The Homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas

by Gregory Palamas, Christopher Veniamin

The Scholar's Edition: for priests, theologians and the educated layperson. The first edition of all sixty-three extant sermons by St. Gregory to appear in English translation, presented together with an Introduction to the Homilies, over 1,000 notes and scholia, an index of Scriptural References, an index of Names and Subjects, and an index of Greek Words, designed to transform this remarkable treasury of Patristic wisdom into an invaluable reference resource for the student of theology. This edition completes and supersedes The Homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Religion, Christian, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality

1 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1300

About the author

Saint Gregory Palamas (1296-1359) was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessalonica known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. He is venerated as a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Though he is not widely venerated in the Roman Catholic Church he is recognised as a saint. The second Sunday of the Great Lent is called the Sunday of Gregory Palamas in those Churches that commemorate him according to the Byzantine Rite. Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, a highly regarded book in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Palamas is perhaps most well-known for his central role in the defense of the doctrine of Hesychasm, which was upheld in 1351 at the Council of Blachernae.

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some books that earn a special place on your desk, next to your bed, on your prayer table, or wherever you keep important books in your house. Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies is one of those books. I have been in possession of this book for several months now, and I have had a hard time putting it down, let alone trying to review it. I am going to attempt now, but before I do, I'd like to give some stats on the book. It is a 750 page hardcover, measuring approximately 9" x 6". Within this tome are 63 homilies, which range in length anywhere from five to thirteen pages. At the end of the homilies, there are over 100 pages of notes on the homilies, including Scripture references, original Greek wording, and explanations of passages in the homilies. Finally, there are three indices - 1. Index of Scriptural References, 2. Index of Names and Subjects, and 3. Index of Greek Words. The editor and translator is Dr. Christopher Veniamin, who is a disciple of Archimandrite Sophrony of Sakharov, which is awesome in and of itself.

When reading through a collection of this magnitude by such a great Church Father you have to read through it slowly and carefully, because if you try and read too quickly you will miss a ton of beauty. I found even reading slowly that I still had to go back and re-read even slower because the depth which St. Gregory Palamas dives can be overwhelming sometimes. I appreciate the way Dr. Veniamin organized this book, which is in the order the Sundays or Feast Days appear in the Church Calendar. It gives the book a nice flow to it. Unfortunately, not all of Saint Gregory Palamas' homilies were saved, so you will find that not every Sunday or major Feast Day is covered in this book. However, when the homilies in this book come on successive Sundays (like Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent), you feel your knowledge increase exponentially.

It is impossible to pick the "best" passage in a book of this nature, because each of his homilies are edifying for the soul. If I had to pick the homilies I enjoyed the most, they would be the ones on Mary, particularly her Dormition and her Entrance into the Holy of Holies. In the West, we refer to Mary's Dormition as her Immaculate Conception, and her Entrance into the Holy of Holies is a GREATLY neglected Feast Day that I think 99% of Roman Catholics don't even know about. In his homily on the Dormition, St. Gregory Palamas explains how Mary's death was life-giving and the day itself should be remembered as joyful. He also recounts the tradition of all the Apostles being gathered to her funeral, despite them being spread throughout the world. There is also great explanation given to the fact that both her body and soul were taken to Heaven. Catholics believe that too, so this is a great point of agreement for Catholics and Orthodox that could be a good start toward unity.

This book is a treasure to be not only valued and held in high regard, but also read (repeatedly), pored over, and studied. It is also clearly a book that was a labor of love for Dr. Veniamin. I already find myself visiting this book, almost on a daily basis, and I know I will continue to study it and reference it even more, particularly on the Sundays that coincide with the homilies inside. This book is worth every penny and then some. If you are a serious student of Patristics, you need this book in your library.

[G Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a regular companion to me nowadays, much like the Institutes were in years gone by. That said, their nature and content is MUCH different. Prof Veniemen has done the church at large a fantastic service in collecting and translating these homilies. Some of what Palamas writes is hard to understand and grasp. Much of it is perhaps lost on me. I admit, I am not as well versed in the culture and context in which he wrote as I should be. Still though, he has much to say... His homilies on the Mother of God were quite influential in my understanding of Mary... but all of his stuff is great... on the ministry and work of Christ... his various comments on the way of the cross... on prayer etc. are priceless. Much gratitude to Prof Veniemen for making this available to those of us who would have otherwise been ignorant of these pastoral gems.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with many of the Fathers, one has to read a lot to find the gems in their sermons. Depending on what you are looking for, St. Gregory is very theological, but will disappoint the modern reader when he uses the science of his day to prove or explain theology or asceticism. He probably represents a pretty complete synthesis of the Orthodox theologians before him. Relatively speaking he relies less on the earlier Patristic writers and much more on later ones. The books does have a collection of sermons from the entire Orthodox Liturgical year.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sermon selections and translation is outstanding. The reader can't help feeling that he is sitting right in front of St. Gregory Palamas, as spiritual wisdom is imparted.

[w gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some patristic writings are are a challenge to read. This is not the case with St. Gregory Palamas' sermons. He exhorts us to live the Christian Faith. Very edifying!