Touching the Divine

With the kind permission of Andrew Psarommatis, here is an excerpt from his forthcoming translation of Quaestiones ad Theopemptum (CPG 7696), by Saint Maximos the Confessor. The excerpt is from Maximos’ answer regarding the “Touch me not” passage from the Gospel of John.

Μαξίμου μοναχοῦ πρὸς Θεόπεμπτον σχολαστικὸν ἐρωτήσαντα περὶ τοῦ κριτοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ τοῦ, Ἐὰν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, καὶ τοῦ, Μή μου ἅπτου, οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα.  

Τὸ δέ, Μή μου ἅπτου, πρὸς τὴν Μαγδαληνὴν λέλεκται Μαρίαν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου, κηπουρὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι νομίσασαν, δηλοῦντος τοῦ μυστηρίου καὶ ὑποφαίνοντος, ὡς ψυχὴ πᾶσα νοερά, μήπω τὸ συμφυὲς σκῆνος ὑπεραναβᾶσα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῶν ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ μόνων, οὐδὲν οὐδαμῶς διαφερόντων λαχάνων κηπευομένων—ἴση γὰρ ἐπ’ ἀμφοῖν ἥ τε ῥοὴ καὶ ἀπορροὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ χρόνου περιγραφὴ καὶ περίοδος—, δημιουργὸν εἶναι τὸν Λόγον ὑπολαμβάνουσα διὰ τὴν περὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἕως τούτων πρόοδον αὐτοῦ καὶ συγκατάβασιν, οὐκ ἀξία τῆς τούτου κατὰ πνεῦμα καθέστηκεν ἐπαφῆς ἐν νεκροῖς καὶ ταῦτα τοῖσδε τοῖς φαινομένοις αὐτὸν ἐπιζητοῦσα, καὶ σάρκα δι’ ἡμᾶς γεγενημένον γινώσκουσα μόνον αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ οὐχὶ πρεπόντως καὶ θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς γεγεννημένον γινώσκουσα.

From Maximos the monk, to the scholarly Theopemptos, who asked about the “unjust judge” (Luke 18:6) and about, “To him who strikes you on the right cheek” (Luke 6:29) and also about the “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17).

The phrase, “Touch me not,” has been said by the Lord towards Mary Magdalene, who thought that He was the gardener, manifesting and bringing to light the mystery that, like every soul with intellect which has not as yet risen above its abode, which was created together with it, and for this reason alike to those things which are only concerned with birth and corruption, in no way whatsoever differing from garden vegetables—for both it and those are equal in their coming and going and in their passage through, and period, of time—this soul,  thinks that the Word of God is the Creator, because His progress and condescension occurred around, and was limited to, those creations which are born and suffer corruption. It was not made worthy of coming in touch with Him in a spiritual sense, because it was seeking Him in these dead and visible things, having only recognised Him as being born in the flesh for our sake, but not recognising Him in the proper way, also as God born of God the Father.