St. Maximus the Confessor

St. Maximus the Confessor was a seventh-century monk noted for his seminal works on Christology and his energetic defense of the orthodox view of the Incarnation, in opposition to an influential heresy known as Monothelitism. His fearless preaching on the topic was considered controversial by the political authorities, and he suffered exile, torture, and eventually the amputation of his tongue and right hand for refusing to back down from his anti-Monothelite views. Maximus’s position was posthumously vindicated by the Third Council of Constantinople, however, and today he is honored as one of the last of the Early Church Fathers.

George and Polly’s vigorous depiction of the saintly theologian confronting Constans II, the Byzantine emperor who persecuted him, showcases the tenacious zeal that charactized his public career. The Greek text, a quote from Maximus’s voluminous writings, describes the profound spiritual identification that comes about between the believer and Christ through the power of sanctifying grace.