Mystagogy

"This is what I set forth for the sake of the reward of obedience and in the measure of my forces concerning these things], inasmuch as I was taught them, not daring to touch on issues] more mysterious and lofty. If someone - out of curiosity - wants to know about them, too, then let him turn to the inspired works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite and truly find there the revelation of unspoken secrets, given through his God-enlightened intellect and language to the human race for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14). If my work] has not disappointed you in your expectations, then for this you should thank Christ, the Beneficiary of goods, and you, who have forced me to talk about these subjects. And if it never at all justified your hopes, then what should you do or what should you do to me, the weak in the word? Indeed, weakness is forgivable, and not worthy of punishment. It is better to accept than to blame what can be given and what is given, especially to you, who have joined God for the sake of love."Maximos the Confessor (ca. 580-662) is now widely recognized as one of the greatest theological thinkers, not simply in the entire canon of Greek patristic literature, but in the Christian tradition as a whole. A peripatetic monk and prolific writer, his penetrating theological vision found expression in an unparalleled synthesis of biblical exegesis, ascetic spirituality, patristic theology, and Greek philosophy, which is as remarkable for its conceptual sophistication as for its labyrinthine style of composition.