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La vie de sainte Antoine

Chapitre LXXXIV

Antoine guérissait donc les malades, non par son autorité, mais par ses prières, et en nommant le nom de Jésus-Christ, afin que chacun sut que ce n’était pas lui qui faisait ces miracles, mais le Seigneur qui se servait de lui pour témoigner sa bonté envers les hommes, et secourir les affligés. Ainsi il n’y avait rien en cela d’Antoine, que la prière et l’austérité de sa vie.

C’est pourquoi, demeurant dans la montagne, il était consolé par la contemplation des choses divines. Et lorsque la multitude de ceux qui venaient troubler sa solitude l’obligeait à sortir dehors, il était touché d’affliction et de tristesse. Tous les Juges même le suppliaient de descendre de la montagne, puisqu’il ne leur était pas permis d’y monter avec ce grand nombre de plaideurs qui les suivaient ; et leurs prières n’avaient pas d’autre fin que la joie de le voir. Voyant qu’il les refusait et se détournaient de leur chemin, ils demeuraient là et lui envoyaient des criminels conduits par des soldats, afin qu’au moins pour l’amour d’eux, il descendit de la montagne.

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The Life of Antony

84.

Antony, at any rate, healed not by commanding, but by prayer and speaking the name of Christ. So that it was clear to all that it was not he himself who worked, but the Lord who showed mercy by his means and healed the sufferers. But Antony’s part was only prayer and discipline, for the sake of which he stayed in the mountain, rejoicing in the contemplation of divine things, but grieving when troubled by much people, and dragged to the outer mountain. For all judges used to ask him to come down, because it was impossible for them to enter on account of their following of litigants. But nevertheless they asked him to come that they might but see him. When therefore he avoided it and refused to go to them, they remained firm, and sent to him all the more the prisoners under charge of soldiers, that on account of these he might come down. Being forced by necessity, and seeing them lamenting, he came into the outer mountain, and again his labour was not unprofitable. For his coming was advantageous and serviceable to many; and he was of profit to the judges, counselling them to prefer justice to all things; to fear God, and to know, ‘that with what judgment they judged, they should be judged ¹.’ But he loved more than all things his sojourn in the mountain.