Maximos Kausokalybites
Encyclopedia
Maximos Kausokalybites was a monk
and holy fool of Mount Athos
in Greece
. He is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church
on January 13.
Maximos lived as a recluse in crude shelters and had the habit of burning his hut from time to time and moving to a new one. He was ridiculed for this by his fellow monks on Mount Athos but Gregory Palamas
rebuked them, saying that Maximos was the only true hesychast among them. This incident sparked a reform of spiritual life on Mount Athos.
Some of Maximos' writings on prayer and ascetism are included in the Philokalia
.
The present-day skete of Kapsokalyvia is named after him.
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
and holy fool of Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. He is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
on January 13.
Maximos lived as a recluse in crude shelters and had the habit of burning his hut from time to time and moving to a new one. He was ridiculed for this by his fellow monks on Mount Athos but Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, his followers as Palamites...
rebuked them, saying that Maximos was the only true hesychast among them. This incident sparked a reform of spiritual life on Mount Athos.
Some of Maximos' writings on prayer and ascetism are included in the Philokalia
Philokalia
The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in...
.
The present-day skete of Kapsokalyvia is named after him.