St. Maximus the Confessor: The Ascetic Life, The Four Centuries on Charity
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The Ascetic Life is a dialogue between a young novice and an old monk on how to achieve the Christian life. The Four Centuries is a collection of aphorisms.
Top Highlights
“In actual historical fact deification and salvation are the same” (Page 71)
“placed unity of faith, even though it be with the less-cultured Latins, above the narrower unity of language and rite.” (Page 3)
“The demon of pride has a twofold wickedness: either he persuades the monk to ascribe his virtuous deeds to himself and not to God, the giver of good things and helper in right doing; or, failing in this, he suggests scorn for the brothers still imperfect. And so unknowingly the bedeviled man is persuaded to deny the help of God. For if he scorns them as men unable to do rightly, he puts himself forward as doing rightly of his own power. And this is not possible, since the Lord says: Without me you can do nothing.113 For our weakness is such, that roused to noble things, it can bring nothing to conclusion without the giver of good things.” (Pages 160–161)
“Maximus therefore marks a signal advance in Christian metaphysical anthropology. He has really explained the essential unity of the human composite, without however recurring to the Aristotelian hylomorphic definition, which in the then common estimation was still too deeply stained with materialism for Christian use.” (Page 53)
“Having risen above the tyranny of the passions and looking to nature, one in all men, he considers all equally and is disposed equally towards all.” (Page 158)