Union and Distinction in the Thought of St Maximus the Confessor
Overview
Union and Distinction in the Thought of St. Maximus the Confessor presents the writings of a key figure in Byzantine theology in the light of the themes of unity and diversity. The principle of simultaneous union and distinction forms the core of Maximus’ thought, pervading every area of his theology. It can be summarized as: things united remain distinct and without confusion in an inseparable union. As Melchisedec Törönen shows, this master theme also resonates in contemporary theological and philosophical discussions.
Top Highlights
“The one Logos is differentiated on account of the ‘unconfused particularity’ of created beings.” (Page 134)
“God entirely present in the universe as a whole and in each and every part individually—one could hardly expect to find a more ‘theophanic’ understanding of the cosmos.22 Yet, clearly, Maximus does not promote here a form of pantheism or of emanationism; rather, his is a cosmology in which God wants to make himself manifest to his creatures through his creatures in order that he might—hiding in creation—draw us through himself to himself as he is in himself.” (Page 133)
“Maximus then gives a logical demonstration of how all the created things are united according to the natural logos of having come into being from non-being. On this basis he argues that all the things in the universe necessarily have something in common. There is differentiation, no doubt, but there is also unity: ‘For all those beings, that are distinguished one from another by their particular differences, are united by their universal and common identities, and are pushed together towards oneness and sameness by a certain natural generic logos;’ everything ‘admits of one and the same undiscriminated logos, as having ‘non-being’ prior to its ‘being’.’42 This is to say that everything within the universe from angels to daffodils and from stars to stones is created, and as such united.” (Page 139)
“In his understanding of the structure of reality, Maximus regards wholeness or integrity to be of major importance. The question of wholeness arises when things are united or are regarded in unity, and this can take place either at the level of the particular or at the level of the universal. For example, the way in which the basic ontological divide between the created and the uncreated is bridged in Christ represents a union at the level of the particular, and the way in which the individual logoi of beings are united in the one Logos represents a union at the level of the universal. In both cases, there is a simultaneous union and distinction, unity and difference.” (Page 29)
- Title: Union and Distinction in the Thought of St Maximus the Confessor
- Author: Melchisedec Törönen
- Series: Oxford Early Christian Studies
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Print Publication Date: 2007
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Maximus, Confessor, Saint, ca. 580-662
- ISBNs: 9780199296118, 0199296111, 9780191537851, 0191537853
- Resource ID: LLS:NNDSTNCTNCNFSSR
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:27:52Z