Life
Gregory Palamas (c. 1296–1359) was an Athonite monk and archbishop of Thessaloniki whose Triads defended hesychast still-prayer and articulated the essence–energies distinction in Orthodox theology. ORDL lists him as a Hesychasm literature card. This page is historical reading—not a substitute for spiritual direction in the Church.
The system
- Defense of the Jesus Prayer and hesychast practice in theology
- Essence–energies distinction as doctrinal literature
- ORDL boundary: theology in print—not a prayer manual sold here
Key works
- The Triads
- Related hesychast treatises in modern translations
Where to start
- Use Classics of Western Spirituality or comparable annotated editions
- Read inside Orthodox secondary literature rather than as DIY mysticism
Ask Orin
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What is at stake theologically when Palamas insists that God is known in energies without exhausting the essence?Ask Orin this question