Mind or Letters?

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” — 1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV)

Antony never learned to read and write. But as his fame grew, educated people came to visit him, some to learn, some to test him, and some to make fun of him.

Once, two Greek philosophers came. Antony asked them through an interpreter why they had troubled themselves to visit a “foolish man”. When they said he was not foolish but very wise, he replied: then become like me, “for I am a Christian.”

Another time, some visitors tried to mock him for having no education. Antony asked them a question:

“What say ye? which is first, mind or letters? And which is the cause of which—mind of letters or letters of mind?”

They agreed that the mind comes first and invented writing. “Whoever, therefore, hath a sound mind hath not need of letters,” said Antony. Everyone was amazed.

Antony wasn’t saying education is bad. You should work hard at school. He was saying that true wisdom comes from knowing God, not only from books. Athanasius notes that Antony’s manners were not rough, but “graceful and polite, and his speech was seasoned with the divine salt”.

Even emperors heard of him. The emperor Constantine and his sons wrote to Antony asking for a reply. The other monks were excited, but Antony said:

“Do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us, for he is a man; but rather wonder that God wrote the Law for men and has spoken to us through His own Son.”

He replied to the emperors, telling them to remember that Christ alone is the true and eternal King, and asking them to be merciful, to care about justice and to look after the poor.

Antony wasn’t impressed by fame or status. He was impressed by God. That is a good attitude to take into a world that is very impressed by famous people.

One thing to do this week: this week, notice how often you are impressed by famous or important people. Each time, remind yourself of Antony’s words: the most amazing thing is that God has spoken to us through his Son. Spend some time reading what Jesus said.