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The Other Life of Maximus the Confessor: A Reevaluation of the Syriac and Greek Lives and the Case for His Alexandrian Origin

Abstract:The Syriac Life of Maximus the Confessor has gained credibility in recent years at the expense of the Greek Life, leading scholars to prefer the Palestinian origin narrative of the Syriac Life over the Constantinopolitan origin narrative of the Greek Life. However, the Syriac Life has not yet been subject to a suitable examination that interrogates its representational strategies. This article examines the credibility of the Syriac Life through a literary and linguistic examination of the Syriac text, draws attention to the pitfalls of the enduring arguments in favor of the Greek Life, and concludes that these two origin narratives represent a false dichotomy. Instead, this study offers a radical reinterpretation of extant circumstantial evidence in the interest of promoting Maximus's African, perhaps Alexandrian, origins.