Episode 4: Iconography & Knowledge of God through Prayer, "St. Gregory Palamas: An Introduction."

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Series: Mystical Theology
Unit 14: Gregory Palamas
Episode 4: Iconography & Knowledge of God through Prayer

The fourth episode in our series discusses the characteristics of Hesychast iconography and the two forms of knowledge: human or created knowledge and knowledge of God.

Themes covered in this episode include the erroneous employment of analogy in the post-Augustinian Western theological tradition, explaining why in the Orthodox Biblical and Patristic tradition there is neither the analogia entis nor the analogia fidei. In fact, the way to knowledge of God is through prayer and worship, which was the central theme of the Hesychast Controversy of the 14th century, culminating in the 1351 Council of Constantinople.

Q&As related to Episode 4 available in The Professor’s Blog: https://mountthabor.com/blogs/the-professors-blog

Recommended background reading: Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies(Dalton PA: 2022).

TIMESTAMPS

00:20 Accusation of iconoclasm

02:45 Panselinos and the Macedonian School

05:10 Feofan Grek and the Cretan School

08:43 Patriarch Philotheos Kokkinos

09:50 Two forms of knowledge

11:18 Filioque

12:35 Empirical basis of theology

13:25 Byzantine renaissance

14:05 "Analogia entis" — "Analogia fide"

14:40 William of Occam and Scholasticism

16:06 Luther and sola scriptura

16:44 No analogies in Orthodox tradition

17:19 Illumination

18:10 Authority

19:22 Similarities between Barlaam and Gregoras

20:04 Same response to the Arians

20:47 Knowledge of God through prayer

21:37 Mother of God archetypal hesychast

23:35 Patriarchs men of prayer

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the profound interrelationship between Orthodox theology and the Orthodox Christian life, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos contained therein. 

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Dr. Christopher Veniamin D.Phil. (Oxon.)