scholarly journals Motion of Human Nature towards "Imago Dei" in the Thought of St. Maximus the Confessor

Vox Patrum ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 201-228
Author(s):  
Maria Hupalo
Keyword(s):  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Imago Dei ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
Maximus The Confessor

St. Maximus the Confessor has a profound understanding of human mutability and human striving for the divine. In his opinion, this striving reflects the very meaning of human existence, which is to be in relation and ultimately in communion with God. Human nature cannot exist without this mutability; at the same time Maximus regards it as positive and intended by God, contrary to Origen’s understanding of the motion of souls. The idea of mutability and relationality of human nature has a profound impact on modern philosophy, but still needs clarification. Maximus might represent an anthropology that is appealing to our time and at the same time deeply grounded in Christian tradition. This article is an attempt to sketch the main lines of Maximus’ argumentation.

The Dialectics and Therapeutics of Desire in Maximus the Confessor

2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-451
Author(s):  
Paul M. Blowers
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Human Transformation ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Maximus The Confessor

Maximus the Confessor’s Ambiguum 7 has long been considered the anchor of a substantial refutation of Origenist cosmology and teleology, with Maximus still seeking to rehabilitate the ascetical “gospel” of Origen. Yet in commenting on Gregory Nazianzen’s Oration 14 in Ambiguum 7, Maximus acknowledges that Gregory is dealing less with the scheme of human origins per se than with the miseries attending life in the body, which opens up the whole question of how embodied, passible human existence is the frontier of human salvation and deification. I argue that for Maximus human desire in all its cosmological and psychosomatic complexity—both as a register of creaturely passibility and affectivity, and as integral to the definition of human volition and freedom—is central to the subtle dialectic of activity and passivity in the creaturely transitus to deification. The morally malleable character of desire and the passions, and their ambiguous but ultimately purposive status within the economy of human transformation, decisively manifest the divine resourcefulness in fulfilling the mystery of deification—especially in view of Christ’s use of human passibility in inaugurating the new eschatological “mode” (tropos) of human nature. In his engagement of Gregory of Nyssa, in particular, Maximus develops a sophisticated dialectics and therapeutics of desire that integrates important perspectives of the Confessor’s anthropology, christology, eschatology, and asceticism.

The Concept of Imago Dei as a Symbol of Religious Inclusion and Human Dignity

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-36
Author(s):  
Wojciech Szczerba
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Imago Dei ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
Relational Concept ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
Protestant Theologian ◽  
Inclusive Theology

This article aims to examine how the concept of Imago Dei can serve as a symbol for the broadly understood idea of religious inclusion and human dignity. The article explores the concept of Imago Dei primarily from a protological perspective, analyzing its usage in biblical writings, theological tradition and modern philosophy. The substantial, relational and functional—which three usages of the concept can be found in the inclusive theology of Gregory of Nyssa—are analyzed in this article. Arguably, in the context of religious inclusion, the relational angle of Imago Dei seems to be the most important. Similarly contemporary Protestant theologian, Jürgen Moltmann states in his book, God in the Creation, that the “relational” concept of Imago Dei underscores the fundamental dignity of every person. In his book, God for Secular Society, Moltmann states that properly understood human rights should include democratic relationships between people, cooperation between societies, concern for the environment in which people live, and responsibility for future generations. From these perspectives, the concept of Imago Dei can be utilized as a symbol indicating the dignity of every person and human community, but also a symbol against any types of racism, nationalism or xenophobia.

Guest Editors’ Note

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-120
Author(s):  
Sotiris Mitralexis ◽  
Georgios Steiris
Keyword(s):  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Philosophical Inquiry ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Maximus The Confessor

We are most thankful to Forum Philosophicum, and its Editor-in-Chief Marcin Podbielski, for the invitation to act as guest editors in a special issue dedicated to looking at Maximus the Confessor from a philosophical perspective—by which we mean both the philosophical efflorescence of Maximus’ thought per se, approached within its historical context, and the attempt to find Maximian solutions to contemporary philosophical problems or to engage Maximus’ thought in dialogue with modern philosophy. In many ways, this special issue is a sister volume to the book Maximus the Confessor as a European Philosopher (Eugene: Cascade / Wipf & Stock, forthcoming later in 2016). Both form parts of a sustained attempt at highlighting Maximus the Confessor’s relevance for philosophical inquiry, without denying the explicitly theological nature of his thought in doing so. Believing that there is much philosophical fecundity in this approach, we remain with the hope that it will be continued.

scholarly journals St Maximus the confessor’s teaching on movement

2013 ◽  
pp. 33-48
Author(s):  
Vladimir Cvetkovic
Keyword(s):  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Christian Philosophy ◽  
Dionysius The Areopagite ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Cappadocian Fathers ◽  
Maximus The Confessor ◽  
Supreme Being

The article aims to present how the Byzantine scholar St Maximus the Confessor perceived the notion of movement (kinesis). St Maximus exposed his teaching on movement in the course of his refutation of Origenism, which regarded the movement of created beings away from God as the cause of breaking the original unity that existed between the Creation and the Creator. By reversing Origen?s triad ?rest? - ?movement? - ?becoming? into the triad ?becoming? - ?movement? - ?rest?, St Maximus viewed the movement toward God as the sole goal of created beings, finding in the supreme being the repose of their own movement. In addition to the cosmological view of the movement, St Maximus developed a psychological and an ontological view on movement, relying on previous Christian tradition. By transforming and adapting Aristotelian and Neoplatonic notions to the basic principles of Christian metaphysics, St Maximus creates a new Christian philosophy of movement which he supported primarily with the views of the Cappadocian Fathers and Dionysius the Areopagite.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL DOCTRINES OF THE RUSSIAN THEOSOPHISTS OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artem I. Shevchuk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Spiritual Practices ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Scientific Concepts ◽  
New Era ◽  
Universal Nature ◽  
The Invisible

The article suggests a typology of Russian theosophical anthropological theories of the early 20th century and offers an analysis of the root causes of disputes between theosophists on anthropological matters. Christian theosophists, who were critical about the Orientalist elements of theosophical doctrines, preferred to draw upon the Christian tradition, while synthesizing it with certain theosophical concepts. Russian theosophists, leaning towards the traditional theosophical doctrine, espoused the idea of universal nature of religious anthropology and often preferred the Oriental approach to anthropology. Nevertheless, they had regard to the Christianity and sought to homologate Oriental anthropology with the Christian one. Millennial expectations were common with the theosophists; they believed that a new era was approaching that would result in a change of the human nature. Many of them reckoned that the human nature could be transformed through spiritual practices. Like many other advocates of Esotericism of those times, theosophists engaged scientific concepts to justify their anthropological views and referred to experimental evidences that would allow revealing the Invisible. For all of their differences, theosophical approaches to anthropology had some shared features and reflected the trends that were common in that age

Presence and absence of προαίρεσις in Christ and saints according to Maximus the Confessor and parallels in Neoplatonism

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-54
Author(s):  
Grigory Benevich
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
In Christ ◽  
Presence And Absence ◽  
Natural Will ◽  
Maximus The Confessor

Abstract The article shows that prior to the debate with the Monothelites, Maximus the Confessor followed the Christian tradition going back to Gregory of Nyssa in recognizing the presence of προαίρεσις in Christ and the saints. Later during the debate, Maximus declined to apply προαίρεσις to Christ and started to speak about the deactivation of προαίρεσις in the saints in the state of deification. Maximus was the first Orthodox author who distinguished deliberate choice (προαίρεσις) and natural will (θέλημα), and defended the presence of natural will in Christ according to His humanity. At the same time, the opposition of desire (βούλησις) and deliberate choice (προαίρεσις) can be found in some Neoplatonists, such as Iamblichus, Proclus, and Philoponus. Iamblichus and Proclus rejected the presence of προαίρεσις in the gods and god-like humans, admitting only the presence of βούλησις - the desire for the Good. Thus, the evolution of the doctrine of Maximus the Confessor, regarding the application of προαίρε- σις to Christ and the saints, finds a parallel doctrine (and even possibly a source) in Neoplatonism.

Homo nudes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Евгений Казаков ◽  
Evgeniy Kazakov
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
Master's Degrees

The monograph is devoted to the study of one of the "eternal" philosophical problems: the metaphysical essence of man and its such a mixed implementation history. Addressed to master's degrees (studying the course "Issues of modern philosophy") graduate students, faculty, and students, and everyone interested in the metaphysics of human existence

scholarly journals Why Hume Cannot Be A Realist

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-161
Author(s):  
Jani Hakkarainen
Keyword(s):  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Metaphysical Realism ◽  
Secondary Qualities ◽  
Treatise Of Human Nature ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
Realist Interpretation ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Decisive Objection ◽  
Sceptical Argument

In this paper, I argue that there is a sceptical argument against the senses advanced by Hume that forms a decisive objection to the Metaphysically Realist interpretations of his philosophy – such as the different naturalist and New Humean readings. Hume presents this argument, apparently starting with the primary/secondary qualities distinction, both in A Treatise of Human Nature, Book 1, Part 4, Section 4 (Of the modern philosophy) (1739) and An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Section 12 (Of the Academical or Sceptical Philosophy), paragraphs 15 to 16 (1748). The argument concludes with the contradiction between consistent reasoning (causal, in particular) and believing in the existence of Real (distinct and continued) entities. The problem with the Realist readings of Hume is that they attribute both to Hume. So their Hume is a self-reflectively inconsistent philosopher. I show that the various ways to avoid this problem do not work. Accordingly, this paper suggests a non-Realist interpretation of Hume's philosophy: Hume the philosopher suspends his judgment on Metaphysical Realism. As such, his philosophical attitude is neutral on the divide between materialism and idealism.

Emotion, Anatomy and the Synthetic A Priori

Dialogue ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Hanly
Keyword(s):  
Modern Philosophy ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
Logical Analysis ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Synthetic A Priori

Modern philosophy, if it has not settled any other of the chronic disputes that have troubled the history of the subject, appears to have decided once and for all the question of synthetic a priori principles. Logical analysis has demonstrated that synthetic propositions are empirical while a priori propositions are analytical and notational. Nevertheless, a broader survey of the contemporary philosophical scene reveals that the strict meaning of the expression “modern philosophy” above should be rendered “philosophers of one of the current schools of philosophy”. For contemporary European philosophers have not abandoned the notion of synthetic a priori principles altogether. They have modified without abandoning Kant's Copernican discovery of the laws of nature in the human mind. There are, to be sure, two ways of viewing the situation. Either logical analysis has overlooked certain unique phenomena and thus has failed to comprehend the arguments which take their description as premises, or existentialism has persisted in the use of an inadequate logic. The purpose of this paper is to test this issue and in doing so to explore the psychological roots of the idea of synthetic a priori principles. The means adopted is a critical study of the existentialist theory of emotion which claims to have discovered a previously unrecognized basis for synthetic a priori principles in the phenomenelogy of human existence.

scholarly journals Lithuanian Literature and Shakespeare: Several Cases of Reception

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-379
Author(s):  
Eglė Keturakienė
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Literary Imagination ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
King Lear ◽  
Reception Theory ◽  
Everyday Experience ◽  
Theatrical Performance ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Women In Theatre ◽  
Interpretative Framework

The article is based on the reception theory by Hans Robert Jauss and analyses how Shakespeare’s works were read, evaluated and interpreted in Lithuanian literature in the 19th to 21th centuries. Some traces of Shakespeare’s works might be observed in letters by Povilas Višinskis and Zemaitė where Shakespearean drama is indicated as a canon of writing to be followed. It is interesting to note that Lithuanian exodus drama by Kostas Ostrauskas is based on the correspondence between Višinskis and Zemaitė. The characters of the play introduce the principles of the drama of the absurd. Gell’s concept of distributed personhood offered by S. Greenblatt is very suitable for analysing modern Lithuanian literature that seeks a creative relationship with Shakespeare’s works. The concept maintains that characters of particular dramas can break loose from the defined interpretative framework. Lithuanian exodus drama reinterprets Shakespeare’s works and characters. The plays by Ostrauskas and Algirdas Landsbergis explore the variety of human existence and language, the absurd character of the artist, meaningless human existence and the critique of totalitarianism. Modern Lithuanian poetry interprets Shakespeare‘s works so that they serve as a way to contemplate the theme of modern writing, meaningless human existence, the tragic destiny of an individual and Lithuania, miserable human nature, the playful nature of literature, the clownish mask of the poet, the existential silence of childhood, the topic of life as a theatrical performance, the everyday experience of modern women in theatre. The most frequently interpreted dramas are Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth – Lithuanian literary imagination inscribed them into the field of existentialist and absurd literature.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document