Untitled Essay, Research Paper

St. Anthony the Hermit and St. Catherine of Siena, according to their respective biographers St. Athanasius the Great and Raymundus De Vineis, believed in following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Although both focus on different types of examples, Athanasius and Vineis both agreed that a saint must not give in to his/her temptations and must have the power to perform miracles. However, Athanasius? definition of the social consciousness of a saint was almost completely opposite of Vineis?. Athanasius and Vineis defined many of the boundaries of sainthood similarly, yet also differed on some interpretations of saintliness.Athanasius and Vineis agreed that one act of holiness was the reluctance to give in to temptation. Anthony and Catherine, as expressed by their respective biographers, renounced worldly desires such as food, money and lust. However, though both Anthony and Catherine faced temptation, they faced different forms of it. According to Athanasius, Anthony faced many evils that usually pertained to wealth or acts of lust. But through prayer and belief the Lord delivered Anthony from these evils.Now as he went on he again saw, not this time a phantom, but real gold lying in the way. Whether it was the enemy that pointed it out, or whether it was a higher power training the disciple and proving to the devil that he cared nothing even for real riches, he himself did not say, and we do not know; only that it was gold that he saw. Antony marvelled [sic] at the quantity, but avoided it like fire and passed on without looking back, running swiftly on till he lost sight of the place and knew not where it was (Athanasius, p.19).Athanasius went on to write many other examples very similar to this one, but every time, Anthony saw temptation and he simply ignored it and put it out of his mind. Catherine also faced temptation, but unlike Athanasius, Vineis focused on food as the principal enticement. By the age of twenty, Catherine gave up meat and wine in order to follow the path of Jesus. Vineis wrote that God came to Catherine and blessed her for all of her hard labors and quenched her worldly cravings. ?After this tyme the holie maid was so replenished with heavenlie grace that she neither did, nor might eate, her bodilie meate in such sort, as she was wont to doe before (Vineis, p.167).? After this, Catherine no longer needed food to survive, but at certain times she seemed almost forced, usually by her husband, to eat those foods that she formerly craved so she would not die. The Lord came to Catherine and told her not to worry and to obey what her husband asked of her. Vineis seemed to convey a message that after a person has been blessed by God, that person will not need to worry about how his/her actions will affect his/her standing with God in heaven.Athanasius and Vineis considered the performance of miracles holy, primarily the power to heal. However, although Athanasius depicted Anthony as having the power to heal, he tended to focus on different aspects of Anthony?s holiness, whereas Vineis portrayed healing as Catherine?s primary saintly power. Catherine used her gift to heal many people during her lifetime, but many people did not realize Catherine?s true ability to heal until shortly after her death.But bicause, being a weake woman, she could not come her selfe to touch anie part of her bodie or garmentes, by reason of the great presse and crowd of the people: she praied some one, that stood there neere to the beere, that he would be so good, as to take a vele of hers, and put it to some part of the bodie, and so deliver it unto her againe. When she had received her vele againe, she put it to her armes and foorthwith her arme was perfectly healed, and in as good state, as ever it was before. The which when she perceived, she cried out for ioye, and declared to all the people, that were there present, what a wonderfull worke our Lord had wrought upon her. Wherupon they brought in manie other weake and feeble creatures, hoping, that if they might come to touch but only the hemme of her garmentes, they should be made whole (Vineis, p.443).Vineis wrote about how Catherine?s body was displayed for three days and three nights and people worshipped her body as a relic. In fact, the above quote is just one of numerous examples Vineis gave of people with ailments who came to see Catherine?s body and, after physically touching this ?saint? or even feeling an article of clothing touched by her, these people were miraculously cured. Many people took anything they could of Catherine?s (body parts, clothing, etc.) in hopes that these relics would heal their ailments.While Catherine primarily healed, Athanasius focused his writing on Anthony?s own primary display of miracles, his ability to see future events.For I saw the table of the Lord, and around it mules standing on all sides in a ring and kicking what was within, as might be the kicking of beasts in a wild frolic. You heard surely how I was groaning; for I heard a voice saying, ?My altar shall be made an abomination.? So the old man said; and two years after came this present onset of the Arians, and seizing by force the vessels, they had them carried away by pagans (Athanasius, p.107).Athanasius also tells of a story of an Arian officer named Balakios who persecuted Christians. Anthony sent Balakios a letter that stated that if Balakios did not give up his treacherous ways, his wrath would overtake him. Balakios threw the letter to the ground and spat on it, not believing a word he read. But not five days passed before Balakios was thrown from his horse and killed. Athanasius also told of Anthony?s final prediction. While he visited his old monastery for the last time, Anthony talked to the monks saying, ?This is the last visiting of you that I shall make; and I wonder if we shall see each other again in this life. It is time now for me to be dissolved; for I am near a hundred and five years (Athanasius, p.115).? Anthony passed away about two months after he made this prediction. That is one unfortunate thing that Athanasius mentioned about Anthony having the ability to see into the future; he could predict his own death. However, Anthony took it as a blessing and made the best of it. He prepared for his end by visiting his friends and then went off again into solitude to die peacefully.Anthony and Catherine differed primarily in their social attitudes. Athanasius portrayed Anthony as a man who, over time, began to despise society. Various people annoyed Anthony because they constantly asked him to display miracles. He told these people that he could not produce miracles, only the Lord could. ??[Anthony] said, ?Man, why do you cry to me? I am a man like yourself. But if you trust in Christ whom I serve, go, and as you trust so pray to God, and it shall be done.? And he at once believing and calling on Christ, went away with his daughter made clean from the demon (Athanasius, p.67).? Most people accepted what he told them, but at the same time, these people also believed that the Lord worked his miracles through Anthony. Athanasius goes on to tell that these people annoyed him so much that he set out for the desert to live alone as a hermit. St. Catherine, on the other hand, was a very social woman who enjoyed helping other people. For example, Vineis wrote of an old widow who had a sore that had such an awful stench that no person dared go near her, except for Catherine. Catherine served the old widow and, with her mouth, cleansed the widow?s sore. It was almost as if Catherine were meant to be on Earth for the sole purpose of helping other people. ?But bicause the divine providence of God had so disposed of her, that she should yet remaine in this life a litle while, for the benefite of others (Vineis, p.167).?Many times throughout history, men and women have followed in the steps of Jesus Christ and did not look to be praised for their efforts; they simply wanted to lead pure lives so God would grant them eternal life in heaven. Anthony and Catherine are no exceptions. But sometimes, perhaps more often than not, men and women took different paths to achieve their holiness. The Devil tempted Anthony, a man, with valuables and lust whereas he tempted Catherine, a women, with food. Anthony began to dislike society over time and his particular miracle was predicting future events. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed to love society more and more every day and her special miracle was the ability to heal. This might suggest that men and women, or at least their biographers, view the path of Christ quite differently.