St. Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Spirituality

Maîtres spirituels #20

by John Meyendorff

St Gregory Palamas, a fourteenth-century Byzantine saint and Church Father, incorporated traditional Eastern monastic spirituality into a comprehensive theological vision. His understanding of hesychasm, the monastic movement centered on solitude and unceasing prayer, is grounded in an incarnational theology: When spiritual joy comes to the body from the mind, it suffers no diminution by this communion with the body, but rather transfigures the body, spiritualizing it rejecting all evil desires of the flesh, it no longer weighs down the soul but rises up with it, the whole man becoming spirit, as it is written: 'He who is born of the Spirit is spirit' (John 3:6-8). Triads 11, 2.9 This richly documented and lavishly illustrated study of Orthodox spirituality traces the development of 'Orthodox mysticism' from the desert fathers through the patristic tradition to Byzantine hesychasm and its heritage in Russian monasticism. It shows how the work of Palamas transcends the limits of one school of spirituality and renews in its deepest essence the life of the Christian Mystery.

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

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1959

About the author

Fr John Meyendorff (1926-1992) was a Professor of Church History and Patristics at St Vladimir s Orthodox Theological Seminary, and a professor of History at Fordham University, NY. He was a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1976-77), and a Guggenheim Fellow. He held honorary doctorates from the University of Notre Dame and General Theological Seminary, was a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and a Senior Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks. In 1990 The Diploma of Honorary Member of the Leningrad Theological Academy was bestowed upon him.

Reviews

[Dana Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The central chapter is about Palamas but the book is really an overview of the hesychast tradition of prayer from the fourth century desert fathers to nineteenth century Russia. Autocorrect tried to give me “Jesus” instead of “hesychast” which is unusually apt given the centrality of the Jesus prayer in this tradition.

Meyendorff argues that this tradition, far from being a devotional “extra,” is central to Orthodox anthropology and soteriology (deification). I was surprised by how strongly he situates it as a resistance to Neoplatonism which does leave strong traces in some of the fathers like pseudo-D and Evagrius. He ultimately opposes it to Renaissance humanism and the primacy of reason and sense experience in the west.

I was particularly struck by the argument that the saints who experience the uncreated light in this life are the prophets of the church, parallel to but on a higher level than the Old Testament prophets who saw theophanies of Christ with their physical eyes. He also draws out and elevates the sacramental life of the church as necessary for this kind of union with Christ in the heart, an essential balance between the individual and the communal experience.

Lots of primary source quotations and images. It would be a very beautiful book if it weren’t so badly printed.

Anyway. I’m laying flat in bed with vertigo and the book was small enough to hold up. Lots to think about, highly recommend.

[Jacob Aitken]

The first half of this book deals with Eastern monastic practices, highlighting its strengths and perils. This section of the book is of interest primarily to academics who focus on monasticism. The second half of the book outlines St Gregory’s life, his conflict with Barlaam, and the resulting theology. The book concludes with a look at modern hesychasm in Russia.

Meyendorff notes that Palamas did not exactly oppose Aristotelianism, per se (thus blunting a common charge made by Catholic scholars, notably von Balthasar). He saw it as a useful system, provided that one did not get carried away into excesses with it.

I assume most readers are familiar with the details of Barlaam. Of importance is Barlaam’s actual theology. Barlaam, following a nominalistic agnosticism, thought that the monks were saying one could bodily see the divine essence. 1) Barlaam said that all knowledge is sense-perception. 2) God, being defined as a Platonic postulate, is beyond sense-perception. Therefore, any knowledge/communion with God can only come from “intermediaries” (102).

Palamas responds thusly:

He is going to say that we do have a direct experience with God but we do not know the “essence” of God. How can he say this? First, God is essentially apart from other creatures because he is “uncreated.” Therefore, when creatures participate in God, they participate in “uncreated life.” Still, this does not yet address Barlaam’s challenge. Palamas will thus say that revelation, participation, deification, is a free act (energy) of the living God (118-119).

Therefore, we see a distinction between the divine act of revelation and the unknowable essence. This does not introduce a fourth term in the Godhead since God in his simplicity is fully present both in the essence and the energy.

Conclusions and Implications of Palamism:
1. There is no autonomous reality between God and creatures because God himself, in his condescension, is that reality (122).
2. The victory of Palamism protected the East from the onslaught of the Renaissance (94).
3. Palamas reestablished the dignity of matter, since the body fully participates in the energies of God (108). A corollary of this is a revitalization in the sacraments, for the new life in Christ is present in the sacraments.

I close with a quote from Meyendorff,
A…decision was set before the Orthodox Church in the fourteenth century: a choice between a unitary (integral) concept of man based on the Bible, affirming the immediate efficacy of redemptive grace in every sphere of human activity, or the choice of an intellectualized spiritualism claiming independence for the human intellect…and denying that any real deification is possible here below. There is no doubt that the secularism of the modern age is the direct consequence of that second choice (171).

[Navel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic overview of St. Gregory Palamas place in Orthodoxy and his importance to defending the recieved traditions of the faith during the 14th century conflicts with western scholastics.

[Taneli Repo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a clear and concise presentation of the Hesychastic tradition of the Orthodox Church and a short biography of St Gregory Palamas who was a central figure in its formation in the 14th century Greece. It's a good introduction but based on the title, I was hoping to read more about St Gregory himself and maybe get a more detailed analysis of his personal contribution to the tradition and less about his predecessors and successors. The biographical content of the book is a little bit on the thin side.

[Joseph Olivares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meyendorff does a fantastic job of tracing Eastern Christian spirituality, as well as the theology which forms the basis of this spirituality, through the Fathers to St. Gregory Palamas who articulated it with unmatched clarity and precision. He then traces hesychasm from Palamas to the twentieth century, highlighting some of the particular distinctives various Eastern Orthodox traditions have developed, focusing quite a bit on some of the Orthodox Church's more important Saints of the last several hundred years.

I withhold a fifth star only because the book was lacking bibliographically and especially editorially, which is a shame for such an excellent book by an otherwise reputable publisher.

[Kyle Hafar · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance, the title may seem a bit misleading, as only about a third of the work concerns itself directly with Palamas and his theological work. It is, however, appropriate to view his contributions (which are not really innovations) in the much longer contexts of Eastern Orthodox Hesychasm ("stillness"), as well as the long-established sacramental life of the Church. Hence the book begins with Evagrius, and continues through John of Kronstadt. An excellent and lucidly-written introduction to Hesychasm.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am actually reading a different version, but John Meyendorff wrote the Intro. Gregroy Palamas presents some very exciting ideas here and much to contemplate and wonder about towards "Being". My translator is Nicholas Biddle if i remember correctly, St. Gregory Palamas helps us learn important ideas of today and of yesterday.

Reminds me of a qoute, "Wonder is a necessity when reading and studying nature"

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich and engaging reading of the history and theology of Eastern Orthodox spirituality and the monastic movement of hesychasm. This book seems to be a classic read on this subject as I have found Meyendorff to be quoted extensively in regards to Gregory Palamas. A good read for anyone interested in this topic. (Plus I loved all of the artwork, icons, and photography included with the book!)

[Nathan Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb little book that serves as an excellent overview and intro to the hesychast tradition and Orthodox Spirituality. Nice pictures of significant historical icons are reproduced throughout. Highly recommended for anyone curious about Orthodoxy.

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

-