49) Когда же Антоний увидел, что многие беспокоят его и не дают пребывать ему в избранном им уединении, как бы желалось: тогда, опасаясь, чтобы или самому не превознестись тем, что творит чрез него Господь, или чтобы другой кто не подумал о нем выше того, что он есть, заблагорассудил и решился уйти в верхнюю Фиваиду, где не знали его. И взяв у братии хлебов, сел он на берегу реки, смотря, не пойдет ли какой корабль, чтобы, войдя в него, удалиться. Когда же дожидался он корабля, был к нему свыше голос: «куда и зачем идешь, Антоний?» Он не смутился, но как привык уже часто слышать такие воззваны, выслушав это, сказал в ответ: «поелику народ не дает пребывать мне в покое, то хочу идти в верхнюю Фиваиду, по причине многих мне здесь беспокойств, и особенно потому, что требуют у меня того, что свыше сил моих». Голос сказал ему: «если уйдешь в Фиваиду и даже, как намереваешься, к пасущим стада волов; то еще большие и сугубые труды понесешь. Если же действительно хочешь пребывать на покое, то иди теперь во внутреннюю пустыню». На вопрос же Антония: «кто укажет мне путь, потому что неизвестен мне он?» — голос немедленно указал ему сарацин, которым надлежало идти этим путем. Антоний, подойдя к ним, стал просить позволения идти с ними в пустыню. Сарацины, как бы по велению Промысла, охотно приняли его. Три дня и три ночи проведя с ними в пути, он приходит на одну весьма высокую гору. Из-под горы текла прозрачная, сладкая и довольно холодная вода; вокруг была равнина и нисколько диких пальм.

50) Антоний, как бы по внушению свыше, возлюбил это место; оно было то самое, какое указывал ему голос, вещавший на берегу реки. Итак, взяв хлебы у спутников, стал он пребывать на горе сперва один, не имея при себе никого другого, и место это признавал уже как бы собственным своим домом. Сарацины же, увидев ревность его, с намерением стали проходить путем сим, и с радостью приносили ему хлебы; иногда и от пальм имел он малое некое и скудное утешение. Впоследствии же и братия, узнав его местопребывание, как дети, помня отца, заботились присылать ему потребное.

Но Антоний, видя, что, под предлогом доставлять ему туда хлеб, иные утомляются и несут труды, щадя и в этом монахов, придумывает сам с собою средство, и некоторых из пришедших к нему упрашивает — принести ему заступ, топор и нисколько пшеницы. Когда же было это принесено; обошедши гору, находить одно весьма необширное удобное место, возделывает его; и, поелику достаточно было воды для орошения поля, засевает его. Делая же это ежегодно, получает себе отсюда хлеб, радуясь, что никого не будет сам беспокоить, и соблюдет себя от необходимости чем-либо быть кому в тягость. Но после сего, видя опять, что некоторые приходят к нему, разводить он у себя несколько овощей, чтобы и приходящий к нему имел хотя малое утешение после трудов такого тяжкого пути. Вначале звери, обитавшие в пустыне, приходя пить воду, наносили нередко вред его посеву и земледелию. Он, с ласкою поймав одного зверя, сказал чрез него всем: «для чего делаете вред мне, который не делаю никакого вреда вам? Идите прочь, и во имя Господа не приближайтесь сюда более». С сего времени звери, как бы боясь запрещения, не приближались уже к тому месту.

51) Так, Антоний пребывал один на внутренней горе, проводя время в молитвах и в подвигах. Служившие ему братия упросили его, чтобы позволил им приходить через месяц и приносить маслин, овощей и елея; потому что он был уже стар.

Сколько же, живя там, выдержал он браней, по написанному (Еф. 6, 12), не с плотию и кровию, но с сопротивными демонами, о том знаем от приходивших к нему. Ибо и там слышали шум, многие голоса и звук как бы оружия, а ночью видели, что гора наполнена зверями; замечали, что и сам Антоний как бы с какими-то видимыми ему врагами борется и отражает их молитвою. И Антоний приходивших к нему ободрял, а сам подвизался, преклоняя колена и молясь Господу. И подлинно достойно было удивления, что один, живя в такой пустыне, не боялся нападающих на него демонов, и при таком множестве там четвероногих зверей и пресмыкающихся, не страшился их свирепости, но по истине, как написано, надеялся на Господа, был яко гора Сион (Пс. 124, 1), имел непоколебимый и неволненный ум, так что демоны бегали от него и зверие дивии, по написанному, примирялися ему (Иов. 5, 23).

52) Хотя диавол наблюдал за Антонием и, как воспевает Давид, скрежетал на него зубы своими (Пс. 34, 16); но Антоний, утешаемый Спасителем, пребывал невредимым от коварства и многоразличных козней диавола. Так в одну ночь, когда Антоний проводил время во бдении, враг посылает на него зверей. Все почти гиены, бывшие в этой пустыне, вышедши из нор, окружают его; Антоний стоял посреди них, и каждая зияла на него и угрожала ему угрызением. Уразумев в этом хитрость врага, он сказал гиенам: «если имеете власть надо мною, то я готов быть пожран вами. А если посланы вы демонами, то не медлите и удалитесь; потому что я — раб Христов». Едва Антоний сказал это, гиены бежали, как бы гонимые бичем слова.

53) Потом чрез несколько дней, когда занимался он работой (ибо любил быть в труде), кто-то, став у двери, потянул к себе, что плёл тогда Антоний; делал же он корзины, и отдавал их приходящим за приносимое ему. Антоний встал и видит зверя, который до чресл походит на человека, а голени и ноги у него подобны ослиным. Антоний запечатлел только себя знамением креста, и сказал: «я — раб Христов; если послан ты на меня, то вот я перед тобой». Зверь с бывшими в нем демонами побежал так быстро, что от скорости пал и издох. Смерть этого зверя означала падение демонов, которые прилагали все старание, чтобы удалить Антония из пустыни, и не возмогли.

54) Once, at the request of the monks to come to them and visit them and their place of residence for a while, he set out together with the monks who had come to him. The camel carried bread and water for them; for this desert is waterless, and there is no water suitable for drinking anywhere in it, except on that one mountain on which there was a monastery of Anthony, where they stored up water. And when on the way their water was exhausted, and the heat was very strong; At that time, everyone was in danger of losing their lives. Having walked around the surroundings and not finding water, they were no longer able to continue their journey, they lay down on the ground, and despairing of their lives, they let the camel go where it wanted. The elder, seeing that everyone was in need, was greatly saddened and sighed, and went far away from them and, kneeling and raising his hands, began to pray; and the Lord soon caused water to flow in the place where he stood praying; and thus they quenched all their thirst and revived, filled the skins with water, began to look for the camel and found it. It so happened that the rope wound around one stone and held the camel. So they brought him back, and having given him water, they put skins on him, and continued their journey comfortably. When Anthony reached the first monasteries on the way, everyone greeted him, looked at him as at a father, and he, as if bringing parting words from the mountain, treated them with a word, and taught them what was beneficial. Again on the mountains there was joy, competition for perfection, and consolation for one another in faith. Anthony himself rejoiced, seeing the zeal of the monks, and his sister, who had grown old in childhood and was already the abbess of other virgins.

55) After a few days he again went to his mountain. And then many began to come to him, even some who were suffering dared to come. To every monk who came to him, he constantly gave the following commandment: "Believe in the Lord and love Him, guard yourself from impure thoughts and carnal pleasures, and as it is written in Proverbs, do not be deceived by the feeding of the belly (Prov. 24:15), flee from vanity, pray unceasingly, sing psalms before going to bed and after sleep, repeat the commandments given to you in the Scriptures, keep in mind the deeds of the saints, so that your soul, remembering the commandments, may have the zeal of the saints as a model for itself." Anthony especially advised us to meditate unceasingly on the Apostle's saying: "Let not the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26), and to think that this is said in general in relation to every commandment, so that the sun does not set not only in anger, but also in other sins of knowledge. For it is good and necessary that neither the sun should condemn us for the transgression of the day, nor the moon for the sin of the night, nor even for evil thoughts. And in order to guard oneself from this, it is good to listen to and preserve the Apostle's word. For it is said: "Torture yourselves, tempt yourselves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Therefore, let everyone daily give himself an account of his day and night actions. And if he has sinned, let him cease to sin; but if he has not sinned, let him not boast about it, but let him abide in good, and do not give himself over to negligence, and do not condemn his neighbor, and do not consider himself righteous, until, as the blessed Apostle Paul said, the Lord will come (1 Corinthians 4:5), searching in secret. Often what we do is hidden from ourselves. But although we do not know this, nevertheless the Lord sees everything. Therefore, having left judgment to the Lord, let us be compassionate to one another, let us bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), and torment ourselves, and what we are lacking, let us try to make up for it. And in order to protect ourselves from sin, let us observe what follows. Let each of us notice and record his actions and mental movements, as if with the intention of communicating them to each other; and be sure that, being ashamed of fame, we will certainly cease to sin and even to keep anything evil in our thoughts. For who, when he sins, desires that these things should be seen? Or who, having sinned, does not wish to lie better, if only to conceal the sin? How, watching one another, let us not commit fornication; Thus, if we write down our thoughts, with the intention of communicating them to each other, then it will be easier for us to guard ourselves from impure thoughts, being ashamed of our fame. Therefore, let writing take the place of the eyes of our companions for us, so that when we write down, we feel the same shame that we feel when we look at us, and we do not even keep anything evil in our thoughts. If we educate ourselves in this way, then we will come to the state of enslaving our body, pleasing the Lord and trampling on the snares of the enemy."

56) Such instructions were given by Anthony to those who came; but he was compassionate to those who suffered, and prayed with them. And the Lord often listened to his prayers for many. But when he was heard by the Lord, he did not boast; and when he was not heard, he did not murmur. But just as he himself always thanked the Lord, so he inspired the suffering to be patient and to know that healing is not from him and not from people at all, but from God alone, Who gives it when He wants and to whom He wills. For this reason the suffering also accepted the elder's instructions as medicine, learning not to be faint-hearted, but rather to be patient; and those who were healed learned to give thanks not to Anthony, but to God alone.

57) A certain man named Fronto, one of the courtiers, suffering from a severe illness, bit his tongue and was ready to deprive himself of his sight. Coming to the mountain, he asked Anthony to pray for him. Anthony, having prayed, said to Fronton: "Go and you will be healed." And when the sick man persisted and remained in the monastery for several days, Anthony stood in his word, saying: "You cannot be healed while you are here; go, and when you reach Egypt, you will see a sign done on you." Fronton believed, departed, and as soon as he saw Egypt, his illness passed, and he became healthy according to the word of Anthony, as the Saviour revealed to him during prayer.

58) A certain maiden from Busiris of Trypillya had a terrible and extremely vile disease. Her tears, phlegm, and moisture flowing from her ears, as soon as they fell to the ground, immediately turned into worms; but her body was relaxed and her eyes were not in a natural state. Her parents, having learned that the monks were going to Anthony, out of faith in the Lord, Who had healed the bleeding woman, asked them to go on the road together with their daughter. The monks came to Anthony, and hardly wanted to inform him about the maiden, when he warned them and told them what illness the maiden had and how she had gone with them; when they began to ask that he would allow the parents and the maiden to enter, Anthony did not allow this, but said: "Go, and if the maiden is not dead, you will find her healed. This is not my business, and there is no reason for her to come to me, a poor man; healing is given by the Saviour, Who in every place shows His mercy to those who call upon Him. The Lord bowed down to her prayer, and His love for mankind revealed to me that He would heal the sickness of the girl who was there." Thus the miracle was accomplished; The monks went, and found the parents rejoicing, and the maiden was already healthy.

(59) Two brothers were walking, and when they lacked water on the way, one died, and the other was close to death and, not having the strength to walk, was already lying on the ground and waiting for him to die. Anthony, who was in the mountain, summoned two monks who were then with him, and urged them to hurry, saying: "Take the vessels of water and go quickly to the Egyptian road. Of the two travelers, one has already died, the other will soon die if you do not hurry. This is revealed to me now during prayer." The monks go, find a dead man lying down, bury him, and bring another back to life with water and bring him to the elder; the distance was one day's journey. If anyone asks: why did Anthony not speak before the other died? then the question will be wrong. The definition of death was not from Anthony, but from God, Who ordained one to die, and gave revelation about the other. In Anthony, however, the only thing that was miraculous was that, while in sorrow, he had a sober heart; and the Lord showed him what was happening in the distance.

60) Once more, being in grief and looking up, Anthony saw that someone was ascending through the air, to the great joy of those who met him. Then, marveling and delighting such a host, he begins to pray that it may be revealed to him what this means. And suddenly a voice came to him: "This is the soul of Amun, a monk of Nitria." Amun remained an ascetic until old age. And the distance from Nitria to the mountain where Antony lived was thirteen days' journey. Therefore, those who were with Anthony, seeing the marveling elder, wished to know the reason, and heard that (recently) Amun had died; but he was known to them, because he was often there, and moreover he performed many signs, one of which is this.