# Saint Anthony the Great

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/saint-anthony-the-great — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Saint Anthony the Great, also known as Antony of Egypt, was a third–fourth-century hermit traditionally called the “Father of the Monks.” His feast day is 22 Tubah.[^1]

## Identity and significance

Saint Anthony the Great, also called Antony of Egypt, was a third–fourth-century hermit traditionally known as the “Father of the Monks”; his feast day is 22 Tubah.[^1][^2] This title does not mean that he was the first Christian ascetic: ascetics already lived outside Egyptian villages when he adopted their way of life, and his increasingly remote withdrawal into the desert was his distinctive contribution.[^3]

## Life and desert withdrawal

Anthony was born about 251 to Christian parents in Qiman, identified with modern Qiman al-‘Arus in the region of al-Wastah.[^4] After his parents died, when he was about twenty, he heard the Gospel teaching on renunciation in Matthew 19:21, gave away his possessions, entrusted his younger sister to a community of virgins, and began living as a hermit outside his village.[^4]

He subsequently withdrew to a tomb in the mountainous region, where he lived in seclusion for about ten years; his biographer describes this period as marked by violent demonic assaults.[^5] Seeking greater isolation from visitors, he crossed the Nile and settled in a ruined Roman fort, around which disciples gathered to form the community of Pispir.[^5]

About twenty years later, guided by Bedouins, Anthony moved into the Eastern Desert and established a hermitage near Mount Qulzum, approximately 20 miles from the Red Sea.[^6] He lived there for about forty years, supporting himself through manual work, gardening, and supplies brought by disciples, while continuing to visit the community beside the Nile.[^6]

Anthony made two journeys to Alexandria in support of Athanasius against the Arians, and a journey in 338 is associated with Anthony’s advice to Amun about founding Kellia.[^7] Conflicting dates are given for his death: 356 is given as his death date, whereas his lifespan is also given as 251–336.[^1][^8]

## Spiritual portrait and writings

Anthony is portrayed as answering Greek philosophers through an interpreter, challenging them to imitate his Christian life and distinguishing sound understanding from knowledge of letters; he is also described as gracious and civil toward visitors.[^10] His prayer included a psalm before his evening meal, twelve prayers followed by twelve psalms, and psalmody from midnight until dawn.[^8]

An Arabic collection preserves twenty letters under Anthony’s name.[^9] The first seven are distinguished from the remainder, which largely correspond to letters attributed elsewhere to his disciple Ammonas, while the authenticity of the seven remains uncertain.[^9] Anthony’s letters were translated from Coptic into Arabic at his monastery in 1070.[^11]

## Sources and remembrance

The principal biography of Anthony’s life is attributed to Athanasius and was written shortly after Anthony’s death.[^1] Its authorship and historical value have been challenged by scholars, while ancient testimony supports its attribution and it has been argued that Athanasius knew Anthony personally.[^12] Thirty-eight sayings appear under Anthony’s name in the alphabetical collection of sayings of the Desert Fathers.[^12]

The Monastery of Saint Antony stands at the southern end of the Jalalah mountain range near the Red Sea; its historical account places the establishment of a monastic settlement after Anthony’s death, during the reign of Julian, 361–363.[^13]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 382)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia — Index, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 28)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 775)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 383)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 383)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 383)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 383)
[^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 342)
[^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 384)
[^10]: Coptic Church Review, Volume 5, Number 3 (p. 16)
[^11]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 155)
[^12]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 382)
[^13]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 151)