St. Gregory Palamas in the writings and the teaching of St. Athanasius of Paros

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleὉ ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Παλαμᾶς στά συγγράμματα καί στή διδασκαλία τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου τοῦ Παρίου
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Koutalis, Vangelis
5. lemma category Conflict - Concepts of knowledge and modes of reasoning > Orthodox gnosiology - Ecumenism and dialogue > Westernism and anti-westernism - Key thinkers - Orthodox Anthropology
6. Publication date 26-02-2017
7. lemma work Zisis, Theodoros [Author]. St. Gregory Palamas in the writings and the teaching of St. Athanasius of Paros
8. lemma manifestations Ἁγιος Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Πάριος : Πρακτικά Ἐπιστημονικοῦ Συνεδρίου (Πάρος 29 Σεπτεμβρίου -4 Οκτωβρίου 1998) - Paros: Holy Metropolis of Paronaxia – Holy Shrine of Panagia Ekatontapiliani of Paros, 2000.
9. Keywords St. Athanasius of Paros - St. Gregory Palamas - Western culture - Enlightenment - Hesychasm - Kollyvades movement - St. Makarios Notaras - St. Nikodemus of the Holy Mountain - Philokalic Renaissance - Korais, Adamantios
10. Citations
    1. <p>Zisis, (Protopresbyter) Theodoros. [Ζήσης, (Πρωτοπρεσβύτερος) Θεόδωρος] (2000). Ὁ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Παλαμᾶς στά συγγράμματα καί στή διδασκαλία τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου τοῦ Παρίου. In <em>Ἁγιος Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Πάριος: Πρακτικά Ἐπιστημονικοῦ Συνεδρίου (Πάρος 29 Σεπτεμβρίου -4 Οκτωβρίου 1998)</em> (pp. 327-343). Paros: Holy Metropolis of Paronaxia – Holy Shrine of Panagia Ekatontapiliani of Paros.</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. This short study is written with the twofold aim of ascertaining the degree of influence that St. Gregory Palamas’ thought had on the writings of St. Athanasius of Paros and of contributing, as well, to a shift in outlook and in the standards used to evaluate the intellectual status and the significance of the work of Athanasius. The latter was one of the three great 18th century and early 19th century Orthodox theologians who stood against the modernizing spirit of the Enlightenment. Together with St. Makarios Notaras and St. Nikodemus of the Holy Mountain, Athanasius fought against atheism, anticlericalism, rationalism and secularization and became the most prominent adversary of the Greek enlighteners and more particularly of Adamantios Korais. This movement of defense of the Orthodox tradition, which has been ironically called the Kollyvades movement and it should be more properly termed as the Philokalic Renaissance, was actually a movement of continuation and reinforcement of the Hesychast Patristic tradition.

       For Athanasius, the jurisdiction of the human wisdom extends only over the things of this world. It is not helpful for spiritual perfection and godification. Even worse, by transcending its limits, it may end up in impiety and atheism. In this respect, Athanasius, according to the author, in his criticism against the modernizing intellectual tendencies follows faithfully the tenets of St. Gregory Palamas’ criticism against Barlaam of Calabria. From an Orthodox standpoint, Enlightenment could be seen as neo-Barlaamism and it was precisely owing to the vibrancy which still, in the 18th century, the Hesychast tradition and the memory of Gregory Palamas retained among the Greek orthodox communities that the movement of Enlightenment was eventually restricted to isolated milieus of intellectuals.

       Athanasius’ arguments in his work Ἀντιφώνησις were drawn from Gregory Palamas’ nine discourses “For The Defense of Those Who Practice Sacred Quietude” (Ύπὲρ τῶν ἱερῶς ἡσυχαζόντων) that Athanasius had studied in manuscript form and transcribed. He was willing to help in the preparation of the edition of Gregory Palamas’ writings. He published a translation, made by himself, of the biography of Gregory Palamas written by Philotheos Kokkinos, along with hymnological and encomiastic texts referring to Gregory and he also composed a panegyrical discourse on Gregory’s memory. His rejection of the Enlightenment was grounded on premises that were in accord with the Hesychast and the Patristic traditional teachings on the human and the divine knowledge. This is why the author believes that the study of Athanasius’ works can be an inspiring source for the further development of the Philocalic Renaissance of the 20th century.