Saint Gregory PaJamas

Treatise on the Spiritual Life

 SAINT GREGORY PAL"'1AIAS

TREATISE ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

TRANSLATION,
INTRODUCTION, AND NOTES
by
DANIEL M. ROGICH

Light and Life Publishing Company

Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Daniel M. Rogich
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 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . ....................................7

1 Desire for Instruction .................... . . . ...... 21

2 The Life and Death of the Soul ...................... . 29

3 The Spiritual Meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard . . . . . . .. . 39

4 Marriage, Virginity, and the Virtuous Life ................. 43

5 Spiritual Poverty: Its Roots and Blessedness .......... .. ..49 . .

6 The Passion of the Love of Money . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . ... .53 .

7 The Passion of Vainglory ... ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 61 . .

8 The Passion of Gluttony ............................ 67

9 Enduring Voluntary and Involuntary Afflictions . . ...... . . . ...73

10 The Fruits of Spiritual Poverty: Blessed Mourning .. .. ......77 . .

11 The Fruits of Blessed Mourning: Blessed Comfort ... .. . . . .. . . 83

12 Defense of the Spiritual Ascent of the Hesychast . . . . . . . . . .. 87 .

13 The Death of the Soul ............................ .97

17 The Protection of Godly Mourning . .... .. .....

. . . . . . . .. 101

15 The Search of the Bride and the Return of the Prodigal ....... 103 .
 INTRODUCTION

THE TEXT
Two Greek texts were used in translating this treatise : 1)
Philokalia, Tomos 4 (3rd ed . , Athens , Greece : Astir Publishing
Company , 1963) , 89-115; and 2) Patrologiae graeca, vol . 150. 1043-
1088, ed . J. P . Migne (Paris , 1857-1866). In translating , the Greek
Philokalia was amplified in some places from Migne ' s Patrologiae.
This text has not been translated into any modern language . More
notes were placed in the treatise , particularly biblical passages as well
as Patristic ones . Key terms have been explained in order to better
contextualize the work . The Septuagint (LXX), which Gregory used ,
was the basis for the translation of the Old Testament verses , yet the
titles and numbering system are according to the more familiar King
James Version. I have noted where Gregory deviated from or replaced
biblical terms in certain New Testament passages , particularly relative
to the use of the key Greek terms nous, karthia, and dianoia. The
actual title of the text, given by Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain, the
compiler and editor of the Philokalia, is , On Passions and Virtues and
the Fruits of the Spiritual Ascent. Finally , the treatise is divided into
chapters to facilitate reading .
8 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

DATING AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

According to the Palamite scholars John Meyendorff, Panagiotes
K. Chrestou , Georgios I . Mantzaridis , and Robert E . Sinkewicz , this
treatise was written during the year 1345-46. The basic reasoning is
as follows , which will help us to contextualize the treatise historically .
Gregory was consecrated in May 1347, as archbishop of Thessalonica .
There is no mention of his elevation to the episcopacy in this treatise .
Due to the subject matter, Gregory may have felt it was not relative ,
yet this is unlikely ; thus he was not a bishop when it was written.
Also , as I mention in the notes , Gregory was excommunicated , led by
John Calecas and Gregory Akindynos , in 1344, which means that
during the following year, 1345-46, just prior to being elevated to the
episcopacy , Gregory devoted time to writing this treatise . In 1343,
Gregory wrote Theophanes, a treatise directed against Akindynos ,
which once again favors the dating of this treatise to 1345-46, just
after his excommunication (1344), and prior to his elevation to the
episcopacy (1347). Could the mentioning of his struggles with those
who falsely accused him, in the second paragraph and near the end of
the treatise , refer to Calecas and Akindynos who created false docu­
ments (attributed to Gregory), in order to revile him as a heretic? (He
seems to have found solace in the life of John Chrysostom . ) If so , this
would also warrant the dating of the treatise to 1345-46. He does
mention his opponents-those " envious ones "-though not by name ,
who were also " synodically judged . " This refers to the synod of 1341,
a synod which confirmed Palamism , and condemned the teachings of
Barlaam and Akindynos . He speaks about "uncreated grace " near the
St. Gregory Palamas 9

end of this treatise , which was still the subject of debate after
1341-the date of his last section of the Triads-and the Tome of
1341, of which he was the primary author, d irecti ng his efforts aga i nst
the thought of Barlaam . One may want, then, to push the date to after
February 134 7, around the time of the synod of 134 7, yet this is not
necessary for the above reasons and because , " he [Akindynos] was
already subject to a previous sentence [excommunication] of the synod
[of 1341] . " 1 Hence , the synod Gregory refers to here is that of 1341,
not 1347.
Also , Homilies 6, 16, 19, and 31 are similar to this treatise in
presentation as well as in teaching , particularly regarding the subjects
of the life and death of the soul , poverty " in spirit, " and the use of the
beatitudes . These homilies were delivered to a majority lay audience ,
a new event in Gregory ' s life , after his consecration in 1347 as
archbishop . This treatise , delivered to the nun Xenia, was his last
major treatise to a monastic audience . This does not imply , as I
mention in the notes , that Gregory ' s teaching is not useful for all
christians-monastics and lay persons-nor that he essentially
developed two different teachings on the spiritual life , one for
monastics and another for the laity . The hesychast movement in the
fourteenth century was much broader than in previous generations ,
taking no such separatist approach to the christian life . Furthermore ,
there is essentially no division or dichotomy between the active and
the contemplative life in eastern christian spirituality , which would
result in a separatist or gnostic approach to contemplative prayer or to

1 PG 1 5 1 .769-772.
10 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

the christian life in general . These homilies , then, were based on the
more detailed spiritual teachings of this treatise , which Gregory
acquired as a monk on Mount Athos , as well as in the hermitages
around Constantinople .
Gregory addressed this treatise to Xenia, an older nun and a
friend , who was an abbess or at least the spiritual directress for many
" daughters of the great King [Christ] who were entrusted to you
[Xenia] . " Gregory knows much about her life , and admits that she was
the one who constantly exhorted him not to become too depressed due
to the spiritual and theological battles over the Patristic teaching on
deification-the " essence " and " energies " in God . She was a
hesychast-practicing "prayer of the heart "-and lived for many years
m a coenobitic monastery , m obedience "practicing the
commandments " as well . She was a tremendously accomplished nun,
who emulated Jesus in self-emptying humility and God-wise spiritual
leadership . Gregory shows a great sensitivity towards her vocation as
a spiritual directress , providing her with advice for novices and youn­
ger nuns on such delicate issues as sexuality , the use of money , and
the return to worldly living . The text reads as a correspondence-with
no hints of authoritarianism on Gregory ' s part-for the spiritual
edification of the nuns who were struggling in the ascetic and
contemplative life .
Gregory ' s teaching on the love of material possessions ,
particularly where monasticm is involved , besides being influenced by
earlier spiritual writers-as I will point out below-may very well
have been influenced by a hotly debated issue in the fourteenth
St. Gregory Palamas 11

century : the excessive ownership of lands by monasteries and

churches , which played a significant part in the Civil War of 1341-47.
Gregory felt this passion of earthly possessions was the death-knell of
the monastic life , and also " k i lled the spirit " of ecclesial life " in the
world . " He echoes the sent iments of earlier eastern christian writers ,
and his thoughts are comparable to such mystics who fought
corruption in the western christian church as Hildegarde of Bingen,
Catherine of Siena , Francis of Assisi , John Tauler, and Teresa of
Avila . The hesychast/mystic , according to Gregory Palamas , can be
a " church reformer " as well as a "political activist, " when becoming
attuned to the transfiguring grace of the Spirit , granting change " for
the life of the world , " within that eschatological design of a world
where God will be " all in all . "
Thus , this spiritual treat i se to Xenia was written at a time when
Gregory Palamas was a polished monk, at age 50, after thirty years
in such a life (1316-1346), and after ten years of dialogue and debate
on the experience of deification as had by the hesychasts-from 1336-
41 versus Barlaam and 1341-46 versus Akindynos . The debate would
continue after this treatise , with the synods of 1347 and 1351
confirming Gregory ' s teachings , as well as in the pas to ring of his
flock in Thessalonica on the " way of deification, " according to the
Patristic teaching on the uncreated light of Christ, until his death in
1360. This treatise , then, both chronologically (historically) as well as
spiritually and theologically , represents a most mature christian
statement on " life in the Spirit " according to Gregory Palamas .
12 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

KEY TEACHINGS
To the Socratic adage , "Know thyself, " written on the walls of the
temple at Delphi , eastern christian tradition has a response , in the
words of Jesus Christ : " I say , you are gods . " 2 In other words , for the
christian, the most intimate knowledge of oneself is gained in the
realization of one ' s own God-given potential--due to being made in
God ' s " image and likeness "-to become God . Gregory Palamas would
interpret similar biblical verses by saying that the saint, like Apostle
Paul , becomes " all-eye , " or " entirely God , " conversing with God as
a god . 3 The human being , who is created by nature , through the
experience of grace , has the potential to " become uncreated , " an ex­
perience equivalent to that deification (theosis) which will come at the
end of time , yet which is already conditioned by Jesus Christ who ,
while being God by nature , became a human being by the will of God ;
thus Jesus Christ is presently the unique inexhaustible source for one ' s
experience of God the Holy Trinity . For Gregory Palamas , the
christian divine life indeed begins " in this world , " in one ' s quest for
self-knowledge , ending in the " leap of deification, " the ecstatic
stretching forth towards that high calling of " the other world "-to
become God by grace , according to the principle of that famous
saying of Athanasius , on the Incarnation: " God became man, so that
man may become God . "
For Gregory Palamas , the human being is made up of four layers :
body , soul , mind , and heart . The body includes the fives senses , the
" entrance halls " of receptivity of external (sense) experience . The

2 John 1 0 . 3 4 ; see Ps . 82. 6.

3 Triads l. iii.2 1 ; Ill. ii. 1 2 ; II. iii.68.

St. Gregory Palamas 13

soul , never separated from the body when discussing the composition
of the human self, is , as in Aristotle , the life of the body ,4 the
complex and multi-faceted principle of life for the " impervious flesh . "
Yet Gregory delineates two deeper levels-the mind (dianoia), which
is the conceptualizing faculty-actually part of the soul in a dipartite
schema-which allows the human being to make mental constructs and
to formulate hypotheses concerning " experience " through both the
senses and from " the spiritual depths . " The deepest level of the human
self is the heart (karthia), to where the highest faculty of the soul , the
intellect (nous), the locus of the " image of God , " must return in a
circular fashion in order for one to truly " know thyself, " an act of
" recollection" or remembering who we are-children of God made to
experience the transcendent grace of the Holy Trinity discovered " in
the image within"-a joumey of self-realization and authenticity of the
whole human being . 5 In knowing " one ' s-self" the believer comes to
know not merely the physiological layers , or the "underside " of
human nature , or the mystery of the human being in self-con­
templation, or the greatness of the conceptual mind , but one actually
discovers the uncreated grace of God reflected " in the image , " im-

4 Aristotle , De anima 2 . 1 (4 1 2a27-2 8 , 4 1 2b5 -6) : " The soul then is the actuality of a
body possessed of organs and nature . " Quoted by Gregory Palamas, The One Hundred and
Fifty Chapters 3 , tr . Robert E. S inkewicz (Toronto : Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies ,
1 98 8 ) , 87 .

5 Gregory adopts both the dipartite (soul and body) schema as well as the tripartite schema
(body, soul , and spirit) , with the " sp irit" indicating the innermost layer of the human self. I
mention " four layers " not to be confus ing , but in order to distinguish the intellect (nous) from
the heart (karthia) , as well as the intellect from the mind (dianoia) , as I mention in the notes
in the treatise . Also , the heart for Gregory Palamas , following Macarius, is defined in more
biblical terms as the whole human being , not simply the emotional center, where the " image
of God " is discovered-meaning , all layers of the human self are made " in the image and
l ikeness " of God the Holy Trinity.
14 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

planted in the heart by God " in the beginning , " and which baptism in
Christ regenerates , as the life of prayer, sacraments , and ecclesial
worship creates of believers a new "divine state " (theia exis)- " deified
beings . "
Gregory Palamas is a master of the art of synthesis . Perhaps due
to being embroiled in theological debate his entire adult life , Gregory
was always seeking balances , but never to the detriment of seeking the
truth or more refined theological statements , particularly relative to
the truth of the experience , had by the saints , of God ' s divine light
and life . He balances the Evagrian and Macarian schools of
theological anthropology , never becoming too " intellectualistic , " nor
too " affective " in his approach to spiritual experience and the
understanding of the human person. He never teaches that the various
antinomies of christian experience , such as the transcendence and
immanence of God , cannot be held together or united experientially ,
which would make God either " too far away " or the human being able
to " absorb " God , similar to the Messalian claim , resulting in an
incomplete or distorted view of salvation. He bases his entire
theological vision on the Incarnation, which means that his approach
is totally nondualistic , as he opts for the union of the soul and body ,
the Logos and the flesh, the divine and human natures , and the
transcendence and immanence of God , in Christ through the Spirit.
Gregory never places at odds the active , ascetic life with the
contemplative life . He believes that hesychasm-the quest for inner
peace and the re-ordering of the human self made in God ' s
image-can never be accomplished " in a spiritual vacuum, " by a
gnostic separatist movement without the need for ascetic struggle . He
never divides the life of personal prayer from the sacramental life of
St. Gregory Palamas 15

the church, as hesychasm is but an " extension" of and attempt to

acquire " likeness " which begins in one ' s baptism and is furthered in
one ' s participation in the eucharist. And the reason for this synthetical
approach is because , of all the hesychast fathers , Gregory Palamas
seems to be the most positive in terms of emphasizing the goodness of
human life . " There is nothing in this life , besides sin, " he writes ,
" that is truly evil , not even death itself. " 6 His goal is to express the
total union of the human being with God , without any traces of
pantheism , incipient ditheism, or the human subjectivist Messalian
claim , " to mount as far as one wills into the ineffable mysteries of
God . "7 Hence , even his doctrine of the "essence " and "energies " in
God is a synthesis , not merely by a repetition of dogmatic formulas
or by abstract speculation, but as a means to express this experience
of union, which was accomplished in Christ, who overcomes all
antinomies or dualisms-leading to deification or union with God the
Holy Trinity . There is perhaps no father of the Greek church who is
more adept in "unionizing" the art of prayer (spirituality) with the
doctrines and teachings of the church (theology) .
What then are the foundational influences of this treatise? Good
advice would be to read , alongside this treatise , the spiritual writings
of the following writers (whom I have cited in the notes) , found in the
Philokalia: Neilos of Sinai , Mark the Ascetic , Callistus and Ignatius ,
Isaac of Ninevah, Pseudo-Macarius , Diadochus of Photiki , and
Evagrius the Solitary . As a matter of fact, Gregory quotes word for
word from many of these treatises . In a certain sense , he is almost
entirely derivative . Yet he is not merely a " theologian of repetition. "

6 Homily 1 6 , PG 1 5 1 . 2 1 3 C .

7 Triads I . iii. 1 7 .
16 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

Addressing contemporary sensitivities , by placing them within the

context of the spiritual and dogmatic tradition " handed down to him , "
Gregory was able to make dogma " come alive , " and to present the
spiritual tradition as being most appropriate for his time . The key
feature in all of his writings is the stress on " experience " (peira), the
discriminating experience of practicing the ascetic and contemplative
life . Thus , from Isaac of Ninevah, Gregory continues the distinctions
of " the degrees of prayer, " never separating them , but teaching that
the " real life of the soul " is attained when those contrary things-the
passions-are cured by their opposites-virtues attained through
ascetic struggle . From these spiritual writers-and of course , from the
foundational treatise , The Ladder of Divine Ascent-Gregory teaches
that " waging war against the passions " is done through the weapons
of godly mourning , blessed poverty , and the re-channeling of the
energies of the passions . He may be unique in constantly affirming
that the passions of nature were originally made good , and only are
misdirected or misused by free will . He does not call for their
eradication, but their transfiguration. The image of the christian
Gregory paints is of one who is spiritually courageous , desirous of a
greater commitment to Christ, and who welcomes afflictions and
temptations as the means to spiritual growth, i . e . , a believer who is
not liberated " from " the body , but is " liberated in the body " by the
transcending of all that is human so that all of human life-and
created existence-are able to be transfigured and to recapture their
pristine holiness . In all of this , Jesus is presented as a " forerunner, "
the Supreme Mystic and Deified Saint, who is God by nature , yet in
a kenotic fashion, provides believers with the opportunity and " path "
to become gods by grace .
St. Gregory Palamas 17

By combining doctrine and spirituality , Gregory is able to teach

that the " blessed comfort " which the earlier fathers spoke of is in fact
the divine light of Christ' s divine nature , which grants to human
nature-the body , soul , mind , and all that exists-those beautifying
traits of divinity . The resurrection of the body , and its subsequent
deification, is no " anti-humanist plot, " nor is it an " afterthought, " the
body being " dragged along " by the superior soul , but (the resurrection
of the body) is based on the experience of the saints ' deified bodies
while in this life . Gregory certainly acknowledges the " dark side " of
human existence , but never does he teach " total depravity , " or
" inherited guilt" attached to the " flesh, " but he indicates that the
whole human being , in Christ, emerges and surfaces , through a
journey of cleansing , to reveal the original pristine nature of human
life . Sin then is an aberration, not a total negation, but an ignorance
which darkens the mind of the christian so that one becomes deceived
to think that it is ludicrous , blasphemous , or just plain " kidding
oneself" to believe that one can become God by grace-that very same
teaching for which Jesus was crucified .
There are those who may wish to read , particularly in this type of
treatise , more on the art of the Jesus Prayer. Unlike , for example ,
Callistus and Ignatius , Gregory does not mention it . He does little of
this elsewhere as well . 8 Yet he does speak about hesychasm and , of
course , for Gregory the " higher forms " of prayer do indeed imply the

8 He mentions it in the treatise , On the Blessed Hesychasts , where he also addresses

" methods of p rayer . " See also Triads l . i i . 5 -9 , where Gregory speaks about "breath ing , " and
the " circular " return of the intellect into the heart as a type of method of prayer. Yet he
writes very l ittle on the subject of " methods " or the Jesus Prayer itself. He wanted to stay
closer to the experience and meaning of prayer and not become sidetracked by lesser issue s .
I t must be remembered that Barlaam was able t o find deficiences in N icephoras the Heschast ' s
writings on prayer methods, as he (Barlaam) called the hesychasts " navel-watchers "
(omphalophychm). See Triads Il. ii . 3 .
18 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

various practices of the Jesus Prayer. He seems to continue the

tradition that the methods of prayer are but instruments and should not
distract the believer from the grace of God , which ultimately is
received as a gift. In this way he fights any Messalian accusations
made against the hesychasts. Some may also wish to read more about
the Cross of Christ , or about the ministry of Jesus. Gregory does
speak about these in his homilies , which were written after this
treatise . Yet his teaching in this treatise is not speculative , nor non­
biblical by any means . His starting point is not a type of meticulous
" imitation" of the pattern of the historical life of Jesus , a distanced
preoccupation with the subjective " autonomous " historical person; but
rather, by emphasizing the experiences of the saints , within the
context of a linear, b iblical approach to time-with no hints of a
dualistic cyclicalism-Gregory is able to begin his discussion on the
spiritual life from the standpoint of " Jesus together with the believer, "
where God and the human person are not placed s ide by side as two
separate entities. Gregory does not want to create any (false) distance
between God and creation, as if " nature " is deemed " free(r) " when it
is autonomous from " grace . " All false "ego-like " autonomies Gregory
wishes to set aside , so as to speak about " grace filling creation" to
grant human life real authenticity-the eschatolog ical hope of all of
existence experienced in this life . Yet, he is certainly no pantheist , but
wants to speak positively about the overcoming of dualism, or better
said , about union, what is typically known in eastern christian circles
as deification (theosis). Finally , some may wish to read more , l ike
John Climacus or Neilos of Sinai , about the qualities of and the need
for a spiritual director . He does not deal directly with the subject.
Gregory was speaking to an experienced spiritual directress , who did
St. Gregory Palamas 19

not request instructions on counselorship ; yet his focus is on guiding

her not only in the spiritual life in general , but also in leading those
novices or younger nuns away from thoughts about " returning to
worldly living . " In a secondary way , then, he does deal with spiritual
counselorship .
In updating Gregory ' s teaching on the spiritual life for today , one
must admit that the modem scientific world view is often at odds with
such a teaching which affirms that there is a knowledge "beyond the
senses " and " beyond conceptual thinking . " Gregory appeals to many
today who are seeking a more "experiential " vision of life , not only
among religionists , but also among those natural scientists , following
the likes of Albert Einstein, or those students , for example , of
quantum mechanics , who see in creation, not a closed universe , but
a hidden mystery of vitality and energy which no sense intelligence ,
natural " gnosis , " or scientific research can quite capture . Gregory ' s
nondualistic approach to life-where existence presupposes God-does
not result in an absorption of created reality by the Divine , but a
fuller, more " expansive " presentation and contextualization of life ,
where all of human experience and subsequent knowledge is placed
within the scope of its ultimate goal-transfigured life with its source ,
the Holy Trinity . It is for this reason that the teachings of Gregory
Palamas can represent christian spirituality quite well in a discussion
with such Asian religious thought as the Advaita of Vedanta
Hinduism , or the nondualist philosophy of Buddhism or
Taoism-teachings which are attracting many in the West today for
their holistic and nonrational approach to life and prayer in particular .
Prior to this , Gregory ' s teachings on Christ , relative to the
experiences of the spiritual life , should be entered into discussion with
the western christian teachings of such mystics as Meister Eckhart or
20 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

the author of The Cloud of Unknowing. Perhaps when disputes on

beliefs arise between christian churches , Gregory Palamas can offer
an alternative approach to the issues : instead of spending a tremendous
amount of time and energy on defending the formulas , which often
leads to more " details " on the creeds and formulas themselves , a
spiritual "exegesis " and " search for the meaning " of the faith can be
deemed as the format for discussion, yet without any lack of
theological rigor and discipline. This is something Barlaam never quite
understood. And , I might add , much of the dialogue on the teaching
of Gregory Palamas between eastern and western christians ,
particularly in the middle part of this century , was based on this
overly repetitious and scholastic approach to such issues as divine
simplicity , or the " essence " and "energies " in God. A suggestion can
be made that new ground may be broken when a " tum to experience "
spirituality becomes the format for discussing the person, ministry ,
and identity of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of God. In sum, Gregory
Palamas challenges both the "empiricists " and the " rationalists " of
today-which includes all of us to a certain extent-to seek new more
faithful ways of " seeing , " in order to explore the truth that the " dark
nights " of our " impassioned intellects " may very well be a necessary
condition for us to estimate how great, in adoration, is the uncreated
glory of God and how utterly moving is God ' s presence.

Daniel M . Rogich
Anchorage, Alaska
14 November 1993
St. Gregory Palamas
 OUR HOLY FATHER GREGORY,
METROPOLITAN OF THESSALONICA

TREATISE ON PASSIONS AND VIRTUES

AND THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRITUAL ASCENT

To THE MOST RESPECTED AMONG NUNS, XENIA

Desire for Instruction

TO THOSE WHO TRULY DESIRE to commit themselves to solitary

living , it is loathesome not only to be among many people , but even
to communicate with those who live in like manner as they do . For by
this the continuous and intimate conversation with God is interrupted ;
and the solitude of the intellect, which constitutes every interior and
true monastic , is divided into two and sometimes more parts . Thus ,
a certain father upon being asked why he flees human beings , replied ,
" Because it is impossible to be with God and human beings at the
same time . " 1 Another father, explaining this from experience , says
that not only conversation, but even the sight of a human being can

1 See " Sayings of Arsenius , " Apothegmata Patrum 1-2 , PG 65 .71-440 , tr . Bened icta

Ward , The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The A lphabetical Collection (London/Oxford ,
1981) , 9 .
22 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

cause this , being able to disturb the stability of the mental tranquility
of those who practice hesychasm .
If the issue is examined in more detail , it will be found that even
the remembrance of an upcoming encounter and the anticipation of the
feeling of meeting the person is totally sufficient to disrupt the mental
aspect2 of the soul . Furthermore , one who engages in writing articles
surrounds one ' s own intellect with burdensome anxieties . If it happens
that one who writes is found among the spiritually advanced , who
have acquired , due to the health of the soul , the love of God--even
though this one writes-this love of God works in the writer, but not
directly and purely . If a writer is among the many who are still
susceptible to diseases and passions of the soul-and I am truly one
of these-then this one needs to cry out continually to God : " Heal me
for I have sinned against you ! " 3 So it is irrational that these , prior to

2 The phrase to dianooumen tis psychis , " the mental aspect of the soul , " refers to the

faculty of the soul which draws conclusions or formulates concepts from spiritual knowledg e .
The dianoia can also mean discursive reason ing from sense observatio n , as i t i s then
commonly called " reason , " something which Gregory felt Barlaam mainly employed in
theolog ical matters-thus he challenged Barlaam ' s thought about grace being "created , " s ince ,
for Gregory , the experience of grace-the div ine l ight-was " beyond reason " (dianoia) , and
beyond the Aristotelian " knowledge through the senses . " Yet at times Gregory seems to use
the term dianoia for nous ( " intellect " ) and karthia ( " heart " ) , as I will point out below-see
nn . 1 3 , 84 , 90 , 1 04 , 1 24 , 1 47, 1 5 6 , 1 65-wh ich then he means to designate it as " the h ighest
faculty of the human being " ( nous) which is able to know God directly , and " comprehend "
=

and " perceive div inity , " when one " searches w ith in " to discover the image of God in the
heart . When the nous is purified in baptism, as a result of God ' s renewal of all human
faculties and layers of the human self through the Incarnation of the Prototype Image , Jesus
Christ, the believer is re-ordered , and is able to journey towards deification, an experience
of the uncreated g race of God through Jesus in the Spirit. See Triads I . ii . 3-6; The One
Hundred and Fifty Chapters 35-37 , tr . Robert E . S inkewicz , C . S . B . (Toronto , Canada:
Pontifical Institute of Med iaeval Studies , 1 98 8 ) , 1 1 8- 1 25 .

3 Ps. 40 . 5 .
St. Gregory Palamas 23

being healed , should abandon prayer and willingly occupy themselves

with all other matters . Besides this , such a person comes in contact,
through one ' s writings , with those who are not present; and at various
times , these writings which remain after the repose of the author, fall
into the hands of many people who transmit their contents where the
author would not have wished .
For this very reason, many of the sublime hesychast fathers did
not want to write anything , even though they were capable of
composing great and very useful articles . 4 Upholding all things of the
fathers , I had the custom to write , but being compelled out of urgent
necessity . 5 Yet I am now hesitant towards writing because of those

4 Gregory is influenced here by the belief of the early desert fathers that " s ilence "

(hesychia) is disturbed by writing letters or treatises . See a text by his contemporary ,

N icephorus the Solitary , who quotes from the life of Abba Arsenius : " The div ine Arsenius
strictly preserved the rule-never to write to anyone and never to rece ive letters , and in
general to say p ractically noth ing-not because he could not (how could th is be thought of
someone who could speak eloquently with the same ease as others speak simply ?) but th rough
the habit of much silence and in order to avoid vanity , that is , display . " See "A Most
Profitable Discourse on Sobriety and the Guarding of the Heart, " trs . E. Kadloubovsky and
G . E . H . Palmer , Writings from the Philokalia On Prayer of the Heart (London , Boston : Faber
and Faber, 1 979) , 25 . To note , th is does not foster a nondogmatic or nonl iterary approach
to the christian l ife-s imilar to the Pietists of the eighteenth century-but rather, that writing
a rticles should be done for an intended spiritual and theolog ical purpose , not s imply to
demonstrate one ' s intellectual prowes s .

5 Gregory began writing articles i n 1 3 3 4 , a t age 3 8 , as a monastic of the St. Sabbas

Monastery on Mount Athas . These include The Life of St. Peter the Athonite , Treatise on the
Presentation of the Theotokos , Chapters on Prayer and Purity of the Heart, Answer to Paul
Asen on the Monastic Tonsure , and Homily 40 ( " On John the Baptist " ) . See Encomium , PG
1 5 1 . 5 8 1 BC . All of the above are non-polemical in nature . Yet he means here , " out of urgent
necessity, " to refer to his first theolog ical treatises composed , beginning just two years later
in 1 3 3 6 , due to the entrance into Byzantium of Barlaam the Calabrian, who was teach ing ,
using the principle of Aristotelian dialectics to refute the Latinfilio que add ition to the Nicene
C reed , that the " p rocession of the Holy Spirit " could not be demonstrated , bordering on
agnostic ism , as seemingly one of those so-called unfathomable mysteries of the Godhead .
Barlaam thought th is " super-transcendence " approach might unite the Greek East with the
Latin West . This stance is quite prevalent today in non-rigorous relig ious circles . Grego ry
24 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

who look upon some of my articles with envious eyes , searching in

them a pretext for their misuse . According to Dionysius the Great,
they are caught up with verses and incomprehensible signs , syllables
and unknown words , since the noetic faculty of their souls has not
matured enough . And it is truly irrational and vulgar and alien to
those who desire to perceive divinity 6 to be held up by the words , and
not to pay attention to the meaning and goal of what is said .
I know that I justly deserved their slanders , not that I have not
written in harmony with the fathers ; for this , through the grace of
Christ, can be concluded from my writings . But rather, because I have
written about things of which I am unworthy , perhaps attempting , like
another U zzah, to support the carriage with turning words . 7 Yet the
wrath of God was not poured out on us-who follow the fathers-but
a moderate chastisement was given for our instruction. For this
reason, those who attacked did not defeat us . Certainly this took place

w rote the Apodictic Treatises ( 1 3 3 6) , " out of urgent necessity, " to challenge this claim , saying
indeed relig ious experience , according to the Scriptures and the saints , can intuit and teach
explicitly on the " p rocession of the Holy Spirit, " of which the early Greek fathers taught
contrarily to the currents of the Latin West on the subject. And of course his g reatest work ,
w ritten from 1 3 3 8- 1 34 1 -prior to this treatise to Xenia-was the Triads , composed , as stated
in I . i . The first question, quoting Apostle Paul, " to g ive an account of the faith that is in us "
( 1 Pet . 3 . 1 5) . See also ill . i . 3 2 . Also , in 1 34 1 , Gregory was responsible for creating the
Synodal Tome which refuted the teachings of Barlaam . Finally, he wrote three works against
the teachings of the Bulgarian monk Gregory Akindynos: Dialogue Between an Orthodox and
a Barlaamite , Apology , and Theophanes ( 1 343)-all prior to this treatise . This literary
information allows us to conclude that Gregory wrote " out of necessity" (polemical works) ,
and that by the time h e wrote to Xenia , in 1 345- 1 346 , his entire theolog ical v is ion was in
place . This treatise , then, can be considered a most mature theolog ical and spiritual statement.

6 By "div inity " (ta theia) Gregory means, of course , the uncreated g race (energeia) , not
the divine essence (ousia) of God .

7 cf. 2 Kings 6 . 6-7 .

St. Gregory Palamas 25

because of my unworthiness , for I was unworthy and neither capable

of being like those who suffer for truth; nor, with joy , to share in the
suffering of the saints .
For was not even the Golden-mouthed father, 8 who , while still
clothed in a body , being accounted in the church among the first-born
in the heavens , and who indeed was superior to others in writing
exactly , clearly , and fluently about piety-there is no one so
great! -cast out of the church, being accused of writing and thinking
as the Origenists , and was also condemned unto exile?9 And Peter,
the leader of the chief choir10 of the disciples of Christ, says that the
ignorant distort what is difficult to understand in the epistles of the
great Paul, " to their own destruction. " 1 1 I , then, due to the minor
abuse of those who attacked me , even though they were synodically

8 Meaning , St. John Chrysostom.

9 Here Grego ry compares h imself to St. John-who was exiled under the pretense of
false teachings-in that his (Grego ry ' s) opponents , led by John Calecas and Akindyno s , had
Gregory condemned a heretic in a "home synod " of 1 342 , then arrested in 1 343 , and
excommunicated in 1 344 . S imilar to the case of John Chrysostom , pol itical intrigue was
clothed in the armor of theolog ical heresy . The bas ic writings against Gregory at th is time
were those of Akindynos: the Report and Seven Antirrhetics , refuting the doctrine of the
"essence " and " energie s " in God , as experienced by the saints and those contemporary true
hesychasts . Gregory answered these charges, and wrote a Refutation Against Calecas , in
1 345 , the same year he wrote to Xenia ; and his teachings were confirmed later at the Synods
of 1 34 7 and 1 35 1 , being considered part of the canonical corpus of the doctrinal teach ings of
the Orthodox Church . (Also, l ike John Chrysostom, Gregory was canonized soon after his
death , only e ight years later, in 1 3 68 . )

10
The " ch ief choir " were Peter, James, and John , whom Jesus " took up the mountain , "
and whom Gregory often called " mystics " as a result of their experience . See Daniel Rog ich ,
" Homily 34 of Saint Gregory PaJamas , " Greek Orthodox Theological Review 3 3 ( 1 988) 2 ,
1 6 1 . Thus, first and foremost, i t was spiritual experience , a s a gift o f Christ, wh ich
distinguished these leaders from the other disciples.

11
2 Peter 3 . 1 6 .
26 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

judged , 1 2 nevertheless would have ceased wntmg altogether unless

you now , 0 Sacred Eldress , had not abandoned me in the tomb , when
you forcefully requested of me , through exhortative letters , to engage
in writing once again-even though you are especially in no need of
these requests . For you have acquired , together with age according to
years [old age] , by the grace of Christ, maturity in intellection 13; and
you have studied the law of sacred instruction through many years of
irreproachable practice , dividing the time of your life in obedience and
hesychasm . 14 By this , beautifying the vessel of your soul, you
skillfully prepared it to receive and acquire divine characteristics . But
such is the soul which is characterized by a powerful yearning for

1 2 S ince th is treatise was written in 1 345 - 1 346 , the synod Gregory is referring to is the

Synod of 1 34 1 . Two later synods , of 1 34 7 and 1 35 1 , would also " synodically judge " his
opponents . See nn . 5, 9 , 1 62 .

13
" Intel lection " (noisis) or i n th is case , en synesei ( " in prayer" or " reflection " ) does not
mean discursive meditation or any type of prayer technique or abstract mental reasoning about
God , but rather is related to the " intellect" (nous) which is where the " image of God " resides
in the human person, allowing one to " know God " and "participate in God " freely , in a direct
manner-not through mental construct-in order to achieve " l ikeness " to the One whom the
intellect conforms to , namely , the Archetype Image, Jesus Christ . See Triads l . i i . 6 . 1ntel lection
then can be called " contemplation " in the sense of a gift of the uncreated grace of God . Such
earlier writers from the Philokalia as Neilos , D iadochus , Evagriu s , among others , are the
source of this understanding . See The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters 3 3 -3 7 , op .cit . , 1 1 6-
1 25 .

14" Obedience " (hypakm) refers to Xenia ' s monastic l ife in a coenobitic monastery ,
performing the commandments of the Scriptures in cooperation w ith her spiritual directors
through the years ; and by coupling this with " hesychasm " (hesychia) , Gregory desires not to
set up a dichotomy between the " active " and the " contemplative " life , imply ing as well that
hesychasm is open to all christians and is not opposed to life in the church , i . e . , the
sacraments and ecclesial (l iturgical) worship . See Treatise On Prayer and the Purity of the
Heart, PG 1 50 . 1 1 7Bf. A christian-monastic , clergy , or lay person-will always be in need
of a spiritual counselor/confessor, particularly in the beg inning of one ' s life in Christ.
Sto Gregory Palamas 27

spiritual instruction--it can never become satiated . 15 For this reason,

Wisdom says of such a soul : " Those who eat me will hunger for
more . " 1 6 And the Lord who implants this yearning in the soul , says
of Mary , " that she has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken
away from her. " 17 These messages are probably by all means useful
to you for the instruction of the daughters of the Great King [Christ]
who were entrusted to you . And especially those on intellection, which
has been your yearning since birth, in order to be betrothed to the
Provider of incorruption. Just as He assumed our form truly for our
sakes , likewise you now , emulating Him, have taken on the

1 5 Gregory is influenced here by the notion of "ecstasy " (ekstasis) wh ich is a " standing
apart " from o r the " transcending " of one ' s own senses and reason , in order to be at the
disposal of div ine experience , as taught by John Cl imacus . He is also influenced by Gregory
of Nyssa , Life of Moses , where "ecstasy " means the never-ending union with God , where the
soul " will never become satiated . " See Triads I . iii . 2 1 ; II . iii . 3 5 . Ecstasy is then two-fold : both
a " s tanding apart " from all that is human or created , and the inexhaustible " union " w ith all
that is Above , w ith God-in-Trinity .

1 6 Wis. Sir. 24 .2 1 . The translation of the Old Testament texts follows the Septuagint

(LXX) , yet the numbering and titles are according to the Hebrew , as reproduced by the
Authorized Version (King James Bible) , with wh ich most readers are fam ilia r .

17 Luke 1 0 .42 . This does not imply that " theoria prayer " or " intellection " is superior to
all other types of p rayer, or superior to asceticism , or to the " sacramental life , " since Grego ry
mentions above that " obedience "-the active l ife-is essential to the overall christian life .
Asceticism (and the sacraments) are always necessary , and must " inform " o r penetrate the
" h igher " forms of prayer . By upholding the " better part, " the christian l ife is v iewed as
" never ending , " being based on the grace of Christ-and is less Pelagian , if you will ; yet by
affirming the life of " obedience " in " keeping the commandments , " any false " g nostic "
tendencies are warded off. Gregory always desires to present the christian life in a balanced
fashion , not setting up any k ind of " asymmetrical spiritual ity . " He is s imply pointing out to
Xenia the value of the " inexhaustibility " of life w ith God , someth ing she has treasured for a
long time . This biblical verse is also typ ically one of those " betrothal " verses , on the union
of the soul with Christ.
28 Treatise o n the Spiritual Life

appearance of a beginner and of those begging instruction. 18 Thus ,

I, too , even though I am not rich in words-especially of this
type-but for the sake of obedience and for the sake of fulfilling the
II II
commandment, give to the one who begs from you , 19 will address
the need , according to Christ' s love , from what I now possess ,
demonstrating at least my good intention.

18
In Grego ry ' s ever balanced manner , spirituality i s placed i n a n incarnational context,
as the kenotic love of God in Jesus is the basis for not only doctrinal development and
definition, but, prior to this , becomes the foundation for the many facets of the christian life .
T o note , the kenosis (self-empty ing love) o f Christ can be emulated by all-including women
of course-establ ish ing the vision of woman being made " in God ' s image " by herself, able
to minister, in Xenia ' s case , to other spiritual daughters as an abbess . The self-empty ing
Christ becomes all things to all humans , to be expressed in a myriad of way s . Cf. Basil of
Caesarea , Homily 1. 1 8: " Oh no ! So that no one , through ignorace , takes the word human to
mean only the mascul ine sex , the Scriptures add 'man and woman he created them . ' The wife
also , l ike the husband , has the priv ilege of being created in the image of God . " See Sources
Chretiennes , 2 1 3 -2 1 5 ; cf. Gregory Nazianzen , Discourse 37 . 6 .

19
Matt. 5 .42 .
 2

The life and Death of the Soul

KNOW , THEREFORE , 0 SACRED ELDRESS , or better said , let the

virgins who have chosen to live according to God learn through you
about the death of the soul , which is by nature immortal . The beloved
Theologian says of this : " There is sin which leads to death, and there
is sin which does not lead to death. " 20 He is indeed referring here to
the death of the soul . And the great Paul says , " wordly grief produces
death, " 2 1 meaning certainly the death of the soul . And again:
" Awake , 0 sleeper and arise from the dead and Christ shall shine on
you . " 22 From what kind of death does he command them to arise?
Surely from the death due to " fleshly passions which wage war against
the soul . " 2 3 For this reason, the Lord also called dead those who live
in this vain world . For when one of the disciples asked Him to let him
go in order to bury his own father, He did not permit him but ordered
him to follow , and " to leave the dead to bury their own dead . " 24
Here the Lord calls dead those who are yet living , but indeed have

20 1 John 5 . 1 6- 1 7 .

21 2 Cor. 7 . 1 0.

22 Eph. 5 . 1 4 .

23 1 Peter 2. 1 1 .

24 Matt. 8 . 22 ; Luke 9 . 60.

30 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

died according to the soul . For just as the soul separated from the
body is the death of the body , so too the separation of God from the
soul is the death of the soul . And this is real 25 death-the death of
the soul .
For this was explained through the commandment in paradise ,
when God spoke with Adam : " For in the day that you eat from the
forbidden tree , you shall suffer death. " 26 For through this
transgression, his soul , then, became dead , having become separated
from God . However, he lived after this for a period of time , "until he
was nine hundred and thirty years old . " 27 The death which permeated
the soul through this transgression not only damaged the soul and
brought condemnation upon humankind , but also the body itself
became subjected to great pain and great suffering and
corruption-and in the end was given over to death . 2 8 For then, after
the internal death of the human being as a result of this transgression,
the earthly Adam heard : " Cursed is the ground because of your deeds ;
thorns and thistles it shall bring to you . In the sweat of your face you
shall eat your bread , until you return to the ground , for out of it you

25
The term ontos can be translated " real , " " actual , " or " concrete , " as well as in the sense
of " true " or " ce rtain . " It implies a sense of fact, and concretenes s , what w ill result from one ' s
choice o f either " life with God " (=real life) or " life away from God " (=real death) .

26
Gen . 2. 1 7 .

27
Gen . 5 . 5 .

28
Cf. Homily 5 , where Gregory develops his notion of the ancestral curse and
condemnatio n . This " mortal ity " did not bring with it any notion of " inherited guilt " o r any
" total deprav ity " of the soul, human nature , or the body (flesh) . All of creation is good , and
passions only " distort " or misdirect the (primord ial) intended functions and faculties of the
human being-all of wh ich Christ renewed and re-ordered in his birth , l ife , ministry , death ,
and resurrection .
St. Gregory Palamas 31

were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return . " 2 9
Although, according to that future renewal-at the resurrection of
the righteous-the bodies of the lawless and sinners will also be
raised , nevertheless they will be given over to the " second death, "30
by eternal torment, " where the worm does not sleep , " 3 1 " by the
gnashing of teeth, "32 "being cast into outer darkness , " 33 " into the
dark and inextinguishable fire of hell , " 34 according to the prophetic
saying : " The transgressors and sinners shall be burned together, with
none to quench them . " 35 For this is the " second death " as John
taught us through the Revelation. Listen to what the great Paul says :
" If you live according to the flesh you will die , but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body , you shall live . "3 6 For here
he speaks on the life and death in the age to come . By " life " he means

29
Gen . 3 . 1 7 - 1 9 .

30
Rev . 20 . 1 4 .

31
Mark 9 .4 8 .

32
Matt. 8 . 1 2 .

33
Ibid .

34 Matt. 5 . 22 .

35
Is . 1 . 3 1 ; cf. Jer. 4 . 4 .

36 Rom . 8 . 1 3 . Gregory adopts the traditional Paul ine distinction between " flesh " (sarx) and

" body " (soma)-upheld by the spiritual writers-in wh ich the " flesh " refers to the passions ,
while the " body " refers to that which is " good by nature , " being created by God . Yet , in the
context of the Incarnation , " flesh " (sarx) refers , as in the Gospel of John, to the whole human
being and nature , not to any " part " of it, or simply to the "passions " (patheia) . See Tomos
Syndikos 1 , 9, PG 1 5 1 . 683B : " For the Logos became flesh (sarx) , and the flesh became
Logos, even though neither abandoned its own proper nature . " Cf. John of Damascu s , Homily
on the Transfiguration 2 , PG 96 . 548C .
32 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

the enjoyment of the everlasting kingdom, and by " death " that eternal
punishment .
For the transgression of the commandment became by all means
the cause of death to both the soul and the body , either now during
this age , or during that unending punishment. 37 This is real death,
the soul ' s withdraw! from divine grace and its attachment to sin . To
those who have intellection this is the death from which to flee and of
which to dread . To those who have good understanding it is more
dreadful than torment in Gehenna . That is why we flee it with our
every power . We have cast out everything , left everything , renounced
everyone , both relationships and business , and desires , that is ,
everything that destroys us and separates us from God and from
everything out of which such a death exists . For one who fears and
guards against this , the coming death of the flesh is not so terrible , for
having real life in oneself, it moreover at death becomes unalterable
from the person. For just as the death of the soul is real death, so too
the life of the soul is real life . The life of the soul is its union with
God , just as the life of the body is its union with the soul . And just as

37
From what fol lows will be observed that Gregory sets up no false d ichotomy between
" this life " and " that (future) l ife , " opting instead for a nondual istic approach to christian l ife ,
in which the experiential knowledge o f both s i n and o f uncreated grace (=deification) is
perceived in this l ife , leading on into the "age to come . " Gregory uses a l inear, bibl ically
based approach to time , along w ith the h istorically based experience of the saints , to counter
any Neoplatonist dual ism based on a cyclical approach to time , and a " low anth ropology "
separating "matte r " and " spirit. " See Triads ll . iii . 3 , 66 . His approach is once again
conditioned by the Incarnation , in which all antinomies-both created and uncreated-are
united and actually interpenetrate one another to present a holistic anthropology , offering to
the human being that salv ific hope , " for the l ife of the world . " Gregory avoids the p itfalls of
both the " above " or " below " approaches to Christ and christian life , by conditioning
eschatology by " historicity " and h istory by that " day w ithout evening , " the coming
transfigured reign of God , all of which is a g ift of God through Jesus in the Spirit.
St. Gregory Palamas 33

through the transgression of the commandment, the soul , being

separated from God , was put to death; likewise its reunification with
God , through obedience to the commandments , grants it life . For this
reason, the Lord said in the Gospels : " the words that I have spoken
to you are spirit and life . " 38 Learning this through experience Peter
said to Him, that " You have the words of life . "39 But " the words of
eternal life " are for those who are obedient; to the disobedient this
commandment of life brings death . 4° For in the same manner the
Apostles , being an aroma of Christ, " were to one a fragrance from
death to death, and to the other a fragrance from life to life . "4 1
On the other hand , this life does not pertain only to the soul , but
also to the body . For through the resurrection it makes the body
passionless , delivering it not only from mortality , but also , with this ,
from unending death , that is , from that future punishment . It also
grants to the body the eternal life in Christ, which is " without
sickness , without sighing , without sorrow , being truly immortal . "42

38
John 6 . 63 .

39
John 6 . 68 .

40 cf. Rom . 7 . 1 0 .

41 2 Cor. 2 . 1 6 . In a certain sense , the eternal punishment Gregory alludes to here and
previously is , due to free cho ice , that wh ich the human being " brings upon oneself, " as the
condition or state resulting from refusal to love God , not due to some "external " criteria of
salvation , or based in a v is ion of a " punish ing " God who metes out justice according to
human worth ines s . Accord ingly , the human being " punishes " oneself in rejecting the
(uncreated) love of God lav ished upon human nature in Christ. There is ne ither any
apocatastasi s , nor any " last minute " forgiveness or " do as you wish " approach to spiritual ity .
The stress is on the experience of free will , repentance , and pos itive christian liv ing during
this earthly life . See Homily 1 6 , PG 1 5 1 . 205A-208C .

42 See the Kontakion (Hymn) of the Funeral Service of the Orthodox Church .
34 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

Just as in the death of the soul, that is , as a result of transgression and

sin, follows the death of the body and afterwards its decay in the earth
and its becoming dust-and after this bodily death the soul is also
condemned to hell ; likewise , in the resurrection of the soul which
returns to God through obedience to the divine commandments ,
resurrection will be granted afterwards to the body , by its reunification
with the soul. 43 And in this resurrection will be granted real
incorruption and eternal unified living with God to those who are
worthy-these ones becoming spiritual instead of fleshly , dwelling in
heaven like angels of God . 44 For he says, " We shall be caught up
together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we always

43
See Homily 1 6 , PG 1 5 1 . 2 1 7 A , where Gregory speaks about the resurrection of the soul
as the " first resurrection . " Cf. th is teach ing on the "two-fold " resurrection in two earlier texts:
1 ) Pseudo-Macariu s , Homily 3 6 . 1 : " The resurrection of the souls of the dead takes p lace even
now in the t ime of death . But the resurrection of bodies will take place in the Last Day . " See
PG 36 . 749A . And 2) Symeon the New Theolog ian: " The resurrection of souls takes place
before that of bodies , in action, power, experience , and truth . " See Theological and Practical
Chapters 3 . 3 8 , ed . J . Darrouzes , Sources Chretiennes 5 1 (Paris , 1 957) , 90 .

44 Gregory ' s reference here to liv ing as "angels of God " should not be taken as teaching
any form of " angel ism , " something wh ich the Greek fathers always cautioned against. The
christian does not experience or " see " God by becoming like an angel, as even angels need
g race in order to know God . See Triads II . iii . 37 : " Even the angels could not attain this state ,
at least not w ithout transcending themselves by unify ing grace . " Transcending one ' s bodily
nature , through asceticism, is not enough . Grace is needed . The context for Gregory ' s
refutation of " angelis m " must include the charge made against the hesychasts , o f
Messalianism, as the Messalians attempted , " to mount as far as one wills into the ineffable
mysteries of God . " See Triads I. iii . 1 7 . Both Messal ian and angelism are based on a human
subjectivism wh ich is a type of gnostic dualism, separating " matte r " and " spirit, " or " soul "
and " body , " and are also , as Irene Hausherr demonstrates, akin to Pelagianism , in that both
do not rely on g race , but on the spiritual prowess of the believer. See Orientalia Christiana
Periodica I ( 1 935), 328-330 . The term " the angelic l ife , " then, refers not to a form of
angel ism , but to the christian life totally detached from worldly cares .
St. Gregory Palamas 35

be with the Lord . " 45

As the Son of God became a human being out of love for
humankind , and suffered in the flesh, His soul separated from the
body , yet did not separate from divinity-as a result His own body
was raised and ascended into heaven in glory ; likewise , such will
occur to those who live here [on earth] according to God . In the soul ' s
separation from the body , but not separating from God , the body , too ,
in the resurrection, will ascend to God , entering into inexpressible joy
where our Forerunner Jesus has already entercd ,46 thus enjoying the
future glory in Christ that shall be revealed . 47 They , then, will not
only become sharers of the resurrection, but also of the Lord ' s
ascension and of all the divinely-given life . This , however, has
nothing to do with those who live here according to the flesh, who , in
the hour of their passing , have been found possessing no such
fellowship with God . For although all shall be raised , " but, " as he
says , " each in one ' s own order . "48 The one who has put to death
here , in the spirit, the works of the flesh will live there with Christ in
the divine and truly everlasting life . The one who puts to death here
the Spirit by fleshly desires and passions , will be condemned , alas , in
the age to come , together with the creators and makers of evil , and
will be given over to the endless and unabolishable punishment. This
is the second and final death.

45
1 Thess. 4 . 1 7 .

46 cf. Heb. 6 . 20 . This i s the experiential basis for the eastern christian tradition's teach ing

on the veneration of the relics of the saints (as well as the veneration of icons) . See Gregory ' s
teaching in , The Decalogue of Christian Law, PG 1 50 . 1 0920 .

47
1 Pet. 5 . 1 .

48
1 Cor. 1 5 . 25 .
36 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

Where is the beginning of real death, which produces and causes

both the temporal and eternal death of the soul? Does it not take place
within the realm of this life? For this reason a human being , as soon
as this happens , is condemned to be despised , alas , unto exile from the
paradise of God , as one who has acquired death-bearing and
irreconcilable life away from divine paradise . Likewise this will also
take place with real life , which is the cause of the immortal and real
life of the soul and body , whose beginning is also in this world-yet
this life exists outside of death . This is why one should neither rush
to inscribe death in one ' s soul here , nor deceive oneself by the empty
hopes49 that one will be accepted there . And let no one hope that in
that moment [of death] one will be accepted due to God ' s love for
humankind . For that will be the moment of vengeance and
vindication, 50 and not consolation and love for humankind ; the
moment of the revelation of the anger and wrath and righteous
judgment of God ; and the moment in which will be demonstrated the
powerful and mighty hand ,5 1 administering punishment to the
disobedient . " Woe to those who fall into the hands of the living
God . "5 2 Woe to those who experience there the Lord ' s anger, who
have not known here , from fear of God , the power of His wrath and
who have not previously acquired , through works , the pledge of His
love for humankind . For this is the aim of this present time . This is

49 cf. Eph . 5 . 6 .

50 cf. Is . 63 . 4 ; Jer . 28 . 6 .

51 cf. Is . 5 . 25 .

52
Heb . 1 0 . 3 1 .
St. Gregory Palamas 37

exactly why God gave us this life , giVmg us the possibility of

repentance . 53 For if this was not the case , then the very moment a
human being sinned , one would be deprived of life . Otherwise what
benefit is there of life? Thus it is entirely improper for human beings
to despair, even though the evil one secretly instigates this in various
ways , not only to those who live indifferently , but also sometimes to
those who labor in asceticism .
Therefore , since the time of this life is a time for repentance , the
mere fact that a sinner who desires to return io God can still live ,
proves that one is accepted by Him . For here in this life is always
present freedom of choice . Free will , then, is founded upon the
possibility of the acceptance or repudiance of the above mentioned
way of life and death . A person possesses the ability to chose
whenever one wishes . Where , then, is the place for despair, if it is
always possible for all-certainly if one desires-to acquire eternal
life? Do you see the greatness of God ' s love for humankind? God does
not punish us in the beginning with righteous justice because of our
disobedience , but with patience allows us time for a return. During
this time of patience , He grants us the free choice-if we should
desire-to be made His sons and daughters . What do I mean when I

53
Gregory , following the spiritual writers , teaches that repentance , then , is a life-long
journey, not merely an instantaneous moment when all is forgiven , with little responsibil ity
afterward s . Surely the moment exists when God forgives-and the believer experiences
this-yet this " moment " must be nurtured and renewed throughout one ' s life . The "cultivation
of repentance " never results for Gregory in a " pessimistic lifesty le , " so rem iniscent of those
images of the " gloomy " and " sad looking " christians of med ieval times ; but instead ,
repentance becomes a joyful and praiseful response , on the part of the christian , to the
abundant love and freedom God grants to those who repent continually , expressing
simultaneously God ' s transcendence and immanence . In union with Christ, human life is
authenticated , opening the way for the total self-real ization (theosis) of the human being-an
inexhaustible relationship and conversation of intimate love w ith the Holy Trinity . See Triads
l. iii . 5 and ll . i . 2 8 ; Homily 1 6 , PG 1 5 1 . 2 1 3BC .
38 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

say to be made sons and daughters? By this I mean to be "united to

the Lord so as to become one spirit with Him . "54 But even if, in this
time of patience , we sojourn contrarily and love death more than true
life , He does not take away the already given free choice . Not only
does He not take it away , but He even renews the invitation by going
around searching for us and returning us to the work of life , from
morning until the same evening of our life , in accordance with the
parable of the vineyard . 55

54
1 Cor. 6 . 1 7 .

55
Matt. 1 0 . 1 - 1 0 .
 3

The Spiritual Meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard

BUT WHO IS THE ONE who calls and provides a wage? This is " the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the God of all comfort . "5 6 What
is the vineyard in which He calls us to work? The Son of God , who
said : " I am the vine . "57 And no one can come to Christ, as He said
in the Gospels , unless the Father draws him . 58 What are the
branches? These are us . Listen again to what He says : " You are the
branches , my Father is the vinedresser . " 59 Therefore , the Father who
reconciles us unto Himself through the Son, not counting our
trespasses , 60 invites us , not for being absorbed in improper works ,
but because we are idle . Indeed idleness is a sin; and we will have to
give an account of every idle word . 61 But as I said , God , foreseeing
the sins which each of us commits , still calls us over and over again .
He calls us , then, to do what? To cultivate the vineyard . This means ,
then, that we take care of the branches , that is , our own selves .

56
2 Cor. 1 . 3 .

57
John 1 5 . 1 .

58
John 6 . 44 .

59
John 1 5 . 1 , 5 .

60 2 Cor . 5 . 1 9 .

61
Matt. 1 2 . 3 6 .
40 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

Afterwards-a unimaginable greatness of love for humankind ! -a

wage is promised and given to us , for our toil in behalf of our own
selves . Come , He says , receive eternal life from me who gives
abundantly . 62 I will recompense a wage for the labor of the journey
to the one who desires to receive this from me , as if I personally owe
you . Is there anyone who does not owe a ransom to the Redeemer of
death; or who should not confess gratitude to the Giver of life?
Moreover, He even promised to pay a wage in advance-a wage that
is indescribable ! For " I came , " He says, " that they may have abundant
life . " 63 What does " abundant " mean? It means that He not only is
with us and is yoked together with us , but also that He makes us His
brothers and sisters and co-heirs . This " abundant, " its seems , is the
wage given to those who rush to the life-giving Vine-and these are
His branches , who watch over themselves and toil in behalf of
themselves . 64

62
cf. John 1 0 . 1 0 .

63 Ibid .

64 This " wage in advance "-prior to the general resurrection-is none other than the

vision of the uncreated light of God . In the Incarnation , God is " yoked together " w ith u s , as
Gregory develops his teaching on the sacraments-baptism and eucharist in particular-in
which the self-empty ing Christ becomes our brother and s ister, father and mother, and friend ,
allow ing the believer, made in the image of the Archetype (Christ) , to participate in the
" deified flesh " which is an experience of the uncreated grace of God the Holy Trinity ,
resulting , in turn , in the " beaming " out, becoming " l iberated in the body " during th is life , of
this " abundant " light-deification . See Homily 5 6 . 7 : " Christ has become our brother, for He
has fellowship w ith us in flesh and blood . . . . He has made us H is friends , bestowing on us by
g race these His sacraments . He has bound us . . . as the bridegroom unites the bride to h imself,
. . . He has also become our father through div ine baptism in H imself, and He feeds us at H is
own breast, as a lov ing mother feeds her child . " All of spirituality , theology , sacramentology ,
and even ecclesiology is based on the experience of Jesus Christ, by the uncreated grace of
the Spirit.
St. Gregory Palamas 41

What do these kind do? First, they trim everything which is

superfluous and not useful , and also that which prevents the ripening
of the fruits worthy of the divine harvest. What are these? Wealth,
luxury , vainglory , everything that is destructive and transient, every
disgusting and evil passion of the soul and body , all imaginary rabble
of the mind , every rumor and spectacle , and every word able to bring
harm to the soul . For if one does not cut off and thoroughly cleanse ,
through great attention and struggle , that which sprouts in the heart,
in no way will one " gather fruit for eternal life . " 65

65 John 4 . 3 6 .
 4

Marriage, Virginity, and the Virtuous life

THIS CLEANSING CAN ALSO be accomplished by those who live

in marriage , but with utmost difficulty . 66 For this reason, everyone
who from their youth has found favor in God ' s sight , perceives eternal
life through the penetrating eye of the mind-and in fact falls in love
with that eternal goodness-and duly flees marriage , as the Lord said ,
" In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage , but
are like angels in heaven. " 67 Therefore , one who desires to be like
an angel of God , must rightfully become superior to bodily
intercourse , according to the example of "those children of the
resurrection. " 6 8 Besides , in the beginning out of the married state
arose the occasion of the pretext for sin. 69 Let those , then, abstain

66 The reader should not assume that Gregory is anti-marriage , as he writes later in th is
treatise about the virtues of marriage . Also , hesychasm in the fourteenth century in no way
was represented by a " separatist" group of those who denounced marriage, reminiscent o f the
Manichean tendencies of the Messalians . Gregory writes in Triads I . i i . 2 0 , that " those who live
in the world [ i . e . , lay folks who can choose marriage] must force themselves to use the th ings
of th is world in conformity with the commandments of God . " Also , in Homily 5 , written later
to a lay aud ience , Gregory speaks about the goodness of marriage , extoll ing the virtues of
S imeon and Anna (Luke 2) , and places on par " God-lov ing monastic ism and God-g iven
marriage , " as virtuous paths to " fu lfil l the commandments " and to know God .

67
Matt. 22.30.

68 Luke 1 0 . 3 6 .

69
cf. Gen . 3 . 1 -6 .
44 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

from marriage who in no way desire to " give the enemy an occasion
to revile us . "70 Also , if one considers the body ' s indignation and
insubordination towards virtue , or better said , its rebellious nature
which we carry around , why then should we agree to increase the
obstacles towards virtue , by bonding with many and otherwise diverse
bodies? How can she acquire freedom , towards which she vowed to
aspire , by being connected with natural ties of husband and children
and all blood relativies? How can she serve the Lord free of anxieties ,
when she has undertaken concerns about so many people?7 1 How can
she acquire quietude when she is occupied with such a multitude of
people?
For this reason a true virgin-being compared to the Virgin
[Maryf2 and to the Bridegroom of souls [Christ] , born of the
Virgin-she who lives in God-pleasing virginity , not only flees being
united according to the flesh, but also worldly kinship , renouncing all
relations , in order that she may say boldly to Christ together with
Peter : " We have left everything and followed you . " 73 What,
therefore , has she accomplished remarkably if she leaves her earthly
father and mother for the sake of a mortal bridegroom , and clings to

70
1 Tim . 5 . 1 4 .

71
cf. 1 Cor. 7 . 32-34 .

72
Gregory designates the Virgin Mary to be the " model " and " p rototype " of the
hesychast, as she " stood on the borders of created and uncreated nature , " and was the first
to acquire " deificatio n " (theosis) in th is life . See Homily 5 3 .23 . This is similar to Gregory of
Nyssa (Life of Moses) , who proclaimed Moses to be the model of spiritual perfection . The
monastics , particularly of Mount Athos , have always maintained g reat veneration for the
Theotoko s , Ever-Virgin Mary .

73
Luke 1 8 . 28 .
St. Gregory Palamas 45

him , according to the Scriptures?74 So too in similar fashion does she

forsake them for the sake of the otherworldly Bridegroom and Spouse .
How can they who have their living in heaven be permitted to have
kinship on earth? How can she who is no longer a child according to
the flesh but rather of the Spirit, have a fleshly father or mother or
blood relatives? How can she who is estranged from her own body
and who , as much as possible , flees continually-as she has renounced
this life-dare to have such a relationship with alien bodies? If, as it
is said , " one loves what is similar to oneself, and attaches oneself to
everything that is similar to oneself, " 75 then the virgin will become
similar to those whom she loves and will fall again into the slavery of
the sickly love of the world . And " love of the world is emnity towards
God , "7 6 says Paul , the nuptial adorner of the Spiritual Bridegroom .
Thus , not only does she place herself in danger of being separated
from the otherworldly Bridegroom , but also of becoming His enemy .
Yet do not be amazed nor troubled that the Scriptures does not
condemn those married ones who have cares about worldly things ,
instead of those things of the Lord , while those who have pledged

74
cf. Gen . 2 . 24 ; Eph . 5 . 3 1 .

75
Wis . Sir. 1 3 . 1 5 . Cf. Isaac of Syria , Directions On Spiritual Training 1 1 : " Each th ing
is usually attracted to its l ike . So the sou l , being endowed with the spirit, ardently attracts to
itself the content of a saying , as soon as it hears words wh ich contain h idden spiritual force .
. . . and in a human whose intellect is burdened with temporal cares, virtue does not awake
thoughts to love it and seek to possess it. " See Early Fathers from the Philokalia , tr . E .
Kadloubovsky and G . E . H . Palmer (London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1 98 1 ) , 1 85 . The
principle, adopted generally by the spiritual writers , is stated by the first comp iler of the
works of Gregory Palamas , Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain : "As Aristotle noted , the
intellect becomes l ike the object is perceives (not in essence but in action) . " See A Handbook
of Spiritual Counsel, The Classics of Western Spirituality , tr . Peter A . Chamberas (New York :
Paulist Press , 1 989) , 2 1 6 .

76
Rom. 8 . 7 .
46 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

their virginity to God are forbidden totally to be even concerned with

anything worldly , and are not permitted entirely to spend their life in
comforts . Indeed Paul addresses those who are married : " The
appointed time is short, in that from now on let those who have wives
live as though they had none , and those who deal with the world as
though they had no dealings with it. "77 I personally consider married
life to be more difficult than the labors of virginity . Experience
testifies that fasting is easier than the moderation of eating and
drinking . I will speak rightly and truly : to one who is not interested
in being saved , I have nothing to say ; but to the one who is concerned
with one ' s own salvation , let this one know-life in virginity is more
beneficial and much easier than married life .
But let us leave this subject now , 0 virgin, bride of Christ and
branch of the Vine of life , and return to that which concerns the
intellect which was previously being discussed . The Lord says : " I am
the vine , and you are the branches , and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch which bears fruit in me , is pure , that one may bear
more fruit. " 78 Let this be an example to you about taking care of
yourself, which is the fruit of your virginity and the Bridegroom' s
tenderness towards you . And moreover rejoice and return honorable
love to Him through your obedience . One fact is certain: when gold
is mixed with copper, then it is called " fool ' s gold " ; but when copper
is gold-plated then it appears more exquisite than it is and is much
more brilliant. And thus it is with you , 0 virgin! When one of the
married women yearns for you and your virginal life , this offers her

77
1 Cor. 7 . 29, 3 1 .

78
John 1 5 . 1 .
St. Gregory Palamas 47

glory . However, when you begin to yearn for that which is theirs , you
bring disgrace upon yourself, for this desire returns you back once
again to the world . It returns you , on the one hand , in that by this you
have relations with those who are in the world , and you live with
them, even though you have died to the world . On the other hand , by
this you also acquire that which they desire for themselves and for
their relatives : the abundance of material possessions , wealth, fame ,
glory , and pleasure in all these things of life . This will be the reason
that you lose the tenderness and extinguish the will of your
Bridegroom . For all of this He unmasked in the Gospels , saying :
" Woe to those who are wealthy ! Woe to those who laugh now ! Woe
to those who are full now ! Woe to you when all people speak good of
you ! " 79 Why did he unmask them? Are they not already spiritually
dead? ! And what kind of relationship can exist between virginal life
and that of the dead? What type of union can one have with those who
travel the ways of destruction? Wide and spacious is the road on
which they travel . If they do not stop in order to partake of and
acquire a little of the gold of your virtues , they will depart into sure
destruction. What must concern you is that you enter into life through
the narrow door and on the difficult road . She who enters through the
narrow door and travels on the narrow road , cannot pass through if
she is impregnated with the cares of glory , or if she is polluted by
pleasures and weighed down by the burden of money and possessions .
When you hear that their road of life is wide , do not inadvertently
think that it is without dangers . It is completely full of sorrows and
hardships . It is called wide and spacious because many walk upon it ,
and each one is impregnated with the burdens of the transient vanities

79
Luke 6 . 24-2 6 .
48 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

of this world . And your road , of virginity , in truth is indeed narrow :

two people are unable to pass by [each other] on it . Many of those
who were crushed by worldly cares-after they were left without
husbands [becoming widows]-envied your otherworldly living and
turned onto your path, renouncing the world in order to become
sharers of your crowns . Paul commands that it is necessary to honor
such people , as they are those who are occupied in prayers and
petitions , with hope in God . 80 Although virtuous living has its
difficulties , nevertheless these difficulties carry with them comfort,
and also grant the heavenly kingdom and bring about salvation. And
the pleasure and sorrow of [worldly] living , which are contrary to it
[heavenly living]-are death-bearing . For it is said : " Worldly grief
produces death, but godly grief produces a repentance unto
salvation. " 8 1

80
cf. 1 Tim . 5 . 3 .

81
2 Cor. 7 . 1 0 .
 5

Spiritual Poverty: Its Roots and Blessedness

FOR THIS REASON THE LORD calls blessed those who are
opposed to worldly possessions , saying : " Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "82 Why to the words ,
" Blessed are the poor, " does He add , " in spirit " ? So that by this
would be shown that He considers blessedness to be the humility of
the soul . Why did He not say , blessed are the poor-spirited-and thus
would be demonstrated the humility of thinking-but rather He says ,
" poor in spirit " ? By this He wants to teach us that bodily poverty is
also a blessedness , in that through this one can receive the kingdom
of heaven, when it is done for the sake of the humility of the soul .
This is the case when bodily poverty is united with the humility of
the soul and when it is for the person the principle of the humility of
the soul . Having called blessed "those poor in spirit, " He
demonstrated in a wonderful way what are the root and cause of the
visible poverty of the saints-that is , their spirit .
For their spirit, by embracing the grace of the evangelical
preaching , yielded forth of itself the fount of poverty , and " watered
the entire face of our earth, " 83 that is , the outer self, 84 and formed

82
Matt. 5 . 3 .

83
Gen. 2 . 6 .
50 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

it into a paradise of virtue . For such is the poverty which is called

blessed by God . 85 According to the Prophet, " the Lord will give a
word , as decreed , in the midst of the earth. "86 He included in this
beautitude the motive for voluntary and multifarious poverty , and
demonstrated what is its cause and called it blessed , as well as showed
the many things which originate from it . And He taught concerning all
of this in a very short instructive .
For it is possible for someone to be indigent, yet also modest and
temperate-and this voluntarily-but for the sake of human glory .
Certainly such a person is not among those who are poor in spirit . For
hypocrisy is born of pride . It is contrary to poverty in spirit.
However, it is impossible for a person having a contrite , modest , and
humble spirit not to rejoice at such external modesty and humility . For
this type of person considers oneself unworthy of glory , luxury ,
wealth, and all such things . And God calls blessed this type of poor
person who regards oneself as unworthy of these things . This is indeed
a true poor person, one who does not usurp the title out of
superficiality . That is why the divine Luke said , " Blessed are the

84 The phrase ton exo anthropon means " the outer self" or " the outer man , " the outer

layers of the human self-the body ( " senses , " aisthesis) , and the " mind " (dianoia)-which
are illumined when the " intellect" (nous) , the h ighest faculty of the sou l , is purified in contact
with div ine grace discovered in the image with in the heart, as the journey of the hesychast
ends when one merges or mingles with the Archetype Image, who is Christ, only to be
" launched " into a never-ending journey of div ine intimacy w ith God the Holy Trinity . See
Triads III . iii . 1 3 ; and I . i i . 9 : " in the case of those who have elevated their intellects to God and
exalted their souls with div ine long ing s , their flesh [the outer self] also is be ing transformed
and elevated , participating together with the soul in the div ine communio n , and becoming
itself a dwelling-place and possession of God . "

85
cf. Luke 6 . 20 .

86 Is . 1 0 .23 .
St. Gregory Palamas 51

poor , " 87 without adding " in spirit . " These are those who listen,
follow , and are in total conformity to the Son of God , who says :
" Learn from me , for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls . " 88 Rightfully theirs is the kingdom of
heaven, since they are co-heirs with Christ . 89

87
Luke 6 .20 , in comparison to the beatitude of Matt. 5 . 3 ( " in spirit " ) . This literary
attempt to " harmonize " the Gospels is typical of Gregory , as, for example, in Homily 3 4 , " On
the Transfiguration, " he harmonizes the accounts of Matt. 1 7 and Luke 9 , which is not an
" a l legorization " of the texts , but rather a type of " experiential " and l iturg ical synthesis of the
verse s , done in order to express the bibl ical text as first and fo remost a " document of the
church , " based in kerygma , to be interp reted by christian trad ition-not the autonomous
indiv idual self-as well as being based on the bel iever ' s prayer experience of the person of
Christ, a type of placing of theolog ical understanding and rigor to the art of the spiritual l ife .
See Dmitru Staniloae , Theology and the Church (C restwood , New York : St. Vladimir ' s
Seminary Pres s , 1 980) , 1 40- 1 50 , where h e discusses Gregory ' s exegesis and hermeneutical
theory , based on ecclesial and personal experience of Christ-in-Trinity .

88
Matt. 1 1 . 2 9 .

89
cf. Rom . 8 . 1 7 . I t i s very important to note the nuances of th is section on poverty .
Gregory is stating that " true " poverty is not performed fo r the benefit of pride or fo r drawing
attention to oneself, or that it is a result of self-res ignation or self-pity , as he preached later
as a bishop , for example , in Homilies 8 and 1 5 , on the virtues of " hard work " and "blessed
daily work " ; yet he leaves no room for a " neglect of the poor , " as he was quite active in
political life , particularly later, from 1 3 5 1 - 1 3 5 9 , as metropol itan of Thessalonica , call ing for
a id to the impoverished , as well as castigating the rich in th is treatise . H is main context here
may very well have been the large land holdings of the monasteries of Byzantium, something
he felt was hypocrisy for monastic s . Finally , Gregory bel ieved that above all it is one ' s inner
attitude toward material possessions that constitutes the criterion for judging how the believer
is (properly) liv ing out the christian gospel . This " hierarchy of values " is an important
contribution he makes for all christians , both monastics and " those in the world . " Thus
hesychasm can indeed be translated into a form of political and eccles ial renewal-the
prayerful believer/mystic , in the end , becoming both a "political activ ist " and " church
reformer , " according to the life in Christ.
 6

The Passion of the Love of Money

THE SOUL, THEN , IS TRIPARTITE and contemplated in three

powers : the intelligent, the incensive , and the desiring . 90 All of these
have become diseased , and Christ readily heals each, commencing
with therapy from the last power-the desiring . For the root of anger
is unfulfilled desire ; and this diseased condition inclines the mind

90 See Plato , Republic , Book IV , 434D-44 1 C . The " intell igent power " (to logistikon) is
that h ighest aspect of the soul wh ich is related to the Logos and thus to the nous ( " intellect " ) ,
which is the locus o f the " image o f God , " wh ich , when united to the Archetype Image, Christ
the Logos , is able to know God directly through the uncreated grace of the Trinity . The
second aspect, the " incensive " (to thymikon) is often associated with "anger " or " w rath , " and
thu s , according to Plato , is the emotional faculty of the soul which , when used properly ,
p ropells one towards the virtue of justice , and to " fight for justice . " The th ird or lowest part
of the sou l , closely connected to the incensive power, is the "des iring or appetitive aspect "
(to epithymitikon)-the " guts " of human life-wh ich is primarily the locus of passions or
inordinate desires received through the senses, which must be cleansed or "dried up " first by
fasting , tears , and in general ascetic efforts . Spiritual healing begins from " the bottom
up "-from the lower abdominal reg ions to the upper intellectual reg ions . Several points need
to be remembered here: 1 ) The Incarnation is the event wh ich re-orders the sou l , and brings
harmony to the human being and to society . In Jesus , there was no confusion of the human
self w ith the D iv ine Self, God . 2) The soul is the " first principle " of deification, meaning it
brings hol iness (theosis) to the other layers of the human self-the flesh or bodily senses . 3)
The " intellect" (nous) as the highest faculty , found in the teachings of Evagrius, is also that
power which must return inward-" return to itself"-to find the image of God w ithin the
heart, according to Macarius , thus enabling the believer to " know beyond the intellect, " or
to experience the g race of Christ in the heart, which means the renewal of the whole human
person. 4) All layers of the human self are by nature good , and it is only the misuse of free
choice which creates havoc w ithin the human person. Evil , then, does not exist in and of
itself, but is the absence of good , an aberration or " scab " on the immortal sou l . Experiencing
Christ is one ' s way to ach ieve calmness and to bring " peace to our members . " See Treatise
On Prayer and the Purity of the Heart, PG 1 50 . 1 1 20C .
54 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

towards diffusion. Thus , it is impossible to heal the incensive power

of the soul unless the desiring power is previously cured ; nor is there
a cure for the intelligent power unless both other powers-incensive
and desiring-are healed beforehand . 91
Examining the issue , it will be discovered that the first evil
offspring of the desiring power is the love of possessions . The
instincts of self-preservation are not condemned in human beings ,
since they develop in us from a tender age . However, the love of
money becomes apparent a little later, growing already in childhood .
Hence it is manifested as not being part of nature , but has its
beginning in the freedom of choice . The divine Paul correctly names
this the " root of all evil . " 92 Some evil offspring are born of this , for
example : stinginess , extortion, pillaging , thievry , and simply all kinds
of greed , which the same Apostle entitles , " another idolatry . "93
These other evils do not sprout directly from the love of money , but
it nearly provides all with the material conditions for their inception.
All of this , then, which is born out of the love of earthly things ,
are among the passions of the soul which has no zeal toward good
works . But it is easier to be delivered from these passions which have

91 Gregory begins his discussion on pass ions with in a " stated " anth ropology , which ,
following earlier spiritual writers , should not be confused w ith a " d istanced " speculation or
an adoption of ancient Greek conjectu re on the " abstract man , " but rather, is rooted in the
"experience " of the saints as " paradigms of pragmatic transcendence , " meaning that Gregory
is interested primarily in the experience of Christ as the sole criterion for espous ing what is
authentic humanity , not in an " ideal ized " manner, but according to daily ascetic liv ing in the
church . See Georgios Mantzaridis , The Deification of Man . St. Gregory Palamas and the
Orthodox Tradition , tr . Liadain Sherrard (C restwood , New York : SVS Press , 1 984) , 78-85.

92 1 Tim . 6 . 1 0 .

93 Col. 3 . 5 .
St. Gregory Palamas 55

their beginning in freedom of choice than from those which have their
beginning in nature . 94 Passions which are produced from the love of
money become invincible when one loses faith in the providence of
God . For the one who does not believe , trusts in money . And such a
person who hears the saying of the Lord , " that it is easier for a camel
to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the
kingdom , " 95 considers the kingdom as nothing-even the heavenly
and everlasting kingdom ! -and still yearns for wealth, which is both
earthly and transient. Those who crave such riches do not obtain
them, and they are injured enormously by the desire itself. For,
according to what Paul says , " they who yearn to be rich fall into

94 Two passions Gregory discusses-vainglory and love of money-are those he cons iders
" out of free choice " (ek proaireseos) , while a little later, the passion of gluttony is deemed
" from nature " (apo physeos) . Gluttony then ruins , at first, one ' s physical health and natu re ,
while vainglory and the love o f money ruin , a t first, one ' s noetic faculty or capac ity o f free
will . All three passions , in the end , have the potential to destroy the spiritual , menta l , and
phys ical health of a person . (On a christolog ical plane , these distinctions are remin iscent of
those between the " essence , " " nature , " and " w ill " in the post-chalcedonian era , put fo rth by
Maxirnus the Confessor, among others . ) The important anthropolog ical premise is that
Gregory w ishes to counter any type of "deterministic " materialism-based on the ancient
Greek philosophers Democritus and Heracl itus�r the Aristotelian physicalism of " knowledge
only through the senses , " adopted by the humanist Barlaam . The human being is not merely
" governed " by material instincts , but also is made " in the image and likeness of God , "
possessing above all freedom of cho ice . This nondualistic approach to human l ife also negates
any type of crude dualism of the Zoroastrian or Manichean type which separates " matte r "
from " spirit , " wh ich impl ies th a t e v i l is precisely elemental t o G o d (and thus t o human
natu re) . Finally , Gregory adopts the biblical notion that " nature is good " and that passions do
not have to be erad icated , but, through the gift of " free will , " the ir " energy " can be
transfigured or rechanneled "towards the good , " which is " beyond nature . " Thus Gregory can
speak of " b lessed pass ions " : " There are indeed blessed pass ions and common activ ities of
body and sou l , which , far from nailing the spirit to the flesh , serve to draw the flesh to a
dign ity close to that of the spirit, and persuade it too to tend towards what is above . " See
Triads ll . ii . 1 2 , 1 9 .

95 Matt. 1 9 . 24 .
56 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

temptations and the snares of the devil . "96 But if they inherit it, then
it proves to be worthless and a custom to others , which presents them
as ones who do not possess it and who moreover do not have , through
experience , an enlightened intellect. For this greedy desire does not
stem from indigence , as it is more likely to be the opposite : the
poverty and the humiliation which comes from this greed , stem from
foolishness . Hence , Christ the Master justly called foolish the one who
was born of this greed , who tore down the older barns and built new
ones . 97 For how is such a person not foolish, if, for the sake of that
which cannot profit one- " for a person' s life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions " 98-the person sacrifices that which is
profitable , instead of becoming a wise merchant by cutting down on
one ' s needs , according to one ' s abilities , making one ' s net wealth
greater, by honest trade and sowing , which brings much profit and
abundant fruits? This is the sowing that increases a hundredfold the
sowed seed prior to the approaching time of harvest. By this is
demonstrated the future profit and abundance which will be reaped at
the time of the inexpressible and incomprehensible harvest . And what
is most paradoxical is that the poorer the sower, the more abundant
the fruit one reaps .
Besides this , in no way can the desire for wealth be justified under
the pretext of doing good to human beings . These lovers of money in
no way trust in the One who promised that He will add all things to

96 1 Tim . 6 . 9 .

97
Luke 1 2 . 1 8 .

98
Luke 1 2 . 1 5 .
St. Gregory Palamas 57

those who seek first the kingdom of God . 99 They are always
unbelieving , and have this " doing good to others " as a pretense ,
clothing themselves in all things , which in no way allows them to
conceal this sickness and destructive craving for wealth. But forever
gathering possessions , they bring upon themselves useless burdens , or
better said , they dig for themselves during their lifetime a most novel
grave . For like the dead who are simply buried in the earth, so too the
intellect of the lover of money who is still living is buried in earthly
gold . And this grave of such a person stinks more than those who
have healthy senses . And the stench becomes worse the more dirt is
heaped upon. For it is a wretched ulcer which consumes the one who
is conquered by it; and its odor is brought up to heaven and to the
angels of God and to God . As a result of this , they become
abominable and human beings truly revolting , as David said : " My
wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness . " 1 00 These people
can only be released from this stench-filled and death-creating passion
by willful poverty with benevolence toward human beings . This , then,
is what " poor in spirit " means , which the Lord called " blessed . "
Otherwise , a monastic , having such a passion, is unable to be
obedient . Besides this , if one is persistent in the love of money , there
becomes a great concern that this one will become vulnerable to
terrible bodily evils . Gehazi and Judas , of the Old and New
Testaments respectively , are sufficient evidence . The first [Gehazi] ,
" went out a leper, " 1 0 1 which is proof of the incurability of the soul ;

99 cf. Matt. 6 . 3 3 .

100
Ps. 37 . 5 .

101
4 Kings 5 . 27 .
58 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

and the other [Judas] , " at the field of blood bought with the wages of
wickedness-and falling headlong-burst open in the middle and all
his bowels gushed out. " 102 If renunciation precedes obedience , how
then shall one possibly receive that which follows [obedience] without
that which precedes it? If this renunciation is the fundamental principle
and foundation of the monastic way of life , 103 how then shall one
press onward in other good things and their corresponding labors ,
unless one first renounces money? For what does a monastic gains if
one practices silence in one ' s own cell , devoting oneself to solitude
and the offering up of prayers , but does not stand this test of
obedience? " For where your treasure is , " says the Lord , " there will
your intellect be? " 104 How can one whose treasure is on earth,
noetically gaze towards " He who sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high " ? 105 How then can one inherit the kingdom of

102
A cts 1 . 1 8 .

1 03
Cf. the first step of " renunciation " in the two earlier spiritual classic s : John C l imacus ,
The Ladder of Divine Ascent and Dorotheos of Gaza , Discourses and Sayings .

104
Matt. 6 . 2 1 . Notice that Gregory replaces the term " heart " (karthia) w ith " intellect"
(nous) in this passage, wh ich is congruent with the early spiritual write r ' s understanding that
the image of God resides " in the intellect " which is the highest layer of the soul , accord ing
to the Evagrian tradition; yet the Macarian trad ition emphasizes the notion of the " heart "
(karthia) as the deepest, most inner layer of the human perso n , n o t merely the emotional
center of one ' s being , but also representative of all layers of the human self, made in God ' s
image: m ind , sou l , and body . Following Max imus the Confessor, John C l imacus , among
others , Gregory PaJamas made a synthesis of these two compatible " structures " of the human
self. See Triads I . i i . 3 -9 . For an introduction to th is " synthesis , " see Kal listos Ware , " G reek
Writers from the Cappadocians to John of Damascus , " The Study of Spirituality , ed . Cheslyn
Jones , Geoffrey Wainwright, and Edward Yarnold , SJ (New York and Oxford : Oxford
University Press , 1 986) , 1 5 9- 1 60f.

1 05
Heb . 1 . 3 .
St. Gregory Palamas 59

which this passion does not allow the intellect to perceive purely? For
these reasons , " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. " 1 06

1 06
Matt. 5 . 3 .
 7

The Passion of Vainglory

DO YOU NOW SEE how much passion the Lord cut off through just
one beatitude? And not this alone , but also the love of material
possessions , which we have called the first evil offspring of evil
desires . For there is a second passion, from which it is moreover
necessary to flee , and a third , that is not less worse . What is the
second passion? It is the love of glory . While growing up , when we
are still young , we will meet this passion, which appears before the
manifestation of the love of the flesh, being an evil preparation for it .
This kind of love of glory I am now referring to is the paying
attention to the decoration of the body and the luxury of clothes ,
which the fathers also call worldly vainglory . Another kind of
vainglory , which leads to pride and hypocrisy , falls upon those who
have acquired virtues . Through this the enemy contrives to rob and
dissipate even their spiritual wealth . 1 07
All of these passions can be cured completely by the conscious
understanding and pursuance of a higher dignity , provided there is the
yearning of the soul itself of being unworthy of this dignity . Towards
this end one needs to endure patiently the humiliation on the part of
people and consider oneself deserving of it . And besides this ,

107
See Evagrius the Sol itary , Outline Teaching on Asceticism and Quietude in the Solitary
Life , Philokalia I, 30-37 , where is discussed very similar ideas on the " luxury of clothes , "
" love of possessions , " as well as similar thoughts on marriage and the ascetic l ife that
Gregory speaks about above .
62 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

preferring the glory of God above and beyond one ' s own glory ,
according to the saying : " Not to us , 0 Lord , but to your name give
1 08
glory . " If one notices that one has accomplished something good ,
one should not praise oneself, but should ascribe the cause of the
achievement to God . In this and through this one then will be offering
up well-intentioned glory to God , but not to oneself. For one thus
rejoices in receiving the virtue as a gift, and will not become arrogant,
since by oneself a person has nothing . Instead one will have become
humble , having the eyes of the mind on God day and night, " as the
eyes of the servant, " says the Pslamist, " look to the hand of their
master . " 1 09 Such a person, then, will not become separated from the
Only One who gives , upholds , and sustains one in the good , so as not
to be brought down into the abyss of evil . For this is what one who
serves pride and vainglory suffers .
Living solitarily-either withdrawing into seclusion or remaining
in one ' s own cell-helps to bring about the healing of passions . Of
course , as long as this free choice for solitude is based on one ' s
feeling of general weakness , as well as on the acknowledgement of
one ' s own inability to mingle with people . Is this not, then, another
way of being "poor in spirit, " which the Lord called " blessed " ? If one
still bears in the intellect the shame which follows from one ' s passion,
one will flee vainglory as much as one is able . For the one who
yearns for human glory , receives shame from the same means used to
acquire it . Pampering one ' s beauty and dwelling greatly upon both the
fame of its offspring and the soft colors of its garments , and lavishing

1 08 Ps . 1 1 3 . 9 .

1 09 Ps . 1 22 . 2 .
St. Gregory Palamas 63

in other such things, demonstrates oneself to still possess childish

thinking . For all of this together is dust! And what is more
dishonorable than ashes?
The one , then, to whom clothes does not serve as a cover or
protection of the body , but towards making it soft and decorative , not
only denounces before those who see this one the unfruitfulness of
one ' s own soul , but also through this manifests oneself in obscene
indecency . Above all things , this one needs to listen to the words , that
" those who wear soft rainment are in kings ' houses . " 1 1 0 " But , " the
divine Paul says , " our citizenship is in heaven. " 1 1 1 Let us not, then,
due to foolishness in dress , be cast out of heaven into the tents of the
world rulers of the present darkness of this age . U 2
And they who engage in virtue for the sake of human glory suffer
this very same thing . For obtaining the " citizenship which is in
heaven, " 1 1 3 " they now encamp , alas , in the dust of their own
glory , " 1 1 4 heaping upon themselves this Davidic condemnation . For
neither does their prayer ascend to heaven, and all of their zealous
efforts fall downward , as these efforts are not surrounded by the wings
of divine love which ascend our deeds performed on earth . They
suffer great pains , yet do not reap any rewards . So I ask , is their
unfruitful effort their reward? No , they bear something else : shame ,
unstable thoughts , mental captivity , and disorder. As the Lord says ,

1 10
Matt. 1 1 . 8 .

Ill
Phil. 3 . 20 .

1 12
cf. Eph . 6 . 1 2 .

1 13
Phil. 3 . 20 .

1 14
Ps . 1 . 6 .
64 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

" See the person who would not make God one ' s refuge , but trusted in
the abundance of one ' s riches . " 1 1 5
This passion is more subtle than all other passions . For this reason
it is necessary for the struggler not to merely disavow its association
or to flee its assent, but to consider the provocation itself as being an
assent 1 16 to it, and thus to guard against it . For even if one quickly
does this will one scarcely be able to escape it . But if one acts
cautiously , then the provocation will become a source of deep
compunction. If one does not act in such a manner, then one will have
prepared a place for pride . For the one who is bound to pride , it is
difficult to return-or better said , one has become incurable . For this
is the essence of the demonic fall . 1 1 7 But before this takes place , the
passion of pleasing human beings carries with it so much harm to
those who have acquired it, in that they " have made shipwreck of their

1 15
Ps . 5 2 . 6 .

1 16
The term tin synkathesin means " assent " or "consent, " wh ich implies the dangerous
s ituation which arises when one even th inks about some sin, or a passion even " coming one ' s
way , " i n that " assent " i s closely associated w ith one ' s " thoughts " (logismOl) and "provocatio n "
(prosvoll) ; see n . 1 28 . Cf. Matt. 5 . 27-28 ; and Mark the Ascetic : " Once o u r thoughts
(logismm) are accompanied by images we have already g iven them our assent. " See On the
Spiritual Law: Two Hundred Texts 1 4 1 , Philokalia I, 1 20 . Provocations w ill always be there
in th is (fallen) life , as we are not held accountable for them ; yet once our thoughts " assent "
to them , we commit culpable s in . The sequence of sin is g iven by Hesych ios the Priest : " The
provocation (prosvoll) comes first, then our coupling w ith it, or the mingling of our thoughts
(logismoz) w ith those of the wicked demons . Third comes our assent (synkathesis) to the
provocation, with both sets of intermingling thoughts contriv ing to commit the sin in practice .
Fourth comes the concrete action-that is , the sin itself. " See On Watchfulness and Holiness
4 6 , op . cit. , 1 70 . The analytical spirit of these early desert fathers , who wrote on the subtleties
of the " psychology of sin , " is a unique contribution to all of christian spirituality .

1 17
cf. Luke 1 0 . 1 8 .
St. Gregory Palamas 65

faith, " 1 1 8 according to what is said : " How can you believe in me ,
you who receive glory from human beings and do not seek the glory
that comes from God? " 1 1 9
What indeed is human glory to you , 0 human, or more succinctly ,
what is the empty name of glory to you? Not only does it not provide
strength, but also there is no strength in the thing itself! And not only
this , but among other things it is the generator of envy ! -an envy
which is potentially murderous and was the cause of the first bloody
murder [by Cain] and later the murder of God [Christ] .
What benefit does one procure in being puffed up? Does it sustain
one , or protect one , or having made a mistake does it take one up to
where one was previously and heal one? Certainly no one could
possibly claim something such as this . But I think that in this passion
of vainglory is given proof of the evil done under the guise of virtue .
If, then, one wishes to examine more precisely this passion, one will
discover that it, in a very deceitful manner, causes and manifests the
greatest varieties of shame . Sometimes this passion even shamelessly
removes its mask and disgraces those who are in love with this
passion, despite of the fact that the Greek philosophers taught that
without it nothing could be achieved in life . 1 20 What delusion! They

1 18
1 Tim . 1 . 1 9 .

1 19
John 5 . 44 .

1 20
Gregory is referring here to the general stress , in ancient Greek thought, on phys ical
beauty and human glory as ideals to be sought as the basis for a successful life . See Triads
I . i . 1 8 , 1 9 ; III. i . 3 6 . See also Homily 3 4 , where Gregory harangues secular education , wh ich
is the source of the pride and glory of the ancient Greek philosophers , in his mind . One
should not conclude that Gregory was against the secular education of the natural or social
sciences . Ample ev idence in the Triads proves otherw ise . He simply objected to those who
" m isused " secular education, mainly interferring with and us ing it for analy s izing-as
Barlaam did-the " matters of the spirit " ; as a result, Gregory had to del ineate , for the
66 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

are not even ashamed at claiming such things ! We , however, who bear
the surname of the One who philanthropically helped , through His
own self, that which is of our human nature , in no way have been
taught this ; but we have Him [Christ] as the overseer of what we do .
Those who look towards Him, all the best that they achieve is done
through Him and for Him- "doing all things to the glory of
God " 121 -without any such desire to please human beings . We ,
therefore , do not please others , according to Paul , the sublime mystic
of the Lawgiver [Christ] and our lawgiver, who says : " If I were still
pleasing human beings , I would not be a servant of Christ . " 122

hesychasts , a theory of knowledge as well as the unique experience which could not be
reduced by human reasoning-insisting that secular knowledge should not be considered as
a prerequisite for its definition, understand ing , or expression . Gregory fought Byzantine
humanism (Barlaam et al) , as well as the conservative Byzantine theologians (Akindynos et
al) , who cal led for a rigid , repetitive appl ication of christian doctrinal tradition, someth ing
wh ich was equally a reduction of the div ine experience of God through Christ in the Spirit.

121
1 Cor. 1 0 . 3 1 .

1 22
Gal. 1 . 1 0 .
 8

The Passion of Gluttony

BUT LET US NOW SEE if the third evil offspring of that evil desire
can be refuted by that poverty which is called "blessed . " The third
such offspring of the soul which is sick with passion is gluttony , from
which sprouts every fleshly impurity . Why then do we place this
gluttony on the third and final place , even though it is in our nature
from birth itself? But not only is it from birth , but it is also noticed in
children' s movements yet in infancy . Why then do we place this
sickness of the fleshly passions in the final place? Because it belongs
to our nature ; yet the physical is blameless , having been made by the
goodness of God , so that through physical movements we may walk
in good works . Therefore , these movements are not signs of the
sickness of the soul-they become such only to those who misuse
them . This means that when we "make a provision for the flesh, to
gratify its passions , " 123 then there exists the evil passion of the love
of pleasure , which is the beginning of the fleshly passions and the
sickness of the soul . Thus the intellect is the first which is subjected
to such passions , since from the mind first rushes out evil desires , as
the Lord says , that " out of the heart come evil thoughts ; these are the

1 23
Rom . 1 3 . 1 4 .
68 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

evil things which corrupt a human being . " 1 24 Even prior to the
Gospel , the Law says : " Take heed lest there be a base thought hidden
in your heart. " 1 25
Although the intellect is that which first produces malicious
intentions , nevertheless they come from below , through the senses , as
the intellect internalizes the fantasy of sensory objects and thus places
itself in a passionate relationship to them . The intellect is puffed up by
this misuse , and especially through the eyes which are the first to be
capable of drawing near to the abomination still from afar. The
obvious witness to this was rendered by our ancestral mother Eve . For
first she saw that the tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes ,

1 24
Matt. 1 5 . 1 9 . Note that Gregory makes a connection between the " intellect " (nous)-also
using the term " mind " (dianoia) for it-w ith the " heart " (karthia) in the scriptural quote . In
other writing s , he also uses the Paul ine term " sp irit" in place of and in relation to nous and
karthia . By mak ing such termino logical relationships , Gregory may seem confusing to the
untrained eye , but in actuality he is keep ing in balance the well known anth ropolog ical schools
of Evagrius-who employs the nous of Plato-and that of Macarius-who spoke in terms of
the more biblical " karthia language " when referring to the "deepest" layer (karthia) of the
human self made in the image of God . In some sense , we may say that the nous begins the
" doctrine of man " from " above , " whereas the karthia begins th is doctrine from " below . " Yet
they reach the same goal: the intellect , where the image of God resides , must return to the
heart, wh ich is not merely the center of human emotions , but the very core of the human
being , a core which is in some sense "apophatic by natu re , " of the " other world . " S ince
believers are united to Christ the Logos , not according to person (hypostasis) , but according
to grace , a " ch ristologia negativa " is affirmed , wh ich implies an inexhaustible h iddenness and
mystery to the very person of Jesus Christ. Yet, be ing made in the image of the Logo s , g rants
to human nature an " anthropologia negativa , " meaning there is not only a h idden mystery to
the human person , but also that the experience of God , discovered in the depths of the inner
self-in the image-is inexhaustible . The human being can never be reduced to the sense level
in the thought of Gregory Palamas-theosis being a transcendent experience of the never­
ending relationship of love with the Holy Trinity .

1 25
Deut. 1 5 . 9 .
St. Gregory Palamas 69

then she agreed in her heart and took and ate of the forbidden
tree . 126 We have said well , then, that shameful passions precede and
serve as a preparation for the defeat by the allurements of bodies . For
this is the reason of the ancestral proclamation: " Do not look intently
at beauty belonging to another, " 1 27 and do not take pleasure in your
own body .
Although this passion can be noticed already in the physical
movements of a child , it does not induce sin prior to the mind
becoming passionate , but rather it sustains physical l i fe . Therefore , as
such they are not something evil . But because fleshly passions have
their beginning in the impassioned intellect, it is necessary to first
begin therapy on the intellect itself. For this is just as in fire : the one
who wishes to extinguish it, if one dowses the flames from above ,
one ' s effort will be in vain; if, on the other hand , the flamable
material is extracted , then immediately the fire will be controlled . The
same can be said for obscene passions . Unless one dries up the inner
fount of thoughts1 2 8 through prayer and humility-whose only
weapon against them is fasting and the hardships of the body-then
one ' s labors will amount to nothing . If, however, one cleanses the
root through humility and prayer, as we mentioned , one will acquire

1 26
cf. Gen . 3 . 6 .

1 27
Wis . Sir. 9 . 8 .

1 28
The term here is logismoi ( " thoughts " ) , wh ich does not mean that one should not
" th ink , " or have any "conceptual images , " leading to a type of agnosticism or even denial of
dogmatic language ; instead , logismoi here refers to " good thougths gone awry , " or to the
" souring " of what was orig inally good in the human faculties of cognitive awareness . Gregory
is always " p ro body " or "pro human ab ilities , " but concedes and warns that good th ings , even
one ' s thoughts , can be twisted by evil desires and passions , causing the subtle beg inning of
the " burnout mind " syndrome . He follows here such early fathers as Neilos the Ascetic ,
Diadochus , John C l imacus , and Maximus the Confessor.
70 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

the sanctification of one ' s outer self as well . It seems to me that this
is what is meant by that apostolic saying , which says : " Stand ,
therefore , having girded your loins with truth . " 12 9 And according to
one of the fathers who most beautifully philosophized , the desiring
power is "girded " by the perception power of the intellect, and it
contracts as well the lower abdominal passions . 1 30 Of course , it is
necessary to bring hardships to the body and self-control in
moderation of food , in order that the body does not become rebellious
and do violence to that which is of the intelligent aspect of the soul .
Therefore , there is nothing other than bodily hardships and prayer
performed from a humble heart that is able to heal all passions of the
flesh-that is , nothing else but poverty in spirit, which the Lord called
" blessed . " Hence , if a monastic desires to be rich in holines- " without
which no one shall see God " 1 3 1 -let that one remain in one ' s own
cell , enduring hardships and praying in humility . For the cell of a
good monastic is the harbor of wisdom . And everywhere outside of it,
especially in the market places and festivals , is completely full of
obscene restlessness , which stems from indecent discussions and
arousing spectacles , which enslaves the wretched soul of the monastic
who is present at such places .
The world of evil can be called " the burning fire " which instead

1 29
Eph . 6 . 1 4 .

1 30
See Neilos the Ascetic : " To 'g ird the sword to the thigh ' means to use the perception
power of the intell igence to cut off one ' s passions , . . . " Ascetic Discourse , op .cit . , 2 1 8 . From
what follows on fasting , prayer, hardships to the body , and the anguishment of the heart, one
could easily find an influence here of John Cl imacus , The Ladder of Divine Ascent,
particularly those steps on mourning (7) , gluttony ( 1 4) , poverty ( 1 7) , and vaing lory (22) .

131
Heb . 1 2 . 1 4 .
St. Gregory Palamas 71

of wood bums those who come in contact with it, converting their
every kind of virtue into ashes . The fire which does not burn [others]
shall be found only in the desert. 13 2 Therefore , let the cell remain
for you instead of the desert and hide in it a little while , until the
winter of passionate desires passes over you . 133 For when it passes
over, the open air will not ravage your dwell ing-place . Then you will
be truly poor in spirit and shall rule over the passions which are
against the kingdom ; and you shall be called blessed , becoming radiant
by the saying : " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. " 134 How can one not be justly called blessed
who does not trust in money , but entirely in Him; who does not yearn
to please anyone else except Him ; and who , in such a humble manner,
walks before Him? Let us , therefore , be poor, having become
spiritually humble and suffered fleshly hardships , and become
materially poor in life , so that the kingdom of God may become ours
and so that we may acquire the blessed hope , which is to become
inheritors of the kingdom of God .

1 32
cf. Ex . 3 . 2f, the story of the " burning bush . "

1 33
cf. Is . 26 . 20 .

1 34
Matt. 5 . 3 .
 9

Enduring Voluntary and Involuntary Afflictions

THE LORD PRESENTED these particular sayings as a kind of title

and contents of the Gospel of salvation. Not only has He embraced in
one saying so much virtue , and cast out so much evil by the beatitude
itself, and blessed those who , through repentance , have circumcised
well the passionate part of their own soul . But He has also embraced
much more-not in analogy to the circumcision of passions-but in
reference to troubles which come from the cold and ice , snow and
frost, and from violent winds . Simply put, the miseries which plants
withstand during the winter and summer, being exposed to the chill
and heat. These are the miseries without which nothing on earth can
ever grow , being unable to reach fruition. What is this in fact? These
are the various temptations which befall us , which every person who
meditates on bearing the future fruit to be brought to the Spiritual
Vinedresser must necessarily undergo with thanksgiving . For example ,
if one has mercy , and protects the developing vegetation from miseries
by building a wall around them and covering them with a roof so that
they might perservere all the terrible seasonal weather conditions
against them , and even takes special care of them by trimming and
cleaning them-nonetheless , they will not bear fruit as a result of
doing these things . Instead one must allow the plants to undergo all of
this . For after the winter' s unpleasantness , when springtime comes and
blossoms , and leaf-bearing appears , together with that beautiful
74 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

renewal of budding , the unripe fruit which then grows according to its
little contact with the jutting rays of the sun, ripens , produces , and
gives back pleasant food ready for harvesting .
In the same way , a human being who does not endure
courageously the unpleasant burdens of temptations , will never
produce fruit worthy of the divine wine-press and eternal harvest , not
even if one possesses all other virtues . For one is only perfected
through zealously enduring both all the voluntary and involuntary
afflictions . Some of these afflictions are inflicted upon us externally
and others are borne internally . That which happens to the earthly
plants naturally , during the changes of the seasons when cultivation is
done by the vinedressers-who are us , the intelligent135 branches of
Christ who are obedient to that Vinedresser of souls-is endured from
self-determined free choice . Furthermore , without enduring the
involuntary afflictions which come upon us , nor those voluntary
things, one will not acquire divine blessings . For love towards God is
received especially through the sorrows which are a result of the trial
of temptations . Of course , it is necessary for the soul first to succeed
in the voluntary afflictions , so that through them it may become
accustomed to scorn pleasure and glory , and then we will easily bear
those involuntary afflictions .
The one , then, who scorns those things for the sake of poverty in

1 35
The term " intell igent" (logikois) refers not to one ' s innate mental capabilities , allowing
one to make fine mental constructs of a descriptive reasoning sort (often called the dianoia
or the " mind " of conceptual th inking) ; but rather, the term intelligent is a " modifie r " which
refers to the " intellect " (nous) , the h ighest layer of the human self, where the image of God
is found-nestled in the heart (karthia)-which is capable of "know ing God " directly , through
uncreated g race , which takes place when the believer-in transcending (apophatically) the
senses and the mind-is fully immersed and united to the div ine Logos , the Archetype of the
human self, who " deifies " the human being .
St. Gregory Palamas 75

spirit and who considers oneself in need of more drastic medicine

leading to repentance , has as a continual expectation every sorrow .
This one will accept every temptation as something which one
deserves , and rejoices at its occurence , meeting it as an opportunity
through which the soul can be cleansed . And this taking place
becomes the motive for contrition before God and the source of very
beneficial prayer, and at the same time it becomes the provider and
protector of the soul ' s health. Also , such a person not only
unresentfully forgives those who tempt one , but also offers gratitude
to them as having performed good deeds . 1 3 6 As a result of this , this
person not only receives the forgiveness of sins and the promised
reward , but also acquires the kingdom of heaven and divine blessings ,
in the end being called " blessed " by the Lord because of one ' s humble
long-suffering in spirit .

1 36
This is a very traditional teach ing , in that temptation itself becomes the source for the
soul ' s health , prov ided it is approached as a means for acquiring virtue . See Mark the
Ascetic , On the Spiritual Law 1 42 ; and No Righteousness by Works 202-2 1 0 , Philokalia I ,
1 20 , 1 42 . This i s why , perhap s , that christians , throughout the centuries , have never spent
much energy concentrating on condemning those persecutors and those who brought
marty rdom to the saints . The saints received their reward from God through the hands of the
persecutors . Cf. Gregory ' s contemporary western christian mystic , Julian of Norwich , who
actually prayed for div ine and spiritual " wounds " or " trials , " in order to more fully
experience the life of Jesus . See Julian of Norwich : Showings , tr . Edmund Colledge , O . S . A .
and James Walsh , S .J . , Th e Classics of Western Spirituality (New York : Paulist Press , 1 978) .
 10

The Fruits of Spiritual Poverty: Blessed Mourning

SINCE WE HAVE TOUCHED briefly on spiritual circumcision, let

us now add something concerning its fruitfulness . After, then, those
who through poverty in spirit137 have acquired the wealth which
cannot be taken away , the Only-Blessed One establishes those who
mourn to be sharers of their blessedness , saying : "Blessed are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted . " 138 Why , then, does Christ
connect mourning with poverty? Because it always co-exists with it .
But there is poverty which is worldly grief which the Apostle says
produces the death of the soul ; and there is poverty which is godly
grief which produces repentance that leads to salvation . 1 39 With the
first involuntary poverty , follows involuntary mourning ; but with
voluntary poverty-occurs voluntary mourning , necessarily taking
place . Since the mourning which is called "blessed " is a consequence
of godly poverty , coming about necessarily through that voluntary
poverty , as that poverty wholely kindles it-this mourning also
receives its voluntary and spiritual character from that voluntary

1 37
Matt. 5 . 3 .

1 38
Matt. 5 . 4 .

1 39
cf. 2 Cor. 7 . 1 0 .
78 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

poverty . 1 40 Let us now see how blessed poverty engenders blessed

mourmng .
As has been evidenced by the above short treatise , there are
therefore four kinds of spiritual poverty : 1) poverty in thinking ; 2)
bodily poverty ; 3) material poverty according to life ' s possessions ; and
4) poverty which comes about through external temptations . But let no
one assume that in your hearing that poverty is divided into parts that
it follows that in practice it is divided . For the characteristics of all
four kinds of poverty are perfected with one another . That is why they
have been contained in one beatitude , which at the same time
demonstrates wondrously what are , as it were , both the root and
source of the other poverties-that is , our spirit . Thus our spirit
having embraced the grace of the evangelical preaching , yields forth
of itself, as it was said , the fount of poverty , which " watered the
entire face of our earth, " 1 4 1 that is , the outer self, forming it into a
paradise of virtue .
From each of these four existing kinds of spiritual poverty is born
a suitable mourning , with its properly sufficient comfort. Through
voluntary bodily poverty and humility , of which are classified hunger,
thirst, sleeplessness , and in general mortification and hardships of the

1 40 Gregory's teach ings on " voluntary poverty " are comparable to those of John C l imacus ,

a s well a s w ith two fi fth century spiritual texts : Neilos the Ascetic , Ascetic Discourse , and
D iadochus of Photiki , On Spiritual Knowledge . The term akousios is translated " involuntary , "
but it also means " unwanted , " not only in the sense of one enduring the " troubles of daily
l ife , " i . e . , of the external fal len world , but also in the sense of what happens to bel ievers
when they become proud " internally , " for example , by willfully desiring too many material
possessions-they receive that " unwanted " or " involuntary " grief, leading to the death of the
soul (2 Cor. 7 . 1 0) .

141 Gen . 2 . 6 .
St. Gregory Palamas 79

body , and with these the sober coherence of the senses-from these
then are aptly engendered not only mourning , but also tears . 142 For
just as insensibility and the hardness of the heart are engendered from
the characteristics of ease in life , luxury , and pleasure , so too from
self-control and a meek way of life sprout the anguish of heart and
deep compunction, which dissuades every bitterness and produces
gladness . 143 For it is also said that without this breaking of the heart
it is impossible to be delivered from malice . 144 For the heart, then,
to become anguished the three-fold self-control is necessary : from
sleep , food , and bodily pleasure . When the soul , then, through this
breaking of the heart, is delivered from malice and bitterness , then it
by all means perceives spiritual joy . This is the comfort through which
those who mourn are called blessed by the Lord . 145 St . John
confirms us in this by the writing of his spiritual ladder, saying :

1 42 On " tears " (dakrya) , see Evagrios the Sol itary , On Prayer 5-8 , Philokalia I, 5 8 . C f.

John C l imacu s , The Ladder of Divine Ascent 7 : "True compunction is pain of soul without
any d istraction . It offers itself no rest and thinks hourly of death . It stands in wait fo r the God
who brings comfort, like cool waters , to humble monastics . And those g ifted with the heart ' s
depth of mourning regard their lives as detestable, painful , and weary ing , as a cause of tears
and suffering , and they tu rn away from their body as from an enemy . "

1 43The term hilarotitos means "gladness " or "cheerfulness . " Cf. a modern writer, Moysis ,
Monk of Mount Athos , Askese kai Anese (in Greek : Ascesis and Cheerfulness , Athens , 1 993 ) ,
where h e speaks similarly about the blessed comfort and joy from asceticism, relative to
modern life (p 27 ) : " Everything in today ' s irrational world has become so depress ing , because
.

people have g iven themselves up to greed , to satiety , to easy l iv ing , to fashions , to hatred ,
to wickedness , to injustice . People in our epoch seek bodily comfort, ease , mediocrity , facile
gain . The result of th is way of life is anguish , depress ion , and insecurity . . . . Those who have
acquired cheerfulness (anese) according to God are filled with spiritual beauty , power, inner
riche s , and values . " Thus th is teach ing on mourning and spiritual comfort continue s ,
especially i n the monastic c ircles of Greek christianity .

1 44 See The Ladder of Divine Ascent 9 (on malice) .

1 45
Matt. 5 . 4 .
80 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

" Thirst and sleeplessness anguish the heart, and from an anguished
heart springs forth tears . " The one who is tried in these things , it
says , will laugh , that is , shall be comforted by blessed laughter, as the
Lord promised . 146 Thus , mourning receives its birth from God­
loving poverty which grants blessed comfort to those who acquire it .
How then does mourning come from poverty in thinking and from
God-inspired humility of the soul? Because self-condemnation always
co-exists with the humility of the soul . In the beginning self­
condemnation violently instills the strong fear of punishment, placing
together into one , before the eyes , those dreadful judgments ,
awakening moreover in the soul this awesome anticipation from the
understanding that these punishments are indescribable , being more
horrible than what can be said about them . Once again, how horrible
is the anticipation of its unendingness ! For the heat and the cold , the
darkness and the fire , the restlessness and the rebellion, the chains and
the horrors , and the gnashing of the everlasting beasts , all of this is
gathered together in the moment of condemnation-that is , this in no
way can represent its horribleness which, according to what has been
written, " no intellect of the human can conceive . " 147 This particular
useless and unconsolable and relentless mourning is aroused in those
who have sinned against God-the mourning from the consciousness
of their transgressions . There [in hell] , to those who are naked , the
hope of a merciful salvation has been taken away and abolished . The
proof of this is the involuntary punishment of the conscience which is

1 46 Ibid .

1 47 1 Cor. 2 . 9 . Here Gregory replaces , once again , the term "heart " (karthia) w ith
" intellect " (nous) , keeping in balance the Evagrian and Macarian schools of theolog ical
anthropology .
St. Gregory Palamas 81

multipl ied in each individual , with mourning coupled with pain. Once
again, this mourning is eternal , being without cease , and becomes the
cause of further mourning ; and adds to the darkness a more dreadful
darkness , and to the heat no refreshment, and to the abyss of dejection
no respite .
 11

The Fruits of Blessed Mourning: Blessed Comfort

IF , HOWEVER, THIS MOURNING awakens us here on earth , it is

most beneficial . For God mercifully listens , as He descended unto us ,
and visited us , and promised comfort to those who mourn in this way .
In fact, He Himself is the Comforter, being thusly called . 1 48 Do you
now see what is this mourning which comes from the humility of the
soul and how this comfort is to be understood? But self-condemnation
by itself alone-as far as it remains a noetic burden to the intelligent
power of the soul-lays upon the soul anxieties , as well as delays ,
crushes , presses , and squeezes out the salvific wine " which gladdens
the heart of the human " 1 49-that is , our inner self. This mourning ,
then, is the wine of deep compunction. 1 5° For through this mourning
the passions are cast out, and at the same time the soul is filled with
blessed joy , delivering it from those horrible burdens . For all of these

1 48
John 1 4 . 1 6 .

1 49
Ps . 1 03 . 1 5 .

1 50
The term katanyxis is translated "deep compunction, " which means
traditionally-according to Neilos , Mark the Ascetic , Diadochus, among others-the state of
deep penitence , not in an overly emotional sense , or in a bitter sense of self-hatred , but rather
the beautiful mixture of sorrow and joy , a hopeful " feel ing " of God ' s steadfast and tender
love wh ich " softens the heart " and senses , as well as fills the m ind w ith joyful adoration fo r
such self-empty ing love on the part of God through Christ in the Spirit. Isaac the Sy rian
teaches that this "compunctio n " leads bel ievers to a great compass ion towards all of
creation-including plants , animals, and even the demons .
84 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

reasons , " Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
COmforted . n i S I
Material poverty , that which was designated according to our
life ' s possessions , is indeed connected with poverty of spirit, as we
mentioned above ; for when they are in agreement, they complete each
other in all things , and are perfect and pleasing to God . Thus , if you
listen prudently , it will be understood how , therefore , from this kind
of poverty comes mourning and the subsequent comfort in it . For
when a human being bids farewell to all these things in life , having
renounced both money and possessions , casting them aside and
dispersing them , according to the commandment, 15 2 one rises above
such anxieties concerning them-then the soul is able to hand over
itself unto self-examination, being freed from those external things
which attract it . When the intellect, then, is raised above all those
things which inundate the senses , it becomes transcendent to these
tumults and reflects upon the inner self. Its first activity is to zealously
wash off, through mourning with tears , the repulsive mask of those
lowly wandering delusions . Afterwards , when that ugly covering is
removed , then the intellect is no longer absorbed in the various rude
distractions , and tranquilly goes forth into the inner treasury , and " in
secret prays to the Father . " 153 That which is first granted to the
intellect is the place of the gifts of grace- " the peace of

151
Matt. 5 .4 .

1 52
cf. Luke 1 4 . 3 3 .

1 53
Matt. 6 . 6 .
St. Gregory Palamas 85

thoughts . " 154 With this , the intellect is perfected in humility by the
Generator and Co-creator of all virtues . This is due not to any easy
acquisition of virtue , which consists in artificial words and behavior,
but rather to that which is witnessed by the good and divine Spirit,
who is the same Spirit who creates a renewal in the inner depths . 155
And within these inner depths , as in a secure enclosure-the paradise
according to the intellect-sprout the diverse trees of true virtue . In
the interior itself is erected the sacred kingdom of love ; and in the
entrance halls bloom the early blossoms of the age to come-the
inexpressible joy which cannot be taken away . 15 6
Material poverty is the mother of freedom from cares , a freedom
from cares for concentration on alertness and prayer, and also
these-mourning and tears . These then-mourning and tears-prevent
one from falling into delusion. And when these delusions are cast out ,
then it is easy to travel the virtuous path-since the obstacles are cast
out of the inner depths-and the conscience becomes irreproachable .
From this , then, springs forth joy and blessed laughter of the soul .
Then the painful tears are transformed into sweetness and the words

1 54 Jer. 3 6 . 1 1 .

1 55
cf. Ps . 50 . 1 0 .

1 56
The mesaitato , the " interior , " "cente r " or "core " refers to the "heart " (karthia) , where
the intellect (nous) , in " returning to itself, " discovers the image of God in the inner depth s ,
wh ich then , in an " inside-out " fashion , illumines and grants " inexpressible joy " (aneklalytos
chara) to the "entrance halls " wh ich are the other (outer) layers of the human self-the mind
(dianoia) as well as the five senses of the body . Thus Gregory always maintains a "pro body "
or " p ro human nature " stance , res isting any Neoplatonist gnosticism , or any crude dual ism
of the Manichean sort . See Triads I . ii . 2 ; III . iii . 5 . To Gregory the mystic/hesychast is always
rooted in this l ife , and can become "a person of h istory , " fully committed to working " for the
l ife of the world , " yet only on God ' s terms .
86 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

of God " become sweet to the taste , sweeter than honey to the
mouth . " 157 And entreaty during prayer is converted into
thanksgiving , and the study of the divine testimony is the exultation
of the heart, coupled with a shameless hope . This hope plays the role
of preparation, for those who partake in all of this , by this experience
of tasting the " immeasurable riches of His kindness , " 158 learn in
part, according to the saying , to " taste and see that the Lord is
kind . " 159 The Lord is the exultation of the righteous , the joy of the
deiform , the gladness of the humble , and of those who mourn for His
sake-the comfort.

1 57
Ps . 1 08 . 1 03 .

158 Eph . 2 . 7 .

1 59
Ps . 3 3 . 8 .
 12

Defense of the Spiritual Ascent of the Hesychast

IS THIS THE PINNACLE of comfort? And are these the only gifts
of the sacred betrothal? Does not the Bridegroom of such souls reveal
Himself more purely to those who have been purified and nuptially
adorned through virtues? Without a doubt, this is not everything . For
that which we are now going to say exposes us to the accusations by
the envious ones who say to us , " Do not speak in the name of the
Lord , " 1 60 lest " we cast your name out as evil 161 ; that by this ,
therefore , we may establish and spread slanders and false accusations
against you . 1 62 We should not pay any attention to this , but rather

160
Jer. 1 1 . 2 1 .

161
Luke 6 . 22 .

1 62
These "envious ones " are , in Gregory eyes , those who lacked spiritual experience
(peira) of the uncreated grace procured in "prayer of the heart. " See nn . 5 , 9, 1 2 . At th is
time , in 1 345 , he is still referring to Barlaam who rid iculed prev iously those " navel­
watchers , " i . e . , the hesychast monks , as he cal led them , who said they saw the (unc reated)
light of Christ as did the disciples on Mt. Tabor . Gregory also has in mind those who brought
forth false accusations against him, even going so far as to create false texts and sayings
(attributed to h im) , and who fo r the most part were trad itional monk s , led by Gregory
Akindyno s , and supported by Patriarch John Calecas, who felt his (Gregory ' s) doctrine of the
" essence " and "energies " in God-established to explain and d istinguish the spiritual
experience of deification of the hesychasts-was not of the tradition of the church . These
opponents were mainly those " theologians of repetition " who merely looped backward and
repeated previous Patristic say ings-with l ittle intellectual rigor-making doctrinal trad ition
to be more of a museum p iece than a liv ing trad ition able to speak to contemporary questions
and sens itiv ities of the christian life . See John Meyendorff, A Study of Gregory Palamas
(Leighton Buzzard , England : The Faith Press , 1 974) , 63-74 ; see also pp . 77- 1 0 1 , for
88 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

let us press onward in the teaching , believing and saymg those

teachings of our fathers , and look towards it and persuade others by
it . As it says, " They believed , therefore they spoke " 1 63 ; thus , " we
believe , so we speak . " 164
For when one expulses every mner shameful passion, and the
intellect-as the teaching already uttered has made clear-returns to
itself, 1 65 collecting entirely the other powers of the soul , by the
cultivation of virtues which makes the soul philokalic [love that which
is good] , and producing the greater perfection, " [the intellect] sets
itself for further active ascent . " 1 66 Besides this , the intellect, being
raised above by God , washing itself, not only cleanses itself of the evil
filth, but also gets rid of everything else that is acquired afterwards in

Gregory ' s later opponents , the period after th is treatise was written (post- 1 346) , led by h is
former d isciple Nicephoras Gregora s .

1 63 Ps . 1 1 5 . 1 .

1 64 2 Cor. 4 . 1 3 .

1 65This " returns to itself" (epistrepsas eauton) is a very important concept in the journey
of de ification for Gregory PaJamas . It is a type of " remembering who we are "-that is,
"children of God " made in the image of Christ the Archetype , by the believer turning away
from external objects in a l inear manner ; but instead , in a circular manner , turning in on
oneself, by " tethering " the outer senses and mind , so that the " intellect" (nous) may journey
to the heart, locating there the image of God , which exudes the baptismal g race implanted
there , thus enabl ing one to see with the transformed "eye of the intellect " the div ine l ight of
g race . Thus , the Socratic dictum, " know thyself, " is interp reted to mean the d iscovery , not
merely of the fallen nature of the human being , nor of the various " physiological " layers of
the human self, but of the real true nature of the human person-the potential deification in
becoming " one w ith the Spirit, " a " transcendent " knowledge of God rather than a " natural
gnos is " of man and created existence . In discovering the image within, one finds there Ch rist
who re-orders all, and who " l ifts " one above to have an intimate relationship with God the
Holy Trinity , by uncreated grace . See Triads I . i i . 3-9; I . i . l O .

1 66 Ps . 83 . 6 .
St. Gregory Palamas 89

the inner depths , even if it is something quite honorable or of use to

the mind . 167 When the intellect transcends the intelligible things and
the unimaginable thoughts , and rids itself of those things which are
both God-loving and pious , then, as it is written, " one stands deaf and
mute before God . " 1 68 At that moment one conquers the laws of
matter and is shaped into the most superior formation above all
emptiness , without any obstacles blocking the way , by the inner grace
towards the more prominent reformation . And what is most
paradoxical-this is done by the inexpressible light which radiates the
inner parts and perfects the inner self. 169 " Until the day dawns and

1 67 In no way does Gregory imply here that one should cast out, fo r example, those things

such as good deeds or charitable acts , or that christians should not partic ipate in the social or
natural scientific endeavors-"th ings qu ite honorable or of use to the (conceptual) m ind " ;
never does he teach this , setting up a type of supe riority complex among the hesychasts-a
gnosticism reminiscent of the Messalians . He is referring here to the h ierarchy of the spiritual
ascent, whereby the believer , in an apophatic manner, sets aside all th ings of th is world , in
o rder to be (cataphatically) illumined from above , wh ich in turn will " re-condition " and
transfigure all human endeavors so as to re-root them in their ultimate source-God . Gregory
s imply wants to avo ids the pitfalls of reduc ing the human being to the surface level and sense
intelligence , in a dualistic mannner, wh ich in turn makes the human being too autonomous
(from God) , as well as the church to be too secular, too utop ian , based on an " independent "
social gospel , w ithout the core of the Spirit to direct all christian endeavors . In sum, all
charity and human scientific knowledge become part of the "active christian life " wh ich is a
means to experience life ' s ultimate purpose-transfigured div ine life with God . See Triads
II . i i . 5 .

1 68
See Evagrius the Sol itary , On Prayer: One Hundred and Fifty- Three Texts 1 1 ,
Philokalia I , 5 8 : "Try to make your intellect deaf and dumb during prayer; you will then be
able to pray . " This is the " g raced " knowledge beyond the intel lect, by the apophatic
journey-similar to Plotinus-which results paradoxically , not in a "deaf and dumb-l ike "
agnosticism , but in an ever-sens itive " alertness " or " sobriety " (nepsis) , making all layers of
the human self, in the end , more alive and v ital-attaining div ine-l ike characteristic s .

1 69 Once again Gregory wishes t o avoid any " angelism , " following the earl ier spiritual

writers ; see nn . 44 , 1 75 . He keeps in balance the two aforementioned schools of theolog ical
anth ropology by say ing that the " inexpressible light " which is beyond the " laws of matter, "
seen by the intellect, is that very l ight wh ich is here " below , " located in the heart-w ith in the
90 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

the morning star nses m your hearts , " 170 according to the chief
among the apostles , the true human being " goes forth, " according to
that prophetic saying , " to one ' s work and labor until evening , " 1 7 1
and by using this light as a path, ascends , or rather is led upward " to
the eternal mountain. " 1 72 And in this light one is made a visionary
of celestial things, 0 wonder! Whether one becomes separated or not
separated from the matter of which one was originally created ,
remains a mystery of the way itself. For one does not ascend on the
imaginary wings of reason, which hover around everything like a
blind person searching ; nor through abstract sensory objects , nor by
transcendental meditation does one perceive the exact and sure
comprehension. 173 But here we are referring to true ascension: by

human perso n . On one hand Gregory avoids any Evagrian " intel lectualism , " leading to a
gnosticism, while on the other hand , he dissuades call ing the l ight "created , " leading to a
" humanism . " This is based , in the end , on h is experience of Ch rist who integrates and unites
all antinomies and oppos ites , expressing de ification as the overcoming of all dualisms-the
human being ' s union with God . See Triads Il . i ii . 3 3 , 3 5 - 3 6 , 66 , 68 .

1 70 2 Pet. 1 . 1 9 .

171 Ps . 1 03 .23 .

1 72 Ps . 75 . 5 .

1 73
Gregory is faithful to the apophatic tradition of Dionysius , and by " cutting off" all
human means by wh ich one sees " celestial th ings " he is suggesting to his opponents that the
g race (energeia) of the Spirit is uncreated , that there is a knowledge , even of created th ing s ,
which is beyond conceptual knowledge�r any scientific knowledge-and even beyond what
is traditionally called " natural theology " (emphyton nomon) . See Homily 3 , PG 1 5 1 . 3 6B ;
Triads III . i i . 24 , 26-27 ; Il . iii . 1 5 - 1 6 , 44 , 69-70 ; Against Akindynos 111 . 1 8 , cois l . 9 8 , fol . 89v .
He l ikes to quote Isaac of Ninevah ' s "two eyes of the soul , " where one eye , l ike that of the
left brain, sees the rational order of the universe , by God ' s wisdom and prov idence , while the
other, what we can call the " right brain eye , " sees " the glory of God ' s holy nature , s ince it
pleases God to introduce us to the spiritual mysteries . " See Triads II . iii . 1 5 ; l . i i . 1 8 . Grego ry
teaches that " seeing the div ine light " is beyond physiki theoria or a knowledge of God as
St. Gregory Palamas 91

the inexpressible power of the Spirit and by the spiritual and

inexpressible perception , the intellect listens to inexpressible words
and sees the invisible . 174 And upon its return, the intellect is and
becomes totally convinced of the wonder, and emulates the tireless
singers , truly becoming on earth like another angel of God ; and ,
through itself, leads every kind of creation to Him . 175
Since the intellect itself shares in all that exists , it is now chosen
to become a sharer with the One who transcends all things , so that

C reator, leading to an experiential knowledge of God as lov ing Father, a personal re lationship
of intimacy with the Holy Trinity . Yet this mystery is acqu ired paradox ically when one
searches with in the human self, to find there " the (eschatolog ical) kingdom of God " in the
heart, positing an expansive notion of human experience beyond the sense level and surface
intelligence .

1 74See Triads ll . iii . 8 : " it [the d iv ine l ight] is an illumination immaterial and d iv ine , a
grace inv isibly seen and ignorantly known . " By del iberately using paradox ical language,
following Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius (cf. " learned ignorance " and "dazzling darkness " ) ,
Gregory w ishes to hold together a l l antinomies o f the knowledge o f God , such a s the
immanence and transcendence of God , which means that the experience is a real one-the
l ight has an existence (enhypostasiou)-yet the experience is " not of th is world , " is apophatic
in character, i . e . , the light is still of God ' s essence (ousia) . Pe rhaps the greatest express ion
of paradox ical language is Gregory ' s call ing the deified person ( = the saint) " uncreated , " in
that a human being , who is "created " by nature , becomes " uncreated " by grace , prox imating
Jesus who was both "uncreated " and "created " simultaneously , yet by nature .

1 75The referrence to becoming l ike a n "angel o f God " should not b e confused with
" angelism , " as stated above, or with the Messal ian claim , as " it would depend on u s , and th is
is the Messalian claim, to mount as far as one wills into the ineffable mysteries of God . " See
Triads I. iii . 1 7 . Also , in Homilies 1 , 7, 2 6 , and 5 3 , Gregory adopts the teach ing of such
earlier writers as Nemes ius of Emesa, Theodore of Mopsuestia , and Maximos the Confessor,
whereby the christian realizes one ' s own identity and destiny as the "epilogue of creation , "
and is called to be a priest in order to sanctify creation . As Gregory teaches in The One
Hundred and Fifty Chapters 34-35 , op . c it . , 1 1 6- 1 2 1 , the intellect is akin to the Supreme
Intellect (o Anatato Nous) , God , and thus to the Logos of God , who is the core (image) of
all that exists ; hence the human being is the "center of the universe , " when united to Ch rist
the Logos, and then is able to " spread oneself out, " by incorporating and unifiying all
existence , wh ich means to peacefully guide "every kind of creation " back to its benevolent
Creato r .
92 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

which is of the image of God may be ascertained more precisely in

reality . Thus the divine Neilos says : " the real state of the intellect is
noetic height resembling the colors in heaven, in which, during the
time of prayer, shines the light of the Holy Trinity . " And again: " If
one wishes to see the real state of the intellect, let one strip oneself of
all thoughts and then one shall gaze upon it, which resembles a
sap hire or the hue of heaven. " 17 6 But this is impossible without
acquiring passionlessness , for which one needs God ' s assistance and
the pouring forth of the light on the intellect which is akin to it . And
St. Diadochus says : " Divine grace confers on us two gifts through the
baptism of regeneration, one being infinitely superior to the other. The
first is given to us at once , when grace renews us in the actual waters
of baptism and cleanses all the lineaments of our soul , that is , the
image of God in us , by washing away every stain of sin. The
second-our likeness to God-requires our co-operation. When the
intellect begins to be nourished by the kindness of the Most Holy
Spirit with full consciousness , we should realize that grace is
beginning to paint the divine likeness over the divine image in us . Our
power of perception shows us that we are being formed into the divine
likeness ; but the perfecting of this likeness we shall know only by the
light of grace . " And again: " No one can acquire spiritual love unless
one experiences fully and clearly the illumination of the Holy Spirit .
If the intellect does not obtain the perfection according to the divine
likeness , through the divine illumination, although it may have almost

1 76
These two quotes of Neilos were taken directly from , The Monks Call istus and
Ignatiu s , Direction to Hesychasts, in One Hundred Chapters 66 , Writings from the Philokalia ,
237 , as was the quote of Isaac the Syrian belo w . Cf. Neilos the Ascetic , Texts on Prayer 1 1 ,
5 3 , 70-72, 1 2 8 . See Early Fathers from the Philokalia , 1 30 , 1 3 3 , 1 3 5 - 1 3 6 , 1 4 1 .
St. Gregory Palamas 93

every other virtue , it will still have no share in perfect love . " 1 77
Likewise , St . Isaac says : " During the time of prayer, the graced
intellect sees its purity , which is like the heavenly colors , which the
Israelite elders named , ' the place of God , ' 1 78 when God appeared to
them on the mountain [Sinai] . " And again: " There is the purity of the
intellect which during the time of prayer radiates the light of the Holy
Trinity . " 1 79
But the intellect which is worthy of that light transmits to the body
which is united to it many beautiful signs of divinity , mediating
between divine grace and fleshly imperviousness , granting power to
that which is of itself powerless . From here follows the God-like and
incomparable inclination towards virtue , which is completely
immovable and insusceptible to evil . Next the Logos who discloses the
principles of existence , reveals , out of His own purity , the inner
mysteries of nature ; and through them , by way of analogy , the noetic
faculty of the faithful listeners is lifted upward towards the perception
of that which is beyond nature-a perception of Whom , by its own
contacts , remains Himself the Father of the Logos . 1 80 Next follows

1 77On Spiritual Knowledge 8 9 , Philokalia I, 288 . Note that Gregory selects th is quote to
place hesychasm w ith in the context of the sacramental life , never tak ing an anti-ecclesial
stance , as did the Messal ians . See Homily 62 : " From these two acts [baptism and eucharist]
depends our entire salvation, for in them is recapitulated the whole of the divine-human
economy . " Also , Gregory uses th is quote to teach that " l ikeness " to God is what was lost by
Adam-yet the " image " was not lost, but only obscured-and thus the sacraments and
personal p rayer allow one , through free will and "cooperation " (synergeia) , to recapture that
" l ikeness , " by the grace of Christ. See The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters 3 9 , 64 , op . c it . ,
1 26- 1 27 , 1 5 8 - 1 59 ; Homily 1 6 , PG 1 5 1 . 220A .

1 78 Ex . 24 . 1 0 .

1 79 See Mystic Treatises 3 1 , quoted i n Direction to Hesychasts 66 , op . c it. , 237 .

1 80
cf. John 1 4 . 7 , 9 .
94 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

various other wonders : visions , clairvoyance , and the ability to speak

about those things which occur far away , as if they were before one ' s
own eyes . And the greatest fact is that these blessed ones do not aim
at this as a goal for themselves . 1 8 1 But rather, as when one who
gazes upon the sun' s rays, and feels the indivisible air-even though
this for the person is not a goal-in like manner, those who
communicate purely with the divine rays, which are by nature the
revelation of all that exists , not only of that which is and which was ,
but also of that which is to come into existence , will acquire true
knowledge of those things by means of this path, according to the
their level of purity . This path , then, is of great benefit to these ones
and is the means by which the intellect returns to itself and of its
coherence . Furthermore , not only of the intellect-although this is
amazing to say-but even the coherence of all powers of the soul
returns to the intellect, according to the intellect and according to
God ' s energy . Those being corrected by this energy are being guided
properly towards the Prototype , by the grace of renewal which

181
Deification is not a " goal " to be humanly achieved , as it is primarily a gift to be
received , and hopefully nourished in thankfulness . Thus there is no dual istic separation
between the knower and the Known, as the " I " and "Thou " merge in a communion of
friendship when the div ine light is received as a gift of God . (Gregory ' s theology is totally
nondualistic , yet there are no hints of panthe ism or ditheism , as he uses the model of the sun
to explain the distinctions between the essence of God [ousia] and the " indiv isible rays " or
g race [energeia] . ) In sum , " nature " and "grace " presuppose one another in the christolog ical
anthropology of Gregory PaJamas, as Christ unites all th ings , not in a monophysitic manner ,
making human freedom to b e absorbed b y the Div ine , n o r where i t i s bel ieved that human
indiv iduation equals autonomy from God in an Arian or Nestorian subjectiv ist sense-as Jesus
never conceived of himself as a separate "ego " from God the Father-but instead , where
"growth in God " means exactly " g rowth in human authentic ity , " a self-real ization leading to
theosis or de ificatio n . See Triads II . i . 1 6 ; Il . ii i . 66 .
St. Gregory Palamas 95

provides them with that original and uncontrived beauty . 1 82 To such

heights does that blessed mourning lead upward those who are humble
in heart and poor in spirit! 1 83

1 82
The " Prototype " here refers to Christ, who is the Logos made flesh , the Archetype
Image of the human being . In The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters 3 5 -3 7 , Gregory speaks
also , follow ing Theodoretu s , Basil , and John of Damascus, of the "trinitarian image " in the
human being . The human be ing is ultimately made in the image of the div ine Trin ity-hence
hav ing the g ift of freedom to atta in de ification . Also , the Logos in ancient Greek thought is
related to " beauty , " as its very principle , in the thought of Plato . Deification commun icates
in a certain sense D iv ine beauty . " Thus Basil the Great say s : . . . ' What is more wonderful
than Div ine beauty ? What thought is more joyful than the thought of the splendor of God? ' "
See Writings From the Philokalia , 25 1 . Finally , there is a socio-philosoph ical context of
Gregory ' s thought , yet by and large h is influences are the scriptural texts , the experiences of
the saints , and the sacramental/l iturg ical trad ition of the church .

1 83
Matt. 5 . 3 f.
 13

The Death of the Soul

SINCE THIS IS BEYOND our ability , due to the indolence which

enslaves us, let us continue and go back once again to the foundation
of all of this , and let us occupy ourselves yet a little more with
mourning . For how can one not be grieved if one is in need of money
and is hungry involuntarily , and feels humiliated and disgraced? Yet
mourning of this kind is without comfort , and moreover as much as
the poverty of this type progresses , or better said , the more one
suffers from such poverty , the further one becomes distanced from
true knowledge . For such a person does not subdue the principle of
sensual pain and pleasure , but rather is abused by the afflictions of
those things of that principle ; and this one gains nothing by the
increase of these afflictions-as they are useless-but instead receives
greater harm . A clear sign and proof of such a person are put forward
in one ' s lack of trust in the Gospel of God , and in the prophets before
it and in those who after it were taught by it and who were sent to
proclaim the priceless wealth acquired through poverty , the secret
glory acquired through contrition, the painless joy acquired through
self-control , and the perserverance of attacking temptations through
which is acquired deliverance from the destined eternal anguish and
sorrow which awaits those who are in love here with this worldly life
and who did not want to enter into the life just described , " through the
98 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

narrow gate and d i fficult road . " 184 Apostle Paul thus says i t
succ i nctly , " that worldly gr ief produces death . " 185 For, through th i s
say i ng , s i n appears wh i ch leads to death .
If the d i v i ne l i ght i s the real l i fe of the soul-wh i ch the soul
acqu i res through godly mourn i ng , as sa id above by the fathers-then
the death of the soul i s the ev i l darkness wh i ch i s acqu i red by the soul
through worldly gr ief. Th i s i s that darkness about wh i ch Bas i l the
Great says , that " i t i s s i n whi ch rece i ves its ex i stence i n the absence
of good , a darkened mind wh ich i s formed i n the unrighteous
ones . " 186 And Mark the D i v i ne says : "And i f one i s beset by evil
thoughts , how can one see the real i ty of s i n concealed beh i nd them?
Th i s sin wraps the soul i n darkness and obscurity , and i ncreases i ts
hold upon us through ev i l thoughts , words , and deeds . If one has not
perce i ved th i s general process of s i nning , when w i ll one pray about i t
and be cleansed from it? And i f one has not been cleansed , how w i ll
one fi nd the pur i ty of nature? And i f one has not found this , how w i ll
one behold the i nner dwell i ng-place of Chr i st? We should seek th i s
dwell i ng-place and knock w i th persistent prayer; and not only ought
we to ask and rece i ve , but we should also protect what i s g i ven to us .
For some people lose what they have rece i ved . A theoret i cal
knowledge or chance experience of these many th i ngs may perhaps be
gained by those who have begun late i n l i fe or who are st i ll young ;
but the constant and pat ient pract ice of these th i ngs i s barely to be

1 84
Matt. 7 . 1 4 .

1 85
2 Cor. 7 . 1 0 .

1 86
See Homily 2 . 4 , Hexaemeron ; cf. Dionys ius , On Divine Names 4 . 1 8 : "Evil is noth ing
real and pos itive , but a defect, a negation only . "
St. Gregory Palamas 99

acquired even by devout and deeply experienced elders , who have

repeatedly lost it through lack of attention and then through voluntary
suffering have searched and found it again. " 187 Macarius , the one
who possessed heavenly knowledge , agrees with this , and so too do
the entire choir of the venerable ones . 188 As this darkness receives
its existence from all of the transgressions , in the same manner-upon
examing worldly grief-will be discovered that it is born and is
powerfully strengthened by all the passions . As such it bears within
itself the image which has become a kind of beginning , preparation,
and pledge of the future unending mourning , to those who have
refused to choose the mourning called "blessed " by the Lord .

1 87
On Those Who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works 224-225 , Philokalia I ,
1 45 - 1 46 .

1 88
See Triads III . i i . 3 6 . Cf. The Monks Call istus and Ignatius , " Of the alterations and
changes wh ich occur in every person and about the h igh rank of humility , " 43 , Writings From
the Philokalia , 2 1 6-2 1 8 , where is found quotes hy Sts . Isaac , Macarius, and others on the loss
of the grace of God in the "dwell ing-place of Christ, " wh ich is the inner depths of the heart.
See St. Isaac of Syria , Directions on Spiritual Training : "The blessed Mark asserts , say ing ,
' Changes occur in everyone , as they do in the air . ' In everyone, that is , not only in the worst
and the lowest, but also in the perfect. " See Early Fathers From the Philokalia , 2 1 0 . Cf.
Pseudo-Macariu s , Homily 1 0 : "By humil ity and enthusiasm the gifts of grace are kept alive
and increased , but by pride and sloth they arr lost . " See The Fifty Homilies and the Great
Letter, The Classics of Western Spirituality (New York/Mahwah : Paul ist Press , 1 992) , 88-90 .
These writing s , among others , are also the bases for Gregory ' s thoughts on " idleness " above,
wh ich establ ishes for all christians the truth that "an excursion into the Absolute " is not an
empty idl ing in a gnostic illusion , but a v ision of the consc ious transformation of the human
person (and the world) , yet not on the human " ego-conscious " level , but by becoming
steadfastly receptive to the spiritual energy and strength " from above " so as to transform our
every thought, word , and deed . In fact, the " dark night " of the soul may be a necessary
condition for many modern " empiricists " ( = those who trust only in the senses) , wh ich will
allow them to seek more fa ithful ways of " seeing , " so as to estimate how great, in adoration ,
is the glory of God and how moving is God ' s presence .
 14

The Protection of Godly Mourning

THIS OTHER MOURNING-godly mourning-not only brings with

it comfort as a benefit, the fruit-bearing pledge of eternal j oy , but al so
secures the virtue , healing the soul of changeability and from the
propen sity to become more and more wicked . For if one becomes
indigent and h u mbles oneself, and begins to live contritely according
to God , yet in thi s progress toward s i mprovement does not acquire
that godly mourning , one still remain s easily convertible and i s able
to return to that which one rej ected in the beginning , th u s
demon strating oneself a tran sgressor . 1 89 O n the other hand , i f one
remain s persistent and determined in thi s attitude towards blessed
poverty , one brings that godly mourning unto onesel f, and becomes
unwavering towards that which one left behind , not turning again unto
the evil way-having hence fled , one opts for doing good . For ,
according to what the Apostle says , " Godly grief produces a
repentance which leads the soul to salvation , and brings no
regret . " 1 90 For thi s reason one of the fathers said , " that mourning
refines and protects the person . " 1 91 And thi s i s not the only benefit

1 89
c f. Gal. 2 . 1 8 .

1 90
2 Cor. 7 . 1 0 .

191
We can locate many s uch similar quotes from the likes o f I saac the Syrian , Anto ny the
Great , Callistus and Ignatius , John Climacus , Neilo s , Mark the Ascetic , and D iadochus .
1 02 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

from this mourning , in that a human being becomes nearly immovable

towards malice and unconvertible towards previously committed sin;
but also , this mourning even disposes of the past sins as if they were
never committed . Since a human being mourns because of those
previously committed sins , they are considered by God as if they were
committed involuntarily . And for that which is involuntary , one is not
held accountable . 192 For just as one who mourns because one is poor
witnesses that one has not voluntarily accepted this poverty unto
oneself-and that is why one shall fall into the snares of the devil
together with those who crave wealth or lavish in such
things193-and thus if one does not change by quickly getting away
from these snares , one will end up together with those who will be
sent away to eternal punishment. So too , one who sins against God ,
if one continually mourns because of these sins , these sins will be
justly considered as being committed involuntarily against Him , and
one will likewise walk uninhibited towards that which leads to eternal
life , together with those who have not sinned .

1 92 These teach ings on the "disposing of past sins " and sins being "committed
involuntarily " cannot be used to support , for example , a commonly held conv iction today , in
legalistic eth ics , that a person cannot be held accountable for misdoings due to ignorance , or
due to some type of psycholog ical dysfunction (often in one ' s youth) , or due to being
supposedly " totally forg iven " by God . Gregory indeed bel ieves in some form of restitution ,
as well as in human responsibil ity due to free will . He is simply try ing to establish and
persuade his readers of the contrast between th is-worldly "ego " liv ing-characterized by
vainglory and the love of money , leading to worldly grief-and that otherworldly liv ing " in
the Spirit, " characterized by repentance and blessed mourning , leading to eternal comfort,
experienced already in th is lifetime . He expresses th is contrast to a lay audience , as
metropolitan of Thessalon ica , in Homilies 5 , 1 5 , 1 6 , and 3 1 .

1 93 cf. Gen . 2 . 1 5 .
 15

The Search of the Bride and the Return of the Prodigal

THIS THEN IS THE BENEFIT of the beginning of mourning , which

is the abasement acquired with the fear of God which is united to it .
This benefit continues , then, being wondrously joined to the love of
God , and reaps the sweet and sacred comfort, which the one who is
transformed by this mourning is nourished by the kindness of the
Comforter . This comfort, being inexpressible , is nearly incom­
prehensible to those who have not experienced it . For if the sweetness
of honey cannot be explained to those who have never tasted it, how
then can one express the enjoyment from the sacred joy as well as the
grace of God to someone who has not experienced it?1 94 This simply

1 94 Cf. Directions to Hesychasts 74-75 : " However, no one can taste the feeling of Div ine

goodness, nor can experience palpably the gall of the demons , unless one has come to know
in oneself, that grace that has made itself an abode in the depths of one ' s intellect, . . . It would
be near to the essence of the matter to say : who will explain the sweetness of honey to those
who have not tasted it? It is incomparably harder to explain to those , who have not tasted it,
that sweetness which is D iv ine and that transubstantial spring of liv ing joy wh ich ever flows
from true and pure prayer of the heart . " See Writings from the Philokalia , 242-24 3 . This
theme of " experience " (peira) can be detected in all of the writing s of Gregory Pa Jamas , as
it is his basis for defining and substantiating the art of prayer as well as theology , and fo r
refuting h is opponents " rational " discursive th ink ing (Barlaam) in theological matters , as well
as the support fo r h is tirades against " those in the church " who merely wish , in an almost
mechanical manner, to repeat the ancient dogmas and formulas of the fa ith (like Ak indynos} ,
with l ittle or no "experience " of the m . See Triads III . i . 3 2 . All of Gregory ' s dynamic
teach ings on the human being , the church , and even God , are based on th is "experiential
format, " stated fo r an evangel ical purpose : de ification becomes that never-ending ecstasy and
lively "experience " of God the Holy Trin ity . Grace then must be " uncreated " if theology is
based on the discrim inating " experience " of God .
1 04 Treatise on the Spiritual Life

cannot be done . But, once again, the beginning of this mourning ,

likened to one ' s search to be the betrothed of God , seems almost
unattainable ! For this very reason, they are likened to those who
mourn from the yearning for the Unsearchable Bridegroom , addressing
Him with pre-nuptial words , beating their breasts and calling out with
cries , as if to someone who perhaps will never come . Yet the end of
this mourning is the perfect union with the Bridegroom in chastity .
Therefore , Paul , having called a great mystery this coming together
into one flesh of those who are married , says , "I am saying that this
refers to Christ and the church . " 195 For just as they become one
flesh, so too do those who are of God become one spirit with God , as
again this same Apostle clearly indicates in another place , " that the
one who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him . " 1 96
Where , therefore , are they who say that the grace which dwells in the
saints of God is created? Let them know that in this they blaspheme
the Holy Spirit, who in His gifts dwells with the saints . 197
Let us add yet another more revealing example . The beginning of
mourning is likened to the return of the prodigal son. As a result of

1 95 Eph . 5 . 32 .

1 96 1 Cor. 6 . 1 7 .

1 97 Although th is treatise was written almost four years after the Triads ( 1 3 3 8 -
1 34 1 )-against Barlaam ' s humanism-and about two years after Theophanes ( 1 343)-against
Gregory Akindynos ' claims about "created " grace-Gregory nevertheless continued to suggest
that th is teaching about "uncreated grace " was essential to the Patristic understanding of
salvation envis ioned as theos is . Thus from 1 3 3 6 , when he first began a dialogue w ith
Barlaam , until 1 3 60 , the year of his death , Gregory was consistent in his v iews on g race
(energeia) , a theological discussion and " defense of the faith " carried on for almost twenty­
five years ! See Homilies 34 and 35 , " On the Transfiguration , " written after 1 3 5 1 , for
Gregory ' s teach ings on uncreated g race , in his latter years as a bishop , to his flock in
Thessalonica .
St. Gregory Palamas 1 05

being so depressed over the fallenness of his own deeds , he appealed

with these words , saying : " Father, I have sinned against heaven and
before you ; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. " 198 Once
again, the end of this mourning is likened to the meeting with the
Most High Father and to the embracing with Him . In the moment of
this meeting , the son receives , in the wealth of the unimaginable
compassion of the Father, the immeasurable joy and through it
acquires intimate communion, 199 being kissed by the Father as well
as kisses Him . And having entered together with Him, he feasts with
the Father, enjoying with Him the enjoyment of heaven .
Therefore , come let us , in blessed poverty , "bow down and kneel
before the Lord our God , " 200 so that we who are comforted in Him
may be delivered of prior sins and may be made in ourselves
immovable towards evil , and may acquire the Comforter, to Whom is
ascribed glory , together with the Unoriginate Father and Only­
begotten Son, now and ever and unto ages of ages . Amen.

198
Luke 1 5 . 2 1 .

1 99 The term parrisia means " intimate communion , " not in an overly romantic or Pietistic

manner , but rather in terms of a deeply committed love and friendsh ip , such as took place
w ith God and Moses after many years of their life together, or with the d isciples who became
Jesu s ' friends . The term implies lov ing trust and confidence , that wh ich is regained in Christ,
by grace , wh ich the saints propose is the way to salvation . The church , then , Gregory calls
the " communion of deification " (Apodictic Treatise 2 . 78), a " new build ing " (Homily 1 5 , PG
1 5 1 . 1 8 8B) , and through the Incarnation , on the basis of the communion of sa ints , " formed
of the angels and truly faithful people . " See Against Gregoras 3 , coisl . 1 00 , fo l . 272a ; cf.
Homily 2 1 , PG 1 5 1 . 284A . The goal and purpose of life : intimate communion with the lov ing
God .

200
Ps . 94 . 6 . This verse also beg ins many prayers in the liturg ical serv ices of the Orthodox
Church .