Hesychastic controversy

Gregory Palamas, Homily 53

Καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τετρακτύος τῶν αἰσθητῶν τοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦδε κόσμου στοιχείων ἀὴρ μεσιτεύει πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, τὸ δὲ πάλιν ἀέρος καὶ γῆς, καὶ οὕτω συνδεῖται τὰ ἐναντία καὶ τὰ μαχόμενα σπένδεται, τὰς κατ’ ἀλλήλων ἀμυντηρίους δυνάμεις μηδαμῶς ἀποθέμενα.

Epistle 3 to Gregory Palamas, vv.405-408

3.405-8: αὖθις δή σοι διορίζομαι ὅτι διττὸν ἡγούμενος τὸ τῆς ἀποδείξεως ὄνομα, κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἕτερον συγχωρῶ τοὺς περὶ Θεοῦ λόγους, ἂν ὦσι συλλελογισμένοι καὶ ἀληθεῖς, ἀποδεικτικοὺς συλλογισμοὺς ὀνομάζεσθαι.

Epistle 3 to Gregory Palamas, vv.251-262

3.251-62: Πρὸς δέ γε τὰς αὐτῶν ἀποφάνσεις οὑτοσὶ ἔχω, ὧν μὲν ἀπόδειξιν καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχω ἢ ἐπαφήν τινα, ταύτας μόνας παραδέχομαι, αἷς δὲ οὐδέτερον τούτων συμβέβηκε, περὶ τούτων χαίρειν αὐτοὺς ἐῶ. Καίτοι γε οὐδ᾽ ἐκείνας πάσας ἀξιῶ πιστὰς εἶναι, ἐάν τινι τῶν ἡμετέρων δογμάτων ἐναντίως ἔχωσι, τὰς δέ γε τῶν λογίων ἀποφάνσεις ὅπως ποτ᾽ ἔχουσιν, ἀποδείξεως πάσης ἀνώτερον τίθημι, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ πρὸς σέ μου λόγῳ δεδήλωκα λέγων “ἐπεὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῖς γεωμέτραις ἀρχὴ καὶ κοινὴ ἔννοια καὶ ἀξίωμα, τοῦθ᾽ ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει… ἀπόδειξιν”.

Epistle 1 to Gregory Palamas vv. 349-353

πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἀποδεικτικὸς συλλογισμὸς ἐπιχειρεῖ πρώτην ἀρχὴν καὶ ἀξίωμα δεικνύναι. ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιῶν οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπιτυγχάνει τοῦ ἀποδεικτικῶς συλλογίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἀμαθὴς καὶ ἀπαίδευτος περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κρίνεται τὸ ὑπὲρ ἀπόδειξιν ἀποδείξεως δεῖσθαι νομίζων.

Epistle 1 to Gregory Palamas vv. 354-358

Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῖς γεωμέτραις ἀρχὴ καὶ κοινὴ ἔννοια καὶ ἀξίωμα, τοῦθ᾽ ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει ἑκάστη τῶν ἀποφάνσεων ὅσαι ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν θείων ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν ἀπεφάνθησαν, οὐδεμίαν ἄρ᾽ αὐτῶν πειρᾶσθαι χρὴ ἐκ συλλογισμοῦ λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἑκάστην ἔχειν βέλτιον ἢ κατὰ ἀπόδειξιν.

Isaak Argyros

Isaak Argyros was born in Thrace around 1300-1310 and lived in Constantinople. As a monk, he took part in the religious controversies of Hesychasm and wrote treatises against Gregory Palamas. His scientific work is related to the fields of astronomy, arithmetic, trigonometry and geometry.

Gregorios Palamas

Saint Gregory Palamas, archbishop of Thessaloniki, is perhaps the most important figure in 14th-century Orthodox theology. He dedicated himself to the defence of the values of Hesychasm, the domination of which in monastic life after the 14th century is mostly owed to the appeal Palamas and his writings had among the wider monastic community. In 1316 Palamas became a monk at Mount Athos where he was initiated into hesychastic monasticism. In 1326 he was ordained priest and in 1336 he began to exchange letters with Barlaam of Calabria, objecting to his syllogism in theological approaches.