The Ontology of Saint Maximus the Confessor
The Ontology of Saint Maximus the Confessor Monk Symeon Agiomichēlitēs The ontology of Saint Maximus the Confessor is among the most sublime syntheses of Christian theological vision and metaphysical insight in the history of the Church. Situated firmly within the ascetical and doctrinal heart of the Orthodox tradition, Maximus articulates not merely a speculative metaphysics, but a living tapestry of existence—one that is at once cosmic, personal, and profoundly Christological. To inquire into ontology, for Maximus, is to inquire into the deepest foundations of reality: into the very structure of being, purpose, and relation as established by God and fulfilled in Christ. Ontology, classically, is that philosophical discipline which seeks to discern what truly is —what constitutes reality in its most fundamental constitution. It asks: What does it mean to exist? What kinds of beings are there? How are entities ordered in their being? Yet for Maximus, these questions cannot be a...