On the question of apocatastasis: the unity of god and creation in the legacy of St. Maximus the Confessor

The article examines the attitude to universal salvation against the background of understanding the unity of God and creation in the heritage of St. Maximus the Confessor. Following the saint’s assertion that God is the beginning as the Creator, the middle as the Giver and the end as the Goal, the author of the article claims that at each of these three stages, God forms various types of unity with intelligent beings. The first kind of unity is based on the relationship between the Logos of God and the logos of intelligent beings, where the Logos is the center of the logos. The second type of unity consists in Divine Providence, which implies the rapprochement of intelligent beings to each other and to God, thanks to the special strength of their relationship to God as their Creator and the ultimate goal of movement. Finally, the third type is absolute unity, or participation in God by grace, and involves the cessation of natural activity and liberation from the limitations of the natural definition of intelligent beings. Analyzing these types of unity, the author comes to the conclusion that St. Maximus the Confessor is not at all a supporter of the doctrine of universal salvation, but speaks only of the restoration of human nature after the resurrection and salvation of the worthy