The Perspective of St. Maximus the Confessor on Human Will in the Interpretation of St. John of Damascus and St. Photios.

  1. Lemma
  2. Възгледът на св. Максим Изповедник за човешката воля в интерпретацията на св. Йоан Дамаскин и св. Фотий Цариградски
  3. Bulgarian
  4. Nachev, Ivaylo
  5. Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Patristic studies
  6. 25-11-2018
  7. Марков, Смилен [Author]. Възгледът на св. Максим Изповедник за човешката воля в интерпретацията на св. Йоан Дамаскин и св. Фотий Цариградски
  8. Christianity and Culture
  9. St. Maximus the Confessor - Saint John of Damascus - St. Photios I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople - will
    1. Смилен Марков (2015). Възгледът на св. Максим Изповедник за човешката воля в интерпретацията на св. Йоан Дамаскин и св. Фотий Цариградски, Християнство и култура, 104 , 83-92.

    1. In this article Smilen Markov compares the use and development of the concept of human will by the three authors. The point of departure is that fundament of St. Maximus’ concept of human will is Christology. The free will is not the focus of any of the three examined authors. The article looked at the concept of self-governance of the rational will in Christian philosopher Nemesius. It also examined the concept gnomic will as developed by Saint Maximus. In that interpretation the model of will receives a new cognitive dimension. Maximus adds a new dimension of the rational desire to the concept of self-governance of the will. This interpretation is further developed by Saint John of Damascus who adopts the terminology of St. Maximus and demonstrates that communion is the appropriate cognitive criteria applicable for the gnomic will. Later, St. Photios the Great identifies explicitly the concept of gnomic will and choice. In that respect St. Photios coined the term “personal will”. St. Photios also modified the concept of freedom. The idea for “freedom from” is transformed in “freedom for the other”. The interpretations of the three authors with its developments through time demonstrates that the optimal state of human will is achieved when the human hypostasis becomes able to fully and responsibly share divine grace, according to Markov.