Christianity and Withdrawal from the World

                Everyone has been alone at some point in their life. When one finds solitude, they typically can hear their own thoughts more clearly, whether they are thoughts of reflection, ponderings about the meaning of life, or even more mundane things like a to-do list. For two Christians, St. Antony and St. Martin, solitude is not just a means to think clearly, but the way to be a better Christian.

The accounts of these saints’ lives in Life of Antony by Athanasius and Life of Martin of Tours by Sulpicius Severus show similarities on how they lived their lives and why they lived their lives that way. Both men had a desire from childhood to be religious men and upon becoming adults, decided to live for Christ and forgo earthly things, with the exception of the food that their bodies required to live. Antony was inspired by the Acts of the Apostles to reject everything worldly to follow the Savior. This inspiration was confirmed for him when he went to church and heard a Gospel passage read, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell everything you possess and give it to the poor and come, follow me and you will have treasure in heaven” (Ant. 2). Neither Antony nor Martin were not worried for their welfare in becoming Ascetics, as they believed in the Gospel that said, “Take no thought for the morrow” (Ant. 3, Mart. II).

Selling their possessions or refraining from collecting material things was only the first step in their journeys to solitude. Antony believed in a hard and arduous life and set out for it immediately, for the Bible told him that, “He who does not work, does not eat” (Ant. 3). Martin on the other hand, was taken into bondage with the military, as he was the son of a military man. Both men only kept what little of their earnings they needed for the bare sustenance and distributed the rest to the needy. The second step of their journeys was to literally withdraw from human interaction as much as possible. Once alone, the men could devote their time to prayer, their thoughts to Christ their Lord, and to dispelling demons and thwarting the devil himself.

It seems that it is in their solitude that both Antony and Martin become able to discern between the spirits, knowing angel from demon. The demons they wrestle with and expel from the possessed. Satan has no power against the sign of the cross or the mention of Christ’s name from the lips of these men. Both men also gained other miraculous abilities during their solitude. Both Antony and Martin gained the ability to heal the sick, and in the case of Martin, bring back the dead. Further, both men, on occasion, were given accurate information about things to come from a source only thought to be that of Christ the Lord. However miraculous these abilities were, they were not the only characteristics that these men both seemed to acquire during their ascetic lives.

Antony and Martin are both praised for their strength of character, as well as their dedication to their Lord Christ. It was because Antony was ever vigilant in his prayers, constant in his renunciation of demons and Satan, and patient with his trials that he believed God transforms what were habits into his second nature and his divinely anointed powers grew (Ant. 7).  Martin also believed that his daily devotion to God, to prayer, and steadfastness in faith is what provided for his holiness and his power over evil (Mart. XXVI). It is in his endeavor to be rid of material things and focus on the soul that Antony believes is what is most important for Christians – to strive for those characteristics that “lead to heaven, namely wisdom, chastity, justice, virtue, an ever watchful mind, care of the poor, firm faith in Christ, a mind that can control anger, and hospitality” (Ant. 17). Likewise, Martin had an even temper, was steadfast in faith and cared for even the sinners (Mart. XXVII).  In solitude, wisdom is found in clarity of thought, chastity is kept without temptations near, faith is deepened for needs to be met, and a patient temperance is surely cultivated.

One of the main ideas involved in Antony’s faith was not only to be rid of worldly things and to rely on faith in Christ for daily survival, but to understand that death could come at any given moment in time. To Antony, a Christian should ever be fearful of death’s approach, and to act accordingly. Since death could come at any time and without warning, it was best that the Christian of true faith be ever vigilant of his/her actions and thoughts to be sure that the way they behave on earth will lead them to acceptance in heaven. They should guard their minds from sordid thoughts, stay humble, and let their stomachs be hungry so that they don’t become lazy and idle, yet eat enough to be able to sustain hard arduous work, so again they don’t become idle. They should not allow too much comfort for themselves lest they be tempted into laziness as well (Ant. 19, 43, 65).  Antony regularly slept on either a mat or on the bare floor and both Antony and Martin wore the most meager of clothing. Both men were not concerned with vanity and looked dirty and disheveled.

Although both Antony and Martin sought solitude to be able to focus their minds on Christ, they both became hunted men by those eager to understand them, follow them, or seek healing from them. They tried often to go further and further into the wilderness to seek their solitude, but were ever found. It is possible to say that they were never in solitude for long, if ever. If you consider their regular battles with demons and Satan, and their constant faith that Christ was with them and in them, they may never have truly been alone, even if they were not being plagued by other humans. Still, in their solitude they were able to accomplish wondrous things by being faithful enough, thus perhaps deserving, in their choice to give up all for Christ. It is easy to see how their choice to give up material possessions and to rely only on faith that God will provide would force one to keep their mind on faith and on God. If they have to toil to provide for themselves, and keep busy so as not to have idleness lead to sordid thoughts, it leaves little time for much to enter their mind except for prayers and devotions: prayers to make it through the day, thankfulness for sustenance, and constant mind battles against evil thoughts. When one is forced to rely on God for everything, there is little time to think of worldly things. It is in this way that Antony and Martin withdrew from worldly things and became the Christian saints they are known as today.

I originally wrote this piece in September 2011 for my Christianity class