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Maximus The Confessor




He was born in the region of . Eventually, the emperor had his tongue and right hand cut off so that he could no longer speak or write 'heresy', and sent him into exile, first to Thrace (modern-day Bulgaria), and then to the shores of the Black Sea (modern-day Georgia , where he died). The Bishop of Rome was tried around the same time in Constantinople , ( Pope St. Martin ), and later exiled to the Crimea in Ukraine .

Ultimately, Maximus was exonerated and Canonized as a Saint . He argued for ''dythelitism'', the notion that Jesus possessed two wills, rather than the one will posited by ''monothelitism''. He left many writings, some of which are collected in the Philokalia , that are still widely read today; some are doctrinal, but many more describe the contemplative life and offer spiritual advice. Maximus made increased use of Aristotle and de-platonized Eastern Christian thought. His theological work was later continued by John Scotus Erigena , Saint Simeon The New Theologian and by Saint Gregory Palamas .

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