Maximus the Confessor in Russia and Ukraine (a longer and unedited version of the paper from The Oxford Handbook of Maximus the Confessor Edited by Pauline Allen and Bronwen Neil) (original) (raw)
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Westliche Konfessionskirchen und orthodoxes Christentum als Thema der Interkonfessionalitätsforschung, ed. Ch. Alexiou, D. Haas, Göttingen 2024, pp.41-53, 2024
During his long stay in Russia, the Athonite monk Maximus the Greek (c.1470–1555/56) played an important role not only in the controversy with Latin Christianity but also, more generally, in developing the identity of Russian Orthodox Christianity, contributing significantly to the process of confessionalization that characterized Europe in the Early Modern Era.
FORUM TEOLOGICZNE, 2023
This text establishes a foundation for the argument that Maximus the Greek dedicated his life's work to safeguarding and upholding ancient principles for individual spiritual practices, in opposition to the influence and control of the state and imperial authority. This task was accomplished through both his work as a translator and the author of sacred devotional texts and hymns associated with Byzantine hymnography and the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Notably, it is his inner veneration of the Holy Theotokos that marks the primary sensibility of the defence of this intense, inwardly-focused faith in direct communion with the Divine. Maxim's defence of the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition was accomplished by the special guidance of the Holy Spirit as his personal internal principle that he used not only in the prayer (hesychastic, ascetical) and in the theological works (hagiographical, liturgical) but also in philological works (of editing, translating, redacting), and especially in exegetical texts. Therefore, the strong Byzantine patristic and monastic thought as the basis of his contemplative practice, formed in the years spent at the Holy Mount Athos, in the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi, was the most important source of his authentic and divinely inspired, original Orthodox theology. Detailed consideration is especially given to his prayers. Among them, the most important place is reserved for "The Kanon to the Holy and Divine Spirit Parakletos", which reflects several possible influences, such as the Akathystos hymn, the Great Kanon, and the individual canon, as was St. Constantin's Kanon to St. Demetrius, all of which confirm the very archaic Byzantine and Slavonic sources that properly could serve Maxim for his Old Church Slavonic linguistic basis. Thus, his prayer is a highly original, monastic and deeply personal work that bears witness to his ascetic (hesychastic) practice. All of this tends to confirm that his grammatical and linguistic view of the Old Church Slavonic language was shaped well before his entrance to Muscovite Russia and that not only was he unjustly accused of heretical mistakes (and thereby imprisoned), was, more importantly, in Russia almost entirely and, possibly intentionally misunderstood. Nevertheless, and despite his suffering, until the end of his life, Maxim argued that his use of Slavonic language was spiritually guided and, therefore, sacred.
Studia Ceranea, 8, 2018, pp. 285-318, 2018
Maximus the Greek has been frequently misunderstood because of his individual use of the Slavic language. Born as Mikhail Trivolis in the Greek town of Arta, he received his humanist education in North Italy, particularly in Florence and Venice, where he was engaged in the process of the first editions of printed books and where he would constantly deal with manuscript samples. His original, authorial work, as preserved in his manuscripts, reflects his awareness of firm Orthodox theology and at the same time a special attention to grammatical rules. The paper shows how his use of the (Slavic) language was at all times intentional and at the same time profoundly influenced by the metrical rules of liturgical emphasis. Through such attitude, Maximus the Greek managed to create his own, deeply personal language and to express the complexity of Byzantine patristic, hagiographic and iconographic issues. Finally, he successfully established his Orthodox theological system, significantly marked with the poetic effect that strongly inspired his theological works.
CONSTANTINE'S LETTERS 13/2, PP. 99 - 110, 2020
The paper investigates the foundations of the ethical values that shaped the deeply personal theology of St. Maximus the Greek. By providing the original evidence from his writings (as well as from manuscripts) and the precise biographical context, the author reveals significant disagreement between Maxim's Russian co-speakers and his previous philological, ascetic and monastic experience, concerning the Byzantine system of education, especially the Byzantine consideration of divine wisdom and human knowledge. In particular, this paper analyses Maxim's understanding of (Greek) grammar. It also discusses the question of 'the Jesus prayer' and its possible literal traces in the writings of Maxim the Greek. In conclusion, it seems that Maxim the Greek created a completely unique ethical system of intellectual knowledge that should be connected to the Athonite prayer and liturgical practice.
Porphyra n. 27, anno XV - pp. 51-90, 2018
Maximus the Greek was several times misunderstood because of his individual use of the Slavic language. Born as Mikhail Trivolis in the Greek town of Arta, he gained a humanistic education in north Italy, particularly in Florence and Venice, where he was engaged in the process of the first printings of books and handling sample manuscripts. His author’s work that in original form remained in manuscripts, reflected his awareness of the strict Orthodox theology and at the same time his special consideration of Biblical grammar. The paper shows how his use of (Slavic) language was all the time intentional, but at the same time profoundly influenced by Byzantine tradition, especially the liturgical emphasis. With such an attitude Maximus the Greek managed to create his own, deeply personal theological system, significantly marked with the synthesis of different Christian sources (hagiographic, hymnographic, patristic) of canonical knowledge. As a result, his own worldview combined the Byzantine (Constantinople) ideology of monasticism with his personal practise of Athonite ascetism, as seen in his theological works and his prayers.
Studia Ceranea 8, 2018
Maximus the Greek born as Mikhail Trivolis in the Greek town of Arta, received his humanist education in North Italy, particularly in Florence and Venice, where he was engaged in the process of the first editions of printed books and where he would constantly deal with manuscript samples. The paper shows how Maximus the Greek managed to create his own, deeply personal language and to express the complexity of Byzantine patristic, hagiographic and iconographic issues. Finally, he successfully established his Orthodox theological system, significantly marked with the poetic effect that strongly inspired his theological works.
St Maximus the Greek: Some Notes on His Understanding of the Sacred Time
Slavia Meridionalis 16 . pp . 329-368, 2016
Based on a manuscript by St Maxim the Greek, this article explores his specific understanding of the relationship between language and biblical tradition. It gives some answers to questions concerning his theology, which are posed by his liturgical experience of the sacred time, which is based not on repeating the excerptions from the patristic authors, but is primarily founded on his accurate reading and in-depth perception of the Holy Bible. Maxim the Greek, who in his personal writings showed a detailed knowledge of both the Old Testament and Slavonic biblical texts, was thus not only able to separate the canonical from the non-canonical sacred texts, but also successfully classified the Christian teachings according to ethical value, from the Old Testament prophets to the apostles and the Church Fathers. With his hierarchy he also gave meaning to the ontological-eschatological dimension (three levels – appropriate to the Holy Trinity) of their spiritual efforts. His knowledge, which also reflects the precise understanding of dogmatic theological decisions of the first ecumenical church councils, ranks highest the learning that comes directly from the Son of God, which Maxim the Greek experienced through his theological-liturgical prayer practice. Maxim found theologically unambiguous formulations which most profoundly determined the specific nature of his personal theology in the Byzantine hymnography dedicated to the Mother of God. All the mentioned facts lead the author to the further explore his specific Old Church Slavonic language, in which he managed to preserve not only the early Christian mentality but also the theological-liturgical characteristics of the ascetic and later monastic discipline that he learned in the monastery of Vatopedi at the Holy Mount Athos. The article concludes with the proposition that only through detailed study of the personal language of St Maxim the Greek can we arrive at a definition of his Theology. Keywords: St Maxim the Greek, Bible, liturgy, grammar, theology, Old Church Slavonic
Maximus the Confessor as an alternative European philosopher
Is Maximus “European”? Is Maximus a “philosopher”? The two questions of our conference also entail the concomitant questions «what is Maximus’ contribution to Europe?» and “what is his contribution to philosophy?”. They might equally presuppose the questions “is Maximus something else than just a “Byzantine”?” and “is Maximus something else than just a theologian?”. These are not new questions and they have actually mobilized research in the last decades. It is to be reminded that Hans-Urs von Balthasar, who is considered to be a sort of “founder” of a new period of interest in Maximian scholarship, has regarded Maximus as a great European thinker who struggled against the “asianic” spirit and its despotism. He considered Maximus as a precursor of Hegel and he has linked him to the latter’s dialectical thought . Roman Catholic specialists from 1970 onwards have tried to interpret Maximus as a precursor of Thomas Aquinas. They have insisted on Maximus’ sojourn in the province of Africa, that is in the same places where Augustine of Hippo was active, as well as in Rome and they have highlighted Maximus’ conflict with the Byzantine state. Juan-Miguel Garrigues, in particular, has portrayed Maximus as a fugitive and a “refugee”, who was fleeing Persians and Arabs, but also, in a certain sense, struggling against Byzantines. In the experience of this clash with the world of Late Antiquity, Maximus has supposedly discovered historical contingency and formulated in his thought what has come to be a major problem of Western modernity. On the contrary, Orthodox scholars often consider Gregory Palamas as Maximus’ true heir . But for Orthodox scholars as well, the vindication of Maximus was related with all the important enjeux of European philosophy, both old and new. For example, Maximus’ theories on the person, logos and tropos were linked to the modernist philosophical program of existentialism, as well as with personalism. The idea was to promote Maximus as an alternative thinker of the person that is not in an occidental modernist sense, but in an alternative version that is nevertheless equally European . That was combined with an equal effort to regard Maximus as a more authentic continuator of Aristotle . In the last decades we witness an important turning to Maximus’ Psychology and a comparison with contemporary Psychology and Psychoanalysis, for example in its Lacanian version , or with other schools . All these bold interpretations have of course coexisted with patrological, philological and historical studies, feeding one another, and reaching the great interest in Maximus that we witness today.