This volume is part of a series making available translations of key selected texts by the major early church Fathers, for the use of all students of the early church. Each volume contains a long introduction setting the subject in his historical and philosphical context, as well as a brief introduction and notes on the translations. St Maximus the Confessor, the greatest of Byzantine theologians, lived through the most catastrophic period the Byzantine Empire was to experience before the Crusades. This book introduces the reader to the times and upheavals during which Maximus lived. It discusses his cosmic vision of humanity and the role of the church. The study makes available a selection of Maximus's theological treaties many of them translated for the first time.