Assessment of the Influence of Maximus the Confessor’s Mystagogia on 20th Century Romanian Ecclesiology with a Focus on Dumitru Stăniloae’s Spirituality and Communion in the Orthodox Liturgy

Assessment of the Influence of Maximus the Confessor’s Mystagogia on 20th Century Romanian Ecclesiology with a Focus on Dumitru Stăniloae’s Spirituality and Communion in the Orthodox Liturgy

26 June 2019

Stăniloae’s Spirituality and Communion in the Orthodox Liturgy represents an elaboration in terms of form and content of Maximus’s Mystagogia. Stăniloae comments and interprets Maximus’ insights that are fundamental for the Romanian orthodox ecclesiology and ritual actions of the Orthodox Liturgy. Though it contains references and quotations from other authors too, one can easily notice that the backbone of Stăniloae’s work is represented by Mystagogia. In a similar way as Maximus, Stăniloae starts his work discussing the visible aspect of the Church in a preliminary section and then passes to discuss the spiritual and mystagogical aspects of the Church with a special focus on the Liturgy.