A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 54. Manichæanism 277love which animated all.Athanasius describes Anthony's removal to the desert and thecoming of disciples to him, and weaves into his narrative, inthe form of a speech, a long account of the discipline laiddown, probably by Anthony himself, chs. 16-43. It is to thislong speech that the opening words of the following sectionrefers.Ch. 44. While Anthony was thus speaking all rejoiced; insome the love of virtue increased, in others carelessness wasthrown aside, the self-conceit of others was stopped; and all werepersuaded to despise the assaults of the Evil One, and marvelledat the grace given Anthony from the Lord for the discerning ofspirits. So their cells were in the mountains, like tabernaclesfilled with holy bands of men who sang psalms, loved reading,fasted, prayed, rejoiced in the hope of things to come, labored inalmsgiving, and maintained love and harmony with one another.And truly it was possible to behold a land, as it were, set byitself, filled with piety and justice. For then there was neither theevil-doer nor the injured, nor the reproaches of the tax-gatherer;but instead a multitude of ascetics, and the one purpose of allwas to aim at virtue. So that one beholding the cells again andseeing such good order among the monks would lift up his voiceand say: “How goodly are thy dwellings, O Jacob, and thy tents,O Israel; as shady glens and as a garden by a river; as tents whichthe Lord has pitched, and like cedars near the waters” [Num.24:5, 6].Ch. 45. Anthony, however, returned, according to his custom,alone to his cell, increased his discipline, and sighed daily as hethought of the mansions of heaven, having his desire fixed onthem and pondering over the shortness of man's life.[252]§ 54. Manichæanism