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Our Holy Godbearing Father Anthony the Great
356
‘Saint Anthony, the Father of monks, was born in Egypt in 251 of pious parents who departed this life while he was yet young. On hearing the words of the Gospel: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21), he immediately put it into action. Distributing to the poor all he had, and fleeing from all the turmoil of the world, he departed to the desert. The manifold temptations he endured continually for the space of twenty years are incredible. His ascetical struggles by day and by night, whereby he mortified the uprisings of the passions and attained to the height of dispassion, surpass the bounds of nature; and the report of his deeds of virtue drew such a multitude to follow him, that the desert was transformed into a city, while he became, so to speak, the governor, lawgiver, and master-trainer of all the citizens of this newly-formed city. But the cities of the world also enjoyed the fruit of his virtue. When the Christians were being persecuted and put to death under Maximinus in 312, he hastened to their aid and consolation. When the Church was troubled by the Arians, he went with zeal to Alexandria in 335 and struggled against them in behalf of Orthodoxy. During this time, by the grace of his words, he also turned many unbelievers to Christ.
‘He began his ascetical life outside his village of Coma in Upper Egypt, studying the ways of the ascetics and holy men there, and perfecting himself in the virtues of each until he surpassed them all. Desiring to increase his labours, he departed into the desert, and finding an abandoned fortress in the mountain, he made his dwelling in it, training himself in extreme fasting, unceasing prayer, and fierce conflicts with the demons. Here he remained, as mentioned above, about twenty years. Saint Athanasius the Great, who knew him personally and wrote his life, says that he came forth from the fortress “initiated in the mysteries and filled with the Spirit of God.” Afterwards, because of the press of the faithful, who deprived him of his solitude, he was enlightened by God to journey with certain Bedouins, until he came to a mountain in the desert near the Red Sea, where he passed the remaining part of his life. Saint Athanasius says of him that “his countenance had a great and wonderful grace. This gift also he had from the Saviour. For if he were present in a great company of monks, and any one who did not know him previously wished to see him, immediately coming forward he passed by the rest, and hurried to Anthony, as though attracted by his appearance. Yet neither in height nor breadth was he conspicuous above others, but in the serenity of his manner and the purity of his soul.”
‘So passing his life, and becoming an example of virtue and a rule for monastics, he reposed on January 17 in the year 356, having lived together some 105 years.’ (Great Horologion)
Speaking of the demonic temptations and struggles with the passions that beset those who seek their salvation, St Anthony said: “All these trials are to your advantage. Do away with temptation and no one will be saved.”
Saint Achillas of Larissa
Saint Achillas was a bishop and prominent ecclesiastical figure of the early Christian Church. He served as a shepherd of the faithful in the city of Larissa in Thessaly, Greece, leading his flock with pastoral care and theological wisdom. Through his faithful ministry and Christian witness, he became known as a holy bishop whose life reflected the teachings of the Gospel and the apostolic tradition of the Church.
Achillas was engaged in the theological and pastoral challenges facing the Church during the patristic period. His leadership contributed to the stability and spiritual growth of the Christian community entrusted to his care. He bore witness to the faith through his pastoral service, his defence of Orthodox doctrine, and his example of Christian virtue.
Saint Achillas reposed in the Lord and is commemorated in the Orthodox Church calendar on 17 January. His feast day celebrates his faithful stewardship of the Church and his role in advancing the kingdom of Christ through pastoral ministry and apostolic succession.
Venerable Anthony of Dymsk
Venerable Anthony of Dymsk was a monastic father and ascetic saint of Russia who devoted his life entirely to prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of spiritual perfection. He withdrew to a monastic community, where he engaged in rigorous ascetical practices designed to mortify the flesh and elevate the spirit toward union with God. Through years of dedicated monastic struggle, Anthony acquired significant spiritual gifts and became a guide to many who sought the path of monastic life.
His practices included prolonged fasting, continuous prayer, and labour in service to the community. His spiritual wisdom and pastoral care made him a refuge for those wrestling with temptation and spiritual struggles. The brethren gathered around him, benefiting from his example of devotion and his guidance in the hesychastic prayer tradition central to Orthodox mysticism.
Saint Anthony reposed in the Lord and is venerated in the Orthodox Church on 17 January. His memory recalls the transformative power of monastic discipline, the grace of God working through ascetical struggle, and the fruits of unwavering devotion to Christ.
Venerable Anthony the Great
Saint Anthony the Great (12 January 251 – 17 January 356), revered since his repose as the Father of All Monks, was a Christian ascetic and monastic pioneer from Egypt who fundamentally shaped Orthodox monasticism. Born on 12 January 251 in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid in Upper Egypt, Anthony was born into a family of illustrious lineage, with both parents being devout Christians.
At approximately twenty years of age, following his parents' death, Anthony heard the Gospel passage read in church concerning the disciples' practice of selling their possessions and distributing the proceeds to the poor (Acts 4:35). Moved deeply by this exhortation, he began his ascetical life near his village in a simple hut, where he earned his livelihood through manual labour whilst also giving alms to those in need. After fifteen years of this initial monastic practice, around 286 AD, Anthony withdrew to absolute solitude on a mountain by the Nile called Pispir (now Dayr al-Maymun), where he dwelt until approximately 305 AD.
During his eremitical life, Anthony became renowned for his spiritual wisdom, miraculous gifts, and steadfast resistance to demonic temptations. Many disciples gathered around him, and he gently directed them in the ascetic life, establishing the foundations of communal monasticism. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria documented Anthony's life in a biography considered amongst the finest hagiographical works, being the first major life of a saint who was not a martyr.
Anthony reposed peacefully on 17 January 356 at the advanced age of 105 and was buried in the desert by his disciples. His feast is celebrated on 17 January in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar.
Pious Emperor Theodosius the Great
395
He was born in Spain, became a general in the Imperial Army, and was crowned Emperor of the East in 379. He quickly made his Orthodoxy clear by decisively rejecting Arianism, which had divided Christians, troubled the Church, and confused previous emperors, for many years. He summoned the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381, which reaffirmed the doctrine of Nicaea and proclaimed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. While Constantine had outlawed the persecution of Christians and made Christianity the religion of the state, Theodosius outlawed the worship of idols within the Empire.
Theodosius was several times guilty of anger and bloodshed during his reign, but, when corrected, always expressed sincere repentance and submitted himself to the authority and discipline of the Church. He endured a long excommunication and penance from Ambrose, bishop of Milan (December 7), for a massacre perpetrated at his order. Once he was about to enact bloody punishment of the people of Antioch for a rebellion, but relented when St Placilla (September 14) and Patriarch Flavian enjoined him to be merciful. In this, he showed a humility and submission to the Church almost unknown in Christian rulers before or since.
Having reigned for sixteen years, the Emperor Theodosius reposed in peace in 395 at the age of sixty.
Our Holy Father Makarios of Patmos
1737
He was born to a prosperous family on the island of Patmos. As soon as he was old enough to leave home, he attended the Patriarchal School in Constantinople, where he distinguished himself. He became a monk, then a deacon, but always refused to be ordained to the priesthood, though the Metropolitan of Nikomedia wished Makarios to be his successor. Instead, he returned to Patmos in 1713 and entered the Monastery of St John the Theologian, where he remained until his death.
Though he lived in great asceticism and constant prayer, Saint Makarios was moved by a concern for the salvation and education of the Orthodox people, who often lived in great ignorance, even of their own faith, under Ottoman rule. He established a school in a building adjacent to the monastery, and offered courses free of charge to any who could come. Modeling the curriculum on that of the Patriarchal School, he served more as a spiritual father than a worldly professor. The school grew steadily, partly due to generous contributions from a few wealthy Greek families and trade guilds in Constantinople. But students, many of them very poor, still had to pay for their own needs, and Saint Makarios used his own funds to aid the poorest of them. In addition, he secretly distributed any money that came to him personally to the poor on Patmos. The school at Patmos became famous throughout the Greek Church, and its head became a spiritual father not only to his students but througout the Greek nation. Bishops often asked him to write homilies; about sixty of these were published in book form as The Trumpet of the Gospel, which is still widely read today by the faithful. Having greatly edified thousands while laboring tirelessly for the salvation of his soul, Saint Makarios reposed in peace in 1737.