On Saint Antony

Name: On Saint Antony
Author: Hesychius of Jerusalem

In sanctum Antonium

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450 AD) · PG 93

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Contents4 passages

1Remembrance of the Righteous
2Power of Words and Deeds
3Anthony the Noble
4Anthony's Ascetic Life

Author

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450 AD) — A presbyter and teacher at Jerusalem who died after 450. He wrote short, careful notes and sermons on many books of Scripture.

All works by Hesychius of Jerusalem

About this text

Hesychius praises Antony the monk, setting him beside Abraham, Moses, David, the Baptist and Paul, and holding up his self-denial and victory over the devil.

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450) was a priest of the Church of Jerusalem and a celebrated preacher and commentator on the Old and New Testament. He wrote in Greek in the early fifth century. This homily is an encomium, a laudatory speech, in honor of Antony the Great, the monk of Egypt.

The homily was preached during the celebration of the saint at the church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem. It praises Antony's life in the light of biblical quotations concerning righteousness. The speaker compares Antony with biblical figures including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and Paul the Apostle.

A reader should know that the work is a sermon of praise rather than a biography. It moves through remembrances of the righteous, the power of words and deeds, Antony's noble character, and his ascetic life. The argument is built on scriptural quotations, so familiarity with the stories of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles will help in following the comparisons.

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Translated from PG 93 (Greek)

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Remembrance of the Righteous§1

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1The memory of the righteous brings joy to the world and enlightens it; the memory of the righteous makes humanity leap for joy. Now Anthony is remembered, and we are all enlightened by his memory. He is a citizen of heaven, a teacher of all virtue, an imitator of the incorporeal in the flesh, a light of the churches, a trainer of priests, the flower of virginity, the radiance of purity, a crown of those in mountains and caves, an example of self-control, a worker of temperance, an undefeated boxer, a pillar of the prophets, a mirror of the apostles, powerful with God and men, possessing nothing on earth while looking entirely toward heaven, lifting his eyes upward and hastening toward that prize.

He is faithful like Abraham, obedient like Isaac, patient like Jacob, and like Joseph feeding Egypt. He performed various wonders like Moses, sang like David and drove out demons, presented himself to God as a greater temple, commanded lions like Daniel, gathered the desert like the Baptist, rested on the chest of Jesus like the Theologian through evangelical study, and died daily like Paul (1 Corinthians 15:31).

But we too draw from the well and the torrent overflows; the jars are full, and 'the overflows pour out.' As much as we run, the stadium becomes greater; as much as the voyage proceeds, the boundlessness of the sea is revealed. Come then, let us also say the things of Paul: 'Time will fail me telling about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets' (Hebrews 11:32); for the father of the composed theaters took these men up in himself. For many words are needed and I am a guide to the matters, since the word grows weary of explaining the work. One thing is the character of a shadow, another is the energy of truth; one thing is an image, and another is the thing of which it is an image; the words image the work, but not in this way is the...

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Power of Words and Deeds§2

2The tongue speaks like the hand does good.

The voice of words is heavy in the air, while accomplishments reach heaven and fulfill those above, standing by their side.

Even Paul, who spoke on behalf of Christ, found that time was running out as he narrated the accomplishments of the saints, saying, 'Time will leave me while narrating.'

If time was limited for Paul, who had an inexhaustible treasure of knowledge and spoke with the fullness of the church, what can we, who are poor and needy, do to express ourselves?

We, who are untaught in words, weak in tongue, slow in mind, and uneducated in heart, have not learned external knowledge nor exercised internal knowledge.

There is no external factor that can give us the boldness to speak, nor can our life experiences replace the need for words.

The challenge lies in finding the right words to praise Anthony.

Now, let the music of David's lyre be the crown that honors him.

As it is written, 'Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, in His will he will be very strong. His seed will be powerful on earth' (Psalm 112:1).

For Anthony, his seed refers to the monastic communities that have sprouted everywhere in Egypt and around the world.

These communities consider him a father and a role model, regulating their lives according to his examples and keeping his laws.

Even a single word from those who are educated in the ways of philosophy can establish a sense of citizenship and belonging.

Let the prophet Isaiah speak about Anthony, saying, 'Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and a household in Jerusalem' (Isaiah 31:9).

And as Jeremiah's prophecy says, 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you came out of the womb' (Jeremiah 1:5).

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Anthony the Noble§3

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3Anthony was a man who pursued holiness as a companion, and he possessed humility as a lot from the womb.

He set sobriety as the beginning of philosophy through Christ, and he was a noble man from the east of the sun, which refers to the sun of righteousness.

The apostles were his relatives, and the cloak of nobility is called the spirit.

Solomon also spoke about this righteous man, saying that a merciful man is great and honorable, and it is hard to find a faithful man, as he said, 'A merciful man is great and honorable, and it is hard to find a faithful man' (Proverbs 20:6).

But we have found the one sought by the wise, although Paul speaks differently, saying that those who through faith conquered kingdoms (Hebrews 11:33).

For he says that those who through faith conquered kingdoms, which refers to Anthony and his imitators, who despised the kingdoms of the world, glory, honor, and wealth, and obtained the promises of the future, stopped the mouths of lions, which are the pleasures, escaped the mouths of swords, which is external wisdom, was strengthened from weakness, which is intemperance, became strong in war against the devil, and overturned the camps of strangers, which are the demons.

Women received their dead from resurrection, which refers to mothers who offered their sinful children to the righteous, and this is what is meant by 'Women received their dead from resurrection' (Hebrews 11:35).

The faithful one suffered greatly, experiencing torture, death by the sword, imprisonment, flogging, stoning, and even being sawn in two, as is written, 'They were stoned, they were sawn in two' (Hebrews 11:37).

As a father to all, he went around…

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Anthony's Ascetic Life§4

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4Anthony's life was marked by his envy of Elijah's gentleness, and he chose to clothe himself in sheepskins.

He was ill-treated and oppressed in the flesh, yet he wanted to suffer with the people of God rather than indulge in fleeting pleasures of sin, for he believed that the world was not worthy of him, and so he transferred himself to heaven while still alive.

Christ seals the praises in our hands, saying, 'the kingdom of heaven is taken by force and the forceful take it' (Matthew 11:12).

Anthony disciplined his body, tamed his soul, punished pleasures, avoided luxury, was moderate in sleep, and considered fornication detestable, living a simple life that was wholly focused on heaven and the upper life, where earthly things are considered a loss.

He lived only in virtues, dead to passions, and played with the enemy, the devil, who fell at his feet, for he boldly tread on the lion and the dragon, considering trials a gain and tribulations a commerce, and rejoicing in mourning sins, considering wealth in poverty.

In this way, Anthony had all things because he had nothing, and he was lord of all things because he served no one, and above all things because he needed nothing.

As we gather today to honor his memory in this memorial gathering, through the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, we offer glory, honor, and power to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, into the ages of ages.

Amen.

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