Early Christian Lives by various authors
This anthology gathers several lives of the saints written in the first centuries of the Catholic Church's existence.
Life of Antony by Athanasius
Antony is a monk who went out to the desert in Egypt to live an ascetical life. There, he dealt with many temptations and assaults by demons. His response was to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ, invoking His name against the power of the devils. The devils naturally fled. Antony's reputation spread and people constantly came to him for prayers and advice. Some came to join him in the hermit's life of prayer and penance. He welcomed them reluctantly, preferring his solitude but recognizing the needs of others. As the flow of visitors grew stronger, he fled further into the desert. People had to prove they really wanted his help by enduring a dangerous and taxing journey. Of course, "his help" was merely the working of God, a fact he constantly pointed out to the monks and the pilgrims alike. This book details some of the miracles and many of the teachings of Antony, ending with his pious death. I thought was good but a little long and repetitive.
Paul of Thebes by Jerome
In a short work, Jerome describes how Paul of Thebes was the first desert hermit even before Antony. The narrative explains how Paul came to be in the desert and then skips almost a hundred years to the point when Antony goes to visit Paul, who is near death. They have some interesting conversation and Paul asks Antony to get a special cloak for him to be buried in. By the time Antony gets back, Paul is dead. Without a shovel to dig a grave, Antony wonders what to do when two lions come and dig out a hole for the corpse of the holy man. Jerome's style is entertaining to read, a nice plus to the pious actions and conversations.
Hilarion by Jerome
Hilarion lived toward the end of Antony's life. They were in contact a few times. Hilarion modeled much of his life after Antony's style. He lived as a hermit, contending with the Devil and his minions while living a very simple life. Like Antony, his reputation got around and people started coming to him for advice and miracles, once the miracles started happening. Later in his life, Hilarion tried going other places, even sailing to Mediterranean islands and the European mainland.
Jerome's writing style makes this a fascinating read. Hilarion has a very interesting character. It's easy to imagine him sighing as the public invades his privacy, knowing that he needs to help out other people. I had a lot of sympathy for Hilarion and enjoyed the vivid descriptions and fun little side comments.
Malchus by Jerome
Malchus's story is fairly simple but highly dramatic. He was living an ascetic life in a monastery when he decided to return to his parents. He sold off his few possessions but kept some "traveling money" to get him home. The abbott cautioned him against leaving and against hanging on to wealth. Malchus did not listen. On his way, he was captured by bandits and sold into slavery. He worked honestly as a shepherd for his new master, so well that the master decided to give a female slave to Malchus as a wife. Malchus had readopted his monastic lifestyle as a shepherd, eating hardly anything, praying constantly, and working hard. He did not want to give up a celibate life that was going so well, especially with a slave woman he did not find particularly attractive. The two went off to a cave where Malchus decided to kill himself rather than renounce virtue. The woman told him not to do it or she would be blamed. He should kill her first or they could live a pretend marriage. She didn't want to sleep with him either. They lived as brother and sister (though the master did not know) and their Christian care for each other convinced the master that they were happily married. Eventually, they decided to escape through some harrowing adventures. Malchus returned to his monastery to live the holy life he was meant for.
The story is quick and exciting, full of action and drama. It's also full of faith and good examples. Jerome's writing style is top notch. Why isn't this story a movie yet?
Life of Martin by Sulpicius Severus
Martin of Tours was a very popular saint back in the day, thanks in part to this hagiography. He started life as son of a Roman soldier. Martin became a soldier as well, fighting bravely though slowly withdrawing from the military life. He famously saw a beggar in winter and cut his cloak in half to give part of it to the destitute man. Others mocked Martin for his shabby cloak. That night, Martin had a dream where Christ was wearing that half-cloak, a confirmation of the goodness of Martin's behavior. Martin left the army and became a monk. He made the mistake of settling just outside Tours, France. He was close enough to the city that people came to him for advice and miracles. They were so impressed with him that they insisted he become their bishop. After many efforts at resistance, Martin finally gave in. Severus chronicles many miracles attributed to Martin's intervention and some conflicts with devils who tried to pass themselves off as holy people (one even claimed it was Christ!). The story does not end with Martin's death because Severus wrote before Martin died.
Martin's story is fascinating and well told by Severus. He captures the innocent wiliness of Martin and how much of an impression he made on others, be they fellow soldiers, monks under his care, or Christians in search of help.
Life of Benedict by Gregory the Great
This is the classic text of hagiography. Gregory the Great chronicles the life of Benedict, the father of western monasticism. Like others, he tried to live in isolation in order to achieve spiritual perfection. He was tempted by many sins. He famously distracted himself from lustful thoughts by stripping naked and rolling around in thorny bushes. The physical pain was enough to put any other thoughts out of his mind! His life soon drew the typical combination of men to imitate his lifestyle and general populous who wanted advice or miracles. Benedict's lifestyle was so popular that he had to open several monasteries, which required the further step of appointing abbots and writing his famous Rules to guide the communities. Gregory tells the many miraculous stories of Benedict's life, ending with one performed by his sister Scholastica. In another famous incident, she came for her yearly visit with Benedict and they had such a good time talking about holy things that it gets late. She asked Benedict to stay up all night and continue the pious conversation. He said he wanted to get back to the monastery. She put her head down, cried and prayed to God for him to stay. When she raised her head, the rain poured down with lightning and thunder convincing Benedict that he could go nowhere.
The stories are interspersed with little dialogues between Gregory and his disciple Peter, who asks questions about the incidents and miracles, helping to add some more theological explanations to the situations. Many of the miracles read like pious exaggerations, especially when there are so many examples presented. It makes for lively reading that's spiritually enjoyable but that nagging thought of "is this for real?" crops up too often.
Recommended--these are classics of Christian hagiography.
Posts
