MAXIMUS CONFESSOR

On August 26 (13), the Church celebrates the memory of St. Maximus the Confessor (580-662). St. Maximus was a monk, ascetic, theologian, philosopher, teacher of spiritual life, mystic, and, indeed, a politician and even a prophet. He ended his life as a confessor and martyr. He left behind many theological, philosophical and ascetic works. St Maximus is one of the greatest Holy Fathers in the history of the Universal Church.

Each of the listed aspects of his biography was lived so completely that it may seem as if several different people lived this one big incredible life. All the more obvious at all times was the temptation to reduce the personality of Maxim to only one of the listed sides, turning him “simply” into an ascetic, a fighter against heresies, a philosopher or theologian, the author of thoughtful texts, or to forget completely, limiting himself to only his calendar commemoration. After all, certain aspects of his personality are so complex that they require thoughtful familiarization and real study.

Maximus lived at a turning point. Born in 580, he was ten years younger than Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad, and survived the reigns of the four “Righteous Caliphs” of early Islam (632-661). Maximus began his career as a secretary at the court of Emperor Heraclius (610-641), during whose reign the Empire first completely defeated the Persian Empire (628), and then lost most of its territories, and repelled the Arab siege at the walls of Constantinople.

He began his career as a secretary at the court of Emperor Heraclius (610-641), during whose reign the Empire first completely defeated the Persian Empire (628), and then lost most of its territories, and with extreme difficulty repelled the Arab siege just outside of the walls of Constantinople. At the same time, the court switched from Latin to Greek, and Christianity, crowded by the new Islamic faith, for the first time ceased to be the only Ecumenical Confession in that part of the globe where it had previously been widespread and hitherto constantly growing. In 662 he was killed for the truth by the Emperor of Constantinople shortly after the Umayyad Caliphate was founded in Baghdad (661-750). These intertwining historical destinies of religions and empires are stunningly interesting, but when mentioning Maximus they are hardly taken into account.

Two main biographies of Maximus have survived, one of which was compiled by his admirers, the other by his theological opponents. According to the first, he was born in Constantinople, from noble and pious parents, according to the second, he came from Palestine and “only” experienced conversion in adulthood. By that time, the biographies of saints began to acquire the “static” character that was not previously characteristic of them, and monasticism was perceived as a kind of guarantee of righteousness, which was, as it were, inherited “from the mother’s womb.” Therefore, it is quite possible that it is the biography compiled by Maxim’s critics that is more reliable.

It is known that Maximus was the secretary of Emperor Heraclius. Leaving his high post at court around 613, he was abbot of monasteries, first near Chalcedon, and then, from 624, near the city of Cyzicus, in Asia Minor. Maxim was not a priest. At this time, the Empire was defeated by the Persians. Maximus retired to Cyprus and Crete, and then from 630 he stayed in Carthage. Being in spiritual communion with Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem (560-638), Maximus was then able to become acquainted with the Christology of the great ancient Carthaginian Church.

Formed under the influence of St. Augustine (354-430), it especially emphasized the authenticity of the humanity of Jesus Christ. At one time, it was this teaching that formed the basis of the Tomos of Pope Leo the Great (390-461) and the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon (451). These historical and theological roads of Maxim’s biography, unfortunately, have not been fully studied. Much has only become known through theological research in comparatively recent times.

So, the Empire was rapidly losing its territories, first as a result of defeats by the Persians, and then by Arab invasions. Wanting to restore communion with the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and thereby win over the population and preserve the territories, the Emperor began to stubbornly impose on the Church the doctrine that there was only one divine action in Christ (616), and then (638), that The Lord had only the divine will. It was this teaching that Maximus opposed, together with Pope Martin (+655). Monothelitism was condemned by him as a heresy at the local Lateran Council in Rome (649). “What is not received is not healed,” was the axiom of the orthodox teaching about the fullness and usefulness of humanity of the Incarnate Son of God. “The Lord Jesus was a genuine man”: this understanding sounds when translated into modern language.

The saint suffered as a martyr for professing the right faith. But not only that. The imperial power demanded that he recognize its right to interfere in the affairs of the Church. “This is not the business of the Caesars,” answered Maximus. From that moment on, a period of confession began for him. He was successively exiled, interrogated, tortured, exiled and returned again. As a result, he was returned by force to Constantinople again, tortured, his tongue was pulled out, his hand was cut off, and he was sent into exile. Maximus died of his wounds on August 13, 662.

Maximus the Confessor is usually associated with the Sixth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople (680-681). But this is an anachronism. Not only did he not live to see the Council, but he is not mentioned in its acts. The end of Maximus’ life is the living human icon of Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream”.

1 On August 26, the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Maximus the Confessor (580–662). Saint Maximus was a monk, ascetic, theologian, philosopher, teacher of the spiritual life, mystic, prophet, and even a politician. He ended his life as a confessor and martyr. He left behind numerous theological, philosophical, and ascetic works. Saint Maximus is one of the greatest Holy Fathers in the history of the universal Church.

2 Each of the listed aspects of his biography was lived by him so completely that it may seem as if several different people lived this one great, incredible life. All the more evident, therefore, has always been the temptation to reduce Maximus’s personality to just one of the listed aspects, to make him “simply” an ascetic, a fighter against heresies, a philosopher or theologian, or to forget him entirely and limit oneself to his calendar-based commemoration. After all, certain aspects of his personality are so complex that they require careful consideration and in-depth study.

3 Maximus lived at a turning point. Born in 580, he was ten years younger than the Islamic prophet Muhammad and survived the reign of the four rightly guided caliphs of early Islam (632–661). Maximus began his career as a secretary at the court of Emperor Heraclius (610–641), during whose reign Byzantium first completely defeated the Persian Empire (628), then lost most of its territories and had to repel the Arab siege outside the walls of Constantinople.

4 During Heraclius’s time, the court switched from Latin to Greek, and Christianity, displaced by the new Islamic faith, was for the first time no longer the only ecumenical denomination in that part of the world where it had previously been widespread and steadily growing. Maximus died in 662, shortly after the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate in Baghdad (661–750). The intertwining of the historical fates of religions and empires is astonishingly significant yet rarely considered when Maximus is mentioned.

5 Two main biographies of Maximus have survived, one by his admirers, the other by his theological opponents. According to the first, he was born in Constantinople to noble and pious parents. According to the second, he came from Palestine and experienced conversion “only” in adulthood. At this time, the biographies of saints began to take on a “static” character, which was previously uncharacteristic of them, and monasticism was perceived as a kind of guarantee of righteousness, inherited, so to speak, “from the womb.” Therefore, it is possible that the biography compiled by Maxim’s critics is more reliable.

6 It is known that Maximus was secretary to Emperor Heraclius. He gave up his high post at court around 613 and was abbot of monasteries, first near Chalcedon and, from 624, near the city of Cyzicus in Asia Minor. Maximus was not a priest. At this time, Byzantium was defeated by the Persians. Maximus withdrew to Cyprus and Crete and, from 630, stayed in Carthage. It was probably there, in Roman Africa, that Maximus became acquainted with the Christology of the great ancient Carthaginian Church. This Church lived under the influence of St. Augustine (354–430) and particularly emphasized the authenticity of the humanity of Jesus Christ. This doctrine once formed the basis of the Tomos of Pope Leo the Great (390–461) and the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon (451). We supplement the story with the fact that his spiritual brother and teacher was the last Patriarch of Christian Palestine, theologian and ascetic Sophronius of Jerusalem (560–638). These historical and theological aspects of Maximus’s biography have unfortunately not yet been fully researched.

7 Byzantium rapidly lost its territories due to Arab invasions. The restoration of the unity of the Christian churches became especially necessary. In order to restore communion with the Patriarchate of Alexandria and thereby win over the local population, the emperor began to persistently impose on the Church the doctrine that there was only one divine activity in Christ, and then that the Lord had only the divine will. The first doctrine was formulated in 616 and went down in history as Monoenergism; the second in 638 and was called Monothelitism. Maximus fought this doctrine together with Pope Martin (+655). Monothelitism was condemned as heresy by Martin at the Lateran Council in Rome (649). “What was lacking in the humanity of the Lord Jesus has no share in salvation” is an axiom of the orthodox doctrine of the incarnate Son of God. “The Lord Jesus was a true man”: This understanding finds one of its culminations in the theology of Maximus. Translated into modern language, it is a kind of “Christology of the highest resolution.”

8 From this moment on, his period of witnessing to the truth began. He was successively exiled, interrogated, tortured, and exiled again. Finally, he was forcibly brought to Constantinople, where he was tortured, his tongue was torn out, his hand was cut off, and he was exiled. He died of his injuries on August 13, 662. Maximus was martyred because he professed the true faith. But that was not all. The imperial power demanded that he recognize its right to interfere in the affairs of the Church. “That is not the business of the Caesars,” he replied. Formally, Maximus was punished for his resistance to the authorities. His determination to separate the spiritual from the secular was prophetically modern. His ability to demonstrate to the imperial authorities the limits of their religious competence made him a true politician.