Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662 AD) was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar who developed sophisticated theology of theosis, teaching that humanity is destined to participate in the divine nature through Christ.
Born to a noble Byzantine family, Maximus initially served as a court secretary before becoming a monk. He became the leading opponent of Monothelitism, the doctrine that Christ had only one will, arguing instead that Christ has both divine and human wills.
His theological writings explore how God became the Son of Man so that humans might become sons of God. Maximus taught that through the Incarnation, Christ makes possible the deification of humanity without the loss of human identity. For his opposition to imperial theology, he was tried, mutilated (his tongue and right hand cut off), and exiled, dying shortly after in 662 AD.