Introduction to the Study of Gregory Palamas

Meyendorff's doctoral thesis emerged from a pressing need to rehabilitate Gregory Palamas in twentieth-century theological discourse. The fourteenth-century Byzantine theologian had been largely dismissed by Western scholars as a late-medieval obscurantist whose hesychast mysticism represented Orthodox Christianity's decline into anti-intellectual mysticism. Writing in the 1950s amid renewed Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, Meyendorff sought to demonstrate that Palamas represented not decadence but the mature flowering of patristic theology.

The work methodically reconstructs Palamas's theological achievement across three major fronts. Meyendorff first establishes the historical context of the hesychast controversies, showing how Barlaam's attacks on monastic prayer practices forced Palamas to articulate a sophisticated theology of divine experience. He then examines Palamas's central distinction between God's essence and energies, arguing that this represents not philosophical innovation but the logical development of Cappadocian theology in response to new challenges. Finally, Meyendorff traces how Palamas's synthesis preserves both divine transcendence and the possibility of genuine theosis, avoiding both the pantheism his critics alleged and the rationalist reduction of divine mystery that Barlaam represented.

This study transformed Palamite scholarship and broader understanding of Byzantine theology. Meyendorff demonstrated that Palamas's thought displays remarkable philosophical sophistication while remaining rooted in scriptural and patristic sources. His work sparked renewed Western interest in Orthodox mystical theology and influenced subsequent ecumenical dialogue about the nature of theological knowledge and spiritual experience. The thesis established Meyendorff as the leading Palamite scholar of his generation and provided the foundation for his later English-language studies.

Who should read this: Serious students of Byzantine theology and Orthodox-Catholic dialogue will find this essential, though its technical philosophical discussions and assumption of familiarity with patristic sources make it unsuitable for general readers seeking an introduction to Orthodox spirituality.