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Renée Peters

Dr. James Boyleston

Writing V

15 October 2022

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Text: The Triads by St. Gregory Palamas

Topic: Divine Light

Research Question: What is the nature of the Light that Palamas describes?

Palamas, St. Gregory. The Triads. Paulist Press. 1983. Print. pp.

Palamas defends the monastic Heyacasts and their methods in response to

Barlaam’s attacks which denied the legitimacy of the Hesychasts experiencing the

divine presence of God. This method included casting off apophatic theology and

instead incorporating cataphatic theology . This allows the mind to access a divine

light which manifests the deification of the mind and body. His main belief is that

God is accessible to personal experience because he shared His own personal life

with all of humanity. My research will explore the meaning of Palamas’ light and

how it unifies humanity with God.

Meyendorff, John. St. Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Spirituality. St. Vladimir’s Seminary

Press. 1974. Print. pp.

Meyendorff researches and explains the spiritual traditions of the monks of the

east and the teachings on Hesychasm and the controversy with Barlaam. Barlaam was
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educated by humanists which is why he rejected mystical realism. He also conveys

hesychasm long after Palamas and its legacy. There is a revival of Palamas’ teachings in

the Eastern Orthodox Church and in Eastern Christianity. This is background

understanding for why the ideas of Palamas were rejected and explored later after his life.

A Study of Gregory Palamas. The Faith Press. 1964. Print. pp.

Meyendorff describes the life and historical context of St. Gregory

Palamas. He also outlines his theological and hesychastic thoughts and

understanding. Specifically, Meyendorff documents the meaning and definition of

The Light, which is the object and means of vision (p.173). He describes

Palamas’s teaching about acquiring a divine eye to see God in ourselves. The

Holy Spirit grants man the ability to see and unite with divinity to deify man. My

research will pull on Meyendorff’s findings on the meaning of light in

Christianity.

Tomoioagă, F.T. “The Vision Of Divine Light In Saint Gregory Palamas’s Theology” Acta

Theologica, Vol. 35 No.2, 2016, pp. 142-153, http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/actat.v35i2.9

Tomoioagă delves into the reason Palamas’s teachings have been rejected

in the west. In his research he finds that Palamas advocates for mystic Christianity

based on conventional theological ideals although Barlaam accuse him of being

baseless in his views. Tomoioagă is not completely biased and reveals that both

methods of Christianity have their flaws and there must be a union of these

ideologies for the Christian experience. He describes and defends the divine light
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according to Palamas as the presence of God experienced. This article will help

explore the meaning of Palamas’ light and see refutations against it.

Miziołek, Jerzy. “Transfiguratio Domini in the Apse at Mount Sinai and the Symbolism of

Light” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 53, The Warburg Institute,

1990, pp. 42- 60, https://www.jstor.org/stable/751338

Miziołek analyzes the symbolism of the Transfiguration, which Palamas pulls

from in his argument. He speaks on the nature of light in that occurrence and how it calls

to question the nature of physical light and spiritual light. The sun is a natural light that

was seen on the mountain, but the brighter light was the light from the Son, the true sun.

the author does not mention Palamas directly, but the discussion of physical light vs

spiritual light and it’s affects are congruent to palamite arguments. Its interpretation of

the scriptural account will clarify understanding of the Divine Light.

Emory-Moore, Christopher. “Clear and Uncreated: The Experience of Inner Light in Gelug-pa

Tantrism and Byzantine Hesychasm” Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 36, University of

Hawaii Press, 2016, pp. 117-131, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24801551

Emory-Moore highlights the differences of inner light in Buddhism and in

Christian Hesychasm. After describing the light in Buddhism, he describes the

meditative methods the hesychasts use to experience the beatific vision of inner

light to access the presence of God. He quotes Palamas and other authors to

define the inner light, how it is potentially found, and how it leads to the

deification of the mind and body. The explorative research of light in the east v.s

the west will allow my research to be more diverse in perspective.