Description
St Gregory Palamas (1296-1357) is best remembered for his teaching on deification, the vision of the uncreated light, and the distinction between God's transcendent essence and communicable divine energies. This course aims to help students better understand these concepts, and the debates surrounding them, as they were articulated in the fourteenth century. Emphasis is placed on the reading of primary sources, particularly the writings of Palamas himself, but also those of the saint's supporters and adversaries. The course introduces students to the history of the Palamite controversy, from its origins in the attack on hesychasm made by Barlaam of Calabria in 1338, through the tumultuous Civil War and ecclesiastical turmoil of the 1340's, to the final victory of Palamite theology in 1368. Attention will also be paid to the reception of Palamas and his legacy in the Orthodox Church, both in the period leading up to the fall of Constantinople and beyond.