Was Anthony's 'withdraw from the world' Christianity correct?
One of the key founders of monastic communities had no notion of founding anything—he was simply concerned for his own spiritual condition and spent much of his life alone. Anthony was born in Egypt , probably about 250, to well-to-do parents who died when he was about twenty and left him all their possessions. A sermon text, Jesus ’ command to the rich young ruler, “If you would be perfect, go and sell all you have,” changed the young man’s life. The words seemed directed to him, and Anthony took them literally. He gave his lands to his fellow villagers, sold his other property, and donated the money to the poor. He put himself under the care of an elderly Christian who taught him the joys of self-denial. Anthony lived on one meal a day of bread and water and slept on the bare ground. With the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312, the church’s situation changed drastically . Christians lost their position as a persecuted minority and became members of...