Motto
God, we have heard with our ears. In the bloodless and fleshless conflict, and in the war with the fiends, an illustrious captain was the great Antony, who first trod the path of the monastic life, and boldly ran and came to the arena of the desert, and strove loyally, and emaciated his body through labours of asceticism, and with mind laid bare bravely stood up in line and engaged in combat against spirits of wickedness, and winnowed the thoughts of foul passions out of his mind like chaff, while, shutting the entrance in good fashion against vain glory, he both hid his virtues as in a closet and showed his good deeds to his God and the heavenly father only: by whose prayers, Lord of all, grant to us also to put off and renew the old man, and to be admitted to find thy great mercy.
Severus of Antioch, On Father Antony (Brooks 1911, 605–606)