St. Paul the Simple

Paul the Simple is remembered in the Egyptian desert tradition as a disciple of Anthony the Great. The account describes a married man who sought monastic life after discovering his wife's infidelity. Already about sixty, he met Anthony's initial judgment that he could not endure the demands of a hermit's life.

Paul reportedly remained outside Anthony's cell for three days rather than leave. Anthony then tested his resolve through hard work, fasting, nightly vigils, and psalmody. Only after this formation did he establish Paul in a separate cell. The narrative presents a late vocation requiring sustained apprenticeship.

Stories of discernment and deliverance from evil became central to his memory. One account describes Anthony sending an afflicted young man to Paul, whose prayer brought relief. Such episodes express the desert tradition's understanding of spiritual authority; they are religious testimony rather than an independently verified record of miracles.

His nickname refers to gentleness and simplicity of heart, not an assessment of intelligence. John Climacus later cited him as an example of that virtue. The Orthodox Church in America commemorates him on March 7 and also records October 4. A complete chronology of his fourth-century life cannot be reconstructed from these traditions.

In the desert account, Anthony eventually directs an afflicted visitor to Paul rather than claiming that only he can help. The episode reverses the relationship established at their first meeting, when Anthony doubted the older newcomer’s capacity for monastic life. The narrative uses this reversal to distinguish spiritual maturity from seniority or reputation.

Read as religious testimony, it gives Paul’s simplicity an active meaning: humility can make someone receptive rather than insignificant. It does not provide grounds for diagnosing illness as possession today. Its contribution to the desert tradition is the recognition that a respected teacher can acknowledge a disciple’s gifts.