In this biography, James Cowan has gone beyond the purely historical or cultural descriptions, to ask the key question: why did Antony think that by departing the world completely he would get closer to the truth he was seeking? On a trip to Egypt to find out more, he actually discovers a hermit living on Mount Colzim, Antony's mountian, and finds himself on far more than an academic journey. With Lazarus as his guide, he is able to combine an inner journey with his outer travel and begins to understand the true motivation of this radical mystic figure. As in all Cowan's books, this is research made immediate by his sheer involvement in the subject and his desire to get beyond the facts and into the deeper questions.