ANTONIANI. - These are the disciples of St. Anthony the Abbot. In the *Vita Antonii* written by St. Athanasius, mention is made of a colony of hermits who, around 306, placed themselves under the direction of the saint, whom they revered as their «father». Gathered together and oriented toward a way of life that was in some sense communal, they formed a kind of eremitical community, of which Anthony was the guide; yet his guidance was purely spiritual, with the free will of each individual forming the basis for their persistent independence from him or, following his advice, from the most experienced member of the colony. It is therefore improper to speak of the Antoniani as a religious family, nor did the saint intend to found an eremitical community. Yet through his efforts and, above all, through the extensive teachings on the ascetic life that he corroborated with his own example, he became the instrument of God for the further development and organization of ancient monasticism. The work thus begun was continued by his imitators: during the 4th century, colonies of solitaries were established in Egypt, initially composed of 2–10 persons, later growing to number as many as 6,000 monks, according to the testimony of Rufinus. With Anthony, anchoritism spread in Lower Egypt, in the northern and western parts of the desert, and on both sides of the Nile delta. The most notable eremitical colonies were those of Nitria and Scete. Each solitary lived by the work of his own hands, which lasted from morning until three in the afternoon—the hour at which psalmody began in the cells. Divine service was reserved for Saturday and Sunday. The eldest of eight priests, assisted by the other seven, offered the sacrifice of the Mass and expounded the Gospel. The more advanced anchorites were required, after some time, to leave the colony and withdraw to separate cells, arranged at a certain distance from one another so that no one could hear or see his neighbor. The founder of the colony at Nitria was St. Ammon (d. before 350), while at Scete the most distinguished figure was St. Macarius, called the Egyptian or the Elder, d. 391.
ANTONIA. - Wall of
Antonia - Wall of A. beneath the Convent of the Flagellation, seat of the Franciscan Biblical Institute — Jerusalem.
The A. beneath the Convent of the Flagellation, seat of the Franciscan Biblical Institute — Jerusalem.