7 Spiritual Quotes by Saint Anthony the Great

7 Spiritual Quotes by Saint Anthony the Great

The Action of Divine Providence

Providence is manifested in events which occur in accordance with divine necessity — such as the daily rising and setting of the sun, and the yielding of fruits by the earth. Law, similarly, is manifested in events which occur in accordance with human necessity.

 ^{~ Philokalia, Vol. 1, “On The Character of Men,” p. 347, v. 120. Eds. Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware. Faber & Faber, 1979.}

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Creation Declares its Creator

For creation, as if written in characters and by means of its order and harmony, declares in a loud voice its own Master and Creator…. For this reason, God, by his own Word, gave creation such order as is found therein, so that while He is by nature invisible, men might yet be able to know Him through His works.

^{~ “Treatise Against the Pagans,” Ref. 746-747, in The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 320.}

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The Meaning of Creation

For man’s sake God has created everything: earth and heaven and the beauty of the stars. Men cultivate the earth for themselves, but if they fail to recognize how great is God’s Providence, their souls lack all spiritual understanding.

^{~ Philokalia, Vol. 1, “On The Character of Men,” p. 349, v. 133. Eds. Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware. Faber & Faber, 1979.}

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Creation and the Power over Good and Evil

God, being eternally good and bounteous, gave man power over good and evil. He made him the gift of spiritual knowledge so that, through contemplating the world and what is in it, he might come to know Him who created all things for man’s sake. But the impious are free to choose not to know. They are free to disbelieve, to make mistakes and to conceive ideas which are contrary to the truth. Such is the degree to which man has power over good and evil.

^{~ Philokalia, Vol. 1, “On The Character of Men,” p. 348, v. 125. Eds. Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware. Faber & Faber, 1979.}

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Contemplation of Nature Gives Knowledge of God

For one who has faith and determination, it is not difficult to gain spiritual understanding of God. If you wish to contemplate Him, look to the providential harmony in all things created by His Logos.

^{~ Philokalia, Vol. 1, “On The Character of Men,” p. 353, v. 160. Eds. Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware. Faber & Faber, 1979.}

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The Souls of Animals

Because some people impiously dare to say that plants and vegetables have a soul, I will write briefly about this for the guidance of the simple. Plants have a natural life, but they do not have a soul.

Man is called an intelligent animal because he has intellect and is capable of acquiring knowledge. The other animals and the birds can make sounds because they possess breath and soul. All things that are subject to growth and decline are alive; but the fact that they live and grow does not necessarily mean that they all have souls.

There are four categories of living beings. The first are immortal and have souls, such as angels. The second have intellect, soul and breath, such as men. The third have breath and soul, such as the animals. The fourth have only life, such as plants. The life of plants is without soul, breath, intellect or immortality. These four attributes, on the other hand, presuppose the possession of life.

^{~ Philokalia, Volume 1, Section on St. Anthony, Faber and Faber, London, 1979, p. 354.}

Source: The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration