Andrew Louth - Syriac Christian Church

DIFFICULTY 1
INTRODUCTION
This is the first of the second collection of Difficulties. It discusses
passages from two of Gregory Nazianzen’s sermons, which speak of
movement from the monad, beyond the dyad, to rest in the triad.
Maximus’ problem is that Gregory seems to be speaking of movement
within the eternal Trinity, which to Maximus is inconceivable.
Maximus skirts this implication by explaining the movement as
movement (of thought) in the mind that considers the mystery of the
Trinity. The Difficulty is also notable for the way in which Maximus
deploys his developed distinction between being and existence (see
above, chapter 4 of the Introduction) in a Trinitarian context.
1033D
TEXT
From Saint Gregory the Theologian’s first Sermon on the Son:
Therefore the monad is eternally moved towards the dyad
until it reaches the triad [or, Trinity]. 1
1036A
And again from his second 2 Sermon on Peace:
The monad is moved because of its wealth and the dyad is
superseded; for beyond matter and form, out of which bodies are
made, the triad is defined on account of its perfection. 3
If there seems to be disharmony, servant of God, and you are
puzzled about the true harmony, it is not to be sought
according to the simplest meaning of the words. For it is the
same for the dyad to be superseded and not to stop until the
dyad, and again for the triad to be defined is the same as to