There was once a nun who came to visit Abba Anthony, one of the most celebrated of the desert fathers. When a young monk noticed her among the assembled brothers, he was deeply shocked, and demanded to know why a woman was allowed in their remote desert monastery. Abba Anthony answered: "Look well among all us monks assembled here, and you will see only one human being — her.
— Jean-Yves LeLoup, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean-Yves Leloup, translator, Joseph Rowe, translator