St Gregory the Theologian and St Maximus the Confessor: The Shaping of Tradition

Abstract

Abstract One of St Maximus the Confessor’s most important works is his Liber ambiguous, as it is usually referred to in the title given it by its first, and for the most part only, translator, the ninth-century John Scotus Erigena-his Book of Difficulties (for the Greek behind Erigena’s ambiguum is aporia, perplexity or difficulty). It is, in fact, as is generally known, not a single work, but consists of two parts: Ambigua 6-71 arc a discussion of a string of difficult passages from the writings of St Gregory of Nazianzus that had been raised with Maximus by John, Archbishop of Cyzicus, to whom Maximus’ replies arc addressed. Polycarp Sherwood dates these to 628-30, during Maximus’ earlier African sojourn; Sherwood’s work on these ‘Earlier Ambigua’, as he calls them, is indispensable (it is, incidentally, only these earlier Ambigua that Eriugena translated). Ambigua 1-5 arc addressed to a certain Thomas, described as ‘the sanctified servant of God, spiritual father and teacher’: the first four discuss difficult passages in Gregory, like the earlier Ambigua, the last a difficult passage in Denys the Arcopagite’s fourth letter (the letter that contains the famous phrase about Christ’s ‘divine-human energy’; Maximus’ discussion in this difficulty includes a long analysis of this phrase). Sherwood dates these slightly later, to 634 or shortly after, just as the Monothelete controversy (at this stage I suppose ‘monenergic’ would be better) was getting under way. How and when these two parts were put together to form the Book of Difficulties is the subject of much controversy: it does not look as if there will be any definitive answer until we have a proper critical edition of all Maximus’ works.