Saint Maximus the Confessor

Saint Maximus was a monk, theologian, and martyr-like confessor who defended the teaching that Christ possesses both a divine and a human will. For resisting imperial efforts to impose a compromise formula, he was tried, mutilated, and exiled. His writings explore Christology, Scripture, liturgy, ascetic struggle, deification, and the cosmic scope of salvation. Maximus’s synthesis is one of the most profound achievements of Byzantine theology.