Project description
The eucharistic ethics of Maximos Confessor
Fragmentation, both internal and external, plagues humanity, leading to personal turmoil and societal divisions. Ignorance and sin exacerbate these fractures, distancing individuals from their true essence and from each other. The quest for unity and harmony, essential for a fulfilling existence, remains a pressing challenge. With this in mind, the EU-funded AKEEMC project explores Maximos’ vision of eucharistic ethics. This framework posits that gratitude (eucharistia) transforms existence, culminating in deification and emphasising the progressive realisation of unity. Through virtue and contemplation, Maximos’ ethics aims to heal internal and external divisions, fostering a God-centred life and the unity of divine-human love.
Objective
The main thesis of my postdoctoral project, entitled Ascent to the Kingdom: The Eucharistic Ethics of Maximos Confessor, is that Maximos subscribes to a kind of eucharistic ethics in which the human is called to offer back the gift of being in the form of gratitude (eucharistia) culminating in the perfection of being, the unificatory state of deification. I argue that Maximos’ ethics is fundamentally an ethics of Oneness, of the progressive realization – on a personal and cosmic level – of the fundamental unity at the heart of reality. This unitary ethics is summed up in the inseparability of virtue & contemplation. Together, these practices work to overcome the inner fragmentation of the self and the outer divisions of the world introduced by ignorance and sin. All the virtues – be it humility, forbearance, detachment, charity, love, fasting, contemplative prayer, vigils, worship – represent means of overcoming the instability of a life centred upon the finite self (the ego), leading to a more grounded God-centred life. The ethical life, in essence, represents the overcoming of divisions and the progressive (re)unification of self and world culminating in union with Christ and the Trihypostatic God who alone is One. The inherently unificatory practice of the virtues (as manifold expressions of love) is corroborated by contemplative insight into the oneness of God, nature, and the human person. Virtue and contemplation culminate in the unity of divine-human love (agapē).
Keywords
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02
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11000 Beograd
Serbia
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