He was born in to a wealthy family in Upper Egypt about 254 ce. Known as Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, and Anthony the Anchorite, he was a leader among the Desert Fathers, who were Christian monks in the Egyptian desert in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. One day after a teaching on Jesus saying to the people “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me.