Athanasius Alexandrinus, Evagrius Antiochenus, Anonymus. Vitae Antonii Versiones Latinae

"This volume provides a critical edition of the two ancient Latin translations of the Life of Antony by Athanasius of Alexandria. Shortly after the death of Egypt's most famous hermit in 356, Athanasius of Alexandria wrote the Life of Antony, a text that had an immediate as well as enduring influence on monastic life and thought. While Athanasius's vivid description of the life of Antony the Great initiated the genre of the saint's life in Christian literature, his inclusion of many of his own theological ideas also provides insight into the turbulent doctrinal disputes of the fourth century. The significance of the Life of Antony is demonstrated by its having been translated into Latin twice within two decades of its composition. The first version, prepared by an anonymous translator shortly after Athanasius completed his Greek text, provides a literal translation that is extant in only one complete manuscript. The literary translation prepared by Evagrius of Antioch in 373 was rapidly and widely transmitted throughout the Latin West. New editions of both translations are presented in this volume, with the edition of Evagrius's translation based on 28 manuscripts dating from the ninth to the eleventh century."--