STU D IA A N SELM IA N A

PH ILO SO PH IC A TH EO LO G IC A
ED ITA A PZO FESSO RIBU S IN STITU TI PO N TIFIC II

S. A N SELM I DE JJRBE

FA SC IC U LU S XXXV I

FO N TIFIC IUM IN STITU TU M S. A N SELM I / RO M A E

1955

TH E EA R LIER A M BIG U A
O F SA IN T M A XIM US TH E CO N FESSO R
A N D H IS REFU TA TIO N O F O RIG ZN ISM

by

FO LYCA RP SH ERW O O D 0 . S. B.
Proleam r ofFarology althe Ponellci lnstltute S. Anzelm oeRom e

O R B IS C A T H O L lC U S . / H ER D Elt z 2 O M A E z 19 55

N IH IL O BSTAT

Roma ,i'
?lPontiFcio fxx
&/ftzltlS.w4>selp>'
.I4ie e.
'
/Deamby'ks zglg,
t BPRNARDUS K ASrJN
A blbas Pr- s 0. S. B .

E Vicariatu U ehfd, di. 2: D ocom bvis zp54.

t Afovslvs 'TRAGIJA

Avcliiep. t7(4:.
%4A'idA#., '
Vicrsgsyens

TIPOGRAFIA lqO X '.. VIA DEGLI IW RUSQH L 7.9 -. ROMA

T A B 1+E O kT C O N 1%E N '1*S

Pagt

Forew ord . . .
Abbreviatious .
Bibliography

PAR'
r 1:Tke AfzrlzW Ambigua - A .External Deseription
The m anuscript tradition
The ancient notices
The literary form
'rhe recipients
The atlversaries .
The authorities
'lhe them es .
Tables 1 List. of the A m bigua
' 11 Index of Citations
1II Setipture Itldex . . . . .
B . Analysis of the Single D ifliculties

W I
XI
X III

3
5
6
8
8
10
11

15
&7
zl

PART 11:TkeS6js/t4/ft)l (?/Origenism

Chapter T. M axim us and Origenism
A . T he Origenism known to M axim us
B . T he l'
zundam ental R efutation
......
Chapter II. The Triad : Substance, Pow er Operation .
E xcursus I: Tlze Scholiasts of D enis.
E xcurstts 11'
. Variations in the Triad
Chapter 111. Eestasis
A .Texts in favor of Eostasis
B . The Evagrian in M axim us .
C. Syzithesis of M axim ian D octrine
Chapter IV . Logos
A . The D istirtction: Loges-Tropos .
B . Logos and the U nity of Creation
Chapter V , K oros
A , The O rigenist U se of K oros ,
B . The Refutatiozt
C. Iixedness . . .
D . Sdf-determ ination .
Chapter :'1. A pocatmstasis
A fterword
Indices
.

7Z

92
IO3
II7
Izz

Iz8
I37

I49
155
I66
I8I
I84
I92
I98
zo5
223
z25

F O R E W O R 17
H aving com pleted a w oyk of m any m onths it Ls at onee helpful
for the reader and usefulfor the author to look back again at his ainl
in undertakiug the w ork arld in the cottrse follow ed.
In M axim ian stuclies one of the outstanding lacks has been.a
knowledge ofthe Confessor's w ritings i:4their own context. M en have
writteu.of ilis dod rine, and w ritten w ell but taking here a text,
there a text on w hiclz to build their stm cture. A nd further the
Crnturies have drawn a larger share of attention. I thinl.
z of the
studies of V iller alzd votl Balthasar,the version of Pegou. But this
is a literary form notoriously apt for disguising the writer's ow n position. ltw astherefore that Isaw asan outstanding need of M axlm ian
studies an ilw entory, to say the least of the A m big'
tta one of the
ehie.f w orks of M axim us arld the one in w hiclt lze eould give freer
play to his talent of analysis and speculation. But this invelztory
m ust first of all be on the literary levelaud give a sum m ary of their
a as a group azld each of tllelu singly placed
eontent .- the A m bigu'
i11their proper coutext,so that the M axim iaztthought could be grasped in its native terrain. This is the explanation of tile first part;
.

it eontaius much that should flnd place in an adequate edition oftlle

Confessor's works, but also m uch m ore. Readers w ho are less eurieus of these detaits m ay pass tlw m over.
b'rom suclta m aterialanalysis ofthe Ambigua severalargum eztts
present them selvo for furtller study, plaeed now not against tlze
background of our m odern categories,but'of those tllat result from a
study ofM axim tls and his m ilieu. O f these argum ents I have chosen
one - the reftltation of Origenism - as being one m ore fully and
eoherently developed by M axim us him self. M y study then has developecl into a fuller and philosophiealanalysis of A m b 7.
From the begirm ing I exd uded from this study a eonsideration
of M axim us' doctriue regarding the soul, w hieh is an integral part
of his refutatiort of O rignism 1. This I did becattse it would have

1'lYe import of the rejection ofthe preexistenceofsonlsin tlteform.

atlon of the whole antiorigenist position is touched on in note 50 of the
tir'
st cbapter.

Nqu

Ffwnwoa '

doubled the size of the study and m eant a carefuleom parison with
the N yssene doetline - a study'and a com parison whieh, T felt,
tould m oze adequately be undertaken in an 1analysis ofthe Quaestionn /1: Thatassium . lt is thus tbat I canle to bypass G regory and

to fliscuss Origenism iztthe light chietly of the De PrfAlcf/z.

alzd
the 6th centunr eontroversies. H owever in dealing w'ith self-determ inatiou I did introduce eonlparison w itli G regory as well as

with Origen 2. But even here the subject'is only partially dealt
w'ith. A fuil treatm ent m ust aw ait a study of the M axim ian anthropology.
M y task tllen w as to present the Ozigenism w itll w lkif:b M axim us had to deal - the prim ordial henad of rational creatures - ,
his outologicalargum ents in refutation thereof and his logos dod rille,
w hose fuuction was to preserve w hat tbere w as oftruth irzthe O rigenist speculatitjn. Thus there w ould have been but tw o ehapters, the
actual fi1'st and fourth ; but entering into the argum ent of the irst I
m et the fact ofecsiasis. The whole doctrine ofm an's attaining unioll
w ith God, the iinal and real auity, w ould have rem ained obscure
tznle% I sought out M axim us' m ilvd (m this debated pont 'rhus
I fotm d m yself em barked on the third chapter But, w orldng on
tllis, it soon beeam e too obvious to be neglkcted that, nam ely, the
M axim ian doetrine of ecstasis was basetl on tlle sam e triadie ontology
'
as the refutation argum elzts of the lirst eilapter Thus I cam e to
.

develope the second chapter on substance powsy tl/t

rFafigp.
Fbr the logos cloetrine witlz w hich M axim us eudeavors to save
an initialideal tm ity - that eiem ent of truth w hich m ay be allowed
to the O rigenist m yth - , I felt it better to explairt it insofar ottly
as it is corlnected w ith the O rigenist argum ent Y et the distinetion
cif esseuce and m ocle, that is ldyog ql
fgEtt' and vtlrlog 'rrtjtlymg, is
so pew asive in tlle wim le of tlze M axim ian doctrine '
tllat som e account of it w as neeessary. It is thtts that I planned '
an excursus
wllich has ended up as the lirst half of the fourth ehapter
There rem ained then only the m inor refutation of the Origem
ian koros t'
hetn.
e to 4eal with The argum ent itself is of little inzportanee' but it raises tw o im portant qupstions, rather anthropolog-'
ical then ontological and therefore I beg excuse for the brevity
of the treatm ent and the unusttallength of the notes The questions
.

: See chapter V lTote 44.

For- avd

raised are how ean the rational creattue essentially tm stttble irt
regard to G od by the very'fact of being creature, attain a fixity in
God whfch his nature craves and caullote#ect. Ecstasy is tlle answ er
on Gocl's part,and this has already bee'
a treated ;but on m art's part
the freew ill or m ore dosely representing the G reek term ,the selfdeterm ination m ust have its free part to play. H enee tlw third
and fouz'th sections of tbe eha
'pter on surfeit.
H ere,if m y afm had been to w rite a eonlplete study of A nlb 7.
l shoultl have em barked on an analysis of the argum ent against
the preexistence of souls. '
W hy 1 have llot done so has already
been explained. Instead I have introduced a ehapter o1L the apoeatastasis. If it has little direct eonneetion Avith the text of A m b 7,
no mte will questfon its germ aneness to the Origenian them e. ft

aloue oftlleOrigeniau positions hasbeen the object of speeialMaxim ian studies, And m oreover it perm its us to return to the ontologica! leve! ort w hich the llrst chapters of this study m oved. But
here T m ust confess it is not the lmst of the ehapters written 'but
the first. And the state, ill w hieh I now present it, fs but slightly
revised after dealing with the problem of the freewili and Eaving

m etwit.h Gaith'sineptrefereuce to M aximusin his study ofGregory

of N yssa.
Sueh is the genesis of the presen.
t study. If it be worth m uch
it w ill be (lue to the eareful presentation of M axim us' ow n texts.
H ere I m ay explain m y procedure. Q'itirtg M axim us frequently and
at lezlgtb, I suppose that tEbe reader w ill have at lkis disposal the
volum es of M igne. The translations are not always the best of

English, yet it is an honest effort at au accutate rendering'

.whieh
is ilzevitably also an interpretation. 1 have indeed thought it neeessary to avoid giving M axim us m erely in the Greek 'for m y interpzetation of his thought rests on the Gree.k texts only in m y own

uuderstanding of tlzem , representecl in the English vezsions.

It is a custom entirely fitting and just to give thanks at the

end ()f q prefaee to those w ho have assisted in the d aboration of a

doctoral study. So then may those professors or authols whose

cxlurzcil or studies I have used realize tlm't tlae present w ork is possible only because of theirs. I sense and appreciate this solidarity
in the world of learning.M ay it eneourage them to continue.

For6tvord

Ix

raised are how ean the ratiolm l creature essentially tm stttble in

regard to God by the very fact of bein.
g creature, attairl a svv
'ty frt
God which hisnature eraves and cannot effect. E cstasy istlle answ er

on God's partaand.this has already been treated ;bat on m an's part

the freewill or m ore closely representing the Greek term the selfdeterm inatifm m ust have its free part to play. H ence the thircl
and fourth seetions of the chapter on surfeit.
H ere,if m y aim had beert to write a com plete study of A m b 7,
I should have em barked on an analysis of tbe argum en.
t against
the preexistence of souls. W lzy I have not done so has already
lyeen explained. lnstead I have introduced a chapter o1l the apocatastasis. If it has little direct conneetion with the text of A m b 7,
zio cm e will question its germ aneness to the Origeniatz them e. It

alone ofthe Origenian positiozlshasbeen tlle object ofspecialM axizzliartstadies. A rld rnoreover it perlnits tts to return to '
tbe onttgogical levet on w hieh the lirst chapte:
:s of this study m oved. But
bere I m ust confess, it is not the last of the chapters written but
the first. A nd the state, in w hich I now present it,is but slightly
rex-ised after dealing urith the probiem of the freewill alzd having
m et w ith Gaith's inept referenee to M axinlus in his study of Gregory
of N yssa.
Such is the genesis of the present stutly. If it be worth m uch
it will be dtte to the careful presentation of M axim us' own texts.
H ere I m ay explafzl m y procedure. Citing M axm us frequently and
at length, I suppose that the readef will have at his disposal the
voltlm es of M igne. The translations are not always the best of

English, yet it is an honest effort at an acmlrate rendering which

is inevitably also an interpretation. 1 have indeed thought it necessary to avoid giving :.
$'
Iaxim us m erely in th: Greek;for m y interpretation of his tllought rests on the G reek texts only in m y own
m lderstanding of tlwm ,represented in the English versions.

It is a eustom entirely fitting and just to give thanks at the

e'
ad of q prefaee to those w ho have assisted iu the elaboratiotk of a
dtx toral study. So tllen m ay those professors or authors whose
couneil or studies I have used realize that the present work is possible only 'because of theirs, 1 sense and appreciate this solidarity
in the world of learnfng.Afay it ertcotlrage them t() cxm tirlue.

A B B R E V TA T IO N S
foz the works of M axim us:
Am b
= A m biguovum /j#d.
>'

Cap ie'

.
x= Capta z5

Qhar

= Centuries 5.
/ Chavty

Qom p. Eccl.
Computus f;
'cclesiasticus
DB
D ispute at .f9.
fayt4
ep
= tvpisiie
LA
M yst

Libev xz
ls
zzfstfs
M ysiagogia

PN
Ps 59

Exposition t# ihe OtJR ICkATIIEIR

Exlwsition oj psalm J'
p

QD

= Qttaestiones etJ-lfofc

ItM

R elatio xv o/.
lt;xi.
g

Tlzal
'
rheop
Thoec

= Qaaestiones ad 7'/lt4J/4s&'
5,.
:zA?
= Quaestiones ad F/ls()#:-#/+;vz
Capita Tlologica :./ Oeconowtiea

TP

= Opuscala Theologica e/ Polem lca

B . for the Pseudo-D enis;

QH
= D e coelesti plpzhgtzv '
l
DN
= De f
.
fzlzx nom inibus
EH
= D e ecclesiastica A/ly/rtrl
MT
= D e Aplzl/ct4 tlteologia
C. other abbreviations:
=
AB
A nalecta f?fz//tzr
xtsglzdz
=
A CO
Aota Ctpscleropz Oeouv
ntentcovum (ed. SCHWARYZ)
BZ

CACI

DSp

Byzantimlische Ze/xtiArf/f
Commenlatia i'
rl Avisfotelem t'
irtz6t;tz (ed.Acad.Borassiea)
= D ictionnair' d6 .
/ifz'
/zxfz/zf asstilue 6t mydfi-

D 'PC
EO
G AK L

= D d ionn@ivr de F/oltzp:
zr catlnoliq3te
= Echos #'OHtw l
= BARDENIIEW ER Gesch%t
?ltt' t
ffrr A ltltrchlchen .
Ei/8-

GCS
JTS

= D ie jfAW fi/lsr
l ps chyistiichcn .
$'t;Fl1'f//.
2JJdr
= Jouvtlql W Theologioal S/lffzr.
:

LSe

= LIDDSI.L & Seo'

rzr Gveek-English Lexison gth edition

Mansi

= Conciliorlsm t4vl/'liasl'
lzfz collestio ed. M ANSI

Oohr
OCP

= Oygentalia ClH li/ffzzlfT

Oviekttalia Chvistiana Prrtl#ictz

xzz

d bbyo%4ationa
PG
RA M
RE B
1).fjw*.1pi1:1.

Patrologia G#'qetr(z, cuvantt J. P. MIGN/

ar.v
s;=

R nvutf tfltzstlbr
ffgz' et #: m yst%que
R 6v'
tnc des d'
tlltft:s lyyztvsfltts
R evue t/fllzfl
R evue #'#J'
Jft)9fl esclsiastique

RHE
R SPIITh

=
:s==

Rev.
ue tfc.
ssiences phfloq
f
a/tt
N f?s </ thdologiqtes

R SR
Sth
zA M
ZkT ll

r=

R ocherohzs #tJ scisnce A'dl/jytltrla

Soholastkk

=
=

Zetschrip j#r A sa,q

&zl.
I
4e
ylff klkstik
ZeitscltyiftJfir lt6tthotisclte FAltlltlp'
e:

B I B 1,IO G R A .
l'H Xr
Tlze following bibliography nim s to relleet tlte base of m odern stutlies
on w hich m y own work is grounded. It eoutains therefore practically aI1
the worlcs cited in the coltrse of the dissertation and.som e others which
thouglz not citefl ltave been of use i1t the preparation of the w ork.

AltNol/,R.,LeD#se de flf'
zdans 1t4.Plvilosopltze d6./Nf?/l.Parisscl (192I).
'

BATJHASAR, H . U. von A'

fdr/to hry.
& %nd Jjlystik d6s Stltlriz.
F Pontikus.
zAM (4 (z9:$9)'at-4.7.
Die GAztu/sti/igx Crlllf4A'lfl'
l;. Freibm g iB (Die Gn.eent.).
K osm isclte Z'ffzsrg'. wsftu - l.
tfgA' B d/lfw xdr: H hs sp# K yisis #e,
: gvte-

- -

chischen '
Kof/tlfltfs. b*reiburg iB 1941 (K L).
-

Litsrgie Cosm ique. Paris :947. n 'ench version of tile above.W here poi;siblt I cite both editions otherwise tile French only.
Scholeltweyk des .rtl/lt
.D>
zelv .
trtls Skythopolis. Sch :5 (194.0) z6-38.

Pyfssna :/Pepse../fssczs'
l4r ia F/zflo.
tl/t'ayeligieassde GvgtlA'
e dr .N#.
.
'.
Paris I94z.

BARDV,G., Lt? /J.

'
r/d du rtet't V zt
'
s'v d'Ovigns rJ Justinnen. RSR.Io (I9z(8
e24-5z.

BtlNysFov, J.-1?r. Ovigne T

l'/irft/rjtlfaAl (l6 la yAllf/ltnffg th/ologiqae. gv /lrrl4g'
c.

Gaval?eva. Toulouqe 1948, 87-t45.

Btlusss:
f,W . A poplttltq tnatA.Ttibirzgen z92.
$.

Calqtrvxs,M. y a.
n ScotJrgzl'.Paris 19:3.
CaDz.
ou,R . Lft /d
rzfAldr&s!Li'ovigne.Paris 19.
35.
.

Cllls&',
u alszt. Ph. D ionysiacq. Pm'
'
LS I937-z95o.

D.
u rMAIS.I.-H . L'uvye s/y'ff?
2zrVc de ; Alan mr Ir C-loAl/esJeltr.N otes .
:74r son
tftsa
pn/tl/#ep:yzz/ et sa sfgzli/itltzftp'
rl, ZiJ spivIi%elle, Stlpplm ent 1952,
:
,I6-2e6.

L a F/ltf(v' des (
Logol : des Clgc
lfzffJA'
l.
chez :' l'bfaxim r le Cltlx/:sseur.

RSPh'I*h 36 (1$952) 244-49.

La fftlc/rf'
atfasctique de s. x
5.
faxtme ?zIConjesseur tf'4?.
#1,
Js le (Libey lsre/cvs>.ivlnikokl :6 (T953) 17-:
$9.
Un drl/# de dAzrt/ltxfdscontnm plaiive: Le covlpze'
zzffzA'zr da #c./sr Noster tfzr
s. xsfaxfpzir le f;t)z2/8&s'> A'. RztM 2: (r95:
5) :23-.
59.
D:)GUIBSR'
;,J., Une x
stla
l/rce des../84p.Damascne d& FdeorfAnt/tll'
lz.RSR 3
(T9T2)356-68.
llzuuflkots,J.aL'Apocatn tasrtlle1's.Cr/gr(?lr' d'.Nys.
4.RSR 30 (194.9)328-470
Plutonisme t'fThologie yryyfkvr.Essa.i.
l<'
r la (fcp
c/rsd spirit'
uelle d6 s.GV -

goive (9 N ysse. Paris 1944.

OtigLne. Paris 1948.

xw

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Dq G ANDIIAAC, M . J '
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DE
s: m ontanisie. Paris zQI.3.
I
I LABRIOLI/S P I.a ;A'

IEKAMP Franz, Bie t?rgzrAlf.

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tgstf d@s jzyx/f: gllgrmrine Crt/llcf.M nster im W 1899 (Diekam p).

splEzt,M .-TIA. D et,lt:contem plgtva .
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1'
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v/with rM 1lJJlflc,'
r l'nj/tlffxcfsox antl Cr
pzyzai:sllry . Oxiortl z933.
D OM NSKT, B . D e.P sycholvgir des N ralexts. M iinster lgoo.
EHRARD,A .,in K RVML
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,
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GAI1iI.
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prgjztpr: de zvysuT. Paris 1953
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l/dt
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Rechetcbss de fAcp/flgf: ansienne et pz&fffzfz?lrftl 2z (1954)sl-roo, This.

.

article was published too late for use.

G'
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R.
,
)d'Evagye 1: Ponthue.
g
f

r
l
'
hi
go
v
v
e
z
/
z
u
Re
l
z
v
o
ps
I4
'
z
(
oc
t
. dec. 19
H
.5
2) 1.
56-20.
5.
M JSRHARR,
AM ' 1. L6 lyfxg d. l'tvrzseAz d'E vqgrr J8 P ontqlxe tf'Ytrlft@6iN ifl.
-

z5 (z934).
34-93,Ia3-Ti'o.
Ignovana fp/iae.OCP 2 (1i):
.
;6) :
55t-G:z.
Plbitautie & la frzgffrdry:AflursoithIa cAt
vi/d stlon s.z'kft4/rfziv:16 conjesseur
.

R om e 1952-

M assimo it conlsssove Enciclopeda twffo/ft;tz 8 (r952) :07

H szkTl
sft
zar- Contessopis tftpcognitiane AoAAttprzdztl dotvlnac.
U ls, J., Sancti z
-

npublished (tissertation irt pllilosophy at the G regoriall 1937.

De oilgakq van A'

;z menssheliiktm trdes/ tot God volgrns S,
5/$1 l'blaximqs
(
i
t
m
/
e
s
s
t
l
A
'
.
Bi
i
dr
ag
s
.
n
d
f
e
r
N
a
d
ev
l
ands
o
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(
/klwyfezl 5 Lz94z) e6o-3o2; 6
.

1943) 64-:23.
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A-fr//ocrozftvx.. l#eipzig l904.

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l4.
?ztf Chytstll.
shes :A/' Friihbyzantigischen (;rfslrslebckt. 'W ievt f948.
.

La signipcation Ay/tprgse du (7t?r#'

lu Dionysiacum R SR 36 (Jt?49) .
5-z4.
Z%;v geistesgasclbichtlichen
El?z
:)gt&la
f
zug (Ies Orfjktxisslzvs. BZ 44 (I9j$t)
.

zgr-xlot
3.
K OCH, H ugo, Pseudo-llionyszos 1/z seinsm ,llzr
afe/tzt?lg6ll .
vt%n'
t Ndl4Fltx/o'
p,
.
gptlt52
vnd Jlr
fysfdrkraypzr.
ex , M ains Igoo.
Lbifltrr.
td
lx, M ichael D issettationes D am asoenicae. PG 94.
IgsN-s, lkoger, L'ftnqge Je Iltru cAsa s. Gr/g/is: de J/yss: lksquisse #'sw: dostrine. Bruxelles-p aris xq5x.

lm osEN,J eph,Lngos ltlztf Pneu3na bei kjrzltl f:p M enschen l':M gkimus
Conjessov. M inster 1fl4x.
LossKsr V ladim ir E ssai sf4r la tloologie ztyi/fklzg de l'E glise d'Or%ent. Paris
:944.

Bibliogfathy
MARCHAL,J.,Etades Jty la J'oti/ltalogg des usfn /rzzrsat.1l, Paris 1937.
MARSH'
, b%.S., The Book oj tke H oly v
#.
N4rple().
.London 1927.
MI(4'
IarD,E..SIz'
k.
ffzxfpz:16 Ctlx/:sldr'
l4retf'zljt7stzlcuft4.
:e.R.IAfge'
Al,de Thlol.
ro (zqoz) zsp 7z.
Mvvrm sltMaNs,J., Evtngn ana Syvticf:. Louvain I952.
Plu solr,J
'., Vindoiae fjrAttztitllle.PG 5.
Pslt.
h C. S. Tlw m ae .r1quipatis .
JA hezsz B .D ionisii #: D ivinis N 6eiArfxl'
prd

expositio Ronlae zcpjio.

iNNAR T H ., L6 P latovtism e !9 s. t'

l #gtlzk: dn AW JO PJ:. La Roche-sur-v tm
r92.
5.

PLAGNIEUX,J. .S'.GvtlgLil'
.ee de Nfzxt
zAlze TK ologten.Paris sfl (1952).
PRssTl(1It, G . L. God ,l P atyistic FA()AfjWJ. London 1936.

Pus(2H, H .-CIZ. Lt /tf.

uJ& : m ystit
w e shez te P.
&:?,
4d()-Dcnys J'-dr/tlpfzjr/tr et
dans la fsztztffft
?,z patvistiqve. lffxffzr.
s Cvmxtaines :z3.'
z, :938.
RAHNER, K .. Le fzf
?a/ d'un. (ioctvine tfFs ci'
ng sTAz.
spiritktets chez tlrjrsc.
RAM J3 (T932) T'3-145.
ksss, S., I'he .D, Sentis: .d Treatiste attvibuted to Leontias of ./A'
zfyAllz4pi.
JTS 40 (1939) 346-60.
RICIU RD, M ., Lonce de Syztzxcc, tait-it (vjvzlsfpF RE B 5 (194.
7) 31-66.
Rootrss, R ., Contemplahbm , a.
*'/fzsf, 6t fztll'rdl ch6z le .l.stl'
?
zfffl-.
&axy.
DSp t
z
(I95z) 1885-1911.
Scllw utz
rz,E. K yviltos tltm Skytkopolis. Leipzig z6)39.
SHEiRwoopa P., N otes op M axim'
us tlte fitoz/trdstv. .
4mevican .llflAldtlc/fp?p
Review J (1q50) 347-56.
zln .1nnotated .!M /y-lt;/0/the I'
Ftn'ksofM '
aximu.
s f7&frCoytlnsov.Rom e I95z.
-

SzxKo,T .,D e traditione tlvdzfoxtx- Gvegoviz N fzzt4v?zrAlf,P avsII de frad/tntr

gnt
iiu cta. Craeoviae 1923.

STA HANOIT. b). Lq cozzrz/d/sf;e initiale xf$:coyks ,/ d6 l'fllAla d'apos s.Gvdgoiye

:88 N ysse ,/ s. zlfcxl-e l'H om ologte. EO 31 (I93z) 304-t5.
STIGLMAN-R, J. Das x'1'
lV#t?>z;m.
tJ;2 dey'Psgp.
/tffl-D zt
7Alr)/lzsr
cAsp Schyipen. Feldm
kirch :895.

VILLER,M ,,.dux .
tl'
xiztifr.
de Ia '
sjarfwa/fd 46's.A'
ftl.
vp'
n::l6s tw'
utlzzs d'Evagvet
Pontique.R AM 1z (ln oj a'56-84, 2.
39-68, .
3.
3z-.36W SISWURM,A.A . Thc N tzfuA'r oj ffvm lp K '
nowlttdgc Kiccc/rffljrto S.Gr:govy
oj N yssa.Diss.W ashington x95rz.

W orsoN,H.A.,Philo.Qambritlge (Mass.) 1948.

PA R T I

TH E EA RLIER AM BIGU A OI2 M AX IM U S

A. Isx'
rslkxat/llsseuzylox

The M anuscript Trfftff/t?zl

It is w ell know n that the only editlon w e so far possess of the

1mbigua of Maximus,that of Oehler (Ha1le 1857),is based on a

..

single m anuscript of the 13th century. O f it O ehler says: <'Codex

Gudianus,quo usus sum l ,..est m em branaceussaeculiX III, . . . est.
que tam elegantr tam que accurate conscriptus ut non solum alii

inde libri possint egregte emendarlatqu.

e suppleri,sed.ipse ati Uoe
Arfltptsetjw V aoptt
T)v opus interpretandum alterius libri auxilium non
desiderarem '':. Certainly such an attitude w ould not eontent an
editor of texts, neither of our day nor of his;but O ehler w as uot a
professional, only an a'
m ateur, w ho turnell to an ancient text as a
refuge artd solace.
So far as I tcnow O ehler's w as the :1'
st w ork on the A m bigua
after that of Com befls,never to see the light of day. M ter Oebler,
the next w ork on the A m bigua is that of tlte Polish A cadem y in

its project concernlng Gregory Nazianzen. In'1914 at Cracow

Jan Sajdak published his:Historia Critica sc/ltvlu/f/rsvletcommenta-

fprzozl Gregoyii Aox

effffmzyl. Here (p. 33) he listtxl zo eodiees as
containing the w hole or a part of the A m bigua. indicatizzg at tlze
sam e tim e the folia of the m anuscripts with the corresponding pages
l GutiifInvs grt
zec'
l:s 3.
9. See the descdption otlle m s in 0 .von H slN'
sx

MANN (Fk
r. Koehler de.scribed the Greek mss) Die fn stfss/ir/fzw dtw ffyrzogtichen BrBrao'
rllllc z'
u Brolj:e tsif/4/ IV : Dle Gudischen H ss (19z:).
1 S.P.N.JkftzxAzlConfeszoyis& vayih tf//it:zfH slocis SS PP Dpsyyif
etflr:jwcly' ad FAovlfzz:zg.s.libram ... x'
MA;tlpvim gim Al/ep/.
?4As editiit Fm v .
O > r:eR.H alis 1857,
'p.vii or PG 9z,Io3o. 'rhis title ls proper to the fkrst 5

Ambigua.(mly. The rest (Am b 6-71) are adHresstxl to Bishop John anfl
coucerned exelusively w ith passages from G regory.

'

lmhe irlrler zlA45ig.4

of Oehler's edition. After him Thaddeus Sinko:D 6 FymflfpAl: oraftlszo;z Gregoyii N azianzeni P an S6cunda : D e T'
rtztfiffpAl: indirecta

(Cracow I9a3) treats of tlle Ambigua (pp.19-,

'
j1),but hms nothing
to say of the m anuseripts. After Sinko there is Disdier, who in
his ardcle oa the 'A lia Capita ''gives a list of 26 m anuscripts given
over entirely-to M axim us' w ritings :.

80th Sjadak and Disdier worked before the printed catalogues

of the Vatican Librazy were available.. Tt m ay stillbe useful therefore to give another provisory list aw aiting the day w hen the
m anuscript tradition of the M axim ian corpus and exeerpts m ay
adequately be studied. I give three lists, each chronologieally
arranged, tlte Erst of m anuseripts coutaining the w hole of 1:0th
A m bigua; the second of those few tllat eontain only the second,

thatto Thom as;the third of those containing excerpts only (or

incomplete).
z. P aris A rsenal 237
z. P aris M azr ine 561

s. ix
s. ix

These b0t.
lz are authentic m anuscripts oi Rrigena's version of the
A m bigua *.

:
$,'raurin.z5 (Pashzi),b V 5 s.xi.G.DeRqndisdeseribing the m ssescam d
from the fre of 1904 says tltis m s is dam aged but com pletely legible.
Consentini in his inventory of r92z does not m ention tb.
ts m s. I
a!n not certain that the .4m bigua w ea'e contained in it 1
4, V at gr 15oz
s. xi-xii
5. V at gr 504
a. zIf).5
6. A ogelica Iao
s. xii
7. Coisl. 9o
's. xii
from tlle grat Laura
8. M onac. gr. 363
s. xii-xiii
9. M arcian. z36
s. xiii
zo. Paris. gr. 886
s. xiii
Dufresne's codex
II. G ud.
. gr. 39
s. xiii
z2. Vat gr 5o7
a. 1344
Seribe: Dem etrius diaconus
K aniskes K abaailas
I:J. M onac. gr, 83
s. xv
I4. A thos 6055
s. xv
from P anteleem on
z5. Paris.gr. zo94
s. xv
z6. '
V'
at gr. 5o5
a. zszo
eopietl from V at gr zjoz
x7. B arberini gr. 587
a. xvi
'Pizis is m y ow tt datfng.

a M .-Th.DISDISR,EO,3I (1932) z9.

4.See M .CAPPUYNS.Ja % Scotfdgpll..lpal% 1933)pp.163, 165.
: For the references see M . RIIIUA1I.
D ltpeytoivs des SfNefk vds 6t
d6s Catalogues (f: v an%sLwits '
:
r'
<tl&. Paris 1948,j 487.

lrxlsrlyzlIlescyf/e s

L1t z, containing Am'

b II,that adressed to Thom as
z8. Paris. gr. 1097
a. zo55
I9. B arroc. Ia8
s. xl exeunte
zo. V atopedi 475
s, xiii
zI. A thos 3808
s. xvi
zc. A tlm s .3809
s. xvii
23. Paris. gr. 888
s. xvii

List 3,containing excerpt.s (0z'incomplete ms)

24. 'Vat gr zozo
by 993
c5. Taatilz. 3.5,b,W 15
s. x exeunte
26. V at gr 51I
s. x-xi
27. H ieros. S. Sepulcri 2o s. xi

Scribe Cyriacus

See the note to j 3

Amb 1, letter to John and
Nm b 6-10, to col. Iz37D 5 *.

28. Colsl. z93

z9. Paris. gr. :9
3o. M onac. gr. 225
3I. Vindob.suppl. gr. II

s. xi
s. XE
iH
s. A v-xv
s. xv.

A sim ple ituspection of these lists itldicates at ovw e the im port.

ance of E rigena's version for the text of the A m bigua. It is earlier,

by at least a century.th'an any extant Greek text of the w ork O ne
would like to know what beeam e of the Greek text ttsed by Erigena.
.

H is text of Pseudo-D pnis has been preserved in Pad s.. gr.4,

37. The
m aterial would seem stl cient for soh'dly estabzshing the text of
the .4mgstz,
.

Tke Ancienf zkbffkns

After this brief report on the m anuseript m aterial for the text
of the A m bigua it is pertinent to enquire what ancient w riters m ay
have to say. 'lY ere are, to m y knowledge, tw o only: a seventh
eentury author and Photius. The anonym ous author of the W ffp
et Certamen,writing about 680,gives a notiee of M axim us'literary

% l1z this ms (3(. Sepulchei 2oj Amb I nms from f. 298: (= zo6zA)
to 347v (= Amb Io-tI37D5).f.ao4 issupplied by a laterhanda:lo4v having
the space of 6 lines blank but w ithout a lacuna. f. :45 is also by a later

hand.
,b0th sitles of the leaf are full, containing f;s elxdg (-1Iz814 ) - xflt
%&x '
etfla (-zz3aBz)inclusive. 346:
2begins witlz'
rok evpzdaxovev'v (-z35B6).
'rhere is tlzerefore .lacuna of about a eolnm n ofM igne's text. 347v ends
wjth rk
w k ttl
h oii 16 -. 348 is by tlle sam e 1:anfl but from an uaiden.

tied part of the m as.

Th* fWWAF .t1mbily.

q

aetid ty 7. After speaking at length of the Quaestioqtes fltf Thalassium the author m entions the A m bigua. H e w rites: '<But indeed
one who has m ade the acquaintaae of his treatises and hard-w orked

seholia on the great Gregory's writiags willsee this itenl as nothing

less than the former (Tha1). For in these writings se know much
is Eard to understand and m tlch w hose explanation is far from evident, espeeially what has to do &vith opinions on the theology of

the Trinity. (Maximus) indeed knew the m eanings of these things

and by the light of a diviner know ledge brought them out m ore
openly, m aking tlie exegesis not only in m ore m ystieal coneepts
and contem plations, but also in a preem inent style and exquisite
diseourse ''. PhotiusBaceurately relates the 5 D iE eulties ofAm b 11

(Io3z-Io6o)ascontained ffin an epistleaddressed to Thomas.'' .'Itz

the seeond, eontinues Photius without m entioning John, he sets

out to make a resum of passages from xthe theological works? (of

Gregory) that had already been elueitated. As to the: by mrans
oj the mind's cpFzpgrsag wifltthe #ds/l'
untilf/ldrbdte ctlsg- r,ile interprets it in a sizztilaz fasllicn,But enough about these.''
N either of these deseriptions is very satisfyring for our purpose.
In the drst it is interesting to note what isthoughtworthy ofspeeialrem ark:the p'
lace the Blessed Trinity holds in these explanations
and the exalted style. The them e of the zlm bigua,as w ill be m ore
ed dent later, is the passage from this to the supernal w orld, hence
preem inently to the Trinity. 'lhus the 'frinity is never far from
the trend of com m ent. Bttt further, a11 those passages which refer
7 The absence of this llotit:e in the published text h.
as been supplied

by R.Dsvlksssss,AB 46 (1928):8-z.
3. The passage to be cited is fourtd
ou p. z1,lines II-T9 >Al yie of8v fsvov &#ETaJ TK v; togvov vqypvov v

l6yot xat'xoig aovq

'elgtv uiv: ozollog aepk I xo9 pzyulov rvqyoplov guyyk4ygcx lvvvxv.xoivv ye g lgyev T& aoll cnaxq vvc xat 06 cap:

<%v Dgbv L'hovwa xat y4lkgvl ;wc oyy4vv !xETa%xqkrl lv v T:$;:$leooylag,uil4g xatxv Ev xosot Bl:e vov xltToltyv/ceau evoxlva sk x 1a$:qk4xseov iycyev.ox lvvol: pgvov xaL @eQ(: pvgxtxoxp%, kli X?L pedoet
xovyspet xGLly/ sepsxakketvhv lksyqcv sllyevo,
8 Cod. 194. PCI zo3, 6531)61.

'

: 'Ex :g eoloyszq ovvx:leg. Por svvalk IoS: (s. r. 3) give syJf:rvlfc tveatisc c/p3/odf: volunne. The word is fatiliar to Photius in this

sense. It occurs here.(PG zog. 656A.15) and.shortly above (6.

52A9),referricg to Thal. Also the '
i'
e.
rb is found enasxrxuxxo lcodf. 193-649A4).
Photias however is far from clear'only know ledge of'M axim us' dedicatory

epistle to Jolm (Am b-10G4) enables one to m ake sense of his comment,

ExtrynalDaszd/sf?zl

to the m aterialdyad provoke com m ent on how the Triad is attaiaed.

'lY e com m ent on the style need no1 be taken as contradictory to

that of Photius for the Qwantiones ad Tkalassium (eod.I9z-645B),

but ratberthat t14e author of tlle Tzeif, delighted in justsuch anagogic considerations and w as m ore sensitive than Photius to the
sublime truths expressed and to the eandidness and sim plidty of
the author's soul there m anifest.
Photius'description ofthe A m bigna to 'rhom asis quite adequate.
It is clear that his text w as substantially that w hich m'e now have.
The description of the other A m biguq, however, is so coneise that
its im port is not d ear. I understaud it thus: M axim us intends
to resum e the explanations of passages already given orally at Cyzicus 1. U nfortunately- Pllotius ' does not enum ezate t%e passages
as he had done for Am b II. 'Phe one passage. how ever, whie.
h he

singles out as km ilarly interpreted in these lonv r A m bigua, does

not oceur there at a11 but only in A m b J. To be sure the doctrine

is found also in the longer .4m bigua. In A m b 3-6 the phrase from
G regory serving as a di culty follow s but a few liaes on an expression alm ost identical to that d ted by Photitts n.

The Literary F prvl

The reports of the ancienu on tlle Am bigua being so m eagera
and responding in addition to other tllan our m oderrl intentions,
it is tim e now to nm ke our own analysis of the earlier A m bigua.

lzirstitisevidentthattheybelong tothatgenuscalledQuqesfiones
TfResionsa,1:a form widely used alike in pagan and Christian aatiquity. In fact as a form it seem s to have had two antecedents;
the scholastic tedm ique of proposing and solving di culties in the
authors studied and a hortatory form of instruetion in question
and answer13, of witich the Loges Jsctr/fclls of M axim us would ve
a palm ary exam ple. T hese anteeedents are fused and developed
according to tlle exigencies of tlze di culties put. And tlm ugh at

tim es this lorm m ay seem a mere literary conventiozt,it was able

'e See below.
11 Gltv oRv N Az. or.2g.19 :afklooA.p zo in Am b 3. and or. 38.:3 :
36.32503f.in Am b 36,

1: See H .JORDAN Gsschichte#:Faltchristlichnn Zifere/lm (Ieeipzig I9I1)

j 69: D it ..
4/tlA'fde
?zlldrlf- ; also G . BARDY La Zi/f/rt4ff4A' #dlfdzs$fe da

jymzesfchx4a6tXtv/iox.
soxes.
s,4A'l'Ecritur.'
m pfe in Rev.bib.4z (193z)zzo-zlz.
13 JORDAN,op.cit.,p.410.

T/le Earlier A m bigua

to m aintain itself in favor only becatlse it stood in constant contact

w ith the thought-habif.s of the people w ho used it,w riters and readers alike and reflects not only the writer's m ethod but also the

sehool's, m ore,the cultivated m an's w ay of treating the m atter in

hand. Bardy 14 gives a eoncrete exam ple of this from Plotinus.

It is therefore very justly that Sinko 1:remarks that in these diffe

eulties there is preserved for us an im age of studies as hey then
ilourished in B yzantine m onasteries.

Sinko is more fully justified in his judgem eatthau the evidence

he there sum m arily adduces w ould indicate. For he has m erely
listed the sezies of references te the o1d m an whom M ad m us interrogated on various points and referred to the origin of tlze A m bigua

in the discussions between Jolm ,bishop of Cyzietls,and M aximus,

ofwhich our textis but the written redaction.
12or the faet ethat this w ork w as Iirst worked out in eom m on
discussion is evident not only from M axim us' ow n statem ent in

the ilztroductoorepistle (zo64 B),btlt from many passing referenees

throughout the Am bigua, whic.
h often indicate to us the preeise
bearing of the di eulty lying behind the passage of Gregory given

as objectofexplanation. Carefulattention to these indications w111

often illum inate that m llipu which we know to have been the baekground of M axim us' w ork.
T hese are elem ents eom m on to several or to all of the A m bigua.
I w ould insist however that M axim usis alwaysconsciousofcom m enting a text. The problem that draws his attention m ay not be w hol-

ly contained in the text,as I have jtlst hhzted;but whether he be

drawn away from the text by som e abusive interpretation or by
som e exeessive anagogieal interest, M axlm us w ill alw ays return to
the text. 'rhe only exeeption is w hen the text proposed is proposed
predsely for the oeeasion it presents of developing the analogieal
elem ezzt, for the m ost part already present in Gregory's oration.
A n instance of this would be Am b 48 or the series Am b 52-59.

Tk6 .llcf/drzllo
Of M axim us' references to the eom position of the A m bigua
the hm dam ental one is the introductory letter itself. 'rhere w e

are inform ed that the Bishop Jolm had com m anded M axim us to
14 BARI)V ak't.cif.p.t
z:
fc and note z.
1: Srxxo p. z4.

set down in writing the substance of their discussions over various

dicult passages ofGregory the Theologian (Io64B). It Ls a eharge

that he,lzowever unfit,m ust accept. So then he will venture som e
little in the explanation of Gregory, even though the conciseness
of Gregory's style and the denseness of his thought wottld force
even the m ost skilled professor or philosopher to long deyelopem ents

(Io65A).

H a&ritlg so prefaced his work it is nattlral tllat at certaaizl in-

tervals Maz mus should address John directly. Twice he does this

iu the singular:at the outset (Amb 6 - Io65B)and irlthe cotlrse of:

bne ofthe diculties (Amb 38 - I3()oC6). 'Phe plttralis the more
habitual use. For the nlost pat't these pmssages repeat the sentim ents of the prologue. M axim us is writing under eom m and con-

jecturing rather than a rrning,and submitting the product of his

thought to his reader's betler judgement (Amb If)-I236CI2; 2IIZN B ;4I-I36IA ;4z-I349A ;Va1-I4IgA). It is notewodhy that he
submits h1s refutation of Origenism (Amb 7-IIoIC),with diflidence
to be sure,but without reference to eonjeeture. H is inteution was
really to eonfute. H ere and there also flz the course of his exposi-

tion,Maximusreferstohisconjectaralprocedure. Thusin the Amb 7

just m entioned he transfers the Origenist figtlres for a prim ordial
henad to a conjeetural foreshadowing of the future state (Am b

g-Io76A5). CondudingthelirstpartofAmb Io(II93BI4)Maximus

reminds tts that his eonsiderations are coajectural. M d twice in
the only difliculty draw n from Gregory's poetry he tellsus the sam e

tbirpg (Amb zz-zzjzzyt ,Bg)..

There rem ains one passage that seem s to indieate sonleting m ore behind the use of the seeond pergon plural than the reverenee

Maximusfelttowards Bishop Johnl'. I refer to Amb 45 (I352CIz).

He there dedares that he w rites nothing but what G od gives 'ffor
your nourishm ent, m y good fathers, to the exteut of our ability.''
Is this still'tlle coqventional plural of reverence or does there lie
behind it tlze com rzttm ity of Cyzieus? If otle should opt,.with less
probability,for the Iirst opiniop,so m aking this passage fallilzwit.h

tlle'others,then this Ior Altw rs/lzv p,lis ytilla witnerxs to the fundam ental seope of a11 the A m bigual spiritual ediseation ;and as sueh
it m ay be recondled with tehe disd ple's reverence w hich M axfm us

felt for John.

'e I'or thkq reference see ep 28-31 an4 m y D ate-list item s x6-zo.

T& Eatliv'y zlpllhfgul

Tktf Adversari6s

Anothergroup (Amb Io-ll8ox.c;I4-Iz3IAI;39-I3oIB8)cleariy

indicates that in transm itting the list of passages from Gregory

John,from tim e to tim e at least,indieated illwhat way they m ade

dieulty. '1Y e ole ctions advanced in Amb Io and 39 are eeru inly
actual diflieulties felt in the Cyzicus cirde or krlown to llave course
elsewhere.
In other A m bigua tlne existenee ofadversaries and, for the m ost
par'
t, contem porary adversaries is evident. The very first lines of
A m b 7 indicate the O rigenists. though not by nam e;they appear

more opeztly later (Io89BC). In Ainb 4: they oecasion the great

digressions on tbe pre- and postexistence of the soul A gainst the
defenders of tllis latter opinion M axim us' feelings nm so laigh that
.

he addresses them direetly (Amb 42-1336C;I337B). W ho are the

certain pzl:s of Am b 15 (IzI6CI.'
J), who insist on identifying sight
and naturallaw ? If these be the sam e as ihose against whom the
long eoncluding digression (I2IgBIo-IzcIB6) is directed,they are
the contemporary Origenists. Other (casual) adversadesarerefat-

edinAmbIzandAmbIo(II84B6,refutingtheeternity ofmatterj.

In fact it m ay reason'ably be asked ifthe series ofseetions in Am b Io

on aNrmative theology was tlot oeeasloned i)y a tendency (due to

remnants of Hellenic thought?)to deny the fundamentalassertions
there put forward as neeessary for Chzistian philosophy 17 Granting this however,it is dear that this is not a polem ie in the serzse
of that agaiztst the Origenists of his tim e.
.

Tke zd
lz
lff/lprfn-e.
s
'fo pass nowefrom the urm am ed adversaries to'the equally un
nam ed sources w hom M axim us cites in expounding the Hght doctrine,
'we firld m ost prom inent an o1d m an. One's first thought,thinking
-

on the o1d man ofthe Liber asceticus and ofthe M ystagogla may
be that tlzis is only a fctiou, The character of tlle dtations seem

to exdude sueh an hypothesis. They number 7 (Amb a7-Ia65Dff;

17 The M axim iax aiversaries I have saicl arc contem porary. Y et

as one section on Providence (Amb Io-l189.

A.:5 to II93BI1) is excerpted
and rearranged from N em eslus' de '
pJfza , kom inis 43,44 (PG 4o.'
;'pzBff)

one m ay perhalxs question whether the adversariea are always eontem

perary. H ow eve.r the suggestion given ln the text seem s on the w hole
m ore probable.
-

Extrrnd Descz/fn'
tr

28-IzgzB; cg-lttgzD ,
' 35-128817.
' 39-I3OIB; 43-13498,
' 66-1393R).
That of A m b z7 is eertainly a deliberate verbatim insertion of the
o1d m an's reply. Am b 28 and .39 seem tflbe the sam e;the rest only
report his answer.
W hat are the characteristics of these replies? Izor the m ost part

they arestraightforward,philologicalexegesisofGregory'stext(Amb
29,39,43,661.TheGregorian'passageofAmb 35 isan open invitation
t()use theDioltysian vocabular'y (flxepd:ltoo rckj,with,perhaps,
a Afaxim iam rephrasing of D N z.1I - 649, The first tw o instances

(Am b z7,z8), however, are distinetly Christologieal(the Gregoriall

passageexacted tlzis),asisalso theone eitation ofthe o1d matzin the
later Ambigua (Am b 5-Io44B). It is probably futile to conjecture
wlm tidso1d m an m ight have been;yet ifany nam e is to be suggested
that of Sophronius seem s m ost suitable. Sueh a stp position m ay
perhaps reeeive som e color from tlle faet tllat three of the seven re-

ferences coneern Christological questions, in which bophronian intltlence on M axim us is recognized. Fuzther they flrst occur ovet
Jlalf w ay through the A m bigua, by bulk, so that one m ay suppose
M axim us to have ltad tim e to com e to know Sophronitts after his
arrival in Africa and settling in the Sophronian com m unity.
There are other anonym ous citations throughout the A m bigua.
The frequent they say is too com m on and too indefinite to retain our
attention,tltough at tim es the attthor m ay be found.18 Iu A m b Io,

however,tllerefereneesand reporting ofgyacs-illumined V:Al(IIIzD5;

II3.
3AIz the saints; II93BI2,
' I204Dfi) are unusually frequent sck
that I w onder ifa reference to the Dionysiac tradition is not thence
to be inferred. Yo the D ionysian inlluenee is here m ore pervasively
felt than elsew here, as the space given to negative and a rm ative

theology and even the use of the term cdebyate (gv (lvvgvfp;
IIo8C5;III6Az;11161)5;II28B4)would seem to indicate.
Aside from Gregory him self and D enis, there Ls but one other

Christian author eited by name:St Basil (Amb p Io8oD7).

Evagdus is exptieitly dted,thouglnot nam ed,foz his defnition

of end (Amb g-1072C..4). The delinition in Maxim us' use, is of a

distinctly Aristotelian flavor (cf.M et. q 2-9941716); so also the definitions of plaee given by cevtain fpAle.
s (Amb Io-II8oC), particu-

larly thetbird (cf.Phys.4.4-212a20). The frsttwo areofa provenance that I have not been able to identify .
IB See the foregoing note.

Io

Thr E'
trdfer x'l-kfw
The I'hsmes

If now one were to enquire what are the prevailhtg them es

m anifest in these D iflicultis and in the responses of M axim us,one
w otlld certainly not err in a rm ing:the Am bigua are an illustration
of that diabasis1% from the tem poral and thepresentto theeverlasting, of the erztirely central plaee that Cllrist and the Incrnatiou

phy in the attaining ofthat goal:partieipation in (ratherthaa visioa of)the Blessed W inity. 'rhese are tite grovmd swezs ofMaxim us' thought to be found in alm ost every A m biguum . There are,
in addition, v'arious other eurrents, som e of w hich concur with the
grourtd sw ells, others are, as it w ere'
urface waves depending on
, s
som e chance vdnd. N o single A m biguwm is a pure exam ple of any
type. It will give som e idea, however, of the variety of m atters
eontained in the A m bigua and the frequeney of their oceurrence

if I llere list some of the major them es v'ith the Ambigua where
they are fotm d.::
Of tlae Tripity: Am b 23,z4, z5,z6,35,4O, 61;

Christological:Am b z7, z8, 38, 59, 60,

,
Imgos-christus: Am 1) 37, 4I, 47, 48;
anthropological:Am b I5, 3I, 41,42,45,65,
'
the Econom y:Am b 3I,33,36,4I,44,
propheey2A m b 19, 68,
*
negative and a/ rm ative theology: Am b 9, Io, I6,
zo, cz, 34,47,71;
antiorigenist: A m b 7', I5, 42;
.

I8,

against otitet errors: A m '

b Iaa 13, 15, 4:
2,*
,
m erely exegetical:Am b 39,43,64,7o;
philologieal: Am b 14, I8, 29, 69.
.

By these notes,prefatory'to the analysis ofthe sinkle Ambigua,

I have hoped to throw into som e relief the prevailing character-of

the M axim ian responses,the existence of contem porary errors which
had to be com batted , the m onastic m ilieu in which the responses
had their origin,the fundam ental expectation on the part of M axim us'sollicitaztts and on his owm to turzl altto the good ofthesoul.
19 See especially Am b Io altcl Loosen's study.
2@ I have not thought it neeessary to force every A m biguum into a
category. M auy pertattt to several. m any also fofm palt of tke grom d
sw d l w ithoutlt other noterw orthy eharacteristics. These last are not here
llsted.

TS

21

Before elltering upon the analysis of the single A m bigua I have

ztow only to give a list ofthem w ith a11the explicit eitationsidentiEed.

'fhe Scripture citations (and more obvious allusions)I give in a

scxcond table.
80th of these tables em ploy the uwaterial provided by Oehler
in his editiortand by the editor of the M igtle reprint;butthese m aterials have been im plem ented and eontrolled. In giving the citations I shall give first the colum n num ber where they m ay be found
in M ai m us,the num ber of G regory's oration follow ed by the voium e
and colum n num ber in M igne; after the citatiolls of Gregory those
'

from Denis (ineluding allusions)willfollow,then the other rare eitations. It is understood of eourse that the colum n num bers for the

A m bigua refer to the G reek M igne votum e 9I.' In tables 11 and IIT

a T placed afterareferenceindieatesthatthepassagecited (Gregory

or Seripture)is found in the title (orsubtitle ilzAm b 10),the small

..

t indicates rather an allusion.

T A s us I

List of the -4m bigua with citations

Am b 6-Io65B-1o68C
Am b 7-Io68D-1IoIC

Ps. Denis

Basil
Evagrius
Am b 8-IxoID -zzosB

D e pauperum am ore
or. 14.7 :35.8658
D e pauperum am ore
or. :4.7 ::5.86.5C

1o76D/or. :zI.I :35.Io84B,

5-zo
zoyrB/or.28.17 :36.48C8-10,5-8
zo8sc/or. 28.17 :36.48C5-8
Io88A/or. 16.9 :3.
5.945C8-12
IogzA/or. 14.7 ::$5.8658
IogzA/or. 14.7 1title
xo93AB/or. I4,zo :35.884A zo-Bzz
xo93BC/or. I7.4 :35.969C9-1.
5
zog3D/or.38.zz :36.321C4-324..2
Iog6A/or. 39.:3 :.
36.34.817z-5
1o73B9/DN 2.q ;3.64883
Io8oB/DN 5.5 :3.820A.
lo8zC5/DN 2.5 :3.644A.
Io85A8/DN 5.8 :.
3.824.
zo8oD/in Isaixm j .
3o (1.1:
$):3o.z77C1r-b4
xozzck/Mhylderm ams, MuagyianavSyrigctz p.34..cf.
Thal 60-62zzro.
De'
pauperum am ore

or. z4.3o /.
35.8978
Am b 9-fxo5C

In laudem A thanasll
or. zz.: !3.
5.10848

z2
A m b zo-zrosc-z20.5C
Ps. D enis

The E flrzftr A m biglta

In laudem A thanasii
or. zl,1 :35.:084C
II.57(
B6/ep 9 :3.zzoq.B lvaaoytwyvvp.
:

1y37B15/D N 4.zz :3.7c4B lcoxw a. Cf. M yst

23-;roIQ5

(r88A3/DN :.
3.3 :3.98017
z88124/1)N 4.lo ::
5.705 afetx
N em esius

zI89.A.15-rIEI3B 1:1de nat.#()p).43,44 :4o.7f

?zBss.

Adstotle?

zI8oC1z Ia/cf. Phys.4.4-2Izazo

A mb 1I-zzosD -zao8A
A nlb I2-I2o8B C
A m b I:
$-z2o8D -IzI2B

'

'

l'n lauflem Athanasii

or. 2I.18 :35.1toxc
In laudem A thanasii
or. zI.3I :3.
5.11l;'Q '
Theologica I

or. z7.z :36.lZA

Am b z4-zt
azzB-lz1JD Theologica I
or. 27,4 :36.1617
Ps.Denis
12I3CZ/CH :5..5 :3.(?k.33B
A m b z5-Iz IA -Iz2IB Tlleologica 11
or. :8.6 :xr
qti.t
jac:
A m b 16-1zczC-I224A T heologica 11
or, 28.9 :36.36C
Am b z(r-12z4B-Izxzc Theologica 11
or. 28.9 :3.
6.:
.
47A.'

A m b l8-zzg2k7-Iz,33B
A m b zf?-zz(
33C>1ag6D

I2(z8A/or. :8..
5 :36..
s
J28.
5
1z29BC/or. 28.5 :,
36.3213C
xctapD/or. c8.z :g6.:
$3B9ss.

T heologica 11
or. z8.zo ;36.37C
T heologica 11
or. 28.19 :36.528

Am b zo-rza6D-lz4ze 'Theologica 11
or. 28.20 :36.52C

Ps. Denls

Iz4zAjo/M3.
A z ::
$.997.
1.

Am b 2z-zc4xD-I256C Theologica 11
or. z8.zo T36,53.*

Ia4gD/or. 7.2T :35.781C8-784A8

Aznb 22-:2.56D -1257C Afheologica 11

or. 28.2:: :36.5.38

Am b z3-r25.
/C-I26IA

Theologica III
or. 29.2 :36.768

Ps.Denis

xz6oC/DN 4.14 ::$,j1(aC

Am b z4-rz6;B-za64B Theologica I1I

or. 2:.6 :36.81B
Am b 25-1264C-12658 Theologica III

m b 26-z26542-I2681

or,c9.Ij :36.951
Tkeologlca III

or. 29.:6 :36.964

Tabk I

z:

A m b 27-1:68C-1z)'2A

T heologica IV
or. 30.8 :36.1z2
$A
.

zz69B/or. 30.8 :.
36.1I382-4
Am b z8-.
r27zBC
Am b

Am b
Am b
Am b

T lteologita IV
or. 30.9 :36.1I:$C
z9-zz7zD -I273A Theologica IV
or. Jo.II .:.
36.116C
xo-lz73A -C
Theologiea IV
or. :
$0.2I :.
:
36.I:
$:$A
31-1z73D -Ic8IB In N atalicia
or. 38,2 ::$6.3I3B
52-1281.
B -1z85B In N atalicia
or. 38.2 :.36.:13R

Ps.Denis

I285A/EH 2.4 :,
3.4ooB9-CIo

A m b :$a-Ia85C-I288A

In N atalicia
or. a8.z :36.3138
A m b 34-1288A.-C
In N atalicia
or. 38.7 :36.3178 C
Am b 35-ra88D -z289B In N atalicla
or. 38.9 :36.3.20C
.

Ps.Denis

Iz89A/DN 2.II ::.649

A m b 36-za89B-D

In N atalicia
or. :
$8.:3 :.36..
325C
Am b .57-128917-1c97B ln N atalieia
or. 38.17 :36.:$21)D
.

IzgzDf./or.44.: :36.6088 I-lo

A m b .38-Iz97C-I3oIA

In N atalicia
or. 38.18 :36,3328

Amb 39-I3oIBC

In sancta Im m ina

or, 39.6 136.34 rA

Am b 4o-z3ozD -z3oyc In sancta Im m ina
or. .39.8 :36.344%

I3o4B/or.34.8 136.249.
*.
2-4
z3ozjc/or.lo.4z 236.4:786-8
Am b 41-r3o4D -IJr(6A In sancta L um ina
or. 39.13 :36.34817

(
Ps.Denis

1313A/DN z3.2 ;:.977D-980.

:.
7

Am b 4z-I3I6A-z.
34pA In sanctum Baptism a
or. 40.2 ::6.360C

I3z4o/or.30.20 :36.129061.
I336A/ep, Iox,I ;37.18:C
.

$49B -D
Am b '4.3-t:

In sancturn B aptism a
or. 4o.Iz 236.3738
titl'
a plus
Am b 44-z3491)-I35aA In sactum Baptism a
or. 40.33 :36.4058
Am b 45-13.528 -15568 In sanctum Pascha
or. 45.8 :36.6:2C

14

Tlw ffprli> Am biguq

Am b 46-:356C-1gs7D

In satlctttm Pa cha
or. 45.13 :35.641A.
4.7-135711-13614. In sanetm n Paselza
or. 45.14 :.
36.641Q17
4.
8-1361.1.-1365C In sand um Paseha
or. 45.:6 :36.645.
A.
49-1365C1:
In salctum Pascha
or. 45.18 :36.648C
50-1368.
A.-13690 In sanctum Pu cha
.

Amb
Amb
Am b
Amb

A m b 5z-z,369C-z3;'2E
A m b 52-z37cB C
A m b .53-z:7cC-I37B

or. 4.
5.:9 :.
36.6498
In sanctum Pascha
or. 45.2z :36.6528
In sanctum Pascha
or. 45.24 : 36.656C
In sanctum Pasch.a
or. 45.24 236.6.j6C

A m b 54-1.376C-:3778
Amb
Amb
Am b
Amb
Am b

Am b
A= b
Am b

In sanctum Paseha
or. 45.24 :56.656C
5.5-:377C
In sanctum Pascha
or. 45.24 :36.656D
56-I377D -z38oD In sanctum Pmqeha '
or. 45.24 :36.656D
p z38oD -I38zB In saltd um Paseha
.q
oT. 45.24 :36.657.:
58-1381E -z384 11. In sanetum Pascha
or. 45.24 :36.657%
59-1384.1.
-C
In sanctum Pascha
or. 4.
5.24 :36.657..
60-:.38417-13850 In sanctum Pascha
or. 4.
j.25 :36.6578
6:-1385C-z388A. In novam D om iuicam
or. 4.4.2 :36.6088
62-:3884 8
In novam D om inieam
or. 44.2 :36.608C
..

I388B/or. zo.z :36.ro5BT3

A m b 63-z3880-13898

In novam D om inicam
or. 44.5 :36.6120

1:
$88C/or. 44.8 ::
$6.61617
A m b 64.
-:3898C

In novam D ornlnicam
or. 44.8 :36.6168
A'
m b 65-13'
891J-131)38 In Pentecosten
or. 41.2 ;36.4328
A m b 66-1,3938 -1396.8. In Pentecosten
or. 41.4 :36.4.33E
.

zag6A/poem ata 11 z v. zo :37.523.

1.
A m b 67-I396B-I4o4C In Pentecosten
or. 4:.4 :36.433Cf.

Table 11

1.
5

A m b 68-I4o4D -4o5C In Pentecosten

or. 4:.16 :36.449C
Am b 69-:405C17
In H eronem
'
or. 25.6 :35.Izo5E
Aznb 7o-z4o5B -z4o80 In laudem Basilii
or. 43.I :36.4964.
A m b 7I-I4o8C-T4I6D Praecepta ad V irgines
37.624

Ps. Denis

Valedictor!-14I7-C
Ps. Den.
ts

zzjzsA/or,41.:2 :36.44588-14
z4z6CD/or.7.Ig :35.77'
/C10-D5
;415A/DN 4.t.
:
s::.7IzAIz-B5
z4zgN4-zr/DN 1..
5.6 :.
!.()8zCz5-D6.
T A B % s 11

Index of Citations
A ristotle?
Basil
E vagrius
Gregtlr.y N mdanzen
'. 7.19
or. 7.2I
or, 14.7

tlr, I4.20
OY. 14.30
kn'. 16.9
0r. I7.4
OT. 2 I.1

or. 2I.18
or. 2l.31
or. 25.6
or, 27.I
or, 27.4
or. 28.5
or. 28.6
or. 28.7
or. 28.9

A m b zo-zl8oozz 13
Amb ,
/-$080D
A m b 7-royzC4

35i77Clo-D5

3.
5.781Q8-784.
&8
35.8658
35.8658
JJ.8&5C
35.865C
35.884A zo-B zz
35.8978
35.94528-12
35.969C9-15
35.10848
35.10848 5-10
zg.zzoxc
:
$5.1117C
3,
5.zao5B
:6.zI
zA
,
36.161)
$.J2(
I)5
.3t
z6.:JaBC
36..5zC
36.338 9/ .
36.560
36.37*

A nzb
Anab
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Amb
Am b
Am b

7:-1416C D
2:-:249D
6 T
7-Io9zA
7 ?r
7-zogzA t
7-Ioq3A B
8 'r
7-Io88A
7-zo93BC
zo T
7-zoy6D
xI T
zz T
69 'P
:3 T
14 'r
I7-1228A
lzzgB e
A m b 15 T
Am b zp z2z9D
A m b 16 T
Am b I7 '
r

16

Tlts Sllrli:r Am bigua

or. 28.Io
or. 28.z7

or. a8.:9

36.528

or. 28.20
or. 28.:2z

36.52C
36.53A
(
36.538

A m b 18 T
A m b I'
y o77B
- 1085C
A m b 19 '
r
Am b zo '
P
A m b 2I Q*
Am b z.
zT

or. 29.'
z
or. 29.6
or. 29.15
01,. z9 .x6

36.76/
36.8rB
36.9311
36.96A.

Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b

z.T
:4
z5
26

C)r. 3O.2
o r. .30.8

$
36.10.58 1:
g6.Iz.3A
$B a-4
,36.4I(
36.4.1,3C
36.r:62
:
56.12f.)C6f
36.!.3,
3A

Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b

62-13888
z7 T
al'-z26911
z8 T
z9 T
4:-1324C
3o T

36.249.1.
2-4

A m b 4o-I3o4B

()r. 38.z

36.3:.38
36.ir:3B
3f..(
$13B

or. 38.7
0r. 38.9
or. 38.11
or. 38.13
or. 38.T'
;'
or. .38.(8

36,31782
36.320C
36.3::zC4-324A.2
36.325C
3($.3z9D
36.3328

A m b 3I T
A m b az T
A m b 33 *
.P
A m b 34 T
Am b 35 '
1%
A m b ;r-zo93D
A m b 36 T
A m b :7 T
A m b 38 T

39,6
8
.39.
Or. 39.I3
Or. Jg.I.
5

36.311A
36.344A
36.,348D
36.348D 1-5

Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b

39 T
4o T
41 T
7-1096A

Or. 41.2
or. 4o.12

or. 4o.33
or. 40.4 I

:6.3602
36.3738
36.4058
4:78 6-8
,36.

Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b

4z '
r
43 T, -I349B
44 'r
4o-I3o4C

Or. 4t.z
or, 4I.4
Or. 4I.4
C)r. 4I.I2
Or. 41.16

35.4328
36.4338
36.433C6.
36.4458 8-14
36.446)C

Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b
Am b

65 T
66 T
67 T
71-r4 I3A
68 T

0r. 43.I

36,496.
A

Am b 7o T
Aznb .'J7-yz9zD f.
Am b 61 T

Or. 30.9
or. 3o.II
or. 30.20
Or. 3o.2:!
or. 34.8

or.
or.

Or. 44.I
OT. 44.2

36,37C
36.48C5-8 8-zo

36.5o8B z-zo
6088
.36.

T
T
1*
T

Tabl6 III

17

or. 44.2
or. 44.5
or. 44.8
or. 44.8

:6.608C
,
36.&TaC
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42-1344.1.
zo-II.52B

25.7%

z zo
4. z8

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Io-zx64(
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45-13521)
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i.9

Am b .
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Table 1II

1:9

IoB

(S .M'cfr/ltz4xsl

8.z

A m b lz-zcosI)

SAPIISNTIA

5.Iz,zo Am b 71-z4z6D
SIRACID/S
22.6
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A m b. z4-zZI3C

sas

13.3
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56-:37117
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9.24
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14.33
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31-1277.
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:6.39

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s Ioxxss
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10.34
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19.39

zo.:l
zo.z5
ao,26
zz.ao
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Amb
Am b
Amb
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Am b
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Amb
Amb
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A xnb
Am'
b
Amb
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zo-zIa8A
zo-)z28A
zo-zz45B
zo-zz4olD
:
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rzo-lza'
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7-IIooc
zo-xr4s:B, zz64A
2z-I256A
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tzltf Epha iosj

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6.16,17 Am b i'-zoggll
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12.4,9
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B
14.24
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A m b zo-zIz9D
A m b 2o-zz36D '
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A m b 7-Io76B
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A D Pm rappsxsss
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A n Spu sros
z.8,zo A m b 4z-z:t:
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z-zo

(Co1.I.z6)Amb 7.zo97AE

I PET:?.
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A m b 7z-z4z6D

z.z7-23 A m b '
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A m b 42-:332C,4.8-136117 I IOANNIS
1364.1.
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A m b p ro92B

Analysisoj/& Single.D@ fw/./r'

fw

21

1l. A Narwysrs ol Tff:e Szxgr.s D rlflqcltrtllss

A m b 6-zo65B-zoj8C:De lf
zlfldrrllzrla1n0r6 - or.14.7:35.8658
Gregory has been speaking of the various treatm ents a m an
m ight give his body. H e goes on : 'TIf I spare it as a fellow
workery I have then no m eans of fleeing if,s rebellion or of not
falling from God,weigkted with bonds that pu.
ll or hold down to
.

the earth.''

The diflieulty isto distinguish the pulldown and the kold #o&?Al,
it being quite tm worthy'of Gregory to have used them symonym ously

(Io65C9).
In order to indicate adequately their difference M axim us frst
describestlle state from whieh one w ould fall. It is that ofthe m an

pedected irtpraetiee and theory,in virtue and k-nowledge (-Io68A'3),

so that anger is converted into love and conetlpiscence into joy.
This reference to joy induees a further reference to John exulting
in the w om b and D avid before the ark, exultation being a sym bol

ofjoy (-Io68AIo). (These two instanees ofexuitation form thedifieulty in A m b '

j7). 'i'he sense of womb - the present 1ife being
.

such i11 com parison weith the future - is developed in a digression.

Thesenseofptdldown is then declared to bethenegligellce ofdivine

forearthly things (-Io68C6)and that ofholtlffp:@ztheindiserim inate
preference ofthe body to separation from them by virtue(-Io68CIz).
'rhe form er then is said to be of the eontem plative m an,the latter

of tlle practical (-Io68CI7).

The conversion of anger into love coneupiseenee into joy is a
thouglzt found in various w ays in the Csntuyies pn fl/w d fy. M ore
frequently love and self-m astery are presented as the ehecks of anger and eoncupiscence:LA zo,Char 1.65.
.4.80,
.a m ore direct illustm tioll of our present passage is Char 2.48. Y et there coneupiseence
grows into eyos. It is not neeessary here tclpoint out the sim ilarity
of M axim us vvith E vagrius, nor yet the dissim ilazity.

Am b 7-zo68D-zzozC:De paupevum (z-t?r: - or.14.7 :35.865C

Origenists were knowa to turn passages of Gregory N azianzen
to their own advantage. 'fhus the sdzoliast of V at. g'
r. 2067 f. 73

(at the head of Gregory's oration on the Nativity) cautions: 'fSee

az

7-/:: lavlier zfnbbigua

that as you read you are not eaptivated by the doctzine ofthe pre
'' 1
existenee, as the Origenists want

. . .

'Plte qtlestioner pf Barsanvlphitls (d.near 540) says that m any

defend the doctzine of preexistence from Gregory of N azianzen, es-

peeially from his orations on the Nativity and Easter (PG 86,897C),
neglecting passages that are quite d ear in tlle m atter. Justinian 1

cites such a passage from the De j0

zgt:3 with an explanation of

the Origenistis' alm se. Fulther on 4 he affirm s this practice to '

be com m on and begins a sezies of corrqetive patristie texts with
two eitations from Gregory. N one of the passages cited in Bar
-

sanupbiussor Justinian G are cited by M aximus save for the conclusion of the last 7, w itieh how ever is there dted for a diderent
Ptlrpose.
.
.
Tlzat thett an orthodex com m entator of Gregory slzottld have
occasion to eom bat Origenist views is no surprise. Ancl if that
'

com m entator writes som e g5 years after Justinin's eoademnation

of Origenism . it m eans only that the heterodox Origenism , though
perhaps without further external histon r, was not yet finished.
'
fhe text of Gregory runs:f'W itat is this wisdom that coneerns
m e? aud.what is tllis great m ystezy? Is it that H e wills that we,
being a portion of God and slipped down from above, lest exalted
and lifted up by reasortof our digttity, despise tlke ercator,that we,
I say, itz the struggle and fght with the body should ever look to

l'Tim and that this otlr subjoined weakrtess be an edueation for our
dignity? ''

Tk 11aisk)l 4j1 cotpla,xat 1:(I.) jtya xo:so Izvgvjtltovl li jofhs'ttttttoktw jg(k Yvxfs eEov,xat dvfom v le ofwsag, 'tvfl p,
q *vl
x$A,
dkltw lxatpgEvot xtzk geutllply lzevolxtlvatppovmpsv sotiKvltm vtog, N
xii xeg B cf
lhta adn xtlt Izdzn xetk (tN t
'
lv (hk I3haEw,xalshv mn'slevygvnv flc*utqv rratayfpytav elvalto: Q kJjtttog.
1. See SINKO

D e /A'tz#fJ5t)Az,. . . indiresla p. 3 and a6.

Z JIJSTINIAN Adversus OA'2kJ'

#ld#&, ACO t. 1I1 tg31: PG 86. 9.S.TB .
G RSGORV N AZIANZIN , De jsfjr
tz,or.2.I7,PG 35.4258 xJ/,
JUSTINIAN,o#.sit., ACO, t. 111, 205$1: I;G 86. 97sD .
5 Baasu rlpltm s cites G ttsooay N AZ. or. 45.7: PG 3(i,6.32A 7-tz.
$ JTJSTINIAN'cites or.2.I7:35.425B/AC0 t.III 19311 PG 86. 9538 ;

or.44.42.
36.6IaA3-z4./z9#8:9531);or.45.7:36,632.
:.7-8 z/z953':t)59A;or.
z.z8: 35,437A/zo538: 9;'5D ; or. :6.9: 35.945AIc-DI/co6:: p75D
,

% Am bip-zo88A responds to or. z6. 9: .

35.p45C8-zz.

Anaiyss ol/& Snglefllcvlffw

aa

W ith such a text proposed to him ,M axim us frst of a11 rd utes

tille O rigenist position as suclt and then, still befere any exegesis
of Gregory is attem pted, art adequate orthodox m eaaing m ust be

given to the phrase poytion p/ Gotl, so elosely did it seem related

to the henad. This constitutes Part One.
Part '
rwo intends prim arily to be exega is and begins by placing the rnisinterpreted passage in its context, observing the ftm dam erttal raistake, nam ely the understanding it of m an's gena is
rather thau of the w retchedness subsequent thereto. Izour other
texts of Gregory are advaneed in support of this and to show that
he speaks of m an's origins in anotlter-w ay. 'fhus M axinm s goes
on to develope the fundam ental m ystery of m an with the help of
eitations from Ephesians, A11 of this gravitates abotlt the phrase:

pcvtio'
n n/God. Yet the polemic element has taken too mttch ofhis
attention that it can now com pletely drop from viem Tlm s the
whole dillieulty ends in a philosophic refutation of the preexistence
and postexistenee of souls.
Such iu a nutshell is this m ost inlportant D ifllculty ;the detailed
artalysis willfollow on the texttm l notes I shall now presetlt,
'Phe num eratiotl of.the Diflk ulties: ffOne ollly energy of God
and the w orthy ''; this phrase occurs in the present A m biguum

(Io76Czo). Later M aximus had to explain it. H e there (TP

I-33AIO)dtes it as being hlthe seventh chapter ofthe Dieulticxs
of Gregory the great. In fact tlle present A m biguum is the second

ofthose sent to Jolm ;bttt five were later seztt to Tltorrlas and are

found in thevast majority ofm anuscriptsin the firstplace. Therefore one m ay suppose that in M axim tts' own tim e tlle two sets

were joined,so that the present DiKculty is to be reekoned as the

seventh.. N aturally the tw o introduetory lettets are not to be reektm ed as di eulties.

I here subjoin a list of variant readings, some of which are

needfulim provem ents of tlle text, and a11 of whicb are attested by
one or m ore m anuscripts older than the Gudian which underlies
Oehler's text. This list eom prises the m ore notable variants found

fn eollating Amb 7 witllVat.gr.Iroz (V),Monac.gr.363 (M),A14gelica Izo (A). W here variants oceurred I consulted Scotus'vers-

iou (S);Ihavealso noted ThomasGale'svariants (T) and at times

Tlzavedistirguished Oehler'sznanuscrip (())from hisprinted text(0).
H aving consulfed V and A directly I have at tim es distinr ished

in them two readings t(and p. The 1$ readings may be corrections

24

The A'fvl:r Am bigua

contem porary wititthe m anuscript or the result ofa posterior coll

ation. T do not always attem pt to distinguish Until still other
m anttserip'ts have beerteollated it does not seem woe lawltile to glve
a list of a11the variants. Jn the present list I give first the reading
oftile printed text,after a colon the variants and witnesses W laen
VAM or 'f are not found to the right ofthe colon they are presum ed
to confirm the printed text S is cited only when in tells positively
for one or the other reading.
-

Tot$9B 5

ctbv G : 'Eiov V M A O

B 13 lzrel :Il
'aaz '
S''
MA
1o7zA 8

ytvgzvc : yevpo ct V M A

(
B8 M A O :DL VM TG
B9 xltam tvotc,v ; xa'
:*lalvoto'VM A
B :5 Jvnvov : J'
yvvqxov EX M A
xog:A4 K v 'iev :'r09 '
vofiSVM A

B6 dk ... th a/oik :-.

S
D z lv li@ vtzg'
rf:
i
j 51:) ;l'. 4
5.'
t.!.SVM AT
zogtu'
t8 '
hzf: '
rcfi'
ra rrv'
ctt A@ :(I.m 'r.S'
VM .
1p
B9 t;f;l ...lifiyck :1:7$ ...I
;fj6(S'O fzt
176 ofttgtk Ap' .ofDayoiiVM AU
.

1)8

obxo S : -V M A T

zogp

qwstxf;v :qlvtxz: SVM A

zo8oyk.3

ffpedxt
-actg :aioiitpscrrf
7wSVM

B 14
Cg
C6
Ds
zo8zA.z
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D etailea A nalysis

PartOne,I:Againstthe henad and on the future state (-Io77Bz5).

Tlgspassage (above,p.zz)many too facilely understaud oftlle

henad of rational.beiugs who, coanatural to God, had their abode
in him ;but then cam e m otion and their scattering iu bodies m ade
izz punislaznent of their form er sins. The absurdity ofsuclzan opin-

ion the following tract willmanifest (-Io69B4).

Argument I (Io69B4-Io7zAI()). Theprincipleisstated:nothing
capable of motilm rests before it llas attained its tfizmll catlse, the
uitimatedesire(Io69B4-I4). Andifitbesaidthatrationalcreatures,
tlle em d attained, have in fact seattered 8 there is no answ er to the

objectfon that they w'

ottld desert the good zzlf'?l#lC'
Jlf??9 (z()W Czz).
Ifhowever one says it is possible for them (to adhere firmly to the
good) but that they prefer not to for the sake of experiendng the
contrary,then elearly the good is no longer good in itself atld the
satisfaction of desire; rather the contrary, evil, m ust be reckoned

asa gracethatteachesthegood and isgenerativeoflove (-Io7zAIo).

'rhis argument,though positing thefundamental(teleologeal)prineiple,is rather topical,redudng the answ ers given by the Origenists
to their absurd conclusions.

Argument 1 (Io;zAII-DI). Geqesis, logically at least, precedes motion (-Io7zB9). 'Plzis motion is defined (Peripaticians seem
tobedted)asa naturalpowe.r passion oroperativeenergy,driving
to an end,which isaw'
ith regard the lattertw o term s,eitller tlle im -

passible or the self-perfect (-lo72BI3)9. No ereated thing is its

own end, beeause not tmcaused'- here isintroduced (Io7zC4f.) a
dev ition ofend Arijtotelian in tone (d .Met.fz2-9941:16)butin faet
eited fron Evagrius 1e not only here but also in 'fhal6o-6zIA zo : See the version below p. I85 with note zI.
: See the version below p.98.
18 See M '
uirm sltMAl'
s L'vaeianavSyrfctltz. Ivouvain 1952, p. 34'
,A m b

z6

Tlw Egrlferzfpltrk-

nor self-perfeet, becattse the self-perfect

already unaetuatable

as already complete (the self-perfect is somehow uncaused); nor

im passible,because the im passible is infinite. . . 'rherefore no created
thing stops m oving short of its first and only cause. There Ls thtts

no ground for supposing the breaking-up (gxetltAjt) ofa primitive

henad (-Io7cDI).
'
In suppozt of this Seripture witnesses are adduced: M oses Gen. z.j7; D eut, Iz.9; David - Ps. 16.5.
z; Paul - Pl1il. 3.II;
, 4I.

Hebr.4.10 (II.39); Christ - Matt.11.28 (-Io73AI4).

B.After these Scriptural eitations the conelusion is m ore fully
draw n. Tlle natural power, the energy have not yet fotm d their

rest, that is the end, the impassible, the immobile (Io73AI4-B4).

l7or Cxod alone is the end, the ped eet, the im passible;it is for the
creature-to m ove to that end and to rest his energy there and to

suffer, ''but not to beeom e essentially this unqualied '' thing

(-Io73BzI). This suffering, this passion (not in the m oral sense)

isexplained (Icc.
3BII-Io76A5),from whieh itiselear,saysMaximus,
that the partidpation in the divirte of wlkieh w e speak is ftttute
-

and not past (zo76A5-Io). This fihalunion isthen fuztherdescribed with the aid of som e Seripture texts (here om es the m onenergistpassage, see above p.:a3). There follow yet other considerations on the attainm ent of this end and on the cessation of

m otion (-IozgB9).
Up to this point,says M aximas,the diseussion has been on the
non existence ofthe henad and on the future state,a discussion based on reason and the Sedptures (-Io77B9-I3); bl
lt now f'we being
a portion of G od and slipped down from above '' will be treated
.

(-Io77Bzg-I5).
Pal'
t One, II: A refutation of the Origenist interpretation of T'we

being a poztion of God...''(-Io8.

5A6).
E'
xplanation I (uo8ICII), of the Logos and the logoi. 'Phe
logoi preexist united in the Logos. This he cortfrm s with a reference to D enis, probably D N 5.5 (-Io8oBzI). As preexi
stent in
.

the Logos we are portions 0/ God and realize that union as a consequent of right m otion. T his is closed w ith a eitation from B asil

(-Io8IA5). A1l logoi are not brouglzt into existence together, but
som e rem ain in potency tilltheir due tim e. God is ineffably above;

yet the one is m any and the m any one (-zo8zC7). Tbere follows

a condusion (Io8IC7-II).

4nalysis //1ke &Wj# Di

@rultirs

z7

Explanation z (-zo85A6). The W ord of God is substantial

virtue;so the solidly virtuous partake of virtue itself,adding likealerss

to image (-Io84AI4). In this is the Apostle's In wkom we iive and

movefxzl# ar6 (Acts 1/.28)fultilled by being,well-being,frrdr?'-zz,
:lf-&lg
(-z()84%7). Then in these terms the nzan wlm is a poztlon of God
is deserlbed;the description is filled out by introducing the exchange
between God and m an in the m ystery of the Incarnatiort1l. 'rhe

siipping ()#.jrom God is charactertzed as a desertion from the true

prindple (-Io85A6).
Pal4 One,lII:The Dod rine of the l.ogoi Defended.

Maxim us here (Io85A7-C6) ilzserts a defense of his theory (?f

logoi,by referring to Denis(DN 5.8)aad thettto thesehoolofPantainos,m aster of Clem ent. It is odd that the passage ofD N should

contain also a referenee to a philosopher Clem ent (DN 5.9). But

if M axim us sim ply refers to Clem ent of Alexandria in tlle w ake of

Denis, why does he use the drcumloeution 'twhich Seotusdid not

understand)? And how are we to ex-plain' that in Dettis the thoaght
of Clem ent is reckoned inadequate and in M axim tts the reply to
the pagan diE culty is cited with approval? 1:. In view ofthispassage there seem s to be lio question of M axim us' im m ediate source
for the dod rine of Iogo. See also D alm ais' article in RSPIZTII 36

(1952) 244-49.
Part One,IV :Deseription of the PinalState.

Returning to a passage already cited (at Io77B6-9) Maximus

speaks of the fnal conform ation to the divine likeness, adding a
developem ent of his ewn to the eitations from Gregory. In tltese

Maximus qualies the deifed state as pleasure, sufering (xEct).

joy;and indeed a joy knowing no surfeit due to fear (-zo89AIo).
Part One, V :Cond usion and final Argum ent on Surfeit.

Maximusfrst statesthathe laasgiven a summary proof (against

Origenism)by reason ttputrtxml,by Seripture and by tlze Fathers.
The use ofScripture rtlajcbe seertittsection T tloe
zzD-zoggA,
.T(y)-6A;
theuseofthe Fathersismore eddentin seetion 11(Io8oB-D)andlll
(Io85A-C). So Maximus states the points already proved and tllen
presents a further argum ent against O rigenism that is agaitlst tlze

11 Tlzis (Amb 7-1084Q,Dz) is a them e touckecl on elsewhe

v e;cf.TNal
6'
4-725C ; A m b :
$:-zz88A ; A m b 6o-z385B C.

19 See below ckap. IV, note 68.

2.
8

TIw Fadfer ztplN gu

doctrhzeofsurfeit. 'Phis doetrine has already been exeluded (above

IA-Io69f),and in expounding the doetrine of m otion and eatd,a
positive aeceptation of perpetual desire is given (IB-Io.
73C); 'but
only abovein section IV (Io89A5)hastheword surfeititselfoceurred.
M axilnus now attacks it directly (Io89BI-C6).
F inally M axim us rem arks the futility and deeeitfulness of these
O rigenists' but, leaving them nqw to them selves he w ill consider

tlle question in another way (Io89C6-D3).

P art T tFp.
' E xegetical

Part Two, 1: Exegesis of Gregory. The passage of Gregory does

not refer to m an's genejis but explains the eause of his subsequent w retchedness. This is clear from the context of the

oration (-Iop2BI).
A . T o establish this M axim us, i11 a long paraphrase,interprets
the thought of G regory. I?irst of ai1 the prim itive state of union
and life in God's presence is deseribed w ith the use of the analogy

of the soul's presence to the body (-Io9zCI3),an analogy occurring

again below (1IooAB).
'

B . Then the counterpart of this bllss,the introduction of death

as punishment for the abuse offreedom is explained (-Io9.

'
JA9)'and
coniirmed by two eitations (-Io93C3). 'fhe thesis is then repeated
(Io93C3-IO).
C.M axim us then goes (m :But Gregory speaks of m an's genesis

(f'ofthe power ofthe m ystery in whicilman eam e to be'')in quite

another fashion. A n(1 there follow tw o d tations,su cient to conv-

ince unless the readers be illwitled (-Io96Bz).

Part 'fw o, 11:A gain, on how w e are part of God.
A . M axim us in eonllrm ation of what he has already said at such

length cites '

n extenso St Paul to the Ephesians I.r7-z'
J (-Io97A5)
and adds to it other passages from the Ephesians and H ebrews to.

gether w ith his ow n explanation on this '<great and ineffable m ystery

ofthe blessed hope of Christians '',altering the term s ofthe question

from poytion ojGtitfto membez'sor'

partsofa body, using once m ore
(ef.Io92C) tlze analogy of the soul's presenee and vivifying power

in the body (-IIooB9).

B . The corollary of tllis is to believe in the im m ortality of souls,

desezting the Origenist doetrine of their preexistence (-IIooC3),

zlxglydis olfejiingle flfjKcslffss

29

Part Two,IlI: Body and Soul Form a W hole Spedes.

This last referenee *is the cue for further autiorigenist polem ic,
wholly on the philosophical level, irl which M axim us' concept of

man as a wkole species,either part of the whole having a trausc'en-

dentalrelation to the other isa ehieffactor (-IzoIC9). In.Amb 42

M axim us will treat this question m ore at length.

The briefcondusion (IIoIC9-I3)thanksGod and lliseorrespondettts' prayers for auy suceess; their ow n acum en w ill stp ply any

dejiciency.
x
A ooso OBsylRvAz
rloNs. - The analysis of this A m bigutbm entrain som e few , randon thoughts. First: 1 think it safe to say that
even llere tlle autiorigenist elem ent, though form ing the first part
and,tllroughout,the bulk of the difliculty,is essentially a digression,
as this elem ent definitely is in A m b 15 and 42. M axim us' ehief
aim , llis intention, is to eom m erlt Gregory; but to do this he m ust
first dear Gregory's ttam e. See the transition from the lirst to the

second part (Io89D).

Second: M axim tls' thought is profoundly teleologieal. 1:1 his

very doctrine o m otion and end he refutes tbe Origenists'theozies,
sharply distinguishing the ereature from the ttncreate, It is in
this context that is to be placed his doctrine of tlze natural desire

forGod (1sayknolvingly IorGod and not/prtlt6vision 0/t7p#). But

to speak oftltis willbe for another tim e and place.
Third: If we eom pare the antiorigenist refutation of this Difffeulty with tim t of Atnb z5, we lind there the problem of the henad
redueed to a neat form ula'
.genesis,sfasis kinesis to be replaced by
this otlzer:genesis, ifltvs'
:,stasis, The doctritte i!1 either D iflicultl'
is the sam e;but it would seem that the reflection provoked by the

redaction ofeurpreseut Diculty indueed a elarification ofthoujht

represented in the form ula of the subsequent refutation.
Fourth:lt would be interestiug to eom pare m ore in detail the

sense ofdivine scp/psin this Amb (8.g.Io8oCI5.I092CI3, IO93Dz,

Io97cz) and ia LA. In LA it is almost exelusively salvation,llere
rather deifeation.

Am b 8-zzozD -xzosB : De #tlfz/fv'

lI'
#zlamore .- or. 14.30 :35.8978
''So long as m atter bear disorder in itself as in flux ''. Such
isthe di culty;but Gregory had said in the ftrstpazt ofthe sentence:
''If the evilthey suffer be from God,is not evident so long as...''

3o

Th6Earlorx'
lzzlzkx,

W ith this context in m ind M axim us says that tlle intent of this
passage is like that of the foregoing. I reff!r tlzis m ore precisely to

his exegesls at the begirming of Part Two (Io89D4).

'M axim us then explains how this state of m isery cam e abous

with the fall (IIo4Az-BIz) and how the provident God uses this
state to bring m an baek fzom a love ofpzesentthings (IIo4B13-C4).
For there are in fact three generalways God usesin healing our pass-

ions;we are purged despite ourselves;we rejeet evil' or we take

theexam pleofanother'sperseveranceand fortitude (IIo4C4-II05A3).
W ith all this said by w ay of prefaee M axim us now interprets
Gregory as exhorting to have no confdence in bodily health so long
as this present life holds and such is the sense of the phrase that

forms the diculty. (IIo5A3-I5).

'

And there is perhaps a further intent in the inequality and unevenness of present eonditions:lest w e rebelagainst one another arld

that w e m ay supply the wants of som e by the abundance of othe/s,

so giving occasion for placing viztue absoltttely first (IIo5AI5-BIz).

Text: IIo4B4; read skins with Ga and S, not bodies with G
and 0 . IIo4D I lmst word:delete the N w ith A .
'The idea of a prim itive equality of m en i'
s dear to M axim us;
here he is eozlsidering it on a m erely m orallevel;in ep Io he explains
the reason for political inequality. A t bottom there is not great
diferenee between the two form s.
'

A m b p xxojc : I'
n Jgsfffwr xz
lf/laxgs - or. zI.I :35.10848
M axim us identifes in this brief explanation the unrelated and
the absolute superlative. In the present instance these are said
of God;w e touclztherefore on negative theology.
A m b zo-zzojc-zzosc: In Jfw A z?l A thanasii -.- or. zI.I ;35.10840

The length of this Ambiguum (5o colum ns of Migne's Greek

text)make some sort of division necessary. Now Jolm Seot's ver'

sion gives a subdivisioh as do also the Greek m anuseripts 1 have

consulted. Cappuyns *3 thinks these divisions are of Scot him self,
against D raeseke;but it is im possibie t6 m aintain such a view givezl
the substantially identical sttbdid sions in Greek m anuscripts. In
the followiug table I bozrow the subdivision titles of Seot from Cap-

puy'
ns (p. I68 n.3) wo tllere published tlle table ofArsenal237f19 Jean ScotS:
rgzl:.Louvain-paris 1L% 3,p. :683.

zlnaly.
Hs ol/& Single.!)tfgwlft'
:s

Jz

4r-sr. I slmllgive in the frst eolum n Scot's nam bering,izt a second bis title,in a third the eolum n num ber of M igne. The title

ofOebler (in Migue)willnotbe given and unlessnoted isthe same

as that of Vat. gr. I5oz. In m y alld M axinm s' num bering of the
A m bigua the present is reckoned as Io in Seot's'as 6.for he does not

translate the later Ambigua (1.5)but,contrary to myselfand Maximus,counts the dedicatory letter to Joim of Cyzicus as number z.
Sextum ia ordine capitulum qtlod sie inehoat;

I Ego qtddem non estim o (.

Wc) m ultas habet subduisiones .

z:o5 D

c D e nim bo et velam ine.

IzIa A

....

21) (only the title is lacking in Scot) .

:$ Quanti motus e i'
t'
ne et qui

zIzz C
. . . zzIaD

4 De transitu pe.r m are

zzz7 A varies
5 Speculatio M oyse.s in m ontem . .
. . . . . . zI14
7B
6 Speculatio azim orum conspersionis
see the text below
7 Specalatio de tramsitu iordatzis .
Izk7 C longer
8 Speculatio expugnationis hierieo

(:zo A
(4 Speculatio expugnationis tyri. . . .
z1zo C
zo Speculatio cdi enm rant gloriam D ei
.. ..
zzzz A
vz Specttlatio in hoc:pater m eus et m ate.r m ea dereliquertm t m e xzzI B
xz Sm culatio ln visione helie in choreb
zz2z C
zk
s Speculatio in elbeum . . . . .
xx24.C
:4. Specalatio in annam et snm uNel
iz24 D
:5 Speculatio d,
e im nlunda clom o .
.
zzz5 A
16 Speculatio hdie et serapthie vldue . . .
xzz.
5 C'

17 Speculatio in transform ationem f'

tom ini

1125 D

z8 Speculatio paturil.
s et scd pte leg;
is . . . .
x9 D e qtdnque m odis naturalis contem plationis
zo Speculatio in m elchiyedee qnlntuplex . .
2ob
zoc
2od
2oe
.. . .. .
zz Specalatfo fn abraam . . .
2z Speculatio ln m oysen duplex
2zb
.
. . . .. . .. . . . .. ..
23 Specuhtio quom odo rzaturalis et scripta 1ex jn se ilzviCeDl reciprOclniur . . . . . . . . . . .

z.
r28 D
zz33 A
II37 C
Iz4t D
z:44 B
zz44 C
I:44 D
xz45 C
zz48 A
:z49 A

z4 Quo; sancti per legema previdebant gratianl .

.
25 Quo; legena et naturaxa superat qui chrhtuml sequitqr .

zx5z B
Izsz C

26 Specuiato de eadenz re . . .
z7 Speculatio de hleidente in ztrones . .
..
:8 Speculatio transgressionl adauz . . . . . .' .

xz53 A
::53 C
1:56 Q

zn Quod sancH ex presentivita intellexerunt futurAmn.

ao Quotl sancti non ut nos introductisunt in m ysteria

:z57 B
Iz6o A

1149 C

:.
52

The Earlier zte fgfgdz

3I Speculatio in transforuzationern latior sub qua sunt 7L

et V 1II theorie .

zz6o B
::65 1J
1165 D
Ir68 A

3tb
3Ic

3Id
,3Ie
3If
3ItI
3Ih
. .. . .. . .
32 Speeulatio de ne m undi . .
......
:5 Speculatio fle fntuto setulo irk qua d.
t easm ate lazato
sinu patriarche . . .
.' .
34 Speculatio de virtutibus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

II68 B
:168 C
1168 C
168 D
z:69 B

z1(9f? D
xz72 D

Qehlev: Alia contem platio in illud: Si crz<r/jwef.

v ut Iatvo
(1I7.
3B-D) and.: Alia contrmplatio ad eos g'
uf ambigunt...

(rI76A-Br). These are identieal with Amb 5j (z373D4r376B) and.Amb 63 (r389Bjrespeetiveiy. Tlzey are here
clearly out ofplace and are not here found in Vat.gr.r5oz
attd other m ss.

Speculatio per quam ex creatura deus intelligitur

1x76 B
Speculatio quod principium habet m undus . . .
. . . 1I76 D
Speculatio essentie quantitatis qualitatis , . .
zz77 B varies
Apyobatio qaofl om nia preter deum localia sint.
. . II8o 11
Approbatio non pcksse esse infinitum m eter deum
.
zI8rA
Approbatio ni1 esse im m obile pteter deum et de m onade
II84 B
D e duafle et m onade . . . . no title is the text contained under 4o?
Speculatip de cliuina prouidentia . . . .
zx88 C
Specuh tio de transgressa m ateriali dualitate
zz:.3 C
lxpositio de passibili anim e
...
zz96 C
Speculatio adiectionis in uonzen abraham . . .
zaoo A
Speculatio in m oysen de tollendis calciam entis
zzoo (2
Speeulatio in partes hostiarum . . . . . ..
Izoo C
Sm culatio de differentia lepre iuxta legem
:2orA
Speculatio i11 fines
. .. . . . . . . . . .
zzol B
Speculatio in hoc: nolite dare sand um canibus
IuorD
Speculatio de lunatico
Izo4 C
.

If w e leave aside the defects of Gud.39,reproduced by Oehler,

tlm t is the intrusion ofparts of Am b 53 and 63 in Am b Io and the

omission ofthe short j 6# it agrees with the Vat.gr.I5Oz;together

.

they agree with the division of Scotk save for further subdivision

in jj z,'
zo,zz,:$: antl the omission of the title for j 4I. Except
in ja thesesubdivisionsarealready indicated irlthem ain title. 'rhe
identity of the divisions therefore is beyond question. Tlle titles
as given in Scot's index are often far shorter than those found in the
Greek. But for a true com parison text m ust be com pared Avith

Analysij offk Mnglr fhl cllllzks

.
'
u

text and index with index. The foregoing table m akes m ost of
this quite pln,
'n.

'Phe-se divisions of the Greek original and of the Latin version,

which represent substantially the m inor articulations of the text
itself,w ill enable tts to see w hat order and shape there is in th1 apparerzt agglom eration of allegorical interpretations; for, despite digressions,there is a coherence to the whole.
12or clarity's sake I shall give here a sum m ary analysis of the

wllole; the reasons for these m ajor articulations will be evident

from the subsequent detailed analysis.
D abasis,thatis Transit
I L ogos and Theoria - through the m aterial to the intelleetual

jj 1-3 The theologicaland anthropological basis of the diabasis

jj 4-16 The O1d Testament figures of tltis diabasis

j 17 A New 'Pestam ent figure:the Transfguration
jj 18-27 The nattual aztd written law, represented by the
shining elothes of our Lord, are in perfeet karm ony:

jj 18,19 The theologieal and aathropological basis of

this harm ony

'

'

jj 2o-ca OT fgures of this harm ony 2 Melchisedech

(Abrahani,Moses)
jj z,
'
$-zg Abstm et eonsiderations
jj 28,:9 appear to be an intrusion,see Iinalnote below.

jj 30,31 Exegesis of the Transfkuration completed

jj 32-42 developements of a nnative theology, represented
Lll M oses and E lias of the Transfguration seene.
11 The m aterial dyad and the unity understood ln the 'frinity

(being tlle second part of Gregory'dicttlt text).

j 43 Preliminary exegesis
j,
44 Arzthropological basis for tllis exegesis
jj 45-51a Scriptttral fkures of thls exegesis
j 5Ib Condusion of the whole.
W hat in faet has heretofore been lackilzg in M axim ian studies

s precisely sueh an indieation ofthe major artieulations and of the

iheme. The theme of the whole (cf.Loosen's essay) is found in

;he di eulty itself - the diabasis, the going through or transir.
J

TW A'
tzrfi&'r Ambtklttz

and its m odalities,through m atter and flesh as through a cloud or

veil. It is quite evident that G regory is here expressing in a few
w ords the whole of the ascetico-m ystical life; and he has done this

referring to reason and eontemplatioq flogos and theoria) without'

a m ention of praetice 1:.
To absolve Gregory from so grave an om ission, if it be real

and not verbalonly,is the object ofthe first seetion (jI),on how
praxis is neeessarily involved in logos.
'rhe sum of M aximus' explanation is that praxis is connoted
in reasou or logos. The frst form of tlle explanation, by far the

more fully developed (-IIo9B5),maintains that praxisisofthe body

and m anifestative of virtue,not ereative of it,
.virtue rather resides

in tlle ordering of reason. 'Phe seeond form (IIo9B5-C6) puts forward the aecustozned division ofreason into tbeoretiealand practieal'
therefore he who says reasons says also praxis. The third form

(IIo9C6-IIzzA6), som ewhat more general, atlirms that those still

attaehed to m aterial tllings are variable in regard to practieal
affairs. K rlowing then the di cttlty in breaking off from the m aterial, G regory had said : ''T o w hom is it perm itted, passing by reason and contem plation through m atter and the tleshly elem ent

(wetherit be called doud or veil),to be allied with God...''.

The second seetion (j z,IIIaApDe)begins the exegesis proper
ofthe passage from Gregory:what is the m eaning of tlle cloud and
veil as applied to m atter and the fleshly? It is here that is stated
clearly the one term of the trallsit, aam ely attaehm ent to Ilesh

and materialthings (cf.jg28,a9). Such attachment,workingthrough

the senses, is pleasure. It is tlze aseetidsm of the virtuuxs whieh
is able to free one from it.
But tllis very explanation, the entrance of pleasure through
the sensible part of tlle soul, requires a further explanation of tlle
soul and its functioning - azz explanation fundam ental to a11 tllat

willfollow. This is the third section (j3,IIIzD-III6D).

Tlzis explarm tibn is given Srst of all from the m ystiealheights

(II'IzD-xII6A,
3), aecording to the grace-illumined men. The motions of the soulare those of its parts - m ind, reason,sense. The
first is sim ple and in im naediate relation w ith God;the second is ana14 On lwaxis and theoyia ill Gtegory see PINAUW H . L6 J/ltzfoxsm;

de S.G'
?A ov 46 Nazianze pp. z9o-lga and PI.AGNIETJX,J
'.,S.Gr/goFz de
N tlztzelz: Thdologon pp. :48-152.

zlAltzlwsolthes'fsr?e Dimculties

,
34

lytic and seeks the cause of things;the third is synthetic,receivhlg

from sensible things som e sym bol of their veasons and referring
them to the reason. The real m otio!z however is from tlle lower

to the higher (-III3BIo). There is here introduced the propoztion

by w hiclz m aa's ascent, his deification and virtue, is propoltionate

to God's deseent in the Incarnation (I'IIgBIo-Cz)l:. 'rlzese pzindp1es stated, M axim us applies them to the passage through body
and w orld, the m hld not being content with the eircum seriptitm

of tlae body,but tending to the in% ity of God (zII3Cz-D6). By

way of postseript on the nattlre contem plation, M axifnus declares
that holy m en attend to things not so m ueh as to ktlow their m a-

terialcomposition asthatby them they may praise God (III6A3).

This'sam e explanation of the m otions of the soul is now given

from a m ore philosopldcalpoint of view . Eac.h elem ent of the sotzl

istwofold:the rnind is intellecttlaland passible (the phantasy);the

reason im m anent and transient'
,the sense inteHeetual and sensible.
Now the saint.s coneeived that the operations (jf all these m ust be

offered to God (11164.4-15). But this osering pertains to the striving for well-being as alone in our power (being and ever being
being in God'sgift alone - this triad ocettrs also in Amb 7,4z,65).
H enee the m ind reason and sense are exercised in the way already
indieated in the frst explanation and.the soul m ay pass through

thestormy watersofthislifedry-shod (-III6D).

erhe passaye fdiabasisjto the intelligible and tlie divine isthem
illustrated by a series ofO1d Testam ent incidents,seetions 4-1:6 1e.

W ith j17 beginstheillttstration - theLord'sTransfguration -

whieh, w ith the digressions and em beltishm ents it entrains, w ill

occupy the rest of tiie 6l'st part,that given to an explanation of the
logos and contem plation by w hich, or of the m atter and the fleshly

(cloud and veil) through wllich one attains to God. The second
pazt MdII deal with the m aterial dyad. The distinetion of parts is

dearly indicated at the end of j 42 (II9,

5BII-C3).
Perhaps one should not say that the T ransfguration oecupies

the rernainder of the Iirst part,up to j 4z,for the seetions dealhlg

with the Transfigtlration come to an end with 3lh (II68D); yet

those that follow (jj ga-4z) are developements of the a rmative
1: A thought found elsewhel'
e see tlze references in note Iz.

z: lxcept for j z5 and j :

G a1l these illustrationa are itztroduced lp)z
tlle sam e form ula.

Fk Earlier zl-lf
fgfl

theology represented in its two phases (providence and judgement)

by the 0T witnesses of the Trausfgaration, M oses and Elias (see
j3Ib-II65B and 3Ie-g-II68Bf.).
In j17 M aximusbeginsthe explanation ofthe variotts elements
of the vision. But com ing to the shining clotbes of our Im rd,he
tells us that they represertt both the w ritten and the natural 1aw

(zza8.
B5 and 14). This is to aanounce the Jirst great subtheme
that wi2 hold his attention up to j:
Jz.
First there is basic enlargem ent of the perfect harm ony and

coinddenee of the two laws (j18).

'rhe m utttat interehangeability of the written and the natural
law . B oth law s teach that God is not w hat or how he is;from them
is derived ethioal,naturaland theological philosophy. The written
1aw is potentially identical with tile natural;the natural habitually

with the writtea (-zIz9Bg). In Seripture the words are the clothing,the ideas the flesh or m eat; in the natural 1aw the external

forms the dothingathe reasons (Iogoij the meat. By the one we

are eovered,by the other uncovered. And God i)y negation is lzid-

denly manifest and by aKrmation manifestly hidden (-IIa9D8).

W itlz two Scripture cvitations the letter and the law of tlle desll is

setagainst the spfrit (1I3zBII). W hence the lession isdrawn that

we m ust give chie.
f attention to the m eat of Scripture aud nature

(-II3zC7), whie: is then iuterpreted (the literal element and its

logos) of the shining garments all4 faee of our Lord on Mt Tabor
(-II,
3:
J.&4).
B ut the natural law is only pereeived in natural contem plation,

whose modes Maximus must now explahz (in j19).

The em phasis on the natural 1aw leads to an exposition of the
five m odes of natural eontem plation. 'fhey are substance,'m otion,

diferenee,mixtare,position (II33A). Ofthese the first three lead

principally to knowledge of God as ereator, provident and judge
(-Ir33B6),while the latter two are instructive to virtueand to intimacy with Gcd,forrzled by vlzieh rzmn becomes God tzz.
:
;gB& zzl.
Such is the bare statem ent of these m odes; eaeh is now explailzed:

substance indieating the creater (II:$3CI-6); motion manifesting

God's providence (IIg3C7-I.
3); and difference pointing out God as
wise distributor of natural powers corresponding to the respective

substances (II33CI3-D2). Bttt there are erroneotls views of providence and judgem ent to be exclttded - those of Origen and Eva-

Analysisolf/le SingleDi/l
czllfi:s

37

gdus. Maximus seems hea'e (II33D3-II36A4)to be usiug and correcting a text ofE vagrius 17. H oweverM axim ns does not com pletely

deny thatthereisa ctm vertiveprovideneeand a punitivejudgem ent;

G ese exist. but pertain to the m oral order, not to the cm tologieal

(Iz36A4-ItJ) - the error of Orken and Evagrius, the doctrine of

the henad. Such an error w as for M axim us a palm ary exam ple

of Ih llenic conjusion. The other m odes are then explained: rnixture as com position of our will and virtue (II36AI3) and position
(II36B3) as moral reetitude. In addition to these considerations
taken singly there are also various com binations and reductions,
from .5 to 3,from 3 to z,from z to 1. This last (II36D6-II37Bz)
is tlle work of m ixture witieh takes all the five m odes of considering
the natural order and in a single consideration transfers them to
the m oral, the upshot being a penetration of the hum an, which

rmains human, by the divine characteristics (IIr Bz-C6).

This perfect harm ony is realized above a11 in Christ lzim self
and figured preem ineutly in M elcltisedech. H ence the vefold con-

templation on M elchisedech (jzo-zoe). H ereperhapsM axim uscould

have rested hls pen;for the end of aoe (II45BII-I3) responds to
j17 (II28AI2), S0 as to give grotlnds for supposing an inclusion.
Etzt already (zob, I244A) Maximus llad declared Melcidsedech to
be only one of m any exam ples w hose im itation w as salutary,instaneing Abraham and M oses. There follow therefore considerations on

Abraham and Moses (jjzI,aa),whicllare perhaps a posterior addition l8.

Illustrations now eease,but the them em entioned in zob,II44A ,

istaken np again in j z3, beghm ing with a clear allusion to

thetheme (j23 II49CD equals 1144A). '

fhisdidactic developement
occupies sections z3-zg. At the end of this last (II56B3-I3)Maxim us deelares t:ese things to be m anifest in the bright clothhzg
of our Lord at the 'rransfguration. 'lhllis m arks the end of a
division.
'
rhere follow two sections,z8,z9,on the fallof A dam and that
the present unstable life Ls not the trtle one. They form an aside,
1: Selecta i,l Psalm os, Ps. 138.5: PG zz.z66ICD . On the Isvagrian

autlmrsltip of these eomm entaries see vox'BAtftrlu s.ut Zk'l'

h 63 (1939) '
86 and 181.
14 On these sed ions as additions see atso tlle Snal note below p. 39.

38

Tkr Earler zlplskxfl

not entirely foreign to the m atter in hand, btlt m ore germ ane

after j z.
W ith jtlo and 31 we return to the Transfkuration. Section 31:
is an am pler consideratlon of the m ystery. According to Erigezta
it eontains 18 thsorie. 'In the Greek text ten are num bered w-ithout

titles,followed by seven othez'

s with titles (3Ib-h). Ifhowever the
resttm (Iz6oCD),prefxed to the ten,ofthe exegesis already given,
be cotm ted we will have I8. These considerations are eoneerned
ehiefly w'ith the signifcance of M okes and Elias. M ore im portant

for the following seetioas is 31b (II65BC), whidl establishes the

'fransfiguration as signifying b0th the negative and affirm ative
theology; and also 3zf,g whieh establish M oses atld Elias as repres-

entative of Providenee and Judgement,the two elem entsofaflirmative theology,

Savefor32-34 (seefinalnote),dealing with the end oftheworld.

Lazarus ms illustrative ofit and ofthe need of virtues,the restofthis

Iil'
st part, apropos of the seetions mentioned above (3Ih,g,f),is
devoted to various aspeets of a rm ative theology.

j 35 God may be known from creatures.

j 36 Everything exeept God has a principle and a com ingto-be.

j 37 Substance, quantity and quality, as being subject to

m ore or less, eannot be without beginning.

j,
38 Everything, exeept God,is in place, therefore also in
tim e and so tem porally began to be.

j :$9 A quantitative infmite cannot be;and therefore nothing

quantltative is without beginning.

j 4o Xverything m oved or what is always qualified l)y sope

substanlial difference cannot be inlinite.

'
(j 4I) The dyad is neither principle nor without beginning.
Only the m onad is properly principle and w itlzout beginniag.'

j 4z Proof of the universality of God's providence.

Beeause ofthese theologicaldevelopements the conelusion (j4z,

II93BII-Cg) refers more naturauy to the rsqson and theory of the
title passage than to tlle cloud and r:'
JJ w ith w hich the exposition

really beyan and in illustration of which the Transliguration was

introduced.

Tite seeond pal4 (jj43-51),in length a little over one tenth of

Analy.
ni # /& Sittgl. fN#u'f#,/z'.

.
>

the whole, is constructed in the sam e m anner as the tirst. M ter

a preliminary exegesis (j43)ofthe Gregerian passage (f<ofthe material dyad passed through by the saint-s, and what is tlze unlty

understood in the triad ''),there fojlows an exposition of the philosophicalbasis of the exegesis (j44),namely the divisions of the
passible part of the soul: irratiolm l, rational, coneupisd ble, iraseib1e and so on. This passage drew the attention of Cyriae.the scribe
of Vat.gr.zozo f.8 va w ho transcribed II96C to II97CI3. I give

the lem ma below (p.4z) as a supplement to M . Richard's article

hn6 ghttwilg in Byzantion zo (1950) 191-222.
Then com e the Seriptural illustrations of the eonquest of the

dyad (the irasdble and coneupiseible orsimilar pairs),fve from the

Old Testament and two from the New (jj45-$Ia).
The conclusion ofthe w hole D il calty begins witlzout distinetion
of title on Ico4D z. M axim us speaks of the passage tlzrough tllis
age to the sum m its of G od,attainable by m an, w hieh are goodness
and love. These the saints possessing in their viztue render them solves shining im ages of God's grace. Tllis colw lusion in a rather
loose way responds to the frst seetion in widch the harm ony
of virtue and contem plation were developed ; eertainly the
idea of passage, of transit, is again verbally and really m anifest

(1204D5).
FinalAltlfe o.
n jj2I,zz;z8,29;32,33,34.
In the index of sections placed at the head of this analysis I
have already indicated that the tw e sections found in O ehler after

j34 form no part of this Ambiguum . 'rhere are three other cases
w here, on intenm l grounds only, the hypothesis of a posterior addition, by M axim us him self,.seem s im possible to exdude. Such
an addition,by M axim us him self I m ean,is quite possible as w e have
a dear indication that the Iirst A m bigua w ere edited a seeond tim e
during M axim us'own life. Oue supposes of course that these ftrst
Am bigua with their dedieatory epistle w ere copied out and sent to

JolzlsofCyzicus (this isthe frstedition)before the second Ambigua

to Tilom as w ere w ritten. Subsequently the tw o sets of A m biguq

were joined,as is dear from Maximus'own .

referenee to the second
di culty of the earlier colleetion as ''the seventh ehapter of the

Diculties of the g'

reat Gregory '' (TP I-33AIo). Such a second
editing of the earlier A m bigua gave M axim us an apt occasion for

40

T& Earlier ./1- 5fg1I4

additions to his frst m anuscript, wlzich, though in a general sort

of way germ ane to the m ain them e,show signs of being patched on
rather than of being of the original weave.
The rst instance,in sequenee of seetlons not in persuasiveness,

is the consideration on Abraham and M oses (jjzI,2z). At the end

of jzo (II$4BII-I,
3) there is a rerniniseence of jz7 (IIz8AIz-BI),
which would seem to plm ctuate a first division,the illustrative,on
the 'Pransfguratin, 'rhe beginning of section :73 then takes up in

a didactie way the theme announeed in zo (II44AIo-B2). 'Phe

literary coherenee (of which I think my readers willgrant some to
be found ili M axim tls) is doser. But against this is tbat in this
passage just eited Abraham and M oses are m entioned,thus pro-

'

viding occasion to give each a separate consideration.

'rhe second instance is jjz8,z9,on the transgression of Adam

and on the di:erence betw een the present and the future life. I
can discover nothing in tile foregoing considerations which would
serve to introduee tlle F all and the subsequent consideration. To
be sure,the doctrine of these sections is com plem entary to a11that

Maximus has to say on the diabasis (cf.jz),but from k literary

point of view it is here unealled for. And note that with j27,tlle
last type in conneetion with the writtertand natural1aw being given,

M axim us comes again explicitly to the Transfguration (zI56B),

wltile in j 3o he proposes to complete its exegesis,wizich he had
begtm irt j 7. The two considerations in question @8, z9) seem
therefore intruded in this place.

The third instarme is jj32,.

33,34 - on the end of the world,
on Lazarus in the bosom Abraham and on virtues. H ere agairzthere
is certainly a general sort of germ aneness of these sections to the

argument. The flrlalsection on Mosesand Elias(3Ih)dealtwif.h the

end of the Fno ordeying of tllis present world (II69BI,c). Section
'
$z may begin the series of eonsiderations on armative (natural)
,

theology with a proof of the necessary end of the w orld. Section

35 eontinues this,referring again to the 1in6 tvtferAl: (II76B5). Certainly then the pair 33,34 appear as intruded;perhapsalso :$z. Yet
if these be intrtlsions on an origirtal w hole, their very germ aneness
to the general them e perm its one to see how M axim us hirnself w hen
his feeling for the coherence of his owm com position had been dulled
by the lapse of tim e, eould have inserted these considerations in
the second edition. T heir coatent and style are thorouglzly M axim ian.

vsnqiysisoj/;e j(innI6flil7cv//rs

4J

Staie //ike 7-rxf

For A m b 7 I have collated several m anuscript:; I have not
taken the tim e to do this for the other difliculties. Vet it seem s

usefulto give the brief Speculatio fzzf-pz'fgprconslersionis from Vat.

gr.1502,f.Ioo rb. The defect of the Gudian m anuscriptissupplied

in the margin,but Oehler eonfessedly om itted the marginalia (see

note at eolunm s I:85-86).
I take this oeeasion also to fl11in the lacuna at II4oD 5, where

Oehler's eonjeeture is wholly inadequate. I have verifed the reading in both Vat.gr.1502 and M onac.gr. 363. The Latin kere is
no longer that of Seotus.
To be inserted in Am b Io- after IIIgCzI,taken from Vat.gr.

I5oz,f.Ioorb,Monae.gr.363,f.gov:Oe()ttt to9 flpptkov tpvetflm'

rog z&v (lliptfnv:- Olil.tt
lg ($ ag (T xfig (dyfaxov t*tziso: ltzygevog Kok trljgtm kv lv3l Egvov B ctak xogsy hzevog xaxf*t x$v eq-'

gov (Exod 12.34 *l' elv f;)g ollzqtnqiv x$v xo9 N 'jlz'
tv lyov D15vajzLv vqg xp vt atgqvfk pvdrrEtv lrcszrox'
qgxaatzv x@ltlvxlw ovTog xv Izv tzloql'v Tetsyovstxg' ae sv voqxv xglzov Defov-

vag Izvoftxip ik:doxilo' lva / itv fig xt yvfcefj? lvzeih:v '

liDn
yvfzwxalxatfl rpjv yv4gqv SJE: $'llalogyevvhcEtttxav Tv Jpate
sov altAva Tok tokg attaEfopev :Supplying the lacuna in A m b Io-II4oD4.5. from Vat.gr.I5oa,
Iosrb and M onae. gr.763,94b t
lavdrov) so tho9 xtxxttwt'
jgthK(.

vag Bv votv veatacEv xallx ho: eof.

l7rom the I0t.
ll eentury South Italian Vat.gr. zozo, f. 8 va:

lx wi(holyov fqltov th qlvfig Md tgov xo: tktstitov llqyee

cst (,
Wt;) ....:t& l'
xa tho Amb zo-rI96C-II97CI3.
Am b zz-xaolD -zzo8A : In JtzffA vlAthanasii

or.zr.18 :,35.II()IC

Tile title raises a question. 'fhe oration ilz praise ofAthanasius,

from which the present di culty is taken,is 42nd in neither of the
fam ities of codices whieh Sinko establishes as in the hands of Bishop

John and Maximus. He therefore supposes (p. 28) that originally

this title read:from the 4: oratioss of Gregou ,from that in praise
of A thanasius.

'Phe ways ofprovidence are explained in the ease of Job. 'fhe

wealth he received after all his trials w as sm all in com parison with

42

TI- E'rlrz:r Am bigna

the eternal reward and was given esped ally lest the little ones be
scandalized.
A m b Iz-zzo8BC: In Iaudem A tltanasi'
i - or. zI.'
JI :35.III7C
.

Athanasius as the Im rd, is said to have d eaused the tem ple,

not w ith a scoarge bttt w ith persuasive w ords. M alicious com m enta-

tors would haveitihettAthanasiusused theapterinstrument. Maxim us sasrs the Lord acts as with a scourge hz pricking cqnsdences
through m en's realization of their bad thoughts and deeds; but
Athanasitzs,being a weak m an, used speech.
A m b zJ-zao8D -zzzzB: Thoologica I - or. z7.k :36.IzA
Gregoov's text is:there tzr: som e whose plegr'
;jrand tongue /ltzpdr

the itch. Maximus gives two explanations (Izo8D-I:zo9C9:Izo9C9IzI2B9). To the frst he adds a cure through reason,against ignoranee.and through salutary labor against pleasure. Sinko (p.a7)
sees M axim us here as opposing som e Pauline seholiasts.

A m b z4-zazaB-zzzyD : Theologica I - or. 27.4 :36.1617

M aximus gives diverse explanations of a rhetorical fktlre of

Gregoo v. The divisions are IcIaG IzI3A I;I2I3A I-C8;IzI3C8-D Iom
A m b zj-zzx6A -zzzzB: Tkeologica 11 - or, 28.6236.3zC
T he diflk ulty is to explailz w hat G regory m eans by saying that

sight and the natural1aw teaclzus tiat Gcd is and is the creative
and sustainhlg eause of all. 'lNhis M axim us does in a first part

(-Izz6CI5). Bttt some identify sight and natural law; these must
be distingulshed, the first pertainl g only to the sense order, the

latter leading far above it (IaI6Dz-IaI7Az). But this naturallaw

is corm ected w ith the pereeption of the im m ovable m otion of things.

Thistherefore must be explained (I2I7Az-BIo). In doing thisMaxinms speaks of the triad nature,power and opemtion (:- rgy) and
distinguished impulse (tp0()tf)from motion (x(Mnc(g). One may compare Sim plicitls in Catsgorias CA G V III 4zr,29-428,z.
This serves as an oceasion for a long digression eom pzising the
rest of the di culty, on how created things m ay be said to operate

orbe operated upon,God alone being self-operating tttt,:w tlynsovl.

'rhus M axim us establishes the parallel triads: generation m otion
rest, beginning m iddle end. The eorrespondenee w'ith the other

Xnalysisoj/& Sngleflfjjjflsx/r/f,.

4/

triad, nature power operation, is fm plied. Com pare 'IX OK 1.3,4.

Itis here tha.
t the Aristotelian prineiple of the end is roundly stated,
especially I22oA I-5. Com pare Aristotle Phys. 3.6-207 a 14 alzd
M et.A I6-Io2Ib29. It is here that von Balthasar found one o'f the
tags whieh he set at the head of his essay K osm ische Zfflfrgr.
M axim us now exem plifies'
with the soul,an intellective substanee

(rz2oA6-rz2zA4). But the triad is practically now a tetrad. ror

after the substanee of the soul there is nzind as power. perceiving

(vngw)asmotion,and pereeption (vnpta) as operation. Elsewhere

in M axim usthis shift is observable;see below ehapter 11 Excursus II.
The exam ple allow s M axim us to consider the ultim ate end of
iatelleetual m otion, God, and so to refer llis considerations to the
refutation of '
tlze Origenian henad wlzicllis a pagan cozlfusion.

Buthow can rest (lt(Igtg)be said ofGod? (lc2IA4-BI).

M axim us concludes this im portant digression by denying absolute operation to any creature, allow ing them only that operation

whieh it is given them in their nature to operate (IzzrBI-6).

Tilis digression m ust be studied together with Am b 7 and
Thoec I.3,4.

'rhe following variaits are gathered exdusively from Vat.gr.

zs()z, f.1@2 ra and M onac, gr. 363, f. IV a. Otherwise I ftlllour
the sam e procedure as above for Am b 7, p. z3.
.

1zI6Az xt'
tiv :x'
v VM
A z5
B .5
C6
C8

o'
M v : -V M , setl M eo loco habet xal

Ek :-VM
v :'
o; V M
xavah letp.lzv)v : xaxah lnpp:vtov V M

1)8 vlx piogE ;eo nyahoxs VM

DI:z sv :1:.'
di cdoiflge'
- ywopiwlv xttvtkvo'
pvxtttV w v :vhvym fkltkov
xatvocv Dtt'
tvij alomictzx ywottvqv VM
'

xzz7B 8

vvavt;v ; frvctve.
tM

olov'
l
jn'
va :ottwf/ol'
e VM

(26

xsvovyvcw yevfceog :yeyswjpfvfav yEva tog VM

Q7 'y:vcieo 'elog ;xKwhsefzv xflog VM

C lo' am Elm b : acevtzt 'V'
M
C 1o (pvrrtxf;v : t/vgtxf:g V M

D 6 et o : et o
'5v '
rfi V :El yoiv '
r% M
D 1I xvvotlgvew : ysw htvv VM

I2zoB6 vo/lco'l 're :voflostog tpw kxik fzfni

'
?i fztttegoaso'qg xtvfmeti
k vs VM
(
B14 voovyvftw :voovpvtov 6 '
1 $'
1$ltytlvsow VPM
C9
zz2zA8

gxv : 4
5'
t$ V M
'
vnlm ::'
tsvatal '7M

44

lshe fflTlfer zlvngcl

Amb z6-zzzxc-zzzo : Theologica 11 - oz.z8,9 :36.36C

.

On the negative epithets predicated of God, tm begotten, im m brtal... M axim us reckons that Gregory is here in polem ic with
tlze A rzom aeans, w ho from a privative epithet w ould cond ude to a
positive know ledge of G od's essence. B ut definitions are not derived from negations; nor is it possible that there be a predication
suited to God alone,apaz't from any relation or operation.
A m b x7-Iaz4B -zz;aC: Tlteologica 11 - or. 28.9 ::
$6.37A

Maximus observes that the eitation is against heretics lthe

Eunomians) and that therefore Gregory builds up the negations
that he m ay deprive them of any thought of knowing the essenee

ofGod (Izz4B-D6). He then developes Gregory's application,that

is our dl ettlty with and ignorance of created essences. In a Iirst .

part (Izz4D6-Izz8A8)the predication ofgenerieand speciiie qualities

is treated. There follew s a rhetorical passage, asking w hat do w e

know of essences of ereated thl

'mgs (Izz8A8-Icz9AIo). This then
iscorroborated by a seriesofdtationsfrom Gregory (Iaz9BI-Iz3zBz).
The conclusion (Iz3zBz-C4) is a series of apophatie predieatiens
leading from God's hldivisibility to his utdty attd uniqtteness, w lzich
is due to God being utterly witlm ut relation; hence it follows that
he is ineffable and unknowable l*.
Text: The end of the Gregorian text diFers In Oehlerand Vat.

gr. I5()z Maximus' text (Izz5BI0) ofers the possibility of correeting both.
zzz4B6

lw cbpm q xttk tpm t

egtvov : lvgffy1)awvT(7w yevvotvo)v xtzk herwogvtkw V : lvltopm ov xttk'fxyvfppEvov xltk TA wopzvov zzzsBxo.
.

A m b ze-zz:
qzc-zziill: Tkeologica 11 - or. c8.Io :36.37C

Au ironie phrase of Gvegory against Elm oraius needs a little

explanation. If the not-being is nowheres the nowhere perlzaps is
notat all. Eunom ius'pretention to know God asGod knowshim self
is stated azzd ridieuled.

': f)n our ignoranee of created essences see the interesting artiele of

Joseph PtsT'y)R:L'ament '

azktzff/ dgns la /)/ll/stl/#: de S.T'
/mppu d'Aquin,
Dieu Vivant j t
zo (r95r) 35-50.
.

ufnaiysis///#c Singl. flfjcw/frs

1j5

A m b z9-Ia33C-xz36D : Tkeologica 11 - or. 28.19 :36.528

M axim us explains the three types ofprophecy to whieh Gregory
would be referring. There are visible or audible im ages im pressed

on the mind in a waking state;dreams as Avith Joseph and Daniel

ora vision of dirdne thizlgs possible for those who have attairzed the
utm ost in detachm ent; and,'thirdly, the im m ediate im pression of

future things upon the saints. 'Phis is Maxim us' eonjectural explanation ;for lae has him self had no experienee in the m atter.

3D 8 read with the corrector of Gud.and M onae.gr..363.

Text.at zz.T.

A m b ao-zzjKD -zzgrc: Theologf'ca 11 - or.z8.zo :36.5zC

Gregory speaks of St Paul's rapture to the third heaven and

speaks also of a progress (xtlo:o),ofa going up (dvdpcmg),and of

an assumption tvtqqthl. Maximus then,referring to the Scripture
eommentators (?),distinguishes three ways of assigning names:by
reason of the essence (man),by reasou of a relation (good man),or
by reason of graee or perditiou (f say f/l// yo14 are Godss. In this
connection he assertswititgreatdarity thegratuity ofgraee (Iz36DIz3gCz).
Opining that Gregory has sueh a division in m ind, M axim us

appliesittoGregory'sthreetermsiu three alternativeforms(I237CzIz4oA4;Iz4oA4-zz;z2zpAzI-B4). There follow two interpretations

of tltird keaven (zz4oB4-Iz4oC6-Ia4IA9). This latter explanations
involves the three ranks of angels and a certain relative apophatic

knowledge,subsisting from one to the other (I24IA9-B8).

H e then returns onee m ore to Gregory's three term s and gives

two further explanations (Iz4IB8-BI5-C8). In these as in the

third explanation (I24oAII)the terms are interpreted of pmetical

philosophy, naturaltheory,theologiealm ystagogy. The fm al reference is tp grace.

A m b az-za4zb -zzi6c: Theologica 11 - or.28,20 :.

:6.53.
A
The occasion of this rather longer D i culty is a phrase ofGreg-

ontwhieh seems to callJohn the Evangelist the forerum ter of the

W otd. This being plainly unhistorieal,for explanation one can have
recourse only to theory. Bttt first M axim us expresses his tm will-

ingnesstotreatofthesubj,
ect,aceeding only to thecommand (Ia4zD-

46

T#: Eerl'r a'

lfnsfgttz

Iz44B4). The theoyy tlzen isthe realization thatJohn tlzeEvangelist

isforerunnerofChrist,ofthe W ordain a yethighersense (Iz44CI4).
In fact the Gospels are a preparation (ctoqgtfpcd) for the W ord
in spixit, as tbe Ivaw was a preparation for the W ord in the flesh

(-Ia45A.
'
J).
H aving m entioned . trroqet cw , M axim us hazards a dictum
coneerning it,nam ely that eveo r coneept w hie.h the m ind m ay have
difers in nothing from a teaching declarative of what is above it

(Iz45A4-6) But there are 4 Cxospels,4 elements,4 cardinalvirtue-s.

'fhe relations of these with one another are.worked out (-Iz48A3),
being situated of eourse in the m aterial or in the intellectual or in
tlle spiritual world.
There follow s a developem ent relating the r sensesto the4 cardinal virtues,w hieh are in tunl reduced to tw o m ore general vih ues
wisdom and m eekness,which latter by som e is called detaehm ent
-

(JJ:d*:161) - aud these again to the most general of all,namely to

charity (Iz48A6-Ia49BIo).
Tle soul'sascelztto God just described by way ofthehierarchy
ofvirtuesis again reviewed asthe action of the soul and of G od in
likening the soul to him self, This then is coltfrm ed by a passage

from Gregory's oration on hisbrother Caesarius (Iz52BI4).

After these digressions M axim us returns to the exegesis of the

passagein question,jirstgivinghisresponsetothedilculty (Iz5zCD)

and then illustrating it with other exam ples of forenm ners,m en and

things,between the two 'restaments (1252D9 to the emdl.

'rext at 124.5C3 after lm tv the M igne reprint has om itted the foll-

owing words: $ y4,soB'

ro lv K'
?ig 8Lavotag xdcpqll(y'
r(v.
A m b zz-za56D -z257C ) Tltsologica 11 - or. z8.zI :36.538
T he m ultiplieity and difference of things are necessarily correlated. T he senses pereeive this;the m ind perceives it also as a m tlltiplidty and diference ofdivine operations,hleach of which nonetheless God is whole and eom plete - a fact m ost di cult to urderstand.

Sinee then the aeceptation) about God are multiple,we learn that
God is; in the solution of the problem thus posed, w e learn w hat
God is not.
M axim us com m ents here on the problem of w hat later w ill be
called naturaltheology,first posed in itsacuity in the fouzth century.

Analysis0/the s'fzlg?e Dt'

kosult,ks

4:

Operation (vp.fektx) is here used without a.

ny llint of its eontroversial use in Chzistology.

A m b z:-zz57C-zz6zA : Tl-ologica Ill - or.zq-a :37.768 ,cf.A m b

z-Io33D-Io36C

Draeseke (BZ :5(1906)141-60) and Pnault (pp. z28-gz) have

treated of this Gregorian text. The di eulty is Gregory's statem ent about the M onad being m oved to dyad and resting in triad,
This is said of the Trinity;but how is there m otion in the Trfnity ?
M axim us begins with show ing the essentially m utual relation of
m otion and being eaused,the cause being at once the prineiple and
the end of m otion aud ofthe things m oved,thougltin diverse wxys.
The divine then, as uncaused, is utterly unm oved and im m ovable

(Iz57C-Ic6oAIo).
But how does Gregory speak of tlte M onad being nm ved ? Now
for exam ple the principle of an art is said to be m oved when it is
reduced to application, when, m ore aecurately speaking, tat prindple m oves the artefact. 'fhus the divilte is unm oved,but as c'atzse
receives the predieations,without how ever any passion,ofits effects

(Iz6oAIo-BIz).
Ttzconfnnation ofthis DN 4.:4 (zzzC)is freely cited,irzwhich
passage God is said to be eros and agape atld also object oferos antl
agape;asthefirstheisrnoved,asthesecond ilem oves. H eLsmoved
inasrzm ch ashe izrtplants an irrtzrlanezztrelation oflove in those beings

eapable of it (Iz6oBIz-CIc).
Of such a sort is Gregory's m eaning. 'fhe being m oved of the
Godhead is in the enquirer's rttind. rirst the uuity is preceived,
avoiding any shadow of division;theu,lest tlle Godhead be thought
to be sterile or to have aeddental qualities, the good is perceived

wit.h tlle word and wisdt)trz or salzctifW ng power - consubstantial

and enhypostatic elem ents. For any sueh understanding of did ne

things illuminatiou is neeessary (Iz6oCz2-Ia6IAI).

'

The reference to the fectm dity of the Godhead seem s a eertain

reminiscenee ofDN 4.10 (7o8B4 and Amb z3-Iz6oD.

3,4). Tor Denis
the difusion of the good is realized in ereatures;for M axim us it is

llere realized ilztlae pemons of tlle '

lYnity,tllougllbelow tAznb 35:2881.
),seemy comment)hewillspeak ofitaslikewise being realized
.

ilz ereatures. 8 0th w ays of speaking are found in Gregory. G regorj''s iniluence in this respect is found also in PN -8PZA B.

48

F& Earlier Am bigua

M axi
-m us then adds alzother explanation of m otion in the Gcd lzead, observitlg that the eeonom y of Seripture presents first the

Father,then the Son,then the H ely Ghost (Iz6zAI-I()).

A m b z4-za6zB-zz64B : Theologica 11I

or. 29.6 .,36.818

This di culty asserts the im m ediacy of the thitzg willed, the

thing begotten ete.to the willer,the begetter,exduding thus a thirtl
thing - the willing,the generation - whic.h wotlld destroy the tm ity
of Father and Son. The passage is antiarian.
M axim us exem plifies and expounds Gregory from the powers

of the soul. W illing, generation and the like have no objective

existenee apal't from the willer, the begetter (-Iz6IDI).
W illing,generation ... exist only as a relation betw een the w iller,
the begetter and the tlting vvilted,the begotten. 'Phese latter follow

on the willing,the generation,only through the application @w Etgqlopd)of the willer. H ence the lzather and the Son can in no
way be separated by a lapse oftim e,nor the Son be son ofthe will-

ing and not of the Father (Iz6ID3-zz64Ar5).

But Gregory had added that these things are yet m ore exalted

in God;there perhaps generation is tlle willing to beget. M aximus

strongly tm derlines the perhqps and then as rm s that in God there

is only one willl'ng asthereisbutone essenceand nature (-Iz64BIg).

Or is it,I question,tlm t Gregory is here speaving of generatioh
ad ex/rg,whereas M axim usis thinking only offhat ad '
afrl?

A m b z5-xz64C-Iz65B: Tlw llogica 11L - or. 29.15 ::

$6.938
The di eulty is a syllogism of the A rians or Eunom ians. To
nzake the m atter d ear M axim us reorders G regory's rem arks aud
reduces the A rian argum ent m ore patently to absurdity, on the
Father being greater than the Son.

Text: at zc64D I, eorrect the M igne reptint, read: faoxelzvov for

aoxelglvov.
A m b a6.za65C-x268B: Tkeologica III - or. 29.:6 ;36.96A
Gregory touehes on t-he Arian dilem m a: is tlze nam e Fatkey
taken from the substance or from the operation ? If the frst, tlze
divine sabstance cannot be called Son;if the second, then the son

Analysisp/theSfzg/e Dip ultief

49

willobviously be an artefact of the divine operation, an lvthynlztx

'
f'
he solution is to deny the dilem m a,F aiker beilzg a nam e of relation

(-Iz6,
5I)4).

But even adm itting the nam e F ather to be of operation, the

consubstantiality of the Son follows nonetheless (-T265DIo). The

solution then ties in distingttishing operation as im m anent and thus

the resultofoperation asan objective,substantialenergy (-Ic68AI3)

and as transient atl trxfz't
a (I268AI3-B2):e. But in faet operation
frl the forluer sense carlrlot be applied accurately to G cd , ftlr the

diville generation is properly ineffable (Iz68Bz-II).

A m b a7-xa68C-z27zA : Titeologica I'
P- - or. 30.8 :36.113.4.

Gregoo- treats of an objection drawn from St John (20.17):

M y God and ypzfr God. M axim as repeats three tim es his exposition
of G regory's explanation. F ather is said properly only of the rela-

tion of Father and W ord in the Godhead,God is said jmproperly;

but Fatker issaid im properly w ith regard eitherto Chzist's hum anity
or to us,while God is said properly. But a11m ay be said of Christ

when we consider tlze union (-I268DI3,-Iz6pB5,-Iz69BI2).

This M axim us conflrm s by citing the im m ediately 'subsequellt

passage in Gregory 2: and expounds it (Iz69C2-D5), broadening

Gregory's reference to the Arians so as to include thel fonophysites.
H ere occurs the lirst reference to the w ise o1d m an and a citation

from him (Ia69D6-Iz7aA3,above p.8)in corroboration ofM aximus'

ow n exposition .

Text: at rz69A Io Aligne m isprints lztav for gz g.

Am b z& za7zBC: Tkeologica IP' - or.Jo.9 :36.113C
Again a Christological di culty,solved by recourse to the o1d
m an, w hose words are again cited verbatim . Life the inheritance
ofthe Gentiles,power over allflesh - these are attributed to Christ
but also to God; for such things belong to God by nature not by
grace. The o1d m an's words distinguisll what is attributed to God
and to m an by reason of their nature.
1: See below p.z:.
21 GREGORY N AZIANZISN PG :6.II5B 2-6; A m b z7-Iz69B I3-Cz - tlte
M ip le reprint places the qtm tation m arks falsely.
4

50

The '
flWfer A m bigua

Am b av-xz7zD -za7gA : Theologica IP- - or. 30.11 :36.1160

'
rltis brief di culty, not Cllristologieal,solves a possible am biguity not of thought but oflanguage,again referring to the o1d m an.
A m b 5o-zz73-A C: Thoologica IF - or.,'Jo.al ::$6.133A
.

Gregory had said: 'fYou have tlze predieates of the Son; go

through them - the exalted ones divinely, the eorporeal ones with
com passion;rather a11of them divinely that you m ay becom e God
going up from below beeause of him w ho for our sake eam e dow n
from above ''
sfaxim us transposes this passage into the technical categories
with whieh he w as so fam iliar: m ystical contem plation, practieal
philosophy; or, better, 170th together w ith grace, which effects a

gnomic alienation (d gnomic emigration in Am b 7-Io76Bz# througlt

the pedect cireum cision of tlze m otions of the llesh. This is furtller
explained by the paralle.l of flesh and rnind with m atter and form ,
from which latter the world Ls m ade. Thus through the habit of
virtae and knowledge one becom es m atterless and form less because
of him ,who,while by natttre being m atterless and form less,for our
sake truly cam e in m atter and form .
..R ather allof them divinely ''is given an alternate explanation

(I273CIr)namely through detaehment (tladELa)whieh springsfrom

ovpxdlhka for God and neighbor rendering a m an ready to suqer
and give his soul for others.

Am b :z-Iz7yD -zaBIB: In Arafi fcifl - oz. 38.2 :36.3138

.

'TYhe laws of nature are loosed;the upper world m ust be filled

Clzrist bids; 1et us not resist ''. These words of Gregory occasion
.

V re four distinet responses. 'rhe frst alone considers the passage

in its entirety; the second (zz76Dff) is coneer'

ned wit,
h the filling
ofthe upperworld,asalso isthe fourt.
h (Ia8oC);the third (I28oA)
is concerned rather wit.h the loosing 'of the laws of nature.
1. The laws (?f nature are loosed - Christ was born of the Virgin,conceiving wititout seed and bearing without loss ofhervirginity

(Iz73D-Iz76Bz). But this is a restoral through the obedience of

the seeond A dam of that spiritual m anner of birth w hich w as lost

through the disebediexme of the first Adam and is therefore justly

d- lysvfsp/f* Sng/,
: Difbcultiss

51

a611ing oftheupperworld (I:z76B.

3-CI). Nor1etusresistthis. The
first Adam flllQ the lower world through his disobedience,the new
Adam far more justly fills the upper world with those who in his
likeness are born to incorruption through obedience. So the upper
world is filed and a lim it placed on the carnal law of generation.
In this sed ion M axim us d early presupposes Gregory of N yssa's
doctrine of a double creation: the passions as disordered aud the
sex faculties, at least their use, being added to tlze Iiz'
st creation in

conseqaeneeofsin. Thisdoctrinerceursin Amb 41 (I3o9AB,I3I3CD)

and in Amb 4.2 (I3I7-cI,z34IC); in Thal I (z69AB) Maximus ascribes it to G regory of N yssa and enlarges upon it, at least on the

eVect of the primeval disobedience, in Thal 61 (62811)n.

z.Thiseonsideration (Iz76D-Iz8oM )takesthethreeLuean parables - the lost sheep the lost draehm a, the prodigal son - and
applies them to the fdling up of the num ber of those lacking ilz
heaven. 'rhe interpretation of the num bers - Ioo,Io and z - he
leaves to another occasion.

3.Here (Iz8oA-C5)M aximus is wholly coneerned wit.h the laws

ofnature. He cites a current (th6y stzy)denition of ltzzfzoj '
afz/z
lfre
that is perfect Iiz ty in the logos eorresponding to it. But G od,who
apm inted each natare its logos and nom os,operates above nature,
yet preserving the proper ad ivity and passivity of the aature. Thus
perfect God,he beeam e perfect M an.

4.Maximus here (Ia8oC8-Tc8IB5) summarizes in a loose way

what he lzas said about the filling of the upper world,introdudng
however som e new ideas,as Christ the firstfruits of our race.

Am b :z-zz8zB-z2% B: I.
n N atalicia - or.38.2 36.3138
TrFpr a ckild is pzw to '
rls and a son is given to zls and J& govsrn-

mentj'
.
&upon kis s/mlllA r (Is.q.$. Forwith the cross he was lifted
up.'' It is this gloss of Gregory ttpon the Scripturetextw hich M axim us sets out to explain. The cross m ay be looked upon from severalpoints ofview - from that of form j from that of cdm position,
from that ofthe chaxaracteristic's ofthe parts, from that ofoperation

(energy)and so on. Eaeh ofthese isthen explained (form Iz8ICIz,

composition CI5,the parts D Io,energy Ia84A6). 'rhiscom
'position
19 On this doctrine see DANIkI/OU. Platonzmtt ,f thologi6 Ny.
rfvdr,
P' 56.

52

T& Earlier x'le glz

isofsubstance,providenee and judgement,which togetherwith their

corresponding m anifestations - w isdom know ledge and virtue are creative and preservative of things; it efaees evil and binds a11
to tlzeir proper prindple and cause. W ith this m ust be eom pared
a sim ilar but fuller passage on the five eontem plations in A m b
Io-rI3.
'
JA I.
B at as m erl i11 ptzblic o ee have som e special insigrtia by w hich
they are know n, so our Lord carried the cross as the insignia of his

governm ent (Iz84AIo-BI5).

But there is a further sym bolism . 'fhe shoulders m ean praxis

the cross detachment tthtfetal (Ic84CD). The lifting ttp on tlze

eross is tre establislament of a Christlike state, by which one
passesthrough detaehed praetiee to a gnostie contem ptation of na-

ture and so to a theological initiation (mystagogy). This threefold

division is confirm ed by a citation from Denis (EH z.4-4()()B9-CIo),
in which howevera phrase hasdropped out land IAz'
t/vg# tk0s6 fpth6
ptrry Fvsf -4ooC8).
A m b 3;.zz85C-zz88A.: In N atalicia - or. 38.2 :36.31,38
dAl# the word ldwtzA?ldrthick. The doetorsaid this,com m entsM ax-

imus,either 1) because the W ord simple alld ineorporeal noarishm ent of the angels gives us his teaeidng in w ords alld exam ples

(-I:85DI);or z)because he,the invisible and impalpable,absconds

himself izl the visible and palpable (-Ic85DIo);or 3) that,because
of our thick m inds.lze uses lettezs and w ords to instnzct us,so that

hemay draw usto union ittproportion to hiscondescension (-Iz88A7).

'rlzis last eom znent does not,in substanee, differ from the filst.
The inverse proportion however the deseent of the W ord and the
elevation of m aa is one M axim us uses elsew here ::
A m b 34-zz88A -C: In N atalicia - or. 38.7 :36.3178C
W ith the body of this oration Gregory begins to treat of the
knowledge w e m ay have of God. The di eulty being taken from

these remarys,Maximus has,naturally enoagh,oecasion to explain

what negation,w hat a rm ation signif'y ilt regard to God and how
by their e% trast,they m utually supplem ent one another.
13 See above note zz.

A'
ndyss ol/& SingleDimculties

53

A m b ;$-Iz88D -xz8f)B : In ivkftzlcq - or.:$8.9 :36.gzoC

.

The good has need of difusing itself. In the previous ehapter

Gregory had zem arked that his diseourse concerned the Econom y,
not the D ivinity. 12or by the Divinity w e m ean Father,Son and

Holy Ghost,not restricting toa sterile unity asthe Jews,noraflirming a further diffusion whieh 'wotlld induee the polytheism of the
G reeks. G regory the.n passes on to the diffusion of the good in creation;it isthe frst phrase ofthis subsequent passage that now form s

the object of Maximus' comments. It is clear therefore wlzy he

does not here m ake the diffttsion of the good intratrinitarian as be
had in A m b z:$.

'Phisdiffusion isa creation thatproeeeds from the will(Ia89AI).

The response is reported from the o1d m an' it concludes with
an uncertain citation from Denis, whiclz appeals to be a thorough
reordering of D N z.II-649.
A m b 56-zz8vB-D : I4 i'
Matalici'
a - or. 38.13 :36.325C
.

Gregory rem arks that the seeond fellowship of the W ord with
m an is m ue.h m ore astounding thazz the frst. H ow ever great the
im age granted m an in creation,it laeked the hypostatie union which
was'granted hunlan nature in the Incanzation. 'lY e nature rem ains,
of course,utterly unchanged in its being,but receives a divine m axm er
of being,w hich it llad not before.

Am b r -zz% D -za97B:In N atalicia - or..

38.17 :.
56.:$2917
'fNow,I pray,take the eonception;and exult,if not as Jolm
from the wom b,at least as D avid at the setting down of the ark ''.

Tn response to this di culty M axim us flz'

st gives a m eniug to John
and David. John is im age ofpenanee,praetiealand gnostic knowledge; D avid of confession, praxis 'and contem plation. A nd eaeh

is a symbol of fixity (tlwo ((4 in their respective eharaeteristics

(-Iz9zD7). (In Am b 6 M axim us had introduced the exultatiottof
John and David,but only as illustration and enlarging only on the

siguiiicance of the womb -Io68A7-BIo).

In second place M axim us cites another passage of Gregory

(or.44.1 :36.6o8BI-Io)inustrative oftlle same basie thought. This

passage then gives M axim us the opportunity to explain tlze decwad

54

Th6 E Jclrr Am big'

wa

of contem plations and their successive reduetions. This he introduces as a Scripture eontem platioa. The basic five are:tim e,plaqe,
hpm ankind, person,'dignity or profession. To these sueceed practical, natttral, theological. contem plation. Then eom e the present

and future or type and trutlz (arehetype). These then are a11 redueed to the one suprem e Logos from wllom they were allderived

(-Iz93C3). There follows a detailed explanation of the first 5

(-Iz96A5) and of the 3 (zz96BIz) and ofthe z (Tz96Dz). Finally
M ad m us repeats briefly the foreging considerations, with a note

to the esect that providence and judgement correspond to natural

and praetiealphilosophy,and applies them once m ore to John and
David (-za9gB).
5:.
8
A m b 38-z2p7C-z3ozA ; In .YtZJaIIJ, - or.:$8.r8 :36.3.
.

Gregory had said:fTIfChrist tlee into Egypt,be a fellow refugee

with him ; and i.
f he tarrx, call him ''. Tlds is but an occasion for
M axim us to deyelope allegorical xinterpretations. H e here prefers

tg take Xgypt as vexation (xdxrpelg). Bat he also touclzes on the

going up,as from the know ledge of the Incarnate W ord to the glory
of the Only-begotten. H e touches also on the resurrection and on
the devil's original deeeit of m an through pleasure.

,
3:.6 :J6.J4zA
A m b Jp-zrorno ln sancta Z?4/pa'z;, - or. .
,

Gregoryhad wished thattheidol-worshppersw'orship idols. Som e

readers thought Gregory w as wrong in this. M axim us replies,eiting
the o1d m an. The pagan eult having been so often refuted,Gregory
softens his tone in its regard,that its adherenf.s m ay the m ore easily

be brought to see reason, thefe being no further danger that one

be m isled by such a rem ark.

A m b zp-z3ozli-z3ozlc : fn m scffz Lwm na - or.39.13 :,

36.344%
.

rrom purifcation to illum ination, to fulfllnlent of desire, w hich

is the knowing of God in three persons. So Gregorya whom M ax-

im us explains, citing two other passages of Gregory to elucidate

th6 gv fz/<s/s,fke gyeatest above f/?z gveat. 'Phe di ettlty thus concenzs

Analyss0/th6.%lj@ Dimculties

55

Am 6 4I-I3o4D -x:z6A : In sflpcfl fe'

lz.
AnAlfI - ot'. 39.13 :36.348D

Innovantur lflflfye .Deus homo jtzcllfs osi. These famous words

of Gregory have found their way into the Latin liturgy as antiphon
forthe B enedcttts on the feast ofthe Circum eision. 'rhey have been

theobject ofa study by Iv.Bro!zin EpitsmeridesZfsrgcflzr58 (1941.)

I4-az. Of them Maximus gives two explanations (-I3I.
3B, I.
3I:$D)
with a linalrecommalzdation (I3I6A) to ;nd stilla better one and
send it on to him .

The frst explanation is lziglk!y elaborate arld falls into three

parts. 'Phe first (-I3o8Cz)is a general explanation of the five distinctions (these same iive are founcl more briefly in Thal 48-436A8
Thesecond istheirapplication to t>eiucarnatedispensationt-l3lzlk ).
The third is considerations from logic on the unity of thimgs in the

nexthigherunivezsal confirm ed by a citation from Denis (-I3I3A9),

to whieh isjoined a summary (-I3I3B).
The whole first explanation js an eh boration of the following

live distinctions:nam ely,z)between God and ereation,2) between

theintelligible and thesensible,3)between heaven and earth,4)between paradise and the inhabited world,5)betwee.n male and fem ale
izt man, Man, fundamentally, is apt for joinittg the extremtws of
these distinctions together and eventually to bring them to uniou
in God. Tlle Iifth distinction is itself the resttlt of sin. The firs;t
parttherefore is an explanation of these divisions from I to 5 and of
how they m ightprogressively have been overcom e,from 5 to z. This
w ould have been tlze ideal; but m an's lirst m ovem ent w as not to
God,so that his natural'
,inborn pow er to efec't the union of distilzguished thillgs was perverted rather to their division. Fbr tlzis rea-

son:N aturaezlzlpz
ptzzlf'
l:reffldlfsltomo yt/cffu est,taking upon him se.lf
to save that which was lost. M axim us tllen goes through once
m ore the five distinctions,from 5 to 1,showing how Christ realized
their union. The explaaation being thus fnished, he adds for a
tlrd part a supplem ent on the unity of things itz the tm iversals a unity valid for all that com es after God.

The second explanation (I3I3CD ) of the hm ovation Ls found

not only in the fact of G od being bor.n in tim e, lm t that he w as
eonceived without seed and born without loss of virginity for
his m other.

The question of prim itive m an's asexual condition has already

beea touehed on in Am t,3z.

56

Tkef /rr/iw'
r A m bigua

Am b 42.z73,76.*.-z,34:,*.
: In Sf?Alc//4??, Baptisma - or.4o.z 2g6.g6/C
Gregory-m ade a difficulty in tllis oration by speaking of three
bid hs, that of the flesh, of baptism , of the resurrection and then

later by speaking of a fourth tthe first,the life-givhlg insulation

of Cxen.2.7 -I3I6C6)
The response is that he who is close to Gregory's thought will
know what he m eans. 12or M axim us tliis fourth is not superfluous
but com plem entary to the birth from the flesh and ipterpretative

of tlze divine logoiand tropoi.(I.

3I6CI4).
In explanation M axim us introduees a distinction between yJvegkg and yvvngkg, the latter being brought ill with the Iirsttrans-

gression of Adam . Christ the new Adam hl the irst (yvegw) by

eondescension assum ed sinlessneo , but not incorruptibitity; in the

seeond he assum ed capacity to suler,but not sinfulness (-I3I7AII).

W hat is laeking in the lirst, Christ repares by the second ;and

whatin theseeond by the frst (u3I7B3).

Sinlessness is the prindple ofincorruptibility,sinfulness of passion and corruption So by his passion Christ renewed incorruptibility

and by his sinlessnas sanctilled the passionate element tjtademl

of birtlz (-I3I7C6).
N ow lookhlg ata11these together one perceivesthat the distinction between them is m entalonly. In faet genn is and ganness are
tlte sam e,though genesis logieally precedes gennesis,to which latter

the vital insufllation properly bdongs (-I3I7CI5).

Sueh in substance is the frst pazt of the solution.
But M axim us has already spoken of the logos of nature and of

the tropos(z3IyCI,5);henow proceedsto enlargeon thepreservation

ofthislognsin the Incarrlation and on therenewalofthetrpos. 'rhe
tbem e is the sam e as in the Iirst part and is one already m et w ith

in Amb 31 (-I3zIBI2).
N ow here should follow the second pal4 of the solution;but an
alternative solution of this fiz'
st part m ust first be suggested. Perhaps,says M axim us,this distinguishing into two of tdrth from the
flesh was based on the diference of body and sottl in the hum an

composite (I3zIC).

This suggestion ocemsions a first brief digression on the relation

ofbody and souland on the time of their being joined (-I32IDI3c4B),a topi
e noted by Maximus hirnself tJs I was saying I.
3zID)
.

as haviag already been treated. 'fihe discussion tlzen of the distinct

Analysis t
# fk SingleDfltplllffdr
s

/7

thoagh simuitaneous origin of body and soul is re-sumed (I3z4CI3z5B4),another passage of Gregory being adduced.
This first section is then dosed by setting the threefo1d birth

in parallelwith m an's being brought to being (the twofold genesis

ofman as to body and soul),to well-being (baptism)and to eternal

being (resurrection) (-I3z5CI)..
But orte nlust interpret Gregory's words accurately. For there
are those wilo w ould see in them not a m ental distinctiou only but
a tem poral, one,pladng the infusion of our Lord's soul after his

ctmceptitm (z.3;
z5CIz).

W ith this M axim us inserts two further, long digressions: that

souls do not preexist bodies (I3z5D-I336B)and that bodies do not

preexist their souls (I3.
'
$6C-1:345C). These willbe separately analysed.
Closiug iinally these digressions, M axim us put.s the seeond pal't

ofthedi culty!why did Gregory join theInearnation with the Baptism ? (-z345D:$).
M an,M axim us is repeating his,teaehers,w as m ade in tlle im age

(Elx4v)ofCod,butwastoattain thelikenesst(TlztlltI)trkglonly onbeing

born with free-willof the Spirit through the observanee of the com -

mandments (-I345DII).

Tliis w as indeed necessitated by m an's freew ill. Y et inasm ueh

as m an, chosing the inferior, was condenm ed to carnal gerleration

(-I348A14),Chzist tmderwent lirst the birth (the Inearnation) and

then the baptism , as that by whieh m an is born williztgly in the

Spirit (-I349A4).
-he 7-AF:: iligressions

To the discrinzirtatirzg reader tlle influence of Gregory-of N yssa

is espeeially evident in these digressions on the hum an com posite.
On the relations between G regory and M axim us see below chap.V
note 41 and the references there given.

Digression I (I3azD-I324B):Maximus tells us that he has a1ready touched on this question:the tim e ofthe entrance of the soul
into the bedy. H e ean only refer to Am b 7-IIooC6-IIoIA 6.where
the sam e question is treated with the sam e argum ents, but m ore
difftlsely,as there is in addition a paragraph ortthe neczssary A'
/Q &

ltns ofsoulto body (IIoIA6-C9). Maximus'position is clear:man

forms a complets s4ccies (el:og Jlov), neither of wllose paz'ts can

58

7-h: iflrler z1A>5f?%

have a separate exiAtenc.

e, tlle soulafter dtxath retaining a nK essary
relation to its own body.

Digression z (I3z5D-I336B),against the preexistenee of souls.

Referring to his lirst digression M axim us declares that he follows
the royal m iddle road avoiding the errors of preexistence and of
postexistence by aflirm izlg tlle eoexistenee ofthe parts ofthe hum an

composite from the moment of conception (I3z,D). From this he

goes to on deseribe thepresuppositionsoftlzeftrst error, nam ely,that
bodies were fotm d for souls in ptm ishm ent of evil eom m itted, so
that the w hole visible w-orld , w hich silentiy m anifests G od, has evil
as its eause; which world G od waG forced to m ake, having at fi1'st

no intention so to do (z.
'
Ja8B9).
But in fact there is n'othing adventitious in God; a11 hms been

made aeeording to his foreknowledge (-I3z8D).

'fhe Iogoi
' ofallt11l'ngs,pabt,presezlt and future, preexist im m u
tably in G od. They are brought into being, they develope for good
or for evil, and, according to the proper disposition of eaeh, they
are everlastingly awarded partidpation in or privation of God,who
-

is thus theit joy or ptmishment (-x3z9B7). 'Phe doetzlne of tize

apoctdastasis,though llot nam ed,is thus exeluded 1.
The consequences ofthis preexistence ofthe logoiare developed
in a sorites,w hieh, a little too broad in its scope, cond udes to the

dilemma:either the finalputting-off (tlaoyugkg) of human bodies

is im possible or '
G od was foreed to create against his wt'll tblngs

whose logoihe did not have from the beginning (-r3z9D6)>.

M axim us then developes the eonsequenees of this latter hori't
It m eans that created things are w ithout logos and wisdom , the wlzich
is nothing else but evil, w hose eharaeterislic is non-existence B ttt
in any ease the idea of force being applied to God resultsizlpositing
.

two pzindples afte'

r tile m anner of the M anicheest-l33zlk ).
M axim usnow attaeksthisputting-offfrom anotherangle, nam ely
from that of the Inearnation. For the Im rd, assum ing our body
and taking it back with him to heaven, is the leader and author
of our salvation, body ar
td soul (-I333A9). But he who thus leads
tts to the sum m it of developem ent and perfection eannot him self
be such a leader if he neecls hirnself the fnal perfeetion of putting14 Cf. Am b 65-z39217 and see below chap. V I.

n This puttiylg-og is a distinetly Origenistic trait see below cllap 1,

.

note '1.

Analysisp//& Singlefslcfglft,s

59

os the body,attizatvery m omerltwhen he is to bring usto perfection (-rg,

33BIz).
For the Incarnate Lord,Seripture teaclles,is not only the leader

atld author ofour salvation (H ebr.2.10)but has gone before us by

hij exam ple. so that,if there is to be a putting-off,he sim uld have

efeeted if first in himself (-I333DIo).

Or again, if w e allow this idea of the ptztting-off, how is the

word of Gregory true:that which is united to God is saved,as the

body was united (-Ir 6BI).

liinally, why this dogma oj fk ecclesiastical Iaith was not expressed by the rathers in the ereed, M axim us leaves to .others to

explain (I3.
36B).
Digression :$ (I336C-I345C),against the preexistenee of bodies.
Theproposition thatthe soulcom esto a body already existent (postexistence ofsouls)is m ore easily stated thau proved. I/or the body
thus bonl w ould be dead, before the advent of the soul,as laeldng

a principle of life and.of cohesion (-I33gB3). A medical example

is here used (1336D2-1337.&6/. But if the em bryo be possessed of
som e sort of soul,though not a hum an one,the father is not father

ofa son but ofa horse or ofsome plant (-I337DIz).

A graver eonsequence of suelz a position is that G od., who brings

a thing into beiag eomplete (vlatov) aeeording ttl the logos preexistent in him self,would be aectlsed of lack of wisdom and power

(-I34OAIo). The inverse of this charge we have m et with above

(I33cAI) in refutation of the preexistezlee of souls.
'rhe proponent.s of postexistenee m ay take fina! refuge in the
thought that it.is not fitting for the soulto com e into existence sim ultaneously w ith the staiaed pleasttre of coneeption. Such a view

rexeets on the Creator (ifmarriageis evil,which would here be supposed, then the natural 1aw of generation, and so the law m aker,

is likewise evil)and is the equivalent of Manes'doetrine (-I34oC5).

F urther,if it is not fitting for the rational soul to be introdueed at
conception,it willnot be so untilthe tim e of the purifcation,forty

da> after birth (-I.

34oD4). Nor can the M osaie 1aw (Ex zI.zc)
be an excuse for plaeing the advent ofthe soul 4o days after coneeption ; for M oses does not there indieate the entrance of tlze rational

soul,but the complete formation ofthe embryo (-t34IAI). But far m ore forceful an argum ent - if the soul com es only after 4o
days,then the W ord ofGod could nothave assum ed ourflesh through

6o

Th6 Fcff. Am bigua

the interm ediary of a rationals'

oul, or, better,united our eom plete

nature hypostatically to him self (-I.

54IB6).
Therefore M axim us defends the m iddle doetrine of eoexistenee.
opposed equally to either error and confirm ed by the m ystery of
the Incarnation, w ltieh w as a renew al not of the togos of our nature

but of its tropos (-I34IC;),

Renwatis then exptained (-1.340 5) and illustrated from mtracles ofthe O1d Testament,whieh a1leoncern the motls (# optwafion
not the existrnt :ssfwc: (wfsao vfi vgyettq - kdyo siig lhxfitlett)
I344DIo).Greater than a11sueh renewals is tllat oftheVirgin biz'
tlz
(-1345A5).'
-

A nd Enally the cardinal principle is again asserted that any

nature whatsoever com es into being as a com plete essential wllich

knows no alteration or cessation of being (-I345C3).

Then the series of digressions is closed (-I345C3-7).
Text: Digressions I and z (I3zID-I.
336B) were first published
by G alland from a 13th century Venice m anuscript,the M areian.136

(Bibliothrca Izufgr'
lf- Patyum ed. Venet. 1781) t. X IV appendix

PP'*53-58).
M igne's reprint of Oehler's text has .om itted a dozell words
at I.> IDI;they

are:l:e xqtdtrrtlxf taltvEt)xrzl&llov 3goke)gg(pasog,xal'8v ylvsval ts xatN!:s(xtd 4llzE:iajd),

o...
lvote @m th6 flgressfoss

Besidesthe passages just analyzed and that ofAmb 7 (IIooC6IIoIA6)M aximus treats oftbe sotll,that it is incorporeal and retains itsproperoperationsafterseparation from the body in ep 6 and
7,
.he treats of the com posite, incidentally, in ep. Iz-488D and in
ep I3-5I6Df,525D . M axim us'doetrine is clearly not in the Phtonic
stream represented by N em esius and Leontius of Byzantium for
w hom the soul is a com plete substance w ithout azly necessary relation to the body. In this he is but followhlg Gregory of Nyssa,

whose influenee in these questions I have above (p.57)noted. But

an indication of view s sim ilar to his own is to be found nearer than

Gregory. 1 mean Leontius of Jenzsalem . W hat the precise contours of his doetzine raight be is di cult to say withottt a eareftll

study (an arduous one at that) of his two polem ical works. Yet
it is rem arkable that m any ofthe conditionsofthe hum an com posite

1Azfyw:s()//A: Singlr D'rj

/ks/ffks

61

are fotm d stated in his Adversus Aresforffzlt?s I tllough in the words

of tlze adversary (see especially the beginnings of ehapters 1,z,6,

7,9,Iz,1t
$,I5,I6,I7,191,and in the Adversussfonopkysitas diflkulty 48 there is fotm d tlle phrase complete natuyai s/rcls. This
posftion is clearly akiu to tlzat of Afaxirrztts azld Gregory, thotlgh
m ore crass and far less forcibly expressed. It w ill be observed
that however m ore or less stringent m ay be the argum ents M axim us
advances for his position,the ultim ate basis of his convietion is the

mystery ofthe Incanlation (an example ofthe hzQuence ofrevelation

oll philosophy). 'fhe pl.
dting-oj of the body Maximus rejects as
contral'y to dogm a ; the eternity of punishm ent he asserts w ithout
reference to the oflicialteaching ofthe Church;hispositiotlilzregard
to the apovatastasis will be seen in detail in the fnal chapter.

A m b 43-134:1$17) I1% stzzlc/lv; Baptismq

or.4ozlz :36.3731$

Gregory had spoken of tlm se who, with a fever, await the criticaipoint, that,with som e assurance of a prolonged life,they m ay
stili further defer tlzeir 'baptism . M axim us explains w hat m edical
opinion understands by the crffctll sweaf.

Am b 44-zJ4pD -r3JaA: ln sanctum Baptisma - or.40..

3.3:.36.4058
Gregory had said that Christ does not like advantage to be taken

ofhimself in repeatedly forgiving sins. The objeetion is:readiness

ever to forgive sins is the ver)r m ark of loving-kiadness. M axim us
repliesthat,on the eontrary,a certain unwillingness to forgive again
serves as a salutary clzeck on sinnirtg and helps fx one in the doing
of good.
Am b 4;-z3j.aB-z3;6& In .
gtzptl/f/zzl Pascha - or. 45.8 :.36.6320
This di eulty opens the longest series of com m ents ou passages

taken from any one oration ofGregory (Amb 45-60). 17or the most
part they are brief allegorieal interpretations of Scriptural personages connected with the Passion - so the 8 item s taken from the

:4th ehapter (Am b 52-59).

The present difllculty has,by way of introduction,an unusually

elaborate apology forM aximus'inadequaey (I35zB-D). He intends

however to do prom ptly the little that lae can for the good of his
correspondents.

62

TM E Jrfiez Ambigtm

In the passage proposed Gregory had chdraeterized the Iirst

m an asnaked in his sim plid ty and in his tm artilieiallife,withoutany

need of dothing. Maximus'frst answer (I35cDIo-I353B) supposes

Adam before the fallto have had a bodily tem peram ent diverse from
that obtaining after the fall,nam ely,one itlw hich the qualities w ere
not eontrary and eornlptive one of the other. In sueh a clm dition
he w as im m ortalby graee and needed no d othing eitherfor sham e's

sake (for he possessed detachment,fladthkfz)or forwarmth artd protedion (for he was not subjeet to the extremes of heat and eold).
In the setond answer (1.3530-1356.43) Maximus suggests that
Gregory proeeeds from the present condition of m an, wldcllis charaeterized by three m otions:thatdeterm iaed by pleasure,tllat determ ined by need,and that determ ined by the leam ing of natural contem plation. N ow tlze frst m an w ould have been above all of these,
being detached.by graee and so in im m ediate corttact with God
and w ithout need of those things w hich now m ove him .
The m aking of a.list of m otives is som ething eom m on enough
in M axim us, and searcely ever are they identical See ep 9-4450
and Char 2.3z,33.
The third respouse brings in theory and ktlowledgeg astuteness
in the exercise of virtue. '
fhe m an w ho would return to the frst
.

state of Adam must fmd :imself above allof tllese (I356AB).

M axim us adds in eonclusion that there is a still m ore exalted
way ofconsidering the di culty,which sow he willpass over for the
reasoa given in the preface.
'
'

A m b 46-:556C-:5571): flt sttv f'

lt- Paschq - or.45.1:$ ::$6 641%
.

Gregory is taking tlle various specifcations of the paschallam b

and applying them to our Lord, in the present case it is y6arl.
ing.

And Christ Ls yearling as sun of justice. Yoz time is divided into

five divisions: day, w eek, m onth. season,year,whieh aredeterm ined
by the eireuit of the stm . Sueh is one of tlle m any w ays of under-

standing the passage. Yeayling isfrstexplained (-I357B9); sun W

iusfic6next (-I357C3);then tyocssdin.
g Sh:'
ac: (-I357D2).
A m b 47-x357D -z;6zA : In stlfcfzfpl P ascha - or.45 14 :36.641C17
.

It is not at all to be wondered at, says Gregory, if a lam b is

sought out for each heusehold. A nd the di eulty is then to reconcile
this with the fact that Christ is one. M axim as does not answer

yllqlyds a/th6ifly/:lli3c%dti6s

6)

the objection directly but adapts the saying to one of St Paul:I

A fft
rplzld:tf to know notking am ong you lf4/ Ckyist tzA?.ff him crsfc/lfl

(1 Cor.z.c). Each one,continues Maximus,according to lzis own

powerand virtue,crueifeshim selfand is cnlcifed with Christ. There
follows a list of Iz ways ia w hich this is done,beginning with the
sim ple avoidanee of aetual sin. The last w ays indicate a passage
from practicalphilosophy throughy naturalconsideration and the mys-

tagogy p/ tkeologicat,
sc:zlctrto tbat sepayative fzzlfAzi/drfN drs.
s attained
by nq ation. 'rhis process is,as it w ere, parallelw ith a passage from
the EesllofChristto his soul,to hism ind,to his divinity. For Christ
becom es the lam b of eacllm an in proportion as each is able to hold
and eat ltim , according to the saAring of Paul that the grace of the
Spirit is given to eaeh one in the m easure of his faith.
Von Balthmsar com m pnts on this passage in connection with

Thoec 1.W fDie Gn.Cent.p.I35f.), Maximus seemsnearerEvagrius in this Am b 47 than in Thoec 1.67.

Am b # -z36zA-z36jC: In sanctum Pasclta - or. 45.16 :,

36.645A
Gregory in this Paschal oration is highly allegorieal; M axim us
follows suit. 'fThe fleshy and nourishing part of the doctrine together with the intestines and rece-sses of 1he m ind are eaten '
artd
sent down for spiritual digestion ''. Stlch a passage is btlt an hzvitation to develope the thougllt of spiritualm anducation,w hieh Afaximus llad expa % ed at tlle end of the lmst di culty. And in fact

thisisjust what he does and with the same reference to receptivity

proportioned to the measure of grace and of Spirit (I364Bzz-z3)a
But,a thing that shows that these com m entaries w ere conceived

and wzitten as quite indejendent tmits,Maimus begins this eomm entary with a long disquisition on desire for God,.which is iu fact
a prerequisite for this spiritual eating.

'fhis desire and passion (xde,lfzlgl for himself God plaeedin

rationalereaturesat the beginnhzg togetller with the power to know
llow to attain its fulflm ent. Being m oved by sueh a desire w e are '

dziven to seek to attain him (-I36IBg).

knowing this the lovers of truth set as their unique object
the knowledge oftrttth asim aged in this world, that when tbe tim e
cam e for them to die they m ight pass easily to the future truth .
.

In this our God and Savior Jesus Christ helped and lead the way

(-I36ICI4).

64

T& E arlier A m bigua

And God, who gives to him that has, nam ely desire for him ,
aud is abundantly rieh, does not leave off doing good till he bring

them , always from the less to the greater, to deifeation - Jesus

the Xvord of God having gone through a11 the heavens before

us (-I364AI5).
Gregory, knowing that we have this natural desire for him ,
urges us to spiritual eating, eaeh according to the eapacity given

him by the graee oftlze Spirit (-I364BI4).

H ere only,half way through the com m entary, M axim us begins
to explain hl d'
etail this spiritual eating, stal illg w ith tbe head

(I365B3). And there are many otheraspectjunderwhich the Lamb

m ay be eaten,changing into him self by tile Spirit those that receive

him (-1.
365C5).
A m b 49-:365C 5 : In sanctum P asclba - or. 45.18:36.648C

A brief interpretation of the imitation of Jolm the Baptist,

in conjuction with an allusion to Co1 g.5 on mortifying our members

on earth.

A m b 5o-x:68A -z36kC: In sanctum Pascka '

- or. 4.
5.19:36.6498
'Phe text of Gregory contains an allusion to M att 10.9,10 azld
to Rom .10.15 - which first M axim us briefly interprets in the sam e

manner as in Amb 49 (-I.

568BIz). '
Phen,with a referenee to the
preceding di culty aud a m ention ofthe Passover,M axim us proposes

an allegorical interpretation ofthe three passovers,that is in Egypt,

in the desel't,in the promised land (-I369AIo). M axim us theu passes these three stages again in rew iew ,putting them irt relation w ith
the three degrees of tile spiritual life - the practical,the theoretical,

the theological (-I369C5).

A m b 5z.x369C-z372B: fn sanctum Pascha - or.45.z1:36,65z8

In thls di culty Gregory alludes to Racheland Xia (Gen 31)

and to the Israelite exodusfrom Egypt. R aehelthen is the theoretical soul, J.ia the pm ctical, the wise Israelite tlze theorqtical m ind.
This is the Erst of a series ofallegoricalinterpretatious ofpeoonages,
only in tllis di culty from the O1d Testam ent, extending through

Andzsis p/theSsr:Dimculties

6j

..

Am b 5z-z37zBC: f'
n sflscl'
u- Pascha - or.45.24 :36.656C
This isthe first ofthe seriesof 8 di cttlties taken from the sam e
chapter in Gregory. Of these 7 are allon the type of the foregoing
di culty,that is allegoricalinterpretations of personages. H ere the
figtlres are a11 taken from thv resurrection narrative, so that tlle
interpretations are m ostly coneerned w ith crucifixion and resurrection,in Christ and in us. This first one dals with Sim on of Cyrene.
A m b 53-xr 2C-zJ76B: In sandum Pascha - or. 45.24 :36.
6560
H ere there are four interpretations of the good and bad thief.

A m b j4-z376C-x3r B: In sd/Alc/'
lf'
?l Pascha - or. 45.24 :36.6560

Here there are interpretations of Joseph of Aram athia and of

the body of Christ.

A m b J5-z377C: In sanctum P ascka - or.45.24 :($6.65617

A siltgle interpretation of Nicodemus.
A m b s6-z377D -z38oB: In sanctum Ptwsc/l, - or. 45.z4:36.6569

M ary,the other M ary,Salom e and Joanna. Here we have tlle

prad icaland contem plative life. There are also two considerations
on the angels whom the holy w om ezlfouzzd in the tom b ;they represelzt
theology and econom y.
Am b 5p x38oD -z38zB: In sanctum Pascka - or.45.24*
. 36.657A

Two considerations oll Peter and Jolm rllnnittg to the tom b.

Peteristhe solidmess offaith and the practioetllife;John the purity
of love and the contem plative life. lzt a sense they are rivals, ilt
another they are allies.

Am b 5& z3%zB-I3%4A : In sfyncfzrz/l P ascka - oz.45.:4: 36.657A

This di cult)ris ofthe doubting Thom as H e rpresents every
rnartwho has di culty iltbelievitlg the resttrrection ofthe virtue and
.

krlowsdge ofthe W ord that is in him. I'Iisconferxsion is referred

to the practieal and contem plative life. There follows a coasider5

66

The FfldfTr Am bigna

ation on the nails, w itnessing to tlze spiritual resurreetion whiclz

one does not beneve tiH expeHenced.
A m b je.z384A -C; In M zai/vzzl Pascha - or.45.24:.36.657%
Tl'
iis and the following dil culty eoncern tlte descent of Christ
into heH and his ascension. Gregory speaks of a double descent.
M axim us then,besides a m entalgoing down Avith Christ to learn the
m ystery, explains the frst descent as that to save us w ho are still
in thisbody,the seeos.
d asthat forthe saving ofthesouls ofthe dead.
A second proposal is that the habit and act of itdquit'y reeeive from

the W ord the return to virtue and knowledge.

A m 6 6o-x384D -z38jC: In scpcf'
lfvl Pqscka - or.45.24:36.6578
This difheulty responds to the foregoing. It treats of m an's
aseension in the abundance of know ledge to the very ileights of the
W ord,or as an ascent from the prad ieal to the contem plative life,
or fulally,as a passage from a consideration of the econom y to that
of theology, whereby m an is lifted up to God as m uch as God has
torzle dowm to m azl ::

Am b 6z-x3% C-x388A) In novam D om'inicam - or.44.:;36.6088

These are anagogic interpretations ofthetabenm de,qhich Gregory had m eutioned. The lirst intreprets it of tlze E conomy;the second su tes that it m ay be undezstood as an im age of the visible and
hw isible world,or ofthe sensible world alone,or ofm an as com posed
of body and soul,or,finally,of the soul considered irt itself. 'lxese
sam e considerations are fttlly developefl, at least the last, in M yst
z-5,as applied to the churchbuilding.
1
The persons of the Trinty are introdueed in each section ofthis
di culty:the Father as taldng com placenee or,ms rnirtd,as ideating
the work;the Son as effeeting it; the H oly Ghost as pedecting it.

Atnb 6z-.
r388ABJ In v t?tzzzl Dominkam - or.44.2:36.6080
This is a single anagogic interpretation of D avid as kirzg,that
is Czist izz is two advents.
:: This is a proportion m et with before; see above note :1.

Analysisol/& Singlr D#icsfl/i:s

67

'

Am b 6ju JE8C-I3% B: In '

aopfl- Dominicam - oz.44.5 : 36.612C

'l'he dilliculty,m ore fully expounded than usual, cousistsin tlkis

thatelsewhere Gregory ealls the Sunday ofthe Resurrection the m ost
sublim e of allfeasts and here he ealls the N ew Sunday m ore s'ublim e
than the sublim e, H ow explain this contradietion ?
M axim tls lirst notes that in this sam e oration Gregory had rem arked that one should never stay put, butever advance) H ethen
gives three variants of the sam e explanation, nam ely that the first
Suzlday denotes the Resurrection, tlze second its com plem ent
deifcation.

A m b 64..z9&.)BC: In novam D om inicam - or 44.8 : 36 6168

,

I katetkatfamiliayity tltatpassestkr
'ough f& aiy. 'IAM Sextremely
concise plzrase of G regor'y M axim us interprets as said of fem inine

asceties who by looking out the window on passers-by of tlle ofher

sex fotm d oecasion of sinning.

Am h 6j-I3% D-zs :B:f'

?lPenteczstsn - ov.41.z:36.4:$28
Gregoz'
y,in explaining the Pentecostal num ber, had said that 7
m ultiplied by itselfequalled 50 m inus onq,wlzich on6w as t-aken from
the future age,a osm which is at ozlce tlze eighth and the :1st or rather one and everlasthlg;and there the sabbath of souls m ust fm d
its terzninus.

And M axim us cornm ents. In Seripture the num ber '

),has l'nn',y
sip zifcatifm s; evn taken as rest it stillhas a.m ultiple gv sfs. H ow ever to avoid overcharging his com m entary he w ill speak only of
.

the post exalted (-I39zA3).

M axim u.
s tlteu expotm dsthe.three m odes of being, tlmt is being,

wem being (or,correlatively ill-being CII,D 9),everlasting well-behzg'

whieh lmst gives Erm ness to the nature (-I39zBI5):;.
:7 The tllem e of these three m od.
es of being is frequent in M axqm us.

Itoccurstwicein Char (3.z3-a5;4.Jz-z3);in Thal64-728.

:.;iltAmb 7-zoz3c,

A'
m b zo-III6B0, Aznb 4z-zaz5B8, r:
J29A p B7, :34.8178:; in Thoec zz56.
At this chapter von IBAIZHASAR gives a com m entarr. citng Clem ent of
'

Alexahtlrja and Aristotle (Di6 Gn.(Qxf..j z6g). He could there have cited
Proclus lElnme%L% 0/ Theology propxsitions 43, 9z, z72, :9a). The second
.

Molle, well-being'
,is there in evidence only in prop. 43; but, as D cdds re-

68

Tlv '/zff'
dr .4O krr

And thisisthemystieally blessed Sabbath ofGenesis (-I392CI4)

and the eighth and first day (I39zDI3).
riaally M axinm s gives tw o other brief consideratio'
ns of the

same theme (-I393A5).'Compare 'rhoec 1,37-39 LDie Gn.Cent.jj

151-53), 'rkal 65-756C.
co,
sffrs - or.41-4 :36.43.
38
A m b 66-z3p3B-z)p6A )ln fdrs/tr
,

Gregory w as laying him self out to eite exam ples of the num ber
7 from the O1d Testam etlt. H e refet-s to Elias raising the widow's

son (3Kings17.18F.whereinfactthenumberis3notg)andthetrial
saezifce with the false prophets (3 Kirlgs r8.34).
M axim us explainshow the num ber7 iscontained in others. 64 ts
a to the 6th power;add the originalunit to this 6 arld you have 7.
(7r the:D o itJgtzfl and tztltird fvlfl:I doubled is z,whieh tripled is6;
add the originalunit and you have 7. Ilzthe firstdeeade 7 isa virgin

num ber;it neither begetszloris begotten. Three isthe firstvirsn,

for though it begets (6 is its multiplein the decade)it is not begotten. 'rhis Gregory had stated elsewhere. O r,a better explanation:
considering the good,1he operatitm of the triad,thatistke cardinal
virtues,togetherwith theH oly 'Priad itselfone arrivesatthe virginal7.
This diG eulty begius w ith w hat appearsto be a direet quotation
from the o1d m an.
'

A m b 67u 3p6m z4o4C) In wlzezz/zfw /z,zl - or. 4:.4 :36.4.

3.
'
3Cf.
Gregory, explaining the m ystery of num bers, refers to those
conu ined in the gospel accounts of the m ultiptieation of loaves

(Matt z4.z.
3-al and z5.3a-J9).

M axim us starts out to give a sum m ary explanation ; for tlle

inteltigenee, he says, is already w ell exercised in the theoretical

habit by thjngs already said (I396B). This back-reference to his

own work is best satisfied, I tlzink,by tlle long series ofScriptttre
fgures taken frozn tke Pasclm l oration,A m b 45-60, m ore especially
from Am b 51 on.
.

m ar.
ka itlhis preface (p.x),tlzisisa theologicaltreatise wlzerem undane and
eth cal m atters are touehed on but incidentally. It is perhaps not without
signifcance that am ong the -4Aplfg'
lw this triad occurs in tlm se wlwre the
antioHgenist polem ic is m ost m arketl

Andysis()/th6SingleDiFstdties

62

The good intention to be sum m ary last.s tm til he com es to the

lz baskets of M att 14.z0. Of tlkis num ber he gives 8 distinct
.

explanations (-I4oIB). Maximus then linishes his explanation of

tlte narrative iu M att 14 by a brief tonsideration on the baskets

(I4OIC).
'I'he narrative of M att 15 is m ore briefly (lealt witll. 'Phere are
firstzconsideration on the7loavesand the($days (-I4o4A):8. There
follows a briefconsideration on the 4ooc,m en antlthen a yet briefe:

one on the 7 baskets of fragznents (-I4o4CIz).

The whole fiads its Gnisitin a re-dtation of the final wotds of
.

Gregory tilat had served as the diKculty (-I4o4CII-I3).

A m b K8-z4o4D -x4ojC: In P rz
lsltrctpsf,s - or. 4:.16 :36.449C
,

Gregonehad said:<there is a diversity of eharism s, a diversity indigeut of another charism for the discernm ent of tlte

A M axim us refers this to St Paul:t Cor Iz 4,9,xo and I.z.3o (not

ets 2.4)the reference given in Migne),that is to prophecy and tbe
.

sykeaking witlltongues G t.h thetr subordinate discernm ent of spirits

and interpretation The need of these subordhzate eharism s is i1.

lustrated by Montanus and Montanism (I4o5A7f) arzd by further

passa
'ges from St Paul (z'Cor. 14) (Piually (I4o5BI3) Gregory's
conduding phrase, !oy s/hfsdiscevnment oj JJI: 5F/fe:, is interpreted
.

not of the spirits but of the charism : prophecy and the speatn-ng

with tongues are tbe bettez eharism , for tlle diseernm o t and interpretation of w hich are given the charism s of discernm ent of spirit
znd interpretation.
.

'e This tkteane oftbree days occurs ekqewhere. Tlm l 39 is art explana-

:ion ofthissame text (M att.z5.3z)alztlalso ashere, ofthe three laws (tlle

l
atutal law tlle written 1aw the spiritual 1aw or the 1aw ()f grace). In
rh
al :9-39385 Afaxinlus refers, for a Iulley treatnzent to the IliNiculties
kom
Gregory's Pemtecost oration. The reference catk only be satiss.ed by
t
m b 67-I4oID , I4o4A. M axim us' m em ory failed him ; the passage in
tm b 67 is less thau a third tlze length of the relevant partofThal39. H ow l
ver M mxim us did subsequently return to the them e of 3 days and the 3
aws,butstarting from anotlzer Scriptare text (Jonas ,3.3 in Thal 64-724C-

'z8A). 'fhisdilierence ofhlithlextwillexplain certain variationsin the

heme.aslzeideaofnourishmezttizjThal39 and imb 67 antl ita abserce
w IYAI 64.

7o

T& Earlierzle irfftz

...

Am b -z4o5CD:In S:rpAlr- - or.25.6 :35.Izo5B

'rhis is a briefde6nltion oftwo gram m aticalterm s cfjtl
3qga aud

xtpatrtslzpahzqThe firstisa proposition whose sense iscomplete without further addition ; the second is a proposition needing a further
d ause to com plete the sense.

A m b 7o-x4osD -z4oec: In Iaudsm Stzsff/:i - or. 43.1 :,

36.496A
The sentenee w hich serves for the preseut difliculty lzas rem ained
obscure also to the M aurist editors of Gregory :e. M af m us first

paraphrases tlle seutence just before that eited in the dieulty,

then tlzatofthedilliculty (-I4o8Bz4). Then,referring to a sentence
a little furtherup iriGregory'sexorditlm (496A3,4),he givesan a1ternative explanation. In the last line (I4o8C5)he indicates his
preference for the frst a.
s m ore accurate.

Am b 7z-z4o8G z4z6D: Prarcepta ad Wrgi%rs - 37.624

This is the only di culty not talcen from Gregory's orations.

Tlt6 kigh I'Ftvff plays in fvdry sort # lbrm . Maximus conjedures 4

explanations. The frst is that this playing' is the m ystery of tlte

Inearnation (-I4IaA).
The second explanation supposes the playing of a m iddle between the extrem es. The m iddle is vksible things;the extrem e the
invisible;the playing then is tlle pedagogic m azm duction from ,but
still through, the visible to the invisible. M avim us illustrates by
tlle ways parent.s have of leading their children from sensible to intdleettlalthings. H ere M ad m us institutes aa interesting eom parison

of passages from Gregory alzd Denis (-I4I6A).

The third explanation refers to the extrem e evasiveness and
instabiiity of m aterial things,by which God leads us to the tllings

that really are (z4z6B).

The fouzth explauation is a vadation of the foregoing,referring

now to the transitoriness of human life (I4I6CD).

A com mon element in the last ihree explanations is that the
present and visible world Ls but as a toy in com parison w ith tile
future and invisible one.

a:seehe Matuists'note (30)in PG a6.496D.

Andyss# thewsNplj@ Dlmcullirs

71

Erkena's version of Amb gI-I4I6A3-Dz has a curious histoz'

y,
related by Paul Lehman in H twmcs .
52 (1917) 1Iau 4.
V aledictory -z4z7A -C
H aving tinished explaiuing the 66 passages sent him ,M axim us
again professes his inadequacy for the task:paucity of intelligence
and a sin-douded m ind. Again lle a rm s that he has proceeded

by way of conjedure rather than assertion (I4I7A5). This applies

espedally to the last di culty,perhaps,w here twice he states that

his eemments are conjectttral (I4I2A3, B7);yet nonethdess to a11

the Ambigua. Sueh ishisintention declared atthe outset (Io6$A3);
and it '
is noteworthy that th: aatiorigenist passages of Am b 15 and
42 are consdously digressions. It is further noteworthy that M axim as term l
-nates his w ork w ith a dtation from the D N . Of the 9
citations from D enis in these 66 di culties 7 are from the D N ;'in
conclusion M axim us cites from the peroration of the latter work

(DN I3.6-98zCI5-D6), indicating thus, it would seem , not only a

com m tm ity of attitttde 'H t.
II D enis llut also the souree whence he
:ad drawn tbe keenness.of his com m ent and refutation.

PA R T 11

TH E R EFU TA TTON OF OR IGXN ISM

CHA/TER I

M AX IM U S AN D O R IOEN TSM
A . T I.
m O luGSNISM KNow N 'ro M axxMvs

'ro m y knowledge the nam e of Origen occurs but once in the

M aximian corpus,hltlze Rdatio motionis $-IzoAB:when accused of

O rigenism and of leadlng others thereto M axim tls anathem atizes O rigen azld all thase like-m inded. Von Balthasar has m ade m anifest
M axim us'direet know ledge and ttse of O rigen in his study D ie Gnostisckrn C'
eaff/al;lze has likewise devoted a few pages in is K osAzlfsc/l: Liturgi. to the M axim ian eritique of Origenism . It is m y
presentpurpose to delineate msnearly as possiblethe physiognom y of
the Origenism refuted by M aM m us and to indicate where M axim us
m ost probably had contaet w'ith it.
'rhe texts ofM axim us in this regard are the 7th and 15th :4zAl&7
gua. At lizst sight one w ould be tem pted to include also the 4:nd

with its long digressions in refutation of the pre- or postexistence

of sottls. But the errors there envisaged are not peeuliar to Origen,

nor is the refutation ofpreexistenee,even ifdireeted against Orkenists, a prim ary refutation of the error tm derlying O rigenism . In
the 7th A m biguum itself the preexistence ofsouls,together with their
postexistence,istreated only by tlle way,asa corollary oftheexplan-

ation of How we .r: poriions oj God (Amb ;-IIooA-IIo4C). O(1

tlzewhole what M axfmussets out to refttte is above al1the pvmltive
kenad W ratonalbeings. ThisisOrigenistmyth,entailing,to besure,
both the preexistence of souls and for Origen at least an apocatastasis; yet the speculation of the henad once'properly exploded. the

other two dod rines as ro ulting from the frst,collapse of their owm
w eight. This is not to say that supported on other bases a doctrine

ofthe preexistence ofsouls or ofan apocatastasis doesnotneed each

Clut/fr1.M lx-v,
sald Origeis-

75

its ow n refutation ;but it is to say that such a refutation w ill not of

necessity be prim arily directed against the O rigenist m yth . W e have

then these two Ambig'

ua (7,I5)whieh dealdireetly with the henad
of Origen 1.

T& Dilc'
?Wj Tnxtboj G?zgtvy Nazianz6n
Tbe Gregorian text for the rth A m biguum , ilz w hieh alone M axim us m akes a frontalattaek on Origenism ,not only ispatient of an
Origenist lttterpretatiott,but positively invites it. I have given it

in fullabove (p.za);here 1 repeatthe litigiousphrase'

.lzoiytw Sjm
svl'fzg thoil xal dvfpozv (lEfgttvxttg.
This seem s to im ply that having onee been a part of God m an
fell away and is sue.h no m ore, Yhe prim itive ilenad of rational beings is not diflicult to read into the frst phrase' the seeond w ould
indicate the falling away in diverse degrees, on which wasconsequent,
in Origen's doctrine,the binding to bodies of a density proportioned

to the degree ofthe fall. In fact the Ialling away reealls a passage
ofOrigen,preserved in the Greek in the florilegium attached to Jt1stinian's letter of 543. H ow else,asks Origen :, explain suelz great

variety in the world other than by x?#xokxllov v#g ('

t'
ztozrrfge vf'
iw
otk jtog vfig lvd3og flxolpntiuow.
And this O rigenian rem iniscence in Gregory, if it truly be such,

is oftllat one place in the DefJz'iAlc/fs where the word kenad witll
reasonable certaiaty goes back to O rigen him self 3.
1 In fact ill Am b 4z M axim us does also have in view the Otigenist

doctrine of tlze cleposftion of bodies (Amb 42-:3291)4 and I333Azz; cf

anathem a zo in Diekam p p.94,or 'ltheodore ofSeythopolis j Ia PG 86 2 368)
.

and 1zTlzal6o-6z5AB the hettad in its 6th century form is elearly envi> ged.
'rhe Iatter is a m enx m etttion.tlke form er does not toueh tlke m ain question.
One m iglzt further ask if there be not a refutation of Origenist doctrine
in ep.;-433C. There the error of som e m onks isconsidez'
ed who asse:
rt tlze

resunw tion-body to be stlbjeet to the same conditions of change and

m e-

tabolism as at present ptevail save fo'

r the im possibility of flylng. It is
.

Theophilus of Alexandria (ep. pasch. I.T:

$,15 - amoug Jerome's letters
cxp.96,PL 22.783,785)who pre-sents this as olte of Origen's errors nam ely
tlm t '
the resun ection will be in bodies of Iike condition w'
ith ours. but inc-

luding m ortality. There m ay be som e tzolm etion between the error of

M nvim us; contem poraries and, tllose im puted to O rlgen over two centuries
earlier. but there is not identity. See also chap. V , n. 23.
.

: D if Jarfxc/, z.z.r, GCS, K OSTSHAU Io7lf.

3 The other instances I speak only of the ve. xdiv lo'fdxdjv, in tite

74

Th6 x6'
/f4/4lfpl 0/ Orskelff-

Given t'he very special Origenist Hng hl Gregory's pkrase,M axim tls could not w ell do otlzer than undertake first a refutation of
the henad of rational creatures, A nd this all the m ore so that his
adversaries w ere still active, m isleading otlzers by the assum ed patronage of Gregory 4. M al m us' own exposition of the phrase is
ftm dam entatly to in'terpret it of the fall into sin and wretchedness,
not ofthe fallinto bodies. It does not then referto genesis,the eom -

ing-to-be of m an, as in the Origenist myth (Am b 7-1090D6 and

Io% C3-Io).

Anfecedents/()r Summqrizing orkt,Alfsvlin the'Henad

N ow our purpose is to see what anteeedents M axim us m ay
have had forcencentrating his polem ic in the refutation ofthe henad.
To this end it willbe seen,1 believe,to be suflident to eonsider only
the seeonct O rigenist eontroversy,tha't iu the 6th century. U nfortunately the wtritings ofthe 6th certtury Origenists are alm ost entirdy

lost. A treatise such as the Book t# H oly f.

ftrrnf/l:t)s m ay illustrate
the tem per of som e m onastie cireles,but rem ains outside the m aln
stream even of Evagrian-origenist thinking. It w illbe tm necerssary
to consider it here :. Y et ms our purpose is not so m ueh to seek
out the various form s of Origenist dod rine but rather to see how

theorthddox estim ated aad rejeeted it,thedocumentswedo possess

are not entirellr inadequate. I shall review theln in chronological
order.
D . Pvincipiis are i.
tl K oetschau's editon at p, 159:6 altd. l6oL'; bRt botlt

these are take.

n from Justiniazt's letter and anatizemasof55:
5lsee DIEKAMP,
p.9zl' and 9z24).whiclz as IiIIKAMP (p.97) points out is concerned with
the contem porary Origenist.si!l Palestine. BARDM (RSR Io (I9zo) zz4-5z
L 6 /4.
1./.
, dt.
Jo r atcbn tf'orijrlAl: et /'
I4.
/l41)) abountls in the same sense.
'flze plzraseology there used canuot be justly cited.as Origen's own.
* Am b .
;,-1069A and zo89C6-I5, rhe ill
foaurda %(L
* rpocdlrrt:v of the
.

latter passage seetns better underst (1 of the fatlzers under whose nam es
thee
se m en sheltered their erroneous dod rin.
e than of the false teachers
th- n- lves.

'lxe B ook ol H oly H ieyotheos: this title was added later probably
by the author him self due to the iniluentze of the Corpus D ionysiasum .
'l'he m nitlbody,Evagrius carried to extrem es m ay be tlatecl about 5zz-5r6.

See tlze stttdy of HArsHsxm OChr 3o (19:3) I76-2II (fasc.86),based on

the eflitlon of P. S. M Axsl.
l London 19a7. After the diseovery of the less

expurgated Syriac Evagrius by GUILLAUMONT (Rru. (f: f'H ist. des & lfgions.r42 (:*52) 156-zo5j tlle extrem e.
s of Xvagrius lzim self areuncertain.

Chattrr1.M axim bfs JA?,;IOrigenism

1$

Joltn 0/ Scytlopo'kis
The Iirst witness is Jolm of Scythopolis in his com m entary on
the Pseudo-D enis . The charaeter of the references and citations
of Origem and E vagrius iu this com m entator forbids that one place
it in the m ore advaneed stags of the reerudeseence of Origenism in
Palestine,that is sabsequent to the death ef St Sabas in 53z; yet
O rigenists are already interpreting the text of D enis in accord w ith
their doetrine. Therefore w e m ay rouglaly date these eom m entaries

from the time ofNonnus'entranee into the New Laura ($14)to the
death ofSabas (53z)7.
The passages iuteresting us now are those com m enting the 6th
and gth chapters of the E cclesiastical H ierarcky. The analogy of
the heavenly and ecelesiastical hierarehies is not com plete in that
in the former there is no order of pttrifed beings (EH 6, 3, 6,-Pt4
.

3.537A),corresponding to the m onastie su te. Denis strongly af-

lirm sthat tke angelic orders are stainless;tlzat should one for argum ent's sake allow that som e fell then these are aggregated to tbe
group of apostates - the heavenly group rem aining ptlre. Y et
even so there is a certain puritication, a Gcd -given illum ination of
things not yet known to them ,

As to tbisJolm ofSeythopolislirstnotesthat:''Thereisno stain

in any of the heavenly pow ers, as think Origen and those that aecept
llis ideas,saying that in proportion to the turning-away each of the
heavenly ranks is allotted sueh and such a nam e and order and is
bound to a lighter lmdy ill reproof for llis turlling to evil''. Then,
having explained Denis'hypothetiea!coneession,he eoncludes:'fLet
no one then of Origen's initiates think that the present passage suppoz'ts his perverse opinion, sayittg that there is ever a fall a restoration,and again a fall of the heavenly m inds, as O rigen says in the

lrst book of the De J'riAlc/ffs: 'So the whole argum ent shows,I
think,that every rational (being)ean com e from any other rational

(beilzg) whatsoever.' And shortly,after:'After the consummation

' H . Ur vtm BALTHASAR Sch I5 (I94ob 33 Das Scholsxzttey R s
Johannss pt). Ssythopolist indtcates the genuine passages .pertat
'nlng to
Origen. These passages ms they occur in the reprlnt of M igne. are PG
4.65CD , 76D -77A, x7zC-I73!B, z'
7:B , z76BC, 337C-34oA , 545C, 5498 .
7 Cb.. M osI
fm > , u i
7tzfcd'
tfeAfssg: et le s#otitz/cetftw ix- : D as Akxd l

vos Chaktdo. I (Nvrzburg z95a)p.642,gsves the years 5:z-53z.

76

Tkr Jlr/v/fl/itw oj Orkolfsxl?i

ofallthere is agaizltlze flowfng-away tlxtkle ctgl and fall'':. And

he cites Evagrius, Cont. 2.78 and 5.19.

As to the purifeation J'

ohn says:f'Note that they advanee in

knowledge and that he doesnot say (he,that is Denis,not the they

of the printed text) the demons are purified because of those who
say that the dem ons too are saved with the saints,in their m ythol-

ogical apocatastasis *.
Clearly John is fam iliar with the Origenist m'
yth;but he hms

not com e to speak of it by the technicalterm :the henad t# yational

beings. A s 1ze llad occasion to speak of heavenly pow ers and not
of m en,there w as no reason for m entioning the preexistence of souls.

'rhe apocatastasis is m entioned by this teehnieal nam e. There is

no attem pt to reftlte O rigenism , rather to show that the text of

Denis does not admi of an Origenist interpretation. Tllere is no

m ention of Didym us; bttt Evagrius is cited, as we have seen. and

again elsewhere (in CH 7.4 :PG 4.7617);but'irt this latter plaee he

is qualifed as impious, perhaps to eounterbalance the seeming
approval ofthe person im plied in the approval of this pad icular

citation (unless of course the epitbet bq the addition of som e

c/pyist).
'
'

8 12or the citations frozn Origen see D e Jlrv f/l.

v 1.6..
3. tK orelpscH'
A'c

841*-21) the Greek te'

xtwasadded later p.cxxiv. The textofJohn follows:
PG 4.z7zCz-8'
. ov ep'la llpxl'
rlzyl vellv 'rbv:%&v oeadow tkmdpeam ?p:oktila
'Qmyvq,Arako '
vtk xoG ov ipeovoihvxu,(jlo xovte,& t xus x'
iv vcloylav 't'
fi
Jrxwcw oa'
lg xem ov vt
bv o avltov xciypivakv vllv '
gollive xutvolzatyltw xllxtqv
xlqeisaxe, xuk gpam v lvtrlqx v ltzcroxlpobg,etg auzstlv '
rfi ttm r
yw lat 'stl

xek ov zr
zMpw oxfi. z73A2-zI:M$ o5v xt '
rw 'Qvtye'vovg pa e v obo'
ftl 'r
xcpv lqxv o'
uvqyoe v % xaxoaltrw ttfrro: 1'(l,(pe xft
w, 5vt (lek zrvtn w xtu
vtixktow , xak e xtia-rfsgt xt;w ofppavlov '
yvmia: vo/v, &% (pnesv *oetye
lvng p'
v

lv o Ilet't&y.qv rset'rtp kh %$,olhtg. 11eo volvvv h.6w g, o'fp/ak, :elxwts xa,

av 1;'n aox loykxv zB rtttvx o'
frrtvoco'
i?v lm kxo; fvtlg'
qp yevm'h t$:* xttt

p'
tvlk jktqttlaystlytov'1$MeO x?j1atztl
im '
rb ,xtm v f'
ia levslg xfzlxfzsizrremt Wvevcu,..1
9 John's text seems to imply that a puzo cation of dem onsis possible
yet w itlm ut their salvation. Then D erzis' shrew dness consists in tltis tlzat
he avoids m ention of such puriscation altogether lest it give an opening
to the Origetdsts. Sucil a pm u eation seem s at rst sight unthinkable'

but it is the precise sense of QD 1,

3 of wltich I treat at lengtlz in the last
chapter, though there the referenee is apparently only to men. Jolm 's
text rtm s: PG 4.:7j
5T
881:: xat c'
nltelmx t G'rt aeoxdasovo'
tv Iakyvtijgkv. xaL1
51::

ltlpovq o: hyovgs(&1 .
nam lN:lfI.
l4- ha%etl xamtloeghu,&(k'
to'
tx dov vxtt
xz afrol,g lv 1:t1atp'u'
lrr/v Ituetlolzv'
n J,rtoxttlxlo.
ttjges$ffl@ otn pe'
rfk'rlvtiylfw

Chaptp 1.M aximust-ffOrigenism

77

Bananuphius
Baaanuphius and John the Prophetcome up next forconsideration 19. Barsanuphius, an Egyptian and m onk at G aza w riting
in Greek,died at an advaneed age about the year 540. The consultations about O rigen :1 w ill date from the iirst three or fourdecades

of the 6th century. '

rhe replies of Barsanuphius and of John are
sim ple:Cut yourselfofffrom sueh devilish doetrine;spend your tim e

seeking out your passions. John,however,does allow tlle reading

in Evagrius of what is proftable for the soul. Such an answer is
typical,but of little help for our present purpose. W e are grateful
tllerefore that the questions are set out at som e length. Their 0ccasion w as the reading of O rigen and D idym us and the Gnostca

ofXvagrius (89zB). The questioneris first coneerned over the preexistence of souls (nude minds). Seripture knows nothing of it;
Origen on Tit'
us and E vagrius 1: a rm that it does not pertain to

ecclesiastiealtradition. In proof that there is no apocatastasis,the

questioner quotes the gospel.
'l'he questiolzers insist'for the defenders of these doetrines w ottld
involve Gregory N azianz.elz and Gregory of N yssa in their errors.
Tile situation is clear. In certain m onastie d rcles the w litings of
Origen,D idym us and E vagrius are current;those wile espottse their

peculiar doctrines (preexistence and apocatastasisj seek cover and

patronage in the writittgs ofthe Cappadodan G regories. A sitttation

this that the theological events of Justinian's relgn will not have
changed in substance and that w ill be found pea isting even in the
zt,
h century.

Tke Edict (# Justinian 54.

'
y
If the inform ation on 6th eentury Origenism given us in the
w ritings of Barsanuphius m ay be dated only w ithin a few deeades,

thatcontained itlthe edictofJustinian may be dated to the month:

Janttary 543'1:. W ith the anathem asofthisedietmay be eonsidered
18See HAVSHSRR, DSp 1 (1937) z255-62.
t1 P G 86.892-90:.
12 Cent. 2.64 69: see (
PRANKISNBERG p. l74, I76. 'Phe eitatiotts obviously refer to these cllapters bat diverge fronl the SyTac text especiatly 2.64.

13 DISKAMP p. 42. conErm ed by S'

rslx (AB 62 (1:44) T79) against
ScHwu ttz.
%.

78

T& Rf%dation ol Orfge/lfls'?x

the abjuration of Theodore of Seythopolis,whieh dates almost Io

years later Decem ber B 2 11
In hissttldy ofthe edict Bardy 1:supposesJustiniau to be quite
dependent on the libdlus of the m onks Sophronius and Gelasitts,

lnade at the request of Peter of Jerusalem le though tllere can bq

no proofofthis so long as that libdlusisnot to be fund (butwhy

should it have been preserved independently, if the em peror took

it overin itis edict?). ror our pttrpose it is enough to see how the

edict approaches the O rigenist question.

Bardyacom paring the text ofthe letterw ith that oftheOrigenian
exeerpts and the linalanathem as,eondudes17 thatsthough in the atlthor's view Ozigen is responsible for sueh errors,yet the docum ent
llas ill view the contem porary Orig
'enists;it is their errors that aredam ned in the anathem as. This is a hiddem harm ony and so a m ore
forcefuleonfrm ation of what one m ay read in the textitself:frThey
stand up for O rigen and his H ellenic,A rian,M anichaeart doetrines,

by which he fellinto the pit. H ow ean'such benum bered with Christians,standing up as they do for the person of him who was eager
to pass on H ellenic,M anichaean,Arian aud other heretical stui.'''e
'fhroughout the letter there is a whole series of such passages1*,

the last of whiclz,ilzJustinian's surnmary (207 15),speaks explicitly

ofthe Origenists.as ofthe object ofthe letter. The plaees referring
to O rigen alon are for the m ost part an aside, qualifying the doctrine stated as pazt of O rigen's ravings,m yth,or blasphem y a4.

14 The letter to Menn.

ms or edict of Justiniam PG 86.945-98917,has
been edited by SCRAVARTZ with full annotation of Sctripture alld patrlstic

citations in the 3rd tome of itks Acta (ibAlsltlr'

lfza Oocum. (r94o) I89-zz4.
I
B.
&xDV b,
as studied this docum ent in llis artide cited above, note 3. The
Libetlus of Theodore is to be found in PG 86.232-36.

15 RSR to (z9zo) cz4-sz.

1e Lije oj w
Ntzhcx,cap. 85 ed.SI:I.
lWARTZ, Kyyitlos. zglresfi,
1? az
1yt. cit. in note I.5, p. tz39.

1B Lette.r to M ennas,ACO T(11 189*-1901 (PG 86.947)I...'QkjsyvorgTs

stk 'e v Eu qvtxt'

f,v xlt 'Avetavtxlv xgl M tm y- xtbv om ofiR yydxv vtbvm ofzv-

'rttt,6/ Jiv lxelveg elg Istsovov vfrozv. ot & xotofixosaf

k t'vtwzudXpdenlvok
o'evtp kp.e.
crtkttkaeogaov d'
vnxoe pzvo:'
r 'Eu sv(tw xalMtwqulv xttk'AQ6w vfsv xal xk'
6h':lh<tw ueenxrsv gamgfirmv'ro aftkhe ofpw b.
1e A CO I11 I9zl0 1933 193aB 1947 :9611 19638 19812 2o4Hf zo5'
aosv zo7:1 zo7ti

B: AeO III I9z32 z9427 1951: zgX , 19831 19914 zo4R. I have omitted.to cite the m entionsofOrigen in the excerpts or in the phrases im mediately explanatortr of tllezru

Clbaptsv1.M aximwz4* Origenism

79

The expository poztion of the letter is therefore elearly directed

against the eontem porary Origenists; the decree following upon it

(coz :4-zo8n)and the anathemas are directed against Origen and his
w ritings, but only indirectly against the O rigenists 2l.
The basis for tlzis indirection, striking the contem porary heretics not in their errors but in their m aster, m ay be seen also in the
text of the epistle. ln a passage translated above O rigen is qualifiecl as eager to pass on llis errors This thought recurs wben the
.

authorbeginsto diseussOrigen'serrorasto resurrection tzo4 7), Laterin the same context he arms itas providentialthat Orken did
not die a eonfessor,but worshipped idols,lest his follow ers place his
errors under a eonfessor's and F ather's patronage. F or O rigen not
only taught blasphem ies btlt propagated them through lzis writings

(zo4 33-20.
54). I ratherthin.
k that the Origenists ware in the habit
of placing thenselves under the protection ofthe A lexandrian rnaster's great.nam e; and the therefore the author of the edict avails
llim selfofthe false legend about O rigen's apostasy to eut the ground
from under their feet. 'Phe vary phraseology of the edict gives one
to understand this. 'Phus at least 6 tim es the Origenists are qualified as standing up for Origen,for his person. for his doctrine :2. It
is wortll noting tlzat in Euthym ius'tim e the Origenists w ere m ore
num erous i11 the vid nity of C-ae
'sarea 23 wkere Xusebius had worked
in the library of Origeniang. Bttt this is not the whole story. Origenists,w hose dod rine w as m atigned - as tlzey m ight say - so'
ught
also to defend them selves w ith Scripture and patristic passages a1-

leged in stlpportoftbeir doetrines (zo5:1-&5).

'lY e plan therefore ofthe edict is relatively sim ple. After a preIim hlary list of Origen's errox'
s,referring them to Plato,and theM ani-

chees (z89-I9IA:),the author begins a reftttation ofthe principa!errors. First comes the preexistenee of souls (19118-193:). On this
follow 5 texts,z from John Chrysostom ,:3 from Gregory Nazianzen,

embedded in explanatory argumentation (I9'

ql-I973). The whole seetion end.
s M'ith the quotation of the parable of Lazants and the rich
m an from Lgke I6.I9-z8, cited to show that after death there is
:1 Tlzis divergezjce seezns clearly to indicate tlle polnt of suture be-

tween what dependetlon (or:is?)themonastic Iibelluscam posed '

by Soplzronius anllGelasius,and the imperialedict,the em peror being not yet ready
to proscribe tlze Origenists in.thelr own persons.
% xgoll aov ivxwtolmspo ot: :89:7 19031 :
(9zt* rg6R 20.4:: 209 4 zl4'.
.

'A L#6 0/ Eutltymius, z6, SCHWARTZ Kyvillos..., 3PL4o'.

TM J?g/A IO oj Orkelf:zzl
m em ory of sin,so that ifthe soulhad preexisted three wottld be m em ory of the sin for whieh it was eonfined in a body.
'fhe text of tliis Erst series have been integrated Ndth the argum entation inasm uch as they had been oziginally written without
spedal reference to the error now tm der discussion. On them there

followsa second seriescited in eonfirm'ation (197 4-z0315. These are

draw n:z from Peter of Alexandria 3 from A thanasius I from B asil

I from Gregory ofNyssa (dehominis p//sco 28 almostentire PG zl4.

2z9B-Cg, a3zAI-c33B7),2 from Theophilus of Alexandria, 3 passages of Cyrfl's letter (81)to tlle monks of Phoua and flnally 3 excerpts from the Alexandrian bishops' synodical letter against Origen. E xeept for those from A tllanasius and Basil,a11these passages
refer direetly to O rigen.
'rhe seeond error sd ected for fefutation is that the stars are
anim ate. One passage from Basil is enought to dispose of this

(zo,
514-2o4:).
The third error is the com plex ctm nected witla the resurrection.
EFirst that the risen bodies willbe bam shaped. 'rhisis exploded with

argument from Scripture texts only (zo4'-:2). 'There follows a digression on Origen and hiserrors,leading to a statem ent of the doctrine that punishm ent willhave an end and tllat the wicked and de-

monswillbereestablished in their former position (zo439-zo51B). Argumentation againststteh a doetrine then follows (zo5l1-M) which is
eonfrm ed by z passages from Gregory N azianzen,z from Basil,aud z

from John Chrysostom (z05:4-zccla). These passages were suciently explicit so as to need no eom m ent.

'

Justinian tlzen opiaes that the foregoing have been enough to

'<

reprove the '

impiety of the Origenists'' (zo7z5) and proceeds to
give his ozders for the anathema of Ozigen (zo7< zo8:z).
Twenty-fourfragnzeutsfrom Origen's worksare added,as itwere

an afterthought (co8:R-zI3l*), to be followed by the ten anathemas

(2I3l1-zI4:).
From tlle foregoing analysis it is plailz that the preexistenee

ofsols and the apocatastasisreceive m ore attention,nextthe animation ofthe stars and the ball-shaped qesurrection bodies. 'rhe list,
however, of errors m entioned and anathem atized is longer. Thus
first td all are m entiolled 'rrinitarian errors:the Son and the Spirit
are infezior to the Father, and that the 8()n cannot see the lzather

tzpt)b: 1% 4-:'ctlznpare excerpts T, VT,VH1);txe.

n tlmt te divine
power is lilnited (1908-17 except II, anathema 8);and tlmt g'eneya

Clutpter1.xsftzxf-ll,antlOrfktrzl-

8r

and
cies.z'
e eoeternalsvith God (19018-19 excerptXI, anathema 8);
thenspe
tlze m ytll of the fall, joining with bodies, reestablishment
atzd possibleotherfalls(1901:-23'txqerptsXII-XVI, X X ,anathem a 8:
the correspondances are partial only); that there will be sevem l
worlds (1901.:14 elcerpt X II,XII1). The myth ofthe '
mlndsbeing
sated and cooled into souls is'
stated a zttle later (19111-*2 exeelmt
XVIII, anathema 1). Tlz the whole text of the letter (apart the
exeerpts and tke anathemas) there is but one referenee to Christ
and llis soulas preexistent (198:1-:3 anathema g) 'This one refer.

ence and.the apposite text of Athanasius is 4w t the prim e interest

of the author;he uses it merely as an a jt/r/pr argument against

thegeneralpreexisteneeofsouls(1994-7). Itisonly irltheanathemas

(the exeerptslzyve nothing in tizis regard) that Christology, Christ's

soul,isa m atter ofcomcern. Aaathem as z-4 are devoted to it

The
animation of the stars, the ball-shaped bodies and the provi
cham eterofthe dem ons'punishm ent are m entioned llotin the ini
sti
oral
y
Est of etrors, but only in tlte course of refutation as I have alread
Lndicated. Com pare respectively exeerpt X X I title
y
, anat
hem a 6;
znathem a 5'
, anathem a 9.
On tlle wizole therefore the anathem as pass over in silen
ce a11
rhat the text and excerpts itave to say eoucenling the 'Prinitarian
trrors of Origen;the one inddentalreference to the union of natures
n Cllrist is reproduced in the znd anathem a, while tise 3rd and 4th
tnd tltey alone, are developem ents thereof w ith no basis in 1he,
bregoing m atter.
.

Tke zlrgfypltw/tz/fbs oj /& Edict

Let us now see the type of argum ent used in tlle ediet to refut
he preexistem ee of souls and the restoration
e
.
Let us m ako m an f,t

'r i-fljr: and Jtwa.

u
ss (Gen. z.26). Henee if the souls preezst
lle body aloneis the image and likenessof God (19119-:4) If pre-,
.

xistent souls are given bodies irt punishm eltt for arttecedeut sin,
h
en they should sin no m ore, as ptlnislfment is intended to prevent
'

ht,not to allet it (I9I2:-:a). There follows the general eonclttsion;

God fashiened body and sottl together, that is, h.
e fashioned taan

erfect '' (I9I'a-35)

H ence m en have to render all aceount of their actions done

xrough the body,aecording to tlte Apostle (z Cor 5.10). And it

tys precisely through the body (I9I3uI9z9;an argum ertt found in
passage of Cyril, eited later). Fttrther souls being spiritual if
.

82

Th6.& /srfflftyn p/Origtm'

ism

tlley preexisted, m ust lk

'-lztnv where they were and lm w they cazzle

into bodies (I9c9-l4). If one parries that the body alds in discernm ent,then the body is m ade out as the m ore valuable of the two

which is an inanity (I9c'4-18), A preexistentsoulwould know what

is good for it;if in the body it learns because ignorant,it did not

foreknow,it did zl()tpreexist (T92&:-2s). Therefore God is tlle unique

eattse of body and soul,w hieh he m ade together in his im age and

likeness perfect rnan (I9z:s-3e) :4

Vinally the prophet Zaehary says, so the argum eut conthm es,

that God Iormed f//:spiritoj man t7AlHm lzac.

h.12.1). Iftheirsouls
preexist t:e prophet sllould kave said constm ining or sending the

spirit of man in him (I9z:1-:: and again later in a citation 2o33-B).

There follow s now the Iirst series of patristie texts,interlarded
with argum eztt,sucltas:m an was m ade for dom inion over ereatures,
he w as plaeed in paradise, he was blessed' how are these points,
found in Scripture, to be reeondled with preexistent and foresinning souts?
In refuting the Origenistposition that there is an end to punishm ent, the one argum ent advanced is that the Im rd speaks equally

of etem al life and of eternal punishment (Matt.:5.46);and ifthe

joys ofeternity are for atime only,the whole ofottrLord'slife and
passion and resurreetion are futile (zo5''-al).
A sim ple reading through of these argm ents shows that,whatever their exegetical value, they are pzim arfly topical and do no
m ore than assert a true doetrine in face of error. The heat't of Origenism is not touehed. It is tnze,ln0th Gregory ofN yssa alld Cyril

ofAlexandria in passages cited (2005,zolaef) affirm the preexistenee

ofsoulsto bethecaqse orsouree otOrigert'serrors. Thatisperhaps
why the docthne of preexistence occupies the preponderant place
in the ediet. lt oceupies it,however,as an anthropologicalproblem ;
but as such it is not tlze heart of Origenism . The Christological
speculation, grounded in the hypothesis of a preexistent soul of
Christ, appears chiefly in the anathem as. In the A mbigua oiM axim tts it is com pletely lackirlg,there not behzg even the tzace of a,
refutation.

*E'fhfs thesis (again below I98#) is to be notedthe sim ultaadty of

body and soul in m an's com itlg to be is the cart
linal polnt in M aximusl

antltropology (seeAmb 4z-r:

J2,
jD,z34IA-C;d.TP I6-x9zC azzd ep.Ia-5o4A).
The 2nd and xrd u athem as taken together im ply thesam e for ourLord.

C/lfl//e:f.M aximusdd># Origenism

83

Thevdoye (# Scythopolis
The Iibellus of 'rheodore of Scythopolis stands in close relation

with the anathemas of Jttsthlian's edict2s. Three quarters of it

are identiealwith the latter. Tbree anathem as (4, :

r1,Iz) of Tlleodore are without eorrespondent ill tlze ediet. N evettheless, tlte

last (Ia)lilldsa base iu the XVI and 77.

X exeerpts,though Theodore
rnakes in addition explieit m ention of the passing away of Christ's
body. There rem ain therefore the 4th and the 11th which express
dod rines not expressed in the edict, nam els that the kingdom of
Christ willcom e to an end and that w e shallone day be the equals
of Christ,the W ord uuiting him selfto us as he did to ltim that was

born oftheVirgin (PG 86.2.

33,z36). Itwillbenoted thatthisgreater
sptxcification of Origenist errors relates particularly to Christ. These
points are taken up again in the 12th to 14th anathem as of 55:$.

Leontius t# Byzantium
Richard has proved that the bellicose Leontius the H erm it,

atlthor of the: Advrs'

ln Nestorianos Tf Eutyckianos libvi III (PG
86.1268-1396) is to be identifed with the Origeztist colleague of
Nonnus,Leontius of Byzantium ,m et with in the Lije ()/ Sabas:*
Richard likexvise date.s tllis work betwe% 543 and 545. Veontius
anthropology, defning the soul as a.pedec't substante witllout velation to the body,m akes possible a defense of the O rigetlist doetrine
ofthe preexistence ofsouls and with that w ould pernzit the Isochdst
doctrine. Leontius' strategy w as to give.the appearance of the
atm ost ortitodoxy;his w riting therefore gies us no idea of tike O rigertist position.

Cyil ol Scytkopolis

In this review of6th century Origertist doeumentsI have joined

'rheodore ofSeythopolis Nvith the edict of Justinian,becatuse ofthe

close relation of these doeuments. Similarly I join in discussion

Justinian's letter to the synod of 553 M'ith the notiee of CyHl of
Scythopolis due to liis interview '? with Cyriacus in the spzing or
M D R KAMP, z25-29.

': L6/o'
nce t
/4 Byxanse,#ltzf-ilOyigniste? REB 5 (1947)3:-66;seeespecially .56-60;for the date 5z.

'

:' Lih ol Cyle cis'

s, SCHWARTZ, Kyyillos...,22p7-z3I1:.

84

1-h6 l'e/sfe/'
kzs p/(rigenisn%

sum m er of 546 *. Cyril dotzbtless had notes of this interviem as

he had had for his lives of Xuthym ius and Sabasaband wrote from
them . The tltry say which he uses eacll tim e to introduee a point
of dangerous doctrine, seem s to indieate as m uelt,though naturally
one oem uot be ceztain that Cyrii's fnal redaction has not been
iniuenced by subsequent developem ents or by the letter to the
synod.
W ith these docum ents we ean afford to be m ueh briefer. In
fact all the poillts of Origezlistrl m erttioned by Cyriacus are fotm d,

though aot at alli1zthe same order,in Justinian,exceptforthe lat-

ter part ofthe third point (zgoet), natnely that as Christ (tllat is,'
tlleex/h'ud,notthe seeond Person ofthe Tritlity),fashioned the world,
so in the restoration rationalbehlgs,even dem ons,ean fashion eons.
Other than this Cyriacus m entions the bam shapedness of the resarrection bodies and their Iinal destruetion,frst of a11 Christ's, the
equality of a11 with Christ in the restoration. Such doetrines are
said to sprirtg from Pytltagoras,Plato, O ligerty Evagrius, Didlem us.
Cyriacus' read ion is entirely in line with that of Barsanuphius.
Should lzot these m onlts far rather have attended to the viztuespthe

monastie virtues,and stlbjeeted the body with fastings and prayer

than give themselves to sueh sophistries (23017-:2).

18 TMS inttxrview is dated hkre Ll-ile 0/ Cyviacwg, Kyeiltos...,zzgt-l)
within the 5 years of Cyriacus'stay at the grotto ofCharlton,thatLq 542-47

(see the chrottology of Cydacus'life zlzralrf; tlle reckoniag 1s te be made

from Jan. 1.449. date of Cydacus'birth). The public retzr (z2911). after
which atld on account ofwltich John the Hesythast sent Cyrilto Cyriactzs,
willbe the sam e pablic war.which the Origenltsm ade against the ortitodox,
as meutionetl ilz txe Lifs oj S'
e tz.
85 (:9:25. It was after tilis titat the
fathea of klze Gteat Laura asked tlteir abbot Cvelasius to m esent their sitaation to tlle em peror. This voyage waa utltlertaken in tNe sum m e.r of

546 (DIRKAMP, 57). The interview then M4ll be izt the spriug-sum mer
of J46.
Note that by this tim e N onuus antl com pany are reestablishetl in tlte

N ew Xaura. In reckoning the date.s Diekamp is to be followed rather

than Sellwartz tsee .

E,STstx,AII 6z (z944) :69-86). Schwartz'lndice: are
rather uaclear as to the com ings and goihgs of Cyril. The following is tlte

funllam entalsclteme:Cyrilenters the monastery ofEqtllym iusin Jtlly 544;

he remains ftxeclthere,save forvisitsto John the HesyclzastorCyrlacus,tfll
passing to tlze New Laura on Pebruary zI,555 (zq91(b4t)afterthe expulsion
of the flrigenista itt the autum n of 554. O nly after som e 2 years from tikis

date 40e.s he become a member ofthe Great Laura,early in 55; (8r ).

1: Liln f# Euthymius 6o. Kyyillos.... 82Rff.

Chatto.r1.An x- tu and Orfgols-

85

Justinian to the Synod .z

;.5.
?
In the 15 anathem as of Justiaian the '
nous Christology,which
wasimplied only by Cyriaeus,is prominent and explieit (anathemas
6,8,9);it Ls a necessary presupposition of the Isoehristic doctrine
(anathemas Iz,I3) as also of tlae Protoktistie,which seem s rather
to be end saged in the 8th azlathem a. The classical'Origenist m yth ,
apart from these Christological surchargings, is expressed ratller in
the znd and 4th anathem as. It is of interest to note that a11these

errorsare laid to tile charge ofPythagoras,Plato and Origen (Diekamp,9013) or to Pythagoras,Plato and Plotinus (9611) and finally
Origen isto be anathematized with the errors (99$. As in the edict
so here Evagrit!s attd Did'
ym us are ltot nam etl84.neither have the
classieal heretics, Arius and M ani, auy place.
W itll the Christological aberrations and other oddities he'
re
condenm ed, we are not coneerned. 'fhey seem scarcely to have '
com e w'ithin M axim us' pun -iew 3l. A t the very end of the letter
oecttrs a statem ent of doetrine rephrasiug a thesis m et w ith in the
edict: ffBut holy Chureh follow ing the divizle W rit afiirm s that
tite soulw as form ed together v'ith tlle body,and not one before, .tlle

other after,aeeordittg to Orken's mischievous doctrine '' (961'-1a'

see above p.8z).
*
W ilat, however, does m ost nearly concern us is the seem ingly
increased appreciation of what O rigenism is This is Srst evident
.

in the frequent oceurrenee efthe term henad t# rationalbeings. W e

llave seen above (p.73)that the term isfound in Origen and iu one
of Justinian's exeerpts;yet it rem ained unnoticed and unused. ln
our present docum ent,how ever,it oeeurs no less than Io tim es or 6
if we discount the parallels 3z. It is a term which '
G II later serve

:' Evagrius ls itt faet cited (f%xJ. 2,78 and 5.zz - to be corrected
from 5.z9) in the 5th anathem a (DG KAM.
P 9z1-le and 923-9) but without
the siightest indieations of m ovenience. The sam e citations are founc'
t

irz John of Scythopolis PG 4.I73A,

'see GTJIIAAUMONT.p.r75 f.Cent.2,z7
isfound in auathema :4.IDISK.tM:
p.9517-25 also Cnnt.4.18 in the finalphrase
(93B%-*t) of anathema 8 (GTJIIAAIJMONIG p. aoz).
3: Christ and the putting-off of bodies are found togetite/ in Thal
6o-6z5A B ' see above p.75 atld note I.
z! The term htnad is found ill the antl, 3r(1 alzd 6th artathem as with

parallels in the letter (DISKAMP,9o:B 911: gzlfj; in anathem a 7 and :4

938,6)51s)without parallels artd in theletterwithoutr
parallelin an anathem a
(6?1p1%'3V)

86

TA J?#rgNor;oj t7,+ z;*

M axim us as a frequent designation for the O rigenist error 33. N ow

the m ere use of sud t a term w ould not be of m uch siguilicaztee unless
with it were connected a certain insight into the error. 'Phis is in
fact the case.

Jttstinian (or his scribe) says, enum erating the errors: ''And
that there willi)e a totaldoing away ofbodies,the Lord frst putting

away his om zbody,alzd (then)allthe rest;atld that allwillbe carH ed tzp again ttl tlze sam e tltzity and becozne m inds,as was the case

in the preexistence...'' (94:1-11). Again, at the end of the 13th

anathem a:r'Ifany one say... (tllat)a11willbe on the right hand
of God,just like their Christ,as also was the case irttheir m ythic '
preexistence 1et him be anatllema ''(958-1:). And in the 14th:T<If
any one say ... that ill the m ythie restoration there will be nude

(rnl
'nds)only asalso wasthe case in theircrazy preexistente,1et him

be anathema ''(95:2-2$

T he idea underlying these passages, m ore particularly these

fm al phrases, is the perfeet com pletion of a eycle. 'fihat sttch is,
indeed, the im port of these phrases, the fina.l anathem a witnesses
w ith su d ent clarity: 4.If any one.say that tlze state of m inds will
be the sam e as before when they had not yet descended or fallen,
so that the beginning is tlze sam e as tlze end.and the end is tlle m eas-

ure of the beginning,1et him be anathema ''(96:-6)84

That this is veritably an insight into the lleart of Origenism
w itt not easily be doubted. V on Ivanka 3s in his recent article on
38 The term henatloecurs in Am b 7-Io69A9;reyzllr;zo77B lo'
.Io89BI4
A m b Is-lzzooz3y
' I:
zzIA 3 - six tim es in all.
*1 1 give here tlte Greek text for tize foregoing 4 pa ages. from Dle-

kamp:DIEKAMP,94/18-31'xtttt$n zr.avxel'
j
k lim 'rf
kv ofopxttw vltietcw, ttllmo'

voixvklfov rw f'
retl('
iaonlsltfvov m l kov te lm ,xat '
rGw lotzrf
:v ttmivrv'xttt'
4

(ivaxopq ovm ta41,

: t'ix vxeag sk 'en
'v (tfrrhv vtBtz xatWvovxctbvtje)xq'
'
xg,t lv
x'
zpoihfkla l'
bnkztnov...

95a!-13:EI '
rp tyet...(tk) rrtkvre.
lx htltt'
f,v O ovrtu 'roi'
eoi,xtttiae:
attt'afrrok Xtl%tvg,Gg xcsl lv '
t'
fj xap*tti'rtplv pe Euohtvn rwoatk4et l'
t'vsm ft-

vov, tl. .

95f+ -*: EI xbG Ryeb... xftt & : e

5:
v x'
@i p'
vevepalvq 4aS
oxaa
cafrttktptt fcovvtu

p'
vo:m l
zvot(o!veg),'
m ljtla6e xqk lv 'r'zi attk/ (zfrr)v kqpoovja'v'
(IaklliizrzklE:
'
tfrrxttvov J. :'.

'

* (t1-:E('rw l'
ysk,X t'
j tiyto'f'
;lx('
;3v voGv '
4
i em '
i 1nm % % rcpo'
rdptr, f%;
e
o'
pxlo fzropep'
q'xeouv '
h xexarrEzufzttglv,tk viv (kz'
llv '
rhv (yvllv elvtn v: '
chzt
xtz A;l>'rog '
r'
l Jpx'
h p'
xeov Etvex,(L !.

35 VoN IVANKA E.'Zuy geistesgeschioittlichen EfAlo?WxsA;g des OA# :>splss' Bz 44 (z95I) 302.

Chapter 1.M tfxf-'

lu tzA?.IOrigenism

87

Origenism says; ''D ieses zykltsche W eltbild einer ewigen W iederlcehr entkleidet die ehristiiche Xehre... des fiir das Christentum
W esentliehsten: des Charakters der einm aiigen, endgiiltigen Entseheidung fiir oderwider Gott ''. Very aptly then he eites Claudian

D6 CoAlslff/fv Stilickonis 11 430):

caudam redu'
eto
ore vorat tacito relegens exordia lapsu.
B onnefoy :: attributes the errors of O rigen to a principle,
which, if undea tood in the order of finaland e cient cattsality,is
valid,btzt whieh,understood ofthe faetttalbeginning and end ofcre-

atures,is but a speeious justiiication ofthe cyelic coaeept set forth

by Ivanka. The prineiple runs: Semper M All similis est #fsis iniff.
s (D6 principiis 1.6.3 Koetschau 79231It is not yet tim e to dress a balanee of Origenism ;but that we

have i!lJustinian's letter of553 an insight,however gropiag,lzowever unreflexive,is eertain. It will be this insight that givo M axim us his start.
StSimeon f/ltlF ool
Leontius of N aples in Cyprus,a contem porary of M axim us.has
lef't us a popular life of St Sim eon the Fool of Em esa. H e there
rdates how two m onks,tm able to reae.
h a conclusion about the condem nation of O rigen, traveled to Palestine in order to have their
question settled by som e w ise m onk there. For response they w ere
sent back to Em esa to Sim eon. And lzis response to them was no
m ore than an assurance that O rigen perished. W hat had espeeially drawn the attention of these m onks was the usefulness and extent of Origen's Scripture laboz's 37.
The TzD 6 Src/f.
s,,

Between Simeon,effectively Justinian,and M axim us I know at

present ofonly one docum erlt pertinent to our interest in Origem ism :
aG BONNEFOV J.-F. La NVJ/IOJ: th/ologiq'
ae (f'origlAIa,M langss Ca-

rlllcyt' (Toulouse :948) zzJf.

:7 I/ftvS.Simeonis Scf,jj4o.41(cap.6)PG 93.I7I7'D-I7z:B. Sim eon went to Palestine.1n the tim e ofJustinian anll led,there the monastic
lr
lfe for z9 y-ears before going to Em esa (BARDSNM wSP.,GAK L V,p.zzrfj.
Tlle earliest possible date for this incident is therd ore the year 556.

88

Th6 Sf/ff/cftza.oj Ozlkdlfr.

wa

the D 6Srctis. Thislittle treatisedates betweerl 57g and 607 sB, The
author is eeztainly a 'Pheodore; R ichard :9 tends to attribute it to

Theodore ofRathou wlzose Propatask6vewould have appeared some

30 yeal's earlier. This Theodore distinp lishes three errors irt Origeniszn; a subordinationism , for which he adm its no excuse,a preexisteneeaa restoration. T he fallof m inds is explained by tlle rebellion ofthe devil;the expected doctrine ofsurfeit does not here enter

the picture. 'rhe restoration or apocatastasis is stated rather than

explained.
The refutation is a non-acceptance of the illation tlaat since
angels and m en are irltellective and im m ortal, therefore they are'
of the sam e uature. G od too is intellective and im m oztal, but is
not thereby of the sam e nature as m an. 'l'he inequalities of m en
at birth are sim ply the decrees of God,not to be questiorted. Our
Theodore then counters with a di culty;why do hozses have such
diferent lots, their souls not preexisting? 'rhe restoration:punish-

m ent is eternal;adrnittedly tlle word aldw tog is used also of a delinite period of tim e; but because of the parity of its predication in
M att.25.46 of% th life and punishm ezzt,it rzlust bear the sam e rzlean-

ing ilz either case. The blessed life is unthinkable as subject to a

ending;therefore neither does punishm ent om e to an end.
These questions show sttrely a grasp of certain points iu dispute;
but the sense of O rigenism has escaped the author. 'l'lle debate
undertaken in such a m anner w ould be endless.

M axim us tz'
rltf tke Textt# Origen
M axim us, then, is dearly in debt to Justinian for his grasp of
O rigeuism . That this insight is fundam ental I have indicated by

citing z modem authors (above p.8g). But has Maximus drawn

lzis knowledge of Origenism m erely from 6th eentttl'y sources or has
he also gone to O rigen him self? N o one w ho is aeqtlainted w itlzvon

Balthasar's work on the Gnostic f7rzrff4dTs (?lYOec)willquestion for

a m om ent that at one tim e M axim us did frequent O rigen. Y et
from this w e eannot conclude that this frequentation was previous
to his redaction of the A ntbigua. The question is a com plicated

z:Rsls, S. JTS 4o (1939) .

35/; M OMU aR (JFl. 6K , above note
p. 642)gives 580-607. 'fhe '
/ X''t is found in PG 86.z193-::68.
z: D '
rC 1.5 (x946) 284.

Ckqptvv 1.M aximusand O'okez/iszzz

89

one that I cannot attem pt to solve here. Su ce it to say that

whereastheAm bigua and theQuaestiones ad Tkalassium,on wich the

Centuries are dependent, took som e years in their elaboration and
com position so also the eollection of sentences w ith w hich w e are
now dealing w as not the w ork of w eeks or even of m onths. T here
is no thought of questioning.that the Cknturies in their Enal form

are posterior to the Ambigua and the Quaestiones (at least to those
portions where dependenee is proven), 'k-et this is not to say that
the acquaintanee with Origen m anifest in the Centt4ries is posterior.
()n the e'ontrary, there m ust have been during the elaboration of

the Ambigua alld Quaestiones a considerable time during wlzich Maxim us was colleeting ideas and sentences for the Centuries. But
even supposing thefrequentation ofO rigen,m anifest in the C6nturies,
began or w as already in eourse when the question of Origenism
w as posed in the A m bigua,this would be no proof that M axim us had
the text of Origen before him wllile preparing his reftltation. The
answerto sueh a question cal be found only in the textof the ref'
utation itself. Let us llow turn to this text.
D irect rem iniscences, not to say d tations, of O rigen's text fn
Am b 7 and :5 I have failed to find. Bt4t it does seem to m e that in
eom posiug his refutation M axim us had before his m ind's eye som e
principalexpositiotlofthe Ozigenist m srth,if not the text of the D e

Princiiiisitself. M y ground forsaying this is the use ofScripture.

For in z crucial points M axim us introduces and uses in an opposite
sense those very texts w hieh had served O rigen, and after him of
course the Origenists as substarttiation of their error.
ln his second argum ent against the henad T<that, nam ely, no
created thing ever com es to rest not having yet attained its first and

only cause or been established within the ultim ate desire'' (Am b
7-Io7zCII-I4),Maxiznus adduces itl eonfinnation various Sezipture
texts. First ofa11from Moses:Taste Altlf t# tke fz'tz oj life. Thisis
not a vevbatim eitation but a elear rem iniscence of Gen.2.9 and I7.

To tllis he immediately subjoins this other:F0r 1// fp now ytlFz lmv

/rt?/come f'r/p thatrestand C'l/itm '/awfz which /& Lord i
pf/r God ?pj'
# p%'
'

you (Deut.Iz.9). There follow then Ps.16.5 and 41.3:I skallcry'

and b6 AJdW wken tky glory tz//ztzrsJp me. And:M y spfu tkirsted /pr

God,fAtrstrong,f/l: livi'
ng on6,
.when shall I come Jzl# appeay k/nr:
tk6face9/ God. I have givellalso tho e other O1d Testam ent texts
tllat M axim us dtes,for othem ise the rem iniscence of Genesis seem s
to have no point. But with these otllertexts M axim us gives to un-

qo

7-& Rqutaiion p/ Origenis,

derstand that also that prim itive eom mandment:Taste Alt?foj/& tn

oj &/:,poiats to a future satisfaetion - a sense not obvious in ti
text itself. W hy then did M axim us piek such an am biguous texl
W as it not beeause he knew it to be a text involved itz Origen's ap(

eatastatic developements?In a later section (Chap.VI)I shallila:

oecasion to speak m ore at length about M axim us and the tree (
life. W hat I shallhave to say there leaves zzo doubt as to the apocl

tastatiesensegivettthispassage in O rigen. lt isnotim probablethe

that M axim us snatehes this arm from the O zigenists.

After the Scripture texts just now referred,M aximus continut

ltis diseussion of m otion in relation to the end explains how the en

is attained only when the subject is wholly com prehended by tb

w hole, as iron in fire. This,he notes, is conjecturally said ofa ft
tttre,not ofan already existent state and is perhaps the explanatio

ofthat subjection ofthe Son to the Father and ofthedestruction(

the last eztemy death,ofwhich the Apostle speaks tAm b 7-zo76h'
Is it aeeessaty to em phasize how this passage of St Paul fortn
the warp and w oof, as it were, of so m ueh of Origen's speculatioz

One has only to glance through the few paragraphsofthe D6 Jrz

cipiis 3,6,5-9 (Koetschau z68-9I),to be convineed.

M y frst example,of itself,is scareely convindlzg;here I thin
the im plieation ofthe eitation is evident.so that the inferenee isfutl

justified:Maxim usisusing or explaining correetly texts usurped i

an heterodox sense by O rigen. D oes he do tllis beeause he was al
quainted w ith such use of these texts in the w ritings of Origen hin?
self or only in those of the O rigenists? I can adduce no perem ptor
evidenee to solve the question.
Sw nm Rt'
?
So far then we have seen that M axim us works with a knowledg
oftlle O rigenist literature,not im probably ofO rigen him self;but tha

for his analysis of the Origenist virus he is indebted to Justinian

He therefore speaks ofthe henad ol rational cyeatures,for it is tlti
w hich was at the beginning and m ust be reconstituted onee agais
or m any tim es. Thatthe world processbeinitiated som e cause m as
be found; this is surfeit w ith the good or a supposititious need c
experience ofevilirtorder that the good m ay be appreeiated. Thes

points of eourse we find in M axim us. Bqt the seeond Justinian do

cum ent had im plied with suflldent elarity that the base of error 1a'

Chapter1.M aximws JAlffOrigenism

91

it1 insisting that the initial and Iinal condition .or state of thhlgs
m tlst be the pam e. To us it would then seem naturalthat M axim tus
should have m ade this the startitzg point ofhis refutation It is not
so at all. 'Phe whole trend of the direct refutation,after briefly re-

jeeting the doctrine ofthe experienee ofevii,is an ontologicalconsideration ofm otion. W hen later he considers the initialunity of beings in the Logos,in whom they will at the end again be united,he
isobviously trying to satisfy the principle ofbeginning and end being
alike,for what truth there is in it;but he nowhere direetly adverts
to the principle to correct it 4*
'
N o,the originality and strength of M axim us' refutation lies in

another direction. Yo have distinguished the Origeniall principle of

beghm ing and end w ould have been relatively m ore sim ple and, 1
dpre say, ineffective beeause superlicial. For the Origenist m yth
gave a sense to this w orld and.to lm m an destiaies. It proffered an
explanation ofthiseosm osand itsvastvariety;how itcam e to befrom
a tm itary prineiple and how itwasto return thither. There wasthen
necessary not m erely a dialeeticalnon-set
luitur,but a realontologieal
explanation of m an's nature in regard to the el'td and for the unity
of m ankind. In a w orld view was needed to replace the H ellenie
error, M axim us does this in tllree w ays that respond to three nlom ents of the Origenist m yth. 'rhe first of these is his doetrine of

4Q 'fhis is perltaps too strongly pttt. It m ay be the m emory Justiniatz's 15th anathem a tsee Mote 34.last text)whfclzeaused M axfm usto reconsider and m odify his rst phru ing of the pritzciple in the following passage.' Speaking of the virtuous m ali who partieipates sqbstaantial virtue,
Christ, M axim us says that sue.h an one '&show s tltat the enfl is the sam e
as tlze beginning anll the beginning as the end or rathe.
r the begiltning and
the entl are tite snm e inasm uclzas the begiuning and the end of everytldng

is believed to be its own intent artd purpose'' (Am b 7-Io84Az-5). 'Phe

subseqttent lines show that this skopos is none othe.
r than God.him self.
he beginning and end not m erely resm rztl one to the other they are
ISo t
iflentieally one and the sam e thing. Still this passage rem ains isolated,

not in that thls pair (beginning and end) doe.s not frequently oceur t(7ofl
begillning and eutl ks bestowe.r oi well-beirlg Amb 7-Io7zC7), but in this
near idetttication of beginning and e11(1 w ith the state ofa titing aad not
with its cause. And again, if M ax-im us ltad effectively eriticized Origen's
use of this prineiple applied to the eonf tions of things,could he so emsily

have accepted (d .'fhal r)Gregory ofNyssa's doctrine ofa double creation

(Greg.Nys.d6 hominis tzhf/t:ft),:6-18 PG 44.177fI).which argues back from
the state of man in heaven (M att.tzz.golto the state in paradhe?

gz

l-h.dtT/l&ztfos p/(/riqenistn

the freewill, whieh is totlched on in A m b 7 but not develo

'ped u.
'rhe second is the doctrine of m otion and rest. The tlzird is the
doctrine of the Logos. Such is the order in which these argum ents
appear in Am b 7,
'if howeverw e putthem in the order oftheir im portance in tile argum entation,w e fnd tlze first in last place alld have
then for our study this order. m otion,logos, freewill. M otion follow ed l)y rest as the necessary ontological order betw een these tw o,
in this is contained tlle refutation of the heltad; the unity of tlze
logoi of things in the Logos,in this isconserved what ofgood there
was in the persuasion of an initial and fnal unity in the Origenist
m yth;freewill not bound to exercise itself in the experience of evil,
bnt fashioned for fixedaess in the good , in this is the union of the
saints.
B . 'PHS IY NIAAMEXTJG REBUTATION

Ihavejustnow said thatMaximus'main argumentin refutation

of Ozigenism is grounded in the doctrine of m otion. W e m ust
now see how he com es to relate the doctrine of m otion and the henad
of rationalbeipgs. Let us frst enquire how he expounds the henad
for refutation and how he first developes the refutation.
The Iirst description of the error is triadie. There is given the

lzovyj and ttltjct of rationalbeings, followed by movement whence

the rationals are seattered in the gtmesh of the eorporalworld,prepared to see God 41. W e have therefore the triad: abode, pzppdpldwf,
becom ing. M axim us im m ediately argues: as God is im m ovable, so
the created is m ovable and m oving to a cause; but the m oved does
not eom e to a stop so long asits faeulty of desire-m ovem eat48 does
not repose in the ultim ate desirable. Such a conelusion is but the
refrain of tlze M axim iam refutation.

41 Amb 7-Io6(X-Io72A; 10761B1:.

*1 Am b 7-Io69A 1o-z5; M axim us afltls) ''ior the sake ofbiniing them
to '
their bodies in punishm ent of their previous sirls '' which m ust be taken
as explanatory ofgenesis. 'fite tli eulty in the passage is due to the vv
* 6.
. t:sw rtttettlxto um v w llieh is quite pnexpected and without furtlzer
conse
quence in tlle argum ent.
'

43 Tfi xqx*fqlsghv xlvjtrEfl)g v;p K w ptv Amb 7-to69B8f. For Plotilm s

m otion is desire. See Enn.3.9.9 line 4 (HSNRY and Scllwyzsp.) and
AatNov, Le t/A r detr f,u dans 't4 philosophie #F Plotin,p. 88.

Chapter1.Afdlx-f/dantlOrfg<af.
s-

93

M ter a sttm m ary discussion of surfeit M axim us returns to the

m ain eharge (Io7zA). 'rhe m ytll supposes the movement of the

rationals to have oeeasioned the genesis of the world. Tlle order
is:kinesis,gtrzldr.
ss. N o,says M axim us,gellesis is coneeived as previous to m ovem ent though chronologieally they m ay be sim ultaneous. 'Phe order therefore .
rtm st be : genrsis, kinesis. T he tllird
m em berof the original triad is left im plicit ia the verbalform :does

notrepose,come to a stop 44.

N ow in Am b 15 there is evident a considerable elarifcation alld
so condensation of the question.Gregory had there spoken of the

visible tllings as being welland flrmly fixed arzd as enjoying an im movable movement and a caroeing (...tlxsvzhsrl) xtvovpzvokg lz xft
(pepolzvokg - Amb 15 title-lzz6A). Haviag solved tlze dieulty
M axim us launches into a rather bold.digression, as he says, as to
whether in regard to the ulziverse this earrying is said of an active

(substance oiga), or of one acted upon (Amb zs-zzzgBlo). It.is

thus that M axim us again developes the ontologieal sequenee. God
isthe prineiple ofthe beginning aad the causalend oflzzotion irzrest.
Tlle sequenceitselfm ust be:genesis,kinesis,stasis. A fter illustrating

the question with the sokl, M axim us appliesthe doctrine thus elabo-

ratedtotheexclusionofthe henad ofrationals (13.Izzoclo-rzclzv ).

N ow this triad isthe exaet converse ofthat with which M axim us

deseribed Origenfsm . W e have on the one hand: jtovj xlvqgtg yvegk and on the other: yvetrtg xtvngkg gttigtg. H ow did he happen
to hit upon it?It seem s dear from the foregoing that his descriptioa
of Origenism was not itself enough to induce the eonverse triad.
It is only later and in attother connection that the facile phrasing
com es to him , rather as a pal4 of his ontology than ofhis polem ie.
The pair m otion and rest, as w e s'
hall soon see, is a com m onplace in H ellenistic philosophy. But a Iirst thought w ould be to
see if M ai m us llas not borrow ed his use of it from D enis. H ow ever, for D enis stasis is the divine iixing of tllings in their proper

esssenee (DN 4.7-7o4C),not at all the end of motion. Maximus

knows this sense, but I have found enly one certain instanee of it

(Amb 17-12288145, but ef. Amb 67-I4()IAI2j. Nor do I lind in

Proclus'Elementsol Tkeology atzything suggesting theuse that M axim us m akes of this pair. W e shall have to turn elsewhere.
4* See Am b 7-zo69B9, zo7zcla, Io73B I. The term stasis does occur

in Amb 7 (Io85C5)but only in the sense of aedftion.

94

TlteA jwfgfppzoj'(lrk- f:s-

Plato in the Sophist developes 5 genera or form s:being,m otion,

rest, identity. diserence. Plotinus takes these as a com plete list
of universal genera 45. It is rather in Plotinus that w e shall find
som ething of interest w ith regard to M axim us' doctrine.
N ow it is notew orthy that Plotinus m anifests a certain unw il-

liagness to pair motion and hstwithout fudher ado. l7or physical

and,generally,m undane m otion has rather as its opposite a stoppl g

(?1:6g1)which indieatesprecisely thelaek ofa certain motion;rest

(gxJgtg)is rather to be referred to the world beyond. And hl fact
rest is not neeessarily the suppre&sion .of m otion; they m ay eoexist

(Enn. 6.3.zg). Indeed, being,motion and repflse, as categories of

thotzght,in a w ay eom penetrate one another. But even here, thought

whieh is motion (viqgk = xtvngt)4:does not begin nor terminate

initself4: butin thestasis(fA;71.6.2.8). 'l'heultramundaneeharacter
ofstasisbecom esvery evident in the traet on eternity and tim e where
stgsis, so far as substanee is cozlcerned, is connected w ith eterttity

(.E'AlAl.3.7.z). This rest,wllieh is also end,is very m anifest in the

fgttre of the cyclic danee (Enn.6.9.8) line 43 Brllier) and in the
description of rapture (fAlp..6.9.11 line za-z5 Brhier),though this
attahlm ent be described not from a perm anent possession but from
a transitory grasp : ''If then one should see him self becorning tids,
he po% esses ldm self as a likeness of that thing; and if he should
pass over from him self, as the im age to the arehetype, he would

hold the end ofthe journey ''*:.

In tlle developem ent of Am b I5, stasis - M axim us takes the
soul for his em m ple - is in the infnity about God where m otion,

ceases,giving place to jm ion above mind and reason (IzzoBC).

Stasis then elearly belongs to the realm beyond. But there
is another text where M axim us also deals with tim e and eternity
and there distinguishes an alterative m otion paired w ith a fnite
0 The Sopltist 24.9E-259E ,
.see A. E . TAVI/OR, Plato f/z: M a'
n and his

l'
FbA'
(5th ed. London 1948) p. 3881, and Plotiuns Enn. I.z-:.
4e N6nt- -xlwlcs= t''
t voev xlwlgk ni'(.
E'sAl.6.7.35 line z BRH m R),
See A m b I5-Ia2oA9:the soul Izovwct...Z vqtm '
rllv vdqow .

47 Thm e must be a term la(?ctl to m otion (.

E'wx.6.2.8line zo-z: B:
R.f)m %Rl. The point is znore clearly m ade elsexhe e: aum;k .%% xwngvp &t
'
n evm zp
.w ($xvvvtxtst (.
E'
xx. 5.:.6 line l,f BRkm <al.
:B E ss.6.9.zI liile 43-45 BRNHEESR'
. E vw oA xogmo cftrv yevdjtevpv

ow rxe%jzoltz:pa xevotltttrtv,xat stiq)'G'

frreigex y tvobtk dxdw cw (kzlvttaov,xog (l.
v pxp: '
rflg aofptzt;.

(7## fzr I.Mfzx-ss (

:71d Orfg:stfs-

yj

rest, as against an infm ite everm oving rest. 'rhe iirst is connected
w ith the fniteness of the w orld, place and tim e, tbe latter w ith et-

ernity t?1Yal 64-757C8-760A). 'fhe signifieance therefore of placirig.

the lim it and rest of aetivity in the intinity about God is evident49.
Butifnow we turn to Am b 7 w e find evocations ofthis thought,
though there the w ord stasis qdoes not occur. Speaking of the sub-

jed ien ofa11to Chzist,in a passage wehave clearly seen to be anti49 'fhe questiol of infinity, 6h 6*(a, as that to wbich orte attains
rather tlzan God.him self pertains ratlzer to the negative tlzeologp But

as the texts I have just cited z'aise the question I pet

rmit m yself here to
give som e referenee and com m ent. Cllar I. roo ancl a.z7 are signiiicant.
Then there is a series of passages where Clod is ao m ed to be above infrlit)r

tA.
m b Io-zIz3D3, zI68A ,o II88AI4' Am b I5-zc2oC7,9. There m ay be
m ore instances in the Am bigua, but I sllpped Am b lo last when I wms

m orq sensitive to this word). Other passage.

s propose the innity of God
(or God as infnite) as stretching out m an's desh.e indefinitely (Am b 7Io8$)B I1; TP 1-9A 8, z4CI:). But the A-ety explicit siatez
m eut oi Amb
I5-I22oBC - tllat the infnity about God, notGod,is the lim ittrr
vttlof
.

allcreaturely m otion glving it rest - seem s to be at odds M t.II an ev lier

passage of the same A mbiguum. I translate it (for variations from the

printed text see above p.43

.):d'Restisthe end (I;
h.
e)oftlte naturalm ovem ent of all created thingsk a rest afected indeed., afte,
rfthe Ipassing over
of lim ited things by inO ity,in which because there is no dtstance every
m ovem en.
t of things naturally m oved reposes, havittg now ndther where
nor how nor to what it m igllt be m oved as AlrfAlg Gotl who teym inates fA:

viwy teyminative'
nxl:pojzrt/er:ymotion ,&end and tifiu&e''(I2.
I7C6-14:xlvndn)
k xv etlovxu xataxv vv x4o, 6etoxixv xtvsws iasejav iEv gkog
llxtov lxoveo. 3phen flod is ihe end of creaturely nlotion ' bnt in the'text
rst referred to Gotl is si d.notto be the lim it of creaturely m otion. T here
is no contratliction if we take into accotm t the distinction which m ay'be

diseerned between xpag antl tlo (1 d.

o not say tlzat it is always observet
l) nnm ely that txe ftrst is properly a lim it,a '
termM ation, tlze other
a goal to be striven for, to give f'tirection to effod . And in fact in
.

the te-xt between the two passages in question it is clear that the
noetie activity of m an is tezm inated in tlle things about G od his #' everlasthlgness. inuitys indeterm inateness goodness, w isdom power. c're-

ative governative and judicative of ereation '' Char I.loo. Eut beyond
tlzese is the end Gotl him self and unlon with him in a non-diseumive nonnoetic fashion which is effed ed onl)rby the grace of G od. If m y'rem arks
are accurate, firrew ftx for M axim us w ill iztdicate especially the term ef

noetic activity anfl connote only the intuitive eoatemplation or.to hold
to tlle M axim ian vocabulary, inepable union. The things aboutGod m ay be
found eqaivalently in G regory of N yssa, H om . f.
n E c&I..V II PG 44.732A -B .
I now only w ould ask have w e here a distinction so develom d that it m ight
serve later as a ground for the doctdne of uncreated energies?

96

Tlbe R:/f4fp'
lzolOrk:Alis-

origenist,M axim us eautions that this is not to be taken as the suppression of the freewill but as its a rm ation,that w hence we have
being tllenee also w e m ay desire to have m otion and as a1z inm ge
return to the arcltetype, so that the divine operation is a11 in a11

(Am b g-Io76Bzo-CI3)summ arized). 'I'heuse ofthis fgure ofimage

and archetype is com m on not only to M axim us and Plotinus but

isfound also in a passage of Gregory twiee cited by M aximus (Am b

g-Io77B5-9.Io89C8-II),to wrhom dottbtlesshedirectlyowesthisfigtlre.
The non-suppression of the freewill is found paralleled in Plothm s
in the non-suppression of m otion by stasis :e. A nd further if for
M axim us the divine operation perm eates the hum an so that there

be but one operation (Io76C),Plotinus ean sy that f'Life there is

aet (lveyEta)ofthe mind ''(Enn.6.9.9.line 17 Brhier).
I have not presented these sim ilarities as indicating a direct
influence of Plotinus on M axim us m tw h less a literary dependenee,
.
but rather to show tlzat the Plotinian use of stasis, as indicating the
final end of a1lm otion and desire,is one w hich gives a basis for M axim us' restatem ent of the O rigenist triad. A lld indeed M axim us'
argum entation is far from Plotinian ; P lotinus w as still lleld fast
by the H ellenic cyclic conceptious.by the fall of the soul from an
unem bodied state to which it desired to return 11. ft was precisdy
this cycle that M axim us had set him self to break.

Tke C/;W Avgument

The question of motion and rest,justnow treated,wasoccasioned m ore espeeially by the developem ent of term s m anifest in A m b

15,
.ithasallow ed usto see som ewhat oftlle clim atein which M axim us
w orked. B ut now it is tim e to return to the argum ent in A m b 7

(Io72A on). W eshallsee that here his in'spiration is rather Aristotelian,but by a shift of em phasis he rem ains withirz the Plotinian
m ilieu to wlzich w e have been but now giving our attention. 'fhe
w hole com posite w ill be seen, I think to have a coherence and urgeney of its ow n.
M axim us begins. T'A s to things of nlind and sense prodtzced
by God, their beeom ing is conceived of before their m otion; for

H DH tgn e'
O 'ftm v Elasw J'
vttlkpsfysv '
rii xswitreteg 'r'l)v o'rticnv Enn. 6.3.27
line z8f BRRRM R. O 11 the reconciliatiotl of tlze concepts of stasis and.
m otion in that of everlmsting m otfon see below ehapte.
r V n. 24.
51 Com pare Enn. 4.8.l antl 6.9.8.

ChgptrrI.M aximus4a4/Oyigenism

97

motion cannot be before beeonzing '' (Amb 7-logzAzr-l4l. The

Origenists had posited: abode, v pffpzl, becom ing. H eve M axim tts
proposes:becom ing,m otion. H e does not here attem pt to illustrate
what this beeom ing is ::. he assttm es it as his intent is to develope

the idea of m otion with its correlative end.

:2 This becom ing or genesis is in fact the creation of things, each ac-

cording to its proper logos. See below where M aXhIIUS begin: to treat of

logos (10.
770). lt has been objected that I here overlook a complete m isunflerstanding of tbe Origenists by M axim us and that thetd ore the argum entatiotl m iscarries. For the Origenists genesis is precisely tlle advent
of the preexistent iznm aterial being lnto the body. Such would be tbe
.

open assertion ofPlotinus (.

E'?)s.3,9.3). '
rltis is a partial concept of gnesis,'not the genesis of the thing itself but of a partjeular m ode of its being.
M axim us, how ever understands genesis quite tm iversally as he is cateful
.

to state: TTas to the things of nllnd and sense produced by God ''(xv
fx eo'
p yEvoltvtov vonxt'
v '
re xtttclcnhlstbvl. Things of ztzind and sense tllis is the universal Platonic dichotom y, w ith w hidt Origen still worked.
But there was for G regory of N ysaa and for M axim us another dielzotom y
still m ore fundam ental. W eisw urm expresses it thus: ''To Origen's division of being into 'r ttlcnxt'
w and xth voqvv Gregory, in order to
preclude any kind of identifcatlon of God w it.
lz the worltl of spirits adds
tlle distinction of xxw sv and &xngxov, i, e,, of the created atzd uncre-

atetl emphmsizing lt very forcefally '' (W slswuu ThsN ll.

?x.
y'
, 0/ H qma.
n
K'
nowledge... p. 3z). M avimus assum es this disthtctfon here;he (loes not
prove it;yethe p'
illexplain that the logoioftlzings are fkxed by G od at their
creation their com ing to be rather these logni foreverpreexistin God. Bnt a
gonesis invold ng a passage from the state of pare spi:
rit to that ofa com posite im rolves a change in tlze preexistent Iogosy whic.h is asim pcssible asitis
for Cxod to change. I do not txink therefore tltat te M axim ian argum ent
m iscanies. The H ellenic world-view which he sets out to refute in tlds

Amb 7 is the cyclic view (ef.voN IVANKA cited,above p. 87), which ftrst
presupposes a primitive gnity (the henad)ofrationalbeings and in second
place, tlze preexistence of lm m an sotlls. M axinm s'm ain efort therefo'
re
is with the dod Hne of m otion, by which he established and deacribes the
liztear m ovem ent of the c eature to God. This view too has its necessary

presuppositlons,chiezy that the subject of m ovem ent is essentially im m utable,whether that subjectbe simple or composite. 'rlzis iseom prelzendetl
in the doctrine of the Iogoi. One m ay eavil that M avim us (loes not fzrst
treat of w ha.
t for us m en is m ost im m ediate and doea logieally precede in
eitlzer theory,nam ely whether genesis does m ean tlze com i'
ng into a body
of an alzeatly existent spirit or the sim ultaneous com ing ilzto being of body
anll soul as parts oi a com posite w hole. T his i:a how ever and tem ains
a particular question whiclz though logically preceding,would not perm it
.

the direet treateznent of the opposing viorld-viexgs vzidch preeisely forn the
di culty proposed for discussiotl. It is m ore than coincillence then tltat

(/8

T& R6jwtation oj tlrlk:sfswl

It is thus that he com es to dednitions:''This m otion they eall

a natural power,pressing on to its own end, or else passion,that
is m otion, passing from one thing to another with the im passionate

asend,or elseefective operation with theself-perfect(< (IlxovElg)

as'end .

And no produced thiug is an erld ill itself, since it is not

self-eausing,sizlce it (the self-eatlsiag:B ttAsalxkov) is unprodueeda

without beginning,unm oved as having nowhere to be m oved. ror
it surpasses the nature of beings as beiug for the sake of nothing,
if,as iadeed is the ease,the definition about it be tzue though he be

an outsiderwho saysit:TM yAlJ istkat/(v tkestlz ofwkich alltkings

are,and bfjoy f& sake oj notking ''(Amb 7-IogzB9-C5).
Beforethe translated passage M axim tls has spoken of t14e eon-

ventionaldivisionsofmotion (one,threefold:linear,circularsspiral;
the other, twofold : sim ple and com posite, that is of the linear and

eircular). His defnitions respond to these divisions,especially to

tl)e second. el'
.
be sim ple m otion then he xplains,speaking of end;

the composite m otions he explains (1 have forborne to translate

the explanation) izt inverse order, the sslj-psrfect befo're the i?Alpassionate.
The M axim ian refutation here starts from the idea of m otion
as essentially directed to an em d. But rnotion is only eonceivable
as of som e tlting w hich already has com e to be irz its oue unalterable

substanee (o:o(a). W e are then in the presence of this triad:becom ing, m otion, end. W hence ltas M axim us derived it? The ring
of the whole is som ewhat Aristotelian; a search in that direction
seem s indicated. rirst there is the defm ition of m otion as natvral

>)?z):r,later that ofe'

nd. I sllallconsider each in turn.
N atural pow er,says M axim us, is to be considered either sim ply
as m otion to an end, or, com positely wit,h the ends quaEfied,'as

adog-xtvngtg or as lvthyesa :tlacslxq. But why does lle assign the

dxc.g and tlle tzrorellg as ti'e respeetive qualifed ends (overends) for these motions? It is curious that Aristotle, speaking of
the way of acquiring knowledge in a passage at the basis ofthe later

doctrine of species Tx/w ssl fDe Anima 1II 4-4z9aI3-I8), says that
the tm derstanding part of the soul, the m ind that is, m ust be xtt-

leads Afaxnlus (Jknzb 7-zzooC4f) to propose a stringent argnnlent against

the preexistence of souls as a nal corollary of tke aceeptance of the great
Clzristiall m ystery:that we are m em bers or a m rtion of Gocl.

Chakt- I.M aximns tzs;l Origenism

99

N g. And Simplicius in his com mentary oa the D6 Anima (Il 54l7ba8,CAG X I,I25'B)with reference to .
the above passage of D6

zlAlp;flIII4,plaees lvtpyekl in relation with the word (lv:m elTjg.

Now M axim us generally prefers to illustrate m ovem ent with that

ofthe sottl(ef.Amb I5-I22oA6);not im probably it is noetie motion

that he has here principally in m ind. But such m otion, w e have

just seen,Aristotle and his com mentator have put in conneetion

with the xaN g am d abxotellg. Further this noetie xfvnglg or N k)-

yBq is of the sort whieh is sm onym ous with end (cf. Alexander
Aphrod.in M et. IX 3-lo4'
7a3o, CAG I 573). M axim us therefore
cotlld easily pass from or rather over this proxlm ate and proper
elld to the last end,the overend,of which alone he expressly speaks.
I suggest rather than aflirm the above explanation.

'Phe distinction active-passive is surely com mon enough; still

the adjeetive :tpttoxtxlj may suggest a Stoic m ediation. Nem esius
(De nat.kom .5 - PG 4o,6z5BIIf)speaks of the Stoics as-distinguishing the elem ents into Dpagttxd. and xaqstxd.. Yet eertainty
is im possible so long as the links between M axim us and the philosophers rem ain uncertain or unknow a.
T he deinition of end is a d tation. I first sought to verify it
in the Azistotelian autlm rs. This searclz, thougla vain, shows vezy
clearly how A ristotelian the definition is.

In B 4 ofthe M etqklbysics (999b8:) in propotmding a dieulty

A ristotle w rites: '' But granted beeom ing and m otion, tllere m ust
stillbe a linzit;for no m otion is infnite,but eaeh has its end ''. A nd

in V z ofthe Physics(az4bz):''17or every motion isfrom sometbing

to s'
om ething ''. Later he explains this as from a thilzg to its con-

trary (2z9b29). W dtiug On th6 zkfpfp'

)z H Zp: Tkings 5 (7oobI5)
he says:ffAIIlive things 1)0th m ve and are m oved for the sake of

something,so that the jor whose sake is for them the limit ofevery
motiolz''. In the M etapkysics (xz (994b9f)he says:'''PheIortp/lp.
s:
sake is end,but such an end as is not for another's sake.but other
thiags for it ''.
That a11of M axim us'idems in the passage eited above,pave the
identifcation of the end with tlze Transeendent,are to be found in
A ristotle is evident'
,but if the ideas are there the form of w ords are
too diverse to satisfy what M axim us indieates'
.a verbal rem iniseence
at last, if not a vtbw
rbatim cftatitm of som e author.. 'rhe neares't approach that I have beeu able to :nd is the following from Alexander

zcxl

7-71: lejtdation o! (l'gysfszl

ofAphrodisias (etld 3rd cent.AD),where there ls manifesta greater

sim ilarity of language. W e have;

M exauderin M 6t.BZICAG II8I:7rf)

T ytlp g 4ya'
v dkttv lgl.t
t?l o; xdetv l:tk JLla, aiv

Afaxinzus Jknzb 7-Io7aC4f.

Tq og pgvtv o vexev s& advva,
afs : ohcvg zvExEv.

oo svtk,v?l :1 toto:tov do.

Again M exander, com menting the passage of Aristotle cited
above fM 6t. B4),developes just that triad:becoming,motion,limit
or end.
T he m ilieu of the deo ition,then, is beyond a dotzbt. It is then
the m ore piquant to know that the ozdsih r dted is none other tltan
Evagrius. The defmition cited form s part of a Gnom e eonsenred in

tile Syriac and published by Mhylderm ans:3. It runs: !*e.N.'*.

Alw 11
t.,.e :<>
,.
-v-ve., 0& :...,*K..J
-

The whole Syriac text given by M uylderm ans is a eom pletion of

Gnome cz(PG 4o.Iz69D);in his vet-sion it runs:La En estee quoi

tout est ordonn,alom que lui-m m e n'est ordonn .rien. Ou bien
la Iin est ee pour quoi on fait quelque ehose,tandis que eela n'est

(Iatjpour rien Ld'autye).Comprends ainsice'quiest erit en tte de

psaum es, dans 1es livres grees: flPour la filz des psaam es de D avid )),
Tllis altenm tive denition is akin to the text ofAlexander.
It is now tim e to look at M axim us'clzaracterization of this end.
W e have seen in the passage tranlated above that the end is the

impassionate (t?) lc
ixtlgl and the self-perfeet h(
%)e xotek). This
twofold eharaeterization eorresponds to the two aspeet of eom posite
m otion,considered either as passion or as efective operation. This
twofold charaeterization then seem s to be com plete. But as these
both are characterizations of the sim ple end.they m ake with that
end a triad w hieh ean in ne w ay be predicated oftlle creature. Thus'

no created thing is attend for irself (tlvt'o: slo) nor self-perfect

norimpassionate (Io72C 5 arzd 8). Thesethreeare assignableto God
alone: M vov ytlp Eo: l: xlog Elvas xat s?l thstov xal K?l th a'
g

(Io73B4)as unmoved and full and impassionate. Thus the end is

presented to tls here in its otllerness,in its tm rd atedness. Y et tbere

13 M'
IJ< IG RMANS,J. Evagviana Syrtwt
z Lltibliothq'
ue zfv: M usdon 3x,
z9.
51) p.34.

C//zz/fer f.M qximqsttstlOrigenism

IoI

is a possession of the end which is necessary to the creature's perfeetion. This M axim us states in Am b 15 in a septenee which has
served von Balthasar as a tag for llis K osm iscke Lfsfrgi<: '<That
which doesnothave an end for its naturaloperations is noteven per-

fect;buttlle repose Lstaszs) ofthe motion ofcreated thingstowards

thecause is end for naturaloperations ''(Amb I5-IzaoA).
But in the gth Am biguum such neatness of form ulation has not
yet been obtained nor perhaps is possible as M axim us has here to
balanee the two aspeets of end - that of the end in itself and that

ofthesubjectstending to it. Thusrem auing with thetriadicschem e

Maximus continues (in Amb 7):.fit is for ereatures to be m oved to
the unorighzate end te rest t'heir operation in the unquantitative per-

fectend tzrdcfp sE),

Eltp v.sk)and to suler,but nottobeorbecome
substantially,tlle unqualifted; for,to be sure, every subject of be-

coming or ereation is not withouth relations'' (Amb p Io73B7-II).

There are in this passage rerniniscenees that eall for attention.
The word tlgxExo which I have rendered udthout z'eltl/p'
zld, is an im portant w ord arld colw ept in the N eoplatonie system E4 'fhe N eoplatonists apply it to causality through a11 the diverse ranks of being;Denis and M axim us em ploy it,but only as m arking the separation between creator and creature. 'l'he other rem iaiscence Ls still
.

m ore obvious. D enis had said of his supposed m aster H ierotheos:

nottp/f/y lsarning 5f41suy ring tffrf'

ls: things (DN z.9-648Bzf). And
M axim us says that the saint suffers,but does not beeom e, the unqual/ ed, that is God. It is clear that the statem ent ofM axim us
is at once stronger and m ore eautions than that of D enis.
W e have now seen the substance of M axim us' refutation of the
Origenist error. 12or a false placing of m otion, after a prim itive
fxing irzthe good - a rnotion that lead to the conzing to be of the
corporeal world - , M axim us has substituted a tnte triad, a triad
that assum es things irl their nature as they m ay be obsew ed from
wltich nature ite derives the m otion to the end. This stnx ture we
have seen to be fundam entally ofAristotelian inspiration;tlze rnonner
however of coneeiving the end is m ore N eoplatonic, if not Plotinian. Y etthere isno room for supposing a m ere edectic com pilation;
the im pact of Christian teaching and m editation has so exalted the
'm anner in which the end is conceived that the whole structure is
thereby profoundly m odified.
:4 See Dolm s E lem6sts on proposition zzz p. 265.

2o2

7'
& Relt4tation # Oyigsnism

H aving said this,it m ay seem that no m ore need be said on this

argttm ent. Sueh a supposition is at once right and wrong. 'rhy
acute reader will have observ'ed that at the outset of lds argtlm ent

Maximusassumes,quiterkhtly and naturally though withotttexplanation,that gen6sis com es frst. 'rhe fall justifcation d this he
gives later in his doctrine on logos,when l)e set.s out to explain how
w e are ealled parts of God. It will be enough to deal with itin
titat plaee. And agaittthe reader w ill have observed that M aximus

baving said that the creatare sunsys 1ks c/zzgwlA'

/t>.
fl, irnmediately
com m enees an explanation of this suffezing whieh is described as
an ecstasis,and is,in faet, a description of the m anner of attaining
the end. One carm ot wellavoid considering tllis descziption. Once
again tlte reader m ay have wondered does M axim us nowhere develope the eonnectlons between the triad that here fkxes his attention
and that other, fts near cousin: substance, powec operatiou.
W e have therefore two sections to develope before we m ay
treat of the logos. A fter that treatm ent there will yet rem ain for
us the argum ent of satiety. I have so far passed over it,though it
eom es 5rst in the M axim ialz text, beeause in the true ontologieal
strtleture its realcounterpartis subsum ed in the doctrine of m otion,
w hereas in tEe erroneous H ellenic triad it is of cd tieal strategic
significance - w ithotlt som e such doctrine the henad w ould never
break up and there w ould consequently be ne eorporealw orld.

CHAPTSR 11

THE TRIAD:SUBSG NCE POW ER OPERATION

The triad genesis, kinesis,,
sfftsis, w e have seen, form s the baek-

boneofMaximus'refutation ofthe Orkenist myth. W e have ezldeavored, w ithout too rem arkable sutzerss, to 6nd antecedents for
it in the w ritings of the N eoplatonie philosophers. One tiling,how ever,was stt eiently clear:in Plotinus stasis,responding to kinesis,
habitually bore a transm undane sense. V'et this with the other
alltecedents,is not at a11su eient to explain the force of M axim us'
argum ent. This force resides in anothertriad,tm derlying the form er.

This other triad is sttbstance, power, operation (of1g(a, 3tsvagtt,

lvpyem)whose transposition Ithink it not too m ueh to say, onto
the escllatologicalplane - a transposition necessitated by the tezm r
of the Origenist m yth .-l results in the'frst-m entioned triad :becom fzlg m ovem ent,rest. The eschatological plane is m anifest as regards
stasis; but here w e m ust take esehatological as also com prehendilzg
the other eschaton extrem e of existence: com ing-to-be genesis.
Indubitably this genesis term inates prim arily in substance, in
ousia. So m uch could rsafely be assum ed ' yet it is not necessary so
to do. In initiptifzg his argum ent M ai m tts delines the m otion

ensuenton genesis as a natural>()ffl&'F (Amb 7-zo7zB, above p. 98),

and therefore proceeding from and inherent in a nature or substanee.
Later he will write:..the power is from the substanee and in the

stkbstance''(TP I-3:$BII).
Y et 1et us not get ahead of ourselves. W e should first look
te the aatecedents of this other triad. I say purposely of the triatl
for of any one or two of the term s alone there would be a vast array
of texts to review , from the beghm ings of Greek speculation on.

Th6 Anteca ents ol f//e Trad

Thetriad assuch islirstfound in the DeM ys* fsofJamblichus
in ru ponse to Poa hyry's ninth qestion:t'In w hat does a daim on
diier from a hero or from a soul,as to substancejas to power,as to

Io4

Th6 lkz/sffzzlel oj Og#dw&??l

operation ''1. 'l'lle response does nothing to develope the m eaning

of the triad. In this, its rst appearanee, it seem s aceepted as a

com monplace. Again in zrodus' Elements oj Tkeology e we lind:

''Every ihtelligence has its existence, its poteney and its activity
in eternity ''. O nee m ore the triad is rather taken forgm nted ; the
subsequent exposition however nm nifests the real and logical eonneetion betw eem these tllree term s.
There is then no surprise when we lind this triad in thePsettdoA reopagite. T he Grst text, in CH 11.2-284 D says no m ore than
that irl a11 divine intelligences these three are distinguishedl substance, pow er, operation. The second,in D N 4.1-693B, appears to
equate the three, to hypostatize them , rather than to place them
as ordered aspects of one whole, The tllird text,in D N 4.23-7z4 C9,
occtlrs in the m idst of the treatise on evil w ith its know n relations

with tlze Prodan D e '

pltzpz'zfzzi s'
ubstantia. In the Prodan text,parallelto the D ionysian at this point,the question turns on the badness

ofthedemons (D6malorum snbst.jj40-44),tobefozowed by similar

questions regarding heroes and souls - the very sequence fotm d
in Porphyry's qttestion above. N ot urm aturally D enis has om itted
to m ention heroes. Y et thougll Proclus supposes the doetrine of

natural operation (...'Tangelus et daemon 'et Deus qui semmdum

substantiam sem per ipsius ordinem unusquisque salvare natus est...
operantur sem per seeundum naturam quam aeeepit unusquisque ''

j46,p.zI6 ed.Cotlsin) he does not name the triad whieh now oecupies our attention.
In faet w e have here to do with a eom m on doetrine,sasceptible

of faeile expression in the triad sbfbstance,power,c'/drrflfit- . It was

only subsequently that it seem ed necessazy to explain the m zderlying dod rhte. It is sueh an explanation that we fnd in the printed
seholia on D etzis 3. H ere w itla eaeh occurrenee of the triad there

1D6 xsfyslfyf,
s of JAMBIJCJITJS (ed.PARTHSY 1857) P.xxxii: Afdlzv
ljofpo xakvtqik 'rvb xc'
ryoo tfvv :ldtp:
kpek '
q xgxlk Dfwfvpw '
li xctx'lvtceuw ;

'

The reslxm se ks given on p.67. Por the authenticity of thfs treatise see

the note of R. Rta vss, ArckH istD octtLitf w/P.

fz1 z'
p (z949) aoz'.
1 PRoclm s, Elnments prop. z69 (ed.Dodds p.:46):Illk vok lv alf
vv:
'
oiv '
tv oo lxw v bxcl '
r'
llv tsvtv sv )/,
q1 T$v /vtcelav.
3 Of the scholia I hez'
e dte voN BALTI.
IASAR (Seh z5 (1940) z9, :o)
m tlicates that '
the two on DN al'e found hz tlze Syriac. I use tlzem here as

'
being of Jolm of Scythopolis. Sve the subjoined excursus (pp. IIv-zt)
for a discussion of the scholiasts.

:70 //,> 1I.Te Triqd:Slis,

5ffdsr,PowerOjzrrz/ft-

Io5

is explidt eom m ent o11and explanation of it*. Irt the first hlstance
an illustration stlflices:substance is the nature of iire,power its i1-

lumintive quality, operation is the power's effeet ttlzroszeglzal:

to illum inate and to bul'
n . In the com m ent on the seeond D ionysian passage operations in heaven are said to be hypostatized sub-

stances (lvvxezatol elgt xal otxrlttl z4oC8). But the fullest treatm ent is the third,where again the exam ple offireisused,though its
proper'ty this tizzle is w arm th. O bserve that w hile D eztis does rnention

habit (lik DN 4.23-725A12),John Of Scythopolis develope it,explailling power and operation by the relation obtaining between Gperation and habit.w hieh last ylolle he defm es. Thus a tetrad is im plicit'
. substanee, power, habit, operation. N ow it iseuriotls that i11

Myst5-676D and 677C (itistheonly instanceofwhich Ihave knowledge) Maximus employs tlzistetrad,though in quiteanother context.
The following,I tllink,m ay be retained from tkdsbriefconsideration of the antecedents of the triad: substanee, pow er, operation.
The underlying doctrine, in origin Aristotelian,llas becom e part of
the com m on N eoplatonie heritage;the triad as such is Srst found in

the DeJf
fysffrrffs ofJamblidms, as a eom monplaee. Johtt ofSeythom lis by hiscom m ent aecented thecasualuse ofit m ade by D enis.
M axim us,to m y knowledge, is then the frst to use it extensively.
N or is it really surprising that M axim us should so develope the'
triad. I1z the letter to the Sieilians,a defense of itis orthodoxy and
one of his latest tractatess M az m tzs says: <fthe doctrine of one

and the same operation,willand nqtur. (said) of one and the same
tord arld God,isnotofthefathersbutofheretfcs ''(TP p-z:$zBlpizl.
The historical order, of cotlrse, of the Clzristological heresies thus

referred,isnaturs,operation,will. But M aximuscitesthem in their

philosophicalorder e. And wity? ifnot that this order is a reiled ion
of our triad:operation,power,substanee. And indeed for M axim us

the w111is of nature,llatural, a power eonserving nature;.

4 CH 1I.2-z84D = PG 4.p3A ; D N 4kT-693B I4 = PG 4.z4oCD ; D N
4.23-724C9 = PG 4.28817.
: T P 9 of the years 646-48: iu m y D qte-list item 86.

B Ofmtation m ust here com e ftrst for it is M axim m zseem ing aeceptance

of Monenergism (or Monenergfste) irl th.

e letter to Pyrrlztts (ep.rp) wlzfclz
fntmA the subject of the imm ediately preceding lines..
T See the denition cited ln TP :6-:851) (after 643,Date-lstitem 74).
It is fotutd also in T P :-451: and.TP r-l2C;itisusec
lby StJOHN DAMASCIG

'

N.
t,Dr ##e oythodoxa 2.22 PG ()4.p4#B.

1c:5

znhe 16/1:atoo of (lrgesi:af

It will be the.
n only of greater interest to see M axim us'uftderstanding ofthe doctrine ofnaturaloperation aud ofthe triad htwhich
he sum m arized it at a tim e when he w as not yet,or,at best, but
dim ly aware ofthe eontem porary heresies in the refutation of which
he w as to use it as his principal w eapen.

Earliey M aximian Us6 p/ th,6 Trit:d

'l'
he concisest exprerxsion of the triad: o(,gttl, Dgvags,lvpyektt
is to be fotm d in *fho ee I,3. I give m y ow n version ; von B althasar gives only a literalsum m ary. The Greek text m ay be seen in
the parallels given below .
'fEvery stlbstanee,btinging with it its own lim it an4 detiltitilm

(1;Qog) is of its nature source of the poteney-movement pereeived

in it;every natural m ovem ent towards operation, coneeived as after
substanee but before operation is a m iddle as naturally situated
between the two'and every 'operation,naturally lim ited by its defin-

ition (dyog)is end ofthe preconceived essentialmovement''.

Tlzis dzapter is but an explanation of the preceding one,wtdeh
had denied that G od is souree, m iddle or end, s being i'
nflritely
above substance,power and operation.
Of these chapte-rs von Balthasar8says:<'D am it ist des Bekertners ganze Ontologie des W eltseins in grsster K onzentriertlleit
ausgesprocllen '', The rest of his eom m ent is concerzled ehie:y

w'ith the static elements ofthis ontology (distance:sdgrqgtx:espac:v1fwJ). However, though von Balthasar does reeognlzethe antiozigenist import of the ehapter (op. cit.,110) and tlle movement
wltieh thestaticeleznentrenderspossible (op.cit.,109),stilllzeslights1
the m ovem ent elem ent, whieh in faet is prim ordial. Apparently
von Balthasar was not aware that M axim us had prepared the highly
polished concentratedltsss of the frst ten chapters in the looser and
m ore laborious A m bigua. Sueh a supposition is reasonable' but a

' V oN BALTHASAR, D ie Gnost. C6nt...p. 109.

9 A n m midence of tb.
is false em phmqis is founfl in von Balthasar's para-

phraae oftb.
e last clause ofTlzoec I.3 fantld,p,ey opeu tion...). VoN BAL'
rHASAR prints:f<...die w irklichkeit Zielund.Ende der Bewegulzg Lstdam it
die Begrenzung d.
es W esens in sieh selbst ''. H is insight into M nvm us .

was conditioned by 1* then reeent study (Ptdseva zlf Pov

nst of Gregory
of N yssa.

Chapto,rII.T& T6atL'Svlsfl'
acePow- O/:rt4ftyM

m7

confrontation of cettain of these chapteD (Thoee z.z,3, 1o) with

passages of the Am bigua w ill sa ce to transform the supposition

illto convietion.

Coniyontatio'
n of Texfs
Am b zo-zxh B zo-zz)

T htlcc z.a:

A lvntov yk) advsfz) v' dxetpov,

..a

Jtktgvo y&(kllx@ Bg)xat

ob yt),o pxet xou xtvqM vt v :% (lxlvqvo xftt &tepo, tk zrdm)g
pty gevov.
oftrtag xat :vvdgefz)g xatlvtlyeta
A

aeeO tva fl:rlEttltt? liv.

m b zo-zz84D g-xz85A 5:

T ydtl t
l.
aeteov xaxA ativl'
q xat
M yov xal '
etiaov lcvt'v Jxewov,
xtlss o'
lhcttw , xav.t't fvulztv, xav'
lveystav, xtw'(11.
t+0 '
r alpara,
l' lvfs w ym xal s xdvfz),rov'
r.

lfrrtxtzKt'
t:'
q
*v (kxvhv xql v?ptleg.
Q fensov 'f?* xust :'
t
%t'
v o'
llcav,
xt th w lvtin'
rov xat x'
q
hv :'
tsvalztv,
xat xal' '
r.
q
%v lvoyetav (lxeetw aov,xat &vatqov tvtalsv,xll(h fredxnxov xd'
rto v loxk xt'
jJaeltjov,
xal('
bg etagi;
'v Jlngvp ov,xavtk
xdvva tldeko'
tov...
Am b zs-z:z7c4-D zo:

T ho ec 1.3*:

(lpxt adg'
n xtvn'gefzx qltstfkxiig xt-ityq oigta xv avrqgeov lavs'i
ltrtkv fl l'lv xsvovgvflw yveo'tg
,

crm ekcdyovtm , itlxlxtpvxev etvttk

fltqi
' : q g '
n
rt'
isv xtvovgvttw 'fEv- '
rfiglalsEftleothgt-vqtxN f xlvfsstpl..
cefog b E rb ysvgtrkovthys
;.

Tfq :l:'rfiv yc evngvfzw fpvesx'

qg
xwigsfz) vo '
j gvdct lcttv,fe
xotes'zrdvo g pzex rhv :tdptttnv
:Gv lexeoopfvfkw $ (l:v:p((1,!#
j :tt'
i'
r htn' elvtxk :ttlovqpza xlga
'

xtllel'atxtvngt%&v tjmckx&xtvov-

Izlvaw,o:x Novca lokav saotl'e

xf; xfk xal zpg t( xlvqN-vat,
Q vv tlpllovta xal atlm*v tn
hv

1cJ9

2>g lefqtaton of(lriqensnb

xdc'rl itjtoxtx'q
hv xyvq'cEfz' (
'iaii:ttpftlv
a
'lsv vlog fbg ah sov 'lxotttrlz.
Y ho ec 1-10:
l'ldcqg o1v 'ft'
,vce.
4 xe xal xt4:,,.%
1) xfAv 6vvow xGtjtec4'
t'qcxql
v'
q'gstt'g 'e v iv'
rftw dlq4h xGt xog' va o ltrvlv 6 els, (b N epyfvv,

ltrtv t$ E?), J)g li tt'

htog yeysvn- 4),
* o'
hx auozlov' fsflFce: xat xtk
gvv xal 3c q'
N o'
p xwovizvttw : &Lka ztllva,o(g aal
rj1t(3
tvtjvopd-

xql elg tmzv vnxv tyxztffptv xoiqgo- Nvtls.flex.?jydy tr.

rsv J)qptovpjzvv.
y4g- xa gstrd'
r'
rj, (
bg xEelw ap'
lh.

11 a'
hto'
p.
b'* ,T'
qgtyxatDi*a'Nog,
xtzt Elg a'
vv xti advra.
Tho ec z.3b:

adcng Dl:(Imtrlx'
l '
rfiv Yvsfzw xt-

rdctl ls tpvckx'
l ap?) lvpyesav

v'
n'trslt) apoEasvoshtx $ yvecsg, xlvnckt
;,x'
hg Itv 'oigttxg pztxextvoxdsng ladtre(t
3g zspoextvoeltak ovgvn- xtmisatvoovpvq 3 '
o-ig
xtn pfgtv qe xtvngw.
lvethyetag lzertsvng lflxtv,d) pp o'
iv
El 'o'
liv xsvq't7Eftlg zpoEzLvoEl'
rqt xa'
r '
rv p'cov qmclxf7k :iellqp.-

xax pfctv l
h '/'vEgw,xkvq'cEttlg d gl'v'
q- xal rrtiga l'vthyEtq v@ xav'
gs'
reatvoeikttt xavt Tfgtv 'n
egtdgl/
;, tztssv lyf
p pvgtxf;g xetltyeatgoyvecg Dnovtik xql g'
tictg elvak I
zlv'q, tlo lcll vqg ath?l atr'
ii
'rlv iplx.xao sv '
lhtwltv ('igm'xa- xa'r'qxlvosav o'lhgkfo ot, xkvn'frettl.
'

vovjlljlfzw IX1 (%
(.
g fpvctxf'
;Mttp
'yovgtw lxovgat xtz'
rt '
B ggov %qAv
xlvqgw .

A m b zo-zzJ7B 8..zo:

o'
/ v ytkp.(L).o xlgxnxEv j
xtx'r o 'tftv 'rfiv dvvltw lxdtaov

'
tlvap,t '
r tp'
t
ltutl)g xe lvlpye.stw
xtpdpttxo xtvntFsg.
The couviction whieh arises from this confrontation (yetothers
could be made,less germane to the presenttopic)isnotofa literary
dependence 1:, lm t of a thought and vocabulary m astered throught
the labor represented in the discussions tm derlying, and through
the effort involved in the com position of the ,fl- gz
ltfl. One m ight

perhaps objeet that the Ambigua passages are expositions of the

1: M axim us is quite capable of snch self-copying. 'rhoec z.I
%E' 5-zx8oA .See D ate-list.itezn 37a.

Cap

Ckasto'rH .T#6 Triad:Sftsfl'

taz Tbwcr Operativn

109

conciser texts. 'rhis rdation is coneeivable when one rega'rds only

the relative length of the confronted texts;when how ever the longer
text-s are found not to follow the order, even in a single chapter,
of the shorter sueh a relation becom es practically inconeeivable.
A nd, furtherm ore the parallelfrom A m b 15 is part and parcel of the
antiorigenist argum ent It1 Tho ec I.z, 3, Io this is not directly
apparent. The ehapters appear then as a later abstraet not pos.

sibly as an initial sketeh. '

i'his connection with the antiorigenist
argum ent gives these ten chapters heightezled im port, introdueing,
as they do,tw o centuries devoted to O rigenist doetrine, 'rhey m ust
have been so placed at the otltset, in order to sterilize, so to speak,
from any germ oftm ozthodoxy,the Origenist ideas to be reproduced
in the subsequent chapters.
But to retura to our triad. V on Balthasar, noting the absence
of the characteristically N yssene term '
. Dtdcvqlm says: ffM axim us
fihrt nur iber G regor hinaus die alten aristotd ischen K ategorien
fiir diese Seinsbewegung ein ''''. I2or a com m entary on M axim us
such em phasis on Gregory seem s to m e exaggerated. 'fhere can be
po question that M axim us em ploys the Gregorian eoneept of lim it

and distanee (tfigxnjsa) as characteristie of the creature; but this,

pritlcipally to give a rational explanation and fram ework to m otion.
'flzisdoctrine ofm otion is largely Aristotelian;by it the false Origenist-Evagrian theses eould be exduded. It is thereforeznot fortuitous

that 6ttietx
qyttdoes llot appeaz in this suecint chapter tThoec 1.3),
the occasion of von Balthasar'scom m ent,while it doesin the passage
of Am b 15 eited above. 'flle M axim ian emphasis falls on m otion,
not only in his refutation ofO rigenism bttt in tlze w hole of his phil-

osophico-theological strtld ure.

P aralld Tyiads

The triads thelt yvEctg, xlvngt, trrdgk and oigtq, ftvtzjttg, 1.-

eyeta are properly eorrelative, corresponding to this third'4(q$,

geca,slo. Tlzese several terms correspon, but certainly are
not identical. I have already observed how the first triad eontains

a double eschatological reference (above p. 10.

:
$). The third m ust
also be distinguished. This triad is twice tThoee I.a,4) expressly
denied of God;and again it isaffirmed ofhim ('rhoec z.1o). There
11 VON BALTHASAR. D i6 (21$0.
1. Cent., P. IIO.

zzo

TkeJt#s/z?/tw p/ Orignism

is here no contradiction, but a differenee irlthe orders of causality

aceording to which tlzese term s'are predicated of creatures and of
the creator. Forcreatures tlze form aland m aterialcauses are rather
referred;for God the suprem e e cient eause and last end.
In these chapters the distinetion is suflid entfy obvious. lh
prad iee how ever there is generally,in the A m bigua, passage in the
third term from the e'ssential to the eschatological sense. In one
plaee at least the essential sense is very dear:'''Phe naturalpower
of each single being is nothing else but the tw deviating m ovem ent

of nature to operation '' (Am b o-Iz37B8-Io; text given aimve

p. zo8). Here operation manifestly oceupies the third position.
That tllis operation is also end is lzot m anifest;for M axim us here is
defning natural power, and so concludes with operation. But we
have already seen M axim us' defm ition of m ovem ent in term s of nat-

ural power. It runs: ''This motion (that following genesis) they

call a natural pow er, preasing on to its ow n end or else pmssion,
. . .

or else efective operation...'' '(Amb 7-Io7zB9;). 'fhe full

text1: tor our present parpose is at'onee som ewhat disconcerting

and very aprom s. D isconeerting, because the m otion term inates
'

in its own end (passion oroperation),with indication oftlle overend

(if I m ay use tlle term without regard te m odern plul
'osophy);very
apropos,'predsely beeause by the indieation of the overend, God
him seif, the transition from ozze end to the other, from operation
to stasis,is prepared.

W e could then establish a fvefold sequence: 1) God is principle,asereator (:nlzlovtlyg,ysvetnovpydg);z) tlle substance itself is
pzinciple ofits motions;3) these motions are the activations ofthe
natural powers tending to their goafs;4) the goal,is in one way.
the operation itselfor.in another,the result ofthe operation;5)the
tendency how ever to the goal is m otivated by G od, the final cause

(tlo, xetltytlatgj). God also intervenes in or supervises the motions;lle does tlzisasprovident ('rhoec z.zo;Amb Io-II33C). Now
in M axim us the vocabulary of this sequenee,especially fvtlpw and

lvtlyeta (= 3 and 4)isfarfrom rlgid, as he himself arzrls. f'For

stasisisnotthenaturalJperation ofgtmesis,butistheend fornature's

power or operation,or whatever else you would eallit''(Amb I5Tzr;DzI-I3). 'rlle weakest point in the sequence is the fouzth
1: See above Chap. 1, p. 98.

Chapier11.T& Trod:.s'lf& ftlv :PowerOjwr/ltvl

III

term and its im perm anence under the im paet of the fiftb. In fact
it seem s to disappear in A m b 7 w here the fnal rest is spoken of as
due to the one operatiou of God and the saints,rather of God alone

(Amb )'-Io76CD).
Opeyation,.:
4 Essential M lzl/drs/tz/fbr
pl p/ N ature
It w iilnot therefore be out of place here to review som e passages
from the .4m bigua where operatioa is dearly an essential m anifee *tion of substance. In expounding an antiarian passage of Gregory
there is an opportunity for M axim us to distinguish tw o types of
operation. The frst prodaces som ething naturally of the sam e kind

and substance, something quite the same as the producer (Amb

26-I:68AIf). Thism ay beunderstood perhapsofnaturalgeneration
or of an im m anent, intelleetual operation 13. M axim us takes it in
the latter sense, to render it applitable to the Father, begetting
the Only-begotten. The second type of operation nlanufactures

13 'fhis distillction - pf im m anent and transient operation - as to

it.s suistance is m ade by Am s'

rottls in the M etapltysiss O 8. zosoaza-t
sl.
In sum m ary: the ulttm ate w ith som e powera is the use of the faculty M :,IZtlle visualfaculty,sight - anfl nothing derives fl'om the faculty otlze:
r
than sight. In other cases, there is som e tbing; with th im usebuilal
'ng .
capacity, there is besides the building operation the'
resulting hottse. Clearly M axim us does not depend im m edlately from A ristotle. The anovy'
m ous scholia and the com m entary of Syrian give no attention to this pmsksage.

ThecommentofAlexanller (QAG I,589f)isextv sve,butnothing suggests

a connection w ltlz 'the w ay M axim us m akes the distinction. In fact his
desuiption of the inzm anent lveygs im plies m ore than a m ere noetic or
m ychie operatlon. This m em ber M axim us has anzplified (loubtless so as
to rende.
r it m ore applieable to the intrattinitadan generation of the W ord.
Y etexeept fortltisgeneratlon whaiilzstance of lm m ogezleous,consubstantial

identical production jrom beings can be cited unless this identity be the
logicalidem ity of tlze speeies or genus? - Applied to the 'rrnity grievous
error would result.- Or would one be better advised despite appearances,
to interprbt the present M axim iaa parssage ofthe psyelzic or noetic productlon
with reference then to what a later philosophy, also bmsecl on ARISTOTLE

fDe zlxnztz III 4.4zga13-I8),willcall speciese-v/e sstz? 'rhepaasage,understood especially in this latter sense,is of interest for the psychological exposition oftlleTrinity. Butnote that M axim usand Gregory - in M axlm us'
O terpretatiotl- m ake use of it only to stop the m ouths of the im pious.
There seem s to be no wish to develope tlze thought.

zIz

Tlt6Rtr
/o fezl()/Origenism

from a prejacent material something other than its ow substance

(Amb z6-Iz68Az.
J-Bz).
'
In cornm entilzg another antiariarlpassage of Gregoty, M axim us
says; ''12or if we say that the soul's powers,which one m ight well
eall a fttliilling of its substalw e, operate in that substance of whieh

they partake,yet (we do) not (say)that they are able to move at
all in an effeetive operation apart from the willer's consent... for

tlle deed (dpm v) does not at a11 follew uptm the power when this
latter does not have the impulse (1,0afi) of him,whose the power,
is,propobing to it the concrete,actual end the power itself lacking

proper existence (llvvxgm vo)'' (Amb z4-Iz6IC2-8, Iz-DI), This

passage refers prim arily to the intelleetual faculties; while tllat
w hich here follows refers rather to the vital. It is taken from tlze

refutation ofthe preexistence ofbodies: 'fAnd if (the body)be totally bereft cd the soul and its vital pewers, clearly it is dead 3'

(Amb 4z-I336CIz-I4). Thepowersaad operations of the soul are

reckoned as esseutially part of the sttbstanee.
Of the internal powers, of theught and will, Tve lind a ftlrther
determ inatitm in ep. 6.14 W ho irt his senses does not know , w rites
M axim us, ''that the neverfailing m ovem ent of the soul about the
fair and good isnothing other than a naturaloperation,effed ed with
regard to and because of that cause to w hich it owes its being ''

'

(ep 6-4,3aBz-z()), .
lzlthe folltpwing letter (ep 7-4368)the metaphysieal im possibility of the soul's substanee ever being cut o;,though

it be but for a time,from its proper eharacteristies (that is the rational and inte/ectual) is roundly a rm ed. 'I'he soul is thus evet
in active exercise of its pow ers.
Tt is therefore quite elear tat neither tlze attainm ent of tlze
end norstasisean m ean that a11operation ceases.Itis then oppol-tune
to recall M axim us'distinction of stasis,already m et above 11. Tlle
stasis of this world of tim e and place is necessarily lim ited,because
this is the realm of lim it, B ut this tim ited sfasis reeeives its end at

the adveat of the limitless stasis in wich a11 (alternative) motion

rests (Thal65-7,
57CIo-z6oA). This impliesa being in God,an everm oving stasis,a stationary,identiealm otion,an im m ediate and perm anent settiug in the fkrst cause.
t: Ep. 6,early. See D qtn-tist item 5.
1: Chap. 1, p. :4.

Cltaptu II.F& Triad:S'

lfs/tzAlc:PowerO/zrlff)s

11)

T l'
t. Frfl,
tf in C/frstofogcaf Cokdroveysy
The necessities of controversy forced M axim us to plaee yet an
other aspect of this doetriue in evidence The first certain antim onenergistie piece is M axim us'reply t() Pyrrhus not yet patriareh, who
-

had written at some length to'solicit M aximus'adhesion to the /sdrphosof63.

3 lB, Underguise ofrepeating Pyrrhus'doetrine M axim us
is carefulto give expression to the necessary principle underlying the
w hole question. H e w rites: 'iThat w hieh is m ade up of diverse
things nrithout m ixing tbem , by a natm al boad of uniou, both
preserves tlleir com ponent natures unchanged and conserves un.

diminished their (several)com ponent powers for the eompletion of

a single work '' (ep I9-593BI-5). The principle of the triad is
expressed, scarcely m ore; butthen M axim us'pua ose w asto m ollify
Pyrrhus,as he later renaarked, not to start a debate It is irtthis
sarne vein that in conclusion he asks Pyrrhus to explain the m eanings
of lvleyera and the differenee between lvpyetq and vpyngfx. T he
sense is 1o'be attended to, he saxs,not the m ere sound of the w ord
This is llot m uch,but itis im portant. The prirtciple is indicated, as
also the chief point of difiiculty - aG biguity in the use oflveycta.
W itllin a year of tilis exehange with Pyrrhtls M axim us had an
oppoliunity to express him self m ore at length. A eertain Thom as
had asked for an explaaation of di cult passages; a11 bttt tlte flrst
question turn on Christologicalthem es17. It is in the first of these
Christological di eulties that M axinlus, affirrning the natttral oper.

ation ofQhrist's humanity,says;<<Tlze idea (yo)ofnaturaloperation is the definition of substance, by nature charaeterizing a11in

whiehitisnaturally inborn ''(Amb z-Io'

J7CII). Tlzisheimmediately
.

puts in generalform :f'For that which is eom m tm iy and generically

predicated of a thing is the defmition ofitssubstance, the eom plete
lack of w hicll effects the said nature's eorruptiott. since no being

deprived of a natural (constitutive)element remains what it was''

A m b 2-Io37CIzD3). W e have already seen that a naturalpower(or
.

1: Fbr the letter (ep.I9)a.

1111the psephos see m y Data-listitem 4z.
1: Am b I-lo3a. See D ldth-lisj item 43. In Am b 5, a thorougiz discussion of the Pseudo-Dionysian ep. 4 to Gaius M axim us does not m emtion
.

the falsication (gav for xcwwivl efeded by Cy'

rus in the text of Denis
.

(ep.4-:o'
;2Ca),though he cite tby text tAm b 5-to5GB Io. It isonly later
that he adverts to the fact (TP ;,-8,5A4).and only indirectly at that.

z14

2-#e llel%<ation ol frfgelswl

operation)not only follows upon the substanee lmtisimmanent in

it; here it is further show n to be m anifestative of its stlbst-ance.
'rhis aspeet is yet m ore in evidence in Am b 5. There M axim ussays:
f'The only true declaration of a substance is its natural constituent

tovcxqxkxjlpower. One would uot fallshort of the truth in ealling

it natttral operation, strictly and prim arily eharaeteristie of the
substance as being its specifc m ovem ent, m ore general than any

comprehensive property (l:ttng)belonging to it,apart from whieh

there is only non-being,fas,according to
' tbis great doetor (Denis),
only non-being has neither movem ent nor existenee ''' (Am b 5Io48A7-BI)18.
Tlle shift of em phmsis oceasioned by attention to the M onenergist doctziue is evident. In eonfuting Origenism it was necessaor
to give proof that the subsu nce and operation,rather eom ing-to-be
and repose,eould notim m ediately succeed one another. The requird m iddle term is m ovem ent, a natural pow er; against the M onenergists however it is needfulto show tlmt an operation m ust proeeed
from and m anifest its own proper substance. '
fhe doctrine underlyhzg both argum ents is the sam e.
The fuzther course of the controversy only served to render
M axim us m ore explicit. Thusw e read in the longest antim onotlzelite

tract left us t9; 'ffvery beilzg whatsoever possesses a eonstitunt

diferenee (tircvavsxt :tafpopd): it.s congenital motion; this, taken

togetherwith the genus,formsthedefinition ofthe subject,by which
the tltaiitis and the whatJ7Iisis aeettrately m ade H lown. 80th the
hom ogeneity and differenee are unalterably preserved itl relation
with those of the sam e or other spedes, This being so,llow is it
possible that tlze W ord becom ing m an,while lacking naturalpower

as to the flesh,be ealled perfeet man,or even man at a11''(TP I6aooB8-Cz).

18 This text (Amb 5-zo48A7-Bx)has a donble inteaw t. Tl1, reference
to D enis is verlhed itz EH z.z-39zB8. Preceding the citation (the only
is from M axlmas) Denis had saifl that in hum an tilings m an m ust exist

before acting (operating)- recallthe adage:agevs ydgsfzfe nsse - ;and this

ixz corroboration of lds statpm ent that one m ust fzrst exist divinely before
so aetzng. 'f'hls (listinction. aa we slzall see subsequently, is fam iliar to

Mnvimus in the pair ltkog qrtyEfo,w f'

hao fatklefll. A correspondeltce of
doctrine is indubitable;but is M axim us indebted uniquely to D enis? 1 think
not. D enia strengthens him rather in his grasp of a cloctzine already curzvnt.
1* T P :6-r84, about 643;see llate-listitem 74.

CkatferII.T& T6ad:SubstancePpttzs'
rOperafion

I15

It w ould be an error to infer from tke logieal savor of the ar-

gument (the shadow ofthe Porphyrian tree is suG ciently heavr to

bepalpable)thattheargumentitselfisintended in thatorder. Maxim us looks to the underlying, ontolocal reality. Thus,somewhat
.

later, w riting to tbe Sieilians z@ he says; <'H etzce w e recognize one

and the same verily to be b# nature God and m an, not otherwise
than by the inborn attributes tts/pztaf4 eharacterizing him at onee
dil nely and hum arfly - I m eau tlte divine williug and operation

and the human willing and operation of the tvenrlsame,by wie.lz .

and through whieh he seals wllat he w as and what he becam e ''

(TP 9-zzIAz-8).
These two passages from antim onothelite doeum ents are sttffcient to show the constaney of the M axim ian doctrine in this as
i1l the earlier peliods. But w e need not eontent ourselves w ith sueh
a dem onstration. Because of a looseness of voeabula'ry in Am b 7
he had spoken ef one erzergy of God and tlle sahzts - M axirnus
-

was foreed to explain llim self. The kernelofthis defense isto a rm

.

that dei:cation is in G od's pow er alone. But to m ake clear w hat

this m eans, the dependence of action from power, he expom lds 6.
%3

jhrp/ysstlthe triad that eoncerns us. OUT nature does not have the
power to deify. '
Poz ffof that of whielkwe do not have the pow ev,

we have neither tlle activity lzpf'qtgl wlkie.h is the fulslment of the

naturalpow er. Activity tllen dependson power, power on substance.

17or aetivity (is) from power, aud power from and in substance.
There are tilen, as titey say, these three' m utually depem dent: the

empowered, the power,the possible (Mvvdgwov,N vtxrttg, hvtvaxv).

'fhe em pow ered they eall substance;power, that by w hich w e have
the enabling m ovem ent; the possible, that whose realization lies

wi*hl
'vl our power'' (TP I-33B7-Cz)21. The rest of tlzis passage
weshallmeetlater,dealing witk ecstasis (Passage VI). 1noterlow
only thatthecompletepassageeonfkrmsapointmadeabove (p.IIz),
nam ely that stasis and opem tion are com patible.

'' TP 9-xI2;646-48,D gtt-lissitem 86.

11 Maximus is hea'e borrowing (note tlze;thsy w y 33BIz) from NsMssn;s (D, nat- a hominis 34 = PG 4e.74oAI4-R8)and Nemesius from P1utarch. See Nem esius anll Plutarch set in parallel in B. D oMNsKz D i.
JNy/ tgthj': d6s N ,- si'
lfx, p. z48.

xr6

F& Rehftation p/ Ortkvnnisnm

Condusion

The foregoing text.

s are stlfficient to show beyond a doubt that
with this triad we are in the presence cd one ofthe chiefconstituents
of the M axim ian tlm tlght. As a triad he fotm d ft a conlnlonplace,

occurrizlg also in Denis. John of Scythopolis had developed these

instances. 'rhe underlying doctrine M axim tts expressly refers to
D enis Q:'yetitisnot ofthose doctrinespeeuliarto D enis. U ltim ately
the doetrfne fs Aristoteliau. Adhered to rigidly it svould exclude
even the pbssibility of hum an participation in a superhum an,im plyilzg direetly not so m ueh tlze denial of a superhum an as its inconceivability for m an. '
Thus we are brought face to faee with the
problem of the supernatural, r'
ather, for Afaxinlus, of deihcatiolz.
Tllis is properly an ecstasis. It is this whieh m ust now retain our
attention. That an eestasis is possible witlloat the destruetion of
the natural n'ill only be fully m anifest w hen w e eom e to treat of
that other foundation ofM axim ian thought: the doctrine o Logos
with its prim ordial distind ion of nafural essences and existrntial

yzlpA q
w M yog (pitnfog,'
p ao lxdeNfng.

:1 eee above note :8.

Chapter 11.TW Triad.Excunus I

1:17

E xcun us
N ote on the Scholiasts of the Pseudo-b enis

(see Cllap. 11 note 3)

In following von Balthasar fDas Schoiienwerk ffts Johannes ptl,l

Skytkoholis Sch 15 (1940) 16-38) in attributing certain,indeed the
majority ofthe published scholia on Denis to John of Scythopolis,
I w ould prefer to add a w ord as to the problem involved. V on
Balthasar's work depends on internal critieism - w ith w hich I
a1n not here im m ediateiy eoncerned - and on the Syriac version.

Ofthislle says:''Die tiertragung des W erkes von Johannes auf

M axim us scheintsich dahersehr friih vollzogen ztlhaben. Im m erhin
bleibt uns ein sehr w ertvolles M ittel der U nterseheidung:die syrische

Cbersetzung...'' (,A'
/. dt. zz).
This Syriae version I have shown elsewhere Lsacris ffAvtfrf 4
(I95z) 181) to date from the fi1'st half of the 8th century,that is
roughly zoo years after John of Scythopolis and 50 to 1O0 years
after M axim us. Phoeas bar Sergius, to whom we ow e this revised
or new version of Denis and that of the seholia,has given no indi-

eation ofthe age oftheGreek manuseriptls?)from whielzheworked.

O ne calm ot therefore suppose that the text and scholia cam e to him
in thei'
r original form . H ow ever, as Phoeas w as aceustom ed to read
D enis in the Sergian version one m ay m ake tw o guesses as to how
a Greek copy earne into his hands. Al'
t o1d Greek m anuseript was

found in one ofthe Edessene libraries and so given him 'or one was
brought from the west, and presum ably would have been m ore
reeent. T lle only certainty is our ignoranee.

There isa further question. Von Balthasar (ayt.cit.z3)aflirms

tlmt Pllocas rendered only a seledion oithe sdzotia. This he bases

onacomparisonoftileSyriacwiththeGreek text (Corderius-Migne).

The Greek seholia are m ore num erous,and of tllese he ascribes not

a few on internalgroundsto John. Btlt can we be sure that Phocas

'

m ade the seleetion him self and did not rathe translate all that his
Greek m anuscript contained? It was Phoeas' ctiticism of Sergitls

of Reshaina that this latter om itted passages w ithout indicating

zz8

.
'
l'hc A'
c/v/tzstzzpolOrgr&wi'
vzz?

the fad . N ow Phocas m akes no m ention of having m ade a selec-

tion from the seholia. The naturalpresum pjion tllen isthathe om itted nothittg from the m anuseript before him . This does not pred ade the possibility ofa selectitm llaving beea m ade bJ-som e copyist
of the Greek. U ntil tlze scholia fotm tl in the Sydae are textually
presented and com pared philologically w ith the others found in the
G reek, the argum ent from intenzal, doctrinal criteria rem ains not
too stu'
e ground.

Ehrhard ti11 Krumbacher Byz. Literaturgesckichteg (189g) I3g

and 56) mentions Johtl of Scythopolis as the oldest commentator
of Pseudo-D eais,adding that these seholia are now lost. 17or Ehrhard it is M axim us'and his com m entary that established the PseudoA reopagite's position iu the Greek Church. H e m entions also other
and later eom m entators;but these, except for George Pachym eres,
have only a fugitive eonneetion in our knowledge w ith the Dionysiaca. This a rm ation of Ehrhird together with the ascription
in the M igle reprint of the scholia to M axim us alone has certainly

helped obseure tlle place due to John among the sdtoliasts. In the
long lkst of Dionysian editions in Chevalier's D ionysiaca I M axim us'

name oecuzs as the commentator,but John's never. However the

first place am ong the scholiasts Lequien clearly vindieated for John

in bis seeoud Damasce'

ne Dissertatlon tilz PG 94.281f). He aflirms
fibid.z82) that the printed editions bear the alternative ascription
ofthe prologtte forthe seholia to John ofSeythopolis.Pearson like-

wise, in his Vindiciaa fgelflftzpr X (PG 5.2o3f),speaks at lengtlt

of John of Seythopolis as the svholiast of Denis.
As other scholiasts Ehrhard (in Krumbaeher,p.I37 and 138)

mentions Germanus I (the seeond meution on p.z38 ofGermanus 11

would be an erzor),a certain Andrew and a George Ifieromnemon.
Germ anus,if he contributed anything of note to the scholia,is posterior to Afaxim us. This A ndrew is unknown as a scholiast of Denis

except by tlle reference in a Laurentian codet (Plut.V,cod,xxvi)

of the year 1548. Bandfni(Catalogue,:01.1,p.50-52)in giving tlzis
.

inform ation says that the scholia are praetieally the sam e as those
attributed to M axim us. The George H ierom nrm on would seem to
be no other than Pachym eres. Vat.gr.372,contairting the Pachy-

meran paraplzzase, ascribes tlzem to George, 'THieyomnemon of

G od's holy great elture.h ...''

'

Between John of Scythopolis then and M axim us we have so

far found no basis for supposing a com m entator of D enis. Anastas-

Chapter ff.The Triad. E'

xflz
lfrsu f

'
.
tz4

ius the Sinaite,llowever,speaks of Denis of M exandria.(see tlle

treatm ents of Lequien and Pealson refer'
r
'ed to above and vottBalth-

asar art.cit.nofe 9). Very likely George ofBaishan (Seythopolis),

priest of the great church of Constantinople, is responsible for this
m ystiiication. lt is he who, only in the Syriae prologues to D enis,
produces as perem ptory evidence of the authenticity of the D ionysiaca a defense ofthis uthenticity from a letterofDenisofAlexandria.
A Gree.k original either has never existed or cannot now be found.

W hat is the date of this George? Stiglm ayr (Das Aulkommen A r

Ps.-Dion. .$'cAz'i#,zl (programm reldkirk 18954 p.53) aflirms that
he is not only com patriot but also eontem porary w ith John of Scytll-

opolis (Baishan);but lle gives zto reason for assttrning them to be

contem poraries. To m e it would seem m ore reasonable to place
this falsifteation nearer the frst outside evidenee of its existence

(the said Anastasius) towards the end of the gth century. For
George's prefatory rem arks to the letter of Denis of Alexandria

(Br.Mus.Add.IaI$I,f.4f;Orientalzgo6 f.I3b - Iappend a complete translation) show that there hasbeen a continued opposition
to the authenticity of the Diosysiaca and thatnow he would produce
a perem ptdry argum ent,the letter nam ely of the Alexaadrian Denis

to Pope Sixtus. 'fhe tone ofGeorge'sremarks aswellasthatofthe

supposititious letteris quite diverse from that ofJolm . Jolm takes

noteofthe objection drawn from thesileneeofEusebias and Orken.

Certainly if he had k'
nown of George's work (and aceepted it) he
could not have done less than to m ake m ention of it.
The verbiage of George's introduetion tells us nothing but that
opposition to tEe D ionysiaca had been long and persistent. 'rhe
letter of D enis of A lexandria shows, besides an initial a rm ation
of the Areopagite's orthodoxy,an em phasis on the pseudo-historical

events or literary eontaets (Apollophanes, Heliopolis, Polycarp)

w hiclz are calculated to assure the authenticity of the D ionysiaca.
These latter are precisely the note of that sed iotz of the prologue

(PG 4.2IAIa-C6: lxsk:s : nvE... fbg llpkxt?kv '

Ef'
)) not found
irz the Syriae. A re these pseudo-historical references part of the
originalDionysian text? Pera,in his editiol of StThom as'In librum

DeDivinisNominibus(Rome 1950,p.348 and 8z),speaksofgrounds

for an qriginal Dionysian text confated with subsequent interpolr

ations whoseobjectwasto fix the Areopagitic authentidty. Slzould

such an hypothesis be justifed w: may here have some elemertts of
the falsiscation. There is the possibility of eontrolling tlle ltypo-

Izo

The.&#ll/tz/os olOrfgTAl.
swl

thesis by m eans of the Sergian venion. Unfortunately m ost of

these referenees are in the latter epistles wllich are laeking in Sinai
52. There rem ains the passage on the death of the Blessed Virgin

(DN 3.z-68IC);but this is fotmd in Sinai 5z, quite literally.

D enis' use of philosophical, pagan term inology w as cdticized

from the beginning. John of Scytimpolis defends him (PG 4.zopl.

The Alexandrian PseudoD enis touches on the them e (M artin,.4AJfllecta Sacra IV (1883)xxiv). In a m ore explieit form it is found in
the added note lgvt)v TL (PG-4.I2D). W hen did this latter enter
the eorpus of the prologtle?
The foregoing rem arkexs perm it .
no eertain cond usions. Von
B althasar's w ork on the scholia w ill probably retain it-s value; but
until w e have the G reek text w hicll underlies the Syriac scholia

presented in ordered form a use of the scholia is rendered diflicttlt

to the pointofim possible. The otherurgenttask isthe confrontation
of the Sergian version w ith the reeeived text, with the idea of
aseertaining possible interpolations.

George oj Baiskan's Apology

Martin,in Pitra's Analecta Sacva IV (1883) 1:/'z-73,414-15 and

xxiii, x='v,has printed w itb a Latin versiottthe ffLetter of D enis
of A lexaudria to Pope Sixtus '?'irt doing so he gave also a part of
G eorge's accom panying rem arks. M aking use of his version,I here
give the com plete prefatory m atter attributed to George after

Oriental :a306,f. 131:6-29 and Add. IaI5I f.4 (the m s. used by

M artin).
((Iteru.
m apologia altera facta a Georgio presbytero ecdesiae
m agnae Constantinopolitanae,qui ex civitate Baisan oriundus erat,
descriptis illis. - Ponitur additam enti gratia post tractatum ante
positum ,Ioannis seholastici apologiam pro scriptis illis diqdnis,quae

'

a quibusdam stultishominibus repudiantur,ac sizlon essent (foetus)

doctoris illius m agrli (Dionysii), sed (m era productio) cuiusdam
heretici, A polinazis, inquam , aut alius cuiuspiam recentium hereticorum , qui ignoti stm t. Eo quod usque nanc sunt qui inscite repudiant haee D eo cara sezipta, cum absolute non aeeipiunt ea Dio-

nysii,rebas divinis saplentis,(esse),sed inaniter ex cordibus eon4m :

non edentes,evom unt ineptias ctitias,hi qui,m ente eapti, proclam ant hom inis stulti ex heretgcis ea esse, aut alius hom inis ignoti
ex reeentibus repentibus super terram ,quineque quae dicunt sciunt

Cbakte.
v If.TI- TdH .Excxrsxs f

'
.
rtzl

neque quae legunt intelligere queunt. Sunt tam en qui calum niam

haqnc inanem non persequitaat, m ulto minus (talem ) opinionem .

4(Invenim us igitur hom inem ex anteeessoribus qui pariter apologiam seripsit,pro his ae si eo etiam tem pore alii de eisdem stulte
disputaverunt, Oportet, ut nobis videtur, quae stm t illius huie

libro praemittere.Addam us.et alia (pro J= legendum !--':puncta?) pro veritate et probationem apertam lzttius apologiae, quae
eontradieenda nequit: zeprehensio stultitiae eozum - vani ealum niatores. Legim us enim in seriptis viri sapientis D eum que tim entis,
qui eiusdem nom inis est et aequalis illi patri supra nom inato - ex
es fldem quandam sum ere possum us quae advocata est eorum quae
pariter dieenda erunt a nobis contra calum niatorem vanum hunc.
D um in 'eo sum us, credibilitate et virtute verba nostra donabim us.

Est enim hoc in m odo )h.

Am l the letter follows.

Izz

z-Aezc/ufcffox 0/ (irig6nisnb

'xcvysf:.
s 11
Variations of Sense in the 'Perm s ofthe 'Priad
In the course of the above study on the triad ocw R vaglgy
lvthy6ka, there has been occasion to see how the sectm d and third
term were som etim es distind and som etim es taken as praetically
sm onym ous, how tlze third term itself w as susceptible of at least
2 senses. elxhis uneeztainty of sense would in any case have been
a handicap,but with the peculiar theological situation of the early
7th century it was decidedly a detlirnent to the right developem ent
of doctrine. It w illbe useftllthen to dress a list of these vocabulary
fluetuations,
For the second term then w e find both vapsg and xlvnct.
'lahe form er is m ore naturally understood ms a faculty, the latter as
an operation. Y et M axim us can speak of m ovem ent to operation

(Thoee I.3,
*Amb zo-Iz37BI0).-Maximus has himself distingtti
xshed
two sense.s of boye.tft (Amb :a6-Iz6oIzff): the immanent, prodtlcing som ething honlogeneous and consubstantial,altd the transitive,

producing some product outside the operator (above p. 111). In

thislattersensethe word lvyEka can easily stand not only forthe
productive operation but also for the product. 'rhe proper word

for this would be not m erely lvyov (ep I9-593B5), which does not
so m uch im ply the work,the operation,neeessary for its production,

butlvkm lza or tlptoxlecga (TP IB6CI3f; ep 19-59684). One may '

tabulate these uses thtts:

:g

faculty
= use of the faeulty;xtvngtg, lvpyEttt
=

vayt

:vvttvtsv

= use of the faeulty:lvpyeta, xpfqtg

= end produetofthe faculty;liveyeiaylvpm hm ,fh otl eglza

It w illbe fu her usefulto note that from the tim e of Aristotle

at least a similar range of senses had belonged to lvyeka. From

the Index A ristotslcus of Bonitz it appears that lvlklyeLa was used
in diverse contexts as synonym us, or nearly so, w ith xlvqet,

Ckapter11.Th6 TFt4fl.Excursm II

zz:
#

zefictg,JplLg, Nelxeka and other'words for form or aet. A lex.

ander in Met.O 3 llo4.

zago = CAG 1, 573) gives the fundamental
distinetion underlyirlg this disparate agglom erate of equivalents

'EveyEta is synonym ous w ith the resulting end of an operation or

is identifed with the process for attaining that and. This division
m ay further be applied to bth m em bers of a seeond divisiozb based
on the nature of the aetivity involved, nam ely an im m anent or a
transient activity.
See aiso Chap.11 note I3.

CHAPTSR III

ECSTASIS
Tlle foregoing ehapters have show n that a treatm ent of ecstasis
in M axim us is necessary;this w ould in itself entaila throrouglt-going
treatm ent of the whole com plieated and not a little eolltroversial
problem in the authors that now ecm eern us In the present study
on the M axim ian refutation of O rigenism , however.it is quite out of
.

the question. Fil'st it alone form sthe subject ofa stoutvolum e'
,to
touch upon it direetly,even in a sm allway, w ould ruin the proportion
of the present study;further it w ould require a lirst-hand m astery of

Philo and the Plitonie pllosophexs (fzom Plotinustlwough Produs).

Yet com pletely to neglect the problem w ould be to render largely
ineffeetive any stttdy of M axim ian texts concerned w ith this apex of
hum att life. I have therefore beeu driven to a sort of tom prom ise
.

I present a series annotated texts:first (I)those that tellexplicitly

for some ecstasis;then (:)I seek lirst in the 1$vgrian-tinted Centw
rtr.
s t?o Charity atzd then in longer parxsages from tite ztAltgutt and
.

Quaestionesad Tkalassium,foranythingthatmightaflirrrlindubitably
the Evagrian view,wltieh is known for its onlission, nay, rather its
exclusion of any thing tbat m ay properly-be calted Tcslt
lsfx(a standiug
.

without thing and oneself). I then (3) with the aid of one or two
further passages endeavorto draw together the M axilnian doctrine in
this question,noting its deficienees and proper eharaeteristics. Thus

I hope to present with som e elarity M axim us'own positioll (orpositions?)iztthis matter,so thatotherswith m ore adequate knowledge
in the general question orz whieh these passage toueh m ay draw
benefit from the follosving pages. sret,lest m y presentation of M axim us seem to fall aw o -, due to laek of attention to the problem in
its m ore generalaspects or perbaps, m ore accurately, lest m y pre-

sentation seern to be prejudiced unfounded or to sttfferfrom ignorance of tlxe larger problem s I here subjoin a longer note$,on the
' The problem underlying the interpretatiolt of the passages dted in
m y text is that of the reconciliation of Evagrius and D enis which M axim us

(7//,4*/.
4:111.Ecstasis

:z5

nature of this problem , as it presents itself to the student of

Maxim us,and in the pagesto follow other notes (especially nn.a7,

seem s to take for granted.'alld belzind that that of the Telations exlsting
between the Evagrian anfl Dionysian doctrines in the Avritings of the two
m en them selves. The latter problem is of a still broatler interest inasnm ch
as botlzautllors are com m only taketlas types of two diverse tretlds in m y.

sticalflodrine:the inwarcl-looking (imm anentist)and the apophatic (transeendentalist). The problem s are quite (listinct' yet the m 'itings of M axinm s pose them both im periously. '
rhis doubtless is why, in tlle recent
discussions of tkeir relatious the problem a have been effectively com pounded into one,
Jt w aa V ILLSR in his noted artlclel .4.
..
v sources tp Ia xsAl?
zf.
?
.lffg da

S.zlz
f/
u zzld.'Les tz'lspzzs d'llvags'
e Ie T'tppfff/zxg. RAM Iz (z9go), w ho not onl)r

observed:'$Maxinze estime la mystiqtle d'zvagre tout .faitd'accord avec

celle de D eltys .., Peut-tte y auraitdl lntrt m ontrer eom m ent l'acrco'rd
.

s'est fait chez Mtuxim e entre 1es doctlines d'vagre et eelles de l'al
tropajjite ''(avt.ci(.,p.248,n.z4I);but by the whole tenor ofllis article he gave
the itnpression that M axim us wms a wllole-hearted diseiple of Evagrius.
H atrsllsu , but a few years later took up the suggestion in an article on

Igktoraytce intinie (OCP 2 (19:$6) 35T-36z). The abiding worth oftlais article
is the acute analysis of tlle Evagrian and Dionysian concept of the stm unit
of tlle eontem plative life. 'Por Xvagrius it is a vision ofthe m ind, puriecl
again to its original state as im age of the B lessed Trinity. '
rhus is attained
tlte knowledge ofthe Trinity. For Denis it is an ecstasis a going or a being

outside not only ofthings (which irztleed would not distingttish his doctrirte
fvom xtlw Evagrianl but also of onesez.. Qonceptually tilexeiote the views
are m utuajly- exelusive:self'd sion ove.r against eestasy. So H ausherr. H is

concluding applicatiou of tltis to M axim us (superposition ofD ionysian term s

on an Evagrian idea in Char 3.v(p)issimply to be suppressed ms he himself
'

has said in private conversation.

bkor in tltis article he ltas attem pted to

sketch tke pu'yn positions, as Gilson would mqy, of E vagrius and D eztis;ebut
to suppose without fullproofthat anotke.r author has taken over not m erely
one but both of these pure positions js a gratuitous assum ption rendering

a judicious atld nuaneed study ofsuch an author quite im posaible.

N ow the passages I stad.
y in m y text - and I trust to have fotm d the
chiefpertinent passages - willshow without slzadow of doubtthat M axim us
took over neither pure position. That 1 ean.1ay m y nger on M axim us'

ow'n pure position (should he have one which I do not assum e without
evidence) is dnother question to whieh I try to nd an answer in the sual
portion ofthis chapter in the final note.
So m uch for the first of the problem s.
As to the second oftlle problelns - the relations of Evagrius and D enis
the analysis of H ausherr m ay- seem to som e a su eient fm sw er. It is
perllaps an answe.r to the what not at all howeve'
r to the how or wity. Fbr
Evav ius is eoolnlonly reckoned a rtlore tlzau faithful disciple of Origen
not lemst in this latter's hypotheses, This,ot course,is tnze and is patent
-

zz6

Tltr A:/ffftzfieltof Orfgdwsa

31,43,44.,45,57), as oceasion serves,to keep my treatmentofthe

texts in touch w ith the larger problem .
in tlze Xvaglian af
loption of the Origenist m yth. in his reekoning m otion
as evil and source of evil. But whence did Evagrius (lerive lzis doctrine
of selfvision as proxim ate m eans for knowletlge of tlze Trinity? N ot from
Origen tBousslm Apopbthegmata,p. 294-.304, in his cardul com parison of
X vagtius and Origen,m ade w ith the hltent of slm wing X vagrian dependence

nn Origen,(loes not mention this partlularity of Evar ius'doetrine). If

not from Or/geu. tlten likely from that pagan philosophy whose dom lnallce
over Origen suggested to him his zm fortunate lzypotheses, TM s is m ore
than a guess. The very isteriorization whic.h is concom itant wlth tlze
Plotinian ecstasis,Ls ftrst,if I m ay be perm itted the word an enstasis. M ARAeIZ'
AI.can write:''Pour s'lever .l'intuition suprieure du Beau et Bien

il faut se dtacher des objet.s ext&ieurs sitA'd/lzv .

s$:A' soi et y...s'tabliy
tzu centre Alz/ps, tfg l'esprit''(ffltfT,
ssur la #sytiAtplt/jre dssx'
kfys/gufv 11 gfmtlvaill 1937) 61). And again further on (p.zoo):'fLe secret de l'extase plotiuienne rside flonc dqnsJsveto'
wyactiltf,l'dmea.la frl4ye/dohginelle A sa(>#c.

tion ... ''. I have undezscored that wlliclz m akes evident tke sim ilatiues
w ith Evagrlus. The sam e author doe.s him self com pare Ekvagdus and

Plotinus. He m 'ites. f'Entre la llaute contemplatlon d'tvagre et l'extase

plotlnienne ily a cette diffrence eapitale que la prem ire non la seconde
suppose une m e unie D ieu, 'divinise F par la grce sanctiante; m ais
le degr d'izdnzdiatet de proxindt avec Ilieuaau couronnenlent de la contm platiolla est dcrit de pat't et d'autre d'une m anire fort sem blable:
.

un contact une adhrenee uzle alljacence si l'on peut dire qui ne laisse
dazzs le ciamp de vision autre cltose que Dieu,sans, nanm ojns, que cette
w'ision ait son principe spcifcateur prochain en dehors de l'm e elle-m m e ''

(ihd,,p. Iz5).
The theories then of E vagrius show sim ilaritie.s with Plotinus too great
to be safely negleeted. H e no lewss tlm n Gregory of N yssa,is not an exclusive dM ple of Origen. There are tllen other currents'in thefr thought currents specically Plothzian.so it w ould seem . Bnt thett who m ore tllan
the Pseudo-D en.
is was a Chhstian Neoplatonist? There is rst of all to be
xecognizetl D enis' greate.
r am nlty W :.
IL Proclus who represeng , perhaps,
an exteriorization of the Plothtian heritage - yet,lloth Rvagrius arlfl D enis
have tlteir roots in tlze N eoplatonist soilt how explain thetr contradietory
theories? That is tlte problem .
N ow the direct com parison ofEvagrius and Denis Lq peculiarly di cult.
rirst I should like to draw attention to som e literary grotm dsfor t,
his (1/iiculty. 'n e literary fonn of the two authorsis com pletely different. hN'agrius is a m ottk, m iting for m ouks atltl em ploys, for the m ost part the
sentential form . 'rbtq form due to the concision of the single sentences

and the lae.k of continuity between them (they were hot com pxged to be
read through or studied,as a wllole,like a treatie lorbitlany long (levelom m enta. But Denis who does not m rm it any pncroachm ent ofthe m ona-

stlc state on the lzierarchy (cf.EH tz and 6.:

J.r-533BC).writes,if we m ay

Chaptvsr 111.E csiasis

zz7

follow the hypothesis of D ANKA (RSR 36 (1949) z9ff),IN'

i'
t.
IZ an apologtst's
.

aim - nam ely to use sm iling the Egyptians. the faslzionable N eoplatonic
phtlosophy to exV ess the fundamentaltruths,phil
osophic truthsshoult'
tI
say ?on wllielz Clm stianity rest.s. .
l'itis was the easier done as the contem p
orar)r N eoplatonism w as also if not prim arily, concerned with the religious
problem , '
rhus Denis and Evagrius, though 'concerned at tim es with the
s
ame
t
ki
ng:
the ulttm ate in the life ofm ayer, never approach it in the sam e
f
.

ashlon.

I have brought Evagrlus and D enis doser together by atlverting t

tlteir eom rnon indebtedness to or one m ight say

o
m beddedness,in the N eo, i
platonk traflttfon. One m ay do tbe sam e by calling attention to the eloseness of botll to tlze Cappadocians. F'
or Evagrius it is a known fact (BUs.

sx'ts Apopbtgmtuao p. 292,minim izt's #t;ea'

tl it lmwever be neglected?);
for D enis it is a zm t anlikely-hypotllesis. Tbe forzn whiclz ths hym thesis
take.s it'
k te work of Pera G exaggerated; bat he adduce.s m ore evidence
for a Cappadocian connection of Denis tltan catz easily be tlism issed wllile
.

on tite otller hanfl a literary dependtnce of the Coypus Diosysitztls- on

Pr
t
hoclus is not proved. D enis therefore ean be datetl from the nliddle of
e 5th century,
If tltere be anything in thfs second approxim ation, tlze divergence of
tile two becom e.s ouly the m m e strildng. The explahation, doubtless
i
, %
n txat ver fdelity of Evagrius te Origen antl the A lexandrian tradition.
But why thd,
! they, partimzlaHy Orlgen
, s
o Tesolutely rejeet alay (loctrine

o
ff#$4/ d''
t4.
u tftv/ele des tifx: se'
ns fjlrfflldlg choz
Of ecstasis RAIINSR (& '
e

g
J
1
$
4
,
RAM
t
z
(
t
t
)
3
2
J
.
1
3
5
a
nd
not
e
:
62
)
i
t
t
t
l

e
ve
r
y
a
c
t of establisbing
th
.

:
is polntssuggests the answer. Tke word the doctz'
ine waa stilltoo clzarged wit.
lka frantic tone im plyillg an am oralc'onstrahtt repugnant to h
freedoaz.
um an

svere not the Afontanists his contenlporaries eestatics? (()n the

problem of ecstasis ln tite 2t1(l antl 3rfl centuries see P . DE '

L.xBtuolft,
s f-lt

syis. montaniste tparis I9x3) especially pp. z6z-Iz5 and 555-562). V 'et as
t
o the concept was it not tlte tole of Plotitlus a.lso Odgen's eontem m rat'y

l
bargely to purify it from such connotations? Thereafter it eoulfl be adoptetl,
y Christaians. But Evagriua stsill would have nolte of it altd aqceptitkg
othe.r elem ents of Plotinian dbctrine, as did ltis friend Gregonrof N yssa
, e;cised ncstasis and l
eft the Plothlian sclzem e m aim ed .
To retunz for a m om ent in cond usion, to the concept of ecstwsis Its
.

characteristic note is the being ()'

l4t ol 4m:.$el/. Beilg out metely of tbittgs
ithasin common with the Evagrian lx:qe (s),
og lxntzf
;v ,
,
.* 1 l
og ktcvliyevog lavmoioccurs in r enfs DN 3.z-68IDj. But m ust otte always wlf
.h
ncstasis impozt a11the orgiastic connotations wltieh Kocu fBeziehangen. . ,
p.:35)takescareto underline?Atleast a.farastlte cottcept goes the w qlk
.

of Plotinus was to rid it of suc.h connotations a,sreal though the vocabalary

=
s used to expressit (m ore so illProdus) mny have beeztretaafn.ed
f (1im age.
rom an earller stage of the word's history. This would seem quite iztdieatkfl in the fnal paragraph of Arnou's description of tlle Plotiaiatt etstasf
s

Ic8

Tlte R#vlfI&'tza ol Ork8pf:

swl

A . Tsx'
l's IN I'gtvoa ov E csTasls

There are four m ajor passages2dealing with ecstasis explicitly

and two others 3 whieh,though the w ord does not appear,are dealing w hith the sam e topic: the suffering of the divine. A side from
these there are a num ber of other plaees w here tlle w ord oecul's 4.
'l'he ntlm ber and gravity of these passages indicate with suflicient
eleanless that w e are in the presenee of a fundam ental them e. M y
t'
ll-st task w illbe to report on tlleir sense and m eaning.
N ow it w ill be noted that the frst tw o passages com e at the
trond usioa of their respeetive parts in Am b 7 and in effeet deseribe
the eonsum m ation of 'bliss' the first is explieitly referred to the
fature ttnion of a11 tbe blessed.
Paqsage 1
M axim us w as lead on to a consideratic?n of suiering or passion

by the need which l1e feltto explain theDionysian sltljerstkeunqualf#fW eited shortly before (Aznb 7-Io73B9). The type ofsuffering in
question is not corruption but is eongenitalto nature itself. 'fNvhatever com es to be suffers reeeiving m ovem ellt 'as not being self-m otion
or self-pow er''s. So m an is m oved of God as beginning and end '
bttt if m oved,m oved i!t
l aecord with his nature,that is intellectually.

(ARNOU,Ls tfsrsr,,.,p.:)82 - tlle lxgxacitg uv'rofiis thea'

e present, though
not em phasized). It must further be rememberetl tlzat in Greek dxtrrtzcw
is not the purely technicalterm lt has becom e in a m oflern European lan-

guage. It is used ofsach prosaic fhings as the disloeation of a joint (LS:

s.p.); the root m eaning of i'
ts components are always felt. Tize precise
m eattiu.
g of ecstasis then w ill depend at lemst as m uch on the context ancl
use of each author ms on the w ord's ltistory.
'
z A m b 7'-Io7:$C z(3-To76C7; 1.0881)5; A m b zo-lz3'
/B II; M yst 25-701B 12.
3 Thal zz-3zoc D ' T P z-3:A zo-,:J6A 2.

4 Amb Io-zI1788 (mttpog only); II4oAI5;z1498 (also '

fvqm);Amb
2I-za49B7;M yst z4-yz7A'
z;'rhoee I.39;Thalprol.-25zBIz (suffering the
divine).
5 A m b )'-zo'73(B I4; see T P 28-3524.z3 and below note z9. That this

phrase oceurs agaitl alm ost verbatim in the llispute with Pyrr/la.
of 645 is
signieallt. Clearly the M onenergist and M onothelite cireles tenfleflto go too
far in this D ionisyan em phasis of the passivity of creatures before divine

action lii
vleyes(wl- a tendency from which M axim us lzimself was not free
as we shall see in tite sequence of A m b 7.

Chapter 11I.Ecstasis

Iz9

''But ifhe ad s intelligently, he also lovesthe objectunderstood;but

ifhe loves,lze also stu ely sufers eestasy tow ards it as ioved 'butifh
e
sufers,it is clear lle hastens olt;but if he hastens (m , he surely 1.
1:tensifes tlae vehem enee ofthe m otion;aud if he izttensifes tlle vehem ence of m otion,he does not stop tillhe ha.s becom e entire irt the

Svhole loved objeet and is comprehended by the whole, him self wim
ingly by ehoiee aeeepting the saving cireumseription ''(Iog3C9-D4)
.

W ith the result that he be known by tlze eharacteristits e of the cireum scribing factor, as in the case ofair flled with llght or of irzcan-

descent iron (Icc6A).

Itisherethat M axim tts introducestlze already m entioned Scrip-

turetexts (ehap.1,p.89),favored of the Origenists:the subjection

of ChHst to the Father and the fnal vietory over death. And this

subjection iseffected through our freewill voluntarily passing wholly

outto Godsby ceasing to willaay thiag bttt what Go4 w itts. And
then there is this explanation: ''I do not say that is the doing a
w ay

ofthe freewill(v?)qbsqogtov),ratheritset.situpin accord with nature,Iirm a14d im m utable - that is. there is a voluntary outpassing
(lxxffcqck yvfnjzm'
lj)that whence being comes tous, thence also w e
m ay desire to rece-ive m ovem ent ' as the im age passes over to the
archetype,and,like a seal, is wel
ladjusted to the slgnet,the archetype, and neitherhasnorcan have anywhere else to be carried or to
,
speak m fjre expressly and truly, being usable so to wish, ashaving laid
hold ofthedivineoperation, nay,rather,becom ing God by deifieation
.

and delighted further by tlle beiag outside (W txoxdtmk) of those

tllhtgs that naturally belong to it or are thought about it, beeause

ofthe grace oftheSpirit thatconquersitand showsiialoneto lmve

God operating hz it, so that there is in a11 one only operation of
,
God and the worthy ones, rather of God alone, inasm ueh as he,
after the m anaer of lt1 goodneqs eatire, pelvades the worthy en-

tirely ''(Io;-6Bzo-Cz3).
B aouo'ij'ft
'
j aeptyeiitpov'
rp(Io7JD 5). Qf the tx gfz'ra ofChar z.5c and
.

3.z.
j.

'qv'3'
A v iplv '
zrtipxeb.%6 slv> ,xak'
r xlvstzabla/sv zr,tefloopo (Amb
7-Io.
76B 13f). Thisimplies tlze cycle of progrecxs from a cause anfl return
thereto,on wlzich tlle N eoplatonists insiste in tllc w ake

of Plato against

tristotle. These ideas are evident in Proclus'zztll proposition LElements

p. z4 witlt Dotld's com m eut p. z98); lines 18-23 touch more nearly the

M axim ian tlzought.

z/

F14 Rdutation p/Origtnism

This is the w ell-kuown m onenergistie parxsage. W e shall later

see Maximus'own explanation ofhismeaning (in PassageVI). I'or

the pre-sent 1et us note how in the whole eontext M axim us passes

from the s'

uering tke '
lrN sdlf/tfto a consideration ofthe rdative
passivity of eve!'y ereature and how tliis very passivity tends vehe-

meutly and by the exereiseofwilland ehoice (xovgtfo ...xtvs xeoatpegtv Io73D4) to the loved object. The transition from what is
w ithin the eom pass of the ereature to that which is beyond it is
not here m anifest,
.but that tllere has been sueh a transition is dear,
especially from the sentence last translated. It is noteworthy that
in a11 this there is not the least m ention of contem plation, know ledgea vision. The w hole exposition turns on the activity of the
< 118. It istrue thatalm ostim m ediately afterthere issueh m ention.
Given the inlinite ttistance between creator and creature,tlle ereature's knowledge of ereatures in the eonsum m ation, will be ended
in a partieipation of the innite,ineom prehensible divhze knowledge
.

(Io77AB), But this remains a mere addition, an afterthought.

P qssage 11

W ith the text just mentioned Maximus eondudes his formal

refutation of the henad ; he next undertakes to explain ilow w e''are

portions of G od, and so expotm ds his doetrine of Logos and Iogoi.
Tow ards the end of this he agahz speaks of the consum m ation and
explains the divine presence in m an with the im age of the soul's
presence in the body.'fhen:'rThe w hole m an is deifed by the grace

of God-m ade-m an, rem aining entirely m an in soul and body by

reason of ltis nature and becom ing entfrely G od irt soul attd body
by reason of the grace and divine brightness of the blessed glory
that quite becom es him , than which there is nothing brighter or

more exalted to be conceived. For what to those tiat are worthy

is more an objeet of love than deiliea'tion,in which God,united .to
* This prominence of the volitive faeulty (we shall fnd som ething
corresponcling tt
o itbelow ilz Passage X I) quite apartfrom the verbalM onenergism ,seem scharacteistic ofthe #h century;it certainly favored M onenergism attd M onothelitism and shows that the spidtual tailieu izi which
M axim us m ovetl to have been com pound of the contem porary theological

intere.sts as well as of'the monmstic traditiolus (Isvagrian and otherwise).

Ckaptsr III.Ecstasis

Iaz

lbose tllat becom e gods m akes the universe his * becattse ol his
goodness. Therefore saeh a state they well nam ed pleasure suf
-

feling (xe-ckg),joy -' (astate characterized)by godly understalzdilzg

aud theconsequentfruition ofgladness:pleasure indeed as the end of
operatlons in accord w ith nature - for thus tbey defm e pleasure - ;1:
susering how ever as an eesttic pow er, bringing over the sufering
thing to the aetive, according to the reason already given in the
exam ple of air and light or of fre and iron , and persuadiug that
apaTt from this,in nature and in trtttll there is no other bigh point

for things (vflw svrrtw xstpdlakov) - upon wlkich sttffering dispassionatenessnecessarily follows;and tfmallyljoy,ashaving noelement
opposed to it eitherin tlze pastorin the future ''(Io88C6-Io89A3)1t
.

These tw o passages,though eaeh of a diffevent color are m ani

festly parallel. One Iinds the sam e im age of light diffused air and
incandescent iron tlle sam e relation of ecstasy aud sufering the
,
san,e pregccupation w ith the future state alone. But here, rather
tllere 'is m enticm of the glorious body;there is distinguished m an's
-

proper activity and sufering;to this sufering pleasure and joy are
joined. Above all,tite tlistinction is far m ore in evidenee between
the spllere of natural action and that due uniquely to the divine
initiative.
Passag. 1II

So far our question of ecstasy and sugnrng fk dinine has been

in relation w itla the doctrine of m otion and the future life.

M other

di cult text of Gregory willgiveM axim usan oppolunity to eoasider

it from quite another angle Gregory had spoken of St Paul's rap.

tureto the third heaven as trogyesskascensionbassumption (rmo:o

4vdpalt, d'tflnj/l)42 W hat ean the im position of these nam es,
.

signify? First M axim us notes 18 a threefold reason for tlle im position

of a nam e, as nam ely,indicatitzg a substanee, a relation or a grace

(eonversely,a destm etion). These he exemplffes in man,gptW (or

9 f)n tbisturn of phrase;'rb aiv lttm op rtoka'
K'tgt (Io88Cz4), d . PtfotczNus,E'
nn. 6.I.2I lille 3 lBrMerl.
le Thls pleasure is necessary for perfection. See Am b I5-x2zoAz-5.
11 Tltism ention ofjoy hlfluces a reference to satiety. Izttlle sum m ary
placed here by w ay of conclusion M axim us for a second tim e treats of salety. W e shall study the pa ages later.
1: Theolegica 2 or. z8.2o'
52C .
. PG 36.
1: A m b zo-l2.:
J6D f.

132

Th6Sfksflfitz;lp/Origenism

6'
pfflman.man s'
.
god. #f'fhe beizlg and befng called god,says Maxim us, m an has neither of nature nor from relatiorl'but he btxcom es

and isnamed so by institution (:glg)14 and graee. 17orthe graee

ofinstitution fs entirely withoat relations alld has no power wllatsoever in nature receptive 1bofit,since in that case it isno longergrace

but the m anifestation ofan'energy (proeeeding)from naturalpower.

A ttd so m oreover the faet w ould be no paradox, should deititratioll
result from som e reeeptive power of uature... For the natural power of each thing is nothiug else but the undeviating m ovem ent of
nature to its operation. And how deification wculd place tlle de-

fted man outside himself tlletnlw lavw: vv eog-vov), if it be

eompreheuded in theboundsofnature,I simply do notsee''(Amb
zo-zzg/ztzz-ili
u )lB,
This eonstitutes a theoretical consideration of deification and
ecvstasy. H ere,no m ore than in the passages of A m b 7 is there tbe

least suspicion of a phenom enological treatm ent, Bat in our present A m bigu'
um M axim us has to apply the foregoing theory to the
ease of Paul's rapture. 'rhis gives us som e further darifcations.
P rogress indicates an acqaired, voltm tary detaclaznezlt, wlzieh

is a being plaeed outside natural sense activity s'pg xtu* atg/ngtv

fpvgtxfilvEg'mltxRttlyevpsvovorratheritseonversion intoa spiritual

laabit (Amb zt)-Iz.
'
J7C6-z,
7).
Ascension indicates the leaving of sense objects, as no longer
operative or objevt of activity in the subjeet,and the passing over
(?
h J:p(IcI.) the natural knowledge and eonteznplation concerning
them (Amb zo-Ia37CI3-Dg).
'
A ssumption indicates the subsequent abode and settlem ent in
G od. 'Txis. the doctor, Gregory,'appropriately stated in slaowing

11 I have been able to fnd no satisfactory single renclering of '

thgb.
It signiies a positive free act aud so involves a distiuction from , though

notopposition to nature tzpte

qzwl. See TP z-3aczI-T.
3 and T-ZS: s. z?. especially III and V 3.

l M vftjzs ezA:vxs (tz37BIf): the atljective is anbiguous. Its form

woulfl intlicate a paasive sense;but the eontext here and.elsewhe're ('.
PP
z-33B'
,'rhal zz-zzfyD'
p) exclud,
es s'
tzclz an interpretatlon. Maximua tblzlrs
chiesy of an aetive potezley,though the eoncept of a passive potezzcy wms

cun ent1n.Neoplatonism (see,6.g.,Pttotmrs'Elemrnts prop.78 witlzDoddls

com m ent p. z4z). See below itl Pauage VIII note 4o.
14 M axim us hea'
e alltls that there is an obverse to the m edal. There

is,besides deiication,(lestruetiou and hell. See chapter VIon apostdastasis.

Chaktvw 111.ft7.
lt
z.
$i.
s

133

the apostle suffering, rather than effecting, his assum ption ''17or
assum ption is a passion of the assum ed one an operation of lzim
.

who assumes'' ($ dvfiqplg y?p xffog 1(f:1 xoli ivlllttpavogvov,

lvltlyetq : xoi(lvttlagjdvovto Am b zo-Ic37D 3-9).
,

W e have in these degzees referenves to the various stages of nattlral contem plation and prayer. Jt is only the firial degree which
would fully m erit tlze nam e eestasy, as alone being fully passive
and so beyond the lim its ofnature.

Passage IP'
'fhe 'passage in M ystagogia 23 adds one new note to what we
have already.seen,nam ely the use of m irror as a Ilgure. But thisis
in eonzlection with M axim us'use ofD enis;we shallreturn to it later.

l?or the rest,there is a tacit citation of the Dionysian suyering the

ffpiz;:17and a quotation from him 18,in wlzich is contained the reference to m irror. W e m ay therefore pass on to the treatm ent of

suffering and deificatiollthat we find ilzthe 22nd Question forThalassius.

Passage F

Thalassiushad m ade a qqestion out of the text ofSt Paulwhere

hesaysthat the end ofthe ageshave'come upon us (1 Cor.Io.zI)

and the supposition underlying Eph. z.r8, nam ely that the riclzes
of God willbe m angfest in future ages W hat is to be m ade of this
.

apparent antinom y ? O ne of M axim tls'replies is to set this bifuro tion

of the ages in parallel with tke correlativ'es aetion and passion, as-e
signing to the present ages, in which we now live, all aetivity aad
to the future the passive state. The contrast is strong 19and seem s
:7 M yst z3-7o1B z3; D N 2.9-6488 3.
'B M yst 23-'
/0106-13 = D N 4.zz-724B .
1: In pmsgage 11 we have already m et a strong contrast of activity and

passivlty (.'ecstatic power. aet)g .

36 rtotoiv I M tqov l'vymltmv#' Amb
7-zo88D6). Here the contrast is expressecl ztotogpw ... atitqogev (T1za1
zz-32oD7,12). Thfs contrmst hasroof.s in the Stoic and Neoplatonlc phil ophy. Pldlo izad already taken it over: ttov pv :% 'je:
oi x?y xotsiv
f$tnhhu lzsw tilpoftn yevi
qe ,W ov yevqxoi '
t a4trgtw LD6 Ck ef4pz,
24 (77) - -COHN-W INDr.A.
NP I :895-7; See W orsox'
, H . A., Philo, 11
Iglf(Cam bridge,Mass.1948) from whom I took tll:
is reference). Prod us'
8otltprom sition LElemonts. p.74) reads: 'tthe prope.
r nature of al1bodies
is to be acted upol,aud of all ineorporeals to be agtnts. . .

''
.

Te sequel

: -y4

I'
hr##f/?4/t?z;oj()z#lli'
.
$-

to lack all nuance. A!z attentive reading of tlle explanation of

these two mem bers * 11 modify the first impression.

6*W e are doez's, says M ai m us, insofar as 170th our rtaturally
ratlonal power, ereative of virtues, is active and energized :: and
our non-relational21 intellectttal pow er,receptive of every know iedge
goes througltthe whole world of being and thought?leaving a11ages
behind it. And we are sufferezs when, fnishing pedectly writh the

logoi'othings (come) from nothing,we have passed on hzignorauce

(tlyvfr fzlg)to the cattse 22ofthings that are and havegiven our native powers rest along with the naturally fnite,beeom ing that which
is the achievem ent of no power in nature. 17or no m ade thing of
its nature effeets deilieation ; for to give proportionately the graee of
deication to beings is native and proper to divine grace alone,
illum inating nature w ith a supernatural light and raising it above
#

its own limits in exeess of glory ,, (Tha1 2z-:

.
p oD7-3zIAIz).
T hese are stfll pure positions. T hough the parallel verbs of
doing and st ering are 1:0th.in the present tense yet that som e

uncertainty rest.son the lattermember (perhapssome willnotattain

to that sugering) is shown by the subsequent aorist subjunctive.
But now finally M axim us adverts to the first Pauline text:tke 6nd

p/ fke ages kave come Sf/plus. Though we have not yet received
the fuluess of Christ's graee, yet the virtues and logoi, w hich m ay
be known,are types thereof ffby whic.
h God ever wills to beeom e

of the proposftfon qttalifes the prindple for soals but ft rem aned a dfli-

culty for the Neoplatontqf.s them selves as Dozms' comm ent (El6ments
p.zzyzf)shows. A dimculty notonly forthe pitilosophers,but also for the
theologians. 'lY e pattiarell Sergius vvriting to H onorlus assigns operation

in Clzrkst to the tlivinity and.suferi'

rlg to the hlzm anity (M ANsr rI.536A zoB8). 'fhis to be sure is a eitatiou from Gregory ofN yssa Lcontea .
E'1IAlt?AAz-

ium,111,4,8:Jaeger,vol.II,p.12919-21 = PG 45.gTgAI-7).buttendentious.
Pyrrhus holds an analogous pcxsition (see 'PP z8-349C,35aA), The inouence ofthis tentleney on Denks (see espeeially DN z.9-648Bc) and Maxim us
(cf.above n.5) in tlle question of divinization is evident.
O A't
ivupo ... Ivepyovpv'
qv (Tha1 2z-zzoD8): cf. Am b :5-:zzzB.
zl Nan-vationqlvoekptkv tkgzxta vttlav (32oD9): I take this aflverb
to mean that the objects as known have only a relation ofreason wlth the
created know er. 'Phis w ould be a derogation of the use generally found in

M axim us of applylng trzqelog only to the causal relations of'creator to

creature. B ut here w e have to do not with causal but w ith cognitive relations. See above p. Ior.
': See below note 33.

Chapter 11I.Ecstasis

I35

man in the worthy ''(Tha1zz-3zIB7). The perfectiolz then of deifcation (and so ofecstasis)is to be referred to the next world;but
there is already a preparation and a foreshadowing of it irz this,in
Nrirtue of the Incaruation alzd the active life.
P assage V1

Thelastofthese majorpassagesisalso thelatestin date perhaps

a full 15 years after Am b 7 z: for which it is an apology. W e have
already seen how M axim us had spoken of f'one only operation of

God artd the worthy, rather of God alone '' (above p. Iz9). The
eharge that this is a M onenergistic passage, he says, is easily answ ered. H e w as there deseribing the future state of the saints and
referred to the deifying action of God,which can be only one and
of G od alone. T he reason is sim ple enough : an operation flow s
from a pow er, w hich in its turn flows from and is in a substance;
hence w hen a eertain pow er is not to be found in a nature neither

isitscorrelative operation. But deification isnot som ething subject

to us,but the institution (Jgk)and grace of God,who,possessing
itby nature.iatends that ffhe (God) be perfectly known hElet
yvtllcij) and rem ain eompletely uncomprehended (alwvslfk thre
vtllqxvo)'' (TP I-.
33CI3)2*. And Maximus immediately concludes:
zzI therefore did not do way with the ztaturaloperation ofthose who

willsufer this (deifieation),the operation eeasing from its natural

functions,nordid I pointit out as only stlsering fruition ofthe good;
but I did show the supersubstantial pow er as alone effeetive of de-

ifcation and become (the possession) of the deified by grace '' (TP
1-33014-36A2)25.
Tlzis exegesis of his ow n earlier work m ay be aeeepted as perfectly straightforwrard. The beginning of the inezim illated passage
runs thus:'fI do not say that this is the doing aw ay oftlze freew ill...''

(above p.Iz9). 'rhe faet remains:there was a deficiency ofexpression, a defieiezlcy for w hich the N eoplatonie diaiectic of suceessive

aKrmations and negations is partly responsible. Itis a jargon that

m ust be handled deftly,alld even so, too easily perm its the sim ple
13 Date-iist. j 8o.
:4 On this oxym oron com m re Denis ep. 3-10691) '
bdt.

> The lastline (in the Mignereprint)reads;Xg.

L3:: xtilpsv '
rf:v '
frvvfzw.
'rllis xth
t xtkkk$v m akes no sense' for l'
Jz:jr translation t
'therefore I have
enlended to:xlt xax x4e$v...

136

Th6Relutation 0/Origenism

or the eaptious to m isunderstand it at will. The response stands'

,
lm t it has occasioned a m ore explicit statem ent concerning nature, pow er, operation : a triad to w hieh I have already devoted
Chapter II.
Sum mary

The lxxfengsg yvfllgkxj and the parallel ftecstasis from the

things that naturally belong to it or are thought about it '' (tii!xcvticeksf7v (Imetxipg 1;(*qtvjg xat svttlw xttt voovptvow) of the frst
pa age seem xather to indicate not the supersession of the sensvs
and conseiousness but tlze going out of the soul, partieularly in the
volitive faculty, into the reaches beyond its native pow er. The
second passage eonned s unm istakably the eestatie power with tlze
sttcezing of divine thino with the wlzielzfirst began. In 1:0th cases
the divinization is exem plifed 21 by the m anner in which light penetrates air or fre, iron. The third passage, beeause, in the case of

StPaul'srapture,itcom prehendsundertheterm sprogressand ascension the alienations ofthe sensesand otherphenom ena usually assigned

to ecstmsks, makes abtm dantly dear that assumption is something

otherand more exalted. But the asswmption is in tlzis instance tlle
deifeation, wlkich is eestasis. Titat the alienations and so on are
here present is,it seem s properly easual'St Paul's ease requires their
ind usion. The order is ftm dam entally that found elsew here in M axim us.
'praetice,theory, theology. This is given explicitly as a sec-

ond, alternative explanation (Amb ao-zz4oAzr-B4l. 'I'he external

pherzom ena are indieated,subordinqtely,only with the praetiee and
theory. Elsewhere,to m y knowledge,there is zto m ention of them
w hatsoever.
Ecstasis then for M axim us is a result or a concoznitant of dei-

dcation and meansthat the deifled subjeetis acted upon with efects
beyond its natural powers; on the part of the subjeet there is an
outgoing of the w ill to G od, w hich is w holly im pregnated w ith the
divine w ill. O ther effects, as the suspension of exterior senses, are
secondary,non-essential. This distinetion was the easier for M axim us to attain because he considers pzim arily the future state ofthe
1: A m b p zo76A 3; Io88D 8. The esect oi this divtl'
te illustration is
the possession of the divine ltfpuvtf. Com pare G lar 2,52; 3.25. H ere,
tltis is only im plied as our passage.
s are concerned w ith the future state.
where tlze m ention of virtuews is 1- necessary.

Cltav
y er11I.Ecstqsis

z:
J.
7

blessed,not som e transitory eondition,verified in som e m ystics At

the sam e tim e he is able to m anifest with great foree and clarity the
perfeet gratuity of tlle gryee of deifcation. The infltlenee of D enis
is here evident throughout. but b enis in these qtlestions never acbieved such clarity ; ecstasis as the state of the blessed he does not
distinguish from the eestasis rapture of the m ystic; the perfect gratuity ofgrace is not indubitably propounded. M axim us, in the texts
so far presented has certainly m ade an advance.
.

B .THs E VAGRIAN Ix M AxLsfus

W bat then of the texts of Evagrian flavor and infuence? W iil
M axim us have had the skill not m erely to adopt but aiso to adapt

the Evagrian texts and doetrine,so that the doctrine just sketched
rem ains firm and uncontradicted? A eonvincing answer,if sueh is to
be hoped for from an excerpting author like M axim us,willbe found
only in a study ofthose works where the Evagrian infuenee is know n
to be greatest. If there we Iind not only the lcnown adoption but
also sul cient adaptation,the sam e m ay be assum ed w ith som e conlidenceforoecasionalpassagesi1zthe restofhiswork. %Ye havetherefore,tunling to the Centuyies on Charity,to asserxs not m erely the
faet of indebtedness to Evagrius:7,but to m easure its deptll in the
doctrine of m ind and of nature. l2or it is Evagrius'doctrine in this
point by whieh he excludes conceptually the possibiHty of any veritable transcendentalism and renders im possible any use of above
wtzf.
lfz.
e or like phrases to express the gratuity of attainm ent of God.
'fo proeeed m ethodically,I m ust lirst set forth briefly Evagrius'ow n
doctrine. In this I shall follow H ausherz and Balthasar:8.
'

:7 To sbow such an indebtedness was VILLISR'S m inciple aim in his

artkle .
,
4$$.
: sowrces...; to have sholvn at tlze sem ae tim e the lim lt% of M axim us' Evagrianism was otlt of the question. In fact ke says; <'le fond

pzincipalvient d'zvagre. Qe sont les dtails com muns aux deux fxx-ivains
qu'ilfaudraitsouli.
gne.
r''(p.z57). VILLSR haa no doubt that,though M axim us took tout $'
pAl systLme from Xvagrius yet he was shrewd enough to

leave asid.e a11that wms heteodox (p.z.q9). Our present question is:did
M axim as really take over a11of Xvagrius'sym m .ineluding the key posltion,
his concept oftke soul'or did.he not rather take over tlte Evagrian m ychologieal analysis of the spiritual life in whiclz analysis lvagrius brought
to its acm e the traditional m onastic wisdom ? Antl Evagrius, no le-ss than

Maximus,aimetl at bting traditional tvr.

Lt,stt,p. 260,note z97).
:* HATJSHSRR,Ignoya.
nsa ix/Alp, OCP 2 (:936) 35I-6z; a'td V()N BAIfTHASA'
R, M etaphysik z- d M ystik tf:s Evagyius f'tlll/cxs, ZAM z4 (r939)
.

I:
J8

Ths Rs/uflzfos W Org:ls'

o

The whole of Evagrius'doctritze need not be here sttm m arized;

what charaeterizes it ilz a way peculiar to Evap ius is his concept

ofthe miud (the nude rrtind)as being first created to tiie image and
likeness of God,of the Trinity,and in that im age having the native
power to reeeive the know ledge of the Blessed 'frirzity. That there
w as a subsequent ereation,on accotm t of m otion, an evil thing, tt)
which was due 170th the body and the inferior faculties, the irascible
and the coneupiseible, is coherent w ith the first position, but 'does
not direetly eoneern oui question,exeept that on the reeuperation of
its purity,the m ilzd sees itself, its own state alzd eondition, and so

the Trinity. Iat Evagrius speak.

4 .The perfect m ind is that which is easily eapable of receiving
essential kuowledge. Cent. 3.Iz Fr. 196.
..

B .The soulis the m ind whieh through negligence fellfrom the

M onad and w hich by lack of w atehfulness bas clescended to the
rank of practice. Cent. 3.28, from G uillaum ont, see note 28
The sinful soul is the m ind whielz through negligenee fellfrom
.

consideration of the hoiy Monad and needs mueh labor to render

herself wrorthy of the im age of the holy Trinity from wlzieh she fell
Cent. 3.28 Fr. 206.

C.'fhe im ake of God is not that in wllieh a sign of his wisdom

may be depicted - a thing that can also be (done)in things made

up of the four eleraents - , rather this is the im age of God, that
which is capable of receiving know ledge of the holy 'rrinity Cent.
:$..52 F r. zlo.
.

D .Itis forthe nude m ind to say what is its nature;to thisquery

there is now no reply, and izt the end not even tlle query . Csttt.
3.70 17r. 236.
E .Blessed is he that com es to unsurpassable ignorattce. Cent.
3.88 12r. 256.
3r-47. M y sum m ary wms com pletetl before I was able to read the GtTlr.L-

Arslole 's article: Ls jearf, ntkitable /28.

: eGvtostica * tl'f vagve J, Pontiqw ,

Rev.(f, I'hist.des Religions, 142 (19'

52) l56-205. Only pne of tlle texf.s 1
had cited is m entioned in tltis article. Jt is text B Ce.
nt. 3.28. I have

inserted a renderilzg of Guillaumont's version (p.183) in m y text. And .

note lzow the modifefl version (Fr.)by sm alcing of a sinfulsouleliminates

the transit frorn the ontolo'gieal to the m oral order! u4d de A//liftvesse de
l'olgtfss- e accordiug to G uttm zttlstot'c (p. v83, tt
jt. 194.). Com pare atso
Qlzap. I note 30.
.

Chaktcr I11.Ecstasis

zg9

F .Ifwe possessconcupiseence and angerin com m on with beasts,

it should be know n that at the outset of our creation these things
were not created together with tls, but cam e in upon the rational
nature after m otion. Cent. 6.85 Fr. 416.

G.The kingdom of God (for Evagritts the very sum mit of

Christianity) is klzowrledge $f the holy 'frinity,coextensivew4th the
m ake-up ofthe m ind,and going beyond its incorruptibility P yacticos
I.3-PG 4o.zzzlD .
S . Sign of dispassionateness: the m iad begilm ing to see its
oqrn luster, rem aining tranquil before the phantom s of sleep and
looking serenely on things. Pvacticos z.36-PG 4o. Iz3zA .
1.H e w ho advances in exercise lessens the passions'in eontem plation, ignorance; now of the passions there M;
'M eventually be a
com plete corrtp tion, but of ignorance - of one they say there is
a lim it, of the other there is none P racticos I.59-PG 40.1236.1..
.

J. W hen the mind,putting off the o1d man, willput on the

m an of graee, then also it will see its own state in tlle tim e of
prayer,like to a sapplzire or heavenly color... Practicos I,go-PG

4o.Ia44A,
'ef. ep.39 Fr.593 m ed.;Cent.S'
l.
f#//.2 12r.424; Lib.<Al.
147 Fr. 553.
K . ...Blessed is the m ind whieh possesses perfect freedom

from forms ttigoeTl(zl during the time of prayer. De prfl/zbz;: PseudoN ili 11g.
L .Blessed is the m ind which during the tim e of prayer is pos-

sosed of perfect insensibility ttlvasclqgtal. De oratione zco.

In these excerpts w e m ay see what sets the E vagrian doctrine

apart:that the im age of the frst creation has a native capadty for
receiving know ledge of the holy 'Prinity and that this know ledge
is as am'p1e as the m ake-up of the soal perm its, w hich m ake-ttp or
eondition isseen by the pure m ind as a light, These are the coneepts
whieh exdude any idea of ecstasis,a standing outside oneselft The
ecstasis, whie.h is a standing outside beings only, would notbe foreign
.

to Evagrius'
,i1factthe formlessness ofpure prayeris jttst that,but
his term for it is rather m igration lx:nptla or rapture 2R.
2: D n oratione 46, 52 .
.

z4o

Th6Ae/-fsrfo.
no/ igenism
In reviewing the works of M axim us izl order to com pare them

with the precise points of Evagrian doctxine just indicated,it will

be best first to point out som e equivalenees in vocabulary. Thus

the migration ofpure prayer llxnjzttl) is found in Char 3.zo and

also once or twiee in the verbal form (Char Iyzo,
'z.a8). Rapture
also oceurs (Char 1.12a
'z.6 and Amb Io-III3CI;Amb zo-lzgzC.4l.
But neither can be reekoned a special favorite with M axim us when

one realizesthatprayer taeogarjloecurs :

.
54 timesiu the 4 centuries
(puye Jrfzyrr 6 times) and mind (voik) over Ioo times (pure mind
8 times). On the other hand ecstasis does not appear at all. The
bl6ss6d passon jor koly ckayity (Char 3.67,66 z1) does not lill the
role of the D ionysian ecstatic eros. The w ord eros does oecur in

Char1.10,11,
.2.6,47,48). Buthereitiseonneeted with lxnjzta and
with that $funconseiotlsness '' of wlzieh H ausherr speaks in his ar-

ticle (p.35$f) and whieh,tlmuglz Evaglian (text L above), refers

rather to that ignoranee of creatures w hich is a condition of pure

prayer than to that ignoranee of G od of whieh Evagritts speaks

(texts E and I above).

A pazt from the passages already m entioned w here the w ord

rapturo occurs,there are other chapters expressing the idea. 'fhus

in Char 1.11 the m ind,w inging its way to God by pure prayer,gets
outside allthings. Again:''H appy the rnirtd that has gone beyond

all things...'' (Char z.I9). And: ffThe suprem e state of prayer

is when the m ind passes out of the flesh and the world and rem ains

entirely untouebed in prayer with m atter and forms ''(Char z.6I).

T hat the apex of prayer, subsequent to contem plation of creatures,is knowledge of the B'
lessed 'Pritlity, there are ehapters of
M axim us to teach us. 'fW lzen a m ind is prefectly freed from the
passions, th en it travels straight on to the eontem plation of creatur-

es,making its way to the knowledge of the holy Trinity '' (Cllar
1.86). Similar to this are chapters 94 and 97 of the iirst Centuyy;
also, tllough som ew hat differently, the 21st and 98th of the seeond.
In the fourth Csntuyy the 4gth and 77th chaptersputthe eontem pla-

tion (lhf.
t):((4 ofthe 'rrhtity in relation with faith - a point to be
noted. 'fhe only other explicit m ention of the Trinity in these

Cent- ies (4.8) emphasizes its simplidty in contrastwith any creature. W ithout such explicit m ention the sam e general thought

fmds expression elsewhere,as in Char 3.99 (the occasion of Haasherr's artide Ignorance .fzI#e;tr),iu which the perfect rnind's ''more
thatz non-know ing superknowledge of the supenm knowable '' is

CkJ.
/f.
e.?'ff1.Ecstasis

I4l

through 'ftrue faith ''. H aving touched on this passage so full of

paradoxieal superlatives, it is fitting that another from the sam e
Cdwfzfyy should be addueed where again there is play of knowledge
and ignorance. frT he viztue.s separate the nlind from the passions;

spiritualcontemplation from simple representations (vosIz= a);pure

prayer then places it by God.''. 'k'o this fhe following chapter responds poiat for point: ff'
I'he virtues are ordered to the e owledge
of creatures;this ktm wledge to tlle knower'the H tower to llim who

is known in ignorance and knows beyond knowledge '' (Char 3.44,

45,
'cf.Evagrius Cent. 1.87 I?r. rzz)..Some light will be shed fan
these passages when we come to a textfrom the Quaestiones ad Tha-

Iassium (Passage IX below);for the present it is enough to have

draw n attention to them .

If then m y analysis of the Centuyies pzl Chayity has been adequate,we have seen that nowhere doesM axim us take over Evagria'n
thought to such an extent : that the pure or perfeet m ilzd m ay
seem to have a power receptive of knowledge of the holy Trinity
or that that know ledge is som ehow in correspondence w ith the m akeup of the soul; tlm ch less is there any hint of the soul seeing itself

in prayer. Yet these are precisely the points wlzere the Evagrian
thought is form ally in eonflict w'ith D ionysian doetrine B ut M axim us,even in speaking of ecstasis m anifestly ullder D ionysian influences has not takea over, as is,that dod rille; rather at the texast
he has transpsed it onto another plane. 'flze question then of the
m utual relation of Evagrius and Dens in M axim us rem ains open.
That is the point,and that alone, that I w ould here m ake :1,
.

D VJI:LSR som etim es does note that M axim us doea not follow Evagrlus
.

a11the way'(,.g., p. z5.

5f),but he gives no second thought to the im port
of this fact. See the following note.

3tVILV R suggestsanotherway ofidentifying the Evagrianand Maxim tan positiolt itt his com m ent on Qllar 3.97 (p.249)ywhidtspeaks of the

nlind bei'
ng jlcl/dlr.
/l:tfajtev,b6ing tlipk
rrsrnly contovmed to gtzt;: obfeotc,jcontsmAftilo'
)z (z((/g ktrrov vt
sqrttt p'
Eqitttlg'
nj
za'
n'liee ltrrtpxs... =*6% zacrlm vqp,
a
zrm xi.t'y petctpoptpoifrlht). Now this, it is suggested,is to be understocd
in the Origenst-lvagrian context of the fall of pure spirits (from the
primitive henatl)lnto boclie.s of a coarseness proportioned to the t
'
legree

of sltl. HiUSH/RR has epitomized txe Evagrialt theory of knowleQ e

com m enting tlle D e tlrtzfox4, 5o:'<Un grand principe f

lomlne tout,eneore
quzilne soit tm lle part form ul en term es d'axiom e gnral:la connaissance

est une assim ilation relle du connaissant au coltnu '> In a footnote the

*keA,/u/qffpl 0/Oriqenisnt
'rlle Csntury literature is not a form apt for the eontinued exposition ofa thought allthe m ore so as is the case with the Centuries
on Ckarity,w hen the author pretends only to give the product of his

diligent reading (Char prolegue-txoA). If then we want to find

M axim us expounding his ow n thouglzt on the question of m ind,
nature and pure prayer, w e m ust look where he developes freely
such them es. N ow in A m b Io there are tw o such passages,to w hich

we may add espeeially two others from the later Qaestionn ad

Thalassium .
B efore introdueing these passages it w ill be w ell to recall the
nature of this Am biguum . Its oeeasion was a passage of Gregoa
w here the exercise of virtues seem ed entirely neglected in.a de-scription of tlle spiritual life. The dom inant intent ofM ai m us in the
w hole of llis long response is to show the necessary harm ony ofvizttte

and knowledge ln the whole ofthe transit ttijat/kl from thislife

to the fnal enjoym ent of God. He is then concerned im mediately
M'ith spirituallife in this present world and not,as in Am b 7, witlz
the state ofthe blessed in heaven. It is thus that we Iind him
twiee explaining in detail progress in the exereise of virtues, in

natural contemplation and in theology (in pure prayer):the venr

triadic arrabgem ent that is fotm d in Evagrius and the M axim ian
Centuries.

sam e author inverts a phrase of Evagrius to obtain a perfed form ulation

of the principle:''D i6.
14 ctpxxtzff ce ga>flest'l'intelllgence cre est ce qu'elle

connat'' (H AIJSHERR Le def/// de J'oytzisox d'XvagteePontiqae,RAM, 15

(:9:4) 82). It is Viller who attributes the same theory of knowledge b0th
to E vagrdus aud to M axim us. But thiA is im ptessible itz view of M axim ns'
refutation of the henatl of h.
is deetrine of the essentially com posite nature

of m an (of body arzd soul of course). To see that the patttwning fz/feg of
Char .3.97 s to be taken not ontologieally but m orally it is enough to read

Char z.5z:''The m ind joined with GGI ...beconzes .wise good...;in a

word, it contains in itself practically a11 the divine attdbutes ltN4lztuctl.
But w hen it leaves ltim and.goes over to m aterial things, it becom es either
like a tlom estic anim al plemqure-loving, or like a wild beast Nghting for
tlzese things w ith m en ''.
B y chance I have recently hit upon the follow ing lines from the Ptwa-

lakT.4th ode oftlze vigilselvice for Stm day (Rom an edition I885,p.4,3):
Mtfatqqpm tsov xll jtsw pgetpotrov lx xuxta p.e ztdzq rw t'kelhv,gv'
q tqqhd '
oo're m l tlvtthloto'se Tv((x ...

Ckapter 111.Ecstasis

z4:
.
)
P assage V II

'I'lte first3: of these passages (Amb Io-lllzbf) dexriles the

m otions of the soul as seen by grace-illum ined m en . 'fhey are three:
of the m intl, of the reason, of sense. The lirst is sim ple, uninter-

pretable, moving about God in ignoranee ltlyv/tn;fpl, gaining no

kriowledge of God from things because'of his exeeeding excellence;
in this m otion the m iud is loosed from its m otion about things and

restsfrom 1ts prop'eroperation (Amb Io-IzIzD7-III:$Az;III3B2-4).

Tlle rational m otion perm if.s a causal desnition of the Unkuown
and by its own operation acquires a scientific knowledge of things
through their Iogoi 8: whieh are then referred to the m ind tA.
mb
.

Io-III3Az-6,14). The motion ofsense iscom posite and hascontaet

with external tblogs and,as from eertain signs, im presses tlle logoi

ofvisible thingsin itself (Amb Io-III3A6-I4). 'fhereis thusa passageasit were from sense-pereeptible thingsto the Ngh eontemplation of creatures in God, to a m tjtion bout God com pleteiy lacking
the eoneeptual furnishings of our eustom ary thought The end
result of these grace-directed znotions is that ''m en are deem ed fit
through the Spirit to be com rningled entirely M4t.II God and bear
.

the image of the lteavenly One,as muG as men m ay '' (Am b Iozzz3Bs-zo).
On the whole sue-h a passage as this is alien neitller to Evagritts
nor to D enis. Y et if one look closely to the function of the m ind,
it m ust be said not to be specifcally Evagrian as there is no hint
of the uniorl to be aecom plished in self-vision. Rather the m otion

ofthemind,an ever-motion (Amb Io-Izz3Dz-III6CI),isi.

llignoranee
t'
lyvfczfplldae to the exceedin'g excellence of the object (t(i vtv
3: '
t'o cotkvtnienee in subezequent referenc'tws I have num beretl tbis
.

second group of passages consecutively with those of the fzrst group on

ecstasis.

JB Pltocrm s writes (Elemonts prop. It;Dodds p. 1216): '

f1 T(;K tkldttw

yvfvtng lxter
hfp'
q lczlv oyov See Dodds' citations and comment (z98).
The doctrine is com m on. But M axim us can also speak of m oving tm .

knowingly to the eause oftlzings (Tha1cc-aaolil3f;aboveparssageV). This

however is but a variant expression for the m ovem entofthe m infl explained in tlle passage now under discussiou. The possibility of tlzis latter
lnovem ent is based on the causal knowledge of Gotl, so one m ay speak of

m oving unknowingly '(m otion of the m intl) to the cause known through
the m otion oi reason.

I44

TheRdutation ()/Origenism

faw oxjv)and issomething other,oneinfers,than the naturaloperation from w lzich it rests. 'fhese elem ents are D ionysian.
But at this point M axim us inserts a passage on God and m an
being exam plars one of the other, whieh at a Erst cursory glanee

m ay seem eonneeted with the Evagrian idea of tlle soul's native

power as im age to reeeive knowledge of the Trinity. 'rhe paasage
n zns:'tTlzey say :4 that G od and m an are exem plars one of another'
and that G od m akes llim self m an for m an's sake out of love,so far
as m an, enabled by God througlz ellarity,deified ldm self; and that
m an is rapt ap by God in m ind to the tm knowable >,so far as m an

has rnanifested through virtues the God by nature invisible ''(Amb

Io-III3BIo-C2).
Such an invez'se correspondance: Inearnation-deifcation is
a them e habitually recurring in M axim us 8e. The very idea of a
m utual exem plarity seem s m ore akin to D ertis, yet there m ay be

som ething akin to a passage of'rhal63 (see below Passage X )where

M axim us speak of knowing God from self and self from God.
P assage V III

The second passage from Amb Io (II33A-II37C) is a detailed

exposition of the ftve m odes of natural contem plation : substance,

motion,digerence, Azlixlllr: (xp(icw) and position (g$g),considered

singly and in various com binations and,lastly, in tlze ultim ate reduction to one. In the course ofthis exposition the E vagrian prov-

ideuee and judgem ent is distinguished,witbout mention of nam es,

and restricted to tlle moral order alone (Amb Io-II33Df)r. 'fhe
m entiou of the Blessed Trinity (Am b Io-II36C) geem s out of place
in corisiderations of natural contem plation. But here it is in con34 It would be a satisfaction to be able to pierce the anonym ity of this
they say. One is rem inded at once of M axim us'own M ystagogia and so of
D enis but anything m ore precise than a certain sinlilar turn of thought I
have not been able to discover.

35Tize unhnowabl. (Am b Io-zI1:$C1):'

r?)m fzloqv so Osm stt and Gud.
gv.a$) (1 have cheeked Oehler's readiug on a mfcrolm ofGucl..
39);Scotus
incognitum ; M onae. gr. 363f. 9ob penult.: '
r J'
yvttmfov - wlticil last is
obviously tlze correet reading.
14 I give som e exam ples: A m b 33-1z88A . t$o-I385B ' 'rhal 6z-632A ;
' ep z-464.A ta; 2.5-6r3D .
64-725C,
.

:; See in Part One the analysis of Amb fo j z9,above p.37.

Chaptev111.Ecstasis

I45

nection with an initiationa som ething supenzatural3*, yet with the

following natural triad as base: being, k rg wise, ?W Alg live 3v.
W hat now pertains m ore nearly to our interest is the result of
tlke Eual redtwtion to olw . In this, I here sum m azize, holy m en
im press on them selves, as m uch as m ay be, that logos whieh'flqls
the whole m oral world with the diverse form s of virtue, having pttt

an end to a11the logd of beiags and virtttes (cf.Char 1 19),rather

.

going on in ignorance to that Tm gos'above all from whom all eam e

an4 'rentire, so far as the natural pow er4: witllin them perm its
,
are entirely united and are, as m ueh as m ay be, so far qualifed by
him as to be eharacterized by him alone, like t%e elearest of nzirrors
having the form without dim inution of the observant G od's entire,

logos (Lov xo: Nogf-t

yvtog eo: lyov x Ello t
latpalstxvftl)manifestby m eans ofhis divinecharaeteristiesz zton e ofthe andettt m arks,
by whih the hum an elem ent is naturally indicated, being left. a1l
giving way to the better, like dazk air wholly transfused with light ''
.

(Amb Io-II3gB,translation BzI-C6).

Htre again there seem s to be an Evaglian elem ent D oes not
.

thisfoym p/thelogos,that appeazs asin a m irror, represent Evagrius''

visitm oftlze Trinity in the soul'ssubstance (textC and G above)?
A
.

nd.m irror is the very word that Gabriel I'

Iorn llose som e 25 yeazs

ago to express the im m anent view as opposed to the transeendent

and Dionysian do'
ttd oz darknn sl*. Y et in this case the word m rror
is properly D ionysian. The phrmse clearnst t
# miryors is found in

DN 4.za-7z4B (also in CH 3.:-:65.

*6 and in EH z.3.I-397A),where
.

O 'Ep,miqgav (zz36C4). In Am b 2o-I24oB4 p'

frngtv is used of tlle
there indubitably sapernatural tlteologoal w isdom .
3: See also Thal 13-2968 . Tlze source of the triafl is Proclus tlzrough
D
,
etkis. I take it that tlle '
ldfille'
p im plies tevelation : otllerwise M stvlnm s
is irt open contradlction w ith lzis own statem ent atso in Am b
th
zo-xI68AB,
at there is u.
o trace (Ixyo) whatsoever of the T'rinity irk ereatiom I
l
Czave treated fully of tlzese passages in m y introductlon to tlze Centayies on
.

..

/llrty at notes 156-169.

49 That M axim us shoulcl attribute any effectiveness for uniotz to

st
zfs'
rtz/ powe.
v ks a surpdse after the Tepeated ao m ations that dem cation
i
Ps com pletely beyotltl natural power. See Passage III = d note z5, also
u sages V anG VI.
11 H ORN G ., Le m iyoie ,/ la .
a.
s& , RAM ,8 (z927)zI5-z3z;butthisIp
osition haik not been fogowecl by subsequent writers: voN llv tplo
ts.ul D Am fxov.Lsvs. Stxe the note of this last in L 'im age & D itf'
w
t
:
/
va
&
.
t/ Nys
Cvrtkoiye
se. 1951,p.,
3.
31 (on p.:
34) = 2$fuse'
u.
m Z.
O.
Wtz.
11.pl, sect.thol. 49.
.

ID

146

TeR6/slffzft?p olOrigu s-

D enis is speaking ofangels. It would indeed be lm zardous from this

only to assert that M axim us is here indebted to D enis,but in tlle

M ysttqogia (z3-7oIC) Maxinms cites verbatim tltis very passage,

applyiug it not to angels bttt to souls,their eqtlal in honor. The

angelor the soulis said to be the k'lnttge zzzzf manijntfdion (Elxtbv

xqtfptwpgt) of God. 'Phis second element we sllall shortly see
to be pf dedsive m om ent in the M axim ian doctrine.
Pan ags AY

There remain two texts from the Q'

ttaestiones 448 Thalanium
which should Srst be presented before diseussing the question of
introspeetion and ecstasy in M axim us. Tlze frst of these is the
:5th question where M axim us endeavors to expound the sense of

St Paul's th6 hsad olgrdlz'yman isChrisfwith hisinjunetion thatthe

m en pray.with the head bared and thew om en with thehead covered

(1Cor.11.3W . Maximusfrstlaysdown asfundamental:theapostle

was speakm
' g only of those who have faith.' H e then proceeds to

inteo retthe man asrnind,tllewoman assense,fkrstin the practical,

then in the throretical and fnally irl the theological orders. ..And
again,M az m us says'
,m an is the m ind within m ysticaltheology,hav-

ing Cilristashistmcovered head,thatis the element offaith hv...

kyov xiigaetztnlwith theindem onstzable eonceived in ignorauce or.
more aceurately stated,known without concepts (yvdloxte voogevev...(lvoljl'fz,ytvlxtsjzsvov)...the rnilld,wlliclzexercises that praisew ozthy,deifyiug privatiou,lying com pletely and preem inentiy above

itself and being '' (Tha1 :z5-332C.3-13)- And later on in the same
question,explaining what it is for the m ystie to have his head cov-

ered in prayer,'fSuelzan one,hesays,must,bared ofauy idea (lvvo$q)and knowledge,look without eyes42 upon the veritable God and
W ord, distinctly know ing that the privations by exeellenee prove
rather to be tzue of God,som ehow indicating the divine a rm ation

(g$)by the complete denial of beiugs''(Tha1 z5-3:$3CI4-D5).

I have presented tlds passage, beeause it was an occasion for
M ad m us to speak in an E vagrian m aaner;the threefold division and
tlle prom inence of ntind are b0t.h troughly consonant with E vagHan thought. The preeisions ofthought,therefore, which are here
found, are so m uch the m ore valuable.
: See belov/ note 53.

Chapter 11I.Ecstasis

:zj7
.
Passage X

W e are looking for passages of an Evagrian turn;there is '

notle
m ore fitting in tllis respect than the follow ing from the rep
'ly to
Thalassius'631.d question Again I sum m azize the frst part. The
H oly Spirit presides over the puriscation accom plished in fear
reverenee and knowledge;it is he who illum ines the Iogoi of thina
and givesknowledge thereof;and lle bestowsperfection freely through
.

simple widsom olz tilose wortlly of deifkation (Thal 63-673Cg-DI).

,

Butin thisbestowal what doe.s the Spirit effeet? M aH m useontinues:

'fleading them im m ediately, in every way (ms far as it is possible

for m an), to the eattse of beino : those who are characterized by
the divine attributes (t:lflfjtara) ofgoodness,in whieh (xc*jv)they
know themselves from God and God from themselves (!x leo: gv
lqm oi, 11 lavxf'
;v ydvdilxovxe sv evl, there being no separatingm edium '
sforfrom wisdom to God there ij uo medium . They
w'ill possess unalterable im m utability, sinee a11the media (in which
the dangerofsometim es erring in knowledge existed)willbe wholly
surpassed by those who w ithoat word or eoncept have been 1ed olz
in graee through speechlessness, ineffable silenee and ignorance to
the infinitetz and m ore than intinite peak by nature im m m erable

inlinities beyond a11 things'' (Thal 63-673Dz-6;6Aa).

** He6 tzfrtsv '
riv H etpov xq lzttixetoov xt tizlvtixtg tlxe mg xqv
tplklv Jaxstvtt rstivrv thotsvqm (Thal 63-67317:0f,. cf. T hal 6o-6zzB t
und TP I-36A;.). This quite outdoes any thing Denis hms done in
piling tlp negatives. D enis does speak itl another connection of i

I%Ft
l/efy injnitejttlwzr
e.
(DN 8.z-88pD). 'Ixe double use of COIEPOg is common
in Proclus tKoc1I Beziehungen..., lx 785 but as in Den:
is in connection
witltentities under Cxdd. 'Ax 4rq occurs 8 tim rs in D enis but tw ice only
of God (CH t3.4-5o4C(i'
, EH '
z.3.4-4ooC9). Th1
*$t ctm stttutes, I tltink, a.
.

clearintlieation ofa Dionysian inouencein these Q%X dffflv sad Thalassi%m

This slzould not be surprising as clearly 'Phalis subsequ

entto Amb 11 (Thal

:J9-.
3*3B refezs to Am b 65-1389C-13938) whel-e t'he Dionlrsian Inflqenee
is m ore tlzan m anifest. I m ay add one or two other instancea. In tXe prologlte (Thal-z5zEI1) M u imus speaks of suntying union V I.II G oG. 'rhe

seeing withouteyes (Tha1 :5-33:

513:. Pzaqage IX ;d note 53) is also a Dio.

nysian plzrase (DN 4.I:-7o8D; MT x.I-997B). I have drawn attention to

tlzis particular, for Dlsru lt, in his unpublislled dissertation flh pflq E)
t;qt
mpl
at
i
va
x

:
c
s
r
xt
f
vpl
do
n
t
e
i
nam
s
.
Af
f
4
i
v

o
nl
e
s
s
or
i
s
. Rom ae zqz8 (
O
at the
rientalInstitutejp.28 note 191),al rms that thereisnoiniluence ofDenis
in Thal. And though I = ay lzere indicate the unfounfledness of the a% ertion, yet the diference of tone between Am b and Thal seerns to dem nnll

:
/8
.

Th6zk:/vfllfos olOrg:ssz

H ere, I think, ifat all,we shallhave discovered M axim usspeak

ing on his own as Evagrius. 'IYis knowledge of God from self, i
it not tlzat vision of self in which God is seen proportionately t

the soul'som lmake-up (texts D,G,J above)?And thevery relati

veneas of sttch a 'veision leavesroom forthat lim itless ignoraneewhid

Evagriusin Practicos 1.59 (textIabove)sayswitlneverpassaway 41

an explanation. N ow Distlier him self rem arl:s that in Thal M axsm us i
com m ue cating with his pee.r itlm ysticalm atters so that in a way, he 1et
blm self go. On the other hand ill Am b he has often questions of a pllil

osophicalorderto dealwith (Amb 7 I5,42areevldence) in which b.

e mus
lay down the philosopltical bases for the speeulative tlzeological structulx
H eace the philosopftico-theologieal is m ore in evdenee. And this is oftel

from Denis. Yet in som e of tlte zz

1mbigua (d.g.48 or the series 52-57)tb
allegorical and Origenist elem ent is entirely dom inant as in Thal. T b.
divergeneie'
s tlm s cwreaie no real m oblem . 'Vitisistize m ore reaflily conceiv
able if the conchzsion of H .- Ch.
.Ptiee:
ll (.E.4 tnbv6'
lar
lzs/- rAga laT:41440

D enys..., ln Etudes Clzrpz/lfft4f- d, 23, vol.z (1938)33-53)be acceptet

l'
tha
nam ely tb.
e them e of darkness is an artifcial elem ent due to tlze exegesi
of tlze ktzown passages ofExodtls and.the Canticle butnot founded in m ys
tical expeheuce. If then M axim us who gives but the slightest attentioj
to it in Am b zo-zzz788; I14986. passes lt over entirely in Thal there i
thence no argttm ent for a lack of Dionysiap inlluence. Tkat influence l
above all in tlze establislzm ent of philosophical principles. Titis is m anifez
in 'rhoec, tlependent m ore on 'rhal than on Am b aceording to voN BA1f

'
rlu sMt (Df4 Gn.Csnt. z55);blzt for the initial decade,see above chap.l
p. zofd . Theae rem arks lzowever are only provisory, as there is as ye'
no system atlc study of Thal.

44 HArs> p.
ltLlknovance'
a/AssjOQP 2 (r9J6) :55,:56:360)cite.s tht
Evagrian textthree tim el. In the frst citeation it is suggeasted that Xvagriuk
uses a pin'ase not 1l.
tq ow ltto expregs ltis own tlzought;in the tllird tlze genu

ineparelzta ofthephraseare suggestetl;thosewho expoultd theLih 0/M osrs

Philo, Gregory of N yssa... In any case tlze R vagrian tlxmght wottld bd
an ignorance uzllizuitecl because the know ledge that the-re is can neve

u haust the objeet to be known. It is m athematical. On Ute otller lzand

there s a m ystical ignorance (Dionysian one could say) which stp porsa
une stv/g dr Arej4cfitm,sogn /'vz//ztlq
dt?zzdaf'tz- oslr kors tf'
rs lois #e l'intelli
gence efly-pld- (p. 3s6)- Aze not tbmst laws of tite intelligence,howevet
G at neccssity tm de.r which zuan exhts of knowing cotzceptually and witl
concepts dependent m aterially at lemst on tlze im ages derivetlfrom witimut
Yet forE vagriusisnot tlte utm osthzpurity ofm ind preeisely the overcom inl
of titis ncxcessity ? The true location of the difference between Evagrius anf
.

D enis w 111 be found not so m uell in the latter's concentration on ecstasi;

as the former'srejeetion ofit better:Evagrius'emphaskson the consequenl

role wlziclz vtsion of self is then callecl upon to play. W ith this one sltottk

not om it the Evagdan concept of m otion 1t% bad anll cause of evil.

C4/jtv fTT.Ecsstts';s

I49

But this iguoranee creates a diflk ulty in assessing the E vagrialm ess ofthese passages 4s.

It is, so to speak,native in D ertis; yet

Xvagrius ean use the term ,though not it w ould seem , as a native
expression of his thought. It rem ains then am bivalent 4:.
As to thq knowledge of God from self, I w ould note that M aximus accepts the Gregorian position agairzst X unornius, that we do

not properly know the essences of created things (Thal 6o-6z4D;

Amb Ig-rzz5D-I228C)and that in the preserzt case itis paired with
knowledge ofselffrom God - not,I think, fotm d in Evagriusx Farther this know ledge is here m ade dependent on possessing the divine
characteristics. This brings us back to the im age f4p.# manihsfation

wbiell we have met above (PmssageVIIIand V11). A direet treatm ent of this willlead usto a synthesis of M axim us'doctrine in the
passages so far discussed.

C. SxrlqlHssls okr M xxrm xx Ilolrrm xE

W lzat is meant by divine tz/fdhzffes (lkd)g(=l) or ckayacteyistics

(yvttletcpmt't,) of goodnesp? A simple statement of what these iditz-flfdz are is found in Char 3.z5. God has eom m unicated four of
these to ltis creatures: beixg 6vtw-being, goodness and wisdom . 'l'he
two form er are given with lyeisg itself the lattertwo are eonsequent

on proper use ofthe willand judgement. The former is image and

by nature,the latter is likenessand by grace 4T. The ever-wem being

and ever-ill-being,of wltic: I shall speak in dealing with the apocatastasis, is of coarse also im plieit in the present chapter. Sucll
are the idiom ata 48'from a slightly diferent point of view they are
44 An attem pt to assess'precisely sueh Evagriazzness w ould be futile
if b:jr that we w ere to understand tlze quantity of E vagrianness contained
irt the M axim ian tum bler; our aim nm st be qnite de erent: to dettvm lue
that critical point where the use of the Xvagrian heritage ceaaes to be the
use of the Alexandrian ancl m onastie traditfon of whiclz l vagrius was
certainly a principalspokesm an atld pa esoverto a dependeltceon Xvagrius
tlle system atiwer of Origen's H ellenisticdnspired hypotlzeses, m ixed also
witk, N ham , otker strains and certainly V t.
II his own speculation.
46 See tlle rst part of note 44.

*7 One m ay com pare also Char 2.52, cited above note 3z.
.

*8The frst to speak of ptwpeyties o/ Go# in a technical sense would

seem to have beeu Philo. There is then qute a lzistory of the concept

touching closely on the que-sfion dfthe uulrnowability of God (the negative

theologyj. See W orzsoN's Phiio,II,p. I3off.

No

TkrA'
e/f'
#/g/ft?zlojOzr
gk4xllz?;

reckoned as m anifesting the divine and so are rather ealled charaeteristies, gnoyism ata.
To see what this'involves, 1et us return to the passages already
citedv In Passage VII we saw that 'God and m an are exem plars

(ztp a:elyjttzva) one of another... and that m an is rapt up by God

in rnind to the unknowable, so far as m an has m anifesfed through
virtues the God by nature invisible 4:. Wrhat is this exem plarity

and m anifestation? Justa little abovethe passageeited,in theintro-

duction to Amb Io (see abovep.z4z),Maximus had obsexed that

virtue,com pouaded of logos (Mrith the role ofeontrolling the body
henee praxs) and tkeoria, is also manifest through tlle body,
though only partially. Virtue, as xtpflxvt: elt:g vvdpzo, shows
-

through the body only some faint suggestiolls (gxsdcptal'tl) of

itself. And tttis, not for its ow n sake,but for.those who need to

beformed to virtue by example (xtpastyl

ztuk) (Amb Io-IIo8BC).
l'or virtue is first ofa11a disposition hidden in the deptlasof the soul,

and then appearing in pyaxis through the body (Amb Io-Izo8CI-.

5).
'rhat M axim us speaks here of the m anifestation of virtue in practice as only needful beeause of the unvirtuousand not because of our
nature as eom posite of body and soul, is neeessitated by the difli-

culty the Gregozian passage presents (ornission ()f praxsj. But

in fad the m anifestatiou of virtue, in the actual econom y, is quite
necesmary for advauee tow ard and attainm ent of God. Advertence

to tltis necessity m ay help to explain M >xim us' use of the phrase

so /tzr as //1, natumal jltlttgr within J& 7Al ptfrmits in Parxsage VIII54
as referring rather to tlle hum an effort for virttte than to the divine
qualifyitlg z present in the sam e context. T lle eharacterizations of
the saint by G otl with llis own ckaracteristie.s effect '
sirnultaneously

in the subject the image and AAllzlf/:sffz/ft?'

?sof God.
This phrase as I have noted (0n Passage VIII) is Dionysian.
The text ilzwhieh it oecttrs (Myst c3-7o1BC) is that forming'Passage IV . W e have therefore the them es of suffering the divine,not
being of oneself but of God,and being known from and by tlze God
4: That G011 has m an as his exem pla,
r Lq eonceivable only in view of
the Incarnation ; this aspect I m ay here om it.
:e see uote 4o.

:1 Qv lilying, from the verb aoByuset't as here, in tke passisre of

the cliville action in adorning with virtue, oecurs in Amb 7-10731)5 (Passage 1);Alnb lo-l1378:4 (the presentinstance)and II4IBz4;ep,:-37:
785;
it is used also of creating essences set up w1t.
11 qualities Cbar 4.6.

Chapter f11.Ecsiasis

I5t

who deifies,tile result being that the soul is im age and m irror:a11
- these them es w e have in one passage.

Tlzis im age,then,retlecting God ms in a m irror,is the adorning

ofthesoul(M ysta3)orthe person (Amb Io-II37BC)with the divine

idiomata and gnorismata (consisting primarilz in goodness and wisdom )so thatit beeomes an example of virtue an impression of divine power (xtpaxrl)e elag hvvdttEltv) for othersf 'fhe knowledge
of God from self and of self from God,m et w ith in Passage X ,prefaced ms it was by the holy m en being eharad erized by the did ne
idiom ata is to be tm derstood then,not in the Evagrian selzse of an
entitative setf-vision or vision of the substance of the soul, but ill
funetion of the m oral order.
'rhis eharacterization is illustrated by incandescent iron or

light-illumined air (Passages 1, II, VIII); but the whole point of

these illustrations custom ary in Christology sz is that the iron
and the air,though having tll characteristics of fire and light, do
not entitatively lose their proper characteristics' they are only superseded.
P qssage X I

In these regards we are fortunate enoagh to have an exam ple.

The saints are itnages and m anifestations. Good. So M axim us,

having expounded the theory (Passage VIII), gives us a case in

point: M elchisedech. T ltis illustration extends over tw o colum ns

(Amb Io-II37D-II4IC)so that I have not the willto present it in

translation to the reader. The fam ous description of H ebrew s 7.3:

W itlwutfatker,u'if/ltpfzl/motker.7pf//3o'
lffgen6alogy: having zldf/'z,r brginning4)/dayszlarend p/1iy.
.lsfflikened totheSon //God & continues
a #A'
$'ysf/or 6v6r is didded into three,as 1 have plaeed the eolons.
The rst, the being without, indicates the perfect putting away of
natural eharacteristies, eiected through graee in virtue; the second
indieates know ledge overcom ing the lim its of tim e and aevum and
contem plation surpassing m aterial and im m aterial substanee; tite
third, perhaps, indicates the ability to keep unw iuking the eye:3
:: For Pyrrhug M axim us twice explai!ls tlte sim ilar exstm ple of the

incallde-seent sworcl (ep. :9-5938 and. TP z8-a37D ; compare also TP

z6-I8oC9).
:' T'
4... (k ea
rl xct '
&'l...zplk '
v ev vttxeviknre.
tx x6 vosvv tjm
iwapvowrov... (pvlxkltt:(Am b zo-zI4oA5f). Com pare '
Phal 25-.
3331)1:'fKltv6v
f'vvoteg xat m ftpe (lvoypdxfl
v kdv x& J'li
qkvbv '
thv M yov. This is not

I5z

TkeRr/'
ldtllitm p/Origenism

of vittue and of the gaze towards God. '#l7or virtue, I translate,

is born to dght nature sl and true contem plation tim e and aevum ,
in order,thatthe orte m ay rem ain unenslaved to the things bdlievt'd
to be after God and undom inated as knowing Cyod alone as parent,

and thattheother (be)tgleircumseribed,abiding in noneofthethings

that have beginning and end aud im aging God through itself God,deO itive ofevery beginning.and end,who draws a11the think-

ing hthcv)ofthose wlvo thtnk to himself ln unspeakabte ecsusy

(xfzxrxfrrfxgtv dlpnTov). 'rbrough these.the divine likenesss: is
m anifest (1 m ean through virtue and knowledge)and through them
charity unshaken is kept for God ...

'' (Amb Io-II4oApB3).

Tlle rest:6 is mostly a justiiication for nazaing Melchisedech,

not from things of nature but from those aeqttired in virtue aud in

contemplation or knowledge. And Enally (Amb Io-Iz4IC)Maximgs

says altsaints are in som e w ay im ages of Christ, tlie ardtetype,bvlt
M elehisedech preem inently so. Such a ftm ction of the saints in the
Cllristian econom y is expressed btzt a little later: f'P'
or God placed
in the nature of a11 alike the power for salvation, that qach who
w ished m ight 1ay hold on divine graee, and, in willing to becom e
M elclzisedech and Abraham and M oses, in sllort to transferthe saints
to him self,m ight not be bindered,excllanging not nam es and places

but im itating m anners and way of life'' (Am b Ioul44Alo-Bz;

cf. 1149C 13f).
Lest one'be tem pted to think that such a developem ent on virtueeand knowledge be uniquely due to the di eulty which was the
a contradietion, but to approadt the slm e thought irom two sides: to
deny bodily vlsion Ls a m zm ner of afBrl'
ning the m etttat Fxarlier in

Tlzal z5 (Ptkssage IX )'Vnvim us had spoken of the reason of faith &0 &oxs vomijtevov or more accurately vofsm 'fwclox6po ov (3z2C6) that fs
the ultim ate in knowledge is non-conce'
ptaat Por parallel: in Derlis see
K oeE, Bezilnngen ..., p. z6o.

5: Note this com posite supposition oftpo w for > 116% 4zt4/f4r:'
,itisrathe.r
1: Liksnn z jtoofn: M axim us is not always consistentin m aintaiqirtg
the dksthzction found here azlcl i4 Char 3.25. Etxfv is not infrequently
used alone for tlze sense here given fslzolfn.
56 It is intere-sting in tizis n6st to see how prom inellt is txe 'fvpq and
it.s conform ation through virtue. 'n is btm gs us close to Passage I w ith its

lxzdlmltam fagsx'
ti. Above,p.4z,I have been able to snpply the lacuna
occurring in tltis rem ainder at zz4oD 5. If gives us another Trinitarian referent'e.

Chattey111.Ecstasis

z54
.

occasion for tlze expositios, I zefer tbe readeT to tbe prefatozy paz-

agraph ofthegreattheologicalwork addressed toM arinus (TP I-9A.

f).
12or izt this initial encom ium M axim us reproduces the m ain them es

we have just seen illustrated in M elehisedech.

A brief synthesis of M axim us'doctrine,as to the ascent to G od,
m ust now be ventured. Tkis ascent proceeds in tw o m utually
dependent m anners, in virtue and in knowledge; by the one is expunged that which is due to our fallen nature ill our relations with
ourselves and w ith others, tlle erowm ing of w hieh is the passing out
of the volitive faculty so as to be w holly taken over by G od ;by the
other,sense and rational knowledge being reduced to its source in

the Logos, there is an ignorance, that is, a non-eoneeptual 1t-110wledge which exteads indefnitely. 'rhis transform ation' of m an
endows him in eseet, by grace, with the divine characvteristies of
goodness aud w isdom . Its fullrealization - the union ofthe blessed
with God in heaven - is properly ecstasis, a thing quite beyond
aAd above all the native powers of m an. 'rEis too is deieation,
a suffering oftlzedivine,whieh doesnotrob m an ofhisnaturalpowen ,
though they be overlaid,transfused w ith the divine. The som etim es

concom itant phenomena of ecstasis in this life (:.g.in the rapture

ofStPaul)aresecondary and do not draw Maximus'interest. W hat
appears m ore nearly to be the center of M axim us' interest is the
m utualharm ony ofviztue and know ledge,by whieh likeness to God
is realized in m en. Yhis is a base. Tilere is the iniinite extending

ofdesire ('
1T I-9A8). There is the 'fseeing the true W ord and Gpd
witllout eyes ''. But above all there is the aetion of God,drawing
the m an from things and self to him selfH.
:7 Evagrius Denis M axim us - ifm y m ethod and judgementhave not
witlely e-rretl, wlzat m ay we now say oftheirrelations?E vagrius,rfusing any'
ecstasis even purged of frantic and,fatal elem ents fzxed him self in a pm e
introspection. (It would have been diK cmlt for him to do otherwise so long

as motion wasforhl
'm evilantlsourceofevil. Denis rejected neitlzerm otion
nor ecstmsy, which he found also hz txe Neoplatonlc tradition. W ith him
however.ecstasy seem s to be as m uch if not m ore for this life lhan for the
next. The pare gratuity of attaining God in vision is not too m anifest in
the flux of hissaperlative vu biage. Thesufering of thedivine is not developellin tllesenseofthedistinction oftlze natural autlsupernatural. M avlm us
'
isa com pletely faithful disciple of neitber. Tlds kq ta'ue esm cially for E va-

grius,whosedoctrine heseveraltimescorrecta Eprovidence and judgement in

tlle moralsense not to be reckoned ontologicz (ef.above n.z8);motion is
good; knowledge of God from selfin a moralsense (from the virtues) not

J.
74

TheXd/lflfit?l olOrignnism

from the purified substadceoitlze sottll. Ksstasy he R cepts but place.sby

preference, in alz entitative non-phenom enological sense in heavn. & stasy Lq m ore connected w ith the will than w ith the m ind; the rd ation of
w ill atttl m ind in bliss he does not consider. 'rhus there lacks hl his work
in tlzks point a perfect harm ony of the elem ents. T his m ay partly be due

to tlle dottble influence of lvagrias anll D enis. I say pavtly because, quite
apart from a question of soutce.s there is di culty in fusing tite two elem enta
of m ind and will in a pedeetly izarm onious doetrine of the atts'inm ent f
G od. But if the double initlerzee does aecount izz part for 4
th% defed in
the M axim iaa doctrine one eannot say that there has beeu no reconciliation.
The Evagrian doctrine hms been pruned of i'
ts indigestible elem ents and itas
been set in the N eoplatonic sehem e it also pruned of its inacceptable theses.
Induences m ay anfl (lo Tem ain. W hat howevet is m ost proper to M axim us

Lstlmtin tlzerethinlring of01(1doctrinalelements,hemanaked to plaeenot

(I4relpt($, not kptpg, b%t tiztq hl the flrst place. This ks seen in Pa%age
X I:virtue and knowlellge com bine to effect liksness and tta establish tk'fdxq
and sonship. Tlze sum em e encom ium of the 1aw of grace is precisdy that
it teacltes not m el'e-ly to love one auother in spirit bat to lay dow n one's

liie one forthe otlzer ('1Yal 64-7z5C). It is on a simllarnote that Mavim us

conelude.s tlze Am bigua, teferring 2 1 to God: x lv o4ptwt
'
j xi 1c%1 yik

ze- M cqg ojq opvtp xdeuto, xtzt IzA nv tkausvofrv'n w.w.$:* vto v, vv
ek tiuliom fpaqvfkfoatctv.

G IAIAI'SR IV
LOGOS

The developem ent of M axim us' antiorigenist argum ent calls

now for a treatm ent of lzis doctrirte oflogos. A fulldiscussion of his
teaehing in all its aspects is here out of the question. H ow ever
because of its im portance in the whole of the M axim ian syntitesis.
it seem s good to look som ew hat carefully at the distinction M yogw aog, in itj developem ent as a theological expression. Of this I
shalllirst treat;in a second part 1 shall expound .M axim us'doetrine
of the Logos, explahzing the unity of creation in refutation of the
henad.

A . 'fl.
Is D ls'
n xcem ox: AOrOE TYIEQ Z - TPOIIO I Y IIAPZEOI

K arlH oll,in his Amphilochigq rt- Ikoni'

um 1,speaks at length
ofthe term w dxo A g advymg. Rather baidly the sum ofthese
pages is that,though the term isused by Basiland Gregory of N yssa

(not however by Nazianzen)in an untedmical way, Amphilochius,

though a little clum sily, m akes it into a technieal T rinitazian term ,
which was subsequently to be current. (From being in Basila term
to express the enigm a of the intratrinitarian relations, it has becom e
a help in its solution. Prestige gives som e pages2to it,butw ithout

referenceto Holl'sstudy. Hollremarks (p.z4olthatreeerttly (1904)

the question of this term 's origin had frequently been put. H is
ow n answ er seem s to have precluded further diseussion. F ttnk
how ever, proposlttg the authorkhip of D idym .
tts for the Pseudo-B asilian Contra fwAlovlf'
lf;zlIV and V 3,gave H ollan'occasion for a note

(p.z451)a rming that in the tm questionetl works ofDidymus the

'

lVolft/, K.,k.4mphilocltivs von Ikonium in seinem Jzw ylfss zu tfy,l

gvossen Fdz/htl#?azaes. T'

iibingen 1904. pp. 240-45.
: PRssTlGs, G .L, God .
n Patristic Thought. London z936, pp. 245-44.
3 FUN x, F . X ., K irchengeschichtlicke a'
lb/ltzxtfir
xxjza und (.
r.
/z/dA'
a
s.
?w lpsxgen, II. Paderborn 1899, pp. z9t ff.

I56

Tht
e Rdl/t4/afpAlolOrigensm

phrase w zog futftlhfz) doesnot oceur. Funk 4 rejoinsby addudng

fragm ent IX :, overlooked by H oll, in w itich the phrase is found.
It will be useful to review and com plete these stutlies on /@ -

parxis as a basis for understanding the M aximian doctrine. 'lhhq

basie sense is sxistence, reality. This is attested in regard to God
i11 the frst century before Christ. Tltis sense determ ines also its
logical, gram m atical, even m athem atieal uses. It is also used for

yeal #z'o#:r/y e. Of ecdesimstical writers before Basil Prestige dtes

Irenaeus and Eusebius7, where dearly this exisience is found with
the eonnotation of the thing's beginning or origin. The passage
from Athanasius : eited to show the sim ple sense exiztence, m ust

be set off against others where the connotation of orkin is quite

patent. 'rhese are to be found in M ueller's Lexicon ZIIAI/AICIs'I Al'
lfpl

s.'
p.1. l'or instance in Contra a4/pllf/sfzrf4- I 49Mary and Joseph

are said to be ofone flesh by Txsfezlc:from pAldrnot by coition. But

M ueller ilim self distinguishes only an abstraet sense existentia and
a concrete one s'
ubstantia. The connotation of origin perceived by

I'
Ioll- das M omentdes HQ?.#:71: - is unqtlestionable,btzt not necessarily intended in every use of the word.

Prestige (p. 245) vonjectures tlmt the term was 'frescued by

Basil from the sehools of logic ''. Certainly Ityparxs was used by
the com m entators of A ristotle's logie. But its use in A thanasius
shows that it had no need of being reseued. If,how ever,he m eans

not the term only but the phrase w aeg fxdpisto then I think

ltis conjeeture must be dropped. For I have not fotmd the phrase
iu the com m entators edited for the Berlin Academ y. Basilhfnlself
presents the first instanee of its use.
In his hom ily A gainst f/le Sabelllns, zzlrfzs and I/l.
a azlAlpplfl<flzls
Basil urges that it is rm sham e to adm it an ''ignorance, without
danger, of the m ode of the H oly Ghost's existence ''1e. Tmter itt
4 F UNK, K ivcltnng6sch. A bk J11. Paderborn 1907, pp. 32o-a3.
'
* PG 39.I6.5zC.
6 See LS9 s.p.
7 IRSNASUS, A dvevsus H aeyeses, 4.zo.5; PX SRBHJS, d6 dctll. theologia

x.9.z:GCS Eusebius IV IKI,OSm RMANNI p. (1711.

@ AttHru sltls, ad .4/rs, 4a PG z6.zo36B.
9 ATHANASIUS A dv. A Fplf'
> d'
lfAAl, I 4, PG z6.Io9'
7Qzz.
le BAsIt,, Cokttea hsWb llicwtu et .
,4H.
1- 7 6t .
,4wtl- cet).
s PG 3I.6I3A z3:

xlolzkpex advl*v xqtxspkxob fo6aov x% iauple xo: ylov IlvaylTog T%v

xlvivvov Kyvotav iveaqvzxGvf pokoyEi.

Ckapter IF.Logos

'

I57

the sam e hom ily be speaks of the Son's origin from the I?ather, by

generation (vevvqvg),btlt the Holy Ghost's isineffable ttltmtfkl11.

If,however, the m ode for the H oly Ghost is unknown,there is no
question w hatsoever that the existenee itself is from G od 13. The
sense of 170th these passages is contained in one from the Treatlse
f)s f/?.y H oly Ghost46 '8. In ttxplaining to Am pbiloehius the m anifold
ways in whielz we m ay be said to have knowledge of things he m entions,along with others,'.that according to the m ode ofexistence ''11.
The very casualness of this last referenee indieates that the phrase
com es easily from his'pen;it m ay stillbe only the faultiness of our
doeum entation that deprives us ofprofane exam ples 1:. 'fhere rem ains a passage where the word existence.w ould have been in place,

but for it we find ltypostasisysubstance. It is in Contrq S'

lfv pzfzfvl
1 15 14.
'rhe passage llas a double interest:w e nd in it clearly tlze sub-

stance ofthe distinetion lyog tpfgEol-xlifsxog l

hxdtlyttx as later developed by M axm us; artd the exem pliiication in Adam ,whiclt w ill
recur in G rego!'
y of N yssal', in D idym us ls in Theodoret l9. The

word '
tingensratsd (tlyvvqvov) tam s one's thoughts not to the what
but to the how of tlzingsz:. The illustration then follows of the

genealogical tables given by Imke, ending with Adam, wko is t#

God. And when oneisasked whatisthe substanee of Adam (otg(a),
the reply w ould be, f'not from the eopulation of m an and wom an
but form ed by tlle hand of God. But it would be said, fl am not
11 B-igK ,ibid.PG 31.616C.
12 BASII: ep. lo5: PG 3z.5I3A I6.

13 BASIL Lib6r & Spiyita &t

zeltft), 46:PG 32.I52 R.
14 BAszt, ep. 235,2: PG 3a.87zCIo: 'Exst:?l ytke x '
r'
lq yvtllgett
g svop.
tt

bakao.
b tapfllvet,xekyvamvv d lxm ,'
rl,ptv xttv Q ttfltvj56 : XI'
rR Izyc'oo A; D xt'
lkDvttjm ,'
r ti xa'
t .:* w dzcov x'
l f'rttkle,s?>' '
rv zpdvov
'
k'
ij yevyflf
x el,46 xtsx'ovlctfm
15 In tlze Stoic fragm ents collected by von Arnim not a few exam ples

of the pair ldyog-w 6rlo are to be founfl(see index underthe latterword);

for exam ple III :691: w here l4yo is a com m und syllogis'
trt and K ztog
its sc
'ltem atie repyesentatiozl. The word bzr
zithlsg however does not appear

iu tlle index.
14 BAsul, Contva Sx'
a.
p- '
lm 1, 15: PG 29.5458 -548A .
17 GRXGORV or N yssA. C. A$fAl., 1, jj 4:5-97:PG 45.404.

18 PssuDo-BAsm IDr17YMUSI, PG 29.681B.

19 PSSTJDO-JUSTIN (THEODORETI. PG 6.:392C.
M B ASII., C. A'14.
/,.. 1, 15 : PG 29.5458.

I58

TheX:/f.
fffdt)Asn/Origenism

seeking the mode of existettee (rtl4xo vfig xocxdgel) but the

m aterialsubject ofm an,aboutwhich the reply does little to inform
m e '.

Tllis happens to us w ith the w ord ungenerattd , being taught

thereby the how of G od rather thaa the very nature '':'. That

xgvtzfyk sezves as a synonym for tirrdpls is clear from Contra

E unom ivm II,where any thought antecedent to the Only-begotten's

hypostasis is said to be im possible,as the hypayxis ofthe W ord of

God,who w as in the beginning with God, is above anything conceivable in the line of ancientness 21.

Prestige gives eonsiderable spaee (p.z46f)to the passage from

Pseudo-Basil-Didym us:3 where diverse mades (# existence are-exem plied in Adam , Eve, Abel and Jesus. H oll (p, 245) merely
m entions the pa% age. Only Funk :4 adduces another passage: the

X I fragment on Jolm (I4.z8):Th,6 FdI//leF is grefflfrr tkan I 2. After

exeluding the poKsibitity of quantitative com parison in divinis,
llidym us eozttinues: <<V et if you will say that the rather is greater
beeause ungenerated, while the Son is generated, we will say: the

modes (are) of the substance (obgtfAv) not of tlle existences. And

especially with regard to theunqualified and bodiless,(the modesi

do not diminish the rank (41(a) of consubstantials,granting less
orm ore to thisone orto tllat;forthat which is sim pleas to sulxstance
and knowledge is connaturally unable to be com pared as to m easure
or quantity of size '':6. If now w e take existences as referring to
:1 BAsltj C.E un.
..1. r5: PG 29.548.
:.11-8 2:.!zt lv guvvlxtzp'
oih (kvp
xgl 'rvvcqx, tiD.*x '
t'?ig slo.
gE:
kt? :jlzaluom jvttk. *Au ' o'
lzk 'tv w ztov

'r'
l '
saoo-rtjcpsfo latliq'r/,Tzho'
st
'
ev&v Tl,g,llstzlsx xo: (kv'
V tr
mov x ahhxv '
bxoxeipo ov' 11 apllofi.:to pzavM vetv 8:1 '
t'ij (kaoxoeele. Togso : xat jhav
mzp.pglve:lx xiig xoB J,yevv'/lxov tpow-i x6 aeygxoi;'
A og pau ev 1k(tivivdlv
tfrtsgKv ttttvxohtw tg.

z? lu str. ()..E'
.
l4x..1I: PG 29.5968z5-04: 'AD.
'o'
K 'ov'
?iosxe 11% W v'
qvatlvvouxxoelpvxfpa x1 Ie: Afovoysvogq xogx4ce. flqvv yie xo9 :vvpvov E( vxaKdvnmo kyov lxtvoelolhztAvvlpc l fxapllg fo9 Qeob ho'sov To9
lv J/x: vvo ae6 xv hs6v e:v:bfcexlu
1: P ssuoo-B Asm a C. Jywp.. IA7: PG 29.68:J2.
': P UNK Icivshangesch. W bh.. 111, :2z.

*$ PG 39.1652C.
*6 Dm vMrs n '
agm ent IX : PG 39.z6..
$2C7-:5 : Et t
b fpfllew I
zeqovtx

dm txv rfqvea & $zrfe ye xog, '( Yg w m vg,ee pev Nt'

rflw efxn'
v
o w tsaok,o,
v1v rrziey v xttl pm ltgxtt !.
a1 '
e v aotv xtzk goltlxov, o15x

llaxvofqp '
6$v ua.
v x(Bv poetlcftw,Tf
'
l Elavvov '
ll 'r p'
sllov 'rfpe '
M xiiie zrzwq
xevvv' o yikkh atpvxev 'c l;v olkxv xzl yvosle: J,ztktn-iv, lzw ov 'q xoavq'ru ge'/'o'
ov ovyxptvecm ts.

Ckapter IV.Logos

15t?

ungenerated and geneyated a use conlirm ed in the Basilian passages

above eited, the m odes m ust be in .the substanccs, not the one divine
substance, but the hum an and divine substance wllich are to be

found in Christ, This is Funk's interpretation (p. 32z),,whieh lle

establishes in greater detail. 'rhis being so,ltyparxis is used indirectly ofthe FatherLvngeneyatedjaswellasofthe Son. 'Phe import
of this last rem ark will be evident when we trTat of A m philoehius.

GregoorofN yssa uses the term (ixaplj; or the phrase w aog

tlxdtefm rather frequently. The predominant sense is that found

'

ex-plieity in Clm tra E l4nom ium 111. 6.14 2:: '<The Only-begotten's

existence from the Father''. Once hypostasis serves forkyparxis28.

Tlle fullest place how ever is found in the iirst book ::. It is here
that we Gnd the eontrast between )x6yo fyllottw and spdao lm de-

leg. The distinetion is illustrated'with the diverse ltypayxes of

A dam and A bel, and then is applied to the T rinity. It is quite
clear that betw een B asil and G regory there is idezttity of use eB.

Holl(p.z4zflexpre%ly notes that Gregory does not use the phrase

of the ungeneratedness of the lzather; but that how ever unlogieal,

it would seem to be required by -the equality in tlle 'rri/ity. 'Phis

step, says H oll,w as to be m ade by Am philocllius.
The phrase oeeurs but twiee in th rem nants of Am philochius'
writings:in oration 2.6 and in fragm ent 15 31. 'rhe first is from a

serm on on the Hypapante. In a series ofphrases emphasizing the

paradox of tw o natures in Christ, A m pitiloehius says: ffthe sam e
lxlth babbling child alzd granting urisdom and speech; the one by
17 J.
&.
FAG M, II, 18011: P(7 45..
77.
38.
.
19 C;. h'un. 3.6.33 JAPIGRR,ll, 1874:PG 45.781.
1.
.
.

:9 See note I .
'e For conventence I here tabulate the passages of Gregory in the

order of Jaeger's edition with the received book num ber arld colum n of
M igne 45.in seeontl place.

JA/GIR vol.1: T.216

1.495-97
z.4z
.&.
3..14
3.6.3.5

:
$.6.63

p. 8417

Bk 1-316C

l6If
61:9
z8o:1

1-404
IW 6:$2D
'VI1I-773B

18'
71
197.
1:

VIII-78IA (hypostasis)
VIII-y93A (hyparxiswio out
reference to the Father).

Ref.Conf.Eun.ga 3(Jc1@ 11-50813 (hypar-tjs)

95 333:1 1I-509A (Tt'4=o Y'
EvWjce.
ll'
A1 AMem oelm /s PG 39.538 and zza.

z6o

TIV Rfr/sfaft)s 0/Orfgflsfs.

m

reason of the birth from a virgin,the other by reason of the incom -

prehensibility of (bis)existence ''!a. 'fhis ofeourse fallsin perfeetly

with the use of the term hyparxs sueh as we have seen it in Basii
and G regoo v. The other passage is found in a brief exposition of
the faith, taken from Am philoehius' letter to Seleueus. After stating the m utual indwelling of the divine persons, he contitm es: *4I

worship Jesus Chzist eoeternal with the Father as to Godhead,lm t

subsequent to the rather as to Godhead in the m ode of essence or

existeaee '' (obx otgtag, o;x aflpyrzlg rpaov, velw ov toB Ilaw g'
xal'& x$v Etisqta)a3. As Holl (p.z4.
3l remarks,from this there
can be no sure eondttsion that hypavxis is referred also to tlw
Father. Asto thesense that kyparxishere bears,itis worth noting
that A m philocllius, havirtg applied the above to the H oly Ghost,
continues: <fI aflirm that the Sozt was born apart from tim e and

beghm ings, ever eoexisting (ctwvztdtlmvxtt) with the Father as to

tlle G odhead ''a4. In a m om ent w e sball see that Theodoret speaks
of tize *'coexistence of the three divine persons ''. rud her on in
the sam e exposition Am philoellius says that the consubstantial cannot be a rm ed of one only persou,but of the F ather,Son and Spirit.
'%The differenee,he eontinues,is in the persons, not in thesubstance;
for F atker,Son and H oly Ghostare nam es of a m ode of existenee vr

relation (gzct),notdireetly @alf7) of tlze substanee''>. There

ean be no doubt - attention has shifted from the m om ent of origin
in w hieh the phrase is applicable only to the originated persons to

tlle (logieally) subsequent relation, whieh, of course, is applicable

also to the origillating person.
It is tim e to reiect a m om ent on the im port of this extension

oftheterm . Holl(p.z44)seesin theAmphilochian usea confusion

ofthe conceptskypostasis,proterty (l:txqg) and ydation.and thence
the di culty of establishing a real distinetion in one substance.
It is,I think,a bit hasty to condttde to a etm fusion of coneepts, in

a cetse of intim ately related V rm s,on the basis of two fragm ents.
:1 A M pl.
lrmocm r s, PG 39.5.384-7: T t
flr xe'
krrftmov 'tlfxvlkov,'
t (IT

xgl optplav xct(/,:4g,g.gtwtjxpzsvov. x pv,.

uk'rflv lx Hkmvov yvvqotv,.
z6fi
:$3..
%6 xaxtizarrrev .ra
?i ahrrtiplsog.
B$ AMlqurm cy
m vs -P(7 39.1zzB l3-Q1.
14 ztwllyHrvactlt
a vs, PG 39.:I2Cz-4.
:5 A MPRKT/I?JTTtTS, PG 39.z1aCI4-Iz: 'H vctqloptk v xvogfiaol,ofx

lv vio'
trgtt
l' 1;
livk trlttxl!,Y xgl Hvsijltq x f
'
ly:ov,vvaov '
f?xtkeletts litovv
fugett
v vpuxa,tillv'o'
lg oit7ta alfk .

C/ltz/fc?'fF.Logos

I61

'1Ye di eulty he sees is that inherent in any Trinitarian theology;

nor do I see that it is any the less present irz the B asilian use of the
term than in the A m philochian. 'fhe braee of passages, cited to
instance the continuance of this coneeptualobscurity, w itness celtainly to tlle extension of tlle phrase to a11three pezsons ofthe Trinity,

butnot to an obscurity. The modeof obtaining Txfs/esce (the translation isPrestige's)constitutesnotonly theproperty,but,tm derstanding property and substance together also the person; and founds
the relation. Basiland Gregory ofN yssa, seeing the positive aspect

of se4aog atipyttx used it only of the Son alld ofthe Spirit;but

the Father m ust also have his m ode of existeneea even though it
be expressed negatively:the tm originated originator.
D idym us and Am philoehius, eontem poraries of Basil alld Gre-

gory,testify to this extended use of xpxog xdtjieg. But there

is more. Gregory in ltis Contra 'lzTopl'

l:pl 1. 495-97 (see above
p. :57) has dearly stated tha.
t the spao lztdtefo is correlative
to the w obctqg, illtlstrating identity of nature as being com patible with diverse m odes of obtainirtg existenee in theeaseofAdam
and Abel. Basil had dorte a sim l'lar thing in his Confya Flzlpplfz
lfI I5,izustrating m'ore at length w ith the sam e exam ple. But here

the corrdative phrases ltko obtylt!,

g .. sexog fxdpy are not
nam ed,but specifted at the beginning ofthe passage and '
at the etd .
For the orte we find xl'
j x( lgvkv and for the otlzer B dxfp poxtv 3:.
Then at the end Nvith application to God: B ixfa)g vo9 eot gdn ov

$ e rl)v rllv (pfcrv. (For the context see above p.157).

N ow the distinction p'ut in this way m akes operative a whole
range ofA ristoteliaa doetrine in the service of theology - as to tlze

'rrinity,as to the Econom y,as to anthropology.

W ithout long searches in subsequent authors only an oceasional
instance can be given. Cyril of Alexandria em ploys the term in
his dialogues on the Trinity, in one instanee of the tilree persons

equally and in contrast with oicrlfx, and in another of the eternal

geueration of the Son s7, 'But if only slight ittstatw es are knom t
in 5th century Alexandria, Antioch developes it quite in the sense

of the Cappadodans. 'lAhtts in the Expositio r<cff,: Fdei 3 we ilnd

a coherent statem ent that is substantially identieal w ith fragm ent
d* BAslr., C. Euvt.. 1, 5; PG 2+ 54582,4.
3: QVRIJ., Ds ss. rlfxfl/a,, I and V : PG 75.6971), 97,3D . A third im

stance (H 74oD) is of no interest in tlze present question.

11

I6z

Th6Str/f4ffdpl H Origenism

15 of Amphilochius38. In tlle Qvaestio'

nes :/ responsiones ad prle doxos 139 there is the sam e doctrine, w ith the contrast of pyog

otglag

w ao adtEo, with tlze illustration of Adam , Eve,

Seth. There is som etiting fttrther of n'ote in this passage. It begins: .'G od is one by the coexistence of the three divine persons,
difering from one another not by the essenee but by the m odes of
existence '':9. And a little ftlrther on Theodoret insists on the unalterability of the M yo ogta4e. The word also occurs in the
e'
arlier sense of the rzlode of existence of the Stm or H oly tn tlst in

H aenticarum .Ffzsz
?
,/.
ftzrlf- Compendium V z,3 4t. The frst instaace
in this latter w ork is of som e interest because of the illustration:

fireand itsbrightness. Thebrightness(aqfyagga)hasitsexiatenee

from tlze iire and eoei sts w ith the fire.
In easualreadiitg i.
ttthe Leontii of 6th eentury Palestine 1have

eom e across som e instances in a Christological sense. Leontius of

Jenlsalem in h1s Adversus N estoyianos I Io :: rem arks tltat in

Christ some things happen xag otxevoyltw qtso:... sttltpt,c

p y@
vpdztfp valyfp sfi l(a fjaiesta.So llis birth was such as oursbut
not yow lxg.

Iaontius ofByzantittm knows the exac't term , xpxog xdpkefzx

In the prologue to his A dversus N T,
sftlzo Alps 6t FldycitzAlt)s he set.s
down som e conditions for discucxsion : cme m ust frst recognize tlle
integral persisteazce of the two natures in Christ after the union,
then one can be hlquisitive a'bottt #'their m utualrelation and m ode
of existence '':. rhe term s are present; the exact m ode of th
m ode in question is not evident. Slmuld it be taken of the divhle,
of tite hum an nature alone? Or is there som e thought of a tlteandrie.

m ode?'rltisLeontiuspresentstwo otherinstances ofhyparxis. Btzt,

38 Psslm () JUS'
fIN, Expositio g:ci
ftzl Ftlei. 3: PG 6. l2o9B3-Io.
39 PS/U'
DIIJIJSTJN Qtsaestionesetresponsionrsz?.
# orthodoxos zgp;PQ &
xa92Cz3-I5:Ek tm v 6 W g 11 trttvvatipletxt
'fjv w e v '
A ifav '
flaocltgki
owy'rlv
ua spovclv tku lkfzw m>)xio'
ltq ,tkllft'rek l'iig (r,
idl?ltrq w 4a.
0/.
4: 80th the-setext.s(1m .38.39) are from the Pseudo-lustin. The fzrst
LSBON (RH E 26 (x93o) 536-50) has vindicated for 'Pizeodoret;the second
Bxkzw (DTC':5 (z946) 3.zz) reckons,in view ofits likeness with the fore-

goiug. as m obably of Theodoret.

*1 Tnxopoxth''
r, H arv6tic. Fab. Ctpvl#,AlsN'
f4al V 2 :
5: PG 83.452C = (1
4539 .
41 I oza nls H m noscm . A dv. N ey/pgfozzsw. I 1o: PG 8..
y44zA .
*3 L/ONX'HJS BMz.. .
J1dv. N fvf. et Z'
ll/yc/lfip.: PG 86.1269C10-15.

C'llc/fer IF'.Lngos

I63

cttrious thing, kyfm xis has here the sense of physis. '''l'lte soul,
he says,is circttm scribed by Tf; dyfll '
rsg fadelefl)g''. And later
on,speaking ofuniens;'fsom e even in union preserve xv vg xtjeyq)g hyov ''44. Such a use m ust, I think, be explahled by the
Leontian doctzine of an hypostatlc union of created pedects the body and soul.
'
In chronologieat order I should now com e to M axim us, but I
perm it m ysetf to pass frst to the Pseudo-cyril w hom I'Ioll, tm der

the name and from the text of John Damnscene, cites for being
uncertain in his use of kyparxis. W e have to do with chapters
8-10 of the D 6 sacrosancta Trinitatr4:. In the first passage41 w e
.

ftnd moh p/hyparxis used of generatioh and procession as in Basil

and Gregory, Butthe authoralso

'speaksofungeneratednesst&yevvncta), f'wilich, lze says, does not indieate diserence of essence
btlt m ode of existenee ''. Later still spealring of generation and

procession,he refersto them as mode(# diserence*7. Then artning

that a2 iscom m on to the three,alwaysin derivation from tlle Pathery
except for ungeneratedness generation and procession he says:
''ror in these hyposu tic propeties alene the three lloly H ypostases

djier from one another, divided l divisibly not by essence but by

the charactezistic of each single hypostasis, W e say too that each
of the three has a ped ect hypostasis, but that in three perfec't hym
postmsesthere isone sim ple essence,m ore than m dect, allperfect*'**.
4: L EONTIUS B vz. ibid.1 '
P G 86.T285.
8 4 I304R 2.
1: Ps>iuDo-c'krjup D 6 sltlrtpw Alc// Tyinitatr 8-10:PG 77. I136-45. PRE.

s'
rztj:e God s Patvistic Tltought.p.z63,cf.p.280)dates the work at the beginning of the 8th centunv. Ds G'
IUBSRT (RSR 3 (t9x2) 367) tliscerns a
(lem ndence on cap. 26 of the Dooteina T'
tz/rlAl (hence Prestige's datiag)'
.

but asthis partof tlze collection m ay wellhave been eytant earlier the date
B ut one m ay ask
why does the Pseuflo-cyril consisteutly avoid nam b
'ng any of bis som ces?
ant. t
$:6'4 rrlot
lz is therefore t5.
e m onothelfte controversy.
.4

I)/ GTJIBSIG (p.368)suggest.s ''que noas soyons en prsence d'u:tlpseudopigraphe fabriqu pour1es besoins de la controverse m onothlite ''. But i1z
that ease, could not bne restrict the posslble tim e of com position to the
periocl of tite polttical dnm inauce of Monotlttlitl
'mm , that is from the tim e

of the fullblown controversy (645) to the 6th ecumenical council (681)?

I note that Prestige in his index (p. (
511)says of this work:Q4not earlier
,

than nliddle 7th century ''.

tq Pssvoo-cvm L D: ss.TH s. 8'PG 77.x:6C1z-D 4.
47 I
PSSUJAO-CVZ
RIL D e .
:.
. TgAz. 9.
. 77.
zz4oc lz.

48PSEUDO-CMRII.,D6ss.Tvin.9: PG 7z.Iz4oD8-zI4zA2; *Ev '

mt'
aui
.

'vik pgw k Iftk (lrloo'

ctm xtt'
t.
g lltsvng::l,
tvtftpovtrtv tiu '
jktav ftk tlyfn w gk lao-

z64

TheRejutation t# Origenism
*

The proper characteristic then of each person (wltieh is ungeneratedness,and so on) is the mode of existenee. Little wonder tllat
shortly after he repeats'
. ''W e acknowledge one God, but izl the
properties only of the Fatherhood Sonship and Processiolz do we

understand the differeace,as to eattse and eaused (uhsov,ttlvtatdv)

and as to the pedection of hylw stasis, that is the m ode of existence ''.
19

'rhe rst aad last passages cited are those contrasted by H ollO
to dem onstrate a laek of darity in the Greek tradltion in the wake
of Am philochius. Clarity - the texts speak for them selves - is
not lacking. One m ight wish for a further elucidation of how tllere
ca.
u be three persons itlone substance- alw ays a profound m ystery '

and that Pseudo-Uyril had worked a liu le witlt the concept of re-

lation which wasto be found in Am philochius (see above p.160).

M axim us and Logos-Tropos
H ow does M axim us fit illto tltis tradition ? 'lY ere are two questions: w hat use of the distinction does he m ake in llis exposition of
the T zinity; and: w hat use does he m ake of it ilz general?
In som e 4o instanees of the pair M y'o - litlaog that I have
noted in M axim us, there are but tlzree thett occur in a 'frinitarian
eontext. The frst is found in M yst a:.
)-7oIA . God is m onad xax

xv rlg obctag lil'otto9 Etvfzl h ov and triad xcxlkvv l'ohaf

x xatyxetv xat f(m cdvtzs w daov. 'flzis last m em ber with its use of the

verbalform for hypastasis iudieates the way for a sure Trinitezrian

interpretation ofeertain passages. imb 67-14001)f explains monad

and triad in the sam e fashion. Am b I-Io36C is cast in the sam e

m old:lyog,elvtzs% r the m onad respond to tpdaog,atk Elva,afi)

fyaitkt/trt'o:x o'
ig.
,14 zpeoxnlpwxlxf
p I'
l11$(0'
H olvdsgttw flkawvcs lcttkmtEvcu. W ttv / pxqccov '
rv w e v xEletav dxew '
I
h oxtttxv (...),3.)? v
w kck xtrkefa!
, faocxficect yttw o'
fltzv t'ia'
lv fzfsoxel'
l xcl cr,
tzu lesov.
19 Pssuoo-c'
k'lta De ss.Frio.zo:PG 77.II44A7-Iz (for completeness
d . atso rz,37B):eEva yt)
,
o'
A '
v 'fwtflcxepev,lv gvab 'rg.
k ltslmc;t 'r'
ij xs
atzw dxntog >,
i xfig '
tll6vqxeg,xtlt '
r'fi dxrroefcf
zz,xlx;tk '
ri; x 4utov xat x6 ft1xyttxv,xttt e vhaov vl 'fpxooxfiueto,'
lhot'rv vlq ('rrl yfzv w daov,'
rjv ktxtFoetkv l'
vvmogysv.

5e H orm, A m pltilocltius. p. c44; PG .

77.1t.
36CIzf artd II44A 7f (notes
46 and 49J.

Ckapter IU.Logos

I65

t,t/etudvtxt for the triad. '

fhe Basilian distinction is lzereto the fore.1.

Asan instaneeofhow theverbalform ofkypostassm ay beused with

hypchstatizing eGect in Trinitarias passages, see Thal I3-z96B and
cap ie'3-II78B.
Thisdistinction ofessenee and m ode is fundam ental. A s a forceful expression of b0th its m em bers I take the following from Am b
42:T'Every innovation,to speak genelically, lm s naturally to do with
the m ode of tlze innovated thing but not w ith the logos of nature;
because a logos innovated eorrupts the nature. as not retaiuing
unadulterated the logos according to wltieh it exists;but the m ode
hm ovated, the logos being preserved ill its nature, m anifests m ira-

culous power'' (Amb 4z-I3jIDI-6). Clearly tbis is a fundam ental

law . The expressions of it are freqnent. See, for exam ple, in this
sam e di calty: Am b 4z'
.I3cpA ; 13458 .* also Am b 3I-Iz8oA ; A m b
I5-IzIgA ; Am b ,
56-I289C. A eonsideration of som e of these pms-

sages makes quite evident that the logl)s ()/natursm ay be preselved

with a considerable margin of variation in the tropos ol exfs/eAlt):.
Yor the physical order titis m ay be seen iu Am b I5-I2I7A :there is
the m etaplzysicalessenceentirely im m utableand tllereisthe constaut
lltlx ofproperties and aceidents, For tlze m oralorderthe sam e is set
forth in Am b 4z-I:
$z9A-B 7,which com pletes the docktritle of Am b 7
at Io84BC. H owever in som e passages tltis'divem ity in*the tropos
is exp'ressed by a scale of approxim ations to the suprem e Logos,
it not being always easy to fx the exaet gradations. I irzstance
'rhala-agz. The enstting laek of transparent luddity is dtte in part
to the double, we m ay so speak, preexistent logos of the rational
creature - I m ean that which determ hles his essence and that which
is his destiny. But I have not here to develope this aspect:2 of
the M axim iart dottrineThus the distind ion of logos-tropos is seen already to be of vast
im port:it m akes possible the developem elzt of a safe doctrhte of the
Trinity, of graee, of divinization. The frst, in M axim us, is confessedly ofa quite seeondary intezest. Theseeond, how ever,is prim ary,
but does not stand alone. In fact it depends, as the context of
the passage above translated testifes, on the doctrine of'the
Incanm tion.

sz See above p. z5g.

53 See below note 62.

I66,

T& Relwtatiottf# Origenism

So now if we seek exam ples of titis distinction in the iaterwzitings w hich hav:
e received the im paet of the Christologlcal controversies,the chrity and htdsiveness with w hieh the prindple is e-xpressed are only euhanhuxd,
ProceM lng ehronologieally, I instanee the unique Christologieal
A m biguum . M axim us states: 'TW e know that one thing is logos

of being and another the mode of qualifed being ( soi xfkg

slvftkw xog),the one assuring the nature the otherthe eeonomy ''
(Amb ,
5-Io5z:6-9). It is repeated sholily thereafter (Io53BII-I4)
and the followhzg column (through Io56D) is an applieation of it
to the notorius th6andric M :rgy of D enis.
From the later controversial w ritinr I eite but one: <'A s being
som e thing not as being som e one, each of us principally operates
that is as a m an;but as som e one as Peter or Paul he gives form to
the m ode of action -- m ore or less hltensively, this way or that
he determ ines it as he wills. H ence in the m ode the changeability
of persons is klzown in their activity,in tite log*o the inalterability

of natural operation '' (%*P Io-I37A3-II).

There is here qttite d early indicated the cltief point in tlte tlzouenergistie and m oaothelite controversy:willalld operation are ofthe
natare; tlte particular is act and choice of the person. It is this

doetrine whieh Maximus made to prevail against Pyrrhus (TP z83o8D) and still that which the Pseudo-cyril has taken over and
ckm dsely expressed :3.
K nowing the im portanee of the distinction ldyog tpfigEtzu -

p zlog xdpyfz'g in M axirzms I have endeavored to show its an-

tecedents (some at least) in patristic teaching. An tmderstanding

of the doetrine of logos Ls im possible unless this distinction is kept
always in m h d. 1 have tlzezlby the foregoiag exposition lightened
the explanation w hich I nm st now give of the logos doctrine in tlle

M ai mian arr m ent against Orkenism .

B.Looos AND THE U NITY olpCRSATION
M y aim is not to expottnd the com plete M axim ian doctrine
concerniug logos. A s the Greek word is itself polyvalent, so the
docttine attached to it is polym orphous. M y aim ratlteris to adhere

:$ P SICIJDO-QYRK

D 6 ss. TFfAl. 2o : PG 77.l160.

Chattvev IV.Logos

t67

closely to the text of Am b 7 and to the logos doctrine as it is there

developed to com plete the reftltation of Origenism . A s the ana'lysis
progresses I shallhave occasion to com m ent on the previous studies
that turn on the logos doctrine s*.
'fhe M axim ian developem ent of Iogos in A m b 7 Ls intim atdy
conditioned by the passage he is com m enting and by the erroneous
itlterpretations w hich the Origenists lm d m ade of it. Gregory had
said:'fwe,being a portion of God and slipped down from above ''.
In this the Origenists had seen their honad and its dispersal consequent on sin. M axim us'could not, as m odertt authors m ay som etim es do,adm it an error in'his author. Tllis author was the F/?,
:@logian. Besides there was at the begim lillg som e kit
'zd of unity in

Clzrist (cf.Tiual 6o);and the philosophical problem of the one and

the many (underlyillg the Origenist error) also legitimately called
for som e answ er. M axim us w as constrained tilerefore to give som e

positive eontent to the phrase portion 0/ God.

But.not oaly this. The rest: slipped down #t)vl above, even
as it necessarily im plies som e sort of prim itive union,so it the m ore
im periously exaets an explanation not only of that unity but also
of the aetual state of m 'm hz regard to that unit'y. 'rhe answer
then orz the wimle m ust be theologieal or existentia'1. A m ere philosophkal explanation of lgos will not su ce :*.
It witlnot be nece.ssary here to repeat tlze analysis of the logos

argument that I have given in the frst part of tilis stvdy (above
p.z6). W hatI have now to treat ofis found in Amb 7 Pal't One,
II,III aztd in Amb 4z Digression z (Amb rIog7C-IO85C;42-132517z336B). rirst note that logos does not staad alone. Mavimus
begins: '.W ho, knoweing tha)
t by logos attd wisdom thugs were

*t The only direct study is that oi I.-H .D v l

stz s:L@ //lzbri, des r'Iogoi'' dn tirtftzfaAw chez' S . M la
v-, le Cblz/zrsdzr
,
ze RSPII'IY .
36 (1952) 244-49.

VoN BALTHASA.
R has som e interesting '
pages (K L 84-96/71-80; Cyiticism.
d6 l'.(4V/Ft4j*gl and IkossKv (Essai .1e 1a. Thologie v4yx
/gl: 616 l'Xgl.
=
d'Oyitmi tparis 1944) pp.90-95, z4o). The notably Origenian (loctrine Logos-P-e lf;a Logos-soriptuva fwogcw-fu/iuzf;i(cf.Amb 48) - 57111 uot
.

enter our present eld of study anll so neither voN BAI:TEASAR'S D ie (M 0stisohsn (Q Alfuezrx.
55 It is here that .vo Bwuzllz
ksxlps use of tids paasage (K L 87f/73f)
is at fault not at all recognizing the antiorigenist cmst of the w hole. N ote

also the mistranslation on p. 88/74: bxslneqpvqt

.
u the negative theology
oftlze Logos is 6xct'
ttdod from coltsideration (Amb 7-1081Bzo).

I68

TheR6jutation f# Origenksm

brought hlto beiug from non-being by God...'' (Amb rIo77CIf).

This is not a easualphrase;he repeats it t&viee in this rst explanation

(Amb 7-1085A5 and C8). He makesa greatpoint ofitin thesecond

Digression of Amb 4: (I3z9D). 'l'he inference drawu from thefact :
that the world was m ade with logos and wisdonz is that the aet of
creatiou was a free ad of the ordered w ill. Doubtless the couple

rests on W isdom 9.z,z:God p/ th6 Flf/ldrs and f-pgff oj msrcy,y'Atl

m akestaIltkings by fAy woyd f1,
?7.: by f#y wisdom #f#.
W taskon man...
T he com plex of ideas.here involved has its ow n history. Plzilo w as

the fu'st to join Scripturalteaehing with Greek philosophy in regard

to the doetrine of the w ord and wisdom 1B. 'rhe direct influenee of
Philo on M axinm s is not to be excluded. Von Balthasar57 has
found evidence therefore. But the key pbsition here is the idtqzti-

fcation of the Son, the Johanniue Logos, as the place or region

of ideas. 'l'his was the work of the M exandrian selmol and is
found in Clem ent :,

FirzfExplanation oj Logos Doctrine

'l'his frst explauation (Amb 7-Io77C-Io8:CzI) is developed in

a som ewhat cyelic m ovem ent,where the phases save for the fourth,

are marked by dtations. 'lle fil-st phase (I'

o7yC-Io8()Az)statestlle
m ultiplicity in unity and unity in m ultiplidty, ending witll tlle
strong a rm ation,referred to the Solz and Logos,of Col. 1.16 that
46 On tlte histol'y of the logos dod ritle see e-speeially LSISSGANG, in

PAI/I.Y-W ISSIIWA-KR(:mL. 25 (1926) Ioa5-8I (for H eraelitus 1049, for the

Stoa zo55, for Jewish theology 1069). P.H RINISCH (D6r .S%/l$I.
J Philos
tw / 6lQ Jlfysfe clwistlicke ,Eb
.
vdp zl, M itnster z9o8. p. 137-39) gives a brief
historicalsam m a'
ry of tlze doctrine. F'
or Philo one m ust now consultW oI.Fsow's treatise: P hilo, vol.Iyehap IV #G OII the w orld of Ide% , and.the Logos '' and chap. VI,I ''The Im m anent Logos ''. O1i Logos and wisdom

see pages 253-82 and :87-89. W blzsox (p. 2:

$If, 239, 287) tleparts from
aceeptttl interpretation of Philo in postulating an existence of Logos and
pow ers in two stages before the creation of the sensible w orltl that is t'one
from eternity as a propezty of God and the other as som etlzing createll by

God ''(p.z39). Iftbks be wellfounded,it should be noted for an eventual

history of tlle Palam ite distinetion of essence aztll pow el's. There is som ething sdm ilar iu Psstm o D m cs, D N Iz.6-95.3;cf.K L 93f/78.
H VoN BALO ASAR .1d6 t7>. Cent. pp. 96-98 adduces two ehapters

('rhoec z.83,8j) whez'

e direct dependeuee on Philo seemsindabitable.

'* For thls iflentlfeation see B :

klcks. G . Clem ente .4 lessandvino in

E'
nciclopediA Cattolica,111. (Citt de1Vaticano 1949) I8loa.

Chapt6y %F.Logos

169

all are u eated in him . 'flkis m ultiplidty of things is due to the

lim itless digerence and diversity ofthings togetherwith their unconfased individuality. On the other hand the m ultiplicity of essences
is seen as one by the uncozlfusing reference of all to the one hypostatlc W ord. It is here that the accent falls on the W ord with the
citation from Col. I.16:in wkom aIl things 7zgr: m ade.

The second phase (Io8oAz-BII) developes the presidence of

theW ord atthemaking ofa11creatures(thelogoiofallarepreexistent
irlthe Logos and are realized aceordiag to llis will)and his presence
in them , tkoug: infm itely above, in w hom a11 creatures proportionately participate in God. M axim us is still speaking in Ahe essential

order (therefore not of the existentiak the order of graee), as the

speeifkation ofthepyoportionatdy shows,thatis'aceording to m inda
reason, sense, vital m ovem ent or som e habitual ftne-ss ''. It is
here that M axim us refers the w hole preeeding doctrine; preexistent

logoiand particv ation of existents in the Logos,to Denis. DN

5.$-7 answ ers very well to the tone of the M axim ian argum ent. It
too proceeds on the essential ievel. There ean be no question that
M axim us' reference te D enis is veritied' but in this instance there
is nothing to iadicate a partieular dependence ofthe Confessor '
fhe
one is speaking in anrallusive way of the padicipation of prim e seeondary causes in the first'the other of the partieipation of existent
essences itlthe W ord.
.

W ith these two phases tlle m ode in which we m ay 'Iy poytions

t# God lms been explained;butnow the Gregorian and slipped #o7z?Ar
jrom above is instant for reeognition: 'rhe third phase (zo8oBII-

Io8IA5)here givessatisfaction. The anjweristhatwhen the angelic

or hum an m otion is wholly in accord with its logos preexistent in
God and hasno desire for otherthan its own source,then thatperson

willbe itlGod - lv Ei) ysvjgsvqt:E'

kagrian and Maximian phrase
for the sum m it of Christian life - nor w ill he slip down from him .
'rhis is a return to aud a reconstitution of the word norm ative of

his creation (t$v xeg xv xa> v lxxlcn lyov Jvov vir xtxl
tlaoxfzvdnvctv):9. This is quite enough to show that we have
now passed from the essential level to the existential w here the
supernatural obtains Grst tonsideration. 'rhis transit is doubly asH A m b g-zo8ocz1. T lzis m ay be reckoned as a taeit refutation of the

Origenist apocatastasis by giving an acceptable sense to the term in regard

to the consum m auon of things.

z2o

2-Aelbelutation n/Origenizn%

sured by the rderenee to attaining the divineskopos(ro8oCI4,Ir).

*1*his skoposrecurs repeateclly in the iirstsections ofthe Liber Ascts
ticus, signifyirig the Ineanm te dispensation; but in Tlzal 6o-6zIAB

lkfaximas explal s at l ght that the divine skopos is preeisely tke

m ystery of Christ, hidden from before the founding of the world.

He defilles this skopos ms an end t'Phal 6o-6zIAIo) in the words of

E vagrius that he had used above in Am b 7-zogzc4 B@.

In this Q'
uestion 60 Maximus explicity distinguishes the two
ordel's. 'fowards the end he says:f'rbr of a truth it was neeessary
that the m aker itt'nature of the essence of things should becom e

also theefector(A tovty)by graceofthedeifeation ofthe beings

nzade;ia order thatthe giver of being slzould appear also asbestower

(4aetgvtx) of ever-wembtxing '* (Thal 6o-6z4D$-9). 'lthe reference'

here to bdng and ever-welt-bring leads us to a passage itz Am b 42
where the triad being,well- or im being,ever-bdng is developed at
length. I quote it in full:''O f allthngs that do or w illsubstantially

ex-ist...the logoi,frj'nly fxed,preexistiu God,itlaceordance with

which a11tllings are and have become azld abide,ever drawing near
through naturalm otion to their purposed B1logoi. '
Ilhey (thethings)
o

6: 11the secotd pltase, Am b 7-Io8oB4, M a'xim us speaks of the W ord

tt.
s recapitulating a11 tllings (Eph, 1.10). In Thal 6o-6zrAz5 the m ystery
of Qhrist is the recapitulation. One could therefore object against my
inteapretation that already it tlze secoud ph% e M axim us wxs speaking
without distinction of the essentialorde.r anf
.
l ofthe existential.EutStPaul

also (Rom .I3.9)usesthe word in the cu'rrentgram matiealsenbeofsumm ary.

T he w ord fts as ped ectly in a eontext of the essential order as il'
tthat of tlte
existential. M ore of a proofis neetletl to prove that M axim us in the seeond
phase is already in '
the existential order. Undoubtellly it is characteristic
oftlze logos doetriue that tlzere is a perfect ease of transition from one order

to tie other - a transition not always '

rem arked perhaps b)r the autlmr
lzim self.
el Ktz'ri k
wt
sfrgtv. Cf.Rom .8.28. M axim us is anxions to prove that
there is notlting adventitious in God as the context am ply (lem onstrates.
In this context Jw tstetjtg generally refers to the divine intention with regard

to the ex ential logos and ereation. But in the passage here translate; a

distillction is at least implied between suciz an erssentiallogos (ontologieal

ortler) and.a prophetie Iogos (proviiential order) whieh referstotheattaium ent of tlte end,t w ell or i11 everlasttng being. T ltere is thus a basis a
hint at a doctrine of predestination. O n the sense of zrptsecrt in St. Paul

atlcl for Origen see the artiele Pydnstination in DTC Iz (t935) 2812 and
1%27 (Otuosx,In Rom ..8.:8 Lib.7,7 and.8). Cf.also the seholion in Ps.Den.
CH II.2 - PG 4.93. According to LossKv Llua N tlft)Al 4e.
% 'Anatogies'

Chaptr IP.Logos

I7I

are rather constrained to being and receive, aceording to the klatl

and degree of their eleetlve m ovem ellt and m otion,either well-behtg
because of virt'ue and direct prop-ess in regard to the Iogos by which
tlley are,or ill-beit'tg because of the vice and m otion out of arm oay
with the logos by which they '
are. Or,to put it coneisely: according
to the having or the laek, in tlzeir natural partieipative faeulty,
of bim whe exists by ztature com pletely aud unpartidpated and who
proffers hilnselfetztire sim ply alld graeiously by reason of lzis lim itless
goodness to a11 the wo hy and theunworthy,prodttcing the perm anence of everlasting being as eaeh m an of him self has been and is

(then)disposed. Forthese the respective paicipation or impartidpation of the very behlg, w em being and ever-being is the inerease

and augment of punishment (rtyt:t)((t) for those rtot able to participate and of enjoyment for those able to participate '' (Amb
42-I3z9AI-Bg)
In the above passage the distinetions of the m erely physical
and m oral are well m arked. W ithin the latter order M axim us does

not here bring out the dlstinetions between the tlatural and the
sttpernatural;he has the existent the supernaturalorder only before
llis m lnd's eye. Y et that the distinetion is present in M axim us'
thought and im plidtly in this lolzg eitation, other texts witatess as

tlzat from Thal60 '

witllwhiellI V gan'the foregoing paragraph and
another from Thal 64-7z4CD ,where M axim us speaks of the natural
1aw in itself.
..
T he third phase is d osed w ith a citation frpm B asil's com m entary oa Isaias e2 regarding the trtte Sabbath rest.

The fourth phase of the iirst explanation (Am b p Io8IA5-CII)

rehtrns, to enlarge apon som e points already m ade and to repeat

the statement ofthe firstphase. The frstpazt (Amb 7-Io8zA5-B8)

m akes 1wo points. 'rlngs do not al1 exist ia act at ollee,w ith their

idems in God;rather he who is always creator brings thinys into being

in their proper time (ef.from the 2nd phase Io8oA6). The reasoa
citezDusy.
s1e Fsdhulo-zlr/t
pjltzgf/hfr,Avchivesd'hist.J()tl/r.etlitt.Jx M A 5 (zt)3o)
aool,3oz)tlle passage Amb 7-Io84A is to be interpreted in the light oftitis
distinction.

'

63 BASIr.,.lzlIsaiamp I (v.J3)j 5o:PG 3O.I7701I-D4. M aximus cites

witlz the nam e of the author and treatise. Thls treatise whose Basilian
authenticity has been quesh oned w as know n therefore ia the 7th century

lm der Basil's name. See DavttsessE, Rev. bib. 42 (19.33) I4sf.

z'
/z

The Relutatil)n (?JOrigenism

is tlmt God and creatures carm ot be together. This presentation

iw faulty; the di culty w hich M axim us urges is the impossibility
that there be a eoexistenee of the flnite :8 and in6nite - that is,
it would seem ,an etenm lexistence ofthe realized IogoiirtGod. Im
sisting then on the incom parability ofthe finite and infnite, and that

tke negative f/lTplpgy of the I'

Fbrtf is not here to be considered (Amb
pzo8zB8-I$),he repeats the statement ofthefrstphase. Butthis
tim e the m ultipliity in unity - the one togos is m any - is qmatifetl
as a creative and conservative procerssion of the one into beings'
and the unity in m ultiplieity - the m any logoiare one - is qualifed
4.
as a convertive, guiding referenee and providence of the m any
to the one, as it were to an am powedul eenter,precontaining the
sourcesofit.
s raysand gathering them alltogether ''B4. 'rhe additions
here,over and above the Erst phase,a11 accentuate the N eoplatonic,
the Proclan fgures. The im age of the center and rays is found in
:3 In his salm m ary of this finitentss M axim us says;''A11createllthings
in their essence and origin (x(tx'oglt
w Ts xat W vsgtv) are lu every wee
said to be contairted by thdr proper logoiand by those of outside things
.

whte.h relate to them '* (wk tilot xat xo'

q ztek (til;
?t o'
llct Tt7v lxv ktketg
Jrzptudgeva - Amb p ro8IB8-to), As it stant'
ls the passage needs further elucidation. This we fnd in Am b z5-I2I7A . There M axim us distinguishes an im m utable and nm table asm cts in tllfngs. The one assures
tkat a m aterial thing never varies from its physical property, the essence
strictly'the other regards m ovem ent whic.h is a eonstant :t17:at:d reux m'
ovem ent is a plletm m enon of generation ancl corruption. H ere A ristotelian induence is at work;or perhaps im m etliately only that of Gregory of

N yssa fd . W m sw t:w

A . A . The N atave t# H gtman A'xtlypztdz

r
fr aooovdiytg

to Saint GAzjr/r'y oj Nyssa Bvashington I95z) diss. p. 72f). Sum marizing

M axim us says: f'A11 beings by the logos by whieh they weze brought to
being mzd are. are pedectly firm and im m ovable; by tke logchs of tidngs

setn as relatetl to them (-@ It

%v aeek tt'
frt '
:stx ovpiv.
e u ytpl, by which
the econom y of this universe is wisely held together and, condncted a1l

tbhtgs meve and.are umstable '' lxtmb x5-Izz7Az3-B3). It js after tlzis

.

that b.e introduces lzis argum ent against the henad schem atized in the triatl
gim esis, kinesis sfttss. Tlke kiytesis w hieh he has dlstingnished from an
absolutely im m utable ground is also m oral m ovem ent.
Tllis distinction
is com plem entary to tlzose of tke logos of beings wellor illbeing, and ever
belng.
'

:4 Amb 7-Io8tC:
J-7: xqs?te x'lp ek nbq '
yq 'tt'
;v zvokkt'
lw l'zturpecm x'
i'v
're xak gewtxyo'
pxabv dw molzv xthXa,
Lxevottw,Jgztee tt d'
ex'
yrtctv'
roxvttw ptx'
v

@j xvw ov '
rfiv !1 (lfrroiiE'
H se v G g cl,ex4k apoeklqpg xtzk tk rttkm ow ovvay'tk ,eV oaglv 2

Ckaptsr IV.Logos

1g3

D enis, in the chapters to w hich he has already referred and w ill

again refer :.
rinally in a single sentenee '
M axim us gives the substanee of his
explanation:''W e are and we are said to be a portion ofGod because
ofthe logoi of our being wllich preexistin God;and again w earesaid
to be slipped from above because we have not been m oved according
to the logos forebeing in God,according to which we cam e to be ''

(Amb pIo8zCpII).
'flle wllole of this Erst explanation has nothing in its elem ents
of any oziginality; yet in the whole M axim us has so sittm ted the
origin and end of m an that a11 the criticalpoints of doetrine are assured. 'lh e great suppleness of the logos doctrine izl the text of
Amb 7 has hhldered as elear an expression of the relation of natttre
and grace as westenl theologians usually desire. The whole explanation is sim ilar to, but far preciser than the D ionysian doctriue
in DN 5.5-7. This M axim us him setf recognizes in his reference

to Denis at the end of the second phase (Io8oBIo). It isperhaps

for tlzis reason that the secxm d explanation he offers is irtspired in

its Erst prinei/e directly from Origen. It mightthusperchance

be m ore esective in turniilg tlte Origenists from their elw r.

Second Explanatio.
n ol f& Lq os Docfr-

This second explanation (Alnb 7-I()8zCIT-Io85A6) begins; ''If

the one W ord of G od is indubitably the essence of virtue in eaeh
m an,...every m an,participating in virtue with a xed habit,tm ques-

tionably partieipates in God...'' (Amb pIo8zCI4-D2, D9-II).

Now M axim us defends his propositien eiting z Cor. 1.30: Christ
,

'
If//la was Antpzf: for ws by Gotl wisdom ,rfgk/ztlifszl,s.
s and sanctification,
flAI,tf redsmption;and then com menting that Christ is wisdom itself,
and righteeusness and holiness itself. pot m erely attributively as

with men:a wise m an... Now Origen,in eomm enting Jolm 1.14,
had said: 4'12or the substantial righteousness itself is Christ ''B6.
O D N 5.6-8(
zIA . See also Tho ec 2.4 w ith the com m ent of vox BM .TRASAR, D ie Gx. Cnt. zog.

B4 Is i'otzn. (1.14) 6,.40 GCS, Origen IV IPRSUSCRRNI p. I151.1:flyie

ulrcovxtnoo't
'wq &h ollcsfGq Xpuzvtk ltntv Sim ilarly In .lr,vz.lm m . 15.6 GCS
Oligen I11 (KLOSIXRMANN) P. 13012;d.also IA; Ioan.(13.2) 32.I1, P,444:,3
and p.44;I,
n Isltl,Azhom .5.IGCS OrigettVIII IBASHRSNSIp.z63.

Tl%eAtr/lftzfo,lt)/Oriqensm
Of course M axim us m ay not have drawn directly on Origen for this
idea e7' the faet rem ains, the thought is thoroughly O rigen's. In

the eontext of the phrase just ited Origex had developml the idea
that our righteousness and so on is derived from Chris'
t, though not
in term s of participation. A nd in fact M axim us passes at once to
a consideration of sueh partieipation view ed from a sueeessive grasping of the beginning and end w hich are the sam e com prellended

i:t the skofws of the thing (I'0843.6). Now .4as to the beginning,
a man receives'by partidpation the naturalgood ((
ly(z4v) with his
behlg; as to the end, he zealously aecom plishes his course tow artls
tlle lyeghzning aizd souree, without deviation, by m eans of good will

(yvfg'
q)and choice (atkoalpegw) and from God reeeives deifcation,
adding to the naturalgoodness of the imageB. (r@ xttF dxvtz tpftmt
xallthe elective likeness through the virtues by remson of the implanted transition to and fam iliarity with his own proper beginning

and source ''(Amb 7-Io84A6-I4)G9.

Certainly w e have here a fairly distinet elaboration of the process of deication. M axim us w ill now enlarge uporz it, using the

triple distinction we have ourselves just enlarged upon in the iirst

explanation. For the foregoing is confirm ed by the Apostle's word:

In plfAzlwe 1iv6 and '

pltm: and havetlf4r being (Acts I7.z8). Now each
of these term s M axim us sets in relation with the logos of a m an preexisting in God. Beiug is referred to the logos of being,m ovem ent

to that of wembeing,life'to that of ever-being lAmb pIo84BIrg).

Ilz the (liscussion and passages cited above this triple distinction
w as abtm dantly evident,yet withottt a hint that it m ight lx referred
to the determ hling logoi. 'ro m y knowledge this reference is m ade
in tlzis passage only; nor is it overly surprising. For to deal at
length with it would be to treat ofpredestination,forw hich M axim us'
w hole fram e of m iad and life did not prepa'
re him . H abitually he

looked at alltllings from the point of view of the divine skopos the realization of m an in the Incarnate dispensation. The reverse
67 Gregory of N yssa speaks of Tfy svtfp v as ufsxiy (lw onl. In
lswl. V II: PG 44.72417 ult. In a w ord the O rigerzi@n iflea 'm ay also be
fotm d izl G tegory'
.

*B Image tzptf Iikenrss. The subject has attracted not a few authors
in the lmstfew yeaz'
s. The M axim ian use doesnot seem to be constant. This

is a190 thejudgementofLoossN (p.4z27). See Qhar3.25;4.70,

.to Loossy's
references add Thal I-a69A ' Thal 64-728.
A.'
, T P z8-324D .
89 O n tjzis passage, see above n. 6,.

Ckapter IV.Logos

:75

of this realization,failure and the possibility, the reality of eternal

punishm ent;these he recognized but an explanation of them he did
not venture.
H aving established then the principle of our partid pation in
Cbrist through virtue M axim us once m ore developes the them e '

the divine skopcs:<<lzor,he 'condudes, God's W ord and God wills

ever and in a11to effeet the mystery of his embodiment ''(Amb 7Io84CI5-Dz).
Thus one is part of God'but to slip dow n from above is lm reasonably to desel't one's proper source and results in a radieal disorder and inseeurity of body and soul,being a choiee of the w orse

in place of the better (Amb g-Io84Dz-Io8$-A6).

M aximus'fbjezlse ot Afs Logos Dt/c/rf;:
M axim us has thus fnished his present discussion of the logos
doctrine and given an adequate sense to the hlerim lmnted passage
from Gregory. H e eould then leave the qtla tion and pass on to

the next part,tlze corroboratjon of the position take!t by eitations

from Gregory. But no;lle hms referred his doctritle onee to Denis
he now w ants to adduce a passage in eonfirm ation of the doctrine
ofthe logoiin itsdynam ic aspect. It is D N 5.8-8240 7@. H ere D enis
V@The passage (Amb 7-Io85AI3f) has been frequently discussed (lue
to the citation from Pantaenus or (llem ent. T he discussioa hms been sum -

marized by STAEHIJN (GCS Clem ens Alex.III '

(z9o9) p. Lxv). It is neecl1- to go over the grouncl again. H ow ever I nzight note that the phrase

those e o'
l:l Panta nous can be un4erstood as periphr% tie for tize m rson
nam ed. See tlte article zuw l in Ios 0 1 :1' exam ples can esily be fom l;

in tize work ofCyrilofScytlzopolis (8.g. Vita Euthymiied.SetwAztliz (TU

49) p. 281:,4zl7) also in Barsanuphius, his contem m ral'y (PG 86.9ooA8).
Gram m atically therefore we m ay understand either Pantaenus or Ilis assoeiates. Clem ent personally is out of the question. If M axizzm s had
lheant ltim the whole citeum locution is pointlesj; tlze phrase m otlifying
Pantaenus can only serve as explanation of som ething unknow n. N or
tlots the fact noted by H araack - tllat P alltaenus left nothing in w riting
affect the question ' for doubtless the passage cited w as found as a cita-

tionjn sonze Tzork ofClelnent.

As to the extent of the citauon' STXH/IN (0*.cito 224) gives dovzu
to asaolqxev (xo85Brc), Probably he Ls rigizt;for it is here that M axim us
unm istakably intervexes w ith his two Scripture texts.

But the suggestion

of a break - voN BAIJHASAR IK L 9019/753) speaks of an intervention of

176

Th6Rtr/uftzfft)l otOrigenism

aAirmsthatthelogoiofthugs are also ealled divinn twi/'/s (<a E),jlm w l. Thatthe creation was not a necessary product of God's
power, but resulting from his B411, is 1zo novel doctrhle Vt. Both

Clem ent and Origen are very explleit itt this regard ?2. M axim us
too elsew here 7: sim ply refers ereation to the divine w ill. V et it
is not in this sim ple and, am ong Christians, universally accepted
positiollthat the im poztance of the passage lies;it lies rather irttlze
union m ade of t'
he Iogoi and the divine wills. W hat was in D euis

an alternative phrase for the paradeigmata of things has becom e

a single phrase in the words of a late gth eentury author: '.Eaeh

thing comes to be aecording to God's effective thought'' (g($ttl t'

ijv
elqftxhv qtl'o: Vvvotqv)74. In this view the logoi are not, as
it were,inert rnodels but the veo -c'reative power of.God,realizing
itself in the ereature. W e have already seen how ,in the M axinzian

thought,allis dominated by the divine skoposto such a degree that

it is at tim es di cult to distinguish, in singte pasM ges, the diverse
elem ents. 'riiis is m ore than evident in a passage discussing Rom .

1,20: Foy /& invisible things t# him,/r()A?lthe tir:flft?Al 01 f/l: world,

tzr: clsarly s,es, being zfzlsltzs/pcd by J/le thngs /AgIJ ars v (IA :kis tr/ez'-

'
nal /t?:eez'also and divinity. Maxim us com m ents; 'fThe logoi of
beings prepared before the ages hz God'
he knows how ,behlg in, as .

visible (itisthe eustom of the divine mastersto callthem good u4lJ&)

are clearly being seen and tm derstood from the tblngsthat are m ade
For all the things m ade by God irz nature, being considered by us
.

Hlowingly (yvfptnkxfli) with due scienee, anrlotuzce to us secretly

the logoiaccording to which they eam e to be;and at the sam e tim e

m anifestwith them selvesthe divine skoposin theirregard,according

to tlze text: TIV k tzp:zls declare //?z glory t# God and th6 JrzzlflAzlTpf

announces f/l: work t# his /llAlffs (Ps.I8.c). Bttt the etem al power
and divinity is tlze Providenee, preservative of things, and the ae-

Maxitn.
us - after flvnhxhtx veoo'
o'
tt: (to8585,SG HXIN, P.22421) is reasom
able;lmwever it would be Clem entfntervening to complete the words f his
m aster. If this be so, the zrpogu E xal 'rog M yo'
tl 'rfl Efloyov has certaiuly m ore m eaning.
7: Cf. IVANKA H ellenisohes axtf Ckvistliches..., p. 44f.

:3 CLsM.AlaX. Pyotvep.63.3 (GCS Clem .Alex.1 S'

IAHAIN.p.4816f).
ORIGEN,In I Xcgv,I.Ir (GCS Origtm VIII BAISIIRIINS,p.211-7).
7: See for exam ple Am b 7-Io8oA .3 and Am b 42-z3z8C I.

:4 Psstroo-cvm re Ds ss. Tza. JI: PG 77.z145C.Jol:x DAMASCSNS

de ##: ovthodoxa I 9: FG 94.8374.. Ou Pseutlo-cyril see a'
bove note 45.

Ckapter IF.Logos

17;e

compaaying operation deifying the objects ef Providenee'' (Thal

z.3-293D-z96AI3),

Once m ore it is evident how allis looked upon from the heights

of the divine skopos. But note, the attainment of that skopos

is dependent on Go's providential aetivity. 'rhat says a vast
dealon the distance there is '
between the initialstate of a m an a
hi
nd
s inalattainm ent:the whole ofthe ascetic life is placed betw eea ,
the wllole of the Incanm tion. 'rbis,M axim us states plainly in an
illum inating text izl Paz'tTwo ofAm b 7. Heretlze skopos,rem aining
unchanged, adm its two m odes of realizatiou. '
rhe lirst, the due
exerd se of otw natural pow ers in A dam , failing,the seeond in Christ

isbroughtto effect (Am b 7-1097C).

N or is the tm ion of logoi and divine rw#,s whieh M axim us takes

over from D enis so

' d ose that, even in his m v'
n exegetieal explanation
o
f it, he is incapable of suggesting or m aintainhlg a distinction.
Th
e tw o Seripture texts' tk6 Lt
vtf know 7$.
& oum (z Tim.z,I9), and
.

1 /?ltl7F you Alt?f (Matt.7.a3),Maximvts explains:T<'Plle deetive mo

vem ent, either according to the will and w ord or fn disaccord with
the wi'
ll and word of God, prepared each to hear the divine voiee ''

expressed itt these two texts (Amb pro85C3-6) In the wake of

t
he Dionysian passage it would have been easy to speak only of the
di
vine w ill to save a11 m en, as if a11 were eventually to be restored
to bliss. 'flmt M axim tts does not. despite hfs near identifcatiort
of the essential aud providential logos of eacll m an is signz
-icant
,
of ltis fundam ental tlzought, wilich does not adm it the Gregorian
.

apocatastasis. In this eontext the concise egectlvs tkougkf of the

Pseudo-cyril and Jolm Dam ascene would have been (m t of plaee
.

I think enough lzas beezt said to illustrate the passag

e and ciation ofDenis. W hetheritztite doctdlle ofthe logos (above, Am b

g-zo8oB) or in the present eitation,Denis serves more as an author

-

ity for a doctrine already received than as a real source f

d
or the

octrine, I am not eertaiu . Pezbaps m ore as a sottrce in the frst

instanee and as an authority in tlte second.

M oh rn comm ents
It is therd oTe a reat exaggeration, on the basis of tbis eitation
of
benis,to draw M axim us entirely in the wake ofthe Pseudo o enis.
Thi
-

s is appazently w hat Vladim ir Lossky does in his Essai a r l

:2

178

Tke Aejsfflffo,loiOygdwpl

Tkdologie AAly:lglf: de l'Eglise dlorfdA$fT5. M axim us certainly often

speaks of the beginnilzg and end together,of the logos and its consuzrzm ation in etenzity. To slzc.
b tex'ts I have draw n attention.
H owever,looldng m ore generatly on his doetrine of logos it is dear
that the essential and im m utable logos in creatures is adequately

distinguished from that wkich is subject to ehange and peded ion.

M axim us witleven speak ofa distinctlogos for each state of being -

being, wem being, ever-being. The distinction logos oj '

zltzlllr: moh t# existenc67% begiuniug its theologicalhistory as a Trinitarian
tet'm , passed on to Christology and so also to express relations of
the hum an aud divhte hz the innovated and deifed ereature. 'Phe
im portofthis is tm m istakable. It is bonz otlt by the not infrequent

use of logos as referzing to natum l eontemplation and of tropos to

the virtues7'.
For M axim us then,wlzatever m ay be the case for D enis7% the
starting point and the progress to Enal deifieation is well distirtguished and m arked out. H ere one is dealing with the relation
and distinction of nature aud grace,of the natural and supernatural
orders.

Von Baltho=r'* very justly remarks that a direct eornparisort

of western and 'rrideutine theology with that of the Byzantine doctors in this poh t is im possible,as these latter never used the hypothesis of a state of pure nature iu elaborating the distinction.

But is it entlrely just to suppose,as does von Balthasar,tlmt their

doctrine is either an im plieit stage in the developem ent ofthe western doetrine or else has elem ents corztradictory to it? The hlv otlzesis
of a state of ptlre nature is so radical in the solution of the whole
problem , that a system daborated without it w ould searcely at
any point be directly com parable with one based on suellan hypo7: L(lssKv, E ssai..., p. 93. One slm uld recognize that LossKv's
proper com petence is w'
ith D enis;for M aO m us he depends on voN BALTIIA.
-

sAR's Kosmischef-/ltjrfga(Mssai...,p.941).

?: See tlze Srst part of this chapter for a history of this distinction as

a theological term .
:7 1 give a few rd erences: 'fhal a:-32IB ; 37-3.
8511; Am b 58-1:
J8:Df.
78 LossKv E ssai... p. 9g : ''L a aoEifm de la cratton vhez D enys se
trouve si rapproche de celle (le la tliiieation que l'on a peine .flistiaguer
entre l'tat prim itif des cratttres et leur term e fnal celui de l'unon avee
D ien ''.

79 K L IAj
jjoo.

Cltapter IF.Logos

1;t9

thesis. And ms it rem ains hypothesis O there arey so it seem s to

me,three possibilities:1) a straight orthodoxy,built on the supposition;2) a eorreet doctrine,safeguarding the same points (nothowever with the same appropriateness for eaeh) as those safeguarded
l)y the said hypothesis; 3) a dpctrine com prom ising one or more
poiuts necessarily to be sateo arded 81,
If the hypothesis of a state of pure natm e reaehes the very
roots of our present question, the hypothesis which Lossky m akes,
aad supposes also to be that of M axim us. nam ely that there is a
.

realdistinetion between the inefable divine essenee and the creative

divitze eaergies - sueh att hypothesis, I say,is eqttatty farreaehing 8a.
It is thus that Imssky says that the logoi are situated not in the di
vine essenee but ilz the energies. %*lle grounds of this distinetiotz
m ay be as aneieut as Pidlo :8'but its existenee and im port in any
single author is not to be castm lly assum ed. 'Co enter now into the
question as regards M axim us w ould be to treat it cmsually I can
hew ever, as to tlle situation of the logoi, draw attention to two
seem ingly contradietory pa% ages, 170th appearing hl tlze course of
the argum ent we have been discussing.
-

In A m b r Io77C M axim us a rm s with great em phasis tlzat the

m any logoi are one Logos,the very Son of God 'fhis irt the Iirst
phase. I11 the fourth phase he says that apartfrom the high neg
ative tlzeology of the Logos .4, the one logos is m any and the m any
.

one (Amb ;-Io8IBIo;),arzd gos on to speak ofthe creative procession of the one to beings. The passages, appeariug in the course
of the sam e eontext, can scarcely be contradietory. 'lY e frst then
is sim ply cataphatie; the second cataphatie, having Erst m ade the
8: 'Pb.
e hypothesis of a state ofpure nature first perhalxs appeared in tlze
:.

3t.1lcentur! with W illiam de la Mare;butas an instntmentin theological

speculation lt is userl onl)r from the 16th ceutury arld becom es established
itl the selzools only after Baius. See ps Iztlju e S'
urxatvvei (Paris 1946)
p. Io5 wlth p.2676 and.p. Iz'/.
81 Inasm uch aa tlzis frstpossibility is closely eonnected w I:ICtlte dognlatic denitions of '
frent the second m ssibility w ill eitller take cognizanee
of tlte 'fridentine position a'
ntl tru slate it into its owtz views or rem an a
.

mere play (but not thereby useless) of historieal theology.

e1 LossKY', Essai...x p . 91.

8a W or soxz P hilo, 1, p. 29g. PERA, in his edition of D N w :

i
h the
c
o
mme
nt
a
r
y
of
St
Tho
m
a
(
Rome
1
95
0)
p.
:
;
5l
f
a
nd
3
4
$
)
f
t
. h.
aa brought

etller som e m atezial itz regard to tlzis question

et Setl above note 55.

z8o

TkeRfutafion p/Ovigonism

apophatie reserve. But then the sense and im port of this reserve?
D oes it sim ply regard the 'rriuae life? 'Phis calm ot be entered
into here.
Sum m ary

To restate the foregoirtg diseusslon itl a brief paragraplz:

M axim us explafns the phrase of G regory: ''w e being a portfon of
G od and slipped dow a from above '' by a tw ofold explanation of
ihe logos doetrine,identifying and distiugufshing the suprem e Tmgos
and the m any logoi 170th on the ontological and on the m orallevel.
'f'his doctrine he fnds in and conflrm s by Denis. The extent of
M axim as' dependence on D enis is hard to determ ine in regard to
a doetrine so w ide-s'pread as that of the logos. T.rtregard,however.
to the identifcation of the logoi with the divine wills M axim us
seem s ratller to report tlze doctrine than m ake it a real pazt of
his thollght.
So m uclz tlle.u for the M axim ian logos doctrine as it appears

in lds rd utation of Grigenism ; lm t there are still other elem ents

ilz tbat refutation. Im m ediately after the allegation of the Diony-

sian authority just ztow disctlssed Maximus returns to a dtation

of Gregory and exptm nds lzis conception of the fnal state. '
rhis
is Pal't One,IV of the analysis and has been used in the chapter on
ecstasis. Part One,V lm weve.
rbroaehesa new argum ent,a refmtation
of one ef the necessary links in the Origeuist position:the doctrine
of xpog,sudeit. The followhlg chapter w ill be devoted to it.

CHAFTSR V

K OROS
A .'rzu Oluc zus'
r U ss ov K oRos
Satiety or surfeit was one of the cN cial points irz the Origenist
doetrine. tt serves as a convenient term to indieate the cause for
the dispersal of tlle lzenad . It oecurs in 1)0t11the Justinian doc'
u-

ments:thatofthelettertoMennas(543)and thatoftheletterto the

council $53);and in the frst and secend anathemas respectively'1
'
rhe frst anathem a of 543 reads as follow s: #'If anyone sa
.
ys that
the souls of m en preexist. h sofar as being fk1'stntinds and holy pow ers, but having a sud eit of the divine vision azld turned to the
w orse and therefore being cooled witlz regard to the love of God;
aad hemce being nam ed souls and sent dow'
n into bodies for punish
-

m ent's sakk - 1et him be anathem a ''

.

Tlte actual phrasing seem s to be of the 6th century :; yet the

doctrine of surfeit is found in Origen llim self It will be well frst
to give the passage in a trnso ''So then the tm eazding w ork of
the Izather and of the Son and of the H oly Ghost being establislzed
throughout the diverse degrees of advancem ent, scarcely, if perchatw e at any tim e,aTe we able to look upon the lm ly antl blessed
life;ill wllich, when one is able after m any struggles to com e to it
,
we m ust so abide that no surfeit ofthatgood ever seize tzs. R ather,
.

1 A0O t 1II z9Il5 and zr3li; D ISKAM/ p. 9c)31 See above Chap.
nrl. I3,4.

: K oltrslzl.
tA.
tp (GCS Origen V :59) has fnserted the 2nd through the

6th anathem asof55J (= DISKAMP p.90)in the text ofD 6Przltrf/fsIf 8 z

and suppose.s tsee p.I59 for line z7) that Rufinus'text is to be eompleted
from these and from Jerom e. VON BAu ltAsu llowever quite justisab1J refers sonle of the terznzology to a later tivae (ZK Th 63 (1939) 9,)
Tl
.

us is probably not the case here for the elem euts a're foutzd in D e .!7>.'
#lc
11 8,3 (p. I57a 158) and.in I 3,8 (p.6c1&f). It is then a condensation ofOrigen tllat we fnti translated in the text.

I8c

TltcA:jw/flfos olOrfg:zli.
pl

aswe reeeive m ore ofthat blessedness,so them ore itsdesire is spread

or increased in usawhile ever m ere ardently and m ore fully we either
reeeive or hold the Father aad Son and H oly Ghost. N'et if sudeit
som etim es lms laid lmld on one of those w ho are settled in the topm ost and perfeet degree,I do not think that suth an one is at once
rem oved,and falls;btlt little by'little aqd gradually he rnust deseertd,
so that, i.
f a sm all lapse has befallen one, he m ay quiekly repent
and returrz to him self, not com pletely collapse, but withdraw his

foot and return to 11ks position aud again be able to establish what
had falleu ottt by negled ''8.
Tlzis surfeit is som etliiqg to be feared; its advent m eaas alienation from God. That a surfeit of the good is possible is due to the

hm ate zrlutability of zllarl. Origen is qulte dear as to this point.

H e m it:s:%.But because these rationalnatures...have been m ade,
while before they dd not exist; for this very fact that they were

not and began to be,they exist as necessarily ehangeable alld.mu-

table things,because whatsoever virtne (power) there was in their

substanee was not there aaturaliy but efed ed through the gift of
the ereator. That'therefore they are is uot proper to them nor

eterzml,but God-#ven. For,ever-existent they werenotand everytbing that is given ean be tvken away an4 fall baek. The cause
ofthe falh'ng baek will be fotm d to be tltis,if tlle rtloverflent of spir-

its be not jtlstly attd well directed. For the ereator granted voluutaz'y and free m ovem ents to m inds ereated by him , by which of
course the good eould becom e their own wlzeu it would be m aintained by their own will. But s10t11 aad the boredom of trouble
in keping the good, as also aversion and negligence of the better
3 De Pvinc. T 3.8 ((7CS Origell V (KOETSQHAU) 6213-637): Ita ergo
indesinentierga nosope.re patris et filiiet spiritus sanctiper singulos quosque
profectuum gradus instaurato vix si fozte aliquard o inttteri posstlm us
sanctam et beatam vitam in qua,cum post agones m ultos in eam perveniri
m tuerft ita perdurare debem us ut zzulla um quazn zlos fxm i illius aatietas
eapiat, sed quanto m agis d.
e illa beatitudine pereipim us tanto m agis in
zm bis vel dilatetur eius desiderium vel augeatur dam sem per arclentius
etcapaciuspatrem et fzilum ac spiritu.
m ve1eapim us ve1tenem us. Siautem
aliquaudo satietas cepit aliquem ex 1'
ds qui in sum m o perfectoque constitentnt gradu, uott artdtror quod ad subftam quis evacuetur ac decidat

sed paulatinzet per partesdefuere necesse est (ita at eripossit interdului

si ahquis irkvis lapsus accidedtaut cito resipbcat atque hl se revertatuzls
zlon lKnitus ruere, sed revocare pedenl et reO e ad statunzsuunz ac rursus
statuere posse id, quod pet neglegentiani fuerat elapsunz.

Ckakier #'.K oros

z83

gave an opening for the fallirig away from the good ''. Aad Origen
goes on to explain how this withdrawalfrom the good was the 0ccasion for m aking this variegated, sense-perceptible w orld 4
W ith this reference to the variety of this world as due to t:e
.

primitive witlldrawal from the good we rejoin tliat other passage

wlzieitwasdted above ia extllainir.g the OrigezlisttlavorofGregory's
dil eult passage and in witich the very w ord hnntld occurred :.
Is our discussiott of the prim itive henqd of rational creatures
tlp to this point we kave seen it ratller in its ontologival aspeet as
condensed in the triad:genesis,sfflxW, kinesis. N ow w e have before
us the sam e concept in its m oral aspects e.

'lYe breakup ofthe orkinalunity is due to a surjeit0/th6 gtmfl

or to the slotk and bore
dom oj /r0'
?4#J: in eT/fzzg the good;but this
in its turn is rendered possible by the faet that the creator gave
voluntarios... etiibevos zzmf'
lf
.: to these m inds. N ow hum an ireedom
w as dear, very dear to O rigen, as to all Christians. H e defended
.

it at leagth itl his De Prfv /ff.

111, 1,a defense which Basiland
Gregory transcribed in their Philocalia or book of excerpts from
Origen. The defense is based largely on the fact ofpraise and blam e,
of the existelzce of laws, which necessarily im ply responsibility in
the choice of good or evil. Prat thus sum m arizes Origen's teaching:

e'Et iltoHgenlfaisait consisterle libre arbitre,non pasdanslepou4 De farwc.11 r),z,translatiou ofthe ftrst part whose textxuns;Verum
quoniam rationabiles istae naturae quas in itlitio factas supra dtxim us
factae sunt cum azlte non essent, hoc ipso,quia non erant et esse coepenm t
necessario convertibile.s et m utau les substiterunt quoniam quaecum que
illa inerat substantiae earuzn virtus non naturaliter inerat sed benecio

eonditoris effeeta. Quofl suut ergo, non est proprium nec sem piterrm m
sell a deo datum . N on enim sem pe.r fuit et om ne quod datum est etiam
auferri et recedere potest. lLecedendi autenl causa iu eo edt si non recte
et probabiliter ditigatur m ottu anim orum V oluutarios etkim et liberos
m otus a se conditis m entibus creator indulait quo scilicet bonum in eis
propriuul feret,cuzn id voluntate propria servaretur' sed desidia et la% hs
taedium in servando bono et aversio ac neglegentia m eliorum initium detlit
.

receclendi a bono.

'

: See above, Chap.1 n. 2 and.3.

: A word of caution; orztological and m oral mspeets. The diatY ction
is facile for us. A fault of Origeu was precisely to confuse tlzese orders
.

in tke hum an whole ltlze texts jnst translate give evience thereof);the
work of M axim us was to aFtrm and by the force of his dialectie to m ake
the distinction prevail against any pagan cop/futm (cf. A m b 15-1217A 8;
also Am b 4z-y:371)6 and A m b 10-I:7613.j.
).

z/

TkeJl/r
/f/f/zffbl ojOy'
#eAzisA?)

voir d'agir ou de suspendre son acte et de choisir entre plusieurs

biens,m ais dans ce que 1es scoh stiques appellent libert de contrarit dans la facult d'em brasser le bien ou son eontraire,le 1,
11a1St?.
But even surfeit and the consequent withdraw al from the good
enters, according to O rigen, into the providential plazl. H e w rites
that God perm its som e m ovem ents Tflest perchance,if they always
keep their place, tm m oved, they be ignorant that by God's grate
aud not by their strengtlkthey are established in that ft
nal blessedn e% ''8

It will be useful now to m ake a sum m ary of our own of the

Origenist mytb,lmsed on the passagesjust now dted. The pzinlitive henad is of the rational creatures, whose radieal m utability
is grounded itlthe fact oftheir being creatures,arld is m ade efective
by their free will, consisting esseatially in the ehoice betw een good
aud evil. Thus the very nahzl'
e of tlle free will,tlzough it m ay develope hz an ever-expanding desire of the good actually com es to
a sudeit of the good and tlm s becom es responsible for the original
breakup of the henad; successive sudeits and w ithdrawals ever
rem ain possible. at least that tlze creatttres m ny leam their depend-

euce on God's grace.

B. '.pHS REFIJTATION
It is tim e now to exam ine M axim us' refutation of tllis aspect
of Origenism .
Tite two passages of Am b 7 that concern sudeit directly are not

long;I shall$ve them therefore entire in translation. In tlle frst

passage tile word itse!f does not occur,but the idea is dearly supposed. After the initial description of the he
'nad *, M axim us eontinlzes: '' Bttt they are ignotant how im porxsible are the tldngs they

7 PRAT,Oyiglne,1 Thologien 6tl'dw/k/e tpaHs z9o7)p.xxixf(without

references). One m ight look at the following passages from the De f'rfxcikis (with the page.s of Koetschau): I 8, z p. zoo7,
'III 3a5 p. a6z10'
IIT 6,7 28915 for the ehoice betweertgchod and evil;I 7,5 p.944 and I 6,3
p, 841*-*1 for the ckange of statea ontologically consequent on the choice
of good or evil.
8 D e P rss. 11 3,,
3 p. I1811-:9) ne forte si inm obilem skm m r teneant

statnm ,ignorent se dei gratia et non sua vlrtute (Jerom e;fortitudine) in

illo ne beatitudinis constitiase.
: See above G ap.I p.9z.

Cltapter F.K oros

185

suppose and unwozkable their conjeetures,as the eourse ofthe true

argum eut, given oceasion w iil prove.
tfFor if the divine is im m ovable,as flling all, and everything
tlzat passes from not-being is m ovable indeed as im pexed surely
to som e cause,then nothing m oved has yet com e to a stop as not
yet reposing its power of m ovem ent from desire in the ultirnate

desiralge; for notkdng else is apt to stop what is impelled exeept

the appearance of that desirable. H ence nothing m oved has com e
to a stop, as not yet attaining the ultim ate desirable, siuce that,
not yet appearing,has not stopped the m ovem ent of those that are

impelled to it'' (Amb 7-Io69Bz-z3).

Sueh is the fundam ental argum ent, whose m eu physieal aspects
M axim us cam e to sum m arize Jn tlle triad gtxssis, kinn is, .
sztuf.

and to whieh we gave our lirst attention 1e. Bat before com ing

to these aspectsM aximus gives lir.

st two rejoinders ofthe Origenisg
to the above argum ents, with his own answer to the objections.
He says (in immediate sequence to the above passage): .'But if
they urge next that this has once happened, nam ely that rational
beings,being m oved offfrom their station and abode in the ultilnate
and only desirable,have got the dispersion,without m inciug words:

what proof is there? - they willprobably (then) suppose that the

rational beings willnecessarily lzave t?tf t-nsnitttm the sam e ckanges
of position in the sam e circum stancesn. For whatever they have
btxen able once to scorn experim entally, no reasoning will prevent
'Q See Chapters 1 and IT.
1 'rhis sentence presents seve al di culties. I construe it thus:El tk
. ..

xeletllnm is protais. Kg1'%'h(

;... (iatj& tlkg is exepegetical of the '
rogto

of the protasis'it is parasyntactie. This xofivo I unlerstanl as referring

to the pmy lxElvth a (jm v im m ediately precedlng or ratlzer to its appearance, which is tke hypothesis tlle protasis of M axhnus' adversaries
w hose conqequeuce he explains in the follow ing parasyntactic clanse. 'Phe

apollosisthe.n is formetlby O g tttrro ...fxoe cov'rut.

Anotlle'
r and.a greater di ctllty is the unusual sertse of lk roxtiylzemo xehzfovct. Scotus understood the words in their aecustom ed several

sknses antl renclered:ex #m :c:#/t) iubent,which in the context m akes no

sense at all. I'lence I take xelt,tkn irlits root settse of prrss on wl
s/: (lzere
witk referenee to the argum ent);allfl 11 lroxtypm og in it,s second sense
ofovdey thatis not command but #'
l4fin plac6. The phrmse then 14 la4vtiyprtsog ispraetically the equivaleut of an au ctyytt'ckxf
'
f, - subsidiarlly. xhh.
l.
ts
untlerstood it fts in pedeetly wlth the re.st of the argum ent as I explatn
it in tlte text.

Tlte Rqutgtion p/ Origenism

its being forever possible. But, that rational beiags should be so
boru.
e aboat attd have or hope for no unalterable ground foz thdr
.

fxedness in the fair- what else could be m ore pitiable?'' (Amb 7

Io69BI3-CIc).
-

From this passage we see at once that the Origenistswith who

M axim us is de
m
aling do tkot refute his doetrine of m otion - tlkat to
have rest the ultim ate desirable m ust be attained'they sim ply a
th
ssert
e contrary of M axim us' zrtinor. M axim us assum es, in view of
tlze m anifold m otions of rational beings, tlmt the end bas not been
attahled ;they a rm that phm itively it had been attained. Agreed
then otlthe doctrine of m otion and on the fact of'aetualnon attainm ent of the end M axim us lays bare the consequenee of their position:there catt so never be any perm anent rest in the good. The
m ere statem ent of sueh an hypothesis is its owm stt dentrefutation.
H is adversaries then'eounter w ith another subteduge: they
coul
i d have rem ained jn the good, but they did tlot watkt to Suclz
-

s the second rejoinder of the Origenists;following directly on the

pieee just translated the text runs:'ZBut ifthey shoald say it Fas
possible, but not w anted, because of the experienee to be had of
the eontrary. And so not for itself as fair, but because of the eontrary the fair willneeessarily be appreeiated by them , not ms natura2y and m operly lovable For all,that is not good in itself and
lovable and capable of draw ing all m ovem eat, is not properly fair
Fbr this reason neither ean it sgitably retain the de
.
sire of those
that take pleasm e in it. N o,those who are ofsuch a fram e of rnind
would fnally address their thanks to the evil, as being taught tlteir
duty through it and sttbsequextly having leam ed how to hold their
stanee in the fair;and, ifthey knew how to be consistent with them
.

selves,they would say that it (evil) wms necesharily tlle be

'eoming
kenesisj, more usefulthan nature itself, sitzce, accordhtg to them ,
it is the instruetress of w*hat is littiug and generative of the m ost
ptized possessiott of all, I speak of charity , with wrhich all tbings
that eom e from God are naturally brought together itl God abidingly

and tm alterably '' (Amb 7-Io69CIc-Io72AIo)

'lxe fkst rejoinder and.reply turns on the question of whether
.

a perm atzent fuxedness itzthe good is necessarily tile goal;the seeond

rejoinder supposes that there willalways be the possibility ofehoice

between good antl evil;tlze craving for experience is the
reason suggested for the ehoiee of evil But M axim us' position is that tlte
tiualand entire absorption in the good issueh as to exclude the least
.

Cltaptor F.K oros

-

.-

L- -

..- -.

187

deviation towards evil. H is m ethod here is a reductio ad tzlsf4rlfllof the position of tlle Origenists. 'Phe positive developm ent 'of
his position we shall see later.

I shall now give the second passage olz sttrfeit. 4'lhtor joy,
they say, kno!vs neither past grief nor reeeives future surieit 12
from fear 1: asdoespleasure, H euee also the inspired booksand our
Fathers. m ade wise by the sam e in the diviae m ysteries, lkave ev-

erywhereaflirmed joy asbeing a nam eindicative ofthe futuretruth.

efIf, therefore 14 to speak sttm m arily in m y owat little w ay,
it has been showrlby reason,by Scripture and by the Fathers that
no ereated thing onee ntoved has com e to a stop uor has received

the release coming to it in view of the divine purpose Lskoposj,and,

:2 l'k.
f()Al(zt
;.gy. 36:
$ and the eorreetor of Vat. gr. l5oz read 'tv lx '
roi

xdeov +($f$0:,.But neither the reading of Seotus and Oehler nor this varlaut
give a very lueid sense. W hat are we to understand by tkefzf/llvzlsurfeit
jA't?nzIear in Oehler's reafling? But ott the other hand what sense is there
in 4:jutuys /Jp.
rjyom szxy/e/? W ith pleasure a present fear ofa future surfeit
is entirely in place. But itzthe text the word reuclered by Iwtus'e (apocioxgevovj statzds outsid,
e the phrase s'
twjett /1.0- feay tjr Jecr jkom slfrje/
so that even if one would em end tlze term ination from tlle aceusative to
the genitive,it.
s position woultl rentler agreem ent wlt.
h tlze gettitive d;
x xo9
xt?mz im posslble. I have thezefore retainecl Oehler's readiag.

IR That joy is unalloyed by fea'

r of loss ordim inution is it seenls, a
Stoic doctrine'expressed, however in the fragm eats collected by vox AR-

NIM (m ly by SSNSCA (eP.59s2,VON ARNIM III Io6t3):Scio,inquam ,et voluptatem ..,rem infam em esse et gattdiam nisi sapienti noll contingere.
e-st enim anizni elatio sttis borzis vcuisque sdeutis. -- gaudio autem iunctum est non (lewsinere nee in contrarium verti. 'flle kinslzip ofifleasism anifest; but the real eonteu.
t Ls vastly diverse. W ith Seneea it is due to
conftfltnce in the wise m aa's own gootl works witll M axim us it is infiicqtive
()/th6 fzdfur, /rz4/#,whieh I understanclin a pregnant sense:the fature,stable
gzaee-gzvezz union w'
itlz (.
7()d.
14 O sHlm R'S plm d uation is m isleading. 1 Place tlle ftrst eom m a after

'rotw v rem oving that after lxt:eog.

' For it seem s better to unllerstand
M axim us as here sum m arizing his owtz account. Fbr the retd ering of
xftx'p...'cv pzxpt'
w (cf. ep.6-43zBzz)I refer to LS*xlI.B IV 3. Tlte
protasis ls el '
comw ..-:
&ezs<az plas the elause Jg o'
bv ...ff3u with its

correlatve ols/ xrl ...lfjlso, plt'

ts the adclitional clause rre xofrvol
. ..

plmpov. These d11 depeud on 8laxxa: After M gtto'

v a colon shoald

be phced. The apodpsis btgins ztt

'
ik ytie Tite ytk is not here a causal
conjunction,but rather a confem atory adverb (d SMY'
:I.
I Gyesh Grt
zix-tzt
/er C'ollrgss j zSo3). Tlte grayrlrnatical stractare would be aeater if the
am dosis could bedosellwith a fullstop after baoltttrty.kxtfov,butM qxim us
trails along witb his prom ised remsotting in two pendent genetive absolutes.

I88

3*k63ddjv/cffps olOyg:pfs-

in additiou,that it is im practicable tllat the grotm d of the w ortlzy's

constancy in God be diverted; how then is it possible - to give
som e sm all eorroboratiou of Teasonings to the th4
'ngs already said that those w ho onee com e to exist actually 1: in God should have
sufered from insolent surfeit in desire. as every surfeit,by its own
essence and defnition, extinguishes the appetite This m ay be
established in tw o war . Izor either the appetite, eneom passhlg
.

itssubjectsassmall,isextinguished or,dishonoring them asshameful

and ugly,is disr jted. In these ways sudeit is engendered. But
ittcontrast God,being by nature infinite and honorable, of bis very
nature stretches on 1% the appetite witilout lim it fer those who
delightin lzim tluough participation .
''A nd if tllis be true, as indeed it is,there was then never the
alleged heuad of rational beitzgs, w hich eom ing to a stldeit of its
constancy in God, was divided and by its own dispersion brougbt
on the m aldng of this world - lest we m ake the good a thing en
com passed and dishonored,as being delim ited with a sudeit and as
-

bdng thecattse ofsedition (stasisjfortllose whose desire it had not

been able to hold lm m oved '' (Amb p zo89A3-C6).
This second surfeit Fassage is m ore signicant thall m ay at first

skht appear. It is tlle eonelusion (from : 11 Irrr

/tlr: -Io89AIo)
of the first, sum m arizing the foregoing argum entgtion and giving
a fnal stroke in a dh'eet attack on 1he sud eit hypothesis. *rhis
1* M xist actaally, 'bstt
kjxnxt
k yevoplvov The adverb is doubtless to

be understood in the light of the distinetion: natural essenee - m ode of

exiKtence explairzed in the preceding ehapter.
lB Stvetckes tla. 'rhe idea of the insatiability of the hum an appeute

for the f'tivine is essential to tlle developem eut of Maximus'thottght (cf

the apophatic play ofChar 3.46). Yetthei4ea on a lowerleveljsto befound
.

in Aiexamdri tfg anim a llld m antissa. At the end of the excursus against
tlze Stoic doctril'
te that virtue is bapplne.
ssthe authorargue-s:C
rtt' NQ e.
5).o'
'
f
o
v
r
h
v

t
e'
t
'
i
v
'
r
o
o
'
(
de
a
t
h
o
r
s
ui
e
i
de
)
'
I
s
a
op
t
i
k
h
t
v
T
t
E
$
f
r
ol
p
@;
o

y
*
J
rasp
, ir
a$ 'e v Ctu tt
w nvo ofqog x(xL at s'
M tjzovltt sflkoyov H ystv, 53.
s% lp lv.
.

ote k 't/i.
v xeog eDutrtovltt xat pslr
'
pil
;. :1g 4zratkmv ytke 'e v 'rlv '
i tlqtg
xekmh 1aalh/
o n afvfbv $ vtstgold Supplenvntum Ayistoteticum 11 (Berlln
:887 ed. Bruns) p. z68D-15). BRUNS (0/) c/.p.v)is persuadellthat the
.

greater part of this com pilation is due to Alexander and is therefore, of

the early tltird centurp For the lterature see USBSRW aG- PRAIX HTSR.
Gyundriss d6r Geschicltt. #:r Pkilosophie I1: (z9z6) 179. O11e m ay see a divezse developem ent ofthe sam e doctrine in M I/HASL oF EpHssus'com m en.

tary os the Nichnnm chean Etkics (QAG X 58IRftJ

Clbatter F'.K oros

z89

hypothesis,it is true,seem s m ost casually introdtlced,as ineom pati-

b1e with joy, the topic of the preceding section. It is, however,
an iltsu nce of that associative developm ent of tlle thought which
does not hinder the strength of the logieal strtlcttu'
e.'In faet the
relations with the frst parssage and with the'whole explicit refuta-

tion of tle hellad (Part One,.I-Io7gBu ) are too close to be overlooked.

First, the resum of tlle points antecedently proved is taken

in part alm ost verbatim from the frst passage. Thus the them e
that m ovem ent continues untilit attains the end iztw'
llich itquiesces:
Io89AIz:
Io69B7:
o'
rlv st7v yEvnvv rffllrrexe xlo'
pa;fp D obsv xtvofgevo'
v gvn
vopevov N '
t'q
Io7.
3A lz:

o'
r/3 '
rq-glx5al'
c xtut B v :dov

oxoav laedlvo M leftx.

ofxfo ofv oth:ttgfgsg ov st7)'?

Yevqrrgv rn*v (ptpclx'q
hv tsvtzlzkv :+ 6c
B xaF X rllv xa og xtvovjzl nv
lorqcev, ofl l'
n-g lvspyefc?i lrrgtlJGTO .

Thetltemeofconstancy (govlglrqg)inGod respondsfullyto tlzat

offixedlzer,s(xaytTq)in the flrstrejoinderoftheearlierpassage.
zo89A I5:

1069C9:

l'ijg lv ts@ govtgrnrog rf'

sv
xtl oydxtk .--hzn:Eplftv gElv 1j
Qtovlztvaw afpcxlsh
M vat%.6 ($a- lxytv gdfrtv lustflhsov vq N
cdpov
si) xtllf'
ii aqytvnvog.
Io89BI5:

Io69CI:

sfi lv x: gxdvfp xal jzvtp

s xat gowqg xa'
E() povtlzrqvot
;,lgEets'
,
n'
xal'
riy tlsx llt/Aitrefllg l'

(Cva)xdgov qpogc'
ttx'qg lv r:

olxetf.
p cxs3at3p.fi s'
lv 'ro'p xglzov paxkvnvxa x('i loykxtl xv t/x/ axod e'
tlyveo'tv cvvEto-riytcev.

gpv Lftsv.

Another qlem ent of the eonclttding re-sum is the infnite exteading of the desire in God. l2or this there is no correspondezzt
in the initial passage. But iu his exposition of the m ovem ent to

God (PartOne1 B atIo73CD)there isa fulierdevelopment of this

4
.)g

I'
heXdl/z
l4tzf'
pAlojOA'
k eVs'
-

. .

thought, plaeing irz fttll light tlze voluntary nature of this m otion.

It '
isTh
Passage I ofthe texts dealing Avith ocstasy (p Iz8i).
.

e coherence and irtterrelatedness of this eonduding passage

with the rest of the refutation of Origenism isevident;itdoesnonetheless bring in a new elem ent. It is precisely the direet treat-

ment ofsurleit(xpo). Thistreatmettt isofthe briefest:a deflztition, the double m ode of its realization (eac:
h itlvoldtlg a lirnited-

ness), the utter inapplicability of sueh a limitedness to our desire

for the unlim-ited God.
The very brevity aad tm nspareney of the reasoning raises a
question. W hy had not M axim us em ployed this argum ent at the
beginning, w here, as w e lzave seen, the ideas related with the surfeit
coneept w ere already pre-sent? The reason is, I tidnk, twofold. On
the one hand the very facileness and effeetiveness of the argttm ent
would seem to render ulm ecessary f'urther discussion, leaving thus
tm touched the ftm dam ental positions on whieh the ertot zeposed.
()zz the other hand the sud eit concept in the system of Origenism
is denitely an artiftce, a pure unfom lded % sum ption invented
,
solely to explain the existence of the actual m aterial spirit w orld,
as resultirlg from the henad. H ence its superlid ality and. failure
to touch the m ainspring of Origen's speculation To have bepm
the refutation w ith it w ould have been to m aintaiq the whole argu
m ent oa the sam e level of superdality. It would seem tlierd ore
that the surfeit arggm ent com es at the end not m erely by the hazard
of association,but also b'
y a.profonnd instiuct of the relative im portance of the diverse elem ents of Origenism .
T'
or the Origenistic speeulation, whether in the m aster him self
orin his 6th centul'y pae sans, w as not a sim ple w hole but a com plex
of m any elem ents, som e of wltich were far from aceeptable. U nderlying O rigenism is the fundam ental persuasioa that itt the ilegittning there was a prim ordial, existent unity of pure spirits. - H ad
-

wotthe Lovd said that in heaven (antlthe end islike the beginniag)
.

there was no m arriage but that a11would be like the angels of God?

(M att. za.3of.) - W ith this was another persuasion, not less w ell
fixed,that the cltief characteristic,'the essential,of these spizif,s w as
their freedom , a freedom of the will consisting necessarily in the
choice betw een good and evil, a view apparently eonfrm ed by the
g'
reater part of the scriptural authority for freedom . Y et it w as
im possible not to aecolm t for the present, visible w orld in a11 its
variety. So the prim itive m zity w as broken up tllrough the sudeit

Chaptsr F.K oros

I9I

somefeltforthegood,thesuprem egtmd,which tkey enjoyed. K oros

thus is a eonvenient d6.s 6x m achina m aking possible the existenee
of the present world. It is conceivable ittOrigenism beeause of the
m isplacem ent of the essenee of freedom .
N ow any speeulative com plex,if it is to have any draw ing pow e.r at all, nm st eontaiu sonle elem ents, at least som e sem blauce
of truth. And no refutation of the errors is ultim ately satisfaetol'y
unless due w eight is given to these elem ents and sem blances. It
was M axim us'task to save,w hat I m ay perhaps term ,the aspirations
underlying Origenisni. Thus we have seen that the prim itive unity
and the return thereto,wllich is tlle ver'
y raison J'J/AZ of the m yth,
exacted from M axim us llis developm ents on the Logos and the

logoi,ittwllich the initialunity isideal(eternalpresenee ofthe logoi

in the Logosj and tmly the linal unit)rexistezztial17. Motion,physicaland m oral- too ebviousto be neglected - ,M axim us retained,
but placed in a sound m etaphysical fram ew ork :the doctrine of an
im m utable logos of nature and a'concrete m ode of existence explainiug m ovem ent aecordiug to the artleulations of the triad:sabstance, powec operation. Even in deifcation M axim us does not
infringe these principles,a faet m anifest in the term which lle uses
to refer to it: ecstasis.
At the very begirm ing ofcreaturely m otion M axim us linds him self at once in profound agreem entand disagreem entwith Origea and

the Origenists. Tllisissumm arized in the word vpotrlfi,theessential

variability ofthe rational creature. Origen refers tliis to both the

ontologicalalld moralorder (itisthus in eonsequence ofsin thatthe

coqmreal world is rendered m ssible i.
n >is eyes);for Maximus this
variability innate in any crtatare is lintited by the fixity of the logos
of nature and for m an, as rational, is a m utability uniquely of the
m oralorder,that is of tlle order of hum an acts. But if ths m utability is innate in m an by his nature,there isalso in the divine gift
an ultim ate fixedness in'the good. W ith this gif't is eonnected the
indefinite extension of the desire in the iniinite God. These ideas
were uot entirely m tknown to Origen lB,btlt the hm er necessities of
M s m aster idea, the unity of pure spirfts,forced thenz te ozze side.
17 h'
xistential ('
xatu'
rlxt'
!
'
k (zo89B4). Jt is not by chance tllat this
w ord ocfm rs in the sam m ary. See not 15 above.
18 Qf. D e P yinc. 1 g,8 cited above note 3.
. for M axim us see p. 1t
.
).3
aud 11. z4.

I9c

7-Az Iefuiation ojOrg:xis,a

H enee it is no surprise that the doctrine of fxedness in G

i
od
s m entioned wlzen M axinm s touches on tlle surfeit aspects of
Origenism .

But if the Origenistic concept of freedom rem ains untouched

a fxation in the good rem ains inconeeivable. It is therefore w ith
the greatest em phasis that M axim us, treating of the indeEnite
extension of da ire in God, if not in the present fnal sum m at'y but
now given in translation , at least in the first of the passages
studied above in relation to ecstasis, affirm s both the freedom and
the fixation.
It is these two aspeets that m ust uow be enlarged upon if our
understanding of the M axim ian refutation is to be com m ensurate
with the thought of A'
Il
axitrttls.
C. l?xxsoNsss
i lixeduess in God cannot l)e understood unless som e 'attention
s frst given to that m utability of whieh the fixedness is the cur
'rhe radicalinst
e.
ability of the created w as a eom m ouplace . W e have
seen w hat Origen m '
akes of it. N em esius devotes the 41st chapter
ofhis treatise On th6 Nature p/ M an 1Ato explaining freewill. In a

word:A1ltltingsby the ver'

y factof their coming to be kenesisjare

m tttable; rational creatttres are m utable fttttber in the pow er th

ha
ey
ve to deliberate and determ ine their own acts. The deliberation
is a fact of expezience whieh, unless there is the power of determ inati
h on,would be quite illusory. E vilis not in tlte powers, bttt in the
abits whieh alone are properly qualilied as good or evil. It is even
possillle that som e attendiug only to God, while always endowed
with the determ inative power, beeom e im m utable 1:.
N em esius was well known to M axim us, but never, I believe
,
clted by nam e. Gregory ofN yssa, llowever,w asone of his ccmfessed

m asfers. In llis0n f/m M akingp/ M an 16r,Gregonra rms the imnlutability ofthe divine and the necessary m utability of the created
': N o lsszr s= D e eltzlz<r. ltom ini
's 41: '
P Q 4o. 773f.
O f give N ernesius'views at such length becattse he is one ofAfaxim u.s
m asters. 1 note especially that N em eslus distinguishes clearly betwe

delberatioll (14$ povleakcrtzl) and znastership of one's aetions (xkto.v flveal

l
zptqct1tw)
rtku'
t
lrr/oftxov'(PG 4o.776A).
1 Gwhich latter is properly '
pactolt'kr ol NvssA.De hominis t
//t/icft? :6: PG 44 z84C17.
.

nature. In an aseetic context13thisdiferenee providesm aterialfor.a

question:how can m an by nature m utable adhere eonstantly to the
good? The answeristhatthe m utability is130t11to good and evil; the
rew ard is given only to those w ho strive, hence the m utability Ls in
itself an oceasioa for betterm ent, in faetforan indefinite progressin
tending for ped ection. The Origenist savor is unm istakable. There
is to be sure no positive exelusion of the Origenist possibility of
sad eit, but, taken strietly in an ascetie context,that is view ing the
stnzggle of this present life only, this w ould not be necessary.
M axim us is defnitely in the sam e traditiott;his handling of the
m atter, how ever, is quite his ow n. W e are forttm ate itt having a
short but explidt treatm ent of M axim us on the fundam entalnotion

ofIrtl()a'
kj1?. Afllrming that to eonsiderthe soulasbody (ep 6-4z9B)
m akes it im possible to see m an as im age of God,he goes on to expound how God isatonce im m ovableand im m utable'sim ilarly n m xn,
the m icroeosm os,one distingukshes the substantial cause of m ovem eut

form the organie existentessence tilaatlkll ofthe body. Thiseatlse

one .*considers as sim ple am ong dispersed elem ents,singie and lim itless am ong the contracted;m utable,ms being m oved, as havitzg an
.

object of m ovement;and the eause of titis m utaability of movement

one reeognizes to be not the nature, but the judgment,when tlds
may have been mistaken '' (ep 6-432A).
Tllis would be su cient;but having touched on the topic M axim us goes on to m ake his owrteoneept ofm tltability m ore dear witll

:1 GREGORV oF Nvss..
t Opee'
a zl.
ctrfztt(Leiden z95z)*'De perfectiou.
e ''
ted.JAEGSR) P.2I2f = PG 46.285.
3a E p 6-429Bf. especially 432A./ . T his letter is w holly taken up w itlz
argttm ellts against those wlzo say that the soulis not an irtcorporealcreature

in otherwortlsthatitis a body. CoMBz

qllsthere notes (424 nott i*):'fk'rocedit ve1 m axim e dispatatio haec contra Origezlianos qui sk aninm m vel

corpus ve1 corporisemper coniunetam (etsi tenuior:is substantiae...) e-xi-

stim abant... '' I'cannot how ever find evidence that O rigen or the igen
ist.
s ever held tlze soul to be a body. On tlze contrary, the soul L9 itself
-

imm aterial howevet m uch involved in a body. (See R.CADIOTJ La ./'

:v'nnesse d'oz%js, (PaHs 1935) p. z98f; Bam w , Oyigns in DTC XI (I93z)
z535). Inasmuch therefore as Maxim us' arguments are directed against
the form er, not tile latter doctrine indicated by Com befts, tlwy seem not
to be antiorigenist. Y et the essential instabilty. which the allversarles

ddend 4ep 6-4.

3zBz; tlzese are tho v w wise #les of 4z9D.
5f), is eminently
that ofthe Origenists. The clistinctlonsthen regarding x oanh are certainly
applicable to the Origertist dispute. See above p. I9z.
13

z94

Tke.Rz/f4/lffos oftlrfjzs-

regard to those of others. 17or the adversaries in question,he says,

m utability w ould be endless nor w ould there be any constancy of

substance. Even further,the everh sting m ovem ent24of tile soulin

regard to the divine would,for them ,be subject to mutation,while

in faet that everlasthlg m otion is a natural energy or operation in
regard to thefairand the good,by which thesoul attains ped ection.

M utability,on the other halld,is a m ovement in things subject to

our self-disposing will (atoxptloetx: :6h,

4!z(ut), a movement not
in accord w ith nature, a falling ol from the natural operation of

our powezs (ep.6-43zApBI3).

For M a< mus then p oa:j.as a moralterm llas a restricted and

pejorative sense. The use of our freewill in turning to God is for

him ratlzer a fulfilm ent of nature than an insu nce of its m utability.
V et this veor m utability, one m ight alm ost say deviation, rem ains
dosely conned ed with the changeableness of the created world.
T hese eonnotations are sensible in other instanees of this w ord's
use in M axim us K;.
2* TM s evsrlasting ptop<l::x/of the soulis here taien for granted. lt
stands in eloserelation with tizatveposeofwhich I havespoken above (Cllap.
I p. 9.
5f). Besides eynylastinq mov6ment ttiaxtvqclal one fntls also the

oxymoron daxtvqxo evo tcl(Amb 67-I4otA12;Yhal 65-760A,

9). Tere is
heze implied the tpkrizyvqjzu so ceatzal jn GltsGoxv o, NyssA (ef. In Escz.
VII: PG 44.7:9C4: '
r .& uitrpqpxzo'
M 'vKlh.
(h'
q xdgw lodv antl von BAI.THASAR.Pyhn'
nl;e #> .
$pl). It is present even in the sllm ml
't of lm man
bliss:for not being pure act, the fzxed anll beatifying exercise of the soul's
powers m ust in som e f% hion be successive. V et one should not suppose
that eve-ry instanee of everlasting m ovem ent js a stasis. T he so4t1 as im m ortalis coneeived as a snbstanee inseparable from the exercise of its com

natm 'alenergy (d.ep 7-4.

368 and ep 6-4328;the argument of laoth these
texts Ls derived (lrom Plato in tlze Pkaedl'us z45c). 'fhe exercise of this
connatm al energy is fully naturalw hen teztding to G od but is not destroyed

when divertetl from lzim but is then termetl m'

utability (ep 6-4.
,2/). In
a single context of A m b zo on the m ovem em ts of tlze scm l there is tw ice

m ention ofthe everlasung movememtofthe soulin rgard to God.(Amb zoxIz3D2 and zzz6Bz5), as also in PN-8(u'C9 and.Thal 25-3334.5, In this
latter tlle everlasting movement is qualihed as hnowlsdgdul trrununxsl.
I hesitate to '
traaslate scientijs because diseursive thought has in the prec '

line.s bee.n excluded.

' I give som e instances. In Char 4.9 M axim us contrasting the utter
stability antl selfsam eness ofthe creator w ith tlze com posite character of the
creatm e,says: <'Every creature is ...always l
in.need of divine Providence
ms it is not free from m utability ''. In A m b x.j'-I22oC tlle freedom from
m utability and alternation is envisaged as accom panying only tlte perfect

Ckaptsr Tr
,r.K oros

z95

Suclz a passage m ay seem su eiently dear; and indeed it is

B ut there are som e conseqlzences conneeted w ith the Afaxim ian

concept of w oa?l w hich still need to be set forth and wbicitsllow

the all-pervasiveness of the idea. In the prologue to the Quaestiosq ad Thalassiu,m M axim us describes in detail the progress of the
soul in perfection. H avitzg .
m entioned the attainm ent of sim ple

knowledge he goes on:##After this (the simple knowledge)the soul,

inmsm ucll as it has gone beyond all things and the thoughts that
are connatural to them , is purely loosed from its native power of

thougit and suffers*%the union,a'bove thought,with God himseli,

in which receivillg inefably from idm , like a seed, the learning of
very trttth,it will no longer be tunzed to sin,there being no longer
room for tlle devil to entiee it to evil through ignorance of him w ho
is fair in him selfand beautifes allthese able to have a share in him ''

('rhalpro1.-z5zB8-Cz).
As so often, M axim us is here speatviog of tlze consum m ntion .
But the end is like the beginning - at least the descriptiorss of the
end exclude the elem ents'ofthe fall one by one z7. And so M ai m us

in his description ofthe origin of evil (Tha1 prol.-z.

52CD) attributes
it to the advent of the igrtorance of God, operating tllreugh a 4efident exerdse of tlte w ill and intellect, aided by the devil's
astuteuess 28.

Tpoa'l
j then appearsfnally asthe ontologicaleapacity '#oftile
creature for a deficient m ovem ent in regard to God. H ence the vmst
realization of the creature in God. Tbis Lq also the sense of Thoec 1.8: on

whicizvoN BATAHASAP com ments(j z86). Thesepmqtsagespermit to besure

and the pairing of mutability with alteradon lJJ.l'
oltzwwl isdicate that
'
rkhQ;:'
/I refers seeonflarily to the sim ple non-m oralm utability itr tke life of
thls w olld. This is preeisely the sense of m utability tzAz# alievalion in a pasmelge of Am b 8-IzosB xo where this is rsaid to be characteristicofthebod,y and,
external things, the very persistence of the instability being the only stable

element. Slmilary fxedness lrrtpvdxnl, usually also havring m oralconnotations,is used onee (ep 42-504A14) ofthe ontological imm utability of the
species.

:6 TMS use of sugcv seems an indubitable instance of Djonysiart in

flence (cf.DN 2.9-64.88). COMBSFIS'eorrection ofTP I-9A5 (note 4:'r?kIvfJ)ceol plane ttkerdum est pro yvd:ryt.tt&J is to be rejeded.
.-

r SeelAm b 67-z4o:A B.

:8 G . HAusTrsu 's pages ou the sazn.

e subject, Philauti. p. 75f,
29 The eapaeity as such of course is no sin'its realization eam ot be
other tlzan sitt. This is above a11 true wlleu we coltsider the ford atber
.

I96

The lttrjsfftzfos ()/Origtxism

im portanee of'flxedness and im mutability as efectively excludiag

the realization of sueh a eapaeity. It was a radiealfattltofOrigenism to reader im possible this exclusion ; it was likewise the error

of the advelsaries in ep 6 (ifthey be not themselves some sortof

Origenists)%1.
.
There is,however,a certain diferencebetw-eenftxedness(xayix'
q) and immutability t(htle#lal. This latter was to have been
properly for the m ind w hat im m ortality was to have been for the
body, in God's design for the hum an fao ily zl, It is tllis distinction hlthe gifts ofAdam that perm itied our Imrd to take our m ortal
lleslz tp on him self, yet without sin; for he inevitably retained the
im m utability of the will. This 'is explained et length in Thal 4z
and is referred to elsewhere H.

Adam. Therearetexts however(e/6-432A antlespedally-Amb zo-lto9C6S),

where a dtstinction is possible. Our relation to m atter im plies a certain

mutability (111moderztasceticlanguage m ight one say distraction?j because

m atter is of itself m ultiplidty. That this m ultiplicity ofm atteris efectively distrad ing from God is the re-sult of the frst sin surely; to overeom e

even this distraction is tlze aim oftheperfect rathertheirtriumpl:

t ltlf.also
Amb zo-zzzzDl on tlle motions of the souls).
*B See above note 2g.
3: Thal prol-cs7D .

:1 Thal 42-4o5CD; Amb Io-ll65D;Amb 6o-I385BQ . This reply to

'fhalassius occasioned one of M axim us' explanations of his ow n thought

(see WP I-29D). Here tTlzal 42-405175,6)he speaks ofthe immutability or

incorruptibility of eleetion in our Lord (tlw o fu/i
je lw ca 'r'
l zseolwgeow).
Laje'
r he excluded any pcxssibllity of election or of rvo'
lg,
n in Christ while
Inaintainhtg the fult freedom oi the hum an w ill. CoMsllqs' com m ent
on the pllraseology of Thal 4z runs: ''paulo latittssum ithoc nom etl k
w oi ke l.
et vth zrpoatoenx:v pro sola libera voluntate, absque defectibilftatis

labe,quae nostrae iam libertaticom ea

s est>'(PG 91.29-30 n.14). Thecom m ent is true but I think over-laconie. The texts indicate that we have

here (TP I)atlevelopementof term inology,aecompanying preciser tlzougltt.

'fl'
lis ispalallel w tth the c:ase of o flo n which at fwst isafe m efl ofQhrlstin-

sofar a,
s it is in aceord with natare (PN -8.
77D and TP 7-8oA of the years
628-30 anflc.642). But already in TP zl of643 or shortly after lzis posi-

tjon is ehanged (TP x6-I9zA z9:A). His final position m ay lye seen in
tlze Dispute with Pyrrhus (TP 28-308C)in 645.or itlT P 1 ofthe year 645-46
(TP z-z7C) where ill thj:sertes of hum an acts preeeding an action yvop.
n
.

eom es before election. In fad 1:0th.m ohp.

n and election presuppose flelib'

eration (/ofhvgtg) and tlzis presupposes ignorance. But ignorance is

absolutely im possible in Christ and is excluded in the blessed by the fnlness
of knowletlge. It is here su dent to have indjcatecl these poin'
ts' a full
consideration oi them belongs to a Chtistological stully.

Chapfvsr 7.Xoyos

197

If immutablty has predominantly an ontological sense, jxedness in m ost of its uses is m oral :3. 'flae noun is of less frequent

oecurrence. W e find it in PN -9ooC; ill Am b Io-II7zA4 there is

the oxymoron '

movementp/ Fxedness,a referenee to that everlasting
m otiqn of which sfasis is the ccm ditiorzB4. M ore frequent'how ever

isthe assertion ofthe need fyf a 1ix6d flz

litfuntranslerable kabitfzlth6
rp0#,either w ith reference to the strttggle of this life 35or w ith a predorninant reference to hlleaven Be. T here is at tim es an indication
of the type of relation that exists betw een these tw o tenns: nam ely,
that the lixed virtuous habit illtlze good is an im itation ofthe divine
im m utability e?.
This certainly is not the least of the divine cllaracteristics. It
is the term ofthe reasonings about God that have to do with m otion

and condude to his immovability (flxlvnxov) and henee to ids immutability l#::pEzrtovl. Lqtimately it is that God is his own end
(Amb 7-Io;:
JB5)and aloneisssll-motion,.
s,J/-#a?z/er(Amb 7-z(yM Bz5).
H ence one m ay the m ore easily perceive the urgenc'y of M axim us'
argum ent against the O rigenists: .'B ut, that rational beings shottld
so be borne about and have or hope for no unalterable grotm d for

theirfxednessin the faiz,what else could be more pitiable?'' (Amb

7-Io69C9-Ic)R.
W hat, indeed, eould be m ore pitiable? And yet, if m an is essentially free (both Ozigen and M axim us are wholly com m itted to
this) and freedom consists in a choice betw een good and evil*9
then the possibility of a surfeit, of a deseA ion of the good, re3: I have above note 25, noted an ontological use of fxedne,
ss

(ep 12-5olA);others with the verb especially, could be cited s.g. Am b

42-I.
Jz9A 4,f24.
34 See above note z4.
O A m b 7-Io8zD I4; A m b 42-x.32IB 6; z35zA Iz; A m b 54-13774.5.

'B Amb 7-:0768 12 Lhabit does not appear); PN-885D.

3? M yst 5-676.1.; cf. A m b ro-zz45A , w here how ever it is not Jxttyts'q

but tk:kelpta that is found.

In tlus study of mntability azld Fxedness I hqve usetl for '
the m ost
part only those passages wlzere the words them selves oeeur. It would
lm wevem be m isleading to give to understancl that so the topie is exhausted.
In evidence I would partlcularly draw attention to ep z,a letter exllorting

to constancy in atlversity '

lwititsom e Stoic traces,ep I-36qC)in widch ottr
.

them e is several tim es touched upon. See ep r-364C, 369CD . 37zB.

:@ Effectively such is Origen's docwtrine, though pa ages m ay be adduced perham telling in another sense,

198

Th.R:jutfllfo'
l.
lojOdg:lfs'
m

m ains always open. H ence it is that the O rigetdan doctrine of

surfeit is not properly excluded unless a su cielzt doctrine of htltrlrtn
freedom be established. I have already drawn attention to this19'
we olast now see how Ataxnlus acconlpzsked lt.
D . Sszvw ostrsziMtx.u zox
'l'he foregoing treatm ent of surfeit and Exedness has su eiently
shown tite im portance of freedom and it,s inherenee in'the eom plex
of eltoice and m ovem ent tewards God. Surfeit M ai m us w holly

rejects;mutability is recognized as a delident ttse of freedom . The

foregoiug points have been developed against a baekground of Or
igenistic doctrine; but now it is im possible not to present tlhe
question of freedom in M axim us against the background of the or
tltodox Origenist that was Gregory of N yssa *l. For he, rejeetirtg
-

O See above p. x9z antl p. 1q6 with note 3z.

41 Gvq ovy 0/ Nyssa,or/ft?.

v otigenistI clo not intenll to imply tlmt
al1 Gregory's speculation is orthodox'he rem ains however a cloctor of the
Church. I m ay'perhaps be criticized for not havhtg eonsidered Gregory's
position in a11the foregoing chapters, as a pcesible eletnent not only in M axjm us' positiqm but ZSO in that of the Origenists. It w as witlt this pos-

sible criticism in nzind thatfrom the outset(see above p.i'zf)I exeludeclthe

anthropological questixm s that ate leiks particularlr Origenist (tim pre- anq
post-existenqe of souls) and in whlch above a1lthe ir uence of Gregory is
felt. But the developm ent of the refutation of the henad has brought us
Nnally to the questiozl of freedom ;a'
nd here, as in tite fual chapter on the
gpocatastasis,Gregory cattttot be exclttded. That M axim us staltds dose to
Gregory of N yssa has always been recognize; but tltese relations have so

jar been '

the object of 11o thorough study. STZHANOU''S artiele on La
fiogv/exce initial6 ff?,
fsorpsettilyI'm6tf',#r1 s.(iW jrtar, de Nrpw
ufrrts.M axime t'H omologlte (EO :J4 gzu zl 304-.
3r5) is rathu a juxtam sition of the
tw o authors tlzan a study of their relations. Stphanou flepentls on the

digressions of Am b 42 attd of Amb 7 (zIoo-lxoz),bat makes no mention

of O rigenism irzconnection with M axim us W eiswurm 's(lissertation (pp.485.
5) covez'
s nm ch the sam e ground. The analyses of GM TH'S stud,y (La
floFztz/l/oAl (16 17 libevt CA:J Grgoitr tf,Nysse, Paris 1953)m anifest a simi.

larity with M axim us in the followittg points: m an essentially eom posed of

body antl soul (p.481).the sim ttltaneit)rofthe parts (p.loo,101),tlle relations ofbotly and soulafter death (p.185);the t'
riad:nat'
tzre motion end.
bs Gregorian (p.96,97, IoI,zoz);tile sim ultaneity oi kinesis antl sttnis is
also found itl Gregory (p. a05). But ultimately one must allow a fundam entaldiserence betw'
een Gregory and M axim us in their relation with 01i-

gen. Gregory,afterall wasnurtured in the best Orjgenisttradition wlzeu

Chapter7.Koyos

I99

koros4e, a rm sthe neeessity,the practieal necessity at least of an

experience of evil as a springboard for the innite desire for God.
Gaith,in his reeent study of freedom in Gregory,m akes this point
very clear. H e w rites:'f11 faut done ehercher sile choix lui-m m e

independamment des influences trangeres (the devil's deceit and

the seduction of pleasure) ne eontient pas dj le peh comm e
une ctm dition quasincessah'e. Elltl'autres term es ils'aglt de savoir sile m ouvem ent libre ascensionnel de l'hom m e en genral ne
eom m mw e pas norm alem ent par une chute ''48

And in speaking ofthis experience Gaith (p.137)cites in part

tlle following passage from Gregoov's D6 M prfzffs'
. %.lzor the self-

determinative (power)is as Cxod (lcE()v). How then tllis power

m ight rem ain aud evilbe done away witlz,the wisdom of Cvod fotm d
this idea;to 1etm an be ilztlze things he willed,that,tasting the evils
wilich he desired and learning by experience 44for what he had e-xchanged them , he m ight willingly turn back through desire to tlze
as yet Origen was neithe,
r condem ned nor com prom ised by a following of

fana'tic extrem ists from the Palestinian m onasterie.s (Evagritts coulcl then
have hatl no great following); M axim us enjoyed no iam ilia'
t I mean lio
fam ily contact with Origen; he could attain to the m aster otzly tlzrough
llis writings laboring unde.
r the flisadvantage which the antiorigenist controversies an; conflem nation created for any one (lesiring to profifby Origem 's
great 1earning, 'speeulation and devotion. V oN BAt/Tm ts.
tlt has shown
tlzat M axim us had direct acqnaintattce with Origen' I have showq above
how M ae
txim us had 6t1z century Origenksm directly in view in refuting the

henafl (ttirectly,ot m ediatdy, that is by the '

zth centtu'
y prolongation of
the 6th century positions). These are perham relatively sim ple factors.
B lzt M axim us knew also Gregory', at once O rigenist and tacit corrector of

Origen; he (Maxim us) utderwent the inuence of Psettdo-Denis. 'rhese

m ake up strands of a tangletl skein. To be of tlse itz identifyiug one or the

otlle.
rofthese strandsis sucient to justify the presen.
t essay. 'Po identify
and K rt them cm t i.
: a work of the futuze.

** GAIIII op.cit.p.2o3;IVANKA,H ellenisnhes1;A&tJ Christliches x Frz'

ibyzaydinischsn (Dffftvldlld'
?l ('
W ien :948) p.no and.5z'B.
48 G M TII p. :06.
4f One znigllt ask does M xvl
'rntls also end aage tlzis Gregorian doctrine

in his refutation ofthe Origenist doctrine ofsurfeit tsee the passage translatetl above p.186). It would seem aot'M aximus tltere considers spirits
M4th full knowledge who because of thek choice and expedence of evil
have been equfpped witltbodies;Gregory has in m ittd the actualcolzditfons
in which m an fknds llim self.irt which the m isertes of thks life can tur'
n one
to tite good. V et insofar as Gregory coneeives of m an as rutm lng tke full
gam ut of evil necessarily snite anfl so necessarily m eetiug again witk the

'
zoo

ThgRnfnu iion 0/Orig6hism

first N essedneoss,putting of, as som e load,whatever has to do with

passion and the irrationat being purifed either in the present life

through prayer and 'tke ascetic life fphilosophia) or after passage

hertce through the sm elting of the pttrifying Iire ''4:
M ueh is said or im plietl in this '
passage. N ow I w ould note
.

that the intent of God's perm ltting sin and evil is to preserve the
self-determ inative power which is ltyo Eov. But then there arise

some questions: is the self-determinative (r tx:ziogtrkov) in the

creature to be identifed with apclcltpecw ? And if not, im w are
they to be distinguished ? Again, no one denies that sin, sugering
and evilcan be powedttl pedagogiealintm m ents for the perception
and desire of the good ' yet is it really a neeessity, an ontological
necessity, that tlle ereattlre pass through this sehool?
According te Gaith the answer to titis latter question is d ev
.

He says (p. 106, the sequence of the passage above quoted)2 T$11
nous sem ble que cette idle se dgage de tout le systm e de Grgoire.
Im xtm ateeckg ne devient, selon lui,un choix libre rlel c'est--dire
un progr.s continu, que par une alination ''
Of tlze reh tion ol the self-determ inative and choice he says 48
.

that tktplzb pca is a truly spontaneous movem ent from the essence
ofthe fgo,by whicllthe person choostxs, realizes its tnle self. 'Plm s

thechoieetrottltlEtytglin accord witllnattlreis tzue and free,while

that contrarg to nature is a slavery

'fE But Grego'ry himself in a passage cited by Gaith (p 79)'says:

very impulsive choiee taf-itm xtloateEgtg ejznxtx4) either works
.

quite in accord with the good or tends to the opposite ''7. 'fhere
is therefore an am bigttity hl the use of ip oaltegkg,
W e lzave seen above 4: how Ozigen erred in identifying freedom
with clzoice. A satisfactory rd utation of O rigenism m ust esect

tltis distittctiolz. It would seem that Gregevy was ndt entirely successful in this respect. lt wi11 be from this poiztt of view that it
good, the Afaxhnian argunlent w ould tell but only if Gregory concdved
evil as a positive instram ent for teaching the gootl, not as an elem entwhich
eventually G sabuses m an of his illusions about appatent gtxds.
4: GREGORY ol? N VSSA D e Jo rfaz'4 PG 46.5248.

48 G AITH op. <f/..p. 8z.

47 Gltlooltv o, N u sa C. Eux. IIl p.6 (JAMGERJ Tol.11 p. z52t =
PG 4.
5,857C.
*: See above p. :84. '
.

Chapter F.ffqros

zoz

will be .
m ost profitable to exam irte tlle M axirnian doctrine 49. For
no ozze w ho has read w ith attentiozz the M axinzian descriptions of
our ascent to God carlfaitto have noticed how it is a reproduetion
of the xfttzctse so fam iliar and dear to G regoa , that is the
right exercise of our choice resulting in the ever non-sating satiety

o otzr desire wil

icllis the fulness offreedozn (Amb g-zo89,zogJcD,
Io76B). How wms Maximus to meet the eritieal problem of the
semse of Jp oatpeo'kg. Iu the freedom of m an rftlotttoEtytg cannot
but be central'it is so in G regory, it is so ilz N em esius :1
It does rlot seem tctbe necessary to dem onstrate llere at length
that the w'i11and choice stand at the heartalso ofM axim us'doctrine.
It hms been apparent in the m any eitations already m ade. Rather I
shall set forth llis use of the terzzt xtlotlly gw and his darifying of
the distinctilm betweezt it azld wi11.
N ow the critieal il
actor in effecting thisdistinction isthe Chdstological. At the outset then I shall give M axim us' brlef defnition

ofthetwotermsilzquestion. Hewrites:'''Phenaturalwill(flnjtq
tpvo'lxlv) is the essential deslre of tbings corroborative of nature;
tlte gnom ic will is the self-chosen im pulse and m ovem ent of remson
to one thing or another ''51. The thing above all to note in this
disth ction is tlm t the natural w ill belongs to nature, to the logos
49 %fay I note by the way it pertans nlore to the next chapter that

tlzis nm biguity in Gregory faeilitated his (loctrine of tlle apocatastasis. E'

vil

and so also sin tsee the end of ihe passage translated above from the De
Ubr/ss) purfies and.so renders m ssible sooner or later the restoration
u'
ofa11to the prim itive state.Self-determ ination anclchoice L6le /tzt;/o of evil)
being too closely idvntified it is (li cult, if not im possible to preserve the
form er without allowing for the universal rectification of the latter. But
of thks later.
Je M axfm us speaks of fafvqgtg in the verg
r proce-ss of clistilzp lislzilzg

choice antl will ('PP z-a4CI3).

51 DOMANSKI B. Die Psychologie d6s Aoplysff:.
(Mitnster 1900)p,I4O:
,4Das W een das Gruntl und den K ernpunkt (Ie-T m enschlichen W tllensfrei-

heit bildet beiNem esiusdasW ahlvermgel ode.r die Vorstzlichkeit tzpoaleetrt)''. H owever Nem esius does a190 tlistiugish though without m aking any thlng of tlze (listinction betweell clzoice and self-deterznirtative
power,theform er presupposing the latter (D ewcfvl'tzhomiyds 41:PG 40.776A).

51 TP z4-z53A. That gzlomic 4d11 here replaees clzoiee (rpocleslw)

is the result of controversy. The tw o are not exactly synonp noqs; for

zrtiottte tng is deflzte; (TP I-16C after Nemesius'De nat.hom . 33: PG 4o,
733B tz) a.
s ''deliberative appetite of tlzizlgs within our m wer''. But
'fvdmq is relate; to rwoftltlng as habit to act (TP z-x7C).

coz

T/f.
trRel
utatiohg--/Orig-l
fjjf
-fnj
-

of natere,and the grtom ic w iltto the persoa, to tlle troioz ormode

of existenee. And as it was the revelation of the Tiinity, frst of
all,and then the m ystery of the Incarzlation wkieh enabled the ntind
to m ake the distinedon of person and nature,so outside the direct
influence ofthe sam e,nothitzg is easier than to neglect it. rorilzthe
m ere ereature, wltich w e are, whatever springs from the nattu'
al
willcan only be efeetive through our own choiee alone. Such cer-

tahlly is the ease w ith M axim us, especially if one considers only
lAis vocabulary.
It is interestingsand perhaps not entirely without signiieance,

that tlle two azl-kslft,where zpoutpotg is most dearly met,are

preeisely those in whieh there is a de:nite exdtzsion ofthe Origenist,

more, of tlle Gregorian apocatastasis53. In eaeh ease there is also

found the fundam eutal triad; being, w ell- or im being, ever-being.
'
l'he flrst and the last are not within m an's power;tlle m iddle, wlzich
is of course not m ere natural goodness but the adoption ef sons
involves cltoic' and the action of the Spirit, And thi
ks is necessarily'
so, be use of the f<self-m oving, m asterless power that naturally

is in m arz'' (Amb 42-z345D :3-15). The sam e tllought is found

in his treatment ofthe Sabbath (Aml)6$-I39cA),'
but there we find
also 1he emphatie su tem ent that ever-well-being is not subjeet to
the williug of choice (t/eAf1o'
Etrrpoasetysfo Amb 65-I39zB8).
Iz1 these passages thqre is no hint of a distinction between will
and choice, unless one m ight, and reasonably iadeed, see sach a
hiztt in the eause assigned for the necessary exercise of elzoice in
the attaittm ent of w ell-being: nam ely, that there is in m an t'the
ianate self-m oving, m asterless pow er ''. Choice then and this m a-

sterlsss #ppzer are not perfectly identieal. Attd masterlns #pkp> is

self-determ ination aeeording to the definitien given in TP I 54 Selfdeterm ination Ls in its tttr'
n identiftetl with the w ill, and indeed as
a prim ary elem ent in 1)0th arclletype and im lge b:.
But if thqse texts give som e slight indication that M axim us was
aw are of the distinction,it is certain that he did not 1ay too great
w d ght upon it. , For itt explaining to Thalassius (Thal 4'
z) how
.

'

e '
F'
o'
r M axim us'treatm ent of this problem see the final chapter
:4 '1*P z-17D :f.Power is iunate dom inion over thiugs to be done that
.

aresubjectto us;unhinderetldeminion ofthe use ofthingssubjectto us;

unenslaved appetite of things sabjeet to us '>.
O T P 28-324D 8.

Chapier F.Koros

zo3

Phzist beeam e sin for us and yet did not.know sin,lte speaks indifferently of the corrtlptiolt of choice in A dam and of it.s reetitude
in Christ. This is one of the passages for which afterwards he m ust
give an explanation. In TP I he observes that if som e of the 1?athers have spoken of ehoice in Cluist,it was in the sense of our essentialappetitive power,narftely ou.
r natural will, or was an appro-

priation of our ehoice to the Inearttate God (T P I-a90). It was

ia tids sam e m anner that he him self wrote to 'Phalmssius,for in fact

there is izzChristno possible choiee (?.PP I-z9Df).

'rhe Christologicalfaetor has then dearly induced a elarieation.
Choice in the frst treatise to M arinus is defined as a <.deliberative

appetite of things subjed s to us. For, M axim us explains, ehoice

is a m ixture,.com potm ded of m any things, being eom posed of ap-

petite,deliberation artd judgement ''(TP I-I6C). 'rizis isaa adapted

citation of N em esius s:and is therefore nothing new . W hat is new
is the em phatic denial that in Christ there can be any sueh thing
as choice. The defrtition as it stands refers to any sort of deliberation,whether it be betw een diverse goods or between good a2nd evll.
But certainly it is in this latter w ay that he tends to speak of it.
At the end of the apology for the use of choice in regard to Christ,

cited above,Maximussays:''('l'heFathez's)knew trtlly thataschoice

regards both, I m ean tlle good and the evil, it pe'rtains to those

who can be moved:wiich to think,m uch,m ore to say of Christ,

the Very substanee and source of good, is full of every im piety ''

(TP I-% A).

Tt is llot only here that tlze connection of choice with selectfon
between good and evil is evident. It is im plicit in the detinition
of gnom ic willwith w hich I began. It reeurs in a fuller exposition
ofgaom ic willin the treatise on Two W ills. There <'the self-chosen
im pulse, esecting the divergence to otte or the other,constitutes

(the gnomic wl11);it is defnitive not of the uature but, precisely,

of the person and hypostasis'' (
TP I6-I9zBI3-CI). And agaia a
x

little m ore fglly:f'And the httm an willl

'mg in our Savior,even being
natural,w as not nude as w-ith us,as ndther was bis hum anity,since
by the union it was did nized to tlze lim it.whetlce accurately sinlessness belongs to it. But ottl's evidently is nude alld ia no wise sialess on account of the deviation to this side or that - a deviation

*4 N eMsslus, D e 'I/J. hom . 33: PG 4o.73tiA Tr, y(

33B 1x.

zo4

Th6Rqutation 0/Origensm

w hieh does not alter the nature but diverts the m ovem ent, or, to

speak m ore truly, exchanges its mode'' (TP zo-z36D4-I3).

W ith these texts before us we are able to line up severaldistine-

tions: the l4yog fpftrefn, the natural will, nature are on one sideon the other al'
e the m ode of existence, gnom ic will and choice,

tlle person. Self-determ ination then and freedom are of the nature
prim arily, of the person secondarily , derivatively, '#M s series of
distinctions perm its, when confronted with the Origenist and Gregorian, views, the necessary reetifeations. A surfeit of the good
properly known becom es strictly inconeeivable, fgr the expeliezlce
of evil is i.
ri no way a ftl lm ent of nature EH is properly a spzp.

existence, an tlvtsatzplla 5;. Its experience can not form a necessary

ingredient ofouT desi'
re for tlle good Witich is oiitselfdesirable.And
w hat is m ore since natute and person are not identieal the restora-

tion of nature does not of necessity entail the eom plete restoradon

of every person. reedom is iaalienably a patt of ltumatt nature;

.

in its m erely hum an m ode itisinseparable from thepossibility ofsite

nhlg 8,
'in its diviae m ode in Christ it becom es irtdefectibly sinless

(&vtzpzdplv o). 'rhe perfection of the human will is to attain a

fixedness in the good,whieh corresponds to the self-goodness, to the
identity of goodness and being irt God T'he desire for the divine
.

good,wlliclz is the uaturalwitl izlits most intimate beinj,will be

realized existentially only aecording to the cireurnstartces in w lzich
eaeh person m ay fnd him self. 'rhe ultim ate 1ot of each wifll sim ilarly be determ ined by the disposition towards the good in which
each is set at the tim e of his passage henee This determ ination
of lot, then, is on the personalplane, not that of nature.
.

Butherewealready touch theproblem ofthe apocatastasis,eoncerztiug w bith the prtlnent texts and studiesm ust now be exam ined

H A m b 4z-z:32.1.3; cf. Tllal pro1-z.$7A .

.
58 Despite the great part that ignorance play'
s i1z the genesis of evil

(cf.'rhalprol-aj3cD),the will so at least in the dispute with Pyrrhus (TP

,

z8-3z5A9),'is JwfzlveactN .

CHAPTSR V I

A/oczu AsTAszs
W e have seen that Maximus very deftnitely rejevtsaud explicitly reftltes the O rigenist errors coneerniug tlze henad, as also tllat
ofthe preexlstenee of souls. It w ould seem therefore that a refuta-

tion ofthe apocatastasisortm iversalrestoration,even ofthedamned,

would be found in hisatttiorigenistpieces. This isseetltingly not the
ease. Certaiuly there is no frontal attack, rto explicit refatation '

bttt is there a definite well-grounded rejeetion? I believe so. But

1et tls lirst see the previous studies in this m atter and then the texts
of M axim us.
Prsvio'
t4s sfllffes

Irl zvctz M ichatld publised his stttdy:S.M axime J: conjesseur

et I'az
l/pctzffls/tzs:1. After dtittg in Latin a m ultitude of texts,not
always to the point,and w ith som e giving a brief com m ent,lte condudes that M axim ns taught the fnal consum m ation of at1 in the
good. Vitler1 however, states that M axim us did not take over

the doctrine as found in Evagrius. Grum el3, referring to QD I3,

arms that M axirtius held a mitigated dod rine ofthe apocatastasis.
V on B althasar * has later given som e pages to the question ia an

epilogtle to his essay ollthe Confessor's doctdlle. I-fe present.s three

series of-texts:1) those referring to hell and eterual punishment;

z) those which speak of the effedive salvatiozt of htlman nature,
w ithout so m uch as a hint that tlzere m ight be single exceptions;

and 3)those texts wltich refuse to give a deeper doctrine,that doctrine being,so one reasonably supposes,tlteapocqtastasis. M axirnus'
1 M rcrtltu'
t), E. Rru. JAC/ZIZwt
r
I/JZ-tZJ: (le FW tvtpjrg zo (z@o2) 257-71.
2 RAM Iz (1930) zlo.
3 II'IV Io (z9a8) 457.
: KL 367-721275-78.

2o6

ThnX#'
?4/flSt)lW Ch'
iy/:1,:-

solution therefore is not doctrinal but practical '

fhe threatening
possibility of eternal punishm ent is necessary for tlle bgiltners aa4
.

profcients (and who can gttarantee himselfpedect?);yet the depth

of the divine m ercy no one knows, it is better to restrict one's curiosity to the linlits that Scripture perm its. Such is von Balthasar's

exposition of Maximus' doctrine; his own judgement thereon is

contained in a footnote 5: .*M axim us w ant.
s to tmetiltain 60t11 tlke
suceess of the divine plan and the threat of eternaldam nation that
hangs over the sinner. H LS solution seem s to give greund forbeliev
.

ing that this latter is a threat only that could rem ain unrealized
''
ln tllis resped it is tlnaeeeptable

. . .

Only reeently J. Gath has iuterm eted the Gregorian tz/mctztastasis in absolute term s :,' and adds that M axim us and Theodore
Studite were quite of the sam e opinion. I am not prepared to di-

scurxs his judgement regarding Gregory. but the following study

willshow with what haste he passed judgement on Maximus;.
Texts Aeltp/flg to the w/'
fwfg:pl:zll
A tension certainly exists whenever theologians sim ttltaneously
m aintaiu, and Catholic theologians cannot but m aintain, the per-

fevtion and universatity of God's saving work in Jesus Christ and

tlze reality of unending punishm ent, that is the seem iug failure of
saivation. The degree and incidence of this tension vary as its
two poles are diversely coneeived and estim ated. Considering once
m ore the texts it willbe clear,I hope,that in M axim us the tension
w as genuinely m aintained, though he was stitl so im pre% ed witlt
the reality and m om ent of'the first pole that he did not develope
extensively the opposite elem ent. But the texts...

5 K L 57z/a781. See v()N BM JHASAR'Sown e-stim ateofthislastchapter

of K L in D ,6 (;x.Crttt.p. 7,in which lze aligns him selfcom pletely with M ichaud.
'
6 Lq .l,f& #'
/J... pp.187'-z9J. Afte.r the resurrection there can be no
sim ler leftin eternalpains no sinner leftat all m: sinner; but a11 no exceptions, w ill be saved.
.

7 G.
&A K op.cit.p.z88,givesltisversion ofM aximus'QD I3-79623-0)1;
but he omits the capital phrasp : xtft ofxg 'tizoo tgeto; % lzefle:'
tt'
bv

yuit
'
iw flzrs
oajkv Ttk rvtiygw.'
n.
e oversight is a11the more gross in tlzat
'rheoclore,dtktg the wlzole passage, sitlgles out this very phrase for repeti-

tion and emphasis (ep.1G0- PG 99,x5oIA).

Chapter VI,Apocatastasis

'zo;r
.

'rhe a rm ation of the fact of punishm ent of unendhzg dam nation ,even great em phasis upon it, afe sufiiciently conlm on in M axim us. There is first'of a11the exlm rtation to com punction oecupyipg

two thirds of the latter half of the Librr Ascetic'

us ILA 9! 27-39).
Lack of com punction is due to lack of fearofGod, r'thescorning of

God's fearful judgement as a mere thought''(LA z7-9> C4f). In

the Centuries on Charity etevnal Jz
lfAls/lvlfrzl/ eom es to the fore in
Char I.56, 57,
' 2.34. Von Balthasar's caveat against arguing from
tids term etnrnalto a concept of tm ending punishm ent to be found
izz Gregory of N yssa 8 cannot have the sam e force for M axim as,
.

inasmuch as he could not have been unawire how the 6th eentuz'y
antiorigenist theologians used the like qualifcation for puztishm ent

and.forlife ti1l Matt.25.46)as eternalas certain proofofthetm elzd'

ingness of punishm ent, since of the unendhlgness of the blessed

life there was no possible doubting 8. Elsewhere M axim us speaks

ofa just judgement or condemnation for endless or for itnite ages

orofb0th together:4,
'or ofdestnzction or ofthe 1ot ofthe bad thiefM.
A11 these are but passing references. There are how ever four letters dating from before 6z6 to 643,therefere covering the w hole period of M axim us' activity as an mscetical author, wllich contain

deseriptions of death,of the particular and fnaljudgement and of

the quality and etendty of the just damnation. I refer to ep 4
on grief,to ep c4 to Constantine,to ep 8 perhaps to Sophroniusand
to ep I to the eparch George on hisrecallto Constantinople in 64z '1.
Let us gather a few of the phrases that refer m ore particulady
to tlze endlessness aud quality of punislzm ent after death. The
them e of ep 4 is salutary grief. 'fhe rem em brance of death and
tlze constant anticipation of the labor at tlze soul's departure are

eminently ftto arousein ustllissentiment (ep 4-4I6A). Anflfnally,

after the opening of the doom sday books, t'those who have their
station allotted on the left hand reeeive eternalfre the outer darkness, the sleepless worm , the gnashing of teeth uhdryable tears
8 VON SALYHASAR Pyse*ce P. 584*
,See ZSO G AW II Op. dt. P. 190.
: JUSTINIAN, .p1dv. Olgdlxy;n ad ,V.
18Al:Fl4pl, ACO t. II1 2o5l*ff (PG
86.975).
1: Am b aI-zzszllzo' Thal z1-z93B4 anf'
t M yst 14.-69:
$84fl Ea: Gtthcrtv
.

ckaetpol.
g'
re xkvEr
Evet%'
rol.
11 A m b r
zo-za3'
z'B ; A rnb 5,3-:37t
J:
B , z376B .

11ep 4-416.
'ep 24-6z2BC; ep 8-44:11 (etern
'jl hell-flrel; ep :-388C389Cz, l'
por the dating see m y D ats-lst.

:zo8

Thtf,& /74f//r'
t?A;ojOrigenism

and endless sham e over which every m an condem ned to tm ending

torm ent for agesis m ore ae icted titan over allotherform s ofpunis
-

ment put together'' (4I6-D8-4I7Az). In ep 24 he refers to tbe

peaee obtained (that over Chosroes in 628) and then exhorting to
a right and w orthy use of peace contitm es: z'1et us be m indftll of
the bitter a iction of eonscience that com es to the soulin hellatthe
m em ory ofits deedsim donein the body;1et usbe m indfulofthe con
-

summation of the entire world ''(6IzBI-4). Then heeomesto the

dtxscriptioh of the 1ot of the blessed and the dam ned. These latter'
.
'ffor the tm naturah ess oftheir deeds w i11receive the outer darkness
the sleeplerss w orm , the tm quenchable iire of gehenna and, m ost

grievouk ofall,sham e ofconscwience that has no end ''(6I:Cg-II)&3

.

' But w ith the years, or perhaps with the gteater poiglzancy of

the situation under which he was writisg this fziend George was

under grave suspidon),Maximus has gained a f'urther insight

He
.
speaks this tim e in the frst person : '*.A.ll m e! the fearful sham e
that willnever have an end except by a citange I becom e free ofm y

m any evits, .ih m e! the m oaning and the'bitter tears. .

Instead

of light darkness,in'stead of joy grief,instead ofrehxatien punishm ent and distress willsurely Teceive m e. Aztd then ofa11, tlle m ost
nziserable,or m ore tnzly the m ost grievous - in saying it only I am
afllkted, how m uch m ore in enduring it: be m erciftll, Chtist, and
save us from this ajlliction - the separation from Gqd 14 and from
his holy polers,and the fanliliadty with t:edeviland hisevildem ons
that abidesfor ever without any expeetation of liberation from tlzese
tenible tlzings. For in this world by our evil aetivities we chose
willingly and deliberately to be with them ; of necessity to be with
them w e shallfairly ezzough be condem ned, tlm ugh unwilling. And
m ore pusishing and terzible than any punishm ent, the bdng contiuually w ith haters and hated thisapaz'tfrom torm ents, not to m entiou with them ,and tlze having been separated from the loverand the
.

loved one. P'or God judging justly,who by nature is and is called

love,isnot hated by the judged; nor does he hate the judged, for

naturally he exists free of passion . As we believe that these things

13 Part of the phrasfng of this passage has been borrowe; from Gregory N azianzen or. 16.9:PQ 3,5.945C. It is a passage citecl again in part
in Am b p zo88A .
14 Gregory of N azianzen is also here M axim us' forerunner' see tNe
above note.

Chapfer VI-Apocatastasis

zog

reazy and truly will be, 1et us, beloved, not negleet ourselves ''

(ep 1-388D6-8902).
M axim us does not speak here conventionally of the pains of
hell'he does not repeat m ere phrases,as m ay seem the case in the
references giveu earlier. Xret there rem ains to be seen how he * 11
treat certaill problem s resulting from seriptural and. patristic texts

when he is less directly under the infuence oflfisgospelm editations.

Here the great problem is that of the concrde solidarity f?/ the
ll- flzl race1: wlzich ,if carried to its lim its,seem s to involve a certain apocatastasis,m ore or less on the fotlowirlg lines:since a11 fell
it A dam all w ill rise and be saved in the new A dam . B tlt even
when sueh a doctrine is carried to its extrem es the resulting apoeatastasis, though equally false w ith the O rigenist doctrine, is not
the sam e. 'rhe latter is eoherent w itll the doctrine of the henad,
preed stenee and a certain eoneept of freedom and neeessarily llows
from it;the form er has a real,a true basis,but is a doctrine sugering,
as it were from sarcom a,nam ely that no person m ay be coneeived
as set perm anently in opposition to the good in Christ l6.
I shallnow give those passages whieh seem rnost to favor such
a view . It is here that x
stichaud was m ost diligent. Am ong the

Quaestiones ad F/lflllss'
lfvlI may refer more particularly to Thal z
and I5. In the first the harm onization of the particxular with the
general,in the second the ways of God's providenee are dealt with.
In quite a num ber of the passages dted by M iclzaud one should
note that the m oral elem ent is present, m ostly expressed with the
words granted /t? th6 worl/ly or the like U. Tllis is em phasized in
the com m entary on Ps.59 '8. H oweverthe fullest iasistence on this
aspeet is'found in A m b 3I-Iz73D , w hich deals with a phrmse of Gregory's oration on the N ativity : Tfthe law s of nature are loosed; the
upper world m ust be filled; Christ bids, 1et us not resist ''. Tlze
second phrase of the pmssage naturally hw ites the doctrine of tlze

concrets solidarity t# m ankind. Nor is it surpdsing that Maximus

15SeeDANI*LOIJ,RSR 3o (z94o)3447forsome literatureorttlzissubject;
see also voN Bzktalfasalt,Pq sence p. 58f, especially 58:.

16 See GA.
'
1% ok. cit. p. z92. In tNe passage cited (PG 4 .z:z6CD)
Gregory asserks the incom possibility of e'vil and the divine om n4pre-sence.

I shallretm.n to this toilic below (p.zl8.Thal15).

1:See Thal 22-:JI7Dzo, 32IB7;54-jz5B:z;; 59-609C2; 63-668C8;64pooB 8.
18 Pe 59-8.574.
.
14

zlo

TltetAt#fy/llo@lolOyigenism

hete introduceslhe parables of the lost slzeep, the lost dracbm a and
tlle prodigal son The lost elem ent is that whieh lzas fallen from
the heavenly choir p arlkind w hose return provides the whole scope
of the Incarnation l9. But that M axim us here leaves to a m ore
propitious oecasiop the explanation of the num bers 2, Io and Ioo zn
is not su eient grounds fo'
r num bering this pa% age am ong those
w hieh deliberately refuse to speak on certain more :xfllfefl doctrines
It is to these texts that we m ust now give som e attention
.

'

E sottwic Slesce?
V on Balthasar :'says that texts of the esoteric sort are frequent
in M axim us. 'fhis is not quite so. 1 have just indicated.one passage that ought not to be lm m bered w itll them A nother stteh
text he sees in Am b 45-13568 . But here again M axim us' reason
for not speaking is not a desire to honoy a doctrine in Wftrlc: but to
.

pass it ove.r for the prsent,because he is not equal to the heights

of Gregory's teachiug D. O tller pl sages of the sort I do not kuow
W e are left then with three really germ ane texts: Thal m olz6oA ; 'l*hal 4g-4IzA z Thal aI-3I6D . Let us begin with tke last;
for the other tw o are m ore im portant an4 related one with the other.
.

'

Question 21 zuns:'rW lzat is the m eaning of:Putting offprincipalities and pow ers etc (Co1.z.15)?Ho
'w ever was he clothed with
.

them at all,sinee he was without sin? '' N ow this Sczipture text is

,

one involved hl O rigen's developem eno of the apocatastasis. In

his 8th hom ily on the book of Josue33 Origen writes:'fTlle cross
1: IIANILOU. RSR.so (:t)40) :
$44,
.
2: Am b 3I-1277C1gff.

:t KL 57oI2z7.
2: See ali.
io the beg4
-n'
n'
ng of A m b 45-1:52B ;tlze tlzird text of'vt'l B .< -

'
rlu s.
t'
il (.Ymb r384C) mt'lst be a mistaken referenee. At the couneil of
Tqorence Bessarion and M ark of Ephesus together fram ed a reply to 1he
Iatins. In tllis the phrase honoy :
rl silentce Ls used to m ean pass ove.r in
silence an tm doubted error of atl honored father in this carse the Nyssetw

dodrine of the apocatastasis fFw vologia Ortrsfcs.

5.71 j z4). ls such a
rsense quite exclutled from M axim us ?

:a In Iosue hom .8.3 (GCS IIASHRISNS, Origen V1I)p. 3389-43: Crux

Dominx
'nostrise.
tu CIZAW gem ina fuit. Mirus tibisermo forta e et novus
vitletur quod (lico:crux gem irza fuit hoe est gem ina ratione eonstat et du
plici' quia visibiliter quitlem lius D e irz earne cruciiixus e-st invisibiliter
-

vero in ea crucediaboluscam pvi,

gcqpqtibas.
slds6t#cfesftz/usAflxm esfc'
rtxf
.

Ckapttr VI.Apocatastasis

J
zzl

ofour Lord Jesus Christ wastwofold ... that is,itis made up double,because visibly indeed the Son of God was eraeified in the qesh,

while invisibly on that (same) cross tlle devilwitk kis JrAlc/wffes

and #p7z?>s is Exed to the eross'' (cf.Col.c.:r4, 15). At the rnd '
of tlle subsequent developm ent on the apocatastasis Origen returns

to tliis text and joins it to another24:f'l'or wlmt good does it do

me if I know that tke king W H ai is /ltzzlgTff on a ff(,f45/: wood? But
ifT lcrzow that the pewer oftlle cross is twofold tm which * :,.
1: Christ
is hanged in the tlesh and the devilwith his arm y is routed - from
understzandizlg the m ystery m y soul is edified. And yet m ore perhaps,to enlarge greatly the scope of the m ystea , on this wood is

understood to be the knowledge'olgood and ol evil (cf.Gen.z.9)on

which 1:0th Christ tlte good and 1he evil devil hanged - the evil
to perish , the good to'live by power...''.

Maximus then,after giving his interpretation ofthe P'

utting (?#
principalities tzlf poweys m anifests his unwillingneu to propagate
a11 the interpretations w hich he knows and condudes in tllis wise:
''It w ould be possible otherw ise to consider the sense of this passage,
m ore m ystically, m ore exaltedly; but since,as you know ,one should
not set down in w rithlg the m ore ineffable of the divine doctrirles,
1et us be content w ith what has been said,enough to hold tlle m ore
curious in tlzis m atter. But,'God grazzthzg that w e be ilz onq another's com pany, we shallstudiously exam ine together the Apostle's

mind '' (Tha1 2I-3I6D).

Tltis is not a com plete esotezic silenee; M avim us is wm ing to
discuss the m eaning of St Paul; the m ore risky interpretation,it is
not prudent to ptlblish. The m ol'e m ystzcal sens m ay vez'y well
be som ething akin to that hinted at in the above citations from
O rigen;that it is so m ust rem ain a supposition. O n the other hand
it is patent that M axim us does not propose to explain such a sense
when he and T halarssius m ay be together, lm t to exam ine the

24 ORIGEN loc. 5il. p. 3429-16: N am qttid m ihi pt

rodeFt si sd am quchd

s gem ino ligno Az.

v Gait
rvsjp,a
n.
zg.
estK aqtem scim duplicem esse virtutem
crucis,in qua et Christus itz carne suspeaditur et cliabolus eum suo exercitu
trinm phatur ex intelligentia saeram entiaeaificabitur anim a m ea. Et m agis
foztasse ut adhuc excelsius Jtm plituflinem m ysterii (Xlatem us in hoc ligno
intelligitur esse ssentia n'
a 6t Antzf,ixz quo et bontls Christus et cliabolas
m alas pependit setl m alum 'quidem ut interiret bonum vero ut viveret
ex vM ute ...

ztz

Tlb6Ae/uflftk.
lf)/O'
rgess-

m eanhtg of the text itself,in doing which,ofcourse,thiss6ns6would

have to be discussed..
Our other two passages are twins;they 1:0th are in reference
to the tree of gotd and evil;they both bttry fhe higher teaclling in
absolute silence; neither offers the possibility of a subsequent discussion.

In the prologue to 'fhala% ius ('rhalpro1-z53A) M aximus gives

a defnition of evil and explains that this failure to tend to tlle end
has as its effeet igrtoranee of the cause. From this he passes to
self-love and to a long list of viees. H e then begins a second devel-

opment with a derived defnition of evil as ignorance p/ tlbe good

cause t# beings. It is from this that he passesto the them eofidolatry, the prefening of the creature to the creator and to that of
self-love, m entioning the tree of disobedience, of the knowledge of

good and evil (257AB). 'fhis tree he then explains. 'fhere is a

spiritual knowledge of the visible ereation - this is good;a bodily

(understand: sensual) knowledge of this creation is evil (z57CD).

H e goes on then to explain why he here dilated on the tree of disobedience: ff'
lY us one should here tlzink ofthe tree, in a w ay w ithin
the reach of all;the better and m ore m ystic reason being reserved
for the m ystival m inds and honored by us ill silenee. I but now
m ade m eution,by the way,of tlle tree of disobedienee, as I w anted
to show how igrm rance of G od m ade a god of creation, of w hich the

corpoml self-love of mankind is the pafent worship '' (T11a1 prol.z6oA6u5).

In anotller qttestiott, however, Thahssius forced M axim tts to
deal wit.h the trees of paradise. Thal 4g-4ogDf reads:.*Iftlze tree
of life is said to be wisdom itl H oly Seripture,and the work of wisdom is to diseem and know,in what then does the tree ofknowledge

ofgood and evildiffer from the tree oflife?''In response (4IzA-Bz)

M axim us frst says that the doctors.of the Church w ere able to say
a great deal on the present question, but honored the place rather
w itlz silence, thl
-nkilzg it better not to deepen the diflleulty when
already m ost people could not attain to the depth of the Scriptures;

and even if some did say som ething,srsthavjng tried outthecapaeity oftheirhearers,they leftthegreaterpart unexam ined. ''Therefore,M af m us goes on,I had thought rather to pass over the plaee
in silence, exeept I felt it w oald grieve your god-loving soul. So
then for your sake I shall say som etbing suitable to alland profte
z-

b1e to thegreatand littleofraind ''('rhal43-4IzAI3-Bz), Maximus

Chqpttw VI.Apocatastasis

21.
3

then proeeeds to give lzis explanation. Inasm ueh as there is the

tree of life itsopposite can only be that ofdeatlz- the tree ofknow ledge of good and evil. Of these the one is m aker of life,the other

ofdeath (4IzB). The tree oflife iswisdem ,that isaitisrelated with

the m ind and reason'
,its opposite therefore is eonnected with irrationality and sense. Or agailz, as m an is m ade up of intelligible
soul and sensible body, the tree of life is the rniad of the soul,the

tree of knowledge of good and evil the senses of the body (4IaC).
Now the ftm ction ofcertain elem entsisto diseern;the znind between
intelligible and seusible,betw een eternal and tem poral;it perstm des
to adhere t tlle form er rather than to the latter, The senses
are discerning ofpleasure and paill. If then m an is discerning only
ofbodily plea-sure and pain,he eats of the tree ofknowledge of good
and evil; if he is discezning the tem poral solely in an intelligible

way,he eats of the tree of life (4IcD ,4I3A).

Sueh then is the explanation suitable and proftable for aH.
But is there no ltillt of the nature of tlle explanations Jt?,
?;t/re,ff in
si/e'
lxz other than the surrnise that they are related to the doctrine
advanced in the passagesofOrigen dte'd above? Let usread M az m us'
Enalw ord to Thalassius. f'So then there is a g'
reat diEere-nce between the two trees and betw eeu the discemnm ezzt naturalto each
and in the signiiicauce connatural to eaeh. Since the predication
of good and of evil is m ade equivocally without distinction, there
cau be done Efgreat harm to those wlm read the words of the Spirit
unw isely and unrefleetingly. But as you are w ise by g'
race you
know that what is said sim ply evil is not entirely evil,but evilin a
ceztain respect and not evil in another;sim ilarly w hat is said sim ply
good is not entirely good,btlt good in a eeztain respect ahd not good
in another. And you are preservetlfrom the harm ful equivocation ''

('Phal 43-4I3AI3-B).
W hat is the im port of this warning and distinctioq? I do not
tllink it lm reasonable to surnzise tlzat the equivoeal predicatiozt
referred to has som e thing to do with the dangerousness ofthe deeper
explanations in which M axim us refuses to ittdttlge. In fact Origen z
in identifying Christ with the good and the devit w ith evil fails
egregiously in the distinctions proposed by M axim us. And in thus
failing he constnles his tllesis for the apoeatastasis of the devil.

'J Se the passage dted fz1note z4.

2z4

Th6A'tr
/zl/lfipzzojOrgenism

This illttm ines som ew hat M axim us'position in regard to the dod zine
honored in silence, whose least acceptable aspect is the tem porariness of hell. O rigen's identification leads directly to the w iping ottt of eviland so to tite liberation of all evildoels whatsoever;
M axim us' distinction is to serve as a protection.
If w e had no other texts than these,von B althasar's interpre-

taf-ion w ould likely lrin by default. But there are other texts,tex'
ts
which speak direetly or also indirectly of this doetrine. 'rhese,
thottgh know n lzeretofore, have not been studied adequately in
this eonnection. I shall present then frstxthose texts whieh refer
by nam e to tlze apocatastasis, then those whieh are coneerned with
the restoration of the powers of the soul.

'

Toxts N aming tlte Apocatastasis

Speaking of the word itself,it m ay be worthwhile to note that

in Greek atocatastasis Ls not an exciusively technical term of theology. 'Phus M axim us' uses it of the yearly return of the sun to

the same position (Am b 46-:356178),of the replacement of the ark

(Amb 3p zz9zB3),also ofthe return oftheindividualsoulto a dxed
oeetlpation,with God,either with the help of pastoral care (TP 77zB8)or withoutit (Amb g-Io8oCII;zo-lzyoAzol.
In the eom m entary on the P atsr Aros/fr M axim us proposes 7
item s as the purpose of the prayer 16:theology,adoptiou by gracea
equality w ith angels, partid pation in eterzlal life, restoration of
nature im passionately in accord w ith itself, the loosing of the 1aw

ofsin,abolition ofthe tyram ly of the devil w ho eontrolled us by deceit. The fifth and seventh tem s interest us here. M axim us expounds eaeh as being '
aecom plished in and by our Lord. The restoration :7 of nature to itself is the perfeet and im m ovable aceord of

nature and the deliberate will (yv4!zn). The abolition ofthe devil's
tyranny 28 is the effect of the Passion, the deliberately aecepted
physieal deatha by w hich the devil is foreed to vom it forth those
he has swallowed. I11 these tlses there .is not the slightest hint of

the apocatastasis in its objectionable sense.

*e PN -876CI-7.
Z? PN -877D-88oxk.
:: P N .-88OC.

Ckaptev VI.Apocatastasis

zI5

W e com'e now to the one expticit treaiment of the danmable

apocatastasis, the 13t11 of tlle Qu6stions and D oubfs. It m ust be
given in its entirety. ''Since Gregory of N yssa very frequently
irt his writings,to us who do not understand the depth of his bigh
theory, seem s to suggest the restoration, tell us plemse w hat yeu
understand of it.
<<The Church knows of three restorations. 'Phe frst is that
of single persons by reason of virttte in w hich eaeh is restored,fulflliltg the pzinciples of virtue in him self. 'flte seeond is that of
the whole nature in the resurred ion - restoration to incorruption
and im m ortality. 'lhhe thirdyw hieh Gregory ofN yssa has especially
abused in.llisworks,is tllis:the restoration again oftite soul's powers,

falle.n under sin,to that (state) in which they were created. Por
it is needful that,ms the w hole of nature in the resurrection of the
flesh receives im m ortality at the hoped-for tim e,so also the perverted
powers of the soul w ith the passage of ages pttt off the m em ory of
wickedness im planted in it,and, traversing a11the age.
s nor futdl
-ng
any stUpping place,eom e to G od who has no lim it. Thus by dear

knowledge (ayvfpcw) not by partidpation (pO qlg) in the diviae

(goods) the soul reeeives (its) powers and is restored to its primitive (state)and the creatorisshown notto be the eause ofsin ''
(QD 13-796)'9.
W hat is to be said .
of this passage? Exam ples of '
the frst sense

ofrestoration I have given above (p.zl4;cf,p.173 and I$z),

.the
second calls for ao com m ent. In the description of tlze third sem se
M axim us is content to sum m arize .Gregory's 21st chapter in the

De hominis tl/Jcfp (PG 44.201). Bttt whi!e in Gregory the subject

of the restoration is the nature of m an or we in M axim us'sum m ary
it is only the pow ers of the soul. r ttrther it is not a com plete sum m ary of G regory's doctrine. 'rhe bishop of N yssa envisages,in the
coun e of long ages,the restoration not only of tlle w hole hurnnn raee
btlt also of the inventor of iniqulty, the devil H. .M 1 this of course
is in virtue ef the Incarnation. Or elsew here he speaks ofthe w iping out of iniquity,w hen all wills will be fxed in God :1.

:9 Vat.gy.2o2o f. 691% (anno 9% ) reads aou fqoiifor rlavrtqo'

ilin the
title; other variants are of no m om ent. Tllis apocatastasis of the powers

is implied in John ef Seytbopolis'see abovq chap.I note 9.'

39 GREGORY obb N vssA, Cattwh. magna j zts: PG 45,6987-C8.
:' G REGORV tm N kessa Ik anim a :/ resuv.: PG 4(i.lozA .

cI6

Th6Ae/lftl/ip.
llolOrigenism

It w ould seern clear then that M ai m us has m ade llis seiection.

H e refers to the restoration of the soul's pow ers beeausq that of
the body he has induded ilz the second type of restoration. Ele-

m ent.s which fle sees to be unacceptable to the orthodox doetrine

he passes ove'
ritzsiteaee rem arkiug only tlzat Gregory gravely abased
this dod rine of restoration. That doctrine which he does report
he fnds neeerxsary to distinguish. D anilou 3: suggests that hl this
M axim tls is only following a ltint found in Gregory him self. 17or
Gregory does say 3::44Eaeh m alzaccording to the eviland the good
in wltich he now puts him self,ittthese sam e will he be found afterwards. I/or he who now goes about in im piety, not living in the
d ty nor preserving any sign of hum anity in his life but w illfully
being wild and a dog - such a rrlan willthen,fallen out of the city
above,be punished by dearth of good things ''.
Certninly it is no m ore than a hint;nor does it seem necerxsal'y
that M axim us should iw indebted to Gregory for it;it has nothing
of the precise eharacter of his own distinction 81.
W batarewe to m ake of G e M axim ian distinttitm ? It azows to
the evildoers izz the afterlife an agyvfoclg of good things, but not a
partidpatioa therein. Com beis qualifed this solution as subtilior
'
ll/plverior. D anilou explains ltim self izl a note as:T'In thesetexts
one m ay see very d early the dissod ation of the apocatastasis, consisting in mz xtyvgsg, a ztaking possession of the organizhzg essences '
ch is the suprem e ideal of Platonism ,and the Chri, . . .whi

stian beatitude,which iscommtmion (p1E1k)with a peaonal God ''.

'fhis is a happy insight of Danidou,azzd fortuaately M axim tts
ltim self explnins the two sort,s of knowledge wllich m ay be had.
'rlle oneeonsistsin relations,in concepts and isinnocent ofexperience

and actualcontacttagnfnl with the known object; the other,the

true ltnowledge is w itlzout coneepts and is an actual, contactual
3: Dlkxlmmu, RSR 3o (1940) g4($.
:1 GRSGORV or Nvssa In Psalmos (ps. 58): PG 44.6084.10-83: ...!
5'rt
xe :lxlheeov o Kvpttlaok xaxti 'rs .
66 rrovqpv xatz xeeivrov, l'v ok v vpv
W vzvrttt,l'v sok e '
co'g Xa.
L p'
svl xafrra ysv/jcowm . *0 ytk v'
i:
iv $'cefka

xfxlp xevtztqxtlsv,p.
';)ppulxa fov v'
zizfdlst,BqD 'r?:v tlvtlvfatvov z'al 'roiis:tov
pfov gcteax% vftTultitmfkw,tl11f (kxolnptotslzevog :ttkv'lg xeoapa clg, xttt x'
t
sf
ov
yev6jzevo,osTog xak'
rd'rei'rjg 4vla xlcfp lxaogfbv lv Lpf
/ 'rfiw tiw lf:v xokam'hhcrexlm
*G See note z5.

3: DAN'
llkrvov, RSR 3o (r94o) 547:.

CkaphyVI. Apocatastasis

zl7

partidpation by grace in the known object. The one is oftllis life

and fom ents the desire of the seeond;the secend is of the next life

and excludes the mode of knowledge proper to tllis life (Tha1 6o6zID). 'fhe clray FlAltlu/afgTthen wbich M aximus allowsto restored
sinners rem ains ultim ately a discursive knowledge, quite excluding

them from tlle joys ofunion ;*.

Now there are two of the Questians and Doubts (QD Io,73)
which touch on the dillieult text of St Paul saved,ye.
/ so as by /irdr

(I Cor.3.z3-z5). Let us see what they say of the 1ot of sinners.

4:W ith sinners the works are burned,wbile penetrating know -

ledge (dtdyvolc-tg) burns the consciencealessezls the sin,saves tlze

m an,penalizes for the lack of virtue in tim es pqst. But ia the future age the works of sin 55411 pass into inexistence , while nattu'e

receives its powers whole,by fre and judgement '' (QD 73-84$06
848A6).

f'Those who do not entirely possess perfection but have sinful

and virtuous acts (J.pzfpsigav'a xatxtzsopfyaxtl),these come to the

place ofjudgement and there by compirison ofthe good and mean
tfpaflttwl aetons,tried as it were by fre,i.
f indeed the scale of the
good weighs heavier,are deared of putishment'' (QD 10-79205793A2)'1.
-

N either of tlzese texts seem to refer to eternal dam nation, lm t

rather to the particuh r judgement ensuant on death and to the

evezltual aggregatitm to the good. .
17 lm ve already given above

(p.2o7f,from ep 4,a4,1)Maximus'description thereof;buttlle very

purpose and fram ew ork of those descriptions kept them within the
two tategories of the sheep and the goats of the Lord's parable.

'fhe tdyvtt
lgkgofthe iirstpassagebutheretranslated (QD 73-84507)
I would understand in the light of the ybgvo'tg of ep 4 (4I6Dz).
36The importance of this distinction is only the more manifest hy
thesubsequent explanation of contat lcttom jgwl which m akestlte relevance
of Thal6o to QD T3 ulzm istakable. 'T1)y-cxm tact (1 m ean) the experience
by participation in goods above nature '' (Thal 6o-6z4.A5f).
87A+6 tilm ra# 0/ H nisltment: xlmtlkkovw t 'rlg xoltsefag: Com beis:
iusta azzizrzatlversicme pronaqae expiabantug. Tn the note zv.
'
jD) ile says;
ve1s'
uppticiolyrlpfzxe;utestaputlH erod.z.v,xabaloeo'
o taovqe v 'eetz
l
iatov
ve1subintellige &('
zsupplicio,jttyAzl puvgantuv. The :td.rather plemses him
as m aking tlzis text a witnessfor purgatonu The sense of the Greek seem s
to dem mzd the veo iou I have given whicll for that m atter agree.s exeellently with tke context.

a:8

The

&t#lfld
zstlAlolOrigenism

There is,fudher,in neither passage ofQD mention ofthe elements

of everlasting dam nation, no m etttiotl of separatiotk from Cxod no

m ention of xlagsg usually understood of the torm ents of hell

Is it that M axim us Xere envisages a eondition, a state, preparatooe to the delinitive aggregation to the sheep or the goats of
the parable?
H owever in these passages w e do have an enlightenm ent of
consdence in regard to m isdeeds, which willbe done aw ay with Of
.

theremozseand tormentfollowing upon thisenlightenment in QD Io

azttl73,there is no m ention; yet in ep 4 there is vivid m ention

The enlightenm ent eneountered izl QD 13 (for itl both QD 13.

and 73 the restoration of the soul'
s powersis in question) is ofthe
,

intelligence.
N ow if M axim us, urtder the reserve of the distind ion of clear

Axtl'
tfll:ffg: and tarticiptdion, aceepts the restoration cd the soul's
powers and with it the Gregorian argum ent based on the lilnitedness
of evil, there is another of Gregonr's argum ents whieh induces the
f
ull salvation of tlte persistent sitm er, tite absolute wiping out of
sin (for Gregory these would be symonymotts), that does not fm d
such aceeptanee. I refer to the Gregorian thesis that since God

willbea11in all(1 Cor.:5.a8)therewillbeno placefor any remnaat

of sin. ''So that God, he says, w ill not be all in all if there be
,
any tbllng ieft of evil '''*
'rhis difliculty turns upon the sense ofin all, and precisely these

words Maxim us sets out (111 '

fhal I5-zp7) to explain as they occur

in a text of the book ofW isdom (Sa'p.Iz.I, z;1.4. The sum of

hi

s thoughtin this cxm nection is a threefold distiaetion of the Spirit's

presence:in creatures as sueh as under the law and as m lder grace
Ttale,in eaeh case he tm derlinestlle operation ofthe Spilit in draving.
the rational ereature to the good The faet,however rem ains that
,
M axim us envisages the presence of tlle Spirit as censervative of the
creattlre's existence. In this ease Gregory's argum ent for the Enal
annilal'lntion of evil and so the eonversion of every single evildo
has lost ita
er
s force. Sins do indeed pass into inexistence;but it does
not therefore follow that the sinners pass into btiss Itt this light
.

Ae G RSGORY 0%* N vssz

t f?z kllud. t Cor. 15.28 :P Q 44
1316D r: efzo're f)
ofx iv xlssv poxt ivav &xoleupg v:xqxv v Iog ootv' . . .W6 : aVXG y(vetrNt:xfw W kv Tok o'lp,'
r t
bxl.
o'
ih'xa Izevoet:R '
q g hm logvng '
lirtlv lqq
'
.

flaoefxvucu Com pare also De (z.9',71t

z nt gzszA'
r. PG 46.Io4B z3.

Chaptev Ff.Apocatastasis

zI9

the precisionsofep z tsee above p.z()8)with.regard to the relatiens

of the dazm zed w ith G od have futter signifk ance.

It willbe worthwhile here,before leavillg QD I3,to ask 0urselves w hat M axim usm eans by f'as the w hole of nature in the resurrection of the desh receives im m ortality at the hoped for tim e. so
atso the perverted powers of.the soul w ith the passage of ages put
off the m em ory of wickedness im planted ilz it, and, traversing all

the ages nor fndittg any stoppng placeycozne to God who lzas zm
lirait ''. W hat especially does M axim us understand by the passage

0/ agesand the t'wtf)# tkeAzleAzit?ry oj wicksdness. F'

iz'
st I think that
here the parallelism should be noted:tzs...in the redlfrAzc/ftzl,so...

with tk'passag. t# ages. The generalresurrection which restoresthe

flesh will be the m easure ofthese ages. But tlle m em ory ofwicked-

ness? (orperhaps0/ evil, xaxlag). In Gregory (PG 44.2oICI0)this

m em ory is the m eans of discipline and sobriety. TIILS is also the

sensepfM axim us ia ep 24-6I2Bz,dted above (p.zo8),tlum gllthere

he speaks only of the tim e before the general resunw tion, not, as
here, of the state of one-tim e sinners at the resurrection.

In QD 73me have seen tlltin tlze future age,sinful works passing into inexistence,nattue hasitspowersrestored wllole. Is it that

the memory of sin,having done its purifying work (d.also QD 1tj)

passes also away (but ofthfs I am not certain),leaving the subject,
as the case m ay be,M'i#.IIm ere discursive k'
nowledge of God or with
a real participation ?
As this passage stands then there is a purgation ofthe pow ers of
sinners'souls term inating itza elear diseunlve knowledge ofGod - a
doetrine a rm ing less than the Gregorian apocatastasis, yet refraimingfrom any positiveindicationsofthe pains involved in the im -,
plied im participation iu the divitze goods. Perhaps,as in Thal43,

Maximus would honor by silence, i1i this sense at least that he

rdrains from a fttller explanation ,of the Gregorian doetrine wlzich

ke then could not but reject,

Texts Excluding the .4pocatastasis
Btlt now a fm al questioa. Are there to be found ill M axim tts'

workspassagesnob merely statiug orsupposing (sueh we have a1ready seen),but positively propoundiag and defendingthefmality of
judgement at deat,h for the condition ofhfdividuals in the afterlife?
'lere are two such among the Ambigua (Amb 42 and 65).

zzo

Thc A:/l/aft):tt# Gyigodsm

One m ight perhaps have expected tlm t in A mb 7, where M ax-

im us refutes the O rigo ist henad and declares w hat w ill be the statr

()/ Iuture things (Amb 7-Io77Bz2), he would have openly rejected

the apocatastasis. It is not so. H e developes only the state of the

blessed,noting by the way (Io76CII,Iz) that this bliss is for the

worthy. H owever the first of the passages now to be considered
oecurs ill the digression refuting the doctrine of the preexistence
oi souls, at the beginning of w lzicb M axim us expressly rd ers
to the O rigenist henad. N othing is adventitious ilz God, as would
be the case if souls should enter bodies in punishm ent for sia;

eaclzthing proceeds according to its logospreexistentin God (Amb

4z-I3z8A).
44()f all things, says M axim ts a little farther on, that do or
stlbstantially exist... the logoi,finnly fxed, preexist in God, in aecordanee w ith wlzieh allthings are and havebecom e and abide, ever
draw ing near through naturai m otion to theirpurposed logoi. They

(tlle tidngs) are rather constraled to being and receive,aceording

to thekind an2 degreeoftheirelectivemovementand motion, either
wem being because of virtue aztd direct progress in regard to the
logos by w hich they are or ill-being because of the vice and m otion
outof harm ony w ith the logos by w hich they are. Or to put it coneisely,aceording to thehaving orthelaek, in theirnaturalparticipative
faculty, of ilim w ho exists by nature com pletely and unparticipated
and w ho prosers him self entire sim ply and g'
raciottsly by reason of
ltis lim itless goodness to all, tlle worthy and the tm worthy, producing the perm auenee of everlasting behlg as eaeh m an oflzim self has

been and is (then)disposed. Fbr these the respeetive partieipatioa

or im partidpation of the very being,w ell-being and ever-being is the
increase and

augmentofpttnishmettt hkgttxt(tl for those notableto

participate and ofenjoymentforthose ableto participate''(Amb 4zI3z9AI-Bg).
.

The text is of sueh d arity as to need no glosses. Ill view of the

foregoing discussion however it m ay be perm itted to draw attention

to the term pa.rticipation rtlfhit and its contrary and what each
involves. 'fllis eertainly gives further light on that otller pair, la(-

yvfngtg and gld tg, of QD I3. As the two participations m ay be

taken tobequitesynonymous(vGv rlye t'r

sv axd voB xw to Cvroxv))
and as there is no m iddle term between participa'tion and im partieipation,the clear v vo ffge or lxtyvct, result of the restoration.

Chapter VI.Apocatastasis

22I

rzm st be com patible with im pal idpation aud the punishm ent it
'

a:

tom lm rts .

Tlle passage I have justturned into English isnot isolated. In

Am b 65 M axim ttssetsout to explain what is the eighth day whieh is
alsotheIirst. Itisthegreatday ofthe seeond com ing. H eeonclades

his exposition Fhus: *%The reighth and the Nrst,rather one only
fmst-held day, is the pure, allbright presence of G od com iag after
m oving things have their rest,w llo:to those who used,by choice in
accord with nattu'e,theiresseutialbeing,grants ever-w ell-being by a
fam l'h'ar shadng, as alone very being,.ever-beilzg and well-behlg,
indwelling entire iu the entire nzan;butwho to those who deliberately
used their essential being out of harm ony with nature assigns in
fairness ever-im being instead of w em being. For with them of a
ctm trary disposition there was no longer place for w ell-being and

after the appearance of the bject of search they are eompletely

bereft of that m otion l)y w hich the sought is to be m ade m anife'st

tb the seekers ''(Amb 6j-I39aCz4-DI3).

'I'lle whole of this Ambigaum ,of which I have just given the
conclusion,is of great hlterest forourpresent question. V oa Balthasar's use of it in com m enting 'fhoec 1.56 4e did not perrnit him to
see, at least to m ention,the very defnite ah rm ation of everlasting

ptm ism entythough the oeeasion (the eighth day,wthe Sabbatil) was
propitious for developing an apocatastatie them e.
I stated but a short while ago that one looked iu vain ixt the

great polem ic of Am b 7 agairtst the hvnad for a deEnite exclttsion of the apoeatastasis. 'rhe developm ent there on tlze future
state is to be understoed for tlze blessed tm ly, for the w oztlzy.
If now I draw attention to the fact that this developm ent is in

term s of being, wem being, ever-wem being (Amb 7-Io73C), there

eall 1ye little doubt that the explidt passages on ever-ill being
supply as with an essential elem ent of the full 'backgrotm d of.
M axim us'thought.
39 Thisfrom the negative sid.
e explaius lxlm ftcw Above (p.zz6f) wftlt
the aid.of Tkal 6o we have seen that lztiyvolw is m erely a clear discursive

knowledge. One m ay cite as irlstauee ofthissense Justiu Martyr Apologia

11 ze,6 tGoopsr%Eo p.86):ztp 'Noh: Ioi m flltrrov tt+rok tpagansl :Mk.
lyev lqvaitstq lalyvtt
xlnv zpoA exefo.
4*. V oN

BALTHASAR D i6 Gx. Cent.p . zz9.

zc2

?oke /?:/./Jlipa ofOzr:lfsps

conauston
W hat results then from our inquisition ozt the apocatastasis in
M axim us? The tensiotl - universality of salvation and etentity of
dam nation for som e - really exists in the M axim ian theology, since
eitlzer pote is m aintained. M aintaiued in their integrity, yes; btvt
not w ith that extrem ism and tm reasonable consequeuee that con
verts a teatsion ittto an qntinom y and vontradktion. H eavoids even
so m uch as a diseussion of the extrem e of apocatastasis - perhaps
not only beeause oftlle futility and dangerousness of stw itdiscussions
but also because it w ould have necessitated a refutatio
,
n of Gregory
of N yssa,wlm eonfe sedly greatly abused this doctrine.
One caa now ,I think, proftably put the question : of what
abuye w as Gzegory ef N yssa guilty in hisapoeatastaticdoctrine?The
doctrine w llieh M axim us does present, he presents as eceleslastidal
tloktrine; and as sueh Theodore Studite found no di culty in reaf
firm ing it alm ost two centuries later. Then as tlzere is the universal
resurrectien,this is to be understood not only of the body, lmt atso
of the inteileetttalfactllties. It brings with it then a certain knowledge of God, lmt disjoined from communion with him . Gregol'y,
how ever, w ent further, teaehiug that even sinners will eventually
com m unieate in the diville goods. 'Phe putting off of the m em ory
of sins rem ains obscure
This is a rather bare description of the state of sinners. 'l'he
other passages of M axim us eom plete it. There are the unesdilzg
-

pangs of conseieaee (ep z4-6IzC);the darkness,grid and torment

but above alla the fellow ship w ith the dem ons, w ith the hatefuland,
haters, and still m ore the separation from God and his sa
'ints.
Between Cxod and the dam ned there is no hate; for G od is essen
.

tially love;stillthe fredy chosen separation remains (ep I-389AB)

.

Sueh a picture cd the fm alstate ofsinners is only w hat M axim us

felt it to be in his own m editation as exprtsssed to his fliiend G eorge;
he did not intend there to give a theological sketch. W e m ust be
content w ith ths fragm entao r pieture. Still my analysis, if it be
not too far from the m ark, gives greater depth to these words by
w lzich M axim us confrm s his teaching of perfect charity tow ard

allm en alike:'fTherefore too our Lord and God JesusChrist, m azti-

festiag hischarity forus, sufered forthe whole of m ankirtd and p anted equally to all the lzope ofresurrection, thoagh each individual

makes himselffiteitherforgloz'
y orforpunishment '' (Char I.;x).
.

A FTE RW O RD
Com e alike to the end ofthis essay and of the labor of revision
and of m aking the fair eopy, I realize that throughout there has
been a lack of theological thought. It has been m y m ethod to endeavor to plaee the w ork of M axim us in its proper historieal fram ew ork'
This is necessary, nor is it yet com pletely done. There is
.

yet to be studied the import of his anthropology (and his relations

with Qregory), his doetrine of a rmative aud.negative thcxology

(and ltis relationswith Denis and the Cappadocians), the developm ent of his Chzistology in its relations with the 6th centuoeLaontii
azld in its reaetion Mitb llis m onophysite 1and M onopllysite rnilieu.
As m y own study has been,these too are studies of details and of
texts. Undoubtedly; y:t underlying them are there not greater
questions of the developm ent of a proper philosophical aw areness

in theology (already pereeptible in Gregory of Nyssa) whieh

distingaishes sedulously between the m oral and tlle ontological
developing a m etaphysics of being, wllieh the fadle use of triadic.'
scbem es cannot disguise. The positions thus m ailztained, the ontologieal, the anthropologieal, are dosely akin to those fam llz
'ar
to lls fn the west. W hat theu are the reasons for so greata diFerence in tonality ? I throw out tw o suggestions.
The very tenor of the O rigenist reo tation exaeted a preocettpation w ith the last things wholly congenial to m onastic circles.
This has m eant that the w hole of theology tends to be view ed under
the form ality of the consum m ation of a11 in Christ. It was this
that m ade O rigenism still a live issue a century after its eondem nation. Even at the Cotm eil of Florence the purgatorial fre of the
Catholies was a di culty beeause of apprehension for a resuscitation
of the Origenht error.

z On tltis monophysite (with sm all -) Ch. MOSLLSR com ments in

his note (Epkemerides F/ltlt?ftlgfcl: Lovqn. 29 (19552 655) aeeeptiug Honigm ann's identification of D enys w ith Pete..
r the Iberian.

2 BESSARION Responsio GA'

/zlrTJrl/#Fl t%61 jhfMifitllzr- Latinfw*m 4 in .!M trologia (lryntalis z5.63:-39.

zz4

Ap6rword
Or again,oae m ay say'
.M axim us is a m ystietheologian. Grant-

ed; and the m ajority of Byzantl e theologians were just that,nor

their works the products of teaching in the schools and tm iversities. Such a situation w as but m ade the securer by the vietory of
the Palam ite tendencies in the 14th century. And the authorities
that Gregory Palam as especially alleges in the fam ous Tom'
us fft#gioriticus? M acarius and D enis' bttt it is M axinltts alone whom he
cites :. I cart do no m ore than pose the question.
In a word,I tilink students of M axim us w111not com e fully to
know their author untila not only recognizing llis sources and forertm ners,they also know wlzat his sueeessors drew from him and how
they too t into a living tradition. 'ro know these things will be
in that very fact a help in understanding tlte diferenees between
the B yzantine and w estern theologies T o m lderstand these diferenees in their sources and reasons w,111 rettder m ore feasible that,
though w e are not yyloltm otyet w e m ay once m ore be gxtgtol4.
.

*
* *

Tile Poreword,written on the Iath of D ecember 195,3'

,-

'fhe Afterword on the 12th of M arch 1954,the feast of Gregory

the G reat,the D ialogist.

$ Tom . H ag. PG z5o.I2z8D9 = Am b Io-iz4:A zsf' z2z9C8-D6 = Am b

20-1237.
8 ;T. H . zz3zD 7-xs = Tkoec I.
'so-llolAzI-B8; T . H . :23921.z-12 =w:
Thoec :.48 4p-zzooD zp tzorA.4; ef.D i (7Al. Cen:on '1*hoee 1.48.
4 Cf. ILSI :3-128C,

IN D IC k?
#S '
1. INDEX olp M AxlM us CITA'
rIoNS
II. INDSX or N AM ES

111. lNp1!x okt SIJBJIX TS

1V . INDEX oF G RSSK W olkras

1. IN DEX OY M AM M U S CITATION S
M az m us' works ar'e arranged alphabetically
Passages translated are 'distinguished by an asterisk.
.

Am b 1-1036Q

164

Am b 2-ro37CII* . .
1o37Cz.
z-I)3*

fI3
1I3

Am b 5-zo,f8A7-B z*

II4
I66
I66
1131:

10528 6-9*
Io .5:
JB I1-14 .
Io ,56B Io

Am b 7
-

. .
72f.
1o69A Io-I5 .
924:
zo69B z-z3* . . . . z85
zo69B I3-Cz2* 185f.,:8511
zo6gczz-loyzA zo*
z86f.
1o69C9-Iz* .
I97
1o72A lz-I4*
96f.
zozzB

. .

Io3

:o7cB9-C5*
1o72B9ff.*
to7zc4f. . .
zovzozl-l4*
to73B5 . .
zo7aB7-II
lo73B z4* .
to7:BI5
Io73Q
1o7:C7 . . .

98
zxo
Ioo
89
I97
Ioz
128
I97
zzI
914:

lo7:Cp-D 4*
rog:D 4 '
Io7:D 5

za9
z3o
z5o11

zo76A
,076h 5 . .
zo76B Io-Qz: .
1o76B zo-C )g*
to76CD . .
:o76C zI.I2
lo;7AB

9o
z362*
96
r29
IzI
aao
z3o

96
Am b 7-:07785-9
22o
zo7yB I2 . .
I89
to77B z.3 . '.
167f.
zog7CIf.* . .
z68
lo7yC-zo8oA 2
I69
zo8oA z-B zz . .
Io8oB II-xo8IA 5
I69
zo8ocl; .
2I4
zo8IA 5-E 8
I7I
To8IB8-I5
172
Io8xB zoff.
I79
zo8zCg-7* ,
I72
Io8IC7-Ix* .
I73
zo8ICz4-D a*
I73
Io8zD 9-II*
I73
9$10
Io84A z-:* ,
1084+ 6-14* .
T74
Io84BI-7 .
z;4
zo84B C . .
z65
1o84CI5-D c* .
z75
zo84D a-Io85A 6
z75
Io85A. C8
I8
zo85A zJf .
:757*
zo8,C3-6* . .
I77
zo86C6-Io89A3*
z3of.
1088C14
131:
:088D 6
:3319
1088D 8 . .
1362:
zo89A 5-C6*
z87f.
zo8pB lz
g51:
Io89C8-Iz
96
zo97C . . . . . z77
llooA -llolo
. 7z 19841
A m b 8- Io5B zo
:94%

A m b Io-tzo8B C .
IIo8CI-3

z5o
I5o

zz8

Index ()/ M axmus Citations

19539
Am b Io-zzogc6ff..
IIzzD f.
I43
4:1xB 5=lo*
T43
zzz3B zo-cz*
144
IIIJCI
r4.
4::
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:94.
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III6B z5
. 19434
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. . 1284, 14.7'
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II37B zz- C6+
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15:f.
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1284
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1284
I14986 .
:470
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Iz84D 9-z185.
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A m b z5
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A m b 21-124987

1z84

r2528 Io

20714

A m b z4-z2($zC.z-8 IZ-D t*
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Am b 26-1:651712:.
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1268A 13-82
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szgo.x .

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A m b a:-zz88A .

144:8

A m b 36-:28962
A m b ;'
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A m b 42
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m b 46-z356178

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165
2O2
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z,4

A m b 53-13738 .

zog11

Am b 6o-I38jB .

1443819631

Am b 65-1:89C-:3f)38
1j;9a.A..
za$)zB 8
zgf
pzczzj-D za*

:4.
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ao2
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za:

Am b 6'
Jr-z4.ooD f.
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:64
:9527

Am b val-z4I9C .

z.54
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1o81B

cap ie,3-I1z8B .
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Cltarprol- tp6oA .
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t.z9* .

z.z9
z..56
z,57

z4z

z4o
z4.o
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zo7
zo7

Index t# M aximus Citqtions

Char :.7T . . . . . . . . 2z2

1.86* .
. . . . I4o
1.94 . . . . . . , . I4o
:.97 . . . . . . . . I4o
z .lo o * . . . . . . .
9549
2 .6 . . . . , , . . . 14o
2 .z8 . . . . . . . . :4o
2 .34 . . . . . . . . 2O7
'o
2 .47 . . . . . . . . 14
8
1o
2.4 . . . . . q. I
. 6z
. G y4
4Ia1
2.52
61 . . . .129 , 3
I4O
2.

. . . . . . . ,

3.20 . . . . . . . . I4O

6 6: y 9 :5250
3 .25 IQ9 , 13 , 4 '
'
17469
3.44,45* . . . ' ' . 141
3.66 . . . . . . . . 14o
5.67 . . . . . . . . l40
3.71 . . . . . . . . I4O
3.97 . . . . . . . . I4Iaz

ep a5-6,3s

. . . . . . , z443.

, . . ' ' - . ' ' ' ' I7O

7-39 ' ' ' ' . ' . 2GZ
M yst 12.
4-693846. . . . . . zo71Q
23-701A . .
7O'B I3 .
70IB C .
?0ZC6-13
7010 . .

.
.
.
'
.

..
. .
..
'*
. .

' I64
.
. I33
. 15O
' 1332
. I46

24-717*7 . . . . . . 1284
PN 8760 1-7
877D .
89:C9 .
gooc .

..
. .
..
. .

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

,
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

2I4
196*%
194:4
I97

PS 59-857* . ' ' . . ' . 2O9

QD 10-79225-793A2* . . 2l7
13-796* . . . . . . . 2I5
13-796. . . . .769 219,22o

..
..
. .
..

.
.
.
.

.
.
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19485
I4o
r74*
:
E40

252B1I . . 1281 147*

37zB5 . , . . . . . 1$
051
388D 6-389C.
2* . . . zo8
:89A 8 . . . . . . , zz2

257A E,2D . . . zI2

26oA 6-z5* . . . zIa
vsu ,- z6ga , . . . . . , ::4.

ep z-464A Iz . , . . . . . 1443%

Th< 2-272. . . . . . . . I65

ep 4-416A , . . . . . , . zo7
416D : . . . . . . . zz7
4z6D 8-4I7A z*. . . . zovf,

ThZ II-z93B4 , . . . . .
Th
al z:-z9:D -z96ztz:* . ,
2968 . . . .z4H
T hal 15-297 . . . . . . .

aozle

T uaj a:-o ztks v

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ep 6-4298 . . . . . . . . 19g
43zA * . . . . . . . z9a
4.
32A.8 .I::2, zp4, :94.
24.
> 195::

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73-84526-848A6* . . 2I7
u;y 5-:zoAB . . , . , , 7z
z3 I28C . . . . . . . zz4
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52B8-Cz* , . I95

ep T. , . . . . . . . , . 19/1
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4.6. . . . . . . . . :5oE1
4,8. . . . . . . . . I40

..
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ep z4-6fzB I-4* . . . . . 2O8

6I2C7-1I* . . . . . 2@8
612C . . . . . . . 22z

3.99 . . . . . . .x4o,zz41
4.9*-. .
4.47 . .
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4 .77 , .

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229

, ...

z76f,
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eP 7-4368 . . . . . . .1123r94:
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194:E
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Thal 22-317D 10 . . ... . 20911

3209 7-321* 12*. . 134 '

ep I9 . . . . . . . . . . zo,
5B
- 593B I-5*
. . . , . )FI3
593.
11 . . . . . Izz. I5I5'

j$aoD 8 . , , . . zg4*
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J20D 9 . . . . . zg4ql
3zoD lg . . . . . z4:0

3zoD 7,12

. . . . I3319

'

z
Jo

Index ol M aximus Citations

Thal zz-azIBg*

zg4f.

3zzB z .
Thal 25-.332C.:J-:3*
3.3cC6 .

zo9l7
z<.s
z.s1R

333.
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Z.83.84
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T hal .
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T hal 43-409D . . . .
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Thal 60-62IA R
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20917
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624D 5-9
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A r.SX&NDSR A PHROD.99f., II1*Y, I23

A MPIH LOCHIUS,155,16o
A NASTASIUS 'PHP: SINM T/ Al8.

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A lustrcfrtfls 4:
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A RNIM , H . vf)N 15715
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B ASIL O1?CA/SAREA 9,155, 15bf., I7 1,
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R RRH AR D , A . I18

E RIGENA zf..7z
E UNOMIUS GY CMZK US 44
E'
tlslm trs oF Cu sxttsA 79, l56
E VAGRIUS PONTICUS 9, 2I, 37, 63,
76f. 84f. 85O Ioo lz4l :.J797

z38f. 1E4In 1481% I5:/7 z05

P IJNK ,F.X . 15.5. z59

GAD H J. 198*1 I99f.,2O6 2oPB

G sta slus, m onk 78, 7991 84*
G SORGS or B M SHAN II9f.
GF/ARGR H I/ROMNEMON, see Pachy-

GSRMANUS 1, patyiaych 1I8

G ILsoN,E . I241
GM GOIW N M IANZBN 75, 77, 79,
zzID z3I,155,183,208D ,20811 zIo
GR/GORY OlN YSSA 5I,60 77, 914*
:5,:* xz41 z3414 z4844 z55, z57,
zgz, :9841 2ol 207, 2I5, 2I8f.

:,
32
-

I'
ttdnx of Namos

Editors ofgo

G RUMSI?,V .2o5
G IJILLAUM ON'
I', A . and C 74% 8530
f372B

N ONNUS 75, 8428

O SIR SR, F . z z1 :8711
ORIGSN 37.I73, 176, I83, I9If.,19841

coo,214,
.DtPvincipiis :,3.8 1823;
H ARNACK , A . :7.57:
I-IATJSIU RR, 1. 745, 771: fz4z Is7,
'4Og I484* I9528
H slxlseH ,P . 1685:
H saoo otptTs cz7a7
H lsRo'rHltls 74
H tlzw , K . I.55ff., t64

P AQHVMSRIS z18
PANttzksx'
fls z7, 1:51.
PsAztstlN , J. I:8

H omq',G.145

Ps1tx,Q.1I9,l7,
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1.6.2 87,
* 2.1.1 73.
* 2.3.3 184; 2.8.3
z812,
. 2.9.z z8.34. :
$.6.5-9 sm a
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Iosus 8.a zzof.

IRSNAIUS I5t5
IVANKA, X .VON 86, I241, l771,I9942

Pltlt'o 13319 14841 14918 :68.8 zgq

PJIOCAS BAR SFI
RGIUS II7
CI'
IOW US 4f.

JAMBIJCHUS o3

m sjasu g.441:
PIXAUVQ K ,34X4

JOHN.bshot t?/ Cyzicus 6.7,3f).

JOIIN f/t: Hssyobm t84
JOHN the .
I7r6'
#/;:/77

PI'AGNY UX'J.3411
PLXYO 85' 94., 19421
PVOYIXUS 85, 94, 1241,
' Enttet'ds

Joltx ov scvwlolyoras 75f., zil4.a

1.:-.
3 940' 3.7.2 94*
, 3.9.91 921:,

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6.2.82e-% 94'
' 6.3.27%8 94, 960.
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JUSIINIAN 22 73, 7711., 85ff. IS1

-

zo7:
K OCH ,H . rz4l 14743 15153
L
EHM AN'. P. 7I
LSISIGANG 1-1.1.685*
,
L RON'
m TJS ol
l BYZANTIUM 60 83, IG2
L

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35'91Z%'6.9.SO 94,$
1*31,6 9.91? 96*
,
6.9.Iz1n 5 94 '
. 6.9.114>45 94
PITUTARCH 11571
PRAT F . z8.3f.
PR>N TIGIS, G.L. 15511., 1634E
'
paocfx s E l
nme
j Theology 6817
7 nts o
1:
93, 104, 129 , 13.
3 , z43pa, :474:
psjtm o- A ra xAxpslz A PHROD. r8816

psstm o Basm , see D idym us

-

Psstm o cvltlr: 163, :66, :68* :76::,

77
Pssvpo- lm zu s,see D sytis
'
tauyxx It ()t4. :4,
/4a
-

YARZCXAL' 5. I241

PYRRHUS II3,15I2' I66

p
vvsaooRAs 85

M MGIN,J.zzo
M
ICHAFL OF APH SE
QSUS 1881:
M ICUAUI), E .zo5J zfa9
M
M OYLLER,CYI, 751, 88O 7zz31
'
UImRR,G.
.156

Rxuxszt K . 1241

M ARSK , P .S . 71B

M TJYLDIRIU NS,J. 1O0

R EES s 8836
S .
m chap
.o M . 25 3p, 83 88
.
R oouss, R . zo41

SABAS 75
SAJDAK,J. 1f.

N sMssrt;s 817 6o 9t
pz 1z51 19r
z 2oz, SCHWARTZ E .7713,7814

zo3

S8NICA 1870

Inifix oj u
sx#jTc/s

c,
).)

S/RGIUS,patvo t'
clt 13:
$19
SHsRw ool), P . I17
SIMION 'rls
f.Z F'
0(m 87
Snfetacrcs 99
Srx KO, l%.
w z, 6, 4If.

Szxttus,popn I:9
SMYTH, H .W . I87::
SolaHao- tls,monk 78,79:1

Sopm toNlus,patviarch 9
SG HLLN, 0 . I751*
S'
rm x,E.77S

STAPHANOU,E . 19841

S'
It
IG:MAYR,J. I19

'lNavI.oR, A , E . 944*
THEODORE ol? R AITHOU 88
THSODORE ol? SCYTHIIPOLIS 83
T> orlolts STTJDITS 2o6
'
l*HEioD oRs'
r z57
'l> ozaHm us oe ALSXANORIA 75k
U SBSRW EG, F . 1881%
V lu sR, M . 1241, 13727 14139 I4zS1

W m sw tptkM , A .A . 97:2 ::841

W OLIY ON, H .A . 3319 124.
94* 168:8
I798%

111.INDEX 0F SU BJECTS
Abraham 37
Am bigua,seeoncl edition of 39,4I
A pocatastasis 71, 76f. 80 88, 2051
A ttirbutes divine 147, 149, z5 l
B ecom ing,genesis 97:2
Being,triatlof 6717 I71,zoz,22
Charity I54,zzz
Choice zo !, zo3
in Christ :96::
Christ, substantial virtue !73
Cllristology 1t$6, 19(33: 201-.
z03

Conjectures of 3
'faxiulus 7
Contenzplation lzatural z6
Qoclkes of Gregory Nazianzen 41
Creation,double 5I,914b
Cyelic view of worlfl process 86,9752
Ileath descriptions of 2ovf.

Denis and Evagrius

' com pared Iz4l,
z53:7 .

Desire for Gotl z9,64

-

insatiable :881*

Devil salvRtion of a15

D iabaa'
is k
J:, (
3.5

Dionysian vomabulary 9

Ellergies,uncreatcd g.5z
Evagrius,doctrine of 1.
38ff.
and Denis com paretl :24.1 I5357
and Plotinus :241
.
Evil,experieucc of 9o, z86
Exem plar z.5o
Pixedness I92
F reedom atzd surfeit 490, 1f)7
ba Chrlt 2o4
- for kigen I83
FreeMdz Iz9, 198,.
Genesis 97:2
Gnom ie w ill zor 2c)3

H enatl of rational beings 73, 76,85,

9o
-

itlits m oralM peets I83

Ignorance of G od :4844
of created essences I49
Im age and.likeness 1'
F4
Im m utability 196
Inftnity 9.54: 1474:

Joy, as Stoie concept 1871:

Judgement,fllalzo6ff.
K nowleflge, theory of I4.IB1

Elias 4o,68
End,defned 98,Ioo
distingttislze; from term 9.
54%

Iyaw ,written and natural 35

Logos doctrine defense of I75D.

234

Inh

Xogos doctrine, history of z6856

l to expounfl zt
pl
, neet
- - and Origenism r57
, poss
ible contradiction in
and w esterzt theology z78
Logos-tropos 1555
*
c ttse of z5715
, Stoi

Origenist m yth r84, zpo

Ozigen's text in M axim us 886.

Palam ite tendencies 9541 :68* z24

Participation zz5f., 218 zzo
Passage of ages 2zq
Plotinus anll Evagrius zz41
Pyaxis and theovia :
54:4

M axlm usz '

ase ef :646,
Logos and c'reation z69
-

and the henacl67

and witlsom ,68

Logoi of ereatures, preexistent $69f..

czo

not eternally realhed in Cxod 17z

as divine wllls z75f.

% V S'
l4biects

Prayer T4o
Preexistence of souls, see souls
Pzeseace of Cvcd in creaturev zI8
Puttishm ent,eternal88 zo7

Rapture I3zf., T4oa z5:J

.

R est m otion and gaf,

m ultiple zf%ozzzo,z;u,z77

Salvation universality of cof;

safiftx ' See Jlr/lff
M auuscripts of tlze .dm bigua :f.
e
& 29,91O I7o z74 z77, z8g
''f0#6'
readings from zaf ao ga #1 4, se
. , , a .
konasts of o ex s :ry.
44, 4b, 48, 49, oo, I8;,1z. pu/ gy. se.
!.kpttuv ejjatjous, irj the vjm bigua
zozo 4:, zrsta: pu /, gp.Jvo;7'ay.
S Sepwlclwizo ye
,
x e pgog ggg p.z7
.
M elelziselleelz Jg '
- zG6'
*.1.26 81;2.9 z,r.z.p :z 8).
p
3; 4z
>.a g.
,
-V. 16.5 89; z8.2 Ig6
p.
M iror 14 5
.

Y*/. I.4 2I8; 9.r, 2 z68' zz z a'

M oses .57 ajo

Mb
,
)8
tion,
de
tralfne
ford M('
axfm us zo9
C*D
,
and rest 9:
- M otiens of tbe soul L4s
M otives lists of 4$2
M ovkclel'
tt everlastflzg t().4:4

azjj.
zacy' za.z j;;
j,.yoggs,t
y.t
y.
(ozag.
'

M tut' 7*Y3 I771 :5.32 6P8.z:

a.
3c1
190, 25.46 82, 88' zop; Luc. z6.
o
19-2%
1:
79;Jytl1. T.z.
( z7.,; A ct. zy.a:
174 ;R om . 1.20 I76' I Cov g. za-y5
QTZ; 150.JT .
T.
3.
3,
* zz.g z46; zj.2y

yyutabilityaof m an z8 ? T8.4. zs y, yq
y
.

N nm es im osition pf zaz
,
p
N aturaleontem plation, m otu s of z44
N aturaloperation in r roclus zo.4
itz M axim us Io
-

x atural win zoz 5

old m an ss
Operataon im m auent aud transient
,
1Iz13
.

- > l'
latllzal

genism 7f.
, val
fdfty of M '
axfm as refutation
of ,4,7.'
.
Orgeufst knora ao-aa,
-

8,

zyjj.
ja ctjs.yzo jjy;y yy.y,yyj,tyt
y.
,

cw ygjyzu .agyzzo.j g zjx .a,yyy

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'H ebt'7.3 5I
s'eisf'ettrelhlatfot 1981.
-sjfquivi
lliz 2O2
ce, eosterfe a,o

siu wjs ug out ofz,y,-azq

sonda
, rty of m auu :
t,u zoo
K mis, exercise of powers zzza a zsjl:,
- 'f'Om aferidlity of z9a
. / pre. aun post-exfstence of zz zg
-

79f 8z 976%
'' :

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Stoic doctrine z
qgu zqraa
suffer tlte djvi-ue '
yolf'' zz8# za,'
I 4%
.

suj)e?
r-a,ct
1i
5
v3ity coutrastofzgal:

fndex ()/ Gvesk Tsrorffs

Supernatural distllct from natural Traustiguration the 35,tszf.
169/. t7Lj,178
Tree of good auclevilzz2
.
T riad aud Christology x4:3f
.
-- in Origen 92
bting. wise, tzfftz 145
- being, tpql-heAzjf e:terlasting being
674: I7.
. r
aot
z zzz
'Pext' im provem eqts in see plfzA2f.
:' '
'
Triads am biguity in 1Io
nvllpt.
b
.
'
Ixrinfty' 44 5, I64f.
J
.
'rheandric energy t66
'rheology,athrm ative Jsf., (
$8
virtue substantialSIIIB I7.3
ne
gat
i
ve
j
494
8
za
g
,
Tom us H agiorilicus zz4
W i11 natural arld gnoznic 2oz

Surfeit 88 9o t)3
generation of I88
ineoncd vable zo4
in Origen 81
-

IN DP:X OF GRSE K W ORD S

stxtvngla 19424
arti
lvtog 88

fksozrtcffttTtbv Jwoctpaftw 741

:ou z3z'4 135, 144, I46

ztmfykg 14.53: 14.559

rkacz et.
a 50, .51, 62
rteteltz 9549
Krw ov 14743
tkrgoyvEok 58
&fqew g IoI
fkoxvo :34:1
w fs
p ttt .53
tahclxtov 98
atrrsvf/ynlov 42
ulho'rsl :8 Ioo

vdnBl 43
vtyeqgw 4.:
$

6z in qp.
rz zob, lo9
:t
rvttpkg'zzz
fwtigk exxtxn' ltrzl:

lxe:tm go' (
26
(yxrtog zpo, xp4, )76, z87
l'
cokzelfzlctg 46

vldo D xw 57
sl
l xflw 57
'rta4sta 56
veyetu 47, 96, t?8, I1I13 I2z Ia85
i
lveynp.
tt 49, I14
zpolg 63
'
alyvtocw az5-22o
rtlvalt t
aol

o'
twetoffop; 48
gthltrvtklh tc 5o
*

lzoftt
Aow 57, 1525
:
.
of?tytct, ' lz.
t, veyi:su 1(z:
a

aavuoppcpa 7o
xplg 95*
alog 63
xotdm zsoH

g'
htjsttjta 7o
oyvvtqs 4

.reoir
n'
l z9,3H
qlooti. 4z
tpabgw 1,52n