or svar, nor hypocriy, nor cunning, nora etn feigned and tvlyafection seducing another by 4 seeming pretence through Aecec~ which isthe more destructive uf ll Ue passions ~ nor ‘esc or ehings i thi fe that soem t be magmicen, nor any tthe of she wicked mukiude of passions, or thents held over c them by enemies, nor any form of death. Therefore they ae Tidy Jalged tobe ble och hy God and by men bees, tpthe grace of he epic of God they have bicome manifest iage he ant nfl and evident ory. Therefore hey {ce ae mae oe bythe acknowledged og ofthe vireo {ates by God for hon ke they died nd persevere the hed In him the loot fall good things tin a ever bubbling Springs pees in accordance wih the one simple and unique nace ofl ings sc they deo wo ial thse who se ‘lls natu the powers given ther fo ha purpose A. Lest: Monsenes Woe Corps CRenttdy., 1995) DIFFICULTY 41 INTRODUCTION “The fory-festof the early Difcuier unites two of Marinas favourite themes. Is inspired bya famous and influential passage ‘rom ane of St Gregory of Navianz' sermons fr the feast we noe call the Holy Theophany (ein the Wes, Epiphany) of Our Lovd Jesus Chris ‘and matures are nated afte, and God becomes man. Ie passage Maximus ten quotes, when he ie considering the Incarmation of Chine Influence canbe sen ithe way it hat heen taken up in he litical tdiion, both inthe East and in the ‘West. These words are incorporated in the fist stkherom of the [Aposticha sungat Vesper at the end of Christmas Day "Today there js broughe about an anounding mystery: natures ace ineinted afresh, and God becomes man! What he ts, he remains, what he ‘vas not, he assumes, without slfering mixtre or division’ This sicher, tanlated i Lai, became i the Roman Office (and sil femains) the aniphon ofthe Benedict fr the Peat of the Cir umeision (now the Solemaity ofthe Holy Mother of God, Mary) ‘Mireble mystviam dederatur bodi; Innovanter natwrae; Deus Domo facta es "Theather frst Masimian shee developed inthis Diffcai isthat ‘ofthe division of being alteay discussed above, in chapter 5 of the Tnsreduction} forthe overcoming of the division of being (dat notie destrvsion, but the overcoming oft divisive and destructive potentialities) ss what hasbeen accomplished bythe reinsation of ‘atures The theme ofthe division of being is drawn by Maximus from St Gregory of Nyssa As he develops the theme in thi iffy, he draws on another theme of Gregory that ofthe 155double creation of the bunan pertn, For the Binal division of being ig for Maxims, oman revual dllerenation, and ashe expounds ths he deaws om Gregory's exposition of the theme of double ‘retin, especially ia is teatise, On bursa creation “The srutute of the Dilys seraghelorward, Aer nto ducing the seme af the division of Being he shows bow the human perom fs been crated to hold together these divisions of being, hich areal flected in the human conrveion. The human person therefore co be regarded a2» microcosm and bond of creation, tnediaing berwees all che divisions But beeause ofthe Fall, she Ihuman person can no longer fll this funtion. Therefore, in the Incarnation, Gad ha eeapiulted she csmi ole of human beings snd restored to ther their primordial fonction. Masimus then Parapeasce tis in the erminolopy of log, cing «passage from the Biome Names of Denys the Atcopage in support Ac the cod ofthe Diffnlty biel exposition ofthe pasage from Gregory Narianzen thar confines il othe reinsavion of natures i the Text’ ‘pow From the sume sermon: “And natures are insured afresh nd God becomes man? “The saints have received she many divine mysteries fom chose se became aerdants and miner: of the word (Loke 12) and ‘ete immediasely initiated ito knowledge of realy in accord- {nce with the raditon pasted down to them fom those before them, They soy thatthe subeance of everything that has come Ino binge dvied int ive divisions) The Bust ofthese divides fom the uneteated nature the universal eested nature, which rective it being from becoming. For they say that God in his ‘besa foodnes hat made the radian ordedy arrangement of everything Shore and that ici not mmedincy pin what and how iisand {har thetefore th dvion tha divides eeation fom Gos isto be Called ignorance: For wh i is that natal divides these one From another, that they may not be united ina single esence, since they do nor have one ad the sae logos, they grant 1 be ineffable, The ses division ie that in accordance with which the whole pare that ecives Being from creation is divided by God ino that which i perceived by the mind an ths pereived by the sense The thied ie that in secordance wich which the nacre perceived by the sensei divided ino heaven and eth ‘The four is that i acordance with which the earth i divided ino paradise andthe inhabited word the oikowmend) snd the fifth, the in accordance wich which the human person, which = the horstory in which everything ie concentrated and in sts ‘avurally mediates between the exemiies of each division, having been deawa into everything ins good and iting Way though becoming is divided ito male ad female "For humanity leary ha the power of natrally uniting tthe rmean point of each division snc is cued tou extremities of ‘ach division ints owa parts. Through tha eapeiy it an come to be the way offlilment of what i divided and be openly Jnscuted in ise 2 the great mptery ofthe divine purpose. Te proceeds harmoniously teach of the exremiisin he things tt Ee from what dose at hand to what is remote, rom what ‘worse to whats bee ising up to God and fully accomplishing Union. For this reason the human person was fatodueed lat mong beings” arakind of nateral bond? mediating beoween the Universal poles rhough their proper parts and leading ito usiey intel shore thing that are ataraly set spare ron ane another bya geatimeral "Tn order:obring about the union of everyting with God a ite cause, the human person begins Seta ll wth itr own division, nd then atcending trough the intermediate steps by oder ad ‘ak, i reahes the end of ts high asene, which pares through sllehinge in search of unity, 20 Godin whom there sno division, Ic accomplishes this by shaking of every natural property of setual dilfeenition into male snd female by the most dir- passionate relationship todivin vite. This sexual ifeentiation learly depends in n0 way onthe primordial reason behind the divine purpose concerning human feneation? Ths iis shows to be and becomes simply shaman person in asardance with the dlvine purpose, o longer divided by being called mae or female Ikieno longer separsted sei now i int parts std i achieves this through che perfect knowledge, a T sid oft own logos ia accordance with which i i The, by 2 way of fe proper and fircing to Suits the human person wns paride and the inhabied world to make one eth, no longer is experienced at lived according to the diference of ix pars, bur rather at fathered together, since no intoduction at all of partion i 7allowed, Then, throughs ifeidensicain every way through ietue ‘with cht of the angel 0 fara ie posible so human beings, the Iuman person unter heaven and cath, making the whole of ‘eation perceived through the sense one wth itelf and us iced divided, tot ding it pally by itera ny way, since the Thuan person bas become ae sb ae spin and io longer sed trcath by any bodily weight Nor est obstructed ins ascent tothe heavens thanks to te perfect invnbiliytothese tings of ‘he mind that is genuinely hastening towards God, and wiely fsstches out cowards hi sep by step, a2 on an oninary path, ‘uty overcoming any obstacles ha stand ints way. Aad hen the human person unite whats perceived by the mind and what is pevcivd bythe anaes sth eachother by achieving equabey Stith the angels in ts manner of owing, nd thie maker the ‘Mhole craton one single eretion, no longer divided by what i in know and wha it eannot know, through its equality to the nae lacking nothing in thei knowledge and wndertanding of the lgo in the things tha exis, according to which the infinite pouring out ofthe it of true wisdom involbly and without Intermediary furnish, 20 far a3 i permitted, to those who are trorihy a sancept of God beyond undereanding or explanation ‘And Bnlly beyond ll thet the human perso ites thecested ature with she unseated trough love (Othe wonder of God's [ove for us human being!) showing them tobe one and the same hrough the possession of grace, the whole [retion] wholly {merpeetrted® by God, and become completely whatever God {ssa tthe level of Being, and receiving tose the whole of Ged himself and acquiring sea dof prize forts acento God the more unigue God himbel, 2 the end of the movement of, ‘everything shit moves towards it 2nd the fem and unmoved es of everything that is canriod towards i, being the undetermined tn infinite limit and definition of every debnition and law and ‘ordinance, of esson and mind and tare Since then the human perros sx noe moved naturally st was fashioned to do sound the unmoved, that ats own beginning (mean Goa), i contrary to maar voluntary moved ia Jgnorance around those thing that are beneath co which thas been divinely subjected, and singe thas abused the natural power of uniing what divided that was given to i atts generation, fo arto separate what i unite, therefore ‘natures have been pp insuted sfvesk, and in a paradoxical way Beyond nature that ‘hich is completely unmoved by aatuce is moved immovably ‘ound that which by nature moved, nd God becomes 3 human being order to sve lost bumany "Tough hinsel he as, an accordance wich ature, ited the Irament ofthe nietsl ature of the al, manifesting the univer ogo thax have come forth forthe particulars, by which the union of the divided raturally comes shout, and thus he fli the grexe porpose of God the Father, 0 recapadete everthing bath in beeven and arth biel (Eph 10), an whom everything har been created (Cob 1: 16) Indeed being in himself dhe univers union ofall be hae steed with ovr division and become the perfect human bring, Paving rom us on our account and in accordance with out acre, everything chat we are and lacking nothing epart from in (Heb. 415), and having no need of che natural intercourse of Iarige [nth way he sowed, think, that here was perhaps nother way, foreenowa by God, for human beings increase, {fue et human being had kepe he commandment and not ca himself down to an somal state by abusing hs own proper pomers. Thus God-made-man har done away withthe dilerence {nd division of ature ino male and feral, which human mtore {na way needed for generation, ar some held, nd without which it would peshap have been porble" There was no necessity for ‘hese thing 9 have lated forever. For in Chat Jems aya the divine Apostle, chve i niher male nor female (Gal. 328) Then Ihving anced the world we inhabieby is on humanly Being sway of life he opened leat way into paradise ater his death am, Ivithour ale he promised the eh, To, yom wl be wih me ‘x paradae (Luke 23:43) Then, since there was fr him no longer ny diference Berwesn paradise and the world we inkabit he ‘gun made his clear to his dsipes when he was with chem afer lis resurrection rom the dead, showing tha the world one and is no divided in sel, preserving the logos in acordance with sihich it exists free frm any division eaured by dillerence. Thea bby his ascension into heaven, he cleaty united heaven and ert, ad with bis earhly body tha ofthe ame nature and con fulbeanal with oust he entered into heaven and showed tha the ‘ole nature chat can be perceived though the senses, by the ‘neat universal log ots being, one thar obscuring the pele ‘acu ofthe division which cut into two, The, i dation vo this bypassing with his soa and body, date with the whole of ‘our nate, hroughll the divine and sceligible ranks of benven, 199he nite the sensible apd the intelligible and showed the con vergence of the whole of eration wit the One aconding rts ‘ott original nd universal logo, whichis completely unavided snd stein ise. And Bally, considered i his humanity, he {oes to God himsll, having leely appeared, asi write, the presence of God the Father om ont bebalf (Heb. 9:24), a8» Inoman Being. As Word, he cannot be separated in any way sal Som the Father, as man, he hs filled, in word apd ea, with unchangeable obedience, everything that, 2+ God, he has pre= Actermined ito take place, and har secomplished he whole wil ‘of God the Father on our bell For we fd ruined by minose ‘he power hat had been natal given us from the begining or ‘hia purpose. ist he united us i himself by removing the Aifference beeween male and femal, ad instesd of men and ‘women in whom above all hi manner of division ix beheld, he Thowed wr se properly and erly to be simply human being, ‘BoroughlytansBigured in accordance with him, and beating hit inact and completely unadulernted image, touched by. no tace all of corruption With us and through ws he encompasses the ‘hole creation through its intermedarca and the extremes ‘hough their own parts. Fle binds about himself each with the ‘othe sightly and indnelubly, paradive and the inhabited word Iheaven and earth, things sensible and things ineligible, since he possesses lke us tense and soul and mind, by which, apart, he "similares mel by each ofthe extemiscs to whairunverally thin to cach in the previously mentioned manaes. Thus he divinely fcaptulares the universe in himself showing chat the ‘whole ceation exist a one ke another human being, completed by the gaheting together of parts one with anther in iuell ac inclined towards isl by the whole of it existence, in {ceordance with the oe, simple, niffrensted ane indferent ies of production fom nothing, in accordance mith which the ‘vole of creation admits of one and the same undiscriinated Togos a ving not been befor it or in ther tre loor all beings have 3t late someting in common one with nother Amongst the beings ater God, which have their being from God through generation, there are no ‘nceptiont, neither the grely honoured and wanscendent binge ‘hich have a universal relationship to the One absolutely beyond ny slation, sors the eat honoured among beings deste and bette since ie ha by matore + generic elatioship to the most 160 ( © honoured beings Fora shse singe ha at dintingvithed one from anothee by ther parislardifeences ave united by thee Univers apd common dente, and forced together to the one nd he same bya cera natural generic logos, s that he various Kinds sce united one with another sccordng to uoir xtncs nd ponear the one ad the same and he undivided. For nothing of ‘what is universal and containing [others] and generic can be Alivided imo whats paral and contined and particular. For that ie no longer generic which doer not narurally unite what ie separated, but which, patcipaing in thie separation, depare from it own singular unity. For everything genei,asording to itsown logos, s wholly preset indivsbly by the mode of unty, 1 to thore subordinate whole, and the particular asa whole it ‘considered as withia the genus, The specs, considered according to the gen, ne eeleaed a ie were from the variety cased by ference, and find identity one with another The indie, ‘considered secording tthe species, finding agreement one with nother, are in every say constiated as sential ane with ‘nother, beng indistingushable from thir same nate and fee from any dference. Finally the accidents, brought together one ‘with notherby te subuantcin which they inhere, possess ity, not being satered a all by thee substace, And the unering ‘vince of lsh ise true theologian, the pret and holy Denys 19138 the Arcopogit, in the chapter onthe Pedect and the One i the Drsine Names, where he speaks thus: "For malepliiy isnot without pasipation inthe One, bu that which i many in is Parris one a0 2 whol, and tha which ie many nite acids ie fe inthe subject, and that whichis many in number pores tls is one in speci ed that which is many i species i one in genus, and thac which is many ints processions is one in is sure, and ehereis none af the beings hes withoue participation in che One’ And simply, wo speak concisely, the laos of everthing has divided sod parcial ar contived, as they my, by the logo of what is universal and. generic, and the most nivel und genre logo’ ae beldwgether by wiador, andthe logos ofthe paroles, held fart in various ways by the generic loget ace catained by sagacity, in accordance with which they fre rst simplified, ad releasing the ayrboie variety inthe sons oftheir subjects, they are unified by wisdom, feeiving ‘congruence making for dentisy fom the more generic. For he ‘wisdom and rgacty of God the Father che Lord Jesus Chi, 161‘who holds together the univesals of beings by che power of ‘dom, and embraces their complementary pat by the saga) ‘Stundevstending, since by aatue he the fsbioner and provider ‘ofall, and through hime draw ito one what i divided, and shoishes war between beings, and binds everything into peaceful Friendship and undivided harmony, both what oy heaton wd shat som earth (Col 1 20) a8 the divine Apostle says. Another contemplation ofthis difficulty Ags ‘the nares ae inwcoted afresh’. The divine, through its tmeasuclssgoodnets and love for humankind and by ie wil in {may beyond nature voluntary acceped our Mesly birth, nd, parsosically, without seed, tiled our flesh, endowed with a Fational souk for God becume flesh by 3 strange ordinance contrary to mature, beinginevery way the same and indstingsish Sble from ue sve for sin, and what is more paradoxical, the ‘igi of her who became a mother through the bh warn 20 ‘way canclled. Por therein truly afresh institution nt only nat Gall the Word, who hud already been inffably born without beginning from God the Father, was bora in une according co the flesh, bu also that our nator gave sh without seed, and 2 ‘irgin gave birth without corruption. For both cases show that there is manifested fees instotion, sien each case che reo inaccocdance wth which twok place x completly concealed as inellable and urlenowa: the one takes phe ina mannee beyond tacure and knowledge, andthe other by the word of faith, by hich everything thts beyond nator and knowledge is mature Illy achieved. So thecefore soi zem to mc the dliculey i= fesolved, and Ido norknow how ele could be done. Therelore Tee what ha been said be approved by your philosophy o lt somthing betes be sear out and declted by you and there be commenicated to mete ui of lolty knowledge not ouched by anyehing eat 10 DIFFICULTY 71 INTRODUCTION ‘This i che law of the early collection of Differ and difers feom the rest in being uniquely om a pasage from one of Gregory Nazianzen’s poems rather than on & pasage from his sermons Gregory’seoupeton the high Word playing'in every kind of for recalls the simular imagery ued to richer diferent purpose; by ‘Gerard Manley Hopkins: For Chit plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in ibs, and lovey in eyes no is To the Fachee through the fears of men’ facen! “This Diffcnly provides a sriking example of Maxims’ endeney (aleady seen in Amb. 1017, Bbc) to interpret the Dionysian ategores of spophatie and cataphatie theology in terms of the Incarnation. Thisis developed inthe fist mediation he flere onthe couplet from Gregory's poem. Maximr goes on to offer several ‘other interpretations. Fret, another Chrstologcal interpretation ‘harses the ‘play ofthe Word like the weaving about of«wreser, sothattheparado of divine play isintexpreted by another prado, {har of “stl lowing’, understood a bolding tothe mide in an tive, agile way: this interpretation should be compared withthe ‘way in which Manns tal of the Word inthe Incaration alfling {he mediatora,microcosmic tole of humanity in Am 41, above ‘This play is also compared vo the way in which parents come down to the lel oftheir chien, withthe intenion of edvestng them through play. The lst rwo interpretations offered compare ply to the sing character of the word in which we live such play fb in pedagogic and leads us wo higher, unchnging velit.Ww Be rection of everhig 2p frm God something apy sited by ‘hCiewr ps win Greek else edn nepation (the aha pene) 1s 70, Manus fellows he LXX, which dies fom the be (Gel glade bal on in menning the leo the ive dktontothe asthe brent Manimacommen soy lool ised onthe Serial et (wlich doer ot manton the dae eed the LXX) ad ely go ack tcl poopy Bas Pe ik ‘he incase power wi the bent, andthe denne power wih che ier (onal 708-720) and he su king foun in Nemes, ‘smal source (ee Om uma ate Mean 19871, 3 Tat} ats senso sce the link berate nen poet shdtbe heart ove secon Galen ianed that heer wa he Source ofthe bigod, which might i Bebind Mims’socaion of ‘Belierand he ncn power ce Tayo [1928 33 This seston ease om Lev 13 slong dscsion ache diagnosis ad Cresta of pony. Nomis See Num 2816 Maxims iteration of Zambia Engh ibs Zi) nina ce Woe (91418) 420. Cha (Ea ible {Con iss interpre meaning ect (re Wat (91413), So bar 1016, ke 93, 104 hough the text a Maximus ci ic ‘res eacy wih one ofthese Flowing the emendaon gg ia Migne Selec em eae For the word asec eles’ ely mean ‘gerinng tthe rv nd theeore nse oder Els aso). {CEDenj the Areopagie, Dione Name; 17 10, 1X Cee teachingin 2, above ep 96h (e8), DIFFICULTY 41 “There its ranltion of most of his Dif (lpr om sh ial onemplon) in Hauer (195), 168-70, wich have fod ep From St Gregory Nesirzen's Sermon 39.13, 0 he Feat of igs (vevthe Theopany, or Fpipany) (PG 363480}. For dhe dnsions of Giepny of Nyse, Contra Emmi 1270-2, ikea” Greer {960} 119-6, 200°7, aed coewhere sad the “scssion shave Invoction, chapter 5. Amb 1026 soye aso ‘develope nooon of te divaons of beng snFales 0 smi ete in Gregory of Nya, Ste Gregory of Nyse, Omar centon 2 (6441388) ‘Spode hey tra a Moxie theology, aed by Nemes, On ‘man nate orn (987) 3) iat aneber key er of Maso CE Geoory of yen On human cretion 1 (PC 643814). 8 Iu sounds odd to fer othe Honan person a, ue Manis i ‘king sbaut suman person tmcecing sem dferetnson, thc would be obscured y the use of he’ or ‘he 9 Ch Gregory of Nya Om Bnmen cent 7 (PG 8194 and D) and Frequently chewitre te Pelli anes in the Greck eaiion to expres the ins percrason ote etre of Chi andthe Peon fe Toy EP Ente ccumncy 11 EL Grepoy of Nyse: Obamas creation 1, 2(9G 441998, 2088). 12 Reusing tonne ot re See Hash (1952), 209 15. Deny Aropote, Divine Nas 132 904) DIFFICULTY 71 theology, re found among. Chratane in Denys the Accopagie: oe en pote ee ae shite steed me preedethone cused inh iffy 15 Gregory Nezianzen, Sermon 749 (onshe deshot hs brother Caesars] DIFFICULTY 1 CGepory Nene, Sermon 292 (PC 3476) Ale commented on in ‘ind (3590-12616) and ade in mb 13, above as