mid-3rd c. – 356

The first desert monks: Paul of Thebes and Antony the Great

Monasticism arose as a mass withdrawal into the deserts of Egypt and Syria. In part it imitated the martyrs as a form of "white martyrdom." In part, later, it was a protest against the Church's growing worldliness after Constantine.

Paul of Thebes is considered the first hermit. He withdrew into the desert in the mid-3rd century to escape persecution and was later celebrated by Jerome.

The movement's most influential founder was Antony. Around 270, hearing the Gospel call "sell what you have," he gave away his possessions. He settled first in a cemetery and in the ruins of a fort, then ever deeper into the desert. There, by tradition, he struggled with demons.

Followers gathered around him. Around 305 he organized them into a community of hermits (a laura) under an abba's guidance. This is considered the start of classical monasticism.

Antony emerged into the world twice – during the persecution of 311 and against the Arians in 338. He died in 356. The Life of Antony, written shortly afterward by Athanasius of Alexandria, became the model monastic biography. It later played a role in Augustine's conversion.