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Very often St. Anthony is, more often than not, addressed as the Founder of Monasticism and the Father of all monks who had learned from the ascetics, living on the outskirts of his village, many virtues such as quietness, humility, silence, continuous prayers, asceticism, and vigilance. Weren't those ascetics also considered monks like St. Anthony the Great, capable of teaching moral lessons and virtues to those who sought them? Was there monasticism prior to St. Anthony? How did the "Founder of Monasticism" specifically relate to St. Anthony?

Although there were many ascetics living at the time of St. Anthony, he is more distinguished than all the others for being is the first to attempt establishing guidelines for monastic living. He was the first to devote himself to the instruction and organization of the great body of monks that had grown around him.