Tag Archives: palamite distinction

The Essence/Energies Distinction in the Theology of St Gennadius Scholarios

Posted on 18 October 2016 by

by Fr Christiaan Kappes In today’s installment, I hope to fully accede to Fr. Kimel’s request; namely, to figure out what the real Scholarios believes! Well, historically, there have been many “Scholarii” (viz., Scholarioses) to contend with (up to three!). … Continue reading →

Posted in Byzantine theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Essence/Energies Distinction and the Myth of Byzantine Illogic

Posted on 27 June 2016 by

by Fr Christiaan Kappes First of all, I heartily thank Fr. Aidan Kimel for inviting me to write a guest column on Palamism. Although, in the essence of the argument, it should not make a difference, I will start by … Continue reading →

Posted in Byzantine theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 66 Comments

Is the Palamite Distinction Ecumenical Dogma?

Posted on 21 June 2016 by

1. The official "Message" of the Council (think cover letter), still in draft form, will affirm other Councils as "Ecumenical." — George Demacopoulos (@GDemacopoulos) June 21, 2016 2. Council of 879 (ending poorly-named Photian Schism) and Councils of 1350s, endorsing … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 73 Comments

Staniloae and Zizioulas: The Incomprehensibility of Divine Personhood and the Mysticism of the Hoi Poloi

Posted on 2 October 2014 by

The Eastern theological tradition has long insisted the essence of God is incomprehensible, inaccessible, unknowable, and imparticipable to all rational creatures, human and angelic. The living God can only be apprehended through his divine energies. As Vladimir Lossky writes: “Wholly … Continue reading →

Posted in Dumitru Staniloae, Zizioulas & Yannaras | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Oecumenical Grace: Eastern Orthodoxy on Theosis

Posted on 12 June 2014 by

“It is too little realized,” write Charles Mœller and Gérard Philips, “that opposition to neo-platonism is as important in the East as that to Pelagianism in the West” (The Theology of Grace and the Oecumenical Movement, p. 6). In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Was St Gregory of Nyssa a Proto-Palamite?

Posted on 5 May 2014 by

The title is intentionally provocative, and I’m afraid the article will disappoint anyone who is hoping for a clear answer to the question posed. While I have read a fair amount of the secondary literature about St Gregory Palamas’s famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Gregory of Nyssa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cappadocian Brothers on the Propria of God

Posted on 20 April 2014 by

I’m sure it did not come as a surprise to either St Basil of Caesarea or St Gregory of Nyssa. Once they began to elucidate the mystery of the Trinity by means of the analogy between three human beings and … Continue reading →

Posted in Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments