Ever-Moving Repose: A Contemporary Reading of Maximus the Confessor’s Theory of Time

by Sotiris Mitralexis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Foreword)

Sotiris Mitralexis offers a contemporary look at Maximus the Confessor's (580-662 CE) understanding of temporality, logoi, and deification, through the perspective of contemporary philosopher and theologian Christos Yannaras, as well as John Zizioulas and Nicholas Loudovikos. Mitralexis argues that Maximus possesses both a unique theological ontology and a unique threefold theory of temporality: time, the Aeon, and the radical transformation of temporality and motion in an ever-moving repose. With these three distinct modes of temporality, a Maximian theory of time can be reconstructed, which can be approached via his teaching on the logoi and deification. In this theory, time is not merely measuring ontological motion, but is more particularly measuring a relationship, the consummation of which effects the transformation of time into a dimensionless present devoid of temporal, spatial, and generally ontological distance--thereby manifesting a perfect communion-in-otherness. In examining Maximian temporality, the book is not focusing on only one aspect of Maximus' comprehensive Weltanschauung, but looks at the Maximian vision as a whole through the lens of temporality and motion. ""In this remarkable book, Dr. Mitralexis seeks more than an exposition of a central notion in St. Maximus the Confessor's metaphysical vision, but rather a genuine fusion of the horizons, in a Gadamerian sense, so that his understanding of Maximus is informed by the development of a relational ontology by the likes of Zizioulas and Yannaras, whose own thought has been inspired by their reading of Maximus. The result is a bold and original contribution to ontology and metaphysics."" --Andrew Louth, FBA, Professor Emeritus of Patristic and Byzantine Studies, Durham University ""This book, written by a young and promising Maximus scholar, is an interesting study of a central set of notions in Maximus' writings, namely, the notions of time, the Aeon, and eternity. These notions have been studied by others as well, but never as extensively as by Mitralexis. He finds the roots of Maximus' notion of time in Aristotle, but has a quite original hermeneutical approach since he tries to unravel the Confessor's philosophy from the vantage point of the Greek modern philosopher Christos Yannaras, thus seeking to make Maximus' thought relevant for our own age. The depth of Mitralexis' knowledge of the sources and his grasp of modern scholarship on Maximus is impressive. I highly recommend this book."" --Torstein Theodor Tollefsen, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oslo ""This is a really welcome addition to the fast-growing literature on Maximus the Confessor. It is a first-class study of the original texts, but is distinctive in its willingness to bring Maximus' thought into fruitful conversation with contemporary philosophical discussions, so that the implications of this study will be of interest to many more than Byzantine specialists."" --Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, University of Cambridge Sotiris Mitralexis is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the City University of Istanbul and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Winchester. He is the editor of Ludwig Wittgenstein between Analytic Philosophy and Apophaticism (2015), Mustard Seeds in the Public Square (2017), and the forthcoming The Fountain and the Flood and Maximus the Confessor as a European Philosopher (2017).

Genres: Philosophy, Theology

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2017

Reviews

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent and thorough research by Mitralexis on such a niche subject in the philosophy of Maximus the Confessor. While this book promises to explore Maximus’s views of time, motion, and space, I really found this book to be an incredible treatment of the overall vision of Maximus’s work as he also shows how these concepts fit into the Confessor’s view of deification and the created-uncreated distinction. Mitralexis also begins the work by exploring the apophatic epistemology and relational ontology of Maximus. This is where the “contemporary reading” comes in, but I also found this section helpful for understanding Greek philosophy. Some parts were so dense or technical that they were a little over my head, so I will just let Mitralexis’s words summarize Maximus’s view of time:

“Maximus definition of time as ‘the numbering of motion,’ remains my primary reference on the nature of time, even if it was not cited in these particular sections of the tenth Difficulty. Time measures motion and is delimited by number… Motion is the primary characteristic of existence. Everything created Is in motion. Everything—whether substances, particulars, qualities, quantities, sensible and intelligible (e.g., substance, "quality, etc.)—is in motion. The creation and sustaining of existence is the first motion, the uncreated's creative motion, and creation's motion has by nature the tendency to be a returning motion towards its uncreated cause and source, a motion towards the fullness of communion signifying completeness…Everything created possesses a
‘howness,’ a distinct mode of existence. This ‘howness’ is closely related with (and a prerequisite of ‘whenness’ and ‘whereness.’”

As the above passage indicates, this is a very demanding read! Yet, Mitralexis shows how space and time are interconnected in the thought of Maximus—a spatio-temporal continuum. I was very interested by this concept in Maximus’s Ambigua but it seems that Mitralexis beat me to a dissertation focus on it :). Maximus’s view on space and time was way ahead of its time in the history of thought, but this isn’t to say that Maximus was a proto-Einstein in his view on the space-time continuum. Mitralexis also shows how Maximus’s theory of time is not an archaic or outdated view, but provides a unique contribution to the history of philosophical thought on time. I also appreciated Mitralexis’s treatment on Maximus’s view of an existential hell for those people who did not freely prepare themselves for union with God. This provides a great counter-reading to contemporary interpretations of Maximus as a universalist theologian. Great work!

[w gall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scholarly

I occasionally read scholars. More or less, I usually get the gist of their writings. Perhaps a scholar in Maximus the Confessor studies would give it 5 stars. Perhaps that is what it deserves. Personally, I find a philosophical approach in it's current modes to be a heavy overload of abstract concepts. In this work, there was a lot of repetition of certain terms, an examination of them from every angle. Some present their understanding of time as a certainty; I still see analyses of time as purely theoretical. I learned here what St. Maximus believed about time. But my questions about time were not addressed, as I was looking for a theological approach, not a philosophical one.