Maximus the Confessor was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar.
In his early life, he was a civil
servant, and an aide to the
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. However, he gave up this life in the
political sphere to enter into the monastic life. After moving to
Carthage, Maximus studied several Neo-Platonist writers and became a
prominent author. When one of his friends began espousing the
Christological
position known as Monothelitism, Maximus was drawn into
the controversy, in which he supported the Chalcedonian position that
Jesus had both a human and a divine will. Maximus is
venerated in both
Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity. His positions
eventually resulted in exile, soon after which he died. However, his
theology was vindicated by the Third Council of Constantinople and he
was venerated as a saint soon after his death. His feast day is 13
August.