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This work considers Maximus the Confessor (c.580-662), one of the most discussed early Christian theologians in contemporary patristic studies. It builds on recent scholarship while also providing fresh readings of Maximus as an ancient ecumenical theologian as well as of his recontextualization in contemporary theology.
About the author
Paul M. Blowers holds the Ph.D. in patristics and early Christian studies from the University of Notre Dame, and since 1989 has taught church history and historical theology at Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he is currently the Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History. He is principally a scholar of Greek and Byzantine patristics, and particularly of the theology of Maximus the Confessor, but he has also taught broadly in the field of church history and Christian thought. He is a Past President of the North American Patristics Society and is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Early Christian Studies. Author, editor, or translator of six books in early church history, he has published numerous journal articles.
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Summary
This work considers Maximus the Confessor (c.580-662), one of the most discussed early Christian theologians in contemporary patristic studies. It builds on recent scholarship while also providing fresh readings of Maximus as an ancient ecumenical theologian as well as of his recontextualization in contemporary theology.
Additional text
Blowers' portrait is a corrective to modern accounts that neglect the influence of his monastic theological milieu and their sources. While no stranger to protoscholastic precision and at times clearly possessing the grand vision of an Aquinas, Maximus is first and foremost a monk on a quest to align his will with the ground of his being and all being, namely the Logos. This shift in focus for understanding Maximus' spiritual pedagogy is the primary contribution of the monograph. Its impact is therefore primarily on modern appropriations of historical theology, but it is also an outstanding guide for introducing Maximus in pedagogical settings.
