Of Paul Blowers, Maximus the Confessor: Jesus Christ and the Transfiguration of the World (Oxford 2016), for Syndicate Theology (July 2017) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Maximos the Confessor, The Ambigua to John (Syllabus)
The Ambigua (or "Book of Difficulties") is Maximos the Confessor's greatest philosophical and doctrinal work. Through a close reading of the text, this course studies: (1) the Confessor's refutation of Origenism; (2) his cosmology and doctrine of the logoi; (3) his theological anthropology (with special emphasis on the theology of divinization); (4) his understanding of language, the language of Scripture, and scriptural exegesis; and (5) the three stages of practical, natural, and theological contemplation.
The Anthropic Cosmology of St Maximus the Confessor
Journal for Interdisciplinary Research on Religion and Science, 2008
The present article shows the unbreakable connection between man and the created cosmos. Man, as mediator between all the divisions in creation, find themselves at the heart of the world, and have the vocation to mediate between the various levels of creation so as to deify them (theosis).
The Dumbarton Oaks Papers were founded in 1941 for the publication of articles relating to late antique, early medieval, and Byzantine civilization in the fields of art and architecture, history, archaeology, literature, theology, law, and the auxiliary disciplines. Articles should be submitted normally in English or French. Preference is given to articles of substantial length, but shorter notes will be considered if they relate to objects in the Dumbarton Oaks collections. Articles for submission should be prepared according to the submission guide, style guide, and list of abbreviations posted on the Dumbarton Oaks website, www.doaks.org/publications. Dumbarton Oaks Papers is published annually. Current and previous issues may be ordered online at http://www.hup.harvard.edu/. Standing orders may be placed by contacting customer service at 800-405-1619 or customer.care@triliteral.org. Volumes 1-59 of Dumbarton Oaks Papers are available in digital form through JSTOR; volumes 53-57 are also available at no charge through the Dumbarton Oaks website at
This essay seeks to abstract from the works of Maximus the Confessor (580-662) a 'theory' of virtue ethics that engages Maximus's own categories and language while still developing conversation with contemporary virtue ethics. First is a reconstruction of the larger cosmological (and moral) 'narrative'-the oikonomia Maximus sees embodied in sacred history-that frames his essentially teleological understanding of the formation of virtue in created beings. The second part of the essay explores Maximus's doctrine of the moral self as a synthesis of 'diachronic' and 'synchronic' dimensions, and details three identifiable protocols by which moral agents cultivate the Christian virtues: first, the development of intellectual virtues such as prudence that serve clear vision (theoria) of worthy moral ends; second, the appropriate 'use' of the passible faculties of desire and temper in alliance with reason; and third, the conditioning of the virtues within moral communities (monastery or church) characterized by relations of accountability, imitation, and the traditioning of moral wisdom.
Maximus the Confessor is a figure of renewed interest in recent times. His synthesizing of Cappadocian, Pseudo-Dionysian, and Evagrian theology was a tremendous achievement in Byzantine thought, and his cosmic metaphysics rooted in the Incarnation provides a framework for current discussions of ontology and Christology. This article will look at how Maximus uses cosmology and metaphysics to contemplate on the Church and its liturgy. Maximus' philosophical theology of the logos/logoi and the universal/particular will be analyzed within the context of the "Church Mystogogy", and the cosmic ramifications for humanity's mediatory role in this metaphysical drama will frame Maximus' ecclesiology. Next, Maximus' reflection upon the three levels of the contemplation of the Church symbolically as world, Scripture, and an individual human being will set the stage for the meaning of the liturgy. Using current research on the Pseudo-Dionysian corpus and the place of theurgy in the Divine Liturgy, this article will argue that Maximus uses theurgy as well in his reflection upon the liturgy, but with a transition from magical initiation in Iamblichian sense to participatory worship in the acts of God in the doxalogical sense. The article will conclude with reflections upon Maximus' cosmic and theurgic mediation for the Church of England today.
Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017 | Series: Veritas | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: isbn 978-1-4982-9558-1 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-4982-9560-4 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-4982-9559-8 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: subject | subject | subject | subject Classification: call number 2017 (print) | call number (ebook) Manufactured in the U.S.A.