St. Maxim the Confessor’s Doctrine of the Image and Likeness to God in Man: Aspect of Synergia

Abstract

St. Maximus the Confessor makes a distinction between “image” and “likeness” to God in man. The “image of God” pertains to human nature in general, whereas the “likeness to God” is a realisation and fulfillment of this “image” in each particular hypostasis. Likeness to God is a result of personal hypostatic effort; at the same time, likeness to God is the act of synergia of God and man, since it is accomplished by divine energies on the one hand and by a free human decision — gnomic will — on the other. Gnomic will is an important means in the achievement of likeness to God, but this hypostatic gnomic will is not innate in a human being. It is directly related to the events of the Fall and as such it should come to an end; in the eschatological future only natural human will is to remain. St. Maximus the Confessor builds his anthropology on the vocation of human beings to Theosis. Drawing a distinction between the image of God and likeness to God, St. Maximus sees the state of Theosis as an opportunity for the fulfi llment of the “image”. Achievement of the likeness to God elevates a Christian to Theosis, though St. Maximus differentiates these two notions. Theosis is entirely a gift of God, which makes it different from likeness to God, as it is not synergia of God and man but entirely the effect of Divine energies in human nature. In the eschatological future, this intrinsic unity of deifying grace with the nature of those deified — Theosis — will result in “de-activation” of energia of human nature, when the holy will freely yield their selfdominion to God, who will be the only one to act in them. However, since the notion of “likeness” is closely connected in St. Maximus’ doctrine with the hypostatic, unique and personal manner of human existence, an assumption can be made that the perfect “likeness” of deified Christians to God in the eschatological future will be the basic prerequisite for the continuation of their personal hypostatic uniqueness

Keywords

• St. Maximus the Confessor
• Theosis
• image of God
• likeness to God
• synergia
• logos
• tropos
• energia
• gnomic will
• natural will
• anthropology
• eschatology
• soteriology