(c. 251–356 AD)
Egyptian saint and hermit. He was the son of Christians from the village of Qiman, and upon their death, he gave away his worldly possessions and lived the life of an ascetic hermit near the village and later in the eastern desert. Anthony inspired other hermits to live near him for a time, forming the first ascetic community, although he himself moved to the desert to be on his own. Several of his letters survive, and his life, written by Athanasius, spread the idea of ascetic life in the Christian world. Pachomius, another ascetic, was to change the solitary existence of the hermit into that of a monastic community.
Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier
Ancient Egypt. A Reference Guide. EdwART. 2011.