Section 8

Having tightened this discipline upon himself, Antony went out to the tombs, which lay some distance from the village. He asked one of his acquaintances to bring him bread after intervals of several days, entered one of the tombs, and remained there alone after the man shut the door behind him.

The enemy could not endure this and feared that Antony might soon fill the desert with his ascetic practice. One night he came with a multitude of demons and beat Antony so severely that he lay on the ground speechless from the pain. Antony later said that the torment had been so great that blows inflicted by human beings could never have caused such suffering.

But by the providence of God—for the Lord never overlooks those who hope in him—his acquaintance came the next day bringing the loaves. He opened the door, saw Antony lying on the ground as though dead, lifted him up, and carried him to the village church, where he laid him on the floor. Many of Antony’s relatives and people from the village sat around him as though around a corpse.

About midnight Antony regained consciousness and rose. Seeing that everyone was asleep except for his companion, who alone was keeping watch, he motioned for him to come near and asked him to carry him back to the tombs without waking anyone.