Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, February 26 2025
On February 26, doctoral candidate Robert Marsland presented a research seminar on his thesis concerning St. Maximus the Confessor’s philosophy of nature. Marsland, who transitioned from a career in physics to pursue dogmatic theology, explored how Maximus’ patristic vision offers a meaningful response to contemporary ecological challenges.
Marsland began by contextualizing his research within a line of papal teaching dating back to Pope Pius XII’s 1953 warnings against the “Technical Spirit” – an erroneous worldview that prioritizes technological production and material profit above all else. This concern has been echoed through papal teachings up to Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, which calls for a more holistic understanding of humanity’s relationship with nature.
As a synthesizer positioned at the culmination of patristic thought, Maximus (580-662 A.D.) developed a comprehensive philosophy of nature that builds upon earlier traditions while incorporating complex theological developments in Trinity and Christology.
The heart of Marsland’s presentation focused on Maximus’ concept of theoria physike (natural contemplation), a middle stage in spiritual development between ethical practice and the contemplation of God. Central to this vision is Maximus’ distinctive theory of the logoi of nature.
While the logoi are often simplified as equivalent to Platonic “divine ideas” in God’s mind, Marsland argued that this interpretation is incomplete. Two important passages from Maximus’ Questiones ad Thalassium reveal, in fact, a more nuanced and deeply Trinitarian foundation to Maximus’ ontology.
In the first key passage, Maximus establishes a crucial polarity: the logoi ground the “real visible difference of beings” (associated with divine wisdom and the Son), but must be completed by the “real visible motion of beings” (associated with divine life and the Holy Spirit). This dynamic understanding suggests that created beings are not simply predetermined by static archetypes but possess a certain flexibility and autonomy in their movement toward perfection.
The second passage revealed how this principle extends beyond rational beings to all creation. Maximus writes that “The Holy Spirit is not absent from any being, especially those who are partaking of reason”, indicating that while this dynamic is most visible in humans, it permeates all reality. The Spirit works by “stirring up the natural logos in each” being, guiding creation toward its proper end.
Marsland’s research suggests that Maximus’ vision offers a corrective to problematic modern attitudes toward nature by presenting creation as neither a mechanical system nor raw material for exploitation, but as imbued with divine purpose while maintaining genuine freedom and dynamism.
The presentation concluded with Marsland highlighting the timeliness of Maximus’ thought for addressing Pope Francis’ concerns in Laudato Si’ about our relationship with the natural world. By recovering this patristic understanding, we might develop a more integrated vision that respects both the divine intention for creation and its inherent dignity and freedom.
