Reading for Tuesday Aug. 7, 2001

Chadwick pp. 174-83

Norlin Reserve: Athanasius Life of Antony (NB Read only sections 1-16; 45-62; 67-82; 89-94 = pp. 8-20; 38-48; 51-62; 65-69 in the Penguin translation of C. White) or http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-04/Npnf2-04-38.htm#P3636_1501897

Although the authorship of the Life of Antony has been a subject of debate, most agree that it was written by the powerful and controversial bishop Athanasius who controlled the see of Alexandria between 328 and 373. Athanasius composed his work in Greek c. 356 and it enjoyed immediate success. It was quickly translated into Latin and diseminated from east to west across the Mediterranean where it became a model for similar biographies of Christian holy men. Although martyr narratives had been written about the last days of saints and although biographies had been composed about the lives of pagan philosophers and statesmen, Athanasius’ was the first account of the inner, spiritual life of a Christian saint. More importantly, Athanasius’ life was not just a literary model but also a model for behavior; it planted the seeds of zeal for ascetic practice across the vast and multicultural world of the Roman empire. The power this text exerted serves as evidence that, despite its quirkiness, it aroused strong feelings among ancient contemporaries. As we read, we would do well to try to recover some of the passions which people must have felt when they first read the life in the fourth century.

We should also be aware of two issues: first, Antony lived in a world where demons were as palpable as viruses are today. Most of us cannot see these malevolent forces, but we are all convinced that viruses are present and pose a real threat. We should not then dismiss Antony as a superstitious maniac but try to understand that he conceived of the world in the intellectual terms of his own historical context. Secondly the author of the Life, Athanasius, was deeply embroiled in the controversy over the Arian heresy; he even found himself exiled more than once in his struggle for Nicene “orthodoxy.” Be careful to watch for Athanaius’ anti-Arian fervor in the Life; even if the work as a whole has a much broader purpose, we must be aware that this anti-Arian bias may signal a broader scheme of biases.

Questions

1. What was Antony’s social background? Was he from a rich or poor family? Was he well educated? How might this have affected his life?

2. What was Antony’s life like in the desert? How did he eat? How did he sleep? What did he wear? Where did he live?

3. How did Antony deal with his fellow man? How did he deal with the Roman authorities, with other monastics, with pagans, with churchmen, with heretics?

4. What temptations did Antony face? What was his attitude toward them?

5. How did the demons Antony faced manifest themselves? How did they operate and why did they do what they did? How might we moderns explain Antony’s perceieved encounters with demons?

6. What appealed to the outside world about Antony? Why did others choose to seek him out? Why did they choose to follow his lifestyle?