladness, and courage arise in the soul; for the Lord is with them, who is our joy and the power of God the Father; and the soul’s thoughts remain untroubled and calm, so that, illumined by them, it beholds those who appear. For a longing for divine things and for the things to come enters it, and it would wish to be wholly joined to them, if it could depart with them. And if some, being human, are afraid of the vision of the good ones, those who appear at once take away the fear by love, as Gabriel did for Zechariah, and the angel who appeared to the women at the divine tomb, and the one who said to the shepherds in the Gospel, ‘Do not be afraid.’ For their fear comes not from cowardice of soul but from recognizing the presence of higher beings. Such, then, is the vision of the holy ones. ### Scripture references - Col 2:15: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:19: quotation, high confidence - Isa 42:2: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 1:24: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 1:13: allusion, high confidence - Matt 28:5: allusion, high confidence - Luke 2:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Seal yourselves”: make the sign of the cross. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 35 (PG 26:893c–896c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-35). ## Life of Antony 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-36 - Source: PG 26:896c–897a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demonic visions bring fear, confusion, and evil desires, whereas holy visions bring joy and courage, as Abraham and John the Baptist rejoiced. ### Greek text Ἡ δὲ τῶν φαύλων ἐπιδρομή καὶ φαντασία τεταραγμένη, μετᾶ κτύπου καὶ ἤχου καὶ κραυγῆς· οἷα ἂν γένοιτο νεωτέρων ἀπαιδεύτων καὶ λῃστῶν κίνησις, Ἐξ ὦν εὐθὺς γίνεται δειλία ψυχῆς, τάραχος καὶ ἀταξία λογισμῶν, κατήφεια, μῖσος πρὸς τοὺς ἀσκητάς, ἀκηδία, λύπη, μνήμη τῶν οἰκείων, καὶ φόβος θανάτου· καὶ λοιπὸν ἐπιθυμία κακῶν ὀλιγωρία πρὸς τήν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τοῦ ἤθους ἀκαταστασία. ’Ὀταν τοίνυν Θεωρησαντές τινα φοβηθῆτε, ἐὰν μὲν εὐθὺς ὁ φόβος ἀφαιρεθῇ, καὶ ἀντʼ ἐκείνου γὲνηται χαρὰ ἀνεκλάλητος, καὶ εὐθυμία, καὶ θάρσος, καὶ ἀνάκτησις, καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν ἀταραξία, καὶ τὰ ἀλλα ὃσα προεῖπον, ἀνδρία τε καὶ ἀγάπη εἴς τὸν Θεὸν, θαρσεῖτε καὶ εὔχεσθε· ἣ γὰρ χαρὰ καὶ ἡ κατάστασις τῆς ψυχῆς δείκνυσι τοῦ παρόντος, τὴν άγιότητα. Οὕτως Ἀβραάμ ἰδὼν τὸν Κύριον ἠγαλλιάσατο· καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης, γενομένης φωνῆς παρά τῆς Θεοτόκου Μαρίας ἐσκίρτησεν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, Ἐὰν δὲ φανέντων τινῶν ταραχή γένηται, καὶ κτύπος ἔξωθεν, καὶ φαντασία κοσμικὴ, καὶ ἀπειλή θανάτου, καὶ ὅσα προεῖπον· γινώσκετε ὅτι φαύλων ἐστὶν ἡ ἔφοδος. ### English translation (Claude) But the assault and apparition of the evil ones is turbulent, with banging, din, and shouting, like the movement of undisciplined youths and robbers. From this at once arise cowardice of soul, confusion and disorder of thoughts, dejection, hatred of ascetics, listlessness, grief, memory of one’s family, fear of death, and then desire for evil things, neglect of virtue, and instability of character. When, then, you see something and are afraid: if the fear is at once taken away, and in its place comes unspeakable joy, cheerfulness, courage, recovery, untroubled thoughts, and the other things I mentioned, courage and love toward God, take heart and pray; for the joy and the settled state of the soul show the holiness of the one who is present. So Abraham rejoiced when he saw the Lord; and John leaped for joy when the voice of Mary, the Mother of God, came to him. But if, when some beings appear, there is confusion, banging from outside, worldly apparition, threats of death, and the other things I mentioned, know that it is an attack of the evil ones. ### Scripture references - John 8:56: allusion, high confidence - Luke 1:41: allusion, high confidence - Luke 1:44: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Mother of God” translates Θεοτόκος. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 36 (PG 26:896c–897a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-36). ## Life of Antony 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-37 - Source: PG 26:897a–897c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Lingering fear signals the demons’ presence; they try to make people worship them, as they did the Greeks, but Christ rebuked Satan with Scripture. ### Greek text Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο γνώρισμα ὑμῖν ἔστω ὅτʼ ἂν τοίνυν ἐπιμένῃ δειλιῶσα ἠ ψυχὴ, παρουσία τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφαιροῦνται τὴν δειλίαν τῶν τοιούτων οἱ δαιμονες ὥσπερ πεποίηκεν, ὁ μέγας ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ τῇ Μαρίᾳ καὶ τῷ Ζαχαρία, καί ὁ φανεὶς ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ ταῖς γυναιξίν· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὅταν ἴδωσι δειλιῶντας, αύξάνουσι τὰς φαντασίας,ίνα μειζόνως αὐτοὺς καταπτήξωσι· καὶ λοιπὸν ἐπιβάντες, προσπαίζωσι λέγοντες· Πεσόντες προσκυνήσατε. Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ’Έλληνας οὕτως ἠπάτησαν· οὕτως γὰρ ἐνομίσθησαν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ψευδώνυμοι θεοί· ἡμᾶς δὲ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ὁ Κύριος ἀπατηθῆναι παρά τοῦ διαβόλου, ὁπηνίκα τὰς τοιαύτας αύτῷ ποιοῦντι φαντασίας ἐπιτιμῶν εἷʼρηκεν. Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ· γέγραπται γάρ· Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. Μᾶλλον οὗν καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ πανοῦργος διὰ ταῦτα καταφρονείσθω παρʼ ἡμῶν· '6 γὰρ εἷʼρηκεν ὁ Κύριος, τὸν Κύριον, τὸν ἐν ταύταις αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιμήσαντα. ### English translation (Claude) Let this too be a sign for you: whenever the soul remains fearful, it is the presence of the enemies. For the demons do not take away the fear of such people, as the great archangel Gabriel did for Mary and Zechariah, and the one who appeared at the tomb did for the women; on the contrary, when they see people afraid, they increase their apparitions so as to terrify them more; and then they attack and mock them, saying: ‘Fall down and worship.’ So they deceived the Greeks; for in this way they came to be regarded among them as gods, falsely so called. But the Lord did not let us be deceived by the devil; for when the devil made such apparitions against him, he rebuked him, saying: ‘Get behind me, Satan; for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ More and more, then, let the crafty one be despised by us for these reasons; for what the Lord said … the Lord, who rebuked them with these words. ### Scripture references - Luke 1:30: allusion, high confidence - Luke 1:13: allusion, high confidence - Matt 28:5: allusion, high confidence - Matt 4:9–10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The end of the chapter is garbled and partly lost in the scan (marked “…”); the sense is that the Lord spoke these words for our sake, so that the demons, hearing them from us, might flee. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 37 (PG 26:897a–897c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/17/#p-37). ## Life of Antony 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-38 - Source: PG 26:897c–900b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Miracles belong to the Savior and are no ground for boasting; what matters is a virtuous life and the gift of discerning spirits. ### Greek text Ού δεῖ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ δαίμονας ἐκβάλλειν καυχᾶσθαι, οὐδʼ ἐπὶ ταῖς θεραπείαις ἐπαίρεσθαι· οὐδὲ τὸν μὲν ἐκβάλλοντα δαιμόνια θαυμάζειν μόνον τὸν δὲ μὴ ἐκβάλλοντα ἐξουθενεῖν· ἑκάστου δὲ τήν ἄσκησιν καταμανθανέτω τις καὶ ἢ μιμείσθω καὶ ζηλούτω, ἢ διορθούσθω. Τὸ γάρ ποιεῖν σημεῖα οὐχ ἡμῶν· τοῦτο Σωτῆρος ἔργον ἐστίʼ τοῖς γοῦν μαθηταῖς ἔλεγε ο Μὴ χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑποτάσσεται· ἀλλʼ ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τὸ μὶν γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ γεγράφθαι τά ὀνόματα, μαρτύριόν ἐστι τῆς ἡμῶν ἀρετῆς καὶ τοῦ βίου· τὸ δὲ ἐκβάλλειν δαίμονας, τοῦ δεδωκότος Σωτῆρός ἐστιν ἡ χάρις αὕτη· ’Ὁθεν τοῖς μὴ ἐν ἀρετῇ, ἀλλʼ ἐν σημείοις καυχωμένοις, καὶ λέγουσι· Κύριε, οὐ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν, καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δυνάμεις πολλὰς ἐποιήσαμεν; ἀπεκρίνατο· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν οὐκ οἴδα ὑμᾶς. Οὐ γὰρ γινώσκει Κύριος τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἀσεβῶν. Καθόλου δὲ εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, καθὰ προειπον, λαμβάνειν, χάρισμα διακρίσεως πνευμάτων· ἴνα, καθὼς γέγραπται, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύωμεν. ### English translation (Claude) We must not boast of casting out demons, nor be puffed up by healings; nor should we admire only the one who casts out demons and despise the one who does not. Rather, let each person learn the ascetic life of every other, and either imitate and emulate it or correct it. For working signs is not ours to do; it is the Savior’s work. He said to his disciples: ‘Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you, but that your names are written in heaven.’ For to have our names written in heaven is a testimony to our virtue and our life; but to cast out demons is a grace of the Savior who gave it. Therefore to those who boasted not in virtue but in signs, and said, ‘Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ he answered: ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ For the Lord does not know the ways of the ungodly. In general one must pray, as I said before, to receive the gift of discernment of spirits, so that, as it is written, we may not believe every spirit. ### Scripture references - Luke 10:20: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:22–23: quotation, high confidence - Ps 1:6: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 12:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 John 4:1: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 38 (PG 26:897c–900b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-38). ## Life of Antony 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-39 - Source: PG 26:900b–901a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony recounts his own encounters: demons flattered, threatened, appeared as soldiers, beasts, and false light, sang psalms, and shook his cell, but were routed by prayer and the psalms. ### Greek text Ἐβουλόμην μὶν οὗν σιωπῆσαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ λέγειν. ἀρκεῖσθαι δὲ μόνοις τούτοις· ἵνα δὲ μὴ νομίσητε ταύτά με λέγειν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ πείρας καὶ ἀληθείας πιστεύσητε ταῦτά με διηγεῖσθαι· διὰ τοῦτο, κᾶν ὡς ἄφρων γένωμαι, ἀλλʼ οἶδεν ὁ ἀκούων Κύριος τὸ τοῦ συνειδότος καθαρὸν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ διʼ ἐμαυτὸν, τῆς δὲ ὑμῶν ἀγάπης χάριν καὶ προτροπῆς,; ἃ εἶδον τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιτηδεύματα, ταῦτα πάλιν λέγω. Ποσάκις ἐμακάρισάν με, κάγὼ κατηρασάμην αὐτοὺς ἒν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Ποσάκις προειρήκασι περὶ τοῦ ποταμίου ὕδατος, κάγὼ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγον· Καὶ ὑμῖν τί περὶ τούτου μὲλει; Ἧλθόν ποτε ἀπειλοῦντες, καὶ ἐκύκλωσάν με ὡς στρατιῶται μετὰ πανοπλίας. Καὶ ἄλλοτε ἵππων καὶ θηρίων καὶ ὲρπετων ἐπλήρωσαν τὸν οἶκον· κάγὼ ἔψαλλον· Οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασι, καὶ οὗτοι ὲν ἵπποις· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα· καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἀνετράπησαν ἐκεῖνοι παρᾶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἠλθόν ποτε ἐν σκοτίᾳ, φωτὸς ἔχοντες φαντασίαν, καὶ ἔλεγον. Ἤλθομεν φᾶναί σοι, Ἀντώνιε· Ἐγὼ δὲ, καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ηὐχόμην, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐσβέσθη τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀσεβῶν. Καὶ μετὰ μῆνας ὀλίγους ἦλθον ὡς ψάλλοντες, καὶ λαλοῦντες ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν· Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον. Ἔσεισάν ποτε τὸ μοναστήριον ἐγὼ δὲ ηὐχόμην ἀκίνητος μενων τῷ φρονήματι. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν ἐλθόντες ἐκρότουν, ἐσύριττον, ὠρχοῦντο. Ὦς δὲ ηὐχόμην, καὶ ἀνεκείμην ψάλλων κατʼ ἐμαυτόν· εὐθὺς ἤρξαντο θρηνεῖν καὶ κλαίειν, ὥσπερ ἐξατονήσαντες· ἐγὼ δὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν Κύριον, τὸν καθελόντα καὶ παραδειγματίσαντα τὴν τόλμαν καὶ τὴν μανίαν αὐτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) I wanted to keep silent and say nothing of my own, but to be content with these words alone. But so that you may not think I am saying these things idly, but may believe that I recount them from experience and truth, for this reason, even if I become a fool, the Lord who hears knows the purity of my conscience, and that it is not for my own sake but for the sake of your love and encouragement that I tell again what I have seen of the demons’ practices. How often they called me blessed, and I cursed them in the name of the Lord! How often they foretold the rising of the river, and I said to them: ‘And what is that to you?’ Once they came threatening and surrounded me like soldiers in full armor. Another time they filled the house with horses, wild beasts, and creeping things; and I sang: ‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will be magnified in the name of the Lord our God’; and at my prayers they were routed by the Lord. Once they came in darkness, with the appearance of light, and said: ‘We have come to give you light, Antony.’ But I shut my eyes and prayed, and at once the light of the ungodly was quenched. A few months later they came as if singing psalms and speaking from the Scriptures; ‘but I, like a deaf man, did not hear.’ Once they shook the monastery; but I prayed, remaining unmoved in mind. And after this they came again, clapping, hissing, and dancing. But as I prayed, and lay singing psalms to myself, at once they began to lament and weep as though their strength had failed; and I glorified the Lord, who brought down their daring and their madness and made an example of them. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 12:11: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 20:7 (19:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Job 18:5: echo, medium confidence - Ps 38:13 (37:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Col 2:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 39 (PG 26:900b–901a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-39). ## Life of Antony 40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-40 - Source: PG 26:901a–901c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony tells how a demon claiming to be God’s power, a demon disguised as a monk offering bread, and visions of gold all vanished at the name of Christ, prayer, and psalms. ### Greek text Ἐφάνη ποτε δαίμων ὑψηλὸς λίαν μετά φαντασιας, καὶ τετόλμηκεν εἰπεῖν· Ἐγὼ εἶμι ἠ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦʼ καὶ, Ἐγώ εἷʼμι ἡ πρόνοια· τί σοι θέλεις χαρίσωμαι; Ἐγὼ δὲ τότε μᾶλλον ἐνεφύσησα κατʼ αὐτοῦ, τὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάσας, καὶ τύψαι τοῦτον ἒπεχείρησα· καὶ ἔδοξα τετυφέναι, καὶ εὐθὺς 6 τηλικοῦτος σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δαίμοσι ἠφανίσθη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἥλθὲ ποτε νηστεύοντός μου, καὶ ὡς μοναχὸς ὁ δόλιος, ἔχων ἄρτων φαντασίαν· καὶ συνεβούλευε λέγων· Φάγε, καὶ παῦσαι τῶν πολλῶν πόνων· ἅνθρωπος εἷ καὶ σὺ, καὶ μέλλεις ἀσθενεῖν. Ἐγὼ δὲ, νοήσας αὐτοῦ τὴν μεθοδείαν, ἀνέστην εὔξασθαι. Κάκεῖνος οὐκ ἤνεγκεν* ἐξέλιπε γὰρ, καὶ διὰ τῆς θύρας ὡς καπνὸς ἐξερχόμενος ἐφάνη. Ποσάκις ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ φαντασίαν ἔδειξε χρυσοῦ, ’ίνα μόνον ἅψωμαι, καὶ βλέψω ! ἐγὼ δὲ κατὲψαλλον αὐτοῦ, κάκεῖνος ἐτήκετο. Πολλάκις ἔκοπτόν με πληγαῖς, κάγὼ ἔλεγον· Οὐδὲν με χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κατέκοπτον ἀλλήλους. Ούκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἤμην 6 παύων ἐκείνους καὶ καταργῶν· ἀλλʼ ὁ Κύριος ἦν, ὁ λέγωνʼ Ἐθεώρουν τὸν Σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν, ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα. Ἐγὼ δὲ, τέκνα, μνημονεύων τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ ῥητοῦ, μετεσχημάτισα ταῦτα εἷς ἐμαυτὸν, ’ίνα μάθητε μή ἐκκακεῖν ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει, μηδὲ φοβεῖσθαι τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ τὰς φαντασίας. ### English translation (Claude) Once a demon appeared, very tall, with an apparition, and dared to say: ‘I am the power of God,’ and ‘I am providence; what do you wish me to give you?’ But then I blew upon him all the more, naming Christ, and tried to strike him; and I seemed to have struck him, and at once that huge figure vanished, with all his demons, at the name of Christ. Once, when I was fasting, the crafty one came like a monk, with an apparition of loaves, and counseled me, saying: ‘Eat, and rest from your many labors; you too are a man and are going to fall ill.’ But I, perceiving his trickery, got up to pray; and he could not bear it, for he vanished and was seen going out through the door like smoke. How often in the desert he showed me an apparition of gold, only so that I might touch it and look at it! But I sang psalms against him, and he melted away. Often they beat me with blows, and I said: ‘Nothing will separate me from the love of Christ’; and after that they rather beat one another. It was not I who stopped them and brought them to nothing, but the Lord, who said: ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’ And I, children, remembering the apostolic saying, have applied these things to myself, so that you may learn not to lose heart in the ascetic life nor to fear the apparitions of the devil and his demons. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:35: allusion, high confidence - Luke 10:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Blew upon him”: a gesture of rejection, as in the exorcisms before baptism. - “The apostolic saying” is 1 Cor 4:6, where Paul applies things to himself “for your sake.” ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 40 (PG 26:901a–901c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-40). ## Life of Antony 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-41 - Source: PG 26:904a–904b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Satan himself came to Antony complaining that he had become powerless, since Christians were everywhere and even the desert was full of monks. ### Greek text Καὶ ἐπειδή γέγονα ἄφρων διηγούμενος, δέξασθε καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν καί ἀφοβίαν ” καὶ πιστεύσατέ μοιʼ οὐ ψεύδομαι γάρ. Ἐκρουσὲ ποτέ τις ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ τὴν ἐμὴν θύραν καὶ ἐξελθὼν, εἶδόν τινα μακρὸν καὶ ὑψηλὸν φαινόμενον· Εἶτα πυθομένου μου· Σὺ τίς εἶ; ἔφη· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Σατανᾶς. Εἶτα λέγοντός μου· Τί οὖν ἐνταῦθα πάρει; ἔλεγεν ἐκεῖνος· Τί μέμφονταί με μάτην οἱ μοναχοί, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες Χριστιανοί ; Τί μοι καταρῶνται καθʼ ὥραν; Ἐμοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος· Τί γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐνοχλεῖς ; ἔφη· Οὐκ εἷμί ἐγὼ ὁ ἐνοχλῶν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ταράττουσιν ἑαυτούς· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀσθενὴς γέγονα. Οὐκ ἀνέγνωσαν, ὅτι Του ἐχθροῦ ἐξέλιπον αἱ ῥομφαῖαι εἰς τέλος, καὶ πόλεις καθεῖλες ; οὐκ ἔτι τόπον ἔχω, οὐ βὲλος, οὗ πόλιν. Πανταχοῦ Χριστιανοὶ γεγόνασι· λοιπὸν καὶ ἡ ἕρημος πεπλήρωται μοναχῶν. Ἑαυτοὺς τηρείτωσαν, καὶ μὴ μάτην με καταράσθωσαν. Τότε θαυμάσας ἐγὼ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν χάριν, εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόνʼ Ἀεὶ ψεύστης ὢν, καὶ μηδέποτε λέγων ἀληθές, ὅμως τοῦτο νῦν, καὶ μὴ θέλων, εἴρηκας ἀληθὲς· ὁ γὰρ Χριστὸς, ἐλθὼν, ἀσθενῆ σε πεποίηκε, καὶ καταβαλὼν ἐγύμνωσεν. Ἐκεῖνος, ἀκούσας τὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὄνομα, καί μὴ φέρων τήν ἐκ τούτου καῦσιν, ἀφανὴς γέγονεν. ### English translation (Claude) And since I have become a fool in telling these things, receive this too for your safety and freedom from fear; and believe me, for I do not lie. Once someone knocked at my door in the monastery; and going out, I saw someone appearing very large and tall. When I asked, ‘Who are you?’ he said, ‘I am Satan.’ When I then said, ‘Why are you here?’ he said: ‘Why do the monks and all the other Christians blame me for nothing? Why do they curse me every hour?’ When I said, ‘Why then do you trouble them?’ he said: ‘It is not I who trouble them; they trouble themselves; for I have become weak. Have they not read that the swords of the enemy have failed utterly, and you have destroyed cities? I no longer have a place, nor a dart, nor a city. Everywhere there are Christians; and now even the desert is filled with monks. Let them guard themselves and not curse me for nothing.’ Then, marveling at the grace of the Lord, I said to him: ‘Though you are always a liar and never speak the truth, yet this time, even against your will, you have spoken the truth; for Christ by his coming has made you weak, and has cast you down and stripped you bare.’ When he heard the Savior’s name, he could not bear its burning, and vanished. ### Scripture references - Ps 9:6 (9:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Ps 9:6 is quoted in the Septuagint form (LXX 9:7). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 41 (PG 26:904a–904b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-41). ## Life of Antony 42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-42 - Source: PG 26:904b–905d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons mirror the soul they find: fear invites their attack, while joy in the Lord and hope drive them away, as with Job and Judas. ### Greek text Ei τοίνυν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος ὁμολογεῖ μηδὲν δύνασθαι, ὀφείλομεν παντελῶς καταφρονεῖν αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ. Ὀ μὲν οὗν ἐχθρὸς μετὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κυνῶν τοσαύτας ἔχει τὰς πανουργίας· ἡμεῖς δὲ, μαθόντες αὐτῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καταφρονεῖν αύτῶν δυνάμεθα. Τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τρόπον μή προκαταπίπτωμεν τῇ διανοίᾳ, μηδὲ λογιζώμεθα ἐν τῇ ψυχῆ δειλίας, μηδὲ ἀναπλάττωμεν ἑαυτοῖς φόβους, λέγοντεςʼ Μὴ ἄρα δαίμων ἐλθὼν ἀνατρέψῃ με· μή ἄρα βαστάξας καταβάλῃ, ἢ ἐξαίφνης ἐπιστὰς ἐπιταράξῃ. Μηδʼ ὅλως ἐνθυμώμεθα τοιαῦτα, μηδὲ λυπὼμεθα ὡς ἀπολλύμενοι· θαρρῶμεν δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ χαίρωμεν ἀεὶ, ὡς σωζόμενοι· καὶ λογιζώμεθα τῇ ψυχῇ, ὅτι Κύριος μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐστιν, ὁ τροπώσας καὶ καταργήσας αὐτούς. Καὶ διανοώμεθα δὲ καὶ ἐνθυμώμεθα ἀεὶ, ὅτι, ὄντος τοῦ Κυρίου μεθʼ ἡμῶν, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν οἱ ἐχθροὶ ποιήσουσιν. Ἐλθόντες γὰρ, ὁποίους ἂν εὕρωσιν ἡμᾶς, τοιοῦτοι καὶ αὐτοὶ γίνονται πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ πρὸς ἃς εὑρίσκουσιν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐννοίας, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς φαντασίας ἀφομοιοῦσιν. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν δειλιῶντας εὕρωσι καὶ ταραττομένους, εὐθὺς αὐτοὶ, ὥς λῃσταὶ, τὸν τόπον ἀφύλακτον εὑρόντες, ὲπὶβαίνουσι· καὶ ὅπερ ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν λογιζόμεθα, τοῦτο μετὰ προσθήκης ποιοῦσιν. Ἐὰν γὰρ βλέπωσιν ἡμᾶς φοβουμένους καὶ δειλιῶντας, μειζόνως αὑξάνουσι τὴν δειλίαν ὲν ταῖς φαντασίαις καὶ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς· καὶ λοιπὸν ὲν τούτοις ἡ ταλαίπωρος κολάζεται ψυχή· ἐὰν δὲ χαίροντας ἡμᾶς εὕρωσιν ὲν Κυρίῳ, καὶ λογιζομένους περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ἐνθυμουμένους τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ διαλογιζομένους, ὅτι πάντα ὲν χειρὶ Κυρίου ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἰσχύει δαίμων κατὰ Χριστιανοῦ, οὐδὲ ὅλως ἐξουσίαν ἔχει κατά τινος· βλέποντες ἠσφαλισμένην τὴν ψυχὴν τοῖς τοιούτοις λογισμοῖς, ἀποστρέφονται ᾐσχυμμένοι. Οὕτως τὸν μὲν Ἰὼβ ἰδὼν ὁ ἐχθρὸς περιπεφραγμένον, ἀνεχώρησεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ· τὸν δὲ Ἰούδαν γυμνὸν,ἀπὸ τούτων εὑρὼν, ᾐχμαλώτισεν. Ὥστε, εί θέλομεν καταφρονεῖν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, λογιζώμεθα ἀεὶ τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ χαιρέτω ἀεὶ ἠ ψυχὴ τῇ ἐλπίδι· καὶ ὀψόμεθα ὡς καπνὸν τά τῶν δαιμόνων παίγνια, καὶ μᾶλλον φεύγοντας αὐτοὺς ἥ διώκοντας. Εἰσὶ γὰρ λίαν αὐτοὶ, ὡς προεῖπον, δειλοὶ, προσδοκῶντες ἀεὶ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον αὐτοῖς πῦρ. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, the devil himself confesses that he can do nothing, we ought to despise him and his demons completely. The enemy with his dogs has all these tricks; but we, having learned their weakness, are able to despise them. In this way, then, let us not be cast down beforehand in our minds, nor entertain cowardice in our souls, nor fashion fears for ourselves, saying: ‘What if a demon comes and overthrows me? What if he lifts me up and hurls me down, or suddenly appears and throws me into confusion?’ Let us not think such things at all, nor grieve as though we were perishing; but let us rather take courage and always rejoice, as those who are being saved; and let us reckon in our souls that the Lord is with us, who routed them and brought them to nothing. And let us always consider and bear in mind that while the Lord is with us, our enemies will do us no harm. For when they come, they become toward us just such as they find us, and they shape their apparitions to match the thoughts they find in us. If, then, they find us afraid and troubled, at once, like robbers who find a place unguarded, they attack; and what we were thinking of ourselves, they do with additions. For if they see us fearful and cowardly, they increase our cowardice still more with apparitions and threats, and thereafter the wretched soul is punished by these things. But if they find us rejoicing in the Lord, thinking about the good things to come, pondering the things of the Lord, and reasoning that all things are in the Lord’s hand, and that a demon has no strength against a Christian, nor any authority at all against anyone, then, seeing the soul made safe by such thoughts, they turn away in shame. So the enemy, seeing Job fenced about, withdrew from him; but finding Judas stripped of these defenses, he took him captive. So if we wish to despise the enemy, let us always think about the things of the Lord, and let the soul always rejoice in hope; and we shall see the demons’ games vanish like smoke, and the demons fleeing rather than pursuing. For they are, as I said before, very cowardly, always expecting the fire prepared for them. ### Scripture references - Job 1:10: allusion, high confidence - Rom 12:12: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 25:41: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 42 (PG 26:904b–905d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-42). ## Life of Antony 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-43 - Source: PG 26:905d–908a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Faced with an apparition, ask boldly “Who are you, and where are you from?”: holy visitors bring joy, demons grow weak, as with Joshua and Daniel. ### Greek text Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς ἀφοβίαν κατʼ ἐκείνων ἔχετε παρʼ ἑαυτοῖς τὸ τεκμήριον· Ὀταν τις φαντασία γένηται, μὴ προκατάπιπτε ὲν δειλίᾳ, ἀλλʼ ὁποία ἂν ᾗ, θαρρῶν ἐρώτα πρῶτον· Τίς εἴ σὺ, καὶ πόθεν; Καὶ ἐάν μὲν ἁγίων ὀπτασία, πληροφοροῦσί σε, καὶ τὸν φόβον σου εἷς χαρὰν μεταβάλλουσιν· ἐὰν δὲ διαβολική τις ᾖ, εὐθὺς ἐξασθενεῖ, βλέπουσα ἐρρωμένην τὴν διάνοιαν· ἀταραξίας γὰρ τεκμήριον τὸ ὅλως πυνθάνεσθαι · Τίς εἶ, καὶ ποθεν; Οὕτως ὁ μὲν τοῦ Ναυῆ, ἐρωτήσας, ἔμαθεν ὁ δὶ ἐχθρός οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἐρωτήσαντα τὸν Δανιήλ. ### English translation (Claude) And for freedom from fear of them, keep this test among yourselves: when some apparition occurs, do not fall down beforehand in cowardice, but whatever it may be, first ask with courage: ‘Who are you, and where do you come from?’ If it is a vision of holy ones, they will reassure you and change your fear into joy; but if it is something of the devil, it at once grows weak, seeing your mind strong. For simply to ask, ‘Who are you, and where are you from?’ is a sign of calmness. So the son of Nun learned by asking; and the enemy did not escape Daniel’s notice when he asked. ### Scripture references - Josh 5:13–14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Joshua questioned the commander of the Lord’s army (Josh 5:13–14). The reference to Daniel is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 43 (PG 26:905d–908a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-43). ## Life of Antony 44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-44 - Source: PG 26:908a–908d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony’s words strengthened the monks, and the mountain monasteries became like a land of godliness, where Balaam’s blessing on Israel’s tents seemed fulfilled. ### Greek text Ταῦτα διαλεγομένου τοῦ ’Δντωνίου, πάντες ἔχαιρον· καὶ τῶν μὲν ὁ ἔρως τῆς ἀρετῆς ηὔξανε, τῶν δὲ ἡ ὀλιγωρία παρεκβαιλεῖτο, καὶ ἄλλων ἡ οἴησις ἐπαύετο· πάντες τε ἐπείθοντο καταφρονεῖν τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἐπιβουλῆς, θαυμάζοντες τὴν δοθεῖσαν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἀντωνίῳ χάριν εἷς τὴν διάκρισιν τῶν πνευμάτων. Ἦν οὖν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τὰ μοναστήρια ὡς σκηναὶ πεπληρωμέναι θείων χορῶν, ψαλλὸντων, φιλολογούντων, νηστευόντων, εὐχομένων, ἀγαλλιωμένων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι, καὶ ἐργαζομένων εἷς τὸ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνας, ἀγάπην τε καὶ συμφωνίαν έχόντων εἰς ἀλλήλους. Καὶ ἦν ἀληθῶς ἰδεῖν ὥςπερ χώραν τινὰ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν οὖσαν θεοσεβείας καὶ δικαιοσῦνης. Οὐκ ’ἦν γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀδικῶν ἢ ὁ ἀδικούμενος, οὐδὲ μέμψις φορολόγου· ἀλλὰ πλῆθος μὲν ἀσκητῶν, ’ἐν δὲ τῶν πάντων εἷς ἀρετὴν τὸ φρόνημα. ὥστε ἰδόντα τινὰ πάλιν τὰ μοναστήρια, καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην τῶν μοναχῶν τάξιν, ἀναφωνῆσαι καὶ εἰπεῖνʼ Ὧς καλοί σου οἱ οἶκοι, Ἰακὼβ, αἱ σκηναί σου, Ἰσραήλ· ὡσεῖ νάπαι σκιάζουσαι, καὶ ὡσεὶ παράδεισος ἐπὶ ποταμὸν, καὶ ὡσεὶ σκηναὶ, ἅς ἔπηξεν ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ὡσεὶ κέδροι παρʼ ὕδασιν. ### English translation (Claude) While Antony was speaking of these things, all rejoiced: in some the love of virtue increased, in others negligence was cast out, in others conceit was stopped; and all were persuaded to despise the plotting of the demons, marveling at the grace given by the Lord to Antony for the discernment of spirits. So the monasteries in the mountains were like tents filled with divine choirs of people singing psalms, studying, fasting, praying, rejoicing in the hope of the things to come, working in order to give alms, and keeping love and harmony with one another. One could truly see, as it were, a land apart, a land of godliness and righteousness. For there was no one there who did wrong or suffered wrong, nor any complaint about the tax-collector; but a multitude of ascetics, and in all of them one mind set on virtue. So anyone who saw the monasteries again, and such order among the monks, would cry out and say: ‘How fair are your houses, O Jacob, your tents, O Israel! Like shady glens, and like a garden by a river, and like tents which the Lord pitched, and like cedars beside the waters.’ ### Scripture references - Num 24:5–6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Num 24:5–6 is quoted in the Septuagint form. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 44 (PG 26:908a–908d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-44). ## Life of Antony 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-45 - Source: PG 26:908d–909b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony grew ashamed even of eating and sleeping, longing for heaven, and taught that the soul, not the body, must have one’s care. ### Greek text Αὐτὸς μέντοι συνήθως καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ἅναχωρῶν έν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ μοναστηρίῳ, ἐπέτεινε τὴν ἄσκησιν, καθʼ ἡμέραν τε ἐστέναξεν, ἐνθυμούμενος τάς ἐν οὐρανῷ μονὰς, τόν τε πόθον ἔχων εἶς αὐτὰς, καὶ σκοπῶν τὸν έφήμερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον. Καὶ γὰρ μέλλων ἐσθίειν καὶ κοιμᾶσθαι, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀνάγκαις τοῦ σώματος ἔρχεσθαι, ᾐσχύνετο, τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς λογιζόμενος νοερόν. Πολλάκις γοῦν μετᾶ πολλῶν ἄλλων μοναχῶν μέλλων ἐσθίειν, ἀναμνησθεὶς τῆς πνευματικῆς τροφῆς, παρῃτήσατο, καὶ μακρὰν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀπῆλθε, νομίζων ἔρυθριᾷν, εἷ βλέποιτο παρʼ ἑτέρων ἐσθίων ἤσθιε μέντοι καθʼ ἑαυτὸν διὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνάγκην πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν· αἱδοῦμενος μὲν ἐπὶ τούτοις, παρρησιαζόμενος δὲ ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ ὠφελείας λόγοις. Καὶ ἔλεγε χρῆναι τὴν πᾶσαν σχολὴν διδόναι τῇ ψυχῇ μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ σώματι, καὶ συγχωρεῖν μὲν διὰ τήν ἀνάγκην ὀλίγον καιρὸν τῷ σώματι, τὸ δὲ ὅλον σχολάζειν τῇ ψυχῇ μᾶλλον, καὶ τήν ταύτης ὠφέλειαν ζητεῖν· ἵνα μὴ αὕτη καθέλκηται ὑπὸ τῶν ἡδονῶν τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλά μᾶλλον τὸ σῶμα παρʼ αὐτῆς δουλαγωγῆται· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι τὸ λεγόμενον παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· Μὴ μεριμνήσητε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε, μηδὲ τῷ σώματι τί ἐνδύσησθε. Καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ ζητεῖτε τί φάγητε ἢ τί πίητε, καὶ μή μετεωρίζεσθε · ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τοῦ κόσμου ἐπιζητεῖ. ’Υμῶν δὲ ὁ Πατὴρ οἶδεν, ὅτι χρῄζετε τούτων ἁπάντων. Πλὴν ζητεῖτε πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. ### English translation (Claude) He himself, however, would withdraw alone as usual into his own monastery and intensify his discipline. Every day he sighed, thinking of the dwelling-places in heaven, longing for them, and considering how short-lived human life is. For when he was about to eat and sleep and attend to the other needs of the body, he was ashamed, thinking of the spiritual nature of the soul. Often, at any rate, when he was about to eat with many other monks, he remembered the spiritual food, excused himself, and went far away from them, thinking he would blush if he were seen eating by others. He ate, however, by himself because of the body’s need, and often also with the brothers, ashamed in these things, but speaking freely in words that would benefit them. And he said that one ought to give all one’s leisure to the soul rather than to the body, and to grant a little time to the body because of necessity, but to devote the whole rather to the soul and to seek its benefit, so that the soul may not be dragged down by the pleasures of the body, but the body rather be brought into subjection by the soul. For this, he said, is what the Savior meant: ‘Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. And do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, and do not be in suspense; for all the nations of the world seek after all these things. But your Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first his kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.’ ### Scripture references - John 14:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 6:25: quotation, high confidence - Luke 12:29–31: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:33: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Gospel words combine Matt 6:25 and Luke 12:29–31. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 45 (PG 26:908d–909b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-45). ## Life of Antony 46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-46 - Source: PG 26:909b–912c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: During Maximin’s persecution Antony went to Alexandria to serve the confessors and martyrs, defying the governor’s order, but was preserved to teach the ascetic life. ### Greek text Μετὰ ταῦτα κατέλαβε τήν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ κατά Μαξιμῖνον τὸ τηνικαῦτα γενόμενος διωγμός· καὶ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων ἀγομένων εἷς τήν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, ἠκολούθησε καὶ αὐτὸς, ἀφεὶς τὸ μοναστήριον, λέγωνʼ Ἀπὲλθωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ’ίνα ἀγωνιζώμεθα κληθέντες, ἢ Θεωρήσωμεν τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους. Καὶ πόθον μὲν εἶχε μαρτυρῆσαι· παραδοῦναι δὲ μὴ θέλων ἑαυτὸν, ὑπηρέτει τοῖς ὁμολογηταῖς ἔν τε τοῖς μετάλλοις καὶ έν ταῖς φυλακαῖς. Πολλή τε ἦν αὐτῷ σπουδή ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, ἀγωνιζομένους μὲν τοὺς καλουμένους ἐπαλείφειν εἷς προθυμίαν, μαρτυροῦντας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀπολαμβάνειν καὶ προπέμπειν ’ἑως τελειωθῶσιν. Ὁ γοῦν δικαστὴς, βλέπων αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν σὺν αύτῷ τὸ ἄφοβον, καὶ τήν εἲς τοῦτο σπουδὴν, παρήγγειλε μηδένα τῶν μοναχῶν ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ φαίνεσθαι, μηδὲ ὅλως ἓν τῇ πόλει διατρίβειν. Οἱ μεν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες ἔδοξαν κρύπτεσθαι τήν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος τοσοῦτον ιφρόντισεν, ὥστε καὶ μᾶλλον πλῦναι τὸν ἐπενδύτην, καὶ τῇ ἑξῆς ἔμπροσθεν ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ στῆναι, καὶ φαίνεσθαι τῷ ἡγεμόνι λαμπρόν. Πάντων οὗν ἐπὶ τούτῳ θαυμαζόντων, καὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ὁρῶντος, καί μετὰ τῆς τάξεως αὐτοῦ διαβαίνοντος, αὐτὸς ἀτρέμας εἱστήκει, δεικνὺς ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν τήν προθυμίαν ηὔχετο γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μαρτυρῆσαι, καθά προεῖπον. Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν λυπουμένῳ ἐῴκει, ὅτι μὴ μεμαρτύρηκεν· ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἦν αὐτὸν φυλάττων είς τὴν ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν ἑτέρων ὠφὲλειαν, ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει, ἢν ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν αὐτὸς μεμάθηκε, πολλοῖς διδάσκαλος γένηται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ μόνον βλέποντες αύτοῦ τήν ἀγωγήν, πολλοὶ τῆς πολιτείας αύτοῦ ἐσπουδάζοντο ζηλωταὶ γενέσθαι. Πάλιν οὖν ὑπηρέτει συνήθως τοῖς ὁμολογηταῖς, καὶ ὡς συνδεδεμένος αὐτοῖς, ἦν κοπιῶν ἓν ταῖς ὑπηρεσίαις. ### English translation (Claude) After this the persecution that took place at that time under Maximin overtook the church. When the holy martyrs were being led to Alexandria, he too left his monastery and followed, saying: ‘Let us go too, so that we may contend if we are called, or else watch those who are contending.’ He longed to be martyred; but not wishing to hand himself over, he ministered to the confessors in the mines and in the prisons. He was very zealous in the court, stirring up to eagerness those who were called as they contended, and receiving those who were being martyred and escorting them until they were perfected. The judge, then, seeing the fearlessness of Antony and of those with him, and their zeal in this, ordered that none of the monks should appear in the court, nor stay in the city at all. All the others decided to hide that day; but Antony paid so little heed that he even washed his upper garment, and the next day stood in front in a raised place and showed himself plainly to the governor. While all marveled at this, and the governor saw him as he passed by with his escort, he stood unshaken, showing the eagerness of us Christians; for he too prayed to be martyred, as I said before. He seemed grieved that he had not been martyred; but the Lord was guarding him for our benefit and for that of others, so that he might become a teacher to many in the ascetic life which he himself had learned from the Scriptures. For many, simply by seeing his conduct, became eager to emulate his way of life. So again he ministered as usual to the confessors, and toiled in serving them as though he were in chains with them. ### Scripture references - Heb 13:3: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The persecution under Maximin Daia reached Alexandria about 311. - “Paid so little heed”: the verb is garbled in the scan and is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 46 (PG 26:909b–912c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-46). ## Life of Antony 47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-47 - Source: PG 26:912c–912d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After the persecution and the martyrdom of Bishop Peter, Antony returned to his monastery and lived a life of daily “martyrdom of conscience” with severe fasting and austerity. ### Greek text Ἐπειδή δὲ λοιπόν ὁ διωγμὸς ἐπαύσατο, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκεν ὁ μακαρίτης ἐπίσκοπος Πέτρος, ἀπεδήμησε, καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὸ μοναστήριον ἀνεχώρει, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ καθʼ ἡμέραν μαρτυρῶν τῇ συνειδήσει, καὶ ἀγωνιζόμενος τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ἄθλοις. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀσκήσει πολλῇ καὶ συντονωτέρᾳ ἐκέχρητο· ἐνήστευε γὰρ ἀεὶ, τὸ δὲ ἔνδυμα εἶχεν ἔνδον μὲν τρίχινον, ἐπάνω δὲ δερμάτινον, ’ὸ καὶ ἓως τελευτῆς τετήρηκε, μήτε σωμα διὰ ῥύπον ὕδατι λούσας, μήθʼ ὅλως τοὺς πόδας ἀπονίψας, ἢ κᾶν ἁπλῶς εἴς ὕδωρ αὐτοὺς χωρὶς ἀνάγκης ἀνασχόμενος ἐμβαλεῖν· ἀλλ” οὐδὲ γυμνωθέντα τις αὐτὸν ἑώρακεν, οὐδὲ ὅλως τὸ σῶμά τις εἶδε Ἀντωνίου γυμνὸν, εἰ μὴ ὅτε τελευτήσας ἐθάπτετο. ### English translation (Claude) When at last the persecution ceased, and the blessed bishop Peter had been martyred, he departed and withdrew again to his monastery; and there he was daily a martyr in his conscience, contending in the struggles of faith. For he practiced a great and still more intense discipline: he fasted continually, and his clothing was of hair inside and of skin outside, which he kept until his death. He never bathed his body with water to remove dirt, nor washed his feet at all, nor even allowed himself to put them in water without necessity. No one ever saw him undressed, nor did anyone ever see Antony’s body naked, except when he died and was buried. ### Translation notes - Peter, bishop of Alexandria, was martyred in 311. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 47 (PG 26:912c–912d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-47). ## Life of Antony 48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-48 - Source: PG 26:912d–913b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Without opening his door, Antony sent away an officer whose daughter was possessed, telling him to pray in faith, and she was healed; many others were healed outside his cell. ### Greek text Ἀναχωροῦντι τοίνυν αύτῷ, καί προθεμὲνῳ ποιῆσαι χρόνον, ὥστε μήτε αὑτὸν προϊέναι, μήτε τινά δέξασθαι, Μαρτινιανός τις ἅρχων στρατιωτῶν, ἐγίνετο διʼ ὄχλου τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ · εἶχε γὰρ ὑπὸ δαίμονος ἐνοχλουμένην τήν θυγατέρα· ὡς δὲ ἐπῑ πολῦ διέμενε κόπτων τὴν θύραν καὶ ἀξιῶν ἐλθεῖν αύτὸν, καὶ εὔξασθαι τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τήν παῖδαʼ ἀνοῖξαι μὲν οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, παρακύψας δὲ ἄνωθεν, εἶπεν· Ἄνθρωπε, τί μου κατακράζεις ; ἄνθρωπός εἰμι κάγὼ ὥσπερ καὶ σύ. Εἰ δὲ πιστεύεις τῷ Χριστῷ,ᾦ λατρεύω, ὕπαγε, καὶ ὡς πιστεύεις εὖξαι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ γίνεται. Εὐθὺς οὖν ἐκεῖνος πιστεύσας, καὶ ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀπῆλθεν, ἔχων τήν θυγατέρα καθαρισθεῖσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος. Πολλά δὲ καὶ ἄλλα διʼ αύτοῦ πεποίηκεν ὁ Κύριος, ὁ λέγωνʼ Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν. Πλεῖστοι γάρ τῶν πασχόντων, μὴ ἀνοίγοντος αὐτοῦ τὴν θύραν, μόνον ἐκάθευδον ἔξω τοῦ μοναστηρίου, καὶʼ πιστεύοντες καὶ εὐχόμενοι γνησίως, ἐκαθαρίζοντο. ### English translation (Claude) When he had withdrawn and had resolved to spend a time neither going out himself nor receiving anyone, a certain Martinian, a military officer, came and troubled Antony; for he had a daughter troubled by a demon. As he remained a long time knocking at the door and begging him to come out and pray to God for his child, Antony would not consent to open, but leaning out from above he said: ‘Man, why do you cry out to me? I too am a man, as you are. But if you believe in Christ, whom I serve, go, and pray to God as you believe, and it will be done.’ At once he believed, called upon Christ, and went away with his daughter cleansed of the demon. And the Lord did many other things through him, the Lord who said: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you.’ For very many of the sufferers, though he did not open his door, merely slept outside the monastery, and by believing and praying sincerely they were cleansed. ### Scripture references - Acts 14:15: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 8:13: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 7:7: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 48 (PG 26:912d–913b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-48). ## Life of Antony 49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-49 - Source: PG 26:913b–916a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Seeking solitude, Antony was told by a voice to go into the inner desert, and traveling with Saracens he came to a high mountain with a spring and palm trees. ### Greek text Ὦς δὲ εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὀχλούμενον ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ μὴ ἀφιέμενον κατᾶ γνώμην ἀναχωρεῖν, ὡς βούλεται· εὐλαβηθεὶς μὴ ἐξ ὢν ὁ Κύριος ποιεῖ διʼ αὐτοῦ, ἢ αὐτὸς ἐπαρθῇ, ἢ ἄλλος τις ὑπὲρ ὅ ἐστι λογίσηται περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐσκέψατο καί ὥρμησεν ἀνελθεῖν εἰς τήν ἄνω Θηβαΐδα πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας αὐτόν. Καὶ δὴ παρᾶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν δεξάμενος ἄρτους, ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ, σκοπῶν εἰ ἄρα παρέλθοι πλοῖον, ἵνα ἐμβὰς ἀνέλθῃ μετʼ αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ αύτοῦ σκεπτομένου, φωνή τις ἄνωθεν γέγονε πρὸς αύτόν· Ἀντώνιε, ποῦ πορεύῃ, καὶ διὰ τί; Ὁ δὲ μή ταραχθεὶς, ἀλλʼ ὡς εἰωθὼς καλεῖσθαι πολλάκις οὕτως, ἐπακούσας, ἀπεκρίνατο, λέγων· Ἐπειδή οὐκ ἐπιτρέπουσι μοι ἠρεμεῖν οἳ ὄχλοι, διὰ τοῦτο βούλομαι ἀνελθεῖν εἷς τὴν ἅνω θηβαΐδα, διὰ τὰς πολλὰς τῶν ὧδὲ μοι γινομένας ἐνοχλήσεις, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὸ ἀπαιτεῖσθαι με παρʼ αὐτῶν τὰ ὑπὲρ τήν ἐμὴν δύναμιν. Ἠ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· Κᾶν εἰς τήν Θηβαΐδα ἀνέλθῃς, κᾶν, ὡς ἐνθυμῇ, κατέλθῃς εἷς τὰ βουκόλια, πλείω καὶ διπλασίονα τὸν κάματον ’ἐχεις ὑπομένειν. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις ὅντως ἠρεμεῖν, ἄνελθε νῦν εἰς τήν ἐνδοτέραν ἔρημον. Τοῦ δὲ Ἀντωνίου λὲγοντος· Καὶ τίς δείξει μοι τὴν ὁδόν; ἄπειρος γὰρ εἰμι ταύτης· εὐθὺς ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ Σαρακηνοὺς μέλλοντας ὁδεύειν τήν ὁδὸν ἐκείνην. Προσελθὼν τοίνυν, καὶ ἐγγίσας αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ἠξίου σὺν αὖτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἀπελθεῖν. Οἱ δὲ, ὥσπερ ἑξ ἐπιτάγματος τῆς Προνοίας, προθύμως αὐτὸν ἐδέξαντο· καὶ ὁδεύσας τρεῖς ἡμὲρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας μετʼ αὐτῶν, ἦλθεν εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν καὶ ὕδωρ μὶν ἦν ὑπὸ τὸ ὅρος διειδέστατον, γλυκὺ, καὶ μάλα ψυχρόν. Πεδιὰς δὲ ἔξωθεν, καὶ φοίνικες ἀμεληθὲντες ὀλίγοι. ### English translation (Claude) When he saw that he was troubled by many and not allowed to withdraw as he wished, he was afraid that, because of the things the Lord was doing through him, either he himself might become proud, or someone else might think of him more highly than he deserved; so he considered the matter and set out to go up to the Upper Thebaid, among people who did not know him. Having received bread from the brothers, he sat by the banks of the river, watching to see whether a boat would pass, so that he might embark and go up with those on board. While he was considering these things, a voice came to him from above: ‘Antony, where are you going, and why?’ He was not troubled, but, as one accustomed to being called in this way, he listened and answered: ‘Since the crowds do not let me be quiet, I want to go up to the Upper Thebaid, because of the many disturbances that come upon me here, and especially because they ask me for things beyond my power.’ The voice said to him: ‘Even if you go up to the Thebaid, or, as you are thinking, go down to the Bucolia, you will have to endure more labor, twice as much. But if you really wish to be quiet, go now into the inner desert.’ When Antony said, ‘And who will show me the way? For I do not know it,’ the voice at once showed him some Saracens who were about to travel that road. So Antony went up and approached them, and asked to go with them into the desert. They welcomed him eagerly, as though at the command of Providence; and having traveled three days and three nights with them, he came to a very high mountain. Below the mountain was water, very clear, sweet, and very cold; outside there was a plain, and a few neglected date palms. ### Scripture references - Rom 12:3: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Bucolia were the marshlands of the Nile Delta; the Saracens were Arab nomads. The mountain is the “inner mountain” (Mount Colzim) near the Red Sea. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 49 (PG 26:913b–916a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-49). ## Life of Antony 50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-50 - Source: PG 26:916a–917a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony made the mountain his home, grew his own grain and vegetables so as not to burden others, and gently commanded the wild beasts to stop damaging his crops. ### Greek text Ὀ οὖν Ἀντώνιος, ὥςπερ θεόθεν πυθόμενος, ἠγάπησε τὸν τόπον· οὗτος γὰρ ἦν ’ὸν ἐσήμανεν ὁ λαλήσας αὐτῷ παρᾶ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ. Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴν δεξάμενος παρᾶ τῶν συνοδευσάντων ἆρτους, ἔμενεν ἐν τῷ ὄρει μόνος, οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου συνόντος αὐτῷʼ ὡς γὰρ ἴδιον οἷκον ἐπιγνοὺς, εἶχε λοιπὸν τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον. Αὐτοί τε οὶ Σαρακηνοὶ, θεωρήσαντες τὴν ’Λντωνίου προθυμίαν, ἐξεπίτηδες ἐκείνην τήν ὁδὸν διήρχοντο, καὶ χαίροντες ἔφερον ἄρτους αὐτῷ· εἶχε δὲ καὶ τήν ἀπὸ τῶν φοινίκων ὀλίγην τινὰ τότε καὶ εὐτελῆ παραμυθίαν. Μετὰ δὶ ταῦτα, μαθόντες οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν τόπον, ὡς τὲκνα, πατρὸς μνημονεῦοντες, ἐφρόντιζον ἀποστέλλειν αὐτῷ· ἀλλʼ ὁρῶν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι προφάσει τοῦ ἄρτου σκύλλονταί τινες ἐκεῖ, καὶ κάματον ὑπομένουσι· φειδόμενος καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῶν μοναχῶν, ἐβουλεύσατο καθʼ ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τῶν είσερχομένων τινὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἠξίωσε κομίσαι αὑτῷ δίκελλαν, καὶ πέλεκυν, καὶ σῖτον ὀλίγον. Ὠς δὲ ἐκομίσθη ταῦτα, διοδεΰσας τὴν περὶ τὸ ὅρος γῆν, βραχύτατόν τινα τόπον εὑρὼν ἐπιτήδειον, ἐγεώργησε· καὶ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος ποτισμὸν ἀφθόνως ἔχων, ἔσπειρε. Καὶ κατʼ ἔνιαυτὸν τοῦτο ποιῶν, εἶχεν ἐκεῖθεν τὸν ἄρτον· χαίρων, ὅτι μηδενὶ διὰ τοῦτο γενήσεται ὀχληρὸς, καὶ ὅτι ἓν πᾶσιν ἑαυτὸν ἀβαρῆ φυλάττει. Ἀλλᾶ μετὰ ταῦτα βλέπων πάλιν τινὰς ἐρχομένους, ἐγεώργησε καὶ ὀλιγοστᾶ λάχανα, ’ίνα ὁ εἰσερχόμενος ἔχῃ τινὰ παραμυθίαν ὀλίγην τοῦ καμάτου τῆς χαλεπῆς ἑκείνης ὀδοῦ. Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρχήν τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ θηρία προφάσει τοῦ ὕδατος ἐρχόμενα, πολλάκις ἔβλαπτον αὐτοῦ τὸν σπόρον καὶ τὴν γεωργίαν· αὐτὸς δὲ χαριέντως κρατήσας ’ἐν τῶν Θηρίων, ἔλεγε τοῖς πᾶσι· Διὰ τί με βλάπτετε, μηδὲν ἐμοῦ βλάπτοντος ὑμᾶς; θέντα τὴν παραγγελίαν, οὐκ ἔτι τῷ τόπῳ ἤγγισαν. ### English translation (Claude) Antony, as though prompted by God, loved the place; for this was the place indicated by the one who had spoken to him on the banks of the river. At first, having received bread from his fellow travelers, he remained alone on the mountain, with no one else with him; for he recognized it as his own home and kept that place from then on. The Saracens themselves, seeing Antony’s eagerness, purposely traveled that road and gladly brought him bread; and he also had the small and humble comfort of the palms. Later, when the brothers learned where he was, they took care, like children remembering their father, to send him supplies. But Antony, seeing that some were put to trouble there on account of the bread and endured hardship, and sparing the monks in this too, took counsel with himself and asked some of those who came to him to bring him a hoe, an axe, and a little grain. When these were brought, he went over the land around the mountain, found a very small place that was suitable, and cultivated it; and having abundant water from the spring, he sowed it. Doing this every year, he had his bread from there, rejoicing that he would be a trouble to no one on this account, and that in all things he kept himself from being a burden. But afterwards, seeing that people were coming again, he also grew a few vegetables, so that the visitor might have some small refreshment after the labor of that hard road. At first the wild beasts in the desert, coming for the water, often damaged his seed and his cultivation; but he gently caught one of the beasts and said to them all: ‘Why do you harm me, when I harm none of you?’ … the command, they no longer came near the place. ### Scripture references - 2 Thess 3:8: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - A line of Migne’s apparatus that the scan prints in the text is removed; at least one line of the text is lost before the last words (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 50 (PG 26:916a–917a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-50). ## Life of Antony 51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-51 - Source: PG 26:917a–917c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Alone on the inner mountain in old age, Antony fought visible and invisible demons with prayer, trusting in the Lord, and even the wild beasts were at peace with him. ### Greek text Αὐτὸς μὲν οῦν μόνος ἦν εἷς τὸ ἔσω ὅρος, ταῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ τῇ ἀσκήσει σχολάζων· οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ οἱ διακονοῦντες αὐτῷ, ἠξίωσαν αὐτὸν, ’ίνα διὰ μηνῶν εἷσερχόμενοι κομίζωσιν αύτῷ ἐλαίας καὶ ὄσπριον καὶ ἔλαιον γέρων γὰρ λοιπὸν ἦν. Ἐκεῖ τοίνυν ἀναστρεφόμενος, ὅσας ὑπέμεινε πάλας, κατά τὸ γεγραμμένον, ού πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντικειμένους δαίμονας, ἐκ τῶν εἶʼσερχομένων πρὸς αὑτὸν ἔγνωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ κάκεῖ θορύβων, καὶ φωνῶν πολλῶν, καὶ κτύπων, ὡς ὅπλων ἤκουον· τό τε ὄρος νυκτὸς πλῆρες θηρίων γενόμενον ἔβλεπον· ἐθεώρουν δέ καὶ αύτὸν ὼς πρὸς βλεπομένους μαχόμενον, καῖ εὐχόμενον κατʼ αὐτῶν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐρχομένους πρὸς αὐτὸν παρεθάρρυνεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἠγωνίζετο κάμπτων τὰ γόνατα καὶ προσευχόμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ἦν ἀληθῶς θαύματος ἄξιον, ὅτι, μόνος ἐν τοιαύτῃ ἐρήμῳ ὣν, οὔτε δαιμόνων ἐφισταμένων ἐπτοεῖτο, οὔτε, τοσούτων ὄντων ἐκεῖ Θηρίων τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν, ἐφοβεῖτο τούτων τήν ἀγρίοτητα· ἀλλʼ ἀληθῶς, κατά τὸ γεγραμμένον, πεποιθὼς ἦν ἐπὶ Κύριον ὡς ὅρος Σιὼν, ἀσάλευτον ἔχων καὶ ἀκύμαντον τὸν νοῦν· ὥστε μᾶλλον τοὺς δαίμονας φεύγειν, καὶ τά θηρία τὰ ἄγρια, ὡς γέγραπται, εἰρηνεύειν πρὸς αὐτόν. ### English translation (Claude) He, then, was alone on the inner mountain, devoting himself to prayer and discipline; and the brothers who served him asked that they might come every few months and bring him olives, pulses, and oil; for he was now old. How many struggles he endured while living there, ‘not against blood and flesh,’ as it is written, but against the opposing demons, we learned from those who visited him. For there too they heard uproars, many voices, and clashing as of weapons; they saw the mountain at night full of wild beasts; and they saw him fighting as though against visible foes, and praying against them. Those who came to him he encouraged, while he himself contended, bending his knees and praying to the Lord. And it was truly worthy of wonder that, alone in such a desert, he was neither terrified when the demons assailed him, nor, though there were so many four-footed beasts and creeping things there, did he fear their savagery; but truly, as it is written, he trusted in the Lord like Mount Zion, with a mind unshaken and calm, so that instead the demons fled, and the wild beasts, as it is written, were at peace with him. ### Scripture references - Eph 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Ps 125:1 (124:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Job 5:23: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 51 (PG 26:917a–917c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-51). ## Life of Antony 52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-52 - Source: PG 26:917c–920a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When the devil sent hyenas against Antony at night, he told them to eat him if God allowed it, or else depart, and they fled. ### Greek text Ὁ μὲν οὖν διάβολος, ὡς ψάλλει Δαβἰδ, παρετηρεῖτο τὸν Ἀντώνιον, καὶ ἔτριζε κατʼ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀδόντας· ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος παρεκαλεῖτο παρά τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἀβλαβὴς διαμένων ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου πανουργίας καὶ τῆς ποικίλης μεθοδείας. Ἀγρυπνοῦντι τοίνυν αὐτῷ νυκτὸς ἐπαφῆκε θηρία· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἐρήμῳ πᾶσαι αἱ ὕαιναι, ἐξελθοῦσαι τῶν φωλεῶν, περιεκύκλωσαν, καὶ μέσος ἦν αὐτόςʼ χαινούσης δὲ, καὶ δάκνειν ἑκάστης ἀπειλούσης, συνεὶς τήν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τέχνην, εἶπε πάσαις αὐταῖς· Εἰ μὲν ἐξουσίαν ἐλάβετε κατʼ ἐμοῦ, ἕτοιμός εἰμιʼ βρωθῆναι παρʼ ὑμῶν· εἷ δὶ παρᾶ δαιμόνων ὑπεβλήθητε, μὴ μέλλετε, ἀλλʼ ἀναχωρεῖτε· Χριστοῦ γὰρ δοῦλός εἶμι. Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀντωνίου λεγοντος, ἔφυγον ἐκεῖναὶ, ὡς ὑπὸ μάστιγος τοῦ λόγου διωκόμεναι. ### English translation (Claude) The devil, as David sings, watched Antony and gnashed his teeth at him; but Antony was comforted by the Savior, remaining unharmed by his craft and his varied wiles. Once, when he was keeping vigil at night, the devil let loose wild beasts on him; nearly all the hyenas in that desert came out of their dens and surrounded him, and he was in the middle. As each one gaped and threatened to bite, he perceived the enemy’s craft and said to them all: ‘If you have received authority over me, I am ready to be eaten by you; but if you have been sent by demons, do not delay, but go away; for I am a servant of Christ.’ As Antony said this, they fled, as though driven by the whip of his word. ### Scripture references - Ps 37:12 (36:12 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 52 (PG 26:917c–920a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-52). ## Life of Antony 53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-53 - Source: PG 26:920a–920c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A monstrous beast, half man and half ass, appeared at Antony’s door and fled to its death when he declared himself Christ’s servant. ### Greek text Εἶτα μεθʼ ἡμέρας ὀλίγας, ὡς εἲργάζετο (ἔμελε γὰρ αὔτῷ καὶ κοπιᾷν), ἐπιστάς τις τῇ θύρᾳ, εἷλκε τὴν σειρὰν τοῦ ἔργου· σπυρίδας γὰρ ἔρῥαπτε, καὶ ταύτας τοῖς εἶʼσερχομὲνοις ἀντὶ τῶν κομιζομένων αὐτῷ ἐδίδου. Ἀναστὰς δὶ, εἶδε θηρίον, ἀνθρώπῳ μὲν ἐοικὸς ἕως τῶν μηρῶν, τὰ δὶ σκὲλη καὶ τοὺς πόδας ὁμοίους ἔχον ὄνῳ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ’Δντώνιος μόνον ἑαυτὸν ἐσφράγισε, καί εἶπε· Χριστοῦ δοῦλός εἰμι· εί ἀπεστάλης κατʼ ἐμοῦ, ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. Τὸ δὶ θηρίον σὺν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δαίμοσιν οὕτως ἔφυγεν, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς ὀξύτητος πεσεῖν καὶ ἀποθανεῖν. Ὅ δὶ τοῦ θηρίου θάνατος πτῶμα τῶν δαιμόνων ἦν. Πάντα γὰρ ἐσπούδαζον ποιεῖν, ’ίνα καταγάγωσιν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. ### English translation (Claude) Then a few days later, as he was working (for he took care to labor too), someone standing at the door pulled the thread of his work; for he was weaving baskets, and gave them to those who came to him in return for what they brought him. He got up and saw a beast, like a man as far as the thighs, but with legs and feet like those of an ass. Antony simply sealed himself and said: ‘I am a servant of Christ; if you have been sent against me, here I am.’ And the beast, together with its demons, fled so fast that in its haste it fell and died. The beast’s death was the fall of the demons. For they were striving to do everything to drive him down from the desert, and they did not prevail. ### Translation notes - “Sealed himself”: made the sign of the cross. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 53 (PG 26:920a–920c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-53). ## Life of Antony 54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-54 - Source: PG 26:920c–921b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On a journey to the outer monasteries Antony’s prayer brought water from the ground in the waterless desert; he found the monks thriving and his sister leading a community of virgins. ### Greek text Ἀξιωθείς δέ ποτε παρὰ τῶν μοναχῶν κατελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι διὰ χρόνου αὐτούς τε καὶ τοὺς τόπους, ὥδευσε, σὺν τοῖς μοναχοῖς τοῖς ἀπαντήσασι· κάμηλος δὲ ἐβάσταζε αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἄρτους καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ. ’Ἃνυδρος γὰρ ἡ ἔρημός ἔστιν ἐκείνη πᾶσα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὕδωρ πότιμον ὅλως, εἰ μὴ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ ὄρει μόνῳ, ὅθεν καὶ ὑδρεύσαντο, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ μοναστῆριόν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. Λείψαντος τοίνυν τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καὶ καύματος ὄντος σφοδροτάτου, πάντες ἔμελλον κινδυνεύειν. Περιελθόντες γὰρ τοὺς τόπους, καὶ μή εὑρόντες ὕδωρ,οὖδὶ περιπατεῖν ἐδύναντο λοιπὸν, ἀλλᾶ κατέκειντο χαμαὶ, τήν τε κάμηλον ἀφῆκαν ἀπελθεῖν, ἀπογνόντες ἑαυτῶν. Ὁ δὲ γέρων, ὁρῶν πάντας κινδυνεύοντας, πάνυ λυπηθεὶς καὶ στενάξας, ὀλίγον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀπελθὼν, καὶ κλίνας τὰ γόνατα, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνας, προσηύχετο ° καὶ εὐθὺς ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος ὕδωρ ἐξελθεῖν, ἔνθα προσευχόμενος εἱστήκει ’ καὶ οὕτως πιόντες οἱ πάντες, ἀνέπνευσαν ° καὶ τοὺς ἀσκοὺς πλήσαντες, ἐζήτησαν τὴν κάμηλον, καὶ εὗρον · συνέβη γὰρ τὸ σχοινίον εἵς τινα λίθον περιειληθῆναι, καὶ οὕτω κατασχεθῆναι. Ἀγαγόντες τοίνυν καὶ ποτίσαντες, ἐπέθηκαν ἐπʼ αὐτὴν τοὺς ἀσκοὺς καὶ διώδευσαν ἀβλαβεῖς. Ὡς δὲ ἦλθεν είς τὰ ἔξω μοναστήρια, πάντες ὡς πατέρα βλέποντες κατησπάζοντο. Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ, ὥσπερ ἐφόδια φέρων ἀπὸ τοῦ ὅρους, ἐξένιζεν αὐτοὺς τοῖς λόγοις, καὶ μετεδίδου τῆς ὠφελίας. Πάλιν τε ἧν χαρὰ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι, καὶ ζῆλος προκοπῆς, καὶ παράκλησις διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πιστεως. Ἕχαιρεν οὖν καὶ αὐτός, βλέπων τήν τε τῶν μοναχῶν προθυμίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν γηράσασαν ἐν παρθενίᾳ, καθηγουμένην τε καὶ αὐτὴν ἄλλων παρθένων. ### English translation (Claude) Once, when the monks asked him to come down to them and visit them and their places after a long time, he set out with the monks who had come to meet him; and a camel carried their bread and water for them. For that whole desert is waterless, and there is no drinkable water at all except on that mountain alone, where his monastery is and from which they had drawn water. When the water ran out on the road, and the heat was extreme, they were all in danger. For having gone around the area and found no water, they could no longer even walk, but lay on the ground, and they let the camel go, despairing of themselves. The old man, seeing them all in danger, was very grieved and groaned; and going a little way from them, he bent his knees, stretched out his hands, and prayed. At once the Lord made water come out where he had stood praying; and so they all drank and revived. Filling their skins, they looked for the camel and found it; for the rope had happened to get wound around a stone, and so it had been held fast. Leading it back and watering it, they put the skins on it and traveled on unharmed. When he came to the outer monasteries, they all greeted him, looking on him as a father. And he, as though bringing provisions from the mountain, entertained them with his words and shared the benefit with them. Again there was joy in the mountains, zeal for progress, and encouragement through their common faith. He himself rejoiced too, seeing the eagerness of the monks, and his sister, grown old in virginity and herself also leading other virgins. ### Scripture references - Exod 17:6: echo, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 54 (PG 26:920c–921b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-54). ## Life of Antony 55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-55 - Source: PG 26:921b–925a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony’s counsel to monks: faith, love of God, purity, psalmody, memorizing Scripture, daily self-examination, not letting the sun set on any sin, and writing down one’s thoughts as if others would read them. ### Greek text Μεθʼ ἡμέρας τοίνυν εἰσῆλθε πάλιν εἷς τὸ ὄρος · καὶ τότε λοιπὸν πολλοὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἷσήρχοντο καὶ ἄλλοι πάσχοντες ἐτόλμησαν εἰσελθεῖν. Πρὸς μέν οὖν πάντας τοὺς εἰσερχομένους πρὸς αὐτὸν μοναχοὺς, τοῦτο συνεχῶς εἶχε τὸ παράγγελμα, πιστεύειν εἷς τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἀγαπᾷν αὐτὸν, φυλάττειν τε ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ ῥυπαρῶν λογισμῶν καὶ σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν, καὶ, ὡς έν ταῖς Παροιμίαις γέγραπται, μὴ ἀπατᾶσθαι χορτασίᾳ κοιλίας φεύγειν τε κενοδοξίαν, καὶ εὔχεσθαι συνεχῶς, ψάλλειν τε πρὸ ὕπνου καὶ μεθʼ ὕπνον, καὶ ἀποστηθίζειν τὰ έν ταῖς Γραφαῖς παραγγέλματα, καὶ μνημονεύειν τῶν πράξεων τῶν ἁγίων, πρὸς τὸ τῷ ζήλῳ τούτων ῥυθμίζεσθαι τήν ψυχὴν ὑπομιμνησκομένην ἐκ τῶν ἐντολῶν. Μάλιστα δὲ συνεβούλευε τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ῥητὸν συνεχῶς μελετᾷν · Ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν· καὶ τοῦτο κοινῶς περὶ πάσης ἐντολῆς εἰρῆσθαι νομίζειν, ’ίνα μὴ ἐπὶ μόνῳ παροργισμῷ, ἀλλᾶ μηδὲ ἐπὶ ἄλλῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἡμῶν ὁ ἥλιος ἐπιδύνῃ καλὸν γὰρ καὶ ἀναγκαῖον, μήτε τὸν ἥλιον περὶ ἡμερινῆς κακίας, μήτε τὴν σελήνην περὶ νυκτερινῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἢ ὅλως ἐνθυμήσεως, καταγινώσκειν ἡμῶν. Ἵν’ οὖν τοῦτο ἡμῖν περισώζηται, καλὸν ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ Ἀποστόλου καὶ φυλάξαι ’ φησί γάρ · Ἑαυτοὺς ἀνακρίνετε, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε. Καθʼ ἡμέραν τοίνυν τῶν ἡμερινῶν καὶ τῶν νυκτερινῶν πράξεων τὸν λόγον ἕκαστος παρʼ ἑαυτῷ λαμβανέτω · καὶ, εἰ μὶν ἥμαρτε, παυέσθω εἶʼ δὲ μὴ ἥμαρτε, μή καυχάσθω · ἀλλʼ ἐπιμενὲτω τῷ καλῷ, καὶ μὴ ἀμελείτω, μηδὲ κατακρινέτω τὸν πλησίον, μηδὲ δικαιοῦτω ἑαυτὸν, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ μακάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ’ἑως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος, ὁ τὰ κρυπτά ἐρευνῶν. Πολλάκις γάρ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς, ἐν οἷς πράττομεν, λανθάνομεν · καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ὁ δὲ Κύριος καταλαμβάνει πάντα. Αὐτῷ οὖν τὸ κρῖμα διδόντες, ἀλλήλοις συμπάσχωμεν, καὶ ἀλλήλων μὶν τὰ βάρη βαστάζωμεν, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἀνακρίνωμεν, καὶ ἃ ὑστεροῦμεν, ἀναπληροῦν σπουδαζωμεν. Ἔστω δὲ καὶ αὕτη πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν παρατήρησις · Ἕκαστος τὰς πράξεις καὶ τὰ κινήματα τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς μέλλοντες ἀλλήλοις ἀπαγγέλλειν, σημειώμεθα καὶ γράφωμεν ’ καὶ θαῤῥεῖτε, δτι, πάντως αἰσχυνόμενοι γνωσθῆναι, παυσόμεθα τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν, καὶ ὅλως τοῦ ἐνθυμεῖσθαί τι φαῦλον. Τίς γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων θέλει βλέπεσθαι ;ἢ τίς ἁμαρτήσας, οὐ μᾶλλον ψεύδεται, λανθάνειν θὲλων; ’Ὠςπερ οὗν βλέποντες ἀλλήλους,οὐκ ἂν πορνεύσαιμεν, οὕτως, ἐὰν ὡς ἀπαγγέλλοντες ἀλλήλοις τοὺς λογισμοὺς γράφωμεν, μᾶλλον τηρήσομεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ῥυπαρῶν, αἰσχυνόμενοι γνωσθῆναι. Ἔστω οὖν ἡμῖν τὸ γράμμα ἀντι ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν συνασκητῶνʼ ἵνα, ἐρυθριῶντες γράφειν ὠς τὸ βλέπεσθαι, μήθʼ ὅλως ἐνθυμηθῶμεν τά φαῦλα. Οὕτω δὲ τυποῦντες ἑαυτοὺς, δυνησόμεθα δουλαγωγεῖν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἀρέσκειν μὶν τῷ Κυρίῳ, πατεῖν δὲ τὰς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ μεθοδείας. ### English translation (Claude) A few days later he went back to the mountain; and from then on many came to him, and others who were suffering dared to come in. To all the monks who came to him he constantly gave this charge: to believe in the Lord and love him; to guard themselves from filthy thoughts and fleshly pleasures, and, as it is written in Proverbs, not to be led astray by the filling of the belly; to flee vainglory; to pray constantly; to sing psalms before and after sleep; to learn by heart the commandments in the Scriptures; and to remember the deeds of the saints, so that the soul, reminded by the commandments, may be shaped by zeal to imitate them. Above all he counseled them to meditate constantly on the Apostle’s saying, ‘Do not let the sun go down on your anger,’ and to regard this as said of every commandment alike, so that the sun should go down not only on our anger but on no other sin of ours either. For it is good and necessary that neither the sun should condemn us for a sin committed by day, nor the moon for a sin by night, or even for a thought. So that this may be preserved in us, it is good to hear and keep the Apostle’s words; for he says: ‘Examine yourselves, and test yourselves.’ Each day, then, let each one take account with himself of his actions by day and by night; and if he has sinned, let him stop; if he has not sinned, let him not boast, but persevere in the good, and not be negligent, nor condemn his neighbor, nor justify himself, as the blessed apostle Paul said, until the Lord comes who searches out what is hidden. For often we are not aware even of ourselves in what we do; we do not know, but the Lord comprehends all things. So let us leave the judgment to him, suffer with one another, bear one another’s burdens, examine ourselves, and be eager to make up what we lack. And let this too be a safeguard against sinning: let each of us note down and write our actions and the movements of our soul, as though we were going to report them to one another; and be confident that, being ashamed to have them known, we shall stop sinning and even thinking anything evil at all. For who wants to be seen when he is sinning? Or who, having sinned, does not rather lie, wishing to escape notice? As, then, we would not commit sexual immorality while watching one another, so, if we write down our thoughts as though reporting them to one another, we shall guard ourselves the better from filthy thoughts, ashamed to have them known. Let the writing, then, take the place of the eyes of our fellow ascetics, so that, blushing to write as though we were being seen, we may not even think of evil things at all. Shaping ourselves in this way, we shall be able to bring the body into subjection, to please the Lord, and to trample on the wiles of the enemy. ### Scripture references - Prov 24:15: quotation, high confidence - Eph 4:26: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 13:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:5: allusion, high confidence - Gal 6:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 9:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying from Proverbs is Prov 24:15 in the Septuagint (“Do not be led astray by the filling of the belly”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 55 (PG 26:921b–925a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-55). ## Life of Antony 56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-56 - Source: PG 26:925a–925b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony prayed for the sick without boasting or complaint, teaching that healing comes from God alone and that thanks are due to God, not to him. ### Greek text Ταῦτα μὲν τοῖς ἀπαντῶσι παρήγγελλε· τοῖς δὲ πάσχουσι συνέπασχε καὶ συνηύχετο πολλάκις τε καὶ ἓν πολλοῖς ὁ Κύριος ἐπήκουεν αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὔτε ἐπακουόμενος ἐκαυχᾶτο, οὔτε μή ἐπακουόμενος ἐγόγγυζενʼ ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ μὲν αὐτὸς ηὐχαρίστει τῷ Κυρίῳ, τοὺς δὶ πάσχοντας παρεκάλει μακροθυμεῖν, καὶ εἰδέναι, ὅτι οὔτε αὐτοῦ, οὗθʼ ὅλως ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν ἡ θεραπεία, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ποιοῦντος, ὅτε θέλει, καὶ οἷς βούλεται. Οἱ οῦν πάσχοντες ὡς θεραπείαν ἐδέχοντό καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ γέροντος, μανθάνοντες καὶ αὐτοὶ μὴ ὀλιγωρεῖν, μακροθυμεῖν δὲ μᾶλλον· καὶ οἱ θεραπευόμενοι δὲ ἐδιδάσκοντο μή τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ εὐχαριστεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ μόνῳ. ### English translation (Claude) These were the charges he gave to those who came to him; with those who suffered he suffered and prayed, and often, in many cases, the Lord heard him. He neither boasted when he was heard, nor murmured when he was not; but he always gave thanks to the Lord, and urged the sufferers to be patient and to know that healing belongs neither to him nor to any human being at all, but to God alone, who brings it about when he wills and for those he wishes. So the sufferers received even the old man’s words as healing, learning for their part not to lose heart but rather to be patient; and those who were healed were taught to give thanks not to Antony but to God alone. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 56 (PG 26:925a–925b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-56). ## Life of Antony 57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-57 - Source: PG 26:925b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony sent away Fronto, an imperial official with a terrible affliction, telling him he would be healed on reaching Egypt, and so it happened. ### Greek text Εἷς γοῦν Φρόντων καλούμενος, ἀπὸ Παλατίου τυγχάνων, καὶ πάθος ἔχων δεινὸν τήν τε γὰρ γλῶτταν ἑαυτοῦ κατήσθιε, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔμελλε βλάπτεσθαι, εἷʼσελθὼν εἰς τὸ ὅρος, ἠξίου τὸν Ἀντώνιον εὔξασθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὀ δὲ εὐξάμενος, ἔλεγε τῷ Φρόντωνι. Ἀπελθε, καὶ θεραπεύῃ, Τοῦ δὲ βιασαμένου, καὶ μείναντος ἔνδον ἡμέρας, ἐπέμενε λέγων ὁ Ἀντώνιος· Οὐ δυνήσῃ μὲνων ὦδε θεραπευθῆναι. Ἕξελθε, καὶ φθάσας εἷς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ὄψει τὸ γινόμενον είς σε σημεῖον. Πιστεύσας ἐκεῖνος ἐξῆλθε καὶ ὡς μόνον εἶδε τὴν Αἴγυπτον, πέπαυτο τοῦ πάθους, καὶ γέγονεν ὑγιὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατᾶ τὸν λόγον Ἀντωνίου, ’ὸν εὐξάμενος ἔμαθε παρᾶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος. ### English translation (Claude) A certain Fronto, who belonged to the Palace, had a terrible affliction: he was biting his own tongue to pieces, and his eyes were in danger of being damaged. He came to the mountain and asked Antony to pray for him. Antony prayed and said to Fronto: ‘Go, and you will be healed.’ When he insisted and stayed inside for days, Antony persisted, saying: ‘You cannot be healed if you stay here. Go out, and when you reach Egypt you will see the sign that is done for you.’ He believed and went out; and as soon as he came in sight of Egypt, his affliction ceased, and the man was made well, according to the word of Antony, which Antony had learned from the Savior in prayer. ### Translation notes - “The Palace”: the imperial household or court. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 57 (PG 26:925b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-57). ## Life of Antony 58 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-58 - Source: PG 26:925b–928b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Without seeing her, Antony announced the healing of a gravely afflicted girl waiting outside the mountain, attributing it wholly to the Savior. ### Greek text Παρθένος δὲ τις ἀπὸ Βουσίρεως τῆς Τριπὸλεως πάθος εἶχε δεινὸν καὶ λίαν αἰσχρόν. Τὰ τε γὰρ δάκρυα αὐτῆς, καὶ αἱ μύξαι, καί τὰ ἐκ τῶν ὠτων ὑγρά πίπτοντα χαμαὶ, σκώληκες εὐθὺς ἐγίνοντο· ἦν δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα παραλελυμὲνη, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶχεν οὐ κατὰ φύσιν. Ταύτης οἱ γονεῖς μαθόντες ἀπερχομένους πρὸς τὸν Ἀντώνιον μοναχοῦς πιστεύσαντες τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ τὴν αἱμορῥοῦσαν θεραπεύσαντι, ἠξίωσαν μετᾶ τῆς θυγατρός συνοδεῦσαι τούτοις. Τῶν δὲ ἀνασχομένων, οἱ μὲν γονεῖς μετά τῆς παιδὸς ἔμειναν ἔξω τοῦ ὅρους παρὰ Παφνουτίῳ τῷ ὁμολογητῇ καὶ μοναχῷ· οἱ δὲ εἰσῆλθον, καὶ μόνον ὡς ἠθέλησαν ἀπαγγεῖλαι περὶ τῆς παρθένου, ἔφθασεν αὐτοὺς αὐτὸς, καὶ διηγήσατο τὸ τε πάθος τῆς παιδὸς, καὶ πῶς συνώδευσεν αὐτοῖς. Τούτων δὲ ἀξιούντων ἐπιτραπῆναι κάκείνους εἰσελθεῖν, τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν, εἷπε δέ · Ὑπάγετε, καὶ εὑρήσετε αὐτὴν, εἰ μὴ ἀπέθανε, τεθεραπευμένην. Οὐ γὰρ ἐμόν ἐστι τοῦτο κατόρθωμα, ἵνα καὶ πρὸς ὲμὲ τὸν οἰκτρὸν ἆνθρωπον ἔλθῃ· ἀλλὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρὸς ἐστιν ἡ θεραπεία, τοῦ ποιοῦντος ὲν παντὶ τόπῳ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν. Κάκείνη τοίνυν ἐπένευσεν ὁ Κύριος εὐξαμένῃ, κάμοὶ δεδήλωκεν ἡ αὑτοῦ φιλανθρωπία, ὅτι τὸ πάθος ἐκεῖ οὔσης τῆς παιδὸς θεραπεύσει. Γέγονε γοῦν τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ ἐξελθόντες εὗρον τοὺς γονεῖς χαίροντας, καὶ τὴν παῖδα λοιπὸν ὑγιαίνουσαν. ### English translation (Claude) A virgin from Busiris in Tripolis had a terrible and very loathsome affliction: her tears, the mucus from her nose, and the fluid from her ears became worms as soon as they fell to the ground; her body was paralyzed, and her eyes were abnormal. When her parents learned that some monks were going to Antony, they believed in the Lord who healed the woman with the flow of blood, and asked to travel with them, together with their daughter. The monks agreed, and the parents with the girl stayed outside the mountain with Paphnutius, the confessor and monk; and the monks went in. As soon as they wished to tell him about the virgin, he anticipated them and described the girl’s affliction and how she had traveled with them. When they asked that her parents too be allowed to come in, he did not allow it, but said: ‘Go, and you will find her healed, unless she has died. For this is not my achievement, that she should come to me, a wretched man; the healing belongs to the Savior, who works his mercy in every place for those who call upon him. To her too, then, the Lord has inclined as she prayed, and his love for humanity has shown me that he will heal the girl’s affliction where she is.’ The miracle took place; and going out they found the parents rejoicing and the girl now in good health. ### Scripture references - Matt 9:20–22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The location of Busiris “in Tripolis” is uncertain. Paphnutius the confessor had suffered in the persecution. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 58 (PG 26:925b–928b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/38/#p-58). ## Life of Antony 59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-59 - Source: PG 26:928c–929a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony foresaw two brothers dying of thirst on the road and sent monks with water, who saved one of them; the death of the other was God’s judgment. ### Greek text Εἰσερχομένων δὲ δύο ἀδελφῶν τινων, καὶ λείψαντος ὲν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ὓδατος, ὁ μὲν εἷς ἀπέθανεν, 6 δὲ ἕτερος ἔμελλε· μηκέτι γοῦν ἰσχύων ὁδεύειν, ἔκειτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τεθνήξεσθαι προσδοκῶν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος, καθήμενος ἐν τῷ ὄρει, φωνήσας δύο μοναχοῦς (συνέβη γὰρ ἐκεῖ τούτους εἶναι ), ἤπειγε λέγων· Λάβετε κεράμιον ὓδατος, καὶ δράμετε τὴν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον ὁδόν · δύο γὰρ ἐρχομένων, ὁ μὲν εἷς ἄρτι τετελεύτηκεν, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος μέλλει, ἐὰν μὴ σπεύσητε. Τοῦτο γὰρ εὐχομένῳ μοι νῦν πεφανέρωται. Ἑλθόντες τοίνυν οἱ μοναχοὶ. εὗρον τὸν μὲν κείμενον νεκρὸν, καὶ ἔθαψαν, τὸν δὲ ἕτερον ἀνεκτήσαντο τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ ἀπήγαγον πρὸς τὸν γέροντα· ἦν γὰρ τὸ διάστημα ἡμέρας ὁδός. Ἐὰν δὲ ζητήσῃ τις, διὰ τί μὴ πρὸ τοῦ τελευτῆσαι τὸν ἄλλον οὐκ εἴρηκεν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ζητεῖ τοῦτο λέγων. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν Ἀντωνίου τὸ τοῦ θανάτου κρῖμα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου κρίναντος, καὶ περὶ τούτου ἀποκαλύψαντος. Μόνον δὲ Ἀντωνίου τοῦτο θαῦμα ἦν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὄρει καθήμενος, εἶχε τὴν,μὲν καρδίαν, νήφουσαν, τὸν δὲ Κύριον δεικνύοντα αύτῷ τὰ μακράν. ### English translation (Claude) Once, when two brothers were coming to him and their water ran out on the road, one of them died, and the other was about to die; no longer able to walk, he too lay on the ground expecting death. Antony, sitting on the mountain, called two monks who happened to be there and urged them, saying: ‘Take a jar of water and run along the road toward Egypt; for of two who were coming, one has just died, and the other will die unless you hurry. This has just been revealed to me as I prayed.’ The monks went and found the one lying dead, and buried him; the other they revived with water and brought to the old man; for the distance was a day’s journey. If anyone asks why he did not speak before the first one died, he is not right to ask this. For the judgment of death was not Antony’s but God’s, who both judged concerning the one and revealed concerning the other. This alone was Antony’s marvel: that while sitting on the mountain he kept his heart watchful, and the Lord showed him things far away. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 59 (PG 26:928c–929a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-59). ## Life of Antony 60 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-60 - Source: PG 26:929a–932a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony saw the soul of Amoun of Nitria carried to heaven at the hour of his death, thirteen days’ journey away; Amoun had once been carried across a flooded river. ### Greek text Καὶ γάρ ποτε πάλιν, καθήμενος ἐν τῷ ὄρει καὶ ἀναβλέψας, εἶδεν ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ἀναγόμενόν τινα, πολλήν τε τῶν ἀπαντώντων γινομένην τήν χαράν. Εἶτα θαυμάζων καὶ μακαρίζων τὸν τοιοῦτον χορὸν, ηὔχετο μαθεῖν, τί ἂν εἴη τοῦτο. Καὶ εὐθὺς ἦλθεν αὐτῷ φωνὴ, ταύτην εἶναι τοῦ Ἀμοῦν τὴν ψυχὴν, τοῦ ἐν τῇ Νιτρίᾳ μοναχοῦ. Ἦν δὲ οὗτος ἕως γήρως ἀσκητὴς διαμείνας. Καὶ τὸ διάστημα δὶ τὸ ἀπὸ Νιτρίας ἕως τοῦ ὅρους, ἔνθα ἧν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ἡμερῶν ἔστι δεκατριῶν. Οἱ τοίνυν ὄντες μετὰ Ἀντωνίου, βλέποντες τὸν γέροντα θαυμάζοντα, ἠξίωσαν μαθεῖν· καὶ ἤκουσαν, ὅτι ἄρτι τετελεύτηκεν ὁ Ἀμοῦν. Ἢν γὰρ γνώριμος, διὰ τὸ πυκνότερον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ παραγίνεσθαι, καὶ πολλὰ καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ σημεῖα γεγενῆσθαι· ἐξ ὧν ἓν ἐστι τοῦτο· Ποτὲ χρείας γενομένης παρελθεῖν αύτὸν τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν λεγόμενον Λύκον (ἦν δὲ τότε πλημμύρα τῶν ὑδάτων), ἠξίωσε τὸν σὺν αὐτῷ Θεόδωρον μακρὰν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, ’ίνα μὴ ἀλλήλους ἴδωσι γυμνοὺς, ἐν τῷ διανήχεσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ. Εἶτα ἀπελθόντος τοῦ Θεοδώρου, ᾐσχύνετο πάλιν καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἰδεῖν γυμνόν. Ἕως τοίνυν ᾐσχύνετο, καὶ ἐφρόντιζεν, ἐξαίφνης ἀπηνέχθη εἰς τὸ πέραν. Ὁ οὖν Θεόδωρος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ εὐλαβὴς, ἐγγίσας καὶ ἑωρακὼς αὐτὸν προλαβόντα, καὶ μήθʼ ὅλως ὕδατι βραχὲντα, ἠξίου μαθεῖν τὸν τρόπον τοῦ περάματος. Ὡς δὲ ἑώρα μὴ θέλοντα εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν, διισχυρίζετο, κατἔχων αὖτοῦ τοὺς πόδας, μὴ πρότερον ἐξαφεῖναι, πρὶν ἂν μάθῃ παρʼ αὐτοῦ. Βλέπων τοιγαροῦν ὁ Ἀμοῦν τὸ φιλόνεικον τοῦ Θεοδώρου, μάλιστα καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον ’ὸν εἶπεν, ἆπῄτησε καὶ αὐτὸς μηδενὶ λέγειν αὐτὸς ἓως θανάτου αὐτοῦʼ καὶ οὕτως ἀπήγγειλε, βεβαστάχθαι καὶ τεθεῖσθαι αὐτὸν εἷς τὸ πέραν· μήτε δὲ περιπεπατηκέναι εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, μήθʼ ὅλως εἶναι τοῦτο δυνατὸν ἀνθρώποις, εἴ μὴ μόνῳ τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ οἷς ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψῃ, ὡς τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀποστόλῳ Πὲτρῳ πεποίηκεν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Θεόδωρος μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ Ἀμοῦν διηγήσατο τοῦτοʼ οἱ δὲ μοναχοὶ, οἷς εἶπεν 6 ’Δντώνιος περί τοῦ Θανάτου τοῦ ’Δμοῦν, ἐσημειώσαντο τὴν ἡμέραν· καὶ ἀνελθόντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Νιτρίας μετᾶ τριάκοντα ἡμέρας, ἐπύθοντο, καὶ ἔγνωσαν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τῇ ὥρᾳ κεκοιμῆσθαι τὸν Ἀμοῦν, οὗ τὴν ψυχὴν εἶδεν ἀναφερομένην ὁ γέ- ### English translation (Claude) Once again, sitting on the mountain and looking up, he saw someone being carried up in the air, and great joy among those who met him. Marveling, and calling such a choir blessed, he prayed to learn what this might be. At once a voice came to him: this was the soul of Amoun, the monk in Nitria. He had persevered as an ascetic until old age. The distance from Nitria to the mountain where Antony was is thirteen days’ journey. Those who were with Antony, seeing the old man marveling, asked to learn what it was, and they heard that Amoun had just died. For he was well known, because he came there quite often, and many signs had been done through him. This is one of them. Once, when he needed to cross the river called Lycus (and the waters were then in flood), he asked Theodore, who was with him, to go far away from him, so that they might not see each other naked while swimming across. Then, when Theodore had gone, he was ashamed again even to see himself naked. While he was ashamed and anxious, he was suddenly carried over to the other side. Theodore, himself a devout man, came near and saw that Amoun had got across first without being wet by the water at all, and asked to learn the manner of the crossing. When he saw that Amoun did not wish to tell, he insisted, holding his feet and saying that he would not let go until he learned it from him. Amoun, then, seeing Theodore’s insistence, especially because of what he had said, demanded in turn that he tell no one until Amoun’s death; and so he told him that he had been carried and set down on the other side; that he had not walked on the water, nor is this possible at all for human beings, except only for the Lord and those to whom he permits it, as he did for the great apostle Peter. Theodore told this after Amoun’s death. The monks to whom Antony had spoken about Amoun’s death noted the day; and when the brothers came up from Nitria thirty days later, they inquired and learned that Amoun had fallen asleep on that day and at that hour at which the old man saw his soul being carried up … ### Scripture references - Matt 14:29: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Amoun was the founder of monastic settlement at Nitria, west of the Nile Delta. - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 60 (PG 26:929a–932a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-60). ## Life of Antony 61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-61 - Source: PG 26:932b–932c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: At the request of Count Archelaus, Antony prayed for the sick virgin Polycratia of Laodicea, who was healed at the very hour of his prayer. ### Greek text Καὶ μὴν καὶ Ἀρχέλαός ποτε ὁ κομης, εὗρων αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ὅρει τῷ ἔξω, προσεύξασθαι μόνον ἠξίωσεν αὐτὸν περὶ Πολυκρατείας τῆς ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ Θαυμαστῆς καὶ Χριστοφόρου παρθὲνου. Ἐπασχε γὰρ ἐκείνη δεινῶς τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὸ πλευρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἄγαν ἀσκήσεως, καὶ ὅλη ἧν ἀσθενὴς τῷ σώματι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀντώνιος ηὔχετο· ὁ δὲ κόμης ἐσημειώσατο τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ γέγονεν ἡ εὐχή· καὶ, ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὴν Λαοδίκειαν, εὗρεν ὑγιῆ τήν παρθένον. Πυνθανόμενος δὲ, πότε καὶ ποίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ πέπαυται τῆς ἀσθενείας, προήνεγκε τὸν χάρτην, ἐν ᾧ τὸν χρόνον τῆς εὐχῆς ἔγραψε· καὶ μαθὼν, ἔδειξε καὶ αὐτὸς εὐθὺς τὴν ἐν τῷ χάρτῃ γραφήν· καὶ πάντες ἐθαύμασαν ἐπιγνόντες, ὅτι τότε πὲπαυκεν ὁ Κύριος αὐτὴν τῶν πόνων, ὅτε ἦν εὐχόμενος 6 ’Λντώνιος καὶ παρακαλῶν τήν ἀγαθότητα τοῦ Σωτῆρος περὶ αὐτῆς. ### English translation (Claude) Moreover, Archelaus the count once found him on the outer mountain and asked him simply to pray for Polycratia of Laodicea, an admirable virgin who bore Christ within her. She was suffering terribly in her stomach and side from excessive discipline, and was altogether weak in body. Antony prayed, and the count noted the day on which the prayer was made; and going to Laodicea he found the virgin well. When he asked when and on what day she had been freed from her illness, he brought out the paper on which he had written the time of the prayer; and having learned the day, he at once showed what was written on the paper; and all marveled, recognizing that the Lord had freed her from her pains at the very time when Antony was praying and entreating the Savior’s goodness for her. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 61 (PG 26:932b–932c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-61). ## Life of Antony 62 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-62 - Source: PG 26:932c–932d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony foreknew who was coming to him and why, but asked that the Lord, not he, be admired for it. ### Greek text Καὶ περῖ τῶν ἐρχομὲνων δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν πολλάκις προέλεγε πρὸ ἡμερῶν, ἦν δὲ ὅτε καὶ πρό μηνὸς, καὶ τήν αἰτίαν, διʼ ἦν ἤρχοντο· οἱ μὶν γὰρ ἕνεκα τοῦ μόνον ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν ἤρχοντο, οἱ δὲ διʼ ἀσθὲνειαν, καὶ ἄλλοι πάσχοντες ὑπὸ δαιμόνων. Καὶ πάντες οὐ σκυλμὸν οὐδὲ ζημίαν ἡγοῦντο τὸν κόπον τῆς ὁδοῦ· ἀνέκαμπτε γὰρ ἕκαστος αἰσθόμενος τῆς ὠφελείας. Τοιαῦτα δὲ λέγων καὶ βλέπων, ἠξίου μηδένα θαυμάζειν αὐτὸν ἐν τούτῳ, ἀλλᾶ μᾶλλον θαυμάζειν τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀνθρώποις ἡμῖν οὖσιν ἐχαρίσατο κατὰ δύναμιν γινώσκειν αὐτόν. ### English translation (Claude) He also often foretold, days beforehand, and sometimes even a month before, who was coming to him and why: some came only to see him, others because of illness, and others suffering from demons. And none of them regarded the labor of the journey as a trouble or a loss; for each went back having felt the benefit. Though he said and saw such things, he asked that no one should admire him for this, but rather admire the Lord, who has granted to us, who are human beings, to know him according to our capacity. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 62 (PG 26:932c–932d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-62). ## Life of Antony 63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-63 - Source: PG 26:933a–933b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On a boat Antony smelled a stench no one else noticed, which proved to come from a demon hidden in a young man; he cast it out in Christ’s name. ### Greek text Κατελθὼν δέ ποτε πάλιν εἷς τὰ ἔξω μοναστήρια, καὶ ἀξιωθεὶς εἷς πλοῖον εἲσελθεῖν, καὶ εὔξασθαι μετὰ μοναχῶν, μόνος αὐτὸς ἀντελάβετο δεινῆς δυσωδίας καὶ πάνυ πικρᾶς. Τῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ λεγόντων, ἰχθὺν εἶναι καὶ τάριχον ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ τούτων εἶναι τὴν ὀσμὴν, αὐτὸς ἄλλην ἔλεγεν εἶναι τήν δυσωδίαν· ἔτι δὶ αὐτοῦ λὲγοντος, νεώτερός τις ἔχων δαίμονα, ὃς προεισελθὼν ἐκρύπτετο ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, εὐθὺς ἀνέκραξεν. Ἐπιτιμηθεὶς δὲ ὁ δαίμων ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐξῆλθε· καὶ ὁ μὶν ἅνθρωπος γέγονεν ὑγιής· πάντες δὲ ἔγνωσαν, ὅτι τοῦ δαίμονος ἦν ἡ δυσωδία. ### English translation (Claude) Once, when he went down again to the outer monasteries and was asked to go aboard a boat and pray with some monks, he alone perceived a terrible and very bitter stench. When those in the boat said that there was fish and salted meat aboard and that the smell came from these, he said that the stench was something else. While he was still speaking, a young man who had a demon, and who had come aboard earlier and was hiding in the boat, at once cried out. The demon was rebuked in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and came out; the man was made well, and all knew that the stench had been the demon’s. ### Scripture references - Mark 1:23–26: echo, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 63 (PG 26:933a–933b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-63). ## Life of Antony 64 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-64 - Source: PG 26:933b–933d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A violently possessed young nobleman attacked Antony at dawn after a night of prayer, which Antony recognized as the sign that the demon had left him. ### Greek text Καὶ ἄλλος δέ τις τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἦλθεν ἔχων δαίμονα πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἦν δὲ ὁ δαίμων ἐκεῖνος οὕτω δεινὸς, ὡς τὸν ἐνεργούμενον μὴ γινώσκειν, εἷ πρὸς Ἀντώνιον ᾖεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ τὰ περιττὰ κατήσθιεν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀγαγόντες αὐτὸν, παρεκάλουν τὸν Ἀντώνιον εὔξασθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος συμπαθὼν τῷ νεανίσκῳ, ηὔχετο· καὶ τὴν νύκτα πᾶσαν συνηγρὺπνησεν αὐτῷ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν νεανίσκος, ἐξαίφνης ἐπελθὼν τῷ Ἀντωνίῳ περὶ τήν ἓω, ὥθησεν αὐτόνʼ τῶν δὲ σὺν ἐκείνῳ ἐλθόντων ἀγανακτούντων, ἔφη ὁ Ἀντώνιος” Μὴ χαλεπαίνετε τῷ νεανίσκῳ· οὐ γὰρ αὐτός ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ δαίμων· ἐπιτιμηθεὶς δέ, καὶ κελευσθεὶς ἐλασθῆναι εἷς ἀνύδρους τόπους, ἐμάνη, καὶ τοῦτο πεποίηκε. Δοξάζετε οὖν τὸν Κύριον· τὸ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὸν ὁρμῆσαι κατʼ ἐμοῦ σημεῖον ὑμῖν γέγονε τῆς τοῦ δαίμονος ἐξόδου. Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀντωνίου εἰπόντος, εὐθὺς ὁ νεανίσκος γέγονεν ὑγιής· καὶ λοιπὸν σωφρονήσας, ἔγνω, ὅπου τε ἦν, καὶ κατησπάζετο τὸν γέροντα εὐχαριστῶν τῷ Θεῷ. ### English translation (Claude) Another man, one of the notables, came to him with a demon. That demon was so terrible that the possessed man did not know that he was going to Antony; he even ate the excrement of his own body. Those who brought him begged Antony to pray for him; and Antony, feeling compassion for the young man, prayed and kept vigil with him the whole night. Toward dawn the young man suddenly attacked Antony and pushed him; and when those who had come with him were indignant, Antony said: ‘Do not be angry with the young man; for it is not he, but the demon in him. Rebuked and commanded to be driven into waterless places, it went mad and did this. So glorify the Lord; for his rushing at me in this way has become a sign to you that the demon has gone out.’ When Antony had said this, at once the young man was made well; and coming to his senses he knew where he was, and he embraced the old man, giving thanks to God. ### Scripture references - Matt 12:43: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 64 (PG 26:933b–933d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-64). ## Life of Antony 65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-65 - Source: PG 26:933d–936d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In a vision Antony was led up through the air, where hostile powers demanded an account of his life since he became a monk, but could prove nothing against him. ### Greek text Πολλά τε ἄλλα τοιαῦτα συμφώνως καὶ ὁμαλῶς εἰρήκασι περὶ αὐτοῦ πλεῖστοι τῶν μοναχῶν διʼ αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι. Οὐκ ἔτι δὲ ταῦτα θαυμαστὰ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὰ ἄλλα θαυμασιώτερα μᾶλλον φαίνεται. Μέλλων γὰρ ἐσθίειν ποτὲ, καὶ ἄναστὰς εὔξασθαι περὶ τὴν ἐννάτῃν ὥραν, ᾔσθετο ἑαυτὸν ἁρπαγέντα τῇ διανοίᾳ· καὶ, τὸ παράδοξον, ἑστὼς ἔβλεπεν ἑαυτὸν ὥσπερ ἔξωθεν ἑαυτοῦ γινόμενον, καὶ ὡς εἷς τὸν ἀέρα ὁδηγούμενον ὑπό τινων· εἶτα πικροὺς καὶ δεινούς τινας ἑστῶτας ἐν τῷ ἀέρι καὶ θέλοντας αὐτὸν κωλῦσαι ὥστε μὴ διαβῆναι. Τῶν δὲ ὁδηγοῦντων ἀντιμαχομὲνων, ἀπῄτουν ἐκεῖνοι λόγον, εἱ μὴ ὑπεύθυνος αὐτοῖς εἶή. Θελόντων τοίνυν συνᾶραι λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς γεννήσεως αὐτοῦ, ἐκώλυον οἱ τὸν Ἀντώνιον ὁδηγοῦντες, λέγοντες ἐκείνοις Τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς γεννήσεως αὖτοῦ ὁ Κύριος ἀπήλειψεν· ἐξ οὗ δὶ γέγονε μοναχὸς, καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Θεῷ, ἔξεστι λόγον ποιῆσαι. Τότε κατηγορούντων, καὶ μὴ ἐλεγχόντων, ἐλευθέρα γέγονεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀκώλυτος ἡ ὁδὸς· καὶ εὐθὺς εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὣσπερ ἐρχόμενον καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν Eetion, καὶ πάλιν ἦν ὅλως Ἀντώνιος. Τότε τοῦ μὶν φαγεῖν αὐτὸς ἐπιλαθόμενος, ἔμεινε τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ διʼ ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς στενάζων καὶ εὐχόμενος. Εθαύμαζε γὰρ βλέπων πρὸς πόσους ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἢ πάλη, καὶ διὰ πόσων πόνων ἔχει τις διαβῆναι τὸν ἀέρα· καὶ ἐμνημόνευεν, ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ ἔλεγεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος. Κατᾶ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἔχει τήν ἐξουσίαν, ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι καὶ πειράζειν διακωλύειν τοὺς διερχομένους. Διʼ ’ὀ καὶ μάλιστα παρῄνει· Ἀναλάβετε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ’ἱνα δυνηθῆτε ἀντιστῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ· ἵνα μηδὲν ἔχων λέγειν περὶ ἡμῶν φαῦλον ὁ ἐχθρὸς καταισχυνθῇ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, τοῦτο μαθόντες, μνημονεύωμεν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Εἴτε ἐν σώματι, οὐκ οῗδα εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος, οὐκ οἶδα· 6 Θεὸς οἶδεν. Ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν Παῦλος ἓως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ ἡρπάγη, καὶ ἀκούσας ἄρρητα ῥήματα κατῆλθεν· ὁ δὲ ’Λντώνιος ἓως τοῦ ἀέρος ἑαυτὸν εἶδε φθάσαντα, καὶ ἀγωνισάμενον ἓως ἐλεύθερος φανῇ· ### English translation (Claude) Many other such things, consistently and in agreement, most of the monks have told of as having been done through him. Yet these do not seem so wonderful as other things, which appear more wonderful still. Once, when he was about to eat and had risen to pray about the ninth hour, he felt himself caught up in his mind; and, strangest of all, as he stood he saw himself as though he were outside himself and being led up into the air by certain beings. Then he saw some bitter and terrible beings standing in the air and wishing to hinder him from passing through. When his guides resisted them, they demanded an account, to see whether he was answerable to them. When they wished to reckon up an account from his birth, Antony’s guides prevented them, saying to them: ‘What dates from his birth the Lord has wiped out; but from the time he became a monk and made his promise to God, you may make an account.’ Then, as they accused him but could prove nothing, the way became free and unhindered for him; and at once he saw himself as though coming back and returning to himself, and he was wholly Antony again. Then, forgetting to eat, he spent the rest of the day and the whole night groaning and praying. For he marveled to see against how many our wrestling is, and through what labors one must pass through the air; and he remembered that this is what the Apostle said: ‘according to the ruler of the authority of the air.’ For in this lies the enemy’s authority: in fighting and trying to hinder those who pass through. That is why the Apostle especially exhorted: ‘Take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,’ so that the enemy, having nothing evil to say about us, may be put to shame. And we, having learned this, let us remember the Apostle, who says: ‘Whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows.’ But Paul was caught up as far as the third heaven, and came down having heard unspeakable words; while Antony saw himself reach the air and struggle until he was shown to be free. ### Scripture references - Eph 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:12: allusion, medium confidence - Eph 6:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:2–4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The vision reflects the belief that souls pass through hostile powers in the air after death; it is translated as written. The phrase describing his return to himself is garbled in the scan and translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 65 (PG 26:933d–936d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-65). ## Life of Antony 66 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-66 - Source: PG 26:936d–937c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In another vision Antony saw souls ascending past a giant figure, the enemy, who seized those subject to him while the faithful passed beyond; he told such things only when pressed, for others’ benefit. ### Greek text Εἶχε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν χάρισμα. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὄρει κατᾶ μόνας καθήμενος, εἷʼ ποτὲ τι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ζητῶν ἠπόρει, τοῦτο αὐτῷ παρά τῆς Προνοίας εὖχομὲνῳ ἀπεκαλύπτετο. Καὶ ἦν, κατᾶ τὸ γεγραμμένον, Θεοδιδακτος γενόμενος ὁ μακάριος. Μετᾶ ταῦτα γοῦν διαλέξεως αὐτῷ ποτε γενομένης πρός τινας εἰσελθόντας πρὸς αὐτὸν, περὶ τῆς διαγωγῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ποῖος μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτῇ τόπος ἔσται, τῇ ἑξῆς νυκτὶ καλεῖ τις αὑτὸν ἄνωθεν, λέγων· Ἀντώνιε, ἀναστὰς ἔξελθε, καὶ βλέπε. Ἐξελθὼν τοίνυν, (ᾔδει γάρ τίσιν ὑπακούειν ὀφείλει) καὶ ἐθεώρησέ τινα μακρὸν ἀναβλέψας, ἀειδῆ καὶ φοβερὸν, ἑστῶτα καὶ φθάνοντα μέχρι τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ἀναβαίνοντας τινας ὥσπερ ἐπτερωμένους· κάκεῖνον ἐκτείνοντα τὰς χεῖρας· καὶ τοὺς μὲν κωλυομένους παρʼ αὑτοῦ, τοὺς δὲ ὑπεριπταμένους, καὶ διελθόντας λοιπὸν, ἀμερίμνως ἀνάγεσθαι. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔτριζε τοὺς ὀδόντας ὁ μακρὸς ἐκεῖνος· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀποπίπτουσιν, ἔχαιρε. Καὶ εὐθὺς πρὸς ’Λντώνιον ἐγένετο φωνή · Νόει τὸ βλεπόμενον· καὶ διανοιχθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας, ἐνενόει τῶν ψυχῶν εἶναι τὴν πάροδον, καὶ τὸν ἑστῶτα μακρὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐχθρὸν τὸν φθονοῦντα τοῖς πιστοῖς· καὶ τοὺς μὶν ὑπευθύνους αὑτῷ κρατοῦντα καὶ κωλύοντα διελθεῖν, τοὺς δέ μή πεισθέντας αὐτῷ μή δυνάμενον κρατεῖν ὡς ὑπερβαίνοντας. Τοῦτο πάλιν ἑωρακὼς, καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπομιμνησκόμενος, μαλλον ἠγωνίζετο προκόπτειν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν καθʼ ἡμέραν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἑκὼν ἀπήγγελλεν αὐτός· ἐν δὲ τῷ χρονίζειν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν θαυμάζειν, πυνθανομένων τῶν συνόντων καὶ θλιβόντων αὑτὸν, ἠναγκάζετο λέγειν, ὡς πατὴρ οὐ δυνάμενος κρύπτειν τοῖς τέκνοις· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡγούμενος, ὅτι τὸ μέν αὐτοῦ συνειδός ἐστι καθαρὸν, ἐκείνοις δὲ τὸ διήγημα γίνεται πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, μανθάνουσι τῆς ἀσκήσεως εἶναι καρπὸν ἀγαθὸν, τῶν τε πόνων πολλάκις παραμύθιον γίνεσθαι τὰς ὀπτασίας. ### English translation (Claude) He also had this further gift. Sitting alone on the mountain, if ever he was at a loss in seeking something by himself, it was revealed to him by Providence as he prayed; and the blessed man was, as it is written, taught by God. Later, at any rate, when he once had a discussion with some who had come to him about the passage of the soul and what place it will have after this life, the following night someone called him from above, saying: ‘Antony, get up, go out, and look.’ So he went out (for he knew whom he ought to obey), and looking up he saw a tall figure, misshapen and frightful, standing and reaching to the clouds, and some beings ascending as if they had wings; and that figure was stretching out his hands; some were stopped by him, while others flew over him and, having passed through, were carried up thereafter without care. At these the tall figure gnashed his teeth, but over those who fell back he rejoiced. At once a voice came to Antony: ‘Understand what you see.’ And his understanding was opened, and he understood that this was the passage of souls, and that the tall figure standing there was the enemy who envies the faithful: he seizes those who are answerable to him and prevents them from passing, but cannot seize those who have not obeyed him, as they pass beyond. Having seen this, and being as it were reminded, he strove all the more each day to advance toward what lies ahead. He did not tell these things willingly; but when he spent long in prayer and marveled to himself, and those with him questioned and pressed him, he was compelled to speak, as a father who cannot hide things from his children. He also thought that his own conscience was pure, while the account would benefit them, as they learned that the fruit of the ascetic life is good, and that visions often come as a consolation for its labors. ### Scripture references - 1 Thess 4:9: allusion, medium confidence - Phil 3:13: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 24:45: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 66 (PG 26:936d–937c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-66). ## Life of Antony 67 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-67 - Source: PG 26:937d–940b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony honored the clergy, deferring even to deacons, was eager to learn, and had a face so radiant with inner peace that strangers recognized him at once among the monks. ### Greek text Πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὸ ἦθος ἀνεξίκακος ἦν, καὶ τήν ψυχὴν ταπεινόφρων· τοιοῦτος γάρ ὢν, τόν τε κανόνα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπερφυῶς ἐτίμα, καὶ πάντα κληρικὸν τῇ τιμῇ προηγεῖσθαι ἤθελεν ἑαυτοῦ. Τοῖς μὶν γὰρ ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις οὐκ ᾐδεῖτο κλῖναι τὴν κεφαλήν· διάκονος δὲ εἷʼ ποτε πρὸς αὐτόν ὠφελείας χάριν ἀπήντα, τὰ μὶν πρὸς ὠφέλειαν διελέγετο· τά δὲ τῆς εὐχῆς αὑτῷ παρεχώρει, οὐκ αἰδούμενος μανθάνειν καί αὐτός. Καὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ἐπυνθάνετο, καὶ ἠξίου παρᾶ τῶν συνοντῶν ἀκούειν· καὶ ὡμολόγει ὥφελεῖσθαι, εἴ τι χρήσιμόν τις ἔλεγε. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ χάριν εἶχε πολλὴν καὶ παράδοξον. Εἶχε δὶ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ χάρισμα παρᾶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν μοναχῶν παρῆν, καὶ τοῦτον ἰδεῖν τις ἐβούλετο μὴ πρότερον γινώσκων, προσελθὼν εὐθὺς, τοὺς μὶν ἄλλους ὑπερέβαινε, πρὸς αὐτὸν δὶ ἔτρεχεν, ὡς ὑπὸ τῶν ὄψεων αὐτοῦ ἑλκόμενος. Οὐχ ὕψει δὲ, ούδὶ τῷ πλάτει διέφερε τῶν ἄλλων, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν ἠθῶν καταστάσει, καὶ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότητι. Ἀθορύβου γὰρ οὔσης τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀταράχους εἶχε καὶ τὰς ἔξωθεν αἰσθήσεις· ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς τῆς ψυχῆς ἱλαρὸν ἔχειν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ σώματος κινημάτων αἰσθέσθαι καὶ νοεῖν τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς κατάστασιν, κατᾶ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Καρδίας εύφραινομὲνης, θάλλει πρόσωπον ἐν δὲ λύπαις οὔσης, σκυθρωπάζει. οὕτως Ἰακὼβ ἐπέγνω τὸν Λάβαν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐνθυμούμενον, καί φησι πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας· Οὐκ ἔστι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν ὡς χθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν οὕτως ὁ Σαμουὴλ ἒπὲγνω τὸν Δαβίδ· χαροποιοὺς γὰρ εἶχε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ὡς γάλα λευκούς. ### English translation (Claude) Moreover, he was forbearing in character and humble in soul. Being such, he honored the rule of the church exceedingly, and wished every cleric to be given precedence over himself in honor. He was not ashamed to bow his head to bishops and presbyters; and if ever a deacon came to him for help, he discussed with him what would benefit him, but gave place to him in prayer, not ashamed to learn himself as well. For he often asked questions and sought to hear from those who were with him, and he admitted that he was helped if anyone said something useful. His face, too, had great and remarkable grace. He had this gift also from the Savior: if he was present among the crowd of monks, and someone who did not know him before wished to see him, that person would come forward and at once pass by the others and run to Antony, as though drawn by his appearance. He did not differ from the others in height or breadth, but in the settled state of his character and the purity of his soul. For since his soul was untroubled, his outward senses were also undisturbed, so that from the joy of his soul his face too was cheerful, and from the movements of his body one could perceive and understand the state of his soul, as it is written: ‘When the heart is glad, the face flourishes; but when it is in grief, it is gloomy.’ So Jacob recognized that Laban was plotting, and said to his wives: ‘Your father’s face is not toward me as it was yesterday and the day before’; so Samuel recognized David, for he had joyful eyes and teeth white as milk. … ### Scripture references - Prov 15:13: quotation, high confidence - Gen 31:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:12: allusion, high confidence - Gen 49:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Prov 15:13 is quoted in the Septuagint form; the description of David blends 1 Sam 16:12 with Gen 49:12. - The chapter seems to end with a lost line in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 67 (PG 26:937d–940b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-67). ## Life of Antony 68 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-68 - Source: PG 26:940b–941a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony kept apart from Melitian schismatics, Manichees, and other heretics, and drove away Arian visitors, calling their teaching worse than snake venom. ### Greek text Καὶ τά πίστει δὶ πάνυ θαυμαστὸς ἦν καὶ εὑσεβής. Οὔτε γὰρ Μελετιανοῖς τοῖς σχισματικοῖς ποτε κεκοινώνηκεν, εῗδὼς αύτῶν τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πονηρίαν καῑ ἀποστασίαν· οὔτε Μανιχαίοις, ἢ ἄλλοις τισὶν αἱρετικοῖς ὡμίλησε φιλικὰ, ἢ μόνον ἄχρι νουθεσίας τῆς εἶς εὐσέβειαν μεταβολῆς· ἡγούμενος καὶ παραγγέλλων τὴν τούτων φιλίαν καὶ ὁμιλίαν βλάβην καὶ ἀπώλειαν εἶναι ψυχῆς. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀρειανῶν αἵρεσιν ἐβδελύσσετο, παρήγγελλε τε πᾶσι μήτε ἐγγίζειν αὐτοῖς, μήτε τὴν κακοπιστίαν αύτῶν ἔχειν. Ἀπελθόντας γοῦν ποτε τινας πρὸς αὐτὸν τῶν Αρειομανιτῶν, ἀνακρίνας καὶ μαθὼν ἀσεβοῦντας, ἐδίωξεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὅρους, λέγων ὄφεων ἰοῦ χείρονας εἶʼναι τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) In faith too he was altogether admirable and devout. He never held communion with the Melitians, the schismatics, knowing their wickedness and apostasy from the beginning; nor did he converse in friendship with the Manichees or any other heretics, except only to admonish them to turn to piety, holding and charging others that friendship and conversation with them is harm and destruction to the soul. So too he loathed the heresy of the Arians, and charged everyone neither to go near them nor to share their false faith. Once, when some of the Ariomaniacs came to him, he questioned them, and on learning that they were impious, he drove them from the mountain, saying that their words were worse than the venom of snakes. ### Translation notes - The Melitians were an Egyptian schism begun by Melitius of Lycopolis during the persecution. “Ariomaniacs” is Athanasius’s polemical name for the Arians. Antony’s stance is reported as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 68 (PG 26:940b–941a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-68). ## Life of Antony 69 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-69 - Source: PG 26:941a–941b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When the Arians claimed him, Antony came to Alexandria and denounced Arianism, teaching that the Son is the eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father’s being, not a creature. ### Greek text Καὶ ψευσαμένων δὲ ποτε τῶν Ἀρειανῶν, ὠς ἐκείνοις τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦντος, ἠγανάκτει καὶ ἐθυμοῦτο κατʼ ἐκείνων. Εἶτα παρακληθεὶς παρᾶ τε τῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν πάντων, κατῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους· καὶ εἴσελθὼν εἷς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, τοὺς Ἀρειανοὺς ἀπεκήρυξεν· αἵρεσιν ἐσχάτην λέγων εἶναι ταύτην, καὶ πρόδρομον τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου. ’Ἐδίδασκε τε τὸν λαὸν μὴ εἶναι κτίσμα τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μηδὲ ἐξ οὐκ ὅντων γεγενῆσθαι· ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἀίδιός ἐστι τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας Λόγος καὶ Σοφία. Διʼ ’ὀ καὶ ἀσεβὲς ἐστι λέγειν. Ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦνʼ ἦν γὰρ ἀεὶ ὁ Λόγος συνυπάρχων τῷ Πατρί· ὅθεν μηδὲ μίαν ἔχετε κοινωνίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεστάτους Ἀρειανούς· οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος. Ὑμεῖς μὲν γαρ εῦσεβοῦντες Χριστιανοί ἐστε· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ, κτίσμα λέγοντες τὸν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Λόγον, οῦδὲν διαφέρουσιν ἐθνικῶν, λατρεύοντες τῇ κτίσει παρά τὸν κτίσαντα Θεὸν. Πιστεύσατε δὲ, ὅτι καὶ αὐτή ἡ κτίσις πᾶσα ἀγανακτεῖ κατʼ αὐτῶν· ὅτι τὸν κτίστην καὶ Κύριον τοῦ παντὸς, ἐν ᾧ τὰ πάντα γέγονε, τοῦτον τοῖς γενητοῖς συναριθμοῦσιν. ### English translation (Claude) And once, when the Arians falsely claimed that he held the same views as they did, he was indignant and angry with them. Then, called upon by the bishops and all the brothers, he came down from the mountain, and entering Alexandria he publicly denounced the Arians, saying that this was the last of the heresies and the forerunner of the Antichrist. He taught the people that the Son of God is not a creature, nor did he come into being from nothing, but that he is the eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father’s being. ‘Therefore it is impious to say, “There was when he was not”; for the Word always coexisted with the Father. So have no communion at all with the most impious Arians; for there is no communion of light with darkness. You are devout Christians; but they, by saying that the Son of God and Word who is from the Father is a creature, differ in nothing from the pagans, serving the creature rather than God the Creator. Believe me, the whole creation itself is indignant with them, because they number among created things the Creator and Lord of all, in whom all things came to be.’ ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 6:14: allusion, high confidence - Rom 1:25: allusion, high confidence - Col 1:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Being” translates οὐσία. “There was when he was not” is the Arian formula condemned at Nicaea. The polemic is reported as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 69 (PG 26:941a–941b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-69). ## Life of Antony 70 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-70 - Source: PG 26:941b–944a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In Alexandria crowds, including pagans and their priests, flocked to see the “man of God”; he healed many, and many became Christians. ### Greek text Οἱ μὲν οῦν λαοί πάντες ἔχαιρον ἀκούοντες παρὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ἀνδρὸς ἀναθεματιζομὲνην τὴν χριστομάχον αἵρεσιν· οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως πάντες συνέτρεχον ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἀντώνιον. Ἕλληνές τε καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι αὐτῶν ἱερεῖς, εἰς τὸ Κυριακὸν ἤρχοντο λέγοντες. Ἀξιοῦμεν ἴδεῖν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον πάντες γὰρ αὐτὸν οὕτως ἐκάλουν. Καὶ γὰρ κάκεῖ πολλοὺς διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐκαθάρισεν ὁ Κύριος ἀπὸ δαιμόνων, καὶ βλαβέντας τὴν διάνοιαν ἰάσατο. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνες ἠξίουν κᾶν μόνον ἅπτεσθαι τοῦ γέροντος, πιστεύοντες ὡφελεῖσθαι· Ἀμέλει τοσοῦτοι γεγόνασι Χριστιανοὶ ἐν ταῖς ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, ὅσους ἂν τις εἶδεν ἐνιαυτῷ γενομὲνους. Εἶτα, τινῶν νομιζόντων ἐκ τῶν ὄχλων αὐτὸν ταραττεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποτρεπόντων ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ πάντας, αὐτὸς ού ταραττόμενος ἔλεγε, μή πλείους εἶναι τούτους ἐκείνων μεθʼ ὧν ἐν τῷ ὄρει παλαίομεν δαιμόνων. ### English translation (Claude) All the people rejoiced to hear the heresy that fights against Christ anathematized by such a man; and the whole city ran together to see Antony. Pagans too, and even their so-called priests, came to the Lord’s house, saying: ‘We ask to see the man of God’; for so they all called him. For there too the Lord cleansed many of demons through him, and healed those who were injured in mind. Many pagans also asked just to touch the old man, believing they would be helped. Indeed, as many became Christians in those few days as one might have seen become Christians in a year. Then, when some thought that he was troubled by the crowds and for this reason turned everyone away from him, he said, quite untroubled, that these were no more numerous than the demons with whom we wrestle on the mountain. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 70 (PG 26:941b–944a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-70). ## Life of Antony 71 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-71 - Source: PG 26:944a–944b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As Athanasius and others escorted Antony out of Alexandria, he healed a possessed girl at the city gate. ### Greek text Ὀτε δὶ ἀπεδήμει, καὶ προεπέμπομεν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἐφθάσαμεν εἰς τὴν πύλην, ὅπισθὲν τις ἐβόα γυνή· Μεῖνον, ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ θυγάτηρ μου δεινῶς ὑπὸ δαίμονος ἐνοχλεῖται· μεῖνον, πάρακαλῶ, μὴ κάγὼ κινδυνεύσω τρέχουσα. Ἀκούσας ὁ γὲρων, καὶ ἀξιωθεὶς παρʼ ἡμῶν, θὲλων ἔμεινεν. Ὠς δὲ ἤγγισεν ἡ γυνὴ, ἡ μὶν παῖς ἔρῥιπτο χαμαί· τοῦ δὲ ’Δντωνίου προσευξαμένου, καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάσαντος, ἠγέρθη ἡ παῖς ὑγιὴς, ἐξελθόντος τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου δαίμονος. Ἥ τε μήτηρ εὐλόγει τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ πάντες ηὐχαρίστουν. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὶ ἔχαιρεν ἄποδημῶν, ὡς εἷς τὸν ἴδιον οῖκον, εἴς τὸ ὅρος. ### English translation (Claude) When he was leaving and we were escorting him, as we reached the gate a woman behind us cried out: ‘Wait, man of God! My daughter is terribly troubled by a demon. Wait, I beg you, so that I do not come to harm myself by running.’ Hearing this, and asked by us, the old man willingly waited. When the woman came near, the girl was thrown to the ground; and when Antony had prayed and named Christ, the girl got up well, the unclean demon having gone out. The mother blessed God, and everyone gave thanks. And he himself rejoiced as he went away to the mountain, as to his own home. ### Translation notes - “We”: Athanasius himself was among those escorting Antony. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 71 (PG 26:944a–944b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-71). ## Life of Antony 72 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-72 - Source: PG 26:944c–944d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Two pagan philosophers came to test the unlettered Antony, who told them that if they thought him wise they should imitate him and become Christians. ### Greek text Καὶ φρόνιμος δὲ ἦν λίαν· καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, δτι, γράμματα μή μαθὼν, ἀγχίνους ἦν καὶ συνετὸς ἅνθρωπος. Ποτὶ γοῦν φιλόσοφοι δύο ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἕλληνες, νομίζοντες δύνασθαι τὸν ’Λντώνιον πειρᾶσαι· ἦν δὲ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ἔξω ὁ δὶ ἐκ τοῦ προσώπου συνεὶς τοὺς ἅνθρώπους, ἐξελθὼν πρὸς αύτοὺς, ἔφη διʼ ἑρμηνέως· Τί τοσοῦτον ἐσκύλητε, ὦ φιλόσοφοι, πρὸς μωρὸν ἄνθρωπον; Τῶν δὶ εἴπόντων, μή εἶναι μωρὸν αὐτὸν, ἀλλᾶ καὶ μάλα φρόνιμον, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούςʼ Εἰ μὲν πρὸς μωρὸν ἤλθετε, περιττὸς ὑμῶν ὁ κάματος· εί δὶ νομίζετὲ με φρόνιμον εἶναι, γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ” δεῖ γὰρ τὰ καλὰ μιμεῖσθαι. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἠρχόμην, ἐμιμησάμην ἂν ὑμᾶς· εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς πρὸς ἐμέ, γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ· Χριστιανὸς γάρ εἶμι. Οἱ δὶ θαυμάζοντες ἀνεχώρουν ἔβλεπον γὰρ καὶ δαίμονας φοβουμένους τὸν Ἄντώνιον. ### English translation (Claude) He was also very wise; and the wonderful thing is that, though he had not learned letters, he was a shrewd and intelligent man. Once, at any rate, two pagan philosophers came to him, thinking that they could test Antony. He was on the outer mountain; and understanding the men from their faces, he went out to them and said through an interpreter: ‘Why have you taken so much trouble, philosophers, to come to a foolish man?’ When they said that he was not foolish but very wise, he said to them: ‘If you have come to a foolish man, your labor is wasted; but if you think that I am wise, become as I am; for one ought to imitate what is good. If I had come to you, I would have imitated you; but since you have come to me, become as I am; for I am a Christian.’ They went away marveling; for they saw that even demons feared Antony. ### Translation notes - “Through an interpreter”: Antony spoke Coptic. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 72 (PG 26:944c–944d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-72). ## Life of Antony 73 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-73 - Source: PG 26:945a–945b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To philosophers who mocked his lack of learning, Antony replied that the mind, which invented letters, needs no letters if it is sound. ### Greek text Ἀλλων δὲ πάλιν τοιούτων ἀπαντησάντων πρὸς αὐτὸν έν τῷ ὅρει τῷ ἔξω, καὶ νομιζόντων χλευάζειν, οτι μὴ μεμάθηκε γράμματα, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀντώνιος · Ὑμεῖς δὲ τί λέγετε; Τί πρῶτόν ἐστι, νοῦς ἢ γράμματα; καὶ τί τίνος αἴτιον, ὁ νοῦς τῶν γραμμάτων, ἢ τὰ γράμματα τοῦ νοῦ; Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων πρῶτον εἶναι τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων εὑρέτην· ἔφη ὁ Ἀντώνιος ᾯ τοίνυν ὁ νοῦς ὑγιαίνει,τούτῳ οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα τὰ γράμματα. Τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς παρόντας καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐξέπληξεν. Ἀπῆλθον οῦν θαυμάζοντες, ὅτι τοσαύτην ἔβλεπον έν ἰδιώτῃ σύνεσιν · καὶ γὰρ οὐχ ὡς έν ὄρει τραφεὶς, κάκεῖ γέρων γενόμενος, ἄγριον εἶχε τὸ ἦθος· ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρίεις ἦν καὶ πολιτικός. Τὸν δὲ λόγον εἶχεν ἠρτυμένον τῷ θείῳ ἅλατι · ὥστε μηδένα φθονεῖν, χαίρειν δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ πάντας τοὺς ἐρχομένους πρὸς αὐτόν. ### English translation (Claude) When again others of the same kind met him on the outer mountain, and thought to mock him because he had not learned letters, Antony said to them: ‘What do you say? Which comes first, mind or letters? And which is the cause of which: the mind of letters, or letters of the mind?’ When they said that mind comes first and is the inventor of letters, Antony said: ‘The one whose mind is sound, then, has no need of letters.’ This astonished both those present and the philosophers themselves. They went away marveling that they saw such understanding in an unlettered man. For he did not have a rough character, as though he had been raised on a mountain and grown old there; he was gracious and courteous. His speech was seasoned with divine salt, so that no one envied him, but all who came to him rather rejoiced in him. ### Scripture references - Col 4:6: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 73 (PG 26:945a–945b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-73). ## Life of Antony 74 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-74 - Source: PG 26:945b–948c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony answered Greek sages who mocked the cross: the cross shows courage, the Incarnation shows the unchanged Word sharing human birth, while their myths and doctrine of the soul’s fall and transmigration dishonor the divine. ### Greek text ’Δμέλει μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν ἐλθόντων ἑτέρων τινῶν ο ἦσαν δὲ οῦτοι τῶν παρʼ Ἕλλησι δοκούντων εἶναι σοφῶν· καὶ ἀπαιτούντων αὐτὸν λόγον περὶ τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς έν Χριστῷ πίστεως ἐπιχειρούντων δὲ συλλογίζεσθαι περὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος τοῦ θείου σταυροῦ καὶ βουλομένων χλευάζειν · ὀλίγον ἐπισχὼν 6 ’Δντώνιος, καὶ πρῶτον οἰκτείρας αὐτοῦς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγνωσία, ἔλεγε διʼ ἑρμηνέως, τοῦ καλῶς τὰ ἐκείνου διερμηνεύοντος · Τί κάλλιόν ἐστι, σταυρὸν ὁμολογεῖν, ἢ μοιχείας καὶ παιδοφθορίας προσάπτειν τοῖς παρʼ ὑμῖν λεγομένοις θεοῖς ; Τὸ μὶν γὰρ παρʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενον ἀνδρίας ἐστὶ τεκμήριον, καὶ καταφρονήσεως Θανάτου γνώρισμα· τὰ δὲ ὑμέτερα ἀσελγείας ἐστὶ πάθη. Ἔπειτα τί βέλτιόν ἐστι, λέγειν, ὅτι ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος οὐκ ἐτράπη · ἀλλʼ ὁ αὐτὸς ὣν, ἐπὶ σῶτηρίᾳ καὶ εύεργεσίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνείληφε σῶμα ἀνθρώπινον, ἵνα, τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ γενέσει κοινωνήσας, ποιήσῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους κοινωνῆσαι θείας καὶ νοερᾶς φύσεως · ἢ έν ἀλόγοις ἐξομοιοῦν τὸ Θεῖον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σέβειν τετράποδα, καὶ ἑρπετὰ, καὶ ἀνθρώπων εἰκόνας; Ταῦτα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστι τῶν σοφῶν τὰ σεβάσματα. Πῶς δὶ χλευάζειν τολμᾶτε ἡμᾶς, λέγοντας τὸν Χριστὸν ἄνθρωπον πεφανερῶσθαι ὅπου γε ὑμεῖς, ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν χωρίζοντες, φάσκετε πεπλανῆσθαι αὐτὴν καὶ πεπτωκέναι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀψίδος τῶν οὐρανῶν εἶς σῶμα · καὶ εἷʼθε εἰς ἀνθρώπινον μόνον, καὶ μὴ εἷς τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ μεταβαίνειν καὶ μεταπίπτειν. Ἠ μὲν γὰρ ἡμετέρα πίστις ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν λεγει · ὑμεῖς δὲ πλανᾶσθε, ὅτι περὶ ἆγεννήτου ψυχῆς ἐξηγεῖσθε. Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὶν τὸ δυνατὸν καί φιλάνθρωπον τῆς Προνοίας φρονοῦμεν, ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀδύνατον ἧν τῷ Θεῷ ὑμεῖς δί, εἰκόνα τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγοντες, πτώματα προσάπτετε αὐτῇ, καὶ τρεπτὴν αὐτὴν μυθολογεῖτε· καὶ λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν νοῦν διὰ τὴν ψυχὴν τρεπτὸν εἶσάγετε. Ὁποια γὰρ ἦν ἡ εἷʼκὼν, τοιοῦτον ἀνάγκη κάκεῖνον εἶναι, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ εἷκών. ’Οτʼ ἃν δὲ περὶ τοῦ νοῦ τοιαῦτα νομίζετε, ἐνθυμεῖσθε, ὅτι καὶ είς αὐτὸν τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ νοῦ βλασφημεῖτε. ### English translation (Claude) Indeed, after this some others came again, men reputed wise among the Greeks, and asked him for an account of our faith in Christ; they attempted to reason about the preaching of the divine cross and wished to mock it. Antony paused a little, and, first pitying them for their ignorance, said through an interpreter who translated his words well: ‘Which is nobler, to confess a cross, or to attribute adulteries and the corruption of boys to those you call gods? For what we say is a proof of courage and a mark of contempt for death; but your tales are passions of licentiousness. Next, which is better: to say that the Word of God was not changed, but, remaining the same, took a human body for the salvation and benefit of human beings, so that, sharing in human birth, he might make human beings share in the divine and spiritual nature; or to liken the Divine to irrational creatures, and for this reason to worship four-footed beasts, creeping things, and images of men? For these are the objects of worship of you wise men. How do you dare to mock us for saying that Christ appeared as a man, when you separate the soul from heaven and say that it went astray and fell from the vault of heaven into a body; and would that it were only into a human body, and that you did not say it passes and falls into four-footed beasts and creeping things! Our faith speaks of the coming of Christ for the salvation of human beings; but you go astray, because you teach about an unoriginate soul. We think of the power and the love for humanity of Providence, holding that this too was not impossible for God; but you, calling the soul an image of the mind, attribute falls to it and tell myths that it is changeable, and then you make the mind itself changeable because of the soul. For as the image is, so must that be of which it is the image. When you think such things about the mind, consider that you blaspheme even the Father of the mind himself.’ ### Scripture references - 2 Pet 1:4: allusion, high confidence - John 1:14: echo, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaedr. 246c–249b (Plato (works)): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Antony attacks the Platonist doctrine that the unoriginate soul fell from heaven into bodies and transmigrates into animals, and the Neoplatonic hierarchy in which the soul is the image of Mind and Mind proceeds from a first principle (“the Father of the mind”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 74 (PG 26:945b–948c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-74). ## Life of Antony 75 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-75 - Source: PG 26:948c–949a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony contrasts the honorable death of the cross with pagan myths, and points to the resurrection and Christ’s miracles as proof that he is God. ### Greek text Περὶ δὲ τοῦ σταυροῦ τί βέλτιον ἃν εἴποιτε, ἐπιβουλῆς ἐπειγομένης παρᾶ πονηρῶν ὑπομένειν σταυρὸν, καὶ μὴ πτήσσειν τὸν ὅπως δήποτε Θάνατον ἐπαγόμενον· πλάνας Ὀσίριδος καὶ Ἴσιδος, καὶ ἐπιβουλὰς Τυφῶνος, καὶ Κρόνου φυγήν, καὶ τέκνων καταπόσεις, καὶ πατροκτονίας μυθολογεῖν; Ταῦτα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστι τὰ σοφά. Πῶς δὲ, χλευάζοντες τὸν σταυρὸν, οὐ Θαυμάζετε τήν ἀνάστασιν ; Οἱ γὰρ τοῦτο εἰπόντες κάκεῖνο ἔγραψαν. Ἢ διὰ τί, μνημονεύοντες τοῦ σταυροῦ, σιωπᾶτε περῖ τῶν ἑγερθέντων νεκρῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναβλεψάντων τυφλῶν, καὶ τῶν θεραπευθέντων παραλυτικῶν, τῶν τε καθαρισθέντων λεπρῶν καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν πεζοπορίας, τῶν τε ἄλλων σημείων καὶ τεραστίων, ἅπερ οὐκέτι ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλά Θεὸν δείκνυσι τόν Χριστόν; Πάνυ μοι δοκεῖτε ἀδικεῖν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ μὴ γνησίως ἐντετυχηκέναι ταῖς Γραφαῖς ἡμῶν. Ἀλλʼ ἐντυγχάνετε μὶν ὑμεῖς, καὶ βλέπετε, ὅτι ἃ πεποίηκεν ὁ Χριστὸς, Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἀποδεικνύουσιν, ἐπιδημήσαντα ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ### English translation (Claude) ‘About the cross, which would you say is better: when wicked men press on with a plot, to endure a cross and not to cower before death, however it is inflicted; or to tell myths of the wanderings of Osiris and Isis, the plots of Typhon, the flight of Cronus, the swallowing of children, and the murder of fathers? For these are your wisdom. And how is it that, while mocking the cross, you do not marvel at the resurrection? For those who told of the one wrote of the other too. Or why, when you remember the cross, are you silent about the dead who were raised, the blind who received their sight, the paralytics who were healed, the lepers who were cleansed, the walking on the sea, and the other signs and wonders, which show Christ to be no longer a man but God? You seem to me to wrong yourselves greatly and not to have read our Scriptures with sincerity. But do read them, and see that the things Christ did prove him to be God, who came among us for the salvation of human beings.’ ### Scripture references - Matt 11:5: allusion, high confidence - Matt 14:25: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 75 (PG 26:948c–949a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-75). ## Life of Antony 76 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-76 - Source: PG 26:949a–949b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Allegorizing the gods as natural forces still means worshiping creation instead of the Creator, as absurd as honoring a house instead of its architect. ### Greek text Εἴπατε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡμῖν τὰ ὑμετερά. Τί δʼ ἂν εἴποιτε περὶ των ἀλόγων, ἢ ἀλογίαν καὶ ἀγριότητα; Ἐὰν δὲ, ὡς ἀκούω, θελήσητε λέγειν μυθικῶς λέγεσθαι ταῦτα παρʼ ὑμῖν· καὶ ἀλληγορεῖτε ἁρπαγὴν Κόρης εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ Ἡφαίστου χωλότητα εἷς τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ’Ἥραν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα εἷς τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ’Ἄρτεμιν μὶν εἷς τὴν σελήνην, τὸν δὲ Ποσειδῶνα εἷς τὴν θάλασσανʼ οὐδὲν ἧττον αὐτὸν οὐ Θεὸν σέβεσθε, ἀλλά τῇ κτίσει λατρεύετε παρὰ τὸν τὰ πάντα κτίσαντα Θεὸν. Εἰ γάρ, ὅτι καλὴ ἡ κτίσις, τοιαῦτα συνεθήκατε· ἀλλʼ ἔδει μέχρι τοῦ Θαυμάσαι μόνον ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι, καὶ μὴ θεοποιῆσαι τὰ ποιήματα, ἵνα μή τὴν τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ τιμὴν τοῖς γενητοῖς παρέχητε· Ἐπεὶ ὥρα ὑμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ἀρχιτέκτονος τήν τιμὴν εἰς τὴν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γενομένην οἰκίαν μεταφέρειν, ἢ τὴν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ εἰς τὸν στρατιώτην. Τί τοίνυν πρὸς ταῦτα λέγετε, ’ἱνα γνῶμεν,εἲ ἄξιόν τι χλεύης ὁ σταυρὸς ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) ‘Now tell us your own doctrines. What would you say about irrational creatures, except irrationality and savagery? And if, as I hear, you wish to say that these things are told among you as myths, and you allegorize the rape of Kore as the earth, the lameness of Hephaestus as fire, Hera as the air, Apollo as the sun, Artemis as the moon, and Poseidon as the sea, you nevertheless do not worship God himself, but serve the creature rather than God who created all things. For if you composed such tales because creation is beautiful, you ought to have gone only as far as admiring it, and not to have deified the things made, so as not to give the Creator’s honor to created things. Otherwise it is time for you to transfer the architect’s honor to the house he built, or the general’s to the soldier. What do you say to this, then, so that we may know whether the cross has anything worthy of mockery?’ ### Scripture references - Rom 1:25: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 76 (PG 26:949a–949b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-76). ## Life of Antony 77 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-77 - Source: PG 26:949b–952b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony made the philosophers admit that faith working in the soul comes before and surpasses proof by argument. ### Greek text Ἐκείνων δὲ διαπορούντων καὶ στρεφομενων ὧδε κάκεῖσε, μειδιάσας ὁ ’Δντώνιος ἔφη πάλιν διʼ ἑρμηνέωςʼ Ταῦτα μὶν καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ὅψεως ἔχει τὸν ἔλεγχον· ἐπειδή δὲ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς τοῖς ἀποδεικτικοῖς λόγοις έπερείδεσθε, καὶ ταύτην ἔχοντες τὴν τέχνην, βούλεσθε καὶ ἡμᾶς μὴ ἄνευ τῆς διὰ τῶν λόγων ἀποδείξεως θεοσεβεῖν· εἷʼπατε πρῶτον ὑμεῖς, τὰ πράγματα, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσις, πῶς ἀκριβῶς διαγινώσκεται, διʼ ἀποδείξεως λόγων, ἢ διʼ ἐνεργείας πίστεως; καὶ τί πρεσβύτερόν ἐστιν, ἡ διʼ ἐνεργείας πίστις, ἢ ἡ διὰ λόγων ἀπόδειξις, Τῶν δὲ ἀποκριναμένων, πρεσβυτέραν εἶναι τήν διʼ ἐνεργείας πίστιν, καὶ ταύτην εἶναι τὴν ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν· ἔφη ὁ ’Δντὼνιος Καλῶς εἶʼπατε· ἡ μέν γὰρ πίστις ἀπὸ διαθέσεως ψυχῆς γίνεταιʼ ἡ δὲ διαλεκτικὴ ἀπὸ τέχνης τῶν συντιθέντων ἐστίν. Οὐκοῦν οἷς πάρεστιν ‘ ἡ διὰ πίστεως ἐνέργεια, τούτοις οὐκ ἀναγκαία, ἢ τάχα καὶ περιττή ἡ διὰ λόγων ἀπόδειξις. Καὶ γὰρ ὅπερ ἡμεῖς ἐκ πίστεως νοοῦμεν, τοῦτο ὑμεῖς διὰ Λόγων κατασκευάζειν πειρᾶσθε· καὶ πολλάκις οὐδὲ φράσαι ἃ νοοῦμεν δύνασθε· ὥστε βελτίων καὶ ὀχυρωτέρα ἡ διὰ πίστεως ἐνέργεια τῶν σοφιστικῶν ὑμῶν συλλογισμῶν. ### English translation (Claude) When they were at a loss and turned this way and that, Antony smiled and said again through an interpreter: ‘These things carry their refutation in the very sight of them. But since you rely rather on demonstrative arguments, and, having this art, you wish us too not to worship God without demonstration by arguments, tell us first: how are things, and especially the knowledge of God, accurately known? Through demonstration by arguments, or through the working of faith? And which comes first, faith through its working, or demonstration through arguments?’ When they answered that faith through its working comes first and that this is accurate knowledge, Antony said: ‘You have spoken well; for faith comes from the disposition of the soul, while dialectic comes from the art of those who devise it. So for those in whom the working through faith is present, demonstration by arguments is not necessary, or is perhaps even superfluous. For what we understand by faith, you try to establish by arguments; and often you cannot even express what we understand. So the working through faith is better and firmer than your sophistic syllogisms.’ ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 77 (PG 26:949b–952b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-77). ## Life of Antony 78 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-78 - Source: PG 26:952b–952d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christian faith, held even by the unlettered, spreads and overcomes demons and magic by the name of Christ crucified, while pagan argument converts no one. ### Greek text Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν οἱ Χριστιανοὶ οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγων Ἑλληνικῶν ἔχομεν τὸ μυστήριον· ἀλλʼ ἐν δυνάμει πίστεως ἐπιχορηγουμένης ἡμῖν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ παρά Θεοῦ. Καὶ ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ὁ λόγος, ἰδοὺ νῦν, μὴ μαθόντες ἡμεῖς γράμματα, πιστεύομεν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπιγινώσκοντες διὰ τῶν ποιημάτων αὐτοῦ τὴν εἷς πάντα πρόνοια. Καὶ ὅτι ἐνεργής ἐστιν ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, ἰδοὺ νῦν ἡμεῖς ἐπερειδόμεθα τῇ πίστει τῇ εἷς τὸν Χριστὸν, ὑμεῖς δὲ σοφιστικαῖς λογομαχίαις, Καὶ τὰ μὶν παρʼ ὑμῖν τῶν εῖδώλων φάσματα καταργεῖται, ἡ δὲ παρʼ ἡμῖν πίστις ἐπεκτείνεται πανταχοῦ. Καὶ ὑμεῖς μὲν συλλογιζόμενοι καὶ σοφιζόμενοι, οὐ μεταπείθετε ἀπὸ Χριστιανισμοῦ εἰς Ἑλληνισμόν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν εἷς Χριστὸν πίστιν διδάσκοντες, ψιλοῦμεν ὑμῖν τήν δεισιδαιμονίαν, ἐπιγινωσκόντων πάντων τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι Θεὸν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υῖὸν. Καὶ ὑμεῖς μὲν τῇ καλλιεπείᾳ οὐκ ἐμποδίζετε τήν τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν· ἡμεῖς δὶ, ὀνομάζοντες τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον Χριστὸν, πάντας διώκομεν δαίμονας οὕς ὑμεῖς φοβεῖσθε ὡς θεούς. Καὶ ἔνθα τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ γίνεται, ἀσθενεῖ μὶν μαγεία, οὐκ ἐνεργεῖ δὲ φαρμακεία. ### English translation (Claude) ‘We Christians, then, hold the mystery not in the wisdom of Greek arguments, but in the power of faith supplied to us by God through Jesus Christ. And to show that what I say is true: see, we who have not learned letters believe in God, recognizing his providence over all things through his works. And to show that our faith is effective: see, we rely on faith in Christ, but you on sophistic wrangling over words; the phantoms of your idols are being brought to nothing, while our faith spreads everywhere. You, with your syllogisms and sophistries, convert no one from Christianity to paganism; but we, by teaching faith in Christ, strip you of your superstition, as all come to recognize that Christ is God and the Son of God. You do not hinder the teaching of Christ by your eloquence; but we, by naming Christ crucified, drive away all the demons whom you fear as gods. And where the sign of the cross is made, magic grows weak and sorcery has no effect.’ ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 2:4–5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 78 (PG 26:952b–952d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-78). ## Life of Antony 79 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-79 - Source: PG 26:952d–953c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since the cross, oracles and magic have failed, while persecuted Christianity has filled the world with martyrs and virgins. ### Greek text Εἴπατε γοῦν, ποῦ νῦν ὑμῶν τὰ μαντεῖα; ποῦ αἱ τῶν Αίγυπτίων ἐπαοιδαί; ποῦ τῶν μάγων αἱ φαντασίαι; πότε ταῦτα πάντα πέπαυται καὶ ἠσθένησεν, εἰ μὴ ὅτε ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σταυρὸς γέγονεν ; Ἀρα οὖν ἄξιος οὗτος χλεύης, ἢ μᾶλλον τὰ καταργούμενα παρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλεγχόμενα ἀσθενῆ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο θαυμαστόν ἐστιν · ὅτι τὰ μὲν ὑμέτερα οὐδέποτε ἐδιώχθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων κατὰ πόλιν τιμᾶται · οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διώκονται, καὶ μᾶλλον τά παρʼ ἡμῖν ὑπερ τὰ ὑμέτερα ἀνθεῖ καὶ πληθύνει. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑμέτερα εὐσημούμενα καί περικλειόμενα διαφθείρεται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστις καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία, χλευαζομένη παρʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ διωχθεῖσα παρά βασιλέων πολλάκις, πεπλήρωκε τὴν οἷκουμὲνην. Πότε γὰρ οὕτω θεογνωσία ἐξέλαμψεν ; ἢ πότε οὕτω σωφροσύνη καὶ ἀρετὴ παρθενίας ἐφάνη; ἢ πότε οὕτως ὁ Θάνατος κατεφρονήθη, εἱ μὴ ὅτε ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ γὲγονε ; Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδεὶς ἀμφιβάλλει βλὲπων τοὺς μάρτυρας διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν καταφρονοῦντας τοῦ θανᾶτου, βλέπων τὰς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρθένους διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν καθαρά καὶ ἀμίαντα τὰ σῶματα φυλαττούσας. ### English translation (Claude) ‘Tell us, then: where now are your oracles? Where are the incantations of the Egyptians? Where are the apparitions of the magicians? When did all these cease and grow weak, if not when the cross of Christ came? Is the cross, then, worthy of mockery, or rather are the things it has brought to nothing and exposed shown to be weak? This too is wonderful: your religion has never been persecuted, but is honored by people in every city; while the followers of Christ are persecuted, and yet ours flourishes and multiplies more than yours. Yours, though praised and protected, is perishing; but the faith and teaching of Christ, mocked by you and often persecuted by emperors, has filled the world. When did the knowledge of God ever shine out like this? When did self-control and the virtue of virginity ever appear like this? When was death ever so despised, if not since the cross of Christ came? No one doubts this who sees the martyrs despising death for Christ’s sake, and sees the virgins of the church keeping their bodies pure and undefiled for Christ’s sake.’ ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 79 (PG 26:952d–953c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-79). ## Life of Antony 80 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-80 - Source: PG 26:953c–956b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony challenged the philosophers to heal the demon-possessed by their arguments or magic; when they could not, he healed them with the sign of the cross, giving the credit to Christ. ### Greek text Καὶ ἔστι μὲν ἱκανὰ ταῦτα τεκμήρια δεῖξαι τὴν κατᾶ Χριστὸν πίστιν μόνην ἀληθῆ εἶναι εἷς θεοσέβειαν. Ἰδοὺ ἀκμὴν ὑμεῖς ἀπιστεῖτε ζητοῦντες τοὺς ἐκ τῶν λόγων συλλογισμούς. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὐκ ἒν πειθοῖς σοφίας Ἑλληνικῆς λόγοις, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν, ἁποδείκνυμεν ° τῇ δὲ πίστει πείθομεν ἐναργῶς προλαμβανουσῃ τὴν ἐκ τῶν λόγων κατασκευήν. Ἰδοὺ πάρεισιν ὧδε ὑπὸ δαιμόνων πάσχοντες· ἦσαν δὲ τινες ἐλθόντες πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἐνοχλούμενοι, καὶ παραγαγὼν αὐτοὺς εἲς τὸ μέσον, ἔφη ’Ή ὑμεῖς τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἂν βούλησθε τέχνῃ ἢ μαγείᾳ ἐπικαλούμενοι τὰ εἷʼδωλα ἑαυτῶν, καθαρίσατε αὐτούς ἢ, εἰ μὴ δύνασθε, κατάθεσθε τήν πρὸς ἡμᾶς μάχην, καὶ ὄψεσθε τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ ταῦτα εἶʼπὼν, ἐπεκαλέσατο τὸν Χριστὸν, ἐσφράγισέ τε τοὺς πάσχοντας τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον. Καὶ εὐθὺς ἔστησαν οἱ ἅνθρωποι ὁλόκληροι, σωφρονοῦντες καὶ εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ λοιπόν. Καὶ οἱ μὶν λεγόμενοι φιλόσοφοι ἐθαύμαζον, καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐξεπλήττοντο ἐπὶ τῇ συνέσει τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ τῷ γενομένῳ σημείῳ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντώνιος ἔφη· Τί θαυμάζετε ἐπὶ τούτῳ; οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς οἱ ποιοῦντες, ἀλλʼ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν, ἡ διὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευὸντων ταῦτα ποιῶν. Πιστεύσατε οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς · καὶ ὄψεσθε, ὅτι οὐ τέχνη λόγων τὰ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνεργουμένης· ἥντινα ἐὰν σχοίητε καὶ ὑμεῖς, οὐκέτι τὰς διὰ λόγων ἀποδείξεις ζητήσετε · ἀλλʼ αὐτ- ### English translation (Claude) ‘These are sufficient proofs that the faith of Christ alone is true religion. See, you still do not believe, but look for syllogisms drawn from arguments. We do not demonstrate, as our teacher said, “in persuasive words of Greek wisdom”; we persuade by faith, which clearly anticipates the construction of arguments. See, here are some who suffer from demons.’ (For some had come to him troubled by demons.) And bringing them into the middle he said: ‘Either you cleanse them by your syllogisms, or by any art or magic you wish, invoking your idols; or, if you cannot, lay down your quarrel with us, and you will see the power of the cross of Christ.’ Having said this, he called upon Christ and sealed the sufferers with the sign of the cross two and three times. At once the men stood up whole, in their right minds and from then on giving thanks to the Lord. The so-called philosophers marveled and were truly astonished at the man’s understanding and at the sign that had been done. But Antony said: ‘Why do you marvel at this? It is not we who do it, but Christ, who does these things through those who believe in him. So believe, you too, and you will see that what we have is not an art of words but faith working through love toward Christ; if you too had it, you would no longer look for demonstrations through arguments, but …’ ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Gal 5:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - A line describing Antony’s reply is garbled in the scan and restored by sense; the chapter breaks off at the end (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 80 (PG 26:953c–956b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-80). ## Life of Antony 81 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-81 - Source: PG 26:956b–957a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Constantine and his sons wrote to Antony, who was unimpressed but replied, urging them to remember the judgment, to rule justly, and to care for the poor. ### Greek text Ἐσθασε δὲ καὶ μέχρι βασιλέων ἡ περὶ Ἀντωνίου φήμη. Ταῦτα γὰρ μαθόντες Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Αὕγουστος, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ Κωνστάντιος καὶ Κώνστας οἱ Αὔγουστοι, ἔγραφον αὖτῷ ὡς πατρὶ, καὶ ηὔχοντο λαμβάνειν ἀντίγραφα παρʼ αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλʼ οὔτε τὰ γράμματα περὶ πολλοῦ τινος ἐποιεῖτο, οὔτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς ἐγεγήθει · ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν, οἶος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ γράφειν αὖτῷ τοὺς βασιλέας. ’Ὁτι δὶ ἐκομίζετο αὐτῷ τὰ γράμματα, ἐκάλει τοὺς μοναχοὺς, καὶ ἔλεγε Μὴ Θαυμάζετε, εἴ γράφει βασιλεὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἄνθρωπος γάρ ἐστιν ' ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον θαυμάζετε, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τὸν νόμον ἀνθρώποις ἔγραψε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ λελάληκεν ἡμῖν. Ἐβούλετο μὲν οὖν μὴ δέχεσθαι τὰς ἐπιστολὰς. λέγων οὐκ εἶδὲναι πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀντιγράφειν · προτραπεὶς δὲ παρὰ τῶν μοναχῶν, ὅτι Χριστιανοί εἶσιν οἱ βασιλεῖς, xui *ἱνα μὴ ὡς προρῥιφέντες σκανδαλισθεῖεν, ἐπέτρεπεν ἀναγινώσκεσθαι. Καὶ ἀντέγραφεν, ἀποδεχόμενος μὲν αὐτοὺς, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν προσκυνοῦσι, συνεβούλευε δὲ τὰ εἷς σωτηρίαν · καὶ μὴ μεγάλα ἡγεῖσθαι τὰ παρόντα, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον μνημονεύειν της μελλούσης κρίσεως, καὶ εἷʼδέναι, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς μόνος ἀληθὴς καὶ αἰώνιός ἐστι βασιλεύς. Φιλανθρὼπους τε αὐτοὺς εἶναι ἠξίου, καὶ φροντίζειν τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τῶν πτωχῶν. Κἀκεῖνοι δεχόμενοι ἔχαιρον. Οὕτω παρᾶ πᾶσιν ἦν προσφιλὴς, καὶ πάντες ἔχειν αὐτὸν ἠξίου πατέρα. ### English translation (Claude) The fame of Antony reached even the emperors. When Constantine Augustus and his sons Constantius and Constans, the Augusti, learned of these things, they wrote to him as to a father and begged to receive replies from him. But he made little of the letters, nor was he delighted by them; he was the same as he had been before the emperors wrote to him. When the letters were brought to him, he called the monks and said: ‘Do not marvel if an emperor writes to us, for he is a man; marvel rather that God wrote the law for human beings and has spoken to us through his own Son.’ He wished not to receive the letters, saying that he did not know how to answer such things; but the monks urged him, because the emperors were Christians, and so that they would not be offended at being rejected; so he allowed them to be read. He wrote back, commending them for worshiping Christ, and counseling them on what concerns salvation: not to think the present world great, but rather to remember the coming judgment, and to know that Christ alone is the true and eternal King. He asked them to be humane and to care for justice and for the poor. They received his letter and rejoiced. So he was dear to all, and all wished to have him as a father. ### Scripture references - Heb 1:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 81 (PG 26:956b–957a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/59/#p-81). ## Life of Antony 82 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-82 - Source: PG 26:957a–960b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony saw distant events in visions, including mules kicking at the Lord’s table, which foretold the Arian seizure of the churches; he promised that the church would be restored. ### Greek text Τοιοῦτος δὴ οὖν γινωσκόμενος, καὶ οὕτω πρὸς τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας ἀποκρινόμενος, ὑπέστρεφε πάλιν εἷς τὸ ἔνδον ὄρος. Καὶ τῆς μὲν συνήθους ἀσκήσεως εἴχετο· πολλάκις δὲ μετὰ τῶν εἶʼσερχομὲνων πρὸς αύτὸν καθεζόμενος, καὶ περιπατῶν, ἀπηνεοῦτο, ὡς ἐν τῷ Δανιὴλ γέγραπται. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὶν μεθʼ ὥρας ὡμίλει τὰ ἀκόλουθα τοῖς συνοῦσιν ἀδελφοῖς αύτῷ· οἱ δὲ συνόντες ᾐσθάνοντό τινα θεωρίαν αὐτὸν βλέπειν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἓν Αἰγύπτῳ γινόμενα πολλάκις, ἐν τῷ ὀρει τυγχάνων ἔβλεπε καὶ διηγήσατο Σαραπίωνι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, ἔνδον ὄντι καὶ βλέποντι τὸν Ἀντώνιον ἀσχοληθέντα τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ. Ποτὲ γοῦν καθεζόμενος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος, ὥσπερ ἐν ἐκστάσει γὲγονε, καὶ πολὺς ἦν ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ στενάζων. Εἶτα μεθʼ ὥραν στραφεὶς πρὸς τοὺς συνόντας, ἐστέναζε, καί ἔντρομος γενόμενος, ηὔχετο, καὶ κάμπτων τὰ γόνατα, διέμενεν ἐπὶ πολύ. Καὶ ἀναστὰς ἔκλαιεν ὁ γέρων. Ἕντρομοι τοίνυν γενόμενοι οἱ συνόντες, καὶ πάνυ φοβηθέντες, ἠξίουν μαθεῖν παρʼ αὐτοῦʼ καὶ πολὺ διώχλησαν ἕως βιασθεὶς εἷίπῃ. Ὁ δὲ καὶ οὕτω μέγα στενάξας. Ὠ τὲκνα, βέλτιον, ἔλεγεν, αποθανεῖν, πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι τὰ τῆς θεωρίας. Τῶν δὲ πάλιν ἀξιούντων, δακρύσας ἔλεγε, Μέλλει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὀργὴ καταλαμβάνειν, καὶ μέλλει παραδίδοσθαι ἀνθρώποις ὁμοίοις ἀλόγοις κτήνεσιν. Εἶδον γὰρ τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ Κυριακοῦ, καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν ἑστῶτας ἡμιόνους κύκλῳ πανταχόθεν, καὶ λακτίζοντας τὰ ἔνδον οὕτως, ὡς ἂν ἀτάκτως σκιρτώντων κτηνῶν γένοιτο λακτίσματα. Πάντως δὲ ᾔσθεσθε, φησὶ, πῶς ἐστέναζον· ηκουσα γὰρ φωνῆς λεγούσης· Βδελυχθήσεται τὸ θυσιαστήριόν μου. Ταῦτα εἶδεν ὁ γέρων· καὶ μετά δύο ἔτη γέγονεν ἡ νῦν ἔφοδος των Ἀρειανῶν, καῖ ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ὅτε καὶ τὰ σκεύη μετὰ βίας ἁρπάσαντες, διʼ ἐθνικῶν ἐποίουν βαστάζεσθαι· ὅτε καὶ τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐργαστηρίων ἠνάγκαζον συνάγεσθαι μεθʼ αὐτῶν· καὶ παρόντων αὐτῶν ἔπραττον ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης ὡς ἤθελον. Τότε πάντες ἡμεῖς ἐπέγνωμεν, ὅτι τὰ λακτίσματα τῶν ἡμιόνων ταῦτα προεμήνυε τῷ ’Δντωνίῳ, ἃ νῦν οἱ ’Δρειανοὶ ἀλόγως πράττουσιν ὡς τὰ κτήνη. Ὠς δὲ ταύτην εἶδε τὴν Θεωρίαν, τοὺς συνόντας παρεκάλεσε, λέγων. Μὴ ἀθυμεῖτε, τέκνα· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὠργίσθη ὁ Κύριος, οὕτω πάλιν ἰάσεται. Καὶ πάλιν ταχέως ἀπολήψεται τὸν ἑαυτῆς κόσμον ἡ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ συνήθως ἀναλάμψει· καὶ ὄψεσθε τοὺς διωχθέντας ἀποκαθισταμένους, καὶ την μὶν ἀσέβειαν πάλιν εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους φωλεοὺς ἀναχωροῦσαν, τήν δὲ εὐσεβῆ πίστιν παρρησιαζομένην μετᾶ πάσης ἐλευθερίας πανταχοῦ· μόνον μὴ μιάνητε ### English translation (Claude) Being known as such a man, and answering those who came to him in this way, he returned again to the inner mountain and kept to his usual discipline. Often, when he was sitting or walking with those who came to him, he fell silent, as it is written in Daniel; and after an hour he would go on with what he had been saying to the brothers who were with him; and those with him perceived that he was seeing some vision. For often, while he was on the mountain, he saw things happening in Egypt, and he told them to Bishop Serapion, who was inside with him and saw Antony absorbed in the vision. Once, while sitting and working, he became as though in ecstasy, and groaned much during the vision. Then after an hour he turned to those with him, groaned, and, trembling, prayed, and remained a long time on his knees. When he rose, the old man wept. Those with him, trembling and very afraid, asked to learn from him, and pressed him hard until he was compelled to speak. Then, groaning deeply, he said: ‘Children, it would be better to die before what is in the vision comes to pass.’ When they asked again, he said, weeping: ‘Wrath is about to overtake the church, and it is about to be handed over to men like irrational beasts. For I saw the table of the Lord’s house, and mules standing around it in a circle on every side, kicking at the things inside, as beasts would kick when leaping about in disorder. You surely noticed how I groaned; for I heard a voice saying, “My altar shall be defiled.”’ This is what the old man saw; and two years later came the present assault of the Arians and the seizure of the churches, when they took the vessels by force and had them carried off by pagans; when they compelled pagans from the workshops to assemble with them, and in their presence did what they pleased upon the table. Then we all recognized that the kicking of the mules had foretold to Antony what the Arians are now doing, senselessly, like beasts. When he had seen this vision, he comforted those with him, saying: ‘Do not lose heart, children; for as the Lord has been angry, so he will heal again. The church will soon recover its own order and shine as before; and you will see those who were persecuted restored, impiety withdrawing again to its own lairs, and the pious faith speaking out boldly everywhere with all freedom. Only do not defile …’ ### Scripture references - Dan 4:19: allusion, medium confidence - Mal 1:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “As it is written in Daniel”: Daniel was speechless for a time (Dan 4:19). The Arian seizure of the churches of Alexandria took place under Gregory of Cappadocia (339) or George (356); which is meant is uncertain. The source of “My altar shall be defiled” is uncertain. - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). The account of the Arians is Athanasius’s polemic, translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 82 (PG 26:957a–960b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-82). ## Life of Antony 83 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-83 - Source: PG 26:960b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony’s miracles should not be doubted, for Christ promised such power to those who believe and ask in his name. ### Greek text Τοιαῦτα μὶν τὰ τοῦ Ἀντωνίου. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἀπιστεῖν, εἱ διʼ ἀνθρώπου τοσαῦτα γέγονε θαύματα. Τοῦ γὰρ Σωτῆρός ἐστιν ἐπαγγελία, λεγοντος· Ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ· Μετάβηθι ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ μεταβήσεται· καὶ οὐδὶν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν. Καὶ πάλιν· ’Λμήν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· ἐάν τι αἰτήσητε τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, δώσει ὑμῖν. Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ λήψεσθε. Καί αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῖς μαθηταῖς λέγων, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἷς αὐτον· Ἀσθενοῦντας θε- ### English translation (Claude) Such were the deeds of Antony. We must not disbelieve that so many wonders came about through a man. For it is the Savior’s promise, who said: ‘If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’ And again: ‘Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. Ask, and you will receive.’ And it is he who says to his disciples and to all who believe in him: ‘Heal the sick …’ ### Scripture references - Matt 17:20: quotation, high confidence - John 16:23–24: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 83 (PG 26:960b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-83). ## Life of Antony 84 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-84 - Source: PG 26:961a–961c - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony healed by prayer in Christ’s name, not by command, and though he loved solitude he came down when needed to counsel judges to do justice. ### Greek text Οὐ προστάττων γοῦν ἐθεράπευεν 6 Ἀντώνιος, ἀλλʼ εὐχόμενος καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάζων ὡς πᾶσι φανερὸν γενέσθαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ ποιῶν, ἀλλʼ ὁ Κύριος, διʼ Ἀντωνίου φιλανθρωπευόμενος, καὶ θεραπεύων τοὺς πάσχοντας. Ἀντωνίου δὲ μόνον ἡ εὑχή καὶ ἡ ἄσκησις, ἧς ἕνεκεν ἐν τῷ ὄρει καθήμενος, ἔχαιρε μὲν τῇ τῶν θείων θεωρίᾳ, ἐλυπεῖτο δὲ διοχλούμενος ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ ἑλκόμενος εις τὸ ὅρος τὸ ἔξω. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ δικασταὶ πάντες ἠξίουν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὅρους αύτὸν κατέρχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ μὴ δυνατὸν ἧν αὑτοὺς εἰσελθεῖν ἐκεῖ, διὰ τοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας τῶν δικαζομένων. Ἠξίουν δὲ ὅμως, ’ίνα ἔλθῃ καὶ μὸνον αὐτὸν ἴδωσιν · αὐτὸς μὲν οὗν ἐξετρέπετο καὶ παρῃτεῖτο τὰς πρὸς τούτους ὁδούς· οἱ δὲ ἐπέμενον, καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ὄντας ὑπὸ στρατιώτας προσέπεμπον · ’ίνα κᾶν διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων πρόφασιν κατέλθῃ. Πάσχων οὖν ἀνάγκην, καὶ ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς ἀδυρομένους, ἤρχετο μὲν εἷς τὸ ὅρος τὸ ἔξω · οὐκ ἀνωφελὴς δὲ πάλιν ἦν ὁ σκυλμὸς αὐτοῦ· πολλοῖς μὲν γὰρ είς ὄνησιν ἐγίνετο, καὶ εἷς εὐεργεσίαν ἡ ἄφιξις αὐτοῦ. Τοὺς δὲ δικαστὰς ὠφέλει, συμβουλεύων πάντων μᾶλλον προκρίνειν τὸ δίκαιον · καὶ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἰδέναι, ὅτι ᾧ κρίματι κρίνουσι, κριθήσονται. Πλὴν τήν ἐν τῷ ὄρει διατριβήν πάντων μᾶλλον ἠγάπα. ### English translation (Claude) Antony healed, then, not by commanding, but by praying and naming Christ, so that it was clear to all that it was not he who did it, but the Lord, showing his love for humanity through Antony and healing the sufferers. Only the prayer and the discipline were Antony’s own. For their sake he stayed on the mountain, rejoicing in the contemplation of divine things, but grieved at being troubled by many and drawn away to the outer mountain. For all the judges too asked him to come down from the mountain, since it was impossible for them to go there because of the litigants who followed them. They asked him to come so that they might at least see him. He avoided them and declined the journeys to them; but they persisted, and even sent to him under military escort those who were on trial, so that he might come down at least for their sake. Under this compulsion, and seeing them lamenting, he would come to the outer mountain; and again his trouble was not without benefit, for his coming was of help and benefit to many. He helped the judges, counseling them to put justice before everything, to fear God, and to know that with the judgment with which they judge they will be judged. But more than anything he loved his life on the mountain. ### Scripture references - Matt 7:2: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 84 (PG 26:961a–961c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-84). ## Life of Antony 85 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-85 - Source: PG 26:961c–964a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pressed to stay by a military commander, Antony replied that monks out of the desert are like fish out of water. ### Greek text Ποτὲ οὖν βίαν τοιαύτην παθὼν παρὰ τῶν χρείαν ἐχόντων, καὶ τοῦ στρατηλάτου διὰ πολλῶν ἀξιώσαντος αὐτὸν κατελθεῖν ἐλθὼν, καὶ ὁμιλήσας ὀλίγα, τὰ εἷς σωτηρίαν φθάνοντα, καὶ περὶ τῶν δεομένων, ἠπείγετο. Τοῦ δὲ λεγομένου δουκὸς ἀξιοῦντος αὐτὸν ἐμβραδύνειν, ἔλεγε μὴ δύνασθαι χρονίζειν μετʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ παραδείγματι χαρίεντι τοῦτον ἔπειθε λέγων· Ὥσπερ οἱ ἰχθύες ἐγχρονίζοντες τῇ ξηρᾷ γῇ τελευτῶσιν, οὕτως οἱ μοναχοί βραδύνοντες μεθʼ ὑμῶν, καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν ἐκδιατρίβοντες ἐκλύονται. Δεῖ οὖν, ὥσπερ τὸν ἰχθὺν εἷς τήν θάλασσαν, οὕτως ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ ὅρος ἐπείγεσθαι · μήποτε ἐμβραδύνοντες, ἐπιλαθώμεθα τῶν ἔνδον· Ἀκούσας δὶ ὁ στρατηλάτης ταῦτα παρʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ, θαυμάσας, ἔλεγεν, ἀληθῶς εἶναι τοῦτον δοῦλον τοῦ Θεοῦ· πόθεν γὰρ ἰδιώτῃ τοιοῦτος καὶ τοσοῦτος νοῦς, εἶ μή ἦν ἀγαπώμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ; ### English translation (Claude) Once, then, when he suffered such pressure from those in need, and the military commander had asked him many times to come down, he came, said a few words bearing on salvation and on those who needed him, and hurried to leave. When the duke, as he is called, asked him to stay longer, he said that he could not stay long with them, and persuaded him with a charming comparison, saying: ‘As fish die if they stay a long time on dry land, so monks who linger with you and spend their time among you lose their strength. So, as the fish must hurry back to the sea, we must hurry back to the mountain, lest by lingering we forget the things within.’ Hearing this and much else from him, the commander marveled and said that this man was truly a servant of God; for how could an unlettered man have such great understanding, unless he were loved by God? ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 85 (PG 26:961c–964a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-85). ## Life of Antony 86 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-86 - Source: PG 26:964a–964d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony warned Balacius, a commander persecuting Christians on behalf of the Arians, of coming wrath; Balacius mocked him and within five days was mauled by a horse. ### Greek text Εἷς δὲ τις στρατηλάτης, Βαλάκιος δὲ ἧν ὄνομα αὐτῷ, πικρῶς ἐδίωκεν ἡμᾶς τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ τὼν δυσωνύμων Ἀρειανῶν σπουδήν. Καὶ τοιδὴ τοσοῦτον ἦν ὠμὸς, ὡς καὶ παρθένους τύπτειν, καὶ μονάζοντας γυμνοῦν καὶ μαστίζειν · ἀποστέλλει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀντώνιος, καὶ γράφει τοιοῦτον ἔχουσαν νοῦν ἐπιστολήν ‘ Ὀρῶ ὀργὴν ἐπερχομένην ἐπὶ παῦσαι οῦν διώκων Χριστιανοὺς, μή ποτέ σε ἡ ὀργή καταλάβῃ · μέλλει γὰρ ἤδη ἐπὶ σὲ ἔρχεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ Βαλάκιος, γελάσας, τήν μὲν ἐπιστολὴν ἔρριψε χαμαὶ, πτύσας εἷς αὐτὴν, τοὺς δὲ κομίσαντας ὕλρισε, __--_-..-(\ __- ).______-l\\ Α... ’Δμ-...1-ν -..ε-ε--- - vm___5_s αραγγείλας ἀπαγγέλλειν Ἀντωνίῳ ταῦτα· Ἐπειδὴ φροντίζεις περὶ τῶν μοναχῶν, ἤδη καί σε μετελεύσομαι. Καὶ οὗ παρῆλθον ἡμέραι πέντε, καὶ κατέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἡ ὀργή. Εἰς γὰρ τὴν πρώτην μονὴν ’Δλεξανδρείας τὴν λεγομένην Χαιρέου ἐξῆλθεν αὐτός τε 6 Βαλάκιος καὶ Νεστόριος 6 ἔπαρχος τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἀμφότεροι μὲν ἐπεκαθέζοντο ἵπποις ° ἦσαν δὲ οὗτοι ἴδιοι τοῦ Βαλακίου, καὶ πραότατοι πάντων τῶν τρεφομένων παρʼ αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ οὔπω φθασάντων αὐτῶν είς τὸν τόπον, ἤρξαντο παίειν, ὡς εἰώθασι, πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ ἐξαίφνης ὁ πραότερος, ᾧ ἐπεκαθέζετο Νεστόριος, δήγματι τὸν Βαλάκιον καταβαλὼν ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ · καὶ οὕτω τοῖς ### English translation (Claude) A certain military commander named Balacius bitterly persecuted us Christians because of his zeal for the ill-named Arians. He was so savage that he even beat virgins and stripped and scourged monks. Antony sent to him and wrote a letter to this effect: ‘I see wrath coming upon you; so stop persecuting Christians, lest the wrath overtake you; for it is already about to come upon you.’ Balacius laughed, threw the letter on the ground and spat on it, insulted those who brought it, and … ordered them to report this to Antony: ‘Since you are concerned about the monks, I will soon come after you too.’ Five days had not passed before the wrath overtook him. For Balacius and Nestorius, the prefect of Egypt, went out to the first stage from Alexandria, called Chaereu, and both were riding horses; these belonged to Balacius and were the gentlest of all the horses he kept. But before they reached the place, the horses began to play with each other, as horses do; and suddenly the gentler one, on which Nestorius was riding, threw Balacius down with a bite and fell upon him; and so … ### Translation notes - Balacius was military commander (dux) in Egypt about 340. The account is Athanasius’s, translated as written. - A line of the scan is noise (marked “…”), and the chapter breaks off at the end; the rest of the story is lost. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 86 (PG 26:964a–964d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-86). ## Life of Antony 87 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-87 - Source: PG 26:964d–965b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony was like a physician given by God to Egypt, consoling the grieving, reconciling the angry, strengthening monks, and turning soldiers and the rich to the monastic life. ### Greek text Οὕτω μὲν οὗν τοῖς πικροτὲροις παρῄνει· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄπαντῶντας οὕτως ἐνουθέτει, ὡς ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι παρʼ αὐτὰ τοῦ δικάζειν, καὶ μακαρίζειν τοὺς ἀναχωροῦντας ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου τούτου. Οὕτω δὲ τῶν ἀδικουμένων προῗστατο, ὡς νομίζειν μή ἄλλους, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν πάσχοντα. Οὕτω δὲ πάλιν πρὸς ὠφέλειαν πᾶσιν ἧν ἱκανὸς, ὡς πολλοὺς στρατευομένους, καὶ τῶν τὰ πολλά κεκτημένων, ἀποτίθεσθαι τὰ τοῦ βίου βάρη, καὶ λοιπὸν γίνεσθαι μοναχούς. Καὶ ὅλως ὥσπερ ἰατρὸς ἦν δοθεὶς παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ. Τίς γὰρ λυπούμενος, ἀπήντα, καὶ οὐχ ὑπέστρεφε χαίρων ; τίς ἤρχετο Θρηνῶν διὰ τοὺς αὐτοῦ τεθνηκότας, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀπετίθετο τὸ πένθος; τίς ὀργιζόμενος ἤρχετο, καὶ οὐκ εἰς φιλίαν μετεβάλλετο; τίς πένης ἀκηδιῶν ἀπήντα, καὶ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ καὶ βλέπων αὐτὸν, οὗ κατεφρόνει τοῦ πλούτου, καὶ παρεμυθεῖτο τὴν πενίαν; τίς μοναχὸς, ὀλιγωρήσας, καὶ ἐλθὼν πρὸς αὖτὸν, οὐ μᾶλλον ἰσχυρότερος ἑγένετο; τίς νεώτερος ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸ ὅρος, καὶ θεωρήσας Ἀντώνιον, οὐκ εὐθέως ἐξηρνεῖτο τὰς ἡδονὰς, καὶ ἠγάπα σωφροσύνην; τίς ἤρχετο πρὸς αὑτὸν ὑπὸ δαίμονος πειραζόμενος, καὶ οὐκ ἀνεπαύετο; τίς δὲ ἒν λογισμοῖς ἐνοχλούμενος ἤρχετο, καὶ οὐκ ἐγαληνία τῇ διανοίᾳ; ### English translation (Claude) So he admonished the harsher ones; and the others who came to him he counseled in such a way that they forgot their lawsuits on the spot and called blessed those who withdraw from this life. He championed those who were wronged in such a way that it seemed that not they but he himself was the one suffering. Again, he was so able to benefit everyone that many soldiers and many people of great wealth laid aside the burdens of life and became monks. In short, he was like a physician given by God to Egypt. For who came to him grieving and did not go away rejoicing? Who came mourning his dead and did not at once lay aside his grief? Who came angry and was not changed to friendship? What poor man came to him dejected, and on hearing and seeing him did not despise wealth and find comfort in his poverty? What monk who had grown negligent came to him and did not become stronger? What young man came to the mountain, saw Antony, and did not at once renounce pleasures and love self-control? Who came to him tempted by a demon and did not find rest? And who came troubled in his thoughts and did not find his mind calmed? ### Translation notes - “Counseled” translates a word garbled in the scan, by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 87 (PG 26:964d–965b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-87). ## Life of Antony 88 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-88 - Source: PG 26:965b–968a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: With his gift of discerning spirits Antony taught others to overcome demonic temptations; many virgins chose virginity on seeing him, and all mourned him like orphans. ### Greek text Καὶ γὰρ και τοῦτο ἦν μέγα τῆς ἀσκήσεως τοῦ Ἀντωνίου, ὅτι, καθά προεῖπον, χάρισμα διακρίσεως πνευμάτων ἔχων, έπεγίνωσκεν αὐτῶν τά κινήματα· καὶ πρὸς ὅ τις αὐτῶν εἶχε τήν σπουδὴν καὶ τήν ὁρμὴν, τοῦτο οὐκ ἠγνόει. Καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐπαίζετο παρʼ αὐτῶν, ἀλλά καὶ τοὺς ἐνοχλουμένους έν λογισμοῖς παρακαλῶν ἐδίδασκε, πῶς ἂν δύναιντο τὰς ἐκείνων ἐπιβουλὰς ἀνατρέπειν· διηγούμενος τῶν ἐνεργούντων τὰς ἀσθενείας καὶ τὰς πανουργίας. ’Έκαστος γοῦν, ὥσπερ ἐπαλειφθεὶς παρʼ αὐτοῦ, κατήρχετο καταθαρῥῶν τῶν νοημάτων τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ. Πόσαι δὲ καὶ μνηστῆρας ἔχουσαι παρθένοι, καὶ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ πέραν ἰδοῦσαι τὸν Ἀντώνιον, ἔμειναν τῷ Χριστῷ παρθένοι. Ἤρχοντο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μερῶν πρὸς αὐτόν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ μετά πάντων τήν ὠφέλειαν ἐσχηκότες ὑπέστρεφον, ὡς παρά πατρὸς προπεμπόμενοι Ἀμέλει κοιμηθέντος αὐτοῦ, πάντες, ὡς ὀρφανοὶ γενόμενοι αὐτοῦ ### English translation (Claude) This too was a great feature of Antony’s discipline: having, as I said before, the gift of discernment of spirits, he recognized their movements, and he was not ignorant of what each of them was bent on and eager for. Not only was he himself not made sport of by them, but by encouraging those troubled in their thoughts he taught them how they could overturn the demons’ plots, describing the weaknesses and tricks of those who work them. So each one went down from him as if anointed, taking courage against the designs of the devil and his demons. How many virgins who had suitors, merely by seeing Antony from afar, remained virgins for Christ! People came to him also from foreign parts; and they too, having received benefit along with everyone else, went home as though sent off by a father. Indeed, when he fell asleep, all, as though orphaned of him, … ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 12:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 88 (PG 26:965b–968a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-88). ## Life of Antony 89 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-89 - Source: PG 26:968a–968d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Foreseeing his death, Antony made a last visit to the outer mountain, urging the monks to persevere, avoid the Melitians and Arians, and keep the faith and tradition of the fathers. ### Greek text Οῗον δὲ καὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῷ τοῦ βίου γέγονεν, ἄξιον κἀμὲ μνημονεῦσαι, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀκοῦσαι ποθοῦνταςʼ καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῦ ζηλωτὸν γέγονε. Κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ἐπεσκέπτετο τοὺς μοναχοὺς τοὺς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ἔξω, καὶ προσμαθὼν παρᾶ τῆς Προνοίας περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τελευτῆς, ἐλάλει τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς λέγων· Ταύτην ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν ὑστέραν ποιοῦμαι, καὶ θαυμάζω, εί πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς έν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ θεωρήσομεν. Καιρός ἐστι κάμὲ λοιπὸν ἀναλῦσαι· εἰμὶ γάρ ἐγγὺς ἐτῶν πέντε καὶ ἑκατόν. Οἱ μὶν οὖν ἀκούσαντες, ἔκλαιον, καὶ περιεπτύσσοντο καί κατεφίλουν τὸν γέροντα· ὁ δὲ, ὡς ἀπὸ ἀλλοτρίας εἷς ἰδίαν ἀπαίρων πόλιν, χαίρων διελέγετο καὶ παρήγγελλεν αὐτοῖς μή ὀλιγωρεῖν ἐν τοῖς πόνοις, μηδὲ έκκακεῖν έν τῇ ἀσκήσει· ἀλλʼ ὡς καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀποθνήσκοντας ζῇν· καὶ καθὰ προεῖπον σπουδάζειν τὴν ψυχὴν φυλάττειν ἀπὸ ῥυπαρῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τὸν ζῆλον ἔχειν πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους, μὴ ἐγγίζειν δὲ Μελετιανοῖς τοῖς σχισματικοῖς· οἴδατε γὰρ αὐτῶν τήν πονηρὰν καὶ βέβηλον προαίρεσιν μηδὲ κοινωνίαν ἔχειν τινὰ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀρειανούς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡ τούτων ἀσέβεια πᾶσιν ἔκδηλός ἐστι. Μηδ ἂν θεωρήσητε προϊσταμένους αὐτῶν τοὺς δικαστὰς, ταράττεσθε· παύσεται γὰρ, καὶ θνητὴ καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστὶν αὐτῶν ἡ φαντασία. Καθαροὺς οὖν ἑαυτοὺς μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τούτων φυλάττετε, καὶ τηρεῖτε τήν τε τῶν Πατέρων, παράδοσιν, καὶ προηγουμένως τὴν εἷς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν εὐσεβῆ πίστιν, ἣν ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν μὲν μεμαθήκατε, παρʼ ἐμοῦ δὶ πολλάκις ὑπεμνήσθητε. ### English translation (Claude) What the end of his life was like is worthy for me to recall and for you to hear, since you long for it; for this too has become worthy of emulation. As usual he was visiting the monks on the outer mountain, and, having learned beforehand from Providence about his own death, he spoke to the brothers, saying: ‘This is the last visit I am making to you, and I shall be surprised if we see each other again in this life. It is time for me now to depart; for I am nearly a hundred and five years old.’ When they heard this, they wept, and embraced and kissed the old man; but he, like one setting out from a foreign city for his own, spoke joyfully and charged them not to grow negligent in their labors nor lose heart in their discipline, but to live as dying every day; and, as I said before, to strive to guard the soul from filthy thoughts, to emulate the saints, and not to go near the Melitian schismatics, ‘for you know their wicked and profane purpose’; nor to have any communion with the Arians, ‘for their impiety too is evident to all. And if you see the judges supporting them, do not be troubled; for it will cease, and their show is mortal and short-lived. Rather keep yourselves pure from them, and keep the tradition of the fathers, and above all the pious faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which you have learned from the Scriptures and of which I have often reminded you.’ ### Scripture references - Phil 1:23: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Thess 2:15: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The warnings against the Melitians and Arians are reported as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 89 (PG 26:968a–968d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-89). ## Life of Antony 90 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-90 - Source: PG 26:968d–969b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony refused to die among the monks, fearing his body would be kept unburied in a house, as was the Egyptian custom with holy bodies, which he condemned, appealing to Christ’s burial. ### Greek text Τῶν δὲ ἀδελφῶν βιαζομένων μεῖναι αὐτὸν παρʼ αὐτοῖς, κἀκεῖ τελευτῆσαι, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο διὰ πολλὰ μὶν, ὡς αὐτὸς καὶ σιωπῶν ἐνέφαινε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μάλιστα οἱ Αἲγύπτιοι τὰ τῶν τελευτώντων σπουδαίων σώματα, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων, φιλοῦσι μὶν θάπτειν καὶ περιελίσσειν ὀθονίοις μὴ κρύπτειν δὲ ὑπὸ γῆν, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ σκιμποδίων τιθέναι, καὶ φυλάττειν ἔνδον παρʼ ἑαυτοῖς· νομίζοντες ἐν τούτῳ τιμᾷν τοὺς ἀπελθόντας. Ὀ δὲ Ἀντώνιος πολλάκις περὶ τούτου καὶ ἐπισκόπου ἠξίου παραγγέλλειν τοῖς λαοῖς· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ λαϊκοὺς ένέτρεπε, καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐπέπληττε, λέγων, μήτε νόμιμον, μήτε ὅλως ὅσιον εἶναι τοῦτο. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ τῶν πατριαρχῶν καὶ τά τῶν προφητῶν σώματα μέχρι νῦν σώζεται εἰς μνήματα· καὶ αὐτὸ δέ τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου σῶμα εἷς μνημεῖον ἐτέθη, λίθος τε ἐπιτεθείς ἔκρυψεν αὐτὸ, ἕως ἀνέστη τριήμερον. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγων, ἐδείκνυε παρανομεῖν τὸν μετὰ θάνατον μή κρύπτοντα τα σώματα τῶν τελευτώντων, κᾶν ἅγια τυγχάνῃ. Τί γὰρ μεῖζον ἢ ἁγιώτερον τοῦ Κυριακοῦ σώματος ; Πολλοὶ οὗν, ἀκούσαντες, ἔκρυψαν ὑπὸ γῆν λοιπὸν, καὶ ηὐχαρίστουν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καλῶς διδαχθέντες. ### English translation (Claude) When the brothers pressed him to stay with them and die there, he would not, for many reasons, as he made clear even by his silence, and above all for this one: the Egyptians love to honor with funeral rites and to wrap in linen cloths the bodies of devout people who have died, and especially of the holy martyrs, but not to hide them under the ground; instead they place them on couches and keep them inside their homes, thinking that in this way they honor the departed. Antony had often asked even bishops to instruct the people about this; likewise he rebuked lay people and reproached women, saying that this was neither lawful nor at all holy. For the bodies of the patriarchs and the prophets are kept in tombs to this day; and the Lord’s own body was laid in a tomb, and a stone was placed over it and hid it until he rose on the third day. By saying this he showed that anyone who does not hide the bodies of the dead after death, even if they are holy, breaks the law. For what is greater or holier than the Lord’s body? Many, then, hearing this, from then on buried the dead under the ground, and gave thanks to the Lord for having been well taught. ### Scripture references - Matt 27:60: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Die there” is supplied by sense for a garbled word in the scan. - Antony’s criticism of keeping saints’ bodies unburied is reported as written. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 90 (PG 26:968d–969b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-90). ## Life of Antony 91 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-91 - Source: PG 26:969b–972b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Dying on the inner mountain, Antony charged his two disciples to persevere, to avoid schismatics and Arians, to bury him in secret, and to divide his few garments between Athanasius and Serapion. ### Greek text Αὐτὸς δὶ, τοῦτο γινώσκων, καὶ φοβούμενος μὴ καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ ποιήσωσιν οὕτως σῶμα, ἤπειξεν ἑαυτὸν, συνταξάμενος τοῖς έν τῷ ἔξω ὄρει μοναχοῖςʼ καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ ἔνδον ὅρος, ἔνθα καὶ μένειν εἶώθει, μετᾶ μῆνας ὀλίγους ἐνόσησε · καὶ καλέσας τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ (δύο δὶ ἦσαν, οἵτινες καὶ ἔμειναν ἔνδον, δέκα καὶ πέντε ἔτη ἀσκούμενοι, καὶ ὐπηρετοῦντες αύτῷ διὰ τὸ γῆρας), ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτούς Ἐγὼ μὲν, ὡς γέγραπται, τήν ὁδὸν τῶν πατέρων πορεύομαι· ὁρῶ γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν καλούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου· ύμεῖς δὲ νήφετε, καὶ τὴν πολυχρόνιον ὑμῶν ἄσκησιν μὴ ἀπολέσητεʼ ἀλλʼ ὡς νῦν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντες, σπουδάσατε τηρεῖν τὴν προθυμίαν ἑαυτῶν. Οἴδατε τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας δαίμονας, οἴδατε πῶς ἄγριοι μὶν εἰσὶν, ἀσθενεῖς δὲ τῇ δυνάμει. Μὴ οὖν φοβηθῆτε αὐτοὺς, ἀλλᾶ μᾶλλον τὸν Χριστὸν ἀεὶ ἀναπνεῖτε, καί τούτῳ πιστεύετε· καὶ ὡς καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀποθνήσκοντες ζήσατε, προσέχοντες έαυτοῖς, καὶ μνημονεύοντες ὧν ἠκούσατε παρʼ ἐμοῦ παραινέσεως. Καὶ μηδεμία ἔστω ύμῖν κοινωνία πρὸς τοὺς σχισματικοὺς, μήθʼ ὅλως πρὸς τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ’Δρειανούς. Οἴδατε γὰρ πῶς κάγὼ τούτους ἐξετρεπόμην διὰ τήν χριστομάχον αὐτῶν καὶ ἑτερόδοξον αἵρεσιν. Σπουδάσατε δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ συνάπτειν ἑαυτοὺς, προηγουμένως μὶν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἔπειτα δὲ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἵνα μετά θάνατον ὑμᾶς εἷς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς, ὡς φίλους καὶ γνωρίμους, δὲξῶνται καὶ αὐτοί. Ταῦτα λογίζεσθε, ταῦτα φρονεῖτε· καὶ εἰ μέλει ὑμῖν περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ μνημονεύετε ὡς περὶ πατρὸς, μή ἀφῆτέ τινας τὸ σῶμά μου λαβεῖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, μήπως ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ἀπόθωνταιʼ τούτου γὰρ χάριν εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ ὅρος, καὶ ἦλθον ὦδε. Οἴδατε δὲ καὶ πῶς ἀεὶ ἐνέτρεπον τοὺς τοῦτο ποιοῦντας, καὶ παρήγγελλον παύσασθαι τῆς τοιαύτης συνηθείας. Θάψατε οὖν τὸ ἡμέτερον ὑμεῖς, καὶ ὑπὸ γῆν κρύψατε· καὶ ἔστω τὸ παρʼ ἐμοῦ ῥῆμα φυλαττόμενον παρʼ ὑμῖν, ὥστε μηδὲνα γινώσκειν τὸν τόπον, πλὴν ὑμῶν μόνων. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν νεκρῶν ἀπολήψομαι παρά τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἄφθαρτον αὐτό. Διέλετε δέ μου τὰ ἐνδύματα· καὶ Ἀθανασίῳ μὲν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ δότε τὴν μίαν μηλωτήν, καὶ ὃ ὑπεστρωννυόμην ἱμάτιον, ὅπερ αὐτὸς μέν μοι καινὸν δέδωκε, παρʼ ἐμοὶ δὲ πεπαλαίωται· καὶ Σαραπίωνι δὲ τῷ ἔπισκόπῳ δότε τήν ### English translation (Claude) Knowing this, and fearing that they might do the same with his own body, he hurried away after saying farewell to the monks on the outer mountain; and going into the inner mountain, where he used to stay, he fell ill after a few months. He called those who were with him (there were two who lived inside with him, practicing the ascetic life for fifteen years and serving him because of his age) and said to them: ‘I, as it is written, am going the way of the fathers; for I see that I am being called by the Lord. But you, be watchful, and do not lose your long discipline; but strive to keep your eagerness as though you were only now beginning. You know the demons who plot against us; you know how savage they are, but weak in power. So do not fear them, but rather always breathe Christ and believe in him; and live as dying every day, attending to yourselves and remembering the exhortations you have heard from me. Let there be no communion between you and the schismatics, nor any at all with the heretical Arians. For you know how I too avoided them because of their heresy, which fights against Christ and teaches what is false. Strive rather always to join yourselves, first of all to the Lord, and then to the saints, so that after death they too may receive you as friends and familiar companions into the eternal tents. Think on these things, set your minds on these things; and if you care for me and remember me as a father, do not let anyone take my body to Egypt, lest they lay it up in their houses; for it was for this reason that I went into the mountain and came here. You know how I always rebuked those who do this and told them to stop such a custom. So bury what is mine yourselves and hide it under the ground; and let my word be kept by you, so that no one knows the place except you alone. For in the resurrection of the dead I shall receive it back incorruptible from the Savior. Divide my garments: to Athanasius the bishop give the one sheepskin and the cloak on which I lay, which he gave me new and which has grown old with me; and to Serapion the bishop give the … ### Scripture references - Josh 23:14: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 16:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:42: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Breathe Christ” renders ἀναπνεῖτε (corrected from the scan). The chapter breaks off in the scan (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 91 (PG 26:969b–972b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-91). ## Life of Antony 92 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-92 - Source: PG 26:972b–973a - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony died joyfully and was secretly buried by his two disciples; Athanasius and Serapion treasured the garments he left them. ### Greek text Ταῦτα εἷʼπὼν, καὶ ἀσπασαμένων ἐκείνων αῦτὸν, ἐξάρας τοὺς πόδας, καὶ ὣσπερ φίλους ὁρῶν τοὺς ἐλθόντας ἐπʼ αὐτὸν, καὶ διʼ αὐτοὺς περιχαρής γενόμενος, ἐφαίνετο γὰρ ἀνακείμενος ἱλαρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ, ἐξέλιπε, καὶ προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατὲρας. Κάκεῖνοι λοιπὸν, καθα δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐντολὰς, θάψαντες καὶ εἱλίξαντες, ἔκρυψαν ὑπὸ γῆν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα, καὶ οὐδεὶς οἶδε τέως, ποῦ κέκρυπται, πλὴν μόνων αὐτῶν τῶν δύο. Καὶ τῶν λαβόντων δὲ ἕκαστος τὴν μηλωτήν τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀντωνίου, καὶ τὸ τετριμμένον παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἱμάτιον, ὥς τι μέγα ’χρῆμα φυλάττει. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ βλέπων αὐτὰ, ὡς Ἀντώνιόν ἐστι θεωρῶν· καὶ περιβαλλόμενος δὶ αὐτά,ὡς τὰς νουθεσίας αὐτοῦ βαστάζων ἐστὶ μετὰ χαρᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this, and after they had embraced him, he stretched out his feet; and, as though he saw friends who had come for him and was overjoyed because of them (for he appeared, as he lay there, with a cheerful face), he breathed his last and was gathered to his fathers. And they, as he had commanded them, prepared and wrapped his body and hid it under the ground; and no one knows to this day where it is hidden, except those two alone. Each of those who received the blessed Antony’s sheepskin and the cloak he had worn out keeps it as a great treasure. For seeing them is like seeing Antony; and wearing them is like joyfully bearing his admonitions. ### Scripture references - Gen 49:33: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - A displaced line in the scan (“each one received”) is removed by correction. ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 92 (PG 26:972b–973a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-92). ## Life of Antony 93 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-93 - Source: PG 26:973a–973d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Antony kept his discipline and his health into extreme old age, and God made the hidden ascetic famous throughout the empire so that others might see the commandments can be kept. ### Greek text Τοῦτο τῆς,ἐν σώματι ζωῆς ’Λντωνίου τὸ τέλος, κάκείνη τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἀρχή. Καὶ εἰ καὶ μικρὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκείνου, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τούτων λογίζεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἅνθρωπος Ἀντώνιος, ὁ ἐκ νεωτέρου μέχρι τῆς τοσαύτης ἡλικίας ’ίσην τηρήσας τήν προθυμίαν τῆς ἀσκήσεως· καὶ μήτε διὰ τὸ γῆρας ἡττηθεὶς πολυτελείᾳ τροφῆς, μήτε διʼ ἀτονίαν τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σώματος ἀλλάξας τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος, ἢ νιψάμενος κᾶν τοὺς πόδας ὕδατι· καὶ ὅμως έν πᾶσι διέμεινεν ἀβλαβής. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀσινεῖς καί ὁλοκλήρους εἶχε, βλέπων καλῶςʼ καὶ τῶν ὀδόντων οὐδὲ εἷς ἐξέπεσεν αὐτοῦ· μόνον δὲ ὑπὸ τὰ οὖλα τετριμμένοι ἐγεγόνεισαν, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἠλικίαν τοῦ γέροντος. Καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ δὲ καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ὐγιής διέμεινε, καὶ ὅλως πάντων τῶν ποικίλῃ τροφῇ καὶ λουτροῖς καὶ διαφόροις ἐνδύμασι χρωμένων φαιδρότερος μᾶλλον αὐτός ἐφαίνετο, καὶ πρὸς ἴσχὺν προθυμότερος. Καὶ τὸ πανταχοῦ δὲ τοῦτον διαβεβοῆσθαι, καί θαυμάζεσθαι μὲν παρὰ πάντων, ποθεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν μή ἑωρακότων αὐτὸν, τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς θεοφιλοῦς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς ἐστι γνώρισμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ συγγραμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας, οὐδὲ διά τινα τέχνην, διὰ δὲ μόνην θεοσέβειαν ὁ Ἀντώνιος ἐγνωρίσθη. Τοῦτο δὲ ὡς Θεοῦ δῶρον οὐκ ἂν τις ἀρνήσαιτο. Πόθεν γὰρ εἰς τὰ Σπανίας καὶ εἰς τάς Γαλλίας, πῶς εἷς τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ τήν Ἀφρικὴν, ἐν ὄρει κεκρυμμένος καὶ καθήμενος ἠκούσθη, εἰμὴ ὁ Θεὸς ἦν, ὁ πανταχοῦ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ γνωρίζων ἀνθρώπους, ὁ καὶ Ἀντωνίῳ τοῦτο κατά τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπαγγειλάμενος ; Κἂν γὰρ αὐτοὶ κεκρυμμένως πράττωσι, κᾶν λανθάνειν ἐθέλωσιν· ἀλλʼ ὁ Κύριος αὐτοὺς ὡς λύχνους δείκνυσι πᾶσιν,’ίνα καὶ οὕτως οἱ ἀκούοντες γινώσκῶσι δυνατὰς εἶναι τὰς ἐντολὰς εἷς τὸ κατορθοῦν, καὶ ζῆλον τῆς ἐπʼ ἀρετὴν ὁδοῦ λαμβάνωσι. ### English translation (Claude) This was the end of Antony’s life in the body, as that was the beginning of his discipline. Even if these things are small compared with his virtue, still you can reckon from them what kind of man Antony, the man of God, was, who from his youth to such a great age kept the same eagerness for discipline; who neither yielded to costly food because of old age, nor changed the style of his clothing because of the weakness of his body, nor even washed his feet with water; and yet in all things he remained unharmed. For he had eyes undimmed and sound, and saw well; and not one of his teeth fell out, but they had only been worn down to the gums because of the old man’s great age. He also remained healthy in his feet and hands; and altogether he appeared brighter and more vigorous in strength than all those who use varied food, baths, and different kinds of clothing. That he was spoken of everywhere, admired by all, and longed for even by those who had never seen him, is a mark of his virtue and of his God-loving soul. For Antony became known not by writings, nor by worldly wisdom, nor through any art, but only by godliness; and no one would deny that this was a gift of God. For how was he heard of in Spain and Gaul, in Rome and Africa, while he sat hidden on a mountain, unless it was God who makes his own people known everywhere, and who promised this to Antony at the beginning? For even if they act in secret, even if they wish to escape notice, the Lord shows them to all like lamps, so that those who hear of them may thus know that the commandments can be fulfilled, and may take up zeal for the road to virtue. ### Scripture references - Deut 34:7: echo, medium confidence - Matt 5:14–16: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 93 (PG 26:973a–973d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-93). ## Life of Antony 94 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-94 - Source: PG 26:973d–976b - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Athanasius asks that the Life be read to monks as a model, and to pagans as proof that Christ is God and that Christians overcome the demons they worship. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοίνυν τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἀδελφοῖς ἀνάγνωτε, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὁποῖος ὀφείλει τῶν μοναχῶν ὁ βίος εἶναι, καὶ πεισθῶσιν, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος καὶ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τοὺς δοξάζοντας αὑτὸν δοξάζει, καὶ τοὺς δουλεύοντας αὐτῷ μέχρι τέλους οὐ μόνον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἄγει τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα κρυπτομένους, καὶ σπουδάζοντας ἀναχωρεῖν, φανεροὺς καὶ διαβοήτους διά τε τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὠφέλειαν πανταχοῦ ποιεῖ. Ἐὰν δὲ χρεία γένηται, καὶ τοῖς ἐθνικοῑς ἀνάγνωτε · ἵνα κᾶν οὕτως ἐπιγνῶσιν, ὅτι ό Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ Θεὸς καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός· ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ οἱ τούτῳ γνησίως λατρεύοντες, καὶ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσεβῶς, τοὺς δαίμονας, οὓς αὐτοὶ οἱ Ἕλληνες νομίζουσιν εἶναι θεοὺς, τούτους οἱ Χριστιανοὶ ἐλέγχουσιν, οὑ μόνον μὴ εἶναι θεοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατοῦσι καὶ διώκουσιν, ὡς πλάνους καὶ φθορέας τῶν ἀνθρώπων τυγχάνοντας, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, Ἀμήν. ### English translation (Claude) Read these things, then, to the other brothers, so that they may learn what the life of monks ought to be, and may be persuaded that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ glorifies those who glorify him; and that those who serve him to the end he not only leads into the kingdom of heaven, but even here, though they hide themselves and strive to withdraw, he makes known and celebrated everywhere, both for their virtue and for the benefit of others. And if need arises, read it also to the pagans, so that even in this way they may recognize that our Lord Jesus Christ is not only God and the Son of God, but also that those who truly serve him and piously believe in him, the Christians, not only prove that the demons, whom the Greeks themselves think are gods, are not gods, but also trample on them and drive them away as deceivers and corrupters of human beings, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:30: allusion, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Athanasius, V. Ant. 94 (PG 26:973d–976b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/athanasius-vita-antonii/82/#p-94).