Anthony the Great

Saint Anthony, side wing of the first diagram of the Isenheim Altarpiece

Antonius the Great (* allegedly 251 ; † 356 ) was a Christian Egyptian monk , ascetic and hermit . He is also called Antonius the Hermit, Antonius Eremita, Antonius Abbas and Antonius von Koma. He is often referred to as the "father of the monks".

The life of St. Anthony

Anthony Monastery in Egypt

The life of Antony is mainly in the Vita Antonii of Athanasius (c. 300–373), the bishop of Alexandria, written around 360 . His death is recorded in the Chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea, continued by Jerome , for the year 356. Since, according to the Vita Antonii, he was around 105 years old, his year of birth is usually set in the year 251. According to later tradition, Antonius was born near Sozomenos in the village of Koma (today Qiman al-'Arûs in the governorate of al-Fayyum ) near Herakleopolis Magna in central Egypt as the son of wealthy Christian farmers. When he was about twenty years old, his parents died. In the church he heard the Bible saying: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give them to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me! ”( Mt 19.21  EU ) After he had given away his property and given his younger sister into the care of a community of consecrated virgins , he withdrew into solitude, first in a hut near his Later in an old burial chamber. A friend provided him with food and one day found him passed out there. After his recovery, he moved on to an abandoned fort on the eastern bank of the Nile on the edge of the desert, where he lived for 20 years. When his followers broke down the door, they found Antonius unharmed and in good physical and mental health. To avoid the rush of visitors, he retired to the Arabian desert, where he probably spent the last decades of his life from 312 on Mount Kolzim above today's town of Zafarana within sight of the Gulf of Suez , and died there in 356 after one long ascetic life. His grave remained unknown - allegedly at his own request - even Athanasius did not know it. In 561 the tomb was found and the relics were brought to Alexandria, from where they were transferred to Constantinople because of the Arab conquest of Egypt around 635 . In the 11th century, most of the relics first came to the French church of La-motte-aux-bois , and finally to the church of Saint-Julien in Arles in 1491 .

During his long stay in the desert, Antonius was repeatedly haunted by tormenting visions. The devil is said to have appeared to him in various forms in order to dissuade him from his ascetic life. Whether, as Athanasius reports, Antony actually left his hermitage and undertook trips to Alexandria to assist the martyrs or to intervene in the Arian disputes has not been historically proven. Antony was revered as a man of God ( theios aner ) because of his energetic resistance to the temptations imposed on him . He impressed numerous admirers who came to his hermitage in the desert with miraculous healings and casting out demons .

Written tradition

According to Athanasius, the allegedly uneducated Antonius is assigned various written traditions. Altogether twenty surviving letters are ascribed to Antonius. The seven Coptic letters of Antony in Greek translation to confreres and monasteries attested by Hieronymus (347-420) in chapter 88 of his collection of 135 short biographies De viris illustribus show a philosophically and theologically educated connoisseur of Platonic and Gnostic theology influenced by Origenes ' biblical theology Tradition. They are considered to be genuine, had an effect on Evagrius Ponticus , Johannes Cassianus , Makarios the Egyptian and Dorotheus of Gaza and have come down entirely in Georgian . The letter of sincere repentance to Abbot Theodore and his monks also seems to be genuine. According to Athanasius, Antonius is said to have been in correspondence with Emperor Constantine and his sons, for which there is no other evidence. The Rule of Antony handed down under his name presumably reflects the view of some of his students and admirers. A central theme of the Rule of Anthony is the monk's turning away from bodily and worldly desires: "Kill yourself daily".

Another written source is the Apophthegmata Patrum , the words of the ancestors: There are 38 fathers' sayings of St. Anthony. The question of the authenticity of this tradition from the 4th or 5th century remains open. Characteristic of the monk Antonius is his spiritual gift of discernment in the service of virtue and chastity . “Anyone who sits in the desert and cultivates calmness of the heart has been torn from three struggles: hearing, seeing, speaking. He has only one fight left to fight : the one against impurity ! "

In the Philokalia , under the name of “our holy father Anthony the Great”, a compilation of 170 instructions on the attitudes of people and the righteous way of life is handed down. Despite some echoes of the content of Antonius 'texts and Athanasius' biography, it is not considered authentic, but rather the popular philosophical work of a Stoic philosopher.

Meaning and effect

Church history

Pilgrimage pennants from the Hermit Church in Warfhuizen

Antonius is considered the founder of Christian monasticism. He founded (perhaps around 305, during the Diocletian persecution of Christians) the first communities of Christian anchorites , more or less loose associations of hermits living apart. On the other hand, the initiative of Pachomios (approx. 292–346), a younger Egyptian hermit, created the first Christian monasteries around 320–325 in which the monks lived and worked together as koinobites .

It is no coincidence that the emergence of Christian monasticism coincides with the persecution of Christians from 303 to 311 under Diocletian and his successors, when many persecuted Christians fled into the desert to discover at the end of the period of persecution, during the so-called Constantinian turning point (311-313), that when they returned they were reviled by their families and fellow believers as cowards and traitors. “Flee the bishop and the woman” was therefore the motto of these monks. After the end of the persecution, they took the view of bloodless martyrdom, which was not suffered in the places of execution in the Roman Empire , but through the mortification of their needs in the solitude of the desert.

A French knight is said to have brought the relics of the saint from Byzantium to France in the monastery of Saint Antoine (near Grenoble ) around 1070 . Particles of the relics can also be found in Echternach , Cologne (arm and beard relic) and Florence . The monks of the Monastery of Anthony in Egypt, however, are convinced that the remains of the saint are still where he was originally buried.

On the occasion of an epidemic called Antonius fire at the end of the 11th century , which was later identified as ergot poisoning , people sought refuge in the relics of St. Anthony as a remedy. The Antoniter Order , which was then founded, spread throughout Europe in the service of nursing during the Middle Ages. After a heyday in the late Middle Ages, the order suffered a decline and became extinct with the beginning of modern times and the emerging Reformation. The order had the right to let the so-called "Antonius pig" roam freely in the village at the expense of the general public. So Antonius the Great was also known in southern Germany as "Sau" - or "Fackentoni", in West Germany as "Swinetünnes" or "Ferkes Tünn". Antonius is the patron saint of farmers and their livestock, but also of swineherd and butchers. With the saints Quirinus , Hubertus and Cornelius he belongs to the "four holy marshals" of God .

art

Panel with scenes from the legend of St. Anthony (1503) in Lübeck Cathedral

iconography

Iconographic attributes of St. Anthony (detail of a representation in Murau): pig and bell

Saint Anthony is depicted in many paintings, as a sculpture and on icons , often with Paul of Thebes . In addition to the motif of the temptations of St. Anthony (see below), two modes of representation are particularly widespread:

• Antonius as a teacher with a scroll or a book, e.g. B. on seven exploitation thalers from the years 1697 to 1700, which Jobst Edmund von Brabeck , bishop of Hildesheim from 1688 to 1702, had minted.
• Anthony as the patron saint against the so-called Antonius fire, which is why the saint is often depicted standing in the fire. His iconographic attributes are the Tau or Antonius cross on his habit, a bell, a pig and the T-shaped staff.

The temptations of St. Anthony and their reception in art and literature

Hieronymus Bosch : The Temptation of St. Anthony , after 1500

David Teniers the Younger : Temptation of St. Anthony , second third of the 17th century

The temptations of St. Anthony are described in the Vita Antonii and in other sources. In his visions, the devil appears to him in human form, as a black boy or seductive woman, in order to seduce him into the sin of fornication, but also in the form of demonic beasts in order to torment him physically. The subject of the temptations and torments of St. Anthony is a common pictorial motif in Western art. After the first fresco depictions in the 10th century, there was a first accumulation of depictions of the topic in book illumination and later in book printing in the late Middle Ages. Shortly after 1500, Hieronymus Bosch (around 1450–1516) in Lisbon (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga) and Matthias Grünewald (around 1475–1528) in Colmar (Museé d'Unterlinden) were particularly influential. In recent art, the depictions of Max Ernst (1891–1976) and Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), both created in 1946 as part of the Bel Ami competition , are particularly noteworthy. Even today, many young artists, especially those influenced by Surrealism , are inspired by the life of St. Anthony.

The temptations of St. Anthony have also been dealt with in literature, for example by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776–1822, The Elixirs of the Devil , 1815/16). The best-known literary work is the scenic novel The Temptation of Saint Antoine ( La tentation de Saint Antoine ) by the French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880), who worked on the subject over a long period of his literary work, until the final version in 1874 ( version définitive ) of the novel was published and translated into many languages.

In terms of music, the work of the German composer Werner Egk (1901–1983) La tentation de Saint Antoine d'après des airs et des vers du 18e siècle for alto, string quartet and string orchestra (1952; as ballet 1969) should be mentioned. Even Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) the temptations of Antony set to music in his symphony Mathis der Maler (1934). In 2003, the American author and director Robert Wilson (born 1941), together with the singer and composer Bernice Johnson Reagon, staged the temptation of Saint Anthony as a musical based on texts by Gustave Flaubert in London's Sadler's Wells Theater .

Remembrance day

The feast day of the saint on January 17th is celebrated in the following churches:

• Orthodox churches (also on January 18 )
• armenian church
• Coptic Church
• Syrian Orthodox Church
• Roman Catholic Church ( Obligatory Memorial Day in the General Roman Calendar )
• Protestant Church in Germany (memorial day in the Protestant name calendar )
• Anglican Fellowship (Remembrance Day in Common Worship)
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Remembrance Day in Lutheran Worship )

swell

• The Letters of St. Antony the Great , Derwas James Chitty ( transl .), SLG Press, Oxford 1975 (Fairacres Publications 50). ISBN 0-7283-0052-4 ( several editions )
• The Letters of St. Antony: Monasticism and the Making of A Saint , Samuel Rubenson (Neuübers., Commentary), Fortress Press, Minneapolis 1995 (Studies in Antiquity and Christianity). ISBN 0-8006-2910-8 (The early version of the book , which does not contain a translation of the letters , is listed in the Secondary Literature section .)
• Instruction of the fathers. Apophthegmata Patrum, also called Gerontikon or Alphabeticum , Bonifaz Miller (transl.), Paulinus Verlag, Trier 1998 (4th edition). ISBN 978-3-7902-1406-2 .
• Apophthegmata Patrum (Part I). Das Alphabetikon - The alphabetical-anonymous series , Erich Schweitzer (transl.), Beuroner Kunstverlag, Beuron, 2010 (Instructions from Fathers 14). ISBN 978-3-87071-261-7 .
• Athanase d'Alexandrie: Vie d'Antoine. Gerhardus JM Bartelink (inlet, Greek text, transl., Notes, index), Éditions du Cerf , Paris 1994 ( Sources Chrétiennes 400). ISBN 2-204-07676-7 .
• Athanasios (Alexandrinus): Life of Saint Antonius ( BKV Volume 31), Hans Mertel (transl.), Kösel-Verlag, Kempten & Munich 1917. ( Online in HTML or RTF ).
• Athanasius: Vita Antonii. Adolf Gottfried [ i. e. Adolf Laminski ] (ed., Inlet), Heinrich Przybila (transl.), St. Benno, Leipzig 1986, ISBN 3-7462-0054-7 ; Verlag Styria, Graz 1987, ISBN 3-222-11769-1 .

literature

• Gerhardus JM Bartelink : Antonios . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 1 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, Sp. 786-788 .
• Veit H. Bauer: The Antonius fire in art and medicine. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York 1973, ISBN 3-540-06593-8 .
• Peter Gemeinhardt : Antonius, the first monk. Life, teaching, legend. CH Beck, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-406-64658-4 .
• William Harmless: Desert Christians. An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. University Press Oxford, 2004, ISBN 0-19-516223-4 .
• Karl Heussi: The origin of monasticism. Tuebingen 1936.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Antonius the great. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 192-193.
• Bernhard Koch (Ed.): Do not fear the devil! Anthony the Great encourages the bold following of Jesus. ReformaZion Media, Rinteln 2009, ISBN 978-3-938972-09-0 .
• Bernhard Koch (ed.): Faith father in the desert: Antonius - Powerful & bold warrior of Christ. ReformaZion Media, Rinteln 2012, ISBN 978-3-938972-14-4 .
• Michael Philipp (Ed.): Horror and Lust - The Temptation of St. Antonius from Hieronymus Bosch to Max Ernst. Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-7774-3945-7 . (Exhibition catalog of the Bucerius Kunst Forum February 9 to May 18, 2008)
• Siegfried G. Richter : The Coptic Egypt. Treasures in the shadow of the pharaohs (with photos by Jo Bischof). Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2019, pp. 56–63. ISBN 978-3-8053-5211-6 .
• Heribert Rosweyde : Vitae Patrum ( Migne , Patrologia Latina . Lxxiii.). A new critical edition and study of this Latin translation: PHE Bertrand, The Evagrius translation of the Vita Antonii: Reception - Tradition - Edition. With special consideration of the Vitas Patrum tradition . Utrecht 2005 (dissertation) [free available: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/7821 ]
• Samuel Rubenson: The Letters of St. Antony: Origenist Theology, Monastic Tradition and the Making of a Saint. (= Bibliotheca historico-ecclesiastica Lundensis. 24). Samuel Rubenson, Lund University Press, Lund 1990, ISBN 91-7966-121-1 (The late version of this book, which contains a new translation of the letters, is given above under the Sources section .)
• Hans C. Zander: When religion wasn't boring. The story of the desert fathers. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 2002, ISBN 3-462-02982-7 .

Web links

Commons : Anthony the Great  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Anthony the Great  - Sources and full texts

• Saint Anthony ( memento from March 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), kopten.de
• Anton Stegmann and Hans Mertel: Life of St. Antonius (Vita Antonii). In: Athanasius, Selected Writings Volume 2 - Library of the Church Fathers, 1st series, Volume 31. Greek Patristic and Oriental Languages ​​- University of Freiburg, 1917, accessed on June 5, 2019 . 

Remarks

1. ↑ Sozomenos 1:13: ἀπὸ Κομᾶ ; Gerhardus JM Bartelink: Antonios. In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. Volume 1. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, column 786; see also Alexander Demandt : Die Spätantike. Roman history from Diocletian to Justinian, 284-565 AD. Fully revised and expanded edition. Ch. H. Beck, Munich 2007, p. 549.
2. ^ Athanasius, vita Antonii 14.
3. ^ Athanasius, vita Antonii 49.
4. ^ Gerhardus JM Bartelink: Antonios. In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church. 3. Edition. Volume 1. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, column 786.
5. ^ Gerhardus JM Bartelink: Antonios. In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church. 3. Edition. Volume 1. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, Col. 786 f.
6. ↑ Vita Antonii, chap. 1.
7. ↑ PG 40, 999-1066
8. ↑ PL 23, 601-722; here: 693 (Latin) / 694 (Greek): “Antonius monachus, cujus vitam Athanasius, Alexandrinae urbis episcopus, insigni volumine prosecutus est, misit AEgyptiace ad diversa monasteria Apostolici sensus sermonisque epistolas septem, quae in Graeciam luntinguam quarum s praecipua est ad Arsenoitas. Floruit sub Constantino et filiis ejus regnantibus. Vixit annos centum quinque. ”(“ Anthony the monk, whose life Athanasius, bishop of the city of Alexandria, described in a prestigious book, sent seven letters in Coptic to various monasteries, letters truly apostolic in meaning and language, which were translated into Greek. The most excellent of these is An die Arsenoiten . He worked under the government of Constantine and his sons. He lived 105 years. "
9. ↑ PG 40, 977-1000; Georgian text with Coptic fragments: CSCO 148 (1955), Latin translations: CSCO 149 (1955); engl. Translated: Derwas James Chitty (see sources ), Samuel Rubenson (see sources)
10. ↑ PG 40.1065
11. ↑ PG 40, 1065-79
12. ↑ PG 65.75-88
13. ↑ Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀντονίου τοῦ Μεγάλου παραινέσεις περὶ ἢθους ἀνθρώπων καλς χρησθῆς πος
14. ^ Irénée host : Un écrit stoicien sous le nom de Saint Antoine Ermite. In: De doctrina spirituali Christianorum Orientalium quaestiones et scripta. 5,212 ff. Rome 1933.
15. ^ John Stewart Davenport: German talers, 1700-1800 . Hewitt, Galesburg 1958. There catalog no. 5411-5415 ( Figure ).
16. ↑ Peter Gendolla: Fantasies of asceticism. About the creation of inner images using the example of the "Temptation of St. Anthony". Carl Winter, Heidelberg 1991 (=  Siegen series. Contributions to literature, language and media studies. Volume 99).