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St. Maximus Confessor (ca. 580-662 A.D.)
Maximus Confessor is of extraordinary importance for the Church.
Drawing upon the work of his predecessors, as well as on Neoplatonic philosophy,
he developed a complex theological system that was one of the main sources drawn
upon by St. John of Damascus in his systematic exposition of Orthodox doctrine.
Maximus was influenced by Origen in his early years, but later wrote a sweeping
revision of Origenist doctrine, retaining what he thought was correct, and revising
or re-interpreting what he thought was inadmissible. While he discoursed on many
topics, his main concern was always with the ascetic life and spiritual proximity to God.
Maximus held certain ideas - such as the primordial unity of the sexes, and the notion of
pure passivity in the face of God, to the extent that one loses one's own ego - that clearly
must be rejected. However, on the whole, Maximus is a brilliant theologian, and of
inestimable importance for the Church.
English translations of some key works are to be found in:
Berthold, George C., tr., Maximus Confessor: Selected Writings (New York: Paulist Press 1985).
Blowers, P.M., and Wilken, R.L., tr., On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ:
Selected Writings from St. Maximus the Confessor (Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir's Seminary Press 2003).
Further Reading
Also See in Theandros:
Spring 2004 - Eschatology and final restoration (apokatastasis) in Origen, Gregory of Nyssa and Maximos the Confessor - Andreas Andreopoulos
Winter 2005/2006 The Pair Movement-Rest in Plotinus and Maximus the Confessor
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