I have been in this article the ideas of Maximus the Confessor about spiritual progress and divinization. Maximus is considered one of the preeminent Fathers of the Eastern Church. He expressed his belief that by practicing asceticism (life of habits … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning Our Faith from the Church Fathers
Maximus views the mysteries of the Eucharist and Baptism as divinizing media which impart divine grace to those who are immersed in the life of the Church. Maximus identifies the Eucharist as Holy Communion of the spotless and life-giving mysteries, … Continue reading
As I shared with you in the last issue of this article, Maximus the Confessor espouses detachment as a means of achieving spiritual liberation which opens a person up to a divinizing relationship with God. Detachment is effective only when … Continue reading
In the last several issues of this article I have begun presenting Maximus the Confessors’ ideas on divinization and spiritual progress. It must be noted that Maximus drew his ideas – theories and practices – of spirituality from monasticism whose … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing Maximus the Confessor’s ideas about Theosis or Divinization. Maximus maintained that God will recognize and divinize His own, that is, those who willfully employ their true nature. He maintained that … Continue reading
Maximus the Confessor, one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church, rejoices in the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ as the opening up of previously hidden ways by which a human being may finally arrive … Continue reading
Perhaps the greatest contribution the Eastern Fathers of the Church have made to Christianity is found in two different areas: (1) the dogma of the Church (the thinking of the Eastern Fathers is the basis for the formulation of the … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article I introduced the fact that the translators of the Old Testament into Greek actually slightly changed the phrase found in Genesis about man being made in our image, after our likeness to the … Continue reading
In this article I have been sharing the thoughts of the Fathers of the Church about the revelation made to humankind that we have been created in the image and likeness of God. As my readers may have already surmised, … Continue reading
In the Book of Wisdom (2:23), which is in the Old Testament, man is not only made in the image of God, he is the image of God properly. Gregory of Nyssa, who, in his anti-Arian polemic, stressed the perfect … Continue reading