Encyclopedic Dictionary of Bible and Theology

Maximus of Constantinople, Saint Confessor, Abbot of Chrysopolis (Scutari), born Constantinople, c.580; died Shemarum, on the Black Sea, 662. He was one of the chief doctors of the theology of the Incarnation, and was called Homogoletes (Confessor), from his orthodox zeal in the Monothelite controversy. Of noble parentage, he became secretary to Emperor Heraclius, but … Continue reading “Maximus of Constantinople, Saint”

Maximus Magnus, Christian emperor in the West Maximus (2) Magnus, Christian emperor in the West, a.d. 383-388. Authorities.-Besides the regular historians, of whom Zosimus (iv. 35-46) gives most original matter, St. Ambrose has special notices, Epp. 24 (narrative of his embassies), 20, 23, and 40, 23; Symmachus, Ep. ii. 31; Sulpicius Severus, almost contemporary, Chron. … Continue reading “Maximus Magnus, Christian emperor in the West”

Maximus, Confessor a leading champion of orthodoxy in the Monothelite controversy (q.v.), was born at Constantinople in 580. At an early age he became private secretary to the emperor Heraclius, but, deciding for the ecclesiastic state, he resigned this position, and in 630 entered the monastery of Chrysopolis (Scutari), near Constantinople, and in a short … Continue reading “Maximus, Confessor”

Maximus, bp. of Turin Maximus (16), bp. of Turin, writer, reckoned as Maximus II., the third bishop, by Cappelletti (Le Chiese dItal. xiv. 12, 14, 76), who puts a Maximus I. in 390 as the first bishop. Ughelli (Ital. Sac. iv. 1022) counts them as one (cf. Boll. Acta SS. 25 Jun. v. 48). He … Continue reading “Maximus, bp. of Turin”

Maximus, bp. of Jerusalem Maximus (10), bp. of Jerusalem, the 40th in succession from the apostles, succeeded Macarius on his death, a.d. 336. He had been a confessor in one of the persecutions (Theod. H. E. ii. 26)-according to Philostorgius (H. E. iii. 12) that of Maximian-in which he had lost one eye and had … Continue reading “Maximus, bp. of Jerusalem”

Maximus, bp. of Alexandria Maximus (9), bp. of Alexandria, 14th “successor of St. Mark,” had been a presbyter under bp. Dionysius. During the Decian persecution, after Dionysius had been carried away by some Christians of Mareotis into Libya, Maximus with three other presbyters “kept themselves concealed in Alexandria, secretly carrying on the oversight of the … Continue reading “Maximus, bp. of Alexandria”

Maximus, Bishop Of Turin was born towards the close of the 4th century, and early in the 5th was elevated to the episcopate. But little is known of his life. His signature is affixed to a document expressing the approval by the bishops of Northern Italy of pope Leo’s letter to Flavian on Eutychianism (Leo, … Continue reading “Maximus, Bishop Of Turin”

Maximus, an ecclesiastical writer Maximus (24), an ecclesiastical writer, placed by Eusebius (H. E. v. 27) in the reign of Severus and episcopate of Victor, i.e. in the last decade of 2nd cent. Eusebius says the subject of his work was the origin of evil and whether matter had been created, and elsewhere (Praep. Ev. … Continue reading “Maximus, an ecclesiastical writer”

Maximus, Alexandrinus called also the Cynic Philosopher, was born in the fourth century, in Alexandria, of Christian parents of rank. He united the faith of an orthodox believer with the appearance and conduct of a cynic philosopher, and was greatly respected by the leading theologians of the orthodox party. Athanasius, in a letter written about … Continue reading “Maximus, Alexandrinus”

Maxims of the Fathers (Maxims of the Fathers) Name given to various collections of aphorisms and anecdotes illustrative of the spiritual life, of ascetic and monastic principles, and of Christian ethics; attributed to the more prominent hermits and monks who dwelt in the Egyptian deserts in the 4th century. Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary