Maximus the Confessor as a European Philosopher

by Sotiris Mitralexis (Editor), Georgios Steiris (Editor), Marcin Podbielski (Editor)

Overview

The study of Maximus the Confessor's thought has flourished in recent years: international conferences, publications and articles, new critical editions and translations mark a torrent of interest in the work and influence of perhaps the most sublime of the Byzantine Church Fathers. It has been repeatedly stated that the Confessor's thought is of eminently philosophical interest. However, no dedicated collective scholarly engagement with Maximus the Confessor as a philosopher has taken place—and this volume attempts to start such a discussion. Apart from Maximus' relevance and importance for philosophy in general, a second question arises: should towering figures of Byzantine philosophy like Maximus the Confessor be included in an overview of the European history of philosophy, or rather excluded from it—as is the case today with most histories of European philosophy? Maximus' philosophy challenges our understanding of what European philosophy is. In this volume, we begin to address these issues and examine numerous aspects of Maximus' philosophy—thereby also stressing the interdisciplinary character of Maximian studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498295581
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	09/18/2017
Series:	Veritas , #25
Pages:	366
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sotiris Mitralexis is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the City University of Istanbul and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Winchester. During Lent term of 2017, he was Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Senior Research Associate at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Freie Universitat Berlin and a degree in Classics from the University of Athens. He has taught Philosophy at Boğazici University (Istanbul), and in Athens and Berlin.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors xi

Editorial Note on Abbreviations xiii

List of Abbreviations xv

Introduction xxi

Part I First Philosophy: Ontology/Metaphysics

1 "Eschatological Teleology," "Free Dialectic," "Metaphysics of the Resurrection": The Three Antinomies That Make Maximus an Alternative European Philosopher Dionysios Skliris 3

2 A Metaphysics of Holomerism Torstein Theodor Tollefsen 24

3 Being Moved: St. Maximus between Anaxagoras and Kierkegaard John Panteleimon Manoussakis 35

4 The System of Relations as a Pattern of Historicity in the Metaphysics of St. Maximos the Confessor Smilen Markov 55

5 An Introduction to Aristotle's Theory of Motion as a Precursor to Maximus' Understanding of Motion Michail Mantzanas 65

6 Maximus' Theory of Motion: Motion kατα φνσiν, Returning Motion, Motion παpα φνσiν Sotiris Mitralexis 73

Part II Epistemology: Knowledge, Apophaticism, and Language

7 "A Greater and More Hidden Word": Maximos the Confessor and the Nature of Language Maximos Constat 95

8 Both Mere Man and Naked God: The Incarnational Logic of Apophasis in St. Maximus the Confessor Jordan Daniel Wood 110

9 Roots of Scientific Objectivity in the Quaestiones ad Thalassium Michael Harrington 131

10 The Theo-Phenomenology of Negation in Maximus the Confessor between Negative Theology and Apophaticism Natalie Depraz 140

Part III Anthropology: Human Nature, Ethics, and the Will

11 St. Maximos' Distinction between λóγοç and τpóποç and the Ontology of the Person Andrew Louth 157

12 The Conceptual Apparatus of Maximus the Confessor and Contemporary Anthropology Georgi Kapriev 166

13 The Face of the Soul, the Face of God; Maximus the Confessor and πpóτωπον Marcin Podbielski 193

14 The Philosophical Basis of Maximus' Concept of Sexes: The Reasons and Purposes of the Distinction between Man and Woman Karolina Kochanczyk-Boninska 229

Part IV Maximus in Dialogue: From Antiquity to Contemporary Thought

15 Analogical Ecstasis: Maximus the Confessor, Plotinus, Heidegger, and Lacan Nicholas Loudovikos 241

16 Man as Co-creator: Reflections on the Theological Insights of St. Maximus the Confessor within a Contemporary Interdisciplinary Context Stoyan Tanev 255

17 Aντεονσiοç Activity as Assent or Co-actuality? Compatibilism, Natural Law, and the Maximian Synthesis Denwtrios Harper 272

18 Creation Anticipated: Maximian Reverberations in Bonaventure's Exemplarism Justin Shaun Coyle 284

19 The Oneness of God as Unity of Persons in the Thought of St. Maximus the Confessor Vladimir Cvetkovic 304

20 Seeking Maximus the Confessors Philosophical Sources: Maximus the Confessor and Al-Farabi on Representation and Imagination Georgios Steiris 316

Appendix: Philosophy and Theology-the Byzantine Model Georgi Kapriev 333

Index 337

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This groundbreaking volume correctly identifies an odious convention in the division of disciplines: while major thinkers such as Augustine or Aquinas self-evidently make their way into being part of philosophy’s legacy, equally major thinkers that are categorized as ‘religious’ are exiled to the hermetically sealed domain of theology, even if their contribution to classical philosophical problems is unique, pertinent, and most fecund. The book at hand delivers on its promise of reclaiming Maximus the Confessor for philosophy and of recognizing his oeuvre as a critical contribution to its history; as such, it is one of those endeavors that contribute to nothing less than a paradigm change.”

—Grigory Benevich, The Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities



“This rich and diverse set of essays goes far in demonstrating not only the depth and nuance of Maximus the Confessor’s philosophical theology in its own context but its relevance to a wide array of contemporary theological concerns. They indicate very well why the study of Maximus has experienced a profound renaissance in the past several years, as this is a thinker whose stature matches the far more studied figures of Augustine and Aquinas. From metaphysics to theological anthropology, from apophaticism to ethics, this collection is a fine contribution to the expanding research on Maximus and will further generate interest in the Confessor among historical theologians, philosophers, and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines.”

—Paul M. Blowers, Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan College

Editorial Reviews

This groundbreaking volume correctly identifies an odious convention in the division of disciplines: while major thinkers such as Augustine or Aquinas self-evidently make their way into being part of philosophy’s legacy, equally major thinkers that are categorized as ‘religious’ are exiled to the hermetically sealed domain of theology, even if their contribution to classical philosophical problems is unique, pertinent, and most fecund. The book at hand delivers on its promise of reclaiming Maximus the Confessor for philosophy and of recognizing his oeuvre as a critical contribution to its history; as such, it is one of those endeavors that contribute to nothing less than a paradigm change.”

—Grigory Benevich, The Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities



“This rich and diverse set of essays goes far in demonstrating not only the depth and nuance of Maximus the Confessor’s philosophical theology in its own context but its relevance to a wide array of contemporary theological concerns. They indicate very well why the study of Maximus has experienced a profound renaissance in the past several years, as this is a thinker whose stature matches the far more studied figures of Augustine and Aquinas. From metaphysics to theological anthropology, from apophaticism to ethics, this collection is a fine contribution to the expanding research on Maximus and will further generate interest in the Confessor among historical theologians, philosophers, and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines.”

—Paul M. Blowers, Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan College

From the Publisher