Theology Term Paper
Rohith Bhatia
THST 175
8 December 2011
Theology Final Paper
Throughout my experiences in Narratives of Christian Faith, many themes have come across. However, the three I feel are most prominent are resisting temptation, the silence of God, and the discernment of spirits. These themes can be seen in the works of Antony, Ignatius, Silence, and Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality. Resisting temptation can be seen in The Life of Antony. Antony realized that there is more to life than material possessions. Even in solitude, the passing on of knowledge, worship, and faith played important roles in his life. Antony explains, “He was alone in the inner mountain devoting himself to prayers and the discipline…“[monks] came to him to guard themselves from lewd thoughts and pleasures of flesh, to flee vanity, and to pray constantly.” The main schoolings that Antony teaches the monks who come and seek refuge are protection from the demon.
“How I hope that when a demon comes, he will not overthrow me. We must not entertain these thoughts at all, nor grieve those who are perishing. Instead, let us take course and let us always rejoice. Should they find us frightened and distressed, immediately they attack like robbers. For if they see that we are fearful and terrified, they increase even more. However, should they discover us rejoicing the lord, thinking about good things to come and that a demon has no strength against a Christian, then seeing the soul safeguarded by such thoughts, they are put to shame and turned away.”
Antony taught the monks to resist temptation and demons, and instead have faith in the Lord. In Antony’s first encounter with the demon, “He attempted to lead him away from the discipline, suggesting memories of his possessions, the guardianship of his sister, the bonds of kinship, love of money and of glory…the enemy saw his own weakness in the face of Antony’s resolve…but in thinking about the Christ and considering the excellence won
THST 175
8 December 2011
Theology Final Paper
Throughout my experiences in Narratives of Christian Faith, many themes have come across. However, the three I feel are most prominent are resisting temptation, the silence of God, and the discernment of spirits. These themes can be seen in the works of Antony, Ignatius, Silence, and Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality. Resisting temptation can be seen in The Life of Antony. Antony realized that there is more to life than material possessions. Even in solitude, the passing on of knowledge, worship, and faith played important roles in his life. Antony explains, “He was alone in the inner mountain devoting himself to prayers and the discipline…“[monks] came to him to guard themselves from lewd thoughts and pleasures of flesh, to flee vanity, and to pray constantly.” The main schoolings that Antony teaches the monks who come and seek refuge are protection from the demon.
“How I hope that when a demon comes, he will not overthrow me. We must not entertain these thoughts at all, nor grieve those who are perishing. Instead, let us take course and let us always rejoice. Should they find us frightened and distressed, immediately they attack like robbers. For if they see that we are fearful and terrified, they increase even more. However, should they discover us rejoicing the lord, thinking about good things to come and that a demon has no strength against a Christian, then seeing the soul safeguarded by such thoughts, they are put to shame and turned away.”
Antony taught the monks to resist temptation and demons, and instead have faith in the Lord. In Antony’s first encounter with the demon, “He attempted to lead him away from the discipline, suggesting memories of his possessions, the guardianship of his sister, the bonds of kinship, love of money and of glory…the enemy saw his own weakness in the face of Antony’s resolve…but in thinking about the Christ and considering the excellence won