Rule of Antony

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The Rule of Antonius is an early monastic rule , according to tradition, written by Anthony the Great (around 251 to 356), which, however, is ruled out according to the current state of historical-critical research. Along with the angel rule of Pachomios (around 295 to 346), it is the best-known rule of early Egyptian monasticism .

The Rule of Anthony is a collection of sayings and instructions that the saint is said to have given his students. The Rule of Anthony can be interpreted as an instruction for an ascetic hermit existence as well as for a life in a closed monastic community . This points to a time of origin in the second half of the 4th century, when - especially in Lower Egypt - hermits united to form loosely organized monastic communities.

The rule gives only a few organizational instructions, the admission of monks is only briefly mentioned, the dressing is the only ceremony obligatory for novices, vows are not taken. The obligation to chastity is not explicitly mentioned but tacitly assumed. Poverty is most emphasized, it is considered to be an important means of attaining humility, leaving the individual free to dispose of his modest possessions. Work, being a stranger, tribulation and silence are also among the duties of the monks. Concern for the purity of the monks' thoughts is decisive for large parts of the rule, women and boys are classified as dangerous for the peace of mind of the monks.

The largest part of the rule is occupied by the prescriptions about the ascetic life, through which a complete renunciation of the world is to be achieved and instead a constant life in repentance and mourning. In this, the rule contradicts the basic ideas of the sayings of Saint Anthony handed down in the Apophthegmata Patrum , who there demands a less strict penance for the monks and does not neglect the joy of life (e.g. Apophth. 8, 13). The humiliation before God and man as well as the repeated request for forgiveness become the means for the monk to achieve humility. This humility consists in the fact that the monk feels like a sinner before God and shows his actions a certain hopelessness. An important function is assigned to prayer: as a dialogue with God, as thanksgiving, request and apology, but also in the prayer of the hours as a time and structure giving form, as well as group-oriented as communal prayer. The fasting regulations and the restriction of sleep were strictly regulated. Work as a means of earning a living and achieving humility as well as Christian charity, help for the poor and the sick, are emphasized as essential elements of monasticism and have also been included in the modern rules of the order in this form.

The earliest mention of the Rule of Saint Anthony comes from the 8th or 9th century. The early monastic writers of the 4th and 5th centuries, such as B. Euagrios Pontikos (345–399), Rufinus (approx. 345–411 / 12), Hieronymus (347–419), Johannes Cassianus (around 360 - around 435) or Palladios (around 364 - around 430), the life described by the monks in Egypt, do not report anything about it. It can therefore be assumed that the rule in writing did not begin until later, possibly to contrast the rule of Pachomios with a counterpart to the older and more important Antonius for his students.

Rules (extracts)

  • If you are in a place where alms are given, eat and thank God.
  • A woman is not allowed to come to the monks, because the anger is behind her.
  • Light your lamp with the oil of your eyes, namely the tears.
  • Always be sad about your sins, as if you had a dead person in your house all the time.
  • Sleep little and moderately, and the angels will come to you.
  • Kill yourself daily.
  • The monk should not grumble about the hardship of his manual labor.

(All quoted from Contzen)

literature

swell

  • Regulae ac praecepta SPN Antonii ad filios suos monachos , in: Lucas Holstenius: Codex Regularum monasticarum et canonicarum. Vol. 1. Augsburg 1759, pp. 3-5. From there adopted unchanged in: Jacques Paul Migne : Patrologia Latina , t. CIII, c. 423-428, where it is assigned to the Codex Regularum of Benedict von Aniane .
  • Daniel Tibi (Ed.): Small Egyptian monk rules. Rule of Antony. Rule of Isaiah. EOS, St. Ottilien 2011. ISBN 978-3-8306-7463-4 .

Secondary literature

  • Benedikt Contzen: The Rule of St. Anthony. (Supplement to the annual reports of the humanistic high school Metten 1895/96) Metten 1896, 5–8.