Anthony

Pronunciation: AN-thun-ee or AN-tun-ee
Origin of name: Latin
Meaning of name: Uncertain; perhaps “priceless”

The Story Behind This Historical Christian Baby Name

The name Anthony does not appear in the Bible, however it is notable as a Christian name because of its historical significance. St. Anthony the Great was a man commonly referred to as “the Father of monks”, or the father of Christian monasticism. While he didn’t invent monasticism (it was already being practiced by Christians of his time), a biography of Anthony’s life written by a fellow Christian named Athanasius helped to popularize the ascetic and isolated life of monks.

The only son of wealthy landowners in Egypt, Anthony took care of his sister when his parents died. Taking literally Jesus’ admonishment to the rich young ruler, he sold the family property and possessions and gave the money to the poor. He found a group of Christian virgins for his sister to live with and became the disciple of a local hermit. St. Anthony’s story includes overcoming the temptations of the devil through the power of prayer and receiving angelic visitation and instructions. After unsuccessful attempts at martyrdom (apparently the leaders of the time weren’t interested in putting him to death), he taught other Christians and prophesied about coming events.

References for the Story of St. Anthony

See Wikipedia’s page about St. Anthony the Great for more details about his story.

Variations of the boy name Anthony

Male: Antonius, Antonio, Tony, Anton
Female: Tony, Toni

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