Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor

Post-Tridentine Western Christian theology introduced the notion of natura pura, which holds that one can know created nature in fact without reference to God or divine grace. The orders of grace and nature are thus on different plains. This ontology creates an extrincism between God and the world....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Haynes, Daniel
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2012
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12450/
_version_ 1848791503315402752
author Haynes, Daniel
author_facet Haynes, Daniel
author_sort Haynes, Daniel
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Post-Tridentine Western Christian theology introduced the notion of natura pura, which holds that one can know created nature in fact without reference to God or divine grace. The orders of grace and nature are thus on different plains. This ontology creates an extrincism between God and the world. Maximus Confessor’s doctrine of grace offers the paradox of nature already presuming grace but awaiting the supernatural grace of deification at the resurrection. Further, divine grace, or energy in Maximus’s theology, are not separate ontological realms between God and the world. Grace does not separate God’s essence from his energies. The Incarnation of the created and uncreated natures in Christ fully manifests the paradox of God’s grace as being fully on the side of creation and on the side of God, without remainder. Finally, Maximus’s theurgic ecclesiology in his Mystagogy reinforces the mediation of grace through created reality. All of these aspects of Maximus the Confessor’s theology of grace provide a Christian rendering of participation that does not result in the extrincism of grace from nature, their conflation together, or a real distinction in the being of God.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T18:29:33Z
format Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
id nottingham-12450
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T18:29:33Z
publishDate 2012
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-124502025-02-28T11:19:22Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12450/ Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor Haynes, Daniel Post-Tridentine Western Christian theology introduced the notion of natura pura, which holds that one can know created nature in fact without reference to God or divine grace. The orders of grace and nature are thus on different plains. This ontology creates an extrincism between God and the world. Maximus Confessor’s doctrine of grace offers the paradox of nature already presuming grace but awaiting the supernatural grace of deification at the resurrection. Further, divine grace, or energy in Maximus’s theology, are not separate ontological realms between God and the world. Grace does not separate God’s essence from his energies. The Incarnation of the created and uncreated natures in Christ fully manifests the paradox of God’s grace as being fully on the side of creation and on the side of God, without remainder. Finally, Maximus’s theurgic ecclesiology in his Mystagogy reinforces the mediation of grace through created reality. All of these aspects of Maximus the Confessor’s theology of grace provide a Christian rendering of participation that does not result in the extrincism of grace from nature, their conflation together, or a real distinction in the being of God. 2012 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12450/1/Grace_and_Metaphysics_in_Maximus_Confessor.pdf Haynes, Daniel (2012) Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
spellingShingle Haynes, Daniel
Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title_full Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title_fullStr Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title_full_unstemmed Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title_short Grace and metaphysics in Maximus Confessor
title_sort grace and metaphysics in maximus confessor
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12450/