The Role of the Human Body in Hesychast Theology: Some Remarks

Abstract

"In our current world, the human body has a most central place. On the one hand, we are called to respect and take care of our body. On the other hand, we often face cases of a strong disregard for the body or even attempts to damage or destroy it. What can Christian theology offer to the relevant debates? This article takes Hesychast theology, and in particular the writings of Gregory Palamas, as a case study, and tries to show that this teaching provides many opportunities to articulate and explain our enormous respect for the body. The following topics are analyzed: a) the spiritual dispositions imprinted (ἐνσημαινόμεναι) on the body; b) the participation of the body in theōsis, now and in the age to come; c) the transformation of the body; and d) the role of the human heart. Keywords: hesychast theology, Gregory Palamas, human body, soul, theōsis, communion with God, anthropology, intellectual perception (αἴσθησις νοερά), spiritual dispositions imprinted on the body, human heart "