Anthony the Great is the saint widely regarded as the father or founder of Christian monasticism and famous for resisting temptations in the Egyptian desert.
Born in Egypt around 251, Anthony gave away his possessions after hearing the Gospel command to sell what he had and give to the poor. He first lived as an ascetic near his village, then withdrew into increasingly remote parts of the Eastern Desert. His example attracted disciples and helped launch the movement later associated with the Desert Fathers.
Stories recorded by Athanasius describe Anthony confronting demonic assaults, boredom, lust, fear, and other temptations. These episodes made the Temptation of Saint Anthony a major subject in Christian art and literature. The stories are religious narratives rather than evidence that Anthony was literally the first Christian ascetic.
Anthony was not the first monk, and Pachomius is more closely associated with organized communal, or cenobitic, monasticism. Anthony’s distinctive importance lies in making solitary desert asceticism a powerful model for later monks. His feast is celebrated on 17 January, and the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt remains associated with his memory.