The Life of Antony (For Teens)

An Egyptian Christian, born around the middle of the third century to a wealthy Christian family. After his parents died when he was about eighteen or twenty, he gave away his land and money, lived as a hermit in the Egyptian desert, and became a famous teacher and counsellor. He died, according to Athanasius, at about 105 years old. He is often called the father of Christian monasticism.

The bishop of Alexandria in Egypt from 328 to 373. He stood firm for the truth that Jesus is fully God against the teaching of Arius, and was exiled five times. During one exile the desert monks hid him, and it was out of those years that he wrote The Life of Antony.

No. Antony lived in a very different time and calling, and some of his habits were extreme. God does not ask you to starve yourself, skip sleep or cut yourself off from people. What we can copy is his love for Jesus, his generosity, his prayer, his courage and his humility. If you find yourself restricting food or punishing your body, please talk to a trusted adult or a doctor.

Athanasius describes Antony’s battles with the devil in vivid ways that people of his time would understand. This retelling keeps them simple. The main lesson Antony drew is that evil is real but has little power over those who belong to Christ, so Christians should not live in fear. If you are frightened about these things, talk to a trusted Christian adult.

No. Athanasius says Antony learned from everyone, honoured church leaders, and insisted that his healings were done by Christ alone through prayer, not by his own power.

No. It is a retelling for teenagers in plain modern words, drawn from across Athanasius’s book and keeping his sentences where they say it best. The full Life of Antony is also available.