Maximus the Confessor

Description

This volume is part of a series making available translations of key selected texts by the major early church Fathers, for the use of all students of the early church. Each volume contains a long introduction setting the subject in his historical and philosphical context, as well as a brief introduction and notes on the translations. St Maximus the Confessor, the greatest of Byzantine theologians, lived through the most catastrophic period the Byzantine Empire was to experience before the Crusades. This book introduces the reader to the times and upheavals during which Maximus lived. It discusses his cosmic vision of humanity and the role of the church. The study makes available a selection of Maximus's theological treaties many of them translated for the first time.

Andrew Louth is Professor of Cultural History at Goldsmiths' College. He is the author of many works on the Christian tradition, among them Eusebius: The History of the Church (1989) and The Wilderness of God (1991)

"This is probably the best single-volume, general introduction to the Confessor available in English today."-"St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, Nov 1998 "The chief merit of this work...is to make a significant number of Maximus's writings available in English translation.... Louth is to be congratulated for his clear and faithful renderings of some of the most difficult Greek theological works of late aniquity.... This is an excellent introduction to the theology of Maximus. It will be of interest to both students and specialists in the area of church history, Christology, anthropology, spiritulaity, medieval exegesis, and Byzantine studes."-"Anglican Theological Review "Andrew Louth...recounts his life, the upheavals through which he lived, the sources of his theology...and his teachings on the person of Christ "Heiser, Fall 1997.""Louth's "Maximus the Confessor contributes to our understanding of Maximus in two important ways: he translates for the first time into English several texts wherein Maximus addresses critical theological issues, and he introduces the reader lucidly and succinctly to Maximus's complex manner of thinking and his theological system."-"The Journal of Religion