Some time after the spread of Christianity, the ascetic movement began. Hermits were people who devoted themselves entirely to God, withdrew to uninhabited places and through prayer and fasting, by the grace of God, overcame human weaknesses, achieving spiritual perfection. Years later, hermits also received the gift of healing through miracles and prayers.
St Anthony the Hermit is the founder of ascetic and monastic life. He was born in the village Koma, Egypt, in 251, in a noble family. After his parents’ death Anthony inherited their wealth. Whilst in church, he listened to the evangelical commandment, in which Jesus says: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” (Mt 19:21). Being led by this commandment, Anthony sold all of his property and lived in the spirit of praying, fasting and doing charity.
Anthony lived in a time of transition for Christianity, the Diocletianic Persecution in AD 303 was the last great formal persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Only ten years later, Christianity was made legal in Egypt by Diocletian’s successor Constantine I. Those who left for the desert formed an alternate Christian society, at a time when it was no longer a risk to be a Christian. The solitude, austerity, and sacrifice of the desert was seen by Anthony as an alternative to martyrdom, which was formerly seen by many Christians as the highest form of sacrifice. Anthony quickly gained followers eager to live their lives in accordance with this solidarity and separation from material goods. From these prohibitions, it is recorded by Athanasius that Anthony received special privileges from God, such as the ability to heal the sick, inspire others to have faith in healing through God, and even converse with God on occasion. Around this time, desert monasticism appeared nearly simultaneously in several areas, including Egypt and Syria.
Over time, the model of Anthony and other hermits attracted many followers, who lived alone in the desert or in small groups. They chose a life of extreme asceticism, renouncing all the pleasures of the senses, rich food, baths, rest and anything that made them comfortable. They instead focused their energies on praying, singing psalms, fasting, giving alms to the needy, and preserving love and harmony with one another while keeping their thoughts and desires for God alone. Thousands joined them in the desert, mostly men but also a handful of women. Religious seekers also began going to the desert seeking advice and counsel from the early Desert Fathers. By the time of Anthony’s death, there were so many men and women living in the desert that it was described as “a city”.
St Anthony died at the age of 105, having earned the heavenly unfading crown, becoming an example for Christians of all times with his unshakable faith and great spiritual strength.
There were other ascetics as well. St Tryphon, who was martyred in the city of Nicaea during the reign of Emperor Decius, St Barsam (Parsemius) the hermit who lived in the Syrian deserts in the middle of the 5th century, and the Egyptian hermit St Onuphrius (4th century). After staying in a monastery for some time, the latter withdrew to the desert, where he lived for 60 years without meeting anyone. St Onuphrius, like other hermits, healed many people through the power of prayer and saved them from suffering. That is why this saint is especially invoked for the healing of children and during difficult childbirth. The Armenian Apostolic Church attaches special importance to hermits and has holidays dedicated to their memory.
