PANTHEON
ExploreBuild My Library
© 2026 Pantheon — an atlas of the ideas that shaped how we think.
bookc. 628-630 CE

Mystagogy

Summary

Major work by Saint Maximus the Confessor (c. 628-630 CE) offering a symbolic and mystical interpretation of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, treating the church building and the liturgical action as cosmic symbols of the union of God and creation.

Core Contribution

Articulated the liturgy as a theophany — a participatory enactment of the cosmic mystery of deification (theosis). The church building becomes a symbol of the cosmos; the liturgy enacts the union of God and humanity.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • composition c. 628-630 CE
  • modern translation and commentary
  • Orthodox theological revival 20th century

Historical Influences

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite Origen Gregory of Nyssa Neoplatonism

Intellectual Lineage

No conceptual lineage found.

Allied Works

Ambigua Chapters on LoveThe Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

Contemporaries & Peers

other works of Maximus the ConfessorByzantine theological tradition

Minds Influenced

Alexander Schmemann John Meyendorff Orthodox liturgical theology Panayiotis Nellas

Intellectual Posterity

No conceptual posterity found.

Discussing

Mystagogy

Ask anything about Mystagogy — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.

Sign in to start a conversation.