Tropological Reading of the Vita Antonii

Analyzing Antony’s decision making following the death of his family exposes the initial step towards spiritual fulfillment. As a young man of “about eighteen or twenty,” St. Antony inherited a large amount of responsibility, after the death of his parents (Athanasius 41). Not only was he now the heir to the family fortunes, but he also assumed the responsibility of caring for his younger sister. While the latter seemingly would strain the agenda of a young man, the materialistic inheritance poses the largest hindrance to Antony’s spirituality. Morally, this is the initial t

est to Antony’s eventual journey to find peace with God. The Lord has set before Antony the materialistic comfort sought by many people, which he must in turn deny. Fittingly, it is the gospel of the Matthew 19:21 saying, “If thou wouldst be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and come follow Me and thou shalt have treasure in heaven,” which finalizes Antony’s choice to relinquish his possessions in order to commit himself to the service of God (Athanasius 41). In Short, Antony’s calling to turn his back on the materialism of the world is the start of a journey to spiritual contentment.

Antony reaches the pinnacle of spiritual contemplation with God, through his relinquishment of materialism and persistent denial of evil temptations. The garden is the climactic peak of Antony’s journey where he eventually passed away at age 105. However, Antony story reveals a basic truth about each person’s spiritual journey. If you place God before materialism

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