Anthony the Great

Egyptian Christian monk, hermit, and saint (died 356)

b. 251 · d. c. 357

Anthony the Great was an Egyptian Christian monk, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as Anthony of Padua, by various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast day is celebrated on 17 January among the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar.

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How we know

Recorded as a historical figure.

  • The Path of Christianity: The First Thousand Years 2 claims — Anthony withdraws to the desert; Anthony comes down from the desert to Alexandria
  • Patrology 1 claim — Antony finds Paul in the desert

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