Logoi, Porphyrian Tree and Maximus the Confessor’s Rethinking of Aristotelian Logic

Abstract

The rediscovery of Maximus the Confessor by western scholarship in the mid twentieth century led to a straightforward examination of Aristotelian elements in his works. Scholars such as Hans Urs von Balthasar and Polycarp Sherwood rushed to link Maximus with Aristotle, either by claiming direct influence in regard to the former’s views on movement or regarding the essence – energy distinction, or by suggesting that Maximus refutes the Stagirite’s stances on providence, or on the eternity of the world. Although there were a few isolated voices that denied Aristotle’s direct influence on Maximus, the question of their relationship was not thoroughly examined until the nineteen-nineties.