General Info

[Ruth]

So, we're about to start reading selected writings from Maximus the Confessor.

The contents of the book are some texts from his 'Ambigua' and
some texts from 'Ad Thalassium', and one from 'Opusculum'

At this moment I only know a little bit about Ambigua: these are texts that Maximos wrote to clear up misunderstandings caused by difficult sentences in the 'Church Fathers' of his time.

We will start with the first chapter from these selected writings, which is Ambigua 7. I will create another topic for discussing that.

Any questions, remarks on general things about this book or background can be added as comment on this topic.

[Nemo]

Here's Maximus entry at Encyclopedia Britannica, which doesn't tell us much about the man.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/...

Is there a definitive biography?

[Clark]

Nemo wrote: "... Is there a definitive biography?"

I don't know offhand of one.

The Louth book, to which I posted a link and which may be in our library, has a chapter "Life and Times."

[John Angerer]

Is anyone else moving on to Maximus’ “Ad Thalassium”? I ask to know if I should just finish the book or if I should post as I work through it. Let me know, I plan to read it either way.

[Ruth]

Thanks for asking, I have moved to other things. I did like it, but can't set my mind to it right now.

[Clark]

Okay, buoyed by John's comments on Ambiguum 42, and Nemo's note, I'm in. I will make non-trivial posts on Maximus at least three times a week, for the foreseeable future.

[Clark]

I decided I wanted to learn more about what other ancient authors said about species, and about human body and soul and about human nature as a thing separate from individual human beings. So I hunted in Aristotle, with brief side trips into Philo and Plotinus. I found species in Aristotle but not in the compact, clearly delineated way that they appear in Maximus. I don't yet have anything valuable to report from my spelunking.