The doctrine of the Logos in metaphysics and cosmology of St. Maximus the Confessor: an exercise in systematization

Abstract

The article deals with the place of the logos of essence in the metaphysical and cosmological thought of St. Maximus the Confessor. The author's original classification of logos according to the three modes: the ideal (logos as the Divine plan), the real (logos as the essence of a thing) and the mental (logos as the object of knowledge) is proposed. As divine intentions, the logoi eternally existed in God, and according to them God brought everything into being. At the same time the logoi are not connected with the Divine essence, but they correspond to the level of Divine energies and will. All logoi, both the particular and the general, are united in the Divine Logos - the God of the Son, who is both their center and the transcendental Primordial. In the created world the logoi correspond to the forming principles that are inherent in existence and which determine the essence of each thing and its basic natural properties and characteristics, as well as the purpose of its existence. Along with the universal logoi there are also logoi of individuals. All logoi form an ontological hierarchy, which determines the entire diversity of created beings, as well as their internal natural unity and various interrelationships between them. Invisible logoi, when scattered in the world, can become the object of rational knowledge, gradually leading a person to the knowledge of God and the union with God, that is, to deification, which is the ultimate goal and divine plan for the created world.