“God is One”: St. Maximos the Confessor on the Trinity

One of the most spiritually encouraging readings I have engaged in this past year and presently is from a collection of Eastern Orthodox writings called The Philokalia. I first heard of this work through the writings of Richard Foster and the work of Renovaré. The second volume of the complete text of The Philokalia is largely dedicated to the work of St. Maximos the Confessor, one of the most important defenders of the faith in Eastern Christianity. I loved this excerpt on the nature of the Trinity and wanted to share it with you.

God is one because there is one Divinity: unoriginal, simple, beyond being, without parts, indivisible. The Divinity is both unity and trinity—wholly one and wholly three. It is wholly one in respect of the essence, wholly three in respect of the hypostases or persons. For the Divinity is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and is in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The whole Divinity is in the whole Father and the whole Father is in the whole Divinity. The whole Divinity is in the whole Son and the whole Son is in the whole Divinity. The whole Divinity is in the whole Holy Spirit and the whole Holy Spirit is in the whole Divinity. The whole Divinity is both Father and in the whole Father; the whole Father is in the whole Divinity and the whole Divinity is the whole Father. The whole Son is in the whole Divinity and the whole Divinity is the whole Son; the whole Son is both the whole Divinity and in the whole Divinity. The whole Divinity is both the Holy Spirit and in the whole Holy Spirit; the whole Holy Spirit is both the whole Divinity and in the whole Divinity. For the Divinity is not partially in the Father, nor is the Father part of God. The Divinity is not partially in the Son, nor is the Son part of God. The Divinity is not partially in the Holy Spirit, nor is the Holy Spirit part of God. For the Divinity is not divisible; nor is the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit incomplete God. On the contrary, the whole and complete Divinity is completely in the complete Father; the whole and complete Divinity is completely in the complete Son; the whole and complete Divinity is completely in the complete Holy Spirit. For the whole Father is completely in the whole Son and Spirit; and the whole Son is completely in the whole Father and Spirit; and the whole Holy Spirit is complete in the whole Father and Son. Therefore, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God. The essence, power and energy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, for none of the hypostases or persons either exists or is intelligible without the others. (St. Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia: The Complete Text, volume 2, pages 137-138.)