<p>St. Anthony the Abbot also known as Anthony the Great was from Egypt, and a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers.&nbsp; The biography of Anthony&rsquo;s life helped to spread the concept of monasticism, particularly in Western Europe through Latin translations.&nbsp; He was the first known ascetic to go into the wilderness.&nbsp; Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural temptation during his time in the Libyan Desert inspired the &ldquo;Temptation of St. Anthony&rdquo; in Western art and literature. &nbsp;</p> <p>Most of what is known about St. Anthony comes from the &ldquo;Life of Anthony&rdquo;, written in Greek around 360 by Athanasius of Alexandria.&nbsp; It depicts Anthony as an illiterate and holy man who through his existence in a primitive landscape has an absolute connection to the divine truth.&nbsp; He was born in Coma, in Lower Egypt to a wealthy landowner.&nbsp; At age eighteen his parents died and left him with the care of his unmarried sister.&nbsp; He took the words of Jesus to heart, &ldquo;If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow me&rdquo;.&nbsp; He sold everything, gave it to the poor and placed his sister into a group of nuns. &nbsp;</p> <p>He decided to follow the tradition of the hermits, and headed out into the Alkaline Nitrian Desert region about 60 miles west of Alexandria.&nbsp; He remained there for thirteen years.&nbsp; He was notably the first acestic to attempt living in the desert proper, completely cut off from civilization.&nbsp; He is called the father of monasticism, because he inspired hundreds of men and women to move into the depths of the desert, some organized into small communities.&nbsp; It is said when he passed, he requested to be placed in an unmarked grave. &nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Practical Take Away</strong></span></p> <p>St. Anthony the Abbot lost his parents at an early age.&nbsp; He sold all his belongings, and gave them to the poor.&nbsp; He took literally the words of Jesus to sell everything, and follow Him.&nbsp; He went into the desert, and became the first ascetic to go into the wilderness and harsh conditions.&nbsp; He remained there for 13 years, and became well known for being the first to live solely outside of all civilization.&nbsp; The biography of Anthony&rsquo;s life helped to spread the concept of monasticism, particularly in Western Europe through Latin translations. &nbsp;</p>