The Specifics of the Palamite Doctrine, Its Origins, and Its Latest Reception in Russia: A Discussion with Dmitry Biriukov

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Dmitry Biriukov, PhD, is a scholar of the work of the late Byzantine theologian and authoritative church teacher Gregory Palamas (1296–1359). This conversation with Dr. Biriukov is devoted to the peculiarities of Palamas's doctrine and to the reception of his legacy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, after centuries of oblivion. In the course of the discussion, the basic metaphysical scheme of Palamite theology is explained—namely, the distinction between essence and energies in God. On the one hand, the continuity of this scheme in relation to the theology of the Cappadocian fathers is traced, and, on the other hand, its novelty is revealed. The origins and parallels of the distinction between essence and energies are discussed, in particular the connection with Christology and the influence of Evagrianism on Palamas. The conversation addresses the types of divine energies in the Palamite doctrine and the question of the difference in theological languages in which the idea of deification ( theosis ) as a union of man with God is expressed. Particular attention is paid to the concept of energy and its various connotations, including those associated with its modern natural-science understanding. The philosophical dimension of the theology of Palamas, including in connection with the intellectual culture of his time, is discussed, as is the relationship between Hesychasm as a monastic practice and Palamism as a theological and philosophical doctrine. The concluding part of the conversation, dedicated to the reception of Palamism after centuries of neglect, traces the history of the study, interpretation, and actualization of the teachings of Gregory Palamas over the past two centuries, from Slavophiles to Soviet and contemporary researchers. Particular attention is paid to the so-called neo-Palamism in its various versions—both religious-philosophical and theological.