Finding the Way to the Heart by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

This lecture is audio only.

The Fathers' Response to the Three Kinds of Impulsivity by Fr Alexis Trader

From the Orthodox blog Ancient Christian Wisdom

"In our ever-changing, fast-paced contemporary world that rewards Type-A aggressive behaviorand a results-oriented lifestyle, impulsivity can become our default mode for interacting with the world. This “ready-fire-aim” approach to life can be framed as quick reflexes and speedy adaptation needed for success and getting ahead. Of course, if one’s gut reactions are wrong, that same approach can be one’s ruin.

Impulsivity, however, is not just about being an active, carpe-diem sort of person. Acting on the spur of the moment is only one of the measures of impulsivity used by psychologists. Other expressions of impulsivity include the inability to focus on a given task and difficulty with careful planning. In technical terms used in measures of impulsivity such as the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, psychologists refer to these factors as motor, attentional, and planning impulsiveness (Dougherty, Bjork, Marsh, & Moeller, 2000).

In each case, something else other than what we started to do grabs our attention and almost immediately we “decide” or rather let our impulse decide that that thing or that thought is desirable. And so without further ado or further reflection, we move our muscles, our intentions, and our thoughts in the direction that our impulses suggest. In many cases, the reward for giving in to our impulses is immediate, and so we learn to follow this easy, effortless behavioral pathway so much so that we may find ourselves having trouble getting anything done or even worse we may feel as though we are no longer really in control of ourselves.

In our political discourse, we see planning impulsivity when simplistic solutions are favored over patience wand negotiation. In our news media, we see a tipping of the hat to attentional impulsivity when information concerning daily events is delivered in terms of sound bites and easily digestible slogans. In our online activity, we see motor impulsivity when we surf the net clicking on link after link with no real forethought of where we might really be going. Often, we see all three kinds of impulsivity in our own selves: for instance when we open the refrigerator while daydreaming and forget about plans to diet. Such innocent impulsivity may not be a major problem, but when it is, it can disrupt our lives and the lives of others.

The old adage “think-before-you-act” is meant to contraindicate relying on impulsivity. Yet, the thrill of immediate action and the pleasure of instant gratification make thinking, patience and an appreciation of the complexity of a given situation unattractive alternatives. Impulsivity has indeed garnered a certain acceptance in a world that prizes the fulfillment of desires and the attainment of happiness as the ultimate goal in life. Nevertheless, psychologists and experts in the life of the spirit warn us that such behavior is actually deleterious in the long term.

In fact, the opposite of impulsivity—controlling one’s movements, focusing one’s thoughts, and planning one’s day—can bring other blessings the impulsive do not experience such as a sense of agency and a freedom to make hard choices that are ultimately more beneficial. The holy fathers’ counsels offer an alternative to impulsivity. It is called watchfulness. It means being aware of the thoughts, not reacting to the thoughts, and acting in a way that leads towards the blessedness of the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, the fathers offer a blessed way of life that is almost the mirror opposite of the impulsivity encouraged by contemporary culture.

In order to not impulsively do this or that, the fathers suggest being attentive, guarding the heart, and being watchful. At a preliminary stage, this involves simply being aware of the thoughts without acting on them or being aware of them and deliberately not acting on them. In other words, it involves not giving in to motor impulsivity."

To read this post in full,  please go to Ancient Christian Wisdom

I Know a Man in Christ by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos

This book is available from Amazon, as well as other Orthodox bookstores.

Finally, I've been longing for this book to appear in English for a long time. Metropolitan Hierotheos, shares with us what he received during the seventeen years of his relationship with Elder Sophrony of Essex.


"Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos wrote this book about Elder Sophrony as an expression of gratitude for his long association (17 years) with the Elder and "to share with readers the spiritual wealth that I unworthily received".

 The first part of the book is a spiritual portrait of Elder Sophrony. After a brief survey of his theology, the author examines the Elder's writings in the light of the experience of saints of the Church, particularly St Paul, St Symeon the New Theologian and St Gregory Palamas, thus placing his teaching in a wider context.

There is a careful analysis of the Elder's correspondence with David Balfour, which reveals "many subtle details of the spiritual life" but also how "a genuine spiritual father guides those entrusted to him".

The second part of the book records what the author learnt and experienced during visits to the Monastery of St John the Baptist in meetings and informal conversations with the Elder and as a concelebrant at the Divine Liturgy.

Over the years he carefully recorded the Elder's words and amassed an archive of notes that he publishes here. The subjects covered reflect both Father Sophrony's and the author's personal and pastoral concerns and include prayer (particularly the Jesus Prayer); monasticism and obedience; priesthood and the temptations it brings; giving spiritual guidance; the problems facing those who become Orthodox; and family life. The discussions also shed light on theological issues close to the Elder's heart.

The book shows us a "great hesychast and theologian, but also a wise, discerning and prophetic spiritual father" and brings us closer to the man in Christ." from the Amazon website.

The Spiritual Heart by Fr Zacharias Zacharou

Fr Zacharias Zacharou

Fr Zacharias from Holy Momastery of John the Forerunner, Essex, England, speaks on the nature of what the Church Fathers call the Spiritual Heart, the Nous* (Intellect); and their union through prayer. Please click here for the video talk, courtesy of Pemptousia

Note

*The word 'mind' or 'intellect'(nous) as used by Fr Zacharias in  this talk, does not refer to reason, discursive thinking or logical thinking, but to the organ of the soul by which the soul can 'know', that is directly apprehend, spiritual realities; not by drawing conclusions, but directly under the inspiration of divine Grace. The Greek language makes a distinction between nous (translated as 'mind' here) which is the spiritual organ of knowledge of the soul; and diania or 'reason' the organ of knowledge of the brain through the senses and discourse (logical thinking). Orthodox Christian anthropology affirms that man has both organs of knowledge. Thoughts, reason and the senses can interact with the nous, both in a positive and in a negative manner, and in that way affect the heart, the spiritual center of man.

Guarding the Mind and the Heart by St Nicodemos the Holy Mountain, Greece

A Handbook of Spiritual Counsel by St Nicodemos of the 

Holy Mountain is available from Amazon

The word 'mind' (nous) as used by St Nicodemos in  this text, does not refer to reason, discursive thinking or logical thinking, but to the organ of the soul by which the soul can 'know', that is directly apprehend, spiritual realities; not by drawing conclusions, but directly under the inspiration of divine Grace. The Greek language makes a distinction between nous (translated as 'mind' here) which is the spiritual organ of knowledge of the soul; and diania or 'reason' the organ of knowledge of the brain through the senses and discourse. Orthodox Christian anthropology affirms that man has both organs of knowledge. Thoughts, reason and the senses can interact with the nous, both in a positive and in a negative manner, and in that way affect the heart, the spiritual center of man.

The reading of the following chapter from St Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain, should precede the reading of the Philokalia.

Section One-One Must Guard His Heart from Evil Thoughts More Than His Senses from Harmful Objects
Have you learned how to guard your external senses? Have you learned to guard also the internal and common sense of the imagination? Learn now also how to guard your heart from evil passions and thoughts. The heart is the mystical and hidden chamber of the mind or, in other words, the soul, as we said in the beginning. For, as St. Syngletike said, a ship can sink for two reasons: externally by the waves of the sea, or internally by the failure of the pumps. Thus the soul, too, can be harmed from without through physical things and from within through evil thoughts and desires that rise up in the heart.

This is the reason we must guard our senses from hedonistic and harmful objects, as well as our heart from evil thoughts and passions. It is therefore necessary to be vigilant and to guard both, for both of these may become our downfall. However, one must be more vigilant to guard his heart from evil thoughts and passions than to guard his senses from external harmful influences. 

For if we neglect our evil thoughts, they will become our downfall and perdition, much like the ship that suddenly finds itself sinking at a time of calm seas when the sailors are sleeping, because they neglected to man the pumps. We must therefore keep in mind that as the center of a wagon wheel has a certain number of spokes going out to the circumference of the circle and returning to the center where they meet, so also is the heart of man like a center where all the senses, all the powers of the body’ and all the activities of the soul are united. The heart is a center that has three aspects: It is a natural, a supernatural, and a para-natural center.

Section Two-The Heart is a Natural Center, and the Essence of the Soul is found in the Heart
The heart is a natural center. Of all the members of the body, it is the heart that is fashioned first. St. Basil said: “In the creation of animals the heart is the first to be founded by nature in accordance with the animal that must be analogous to it”. See note 1. Thus the physicians too are of the common opinion that the heart lies at the center of the chest with a slight inclination toward the left side. Thus we can say that the heart, because of the sense itself and the central place where it is found, holds a key position in relation to the whole body. 

For this reason it is not only the first to be created of all the members, but it is also the last of the organs to die. The heart is the seat, the root, the beginning, and the source of all the physical energies of the body—-generation, nurture, growth, life, sensation, emotion, desire, and the others. Also the heart is the center of all the natural energies of the soul—thought, reason, and will. 

Therefore the essence of the soul as the inner form of the body may not be contained as if in a vessel, since it is bodiless; and yet the soul, as in an organ or carriage, is found at the very core of the heart and at the very core of the most sincere and most pure spirit that intercedes between the body and the mind. Thus the essence and the power of the mind, that is the soul, is not found in the brain as an organ. Only the energy of the mind is found in the brain, as we said at first, (and never mind the newer physicists and metaphysicists who argue that the essence of the soul is found in the brain). To say this is the same as to say that the soul of growth is not originally in the root of the tree but in the branch and the fruit. The teaching of Sacred Scripture and the holy Fathers is truer than the teaching of men.

One of the newer moral philosophers has expressed excellently this position of the heart: The heart as the first of the organs and root of life is also the organ of desire and the interpreter of passions and emotions, because of its marvelous activities. The ocean has received from nature a moderate and appropriate flow, called high and low tide. providing a rest for the ocean as it flows back and forth, like a baby in a cradle. But if this ocean is blown by the cold north wind or by the warm south wind, it is no longer contained within itself, but comes and goes, sometimes rising high toward heaven and sometimes lowering itself to the abyss.

The same divine providence has given to the heart a sort of perpetual and physical motion appropriate to the nature of man that is extended and contracted by innumerable measures to interchange the breathing and to distribute the vital spirits to the whole body. Now, if the heart is troubled by the winds of passions, then by a paradoxical extension or contraction, changing the analogy of physical movement, it changes the emotions. The changes of the heart are as many as are the passions. 

It is obvious that the soul is moved first by thought and then the heart by the soul. The first is a physical movement, the second a moral one. It would be a most desirable sight to be able to look through a crystal and to see through the chest the movements of the heart as we see those of a clock. 

If the understanding accepts some subject as lovable, the heart as a whole extends itself and rushes forward to receive it. But if a subject is hated, the heart again is all contracted, drawn back, and appears to be going away. In utter joy the heart rejoices and jumps. In sadness and grief, the heart is with- drawn and apparently closed. In anger the heart is agitated and pumps the blood quickly. In fear, it is choked, struggling, and trembling. The smallest part of the ship is the rudder, but every small movement of the rudder causes the whole ship to turn on a wide circle left or right. 

Similarly every small movement of the heart, situated at the center, can cause great movements throughout the periphery of the human body: those sweet smiles and tight embraces which one does in answer to a beloved friend; the expression of abhorrence and turning away from something that is undesirable and abominable; the clapping of hands and the jumping up and down when one is pleased; the expression of sighs and laments when one is grieved; the burning sensation in the face; the turning of the eyes and the biting of the teeth in anger; the cold paleness and the terror of fear—all of these are external results of the internal movements of the heart: small at the center but great at the outer perimeter.

Section Three-The Heart Is a Supernatural Center
The heart is also a supernatural center. The supernatural grace of God which we have received through holy baptism is found in the heart-—its seat and throne. Sacred Scripture is the first witness of this. For the Lord has said: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:11). St. Paul said: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Again he said: “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba.’ Father!’ ” (Gal 4:6). Elsewhere he said: “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph 3:16). 

The holy Fathers agree with the Holy Scripture. St. Macarios said: “The heart affects the whole organism, and as soon as grace enters the place of the heart, it rules over all the members and the thoughts, for the mind and all the thoughts of the soul are there. ”2

St. Isaac wrote: “If you are pure, behold heaven is within you; and you will see in yourself the angels and their light and their Master with them.”3 Elsewhere St. Isaac wrote: “Seek to enter into your inner chamber and you will see the heavenly chamber, they are one and the same. ”4 

St. Diadochos also said: “I have learned from Sacred Scripture and from the mind of perception that before holy baptism grace prompts the soul to good externally, while Satan lies hidden in its depths. But at the hour of our rebirth in holy baptism, the devil is banished from our soul while grace enters.”5 

St. Gregory Palamas, interpreting a saying of St. Macarios: “It is necessary to look there to see if the grace of the Spirit has written any laws,” asked, “Where is there?” And he answered: “In the leading organ, in the throne of grace where the mind and all the thoughts of the soul are present, in the heart, of course.” This is the universal confession of all the Fathers and especially of the neptic Fathers.

Section Four-The Heart Is a Para-natural Center
The heart is also a para-natural, that is, an unnatural center. All the unnatural passions, all the blasphemous, proud, shameful, and evil thoughts and all the evil passions, tendencies, appetites, attempts, and consents that we have come to receive from the things of the world are born in the heart and are to be found there. All of these evils can cover over the divine grace which we received at Holy Baptism, much like the ashes covering the spark of fire, as St. Kallistos has noted. 

There in the heart are the roots and origins of all the unnatural sins, which we have committed after Holy Baptism, through evil thoughts and deeds and which we even now do and desire to do. There in the heart is also Satan, even though he is not at its core (for divine grace is at the core as St. Diadochos said above). Nevertheless, Satan is at the surface of the heart and simply around the heart, as again St. Diadochos has noted, smoking up the mind through the dampness of the body and the desires and pleasures of the flesh. Thus he is able to project, through the inner reasoning that is naturally spoken in the heart, all the passionate and improper thoughts. This situation is confirmed by Sacred 2 Scripture. The Creator of the hearts has taught us to know: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man” (Mt 15:19). 

Again another passage: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first” (Mt 12:43-45).

Do you hear? “They enter and dwell . . .” Where? In the heart, of course, in the inner man. The tradition of the holy Fathers confirms this word of Scripture. St. Gregory the Theologian wrote in his Homily on Baptism and in his heroic elegies: “You came to me again, O deceiver, as you planned, grazing within the depths of my heart.”6 St. Basil too wrote: “We must first of all consider it a blessing to be pure in thought. The reason is that the root of the activities of the body is the will of the heart. 

For the sin of adultery begins to burn first in the soul of the hedonist and then the corruption of the body is brought about. Therefore the Lord warned us that the things which defile us come from within” 7. 

St. John Chrysostom and generally all the Fathers agree in their interpretation of this passage from Scripture. Especially significant is the comment of St. Macarios about guarding the heart: “Enter by controlling your thoughts into your mind that is a captive and a slave of sin; detect there him who is lower than mind and deeper than your thoughts, in the so-called chambers of your soul; see there the cowering serpent that has brought death to your most vital members. The heart is indeed an incomprehensible abyss. Only when you succeed in killing this demon in your heart can you dare to take pride in being pure before God. Otherwise, humble yourself as wanting and sinful and pray to God for your hidden sins. ” 8

Orthodox Spirituality: A Practical Guide for the Faithful and a Definitive Manual for the Scholar by Dumitru Staniloae

Recently, I finished reading Empirical Dogmatics (2 vols.)

by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, in which His Eminence 

edits and presents the writings of Fr. Dr. John Romanides. 

Empirical Dogmatics is presented in this blog here and 

here.

In it Fr John highly recommends two books which he

considers to be very faithful to Patristic teaching. They

are, "Orthodox Spirituality" by Fr Dumitru Staniloae,

and "Orthodox Dogmatic Theology" by Fr. Michael
Pomazansky. I happen to own both books so I pulled
them off the shelf and discovered I had a hidden
treasure in my library. 

Please read below for all pertinent information concerning

both books;

Orthodox Spirituality by Dumitru Staniloae is available
from St Tikhon Seminary Press
ISBN: 1-878997-66-1

“Orthodox spirituality has as its goal the deification of man and his union with God, without being merged with Him. It has as a basic conviction the existence of a personal God, who is the supreme source of radiating love. He prizes man and doesn’t want to confuse him with Himself, but maintains and raises him to an eternal dialogue of love. Such a spirituality has no place where an evolutionary progress of man, connected to a divinity conceived as an impersonal essence, is affirmed. This progress can have no result other than man’s disappearance in the impersonal divinity. But the personal God, and thus the supreme source of love, can’t be conceived of as a single person, but as a community of persons in a perfect unity. You see then why the Christian teaching of a Trinity of Persons in a unity of essence is the only one which can constitute the basis of a perfect spirituality for man, understood as a full communion with God in love, without his being lost in it.”

Dumitru Staniloae, Orthodox Spirituality (from the back cover)

A quick look at the contents made me shudder
CONTENTS

Foreword
Introduction

1. The Goal of Orthodox Spirituality
2. The Meaning and Possibility of Union with God
3. Orthodox Spirituality and Our Neighbor
4. The Holy Trinity - the Basis of Christian Spirituality
5. The Christological, Pneumatological, and Ecclesiastical
     Character of Orthodox Spirituality
6. The Major Steps of the Spiritual Life

PART ONE: PURIFICATION
A. About the Passions
7. The Essence of the Passions
8. The Natural and Unnatural Passions
9. The Basic Causes of the Passions and their Effects
10. The Passions and the Faculties of the Soul
11. How the Passions are Aroused according to Traditional

      Orthodox Teaching
12. The Passionate State and Care

b. Purification of the Passions by the Virtues
13. The Order of Purification and Patristic Spiritual Methods

14. Faith, the Basic State for Purification
15. The Fear of God and the Thought of Judgment
16. Repentance
17. Self Control

18. The Guarding of the Mind or of Thoughts

19. Longsuffering, the Patient Endurance of Troubles

20. Hope
21. Meekness and Humility
22. Dispassion or Freedom from Passion

PART TWO: ILLUMINATION

23. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

24. The Contemplation of God in Creation

25. The Spiritual Understanding of Scripture

26. The Negative and Apophatic Knowledge of God in General

27.The Steps of Apophaticism

28. Negative and Positive Theology: a Dynamic Relationship

29. Pure Prayer

30. Methods for the Facilitation of Pure Prayer31. To Jesus by what is Deep within Us                                                                    
32. Mental Rest: the First Step of Stillness

PART THREE: PERFECTION
33. Love and Dispassion: the Steps of Love
34. Love as a Factor of Perfect Union and as Ecstacy
35. Love, Knowledge and the Divine Light:
        1. The Role of the Mind in the Vision of the Divine Light
36.   2. The Vision of the Divine Light: a Knowledge beyond
            Knowledge
37. Deification: Deification in a Broad Sense
38. Deification: Deification in a Strict Sense

Bibliography
Index
Postscript

Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr Michael Pomazansky is

available from St Herman Press
ISBN: 0938635-69-7

“In the writings of Fr. Michael Pomazansky, one may see a characteristic of genuine Orthodox theology that is so often lost sight of in our cold, rationalistic age. Theology is not primarily a matter of arguments, criticisms, proofs and disproofs; it is first of all men’s word about God, in accordance with the Divinely revealed teaching of Orthodoxy. Therefore, its first purpose and intent is always to inspire, to warm the heart, to lift one above the petty preoccupations of earth in order to glimpse the Divine beginning and end of all things and so to give one the energy and encouragement to struggle towards God and our heavenly homeland.…
“Fr. Michael’s theology is in this warm-hearted and inspiring tone. He is not the only one to write Orthodox theology with this intent today, but he is one of the few, in an older generation that is fast vanishing, who can serve as a link between us and the genuine theology of the Holy Fathers.… Orthodox Dogmatic Theology is his masterpiece.”

—Hieromonk Seraphim Rose

"Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent" (Luke 24:29).

  

Source

2014 Clergy Seminar Antiochian Diocese of the West

by

Monk Maximos from Simonopetra Monastery in 

Mount Athos, Greece

Professor of Theology
Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School
of Theology.Father Maximos appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes
Mount Athos program.

He is a native New Yorker, and a graduate of Hellenic College
and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He holds 

a Ph.D. in patristics, has twice been a fellow at Dumbarton
Oaks, and for many years was a professor at Holy Cross and
subsequently at Harvard Divinity School.

The author of many scholarly books, articles, and translations,
his edition and translation of St. Maximos the Confessor's
Ambigua will be published later this year by Harvard University
Press. Source
THEME:
"Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far
spent" (Luke 24:29).

These lectures are awesome! Fr Maximos presents the problem
of our distracted lives, broken attention, and excess gadgets. Then
he teaches on how to gather our distracted nous (our inner being)
and go inside and try to achieve inner stillness and prayer.

I think this information would be great for Orthodox schools and
for families with children, so we may teach them (and ourselves)
how to disconnect from the impersonal social media and gadgets
and heal ourselves from this inner dysfunction and brokenness.
At the beginning of the 1st talk, you will listen to the last words
of introduction to the talks by Archbishop Joseph. His words are
directed at his clergy in whose presence the talks were given.
Please wait a few minutes and the talk proper will begin.

Presentation 1

Presentation 1 Questions & Answers

Presentation 2

Presentation 2 Questions & Answers

Presentation 3

Presentation 3 Questions & Answers

Presentation 4

Presentation 4 Questions & Answers

Presentation 5

Presentation 5 Questions & Answers

Presentation 6

Presentation 7

The Jesus Prayer Method by Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex

Finding the place of the Heart by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (Audio only)

Audio recording only, featuring a montage of pictures from
the event. Source:Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge
University, U.K.

The Jesus Prayer

Icon of Christ in the Church of St Panteleimon Thessaloniki, Greece


"Lord Jesus Christ , Son of God, have mercy on me."

or

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,
a sinner."

The Jesus Prayer is an invocation to the living Christ. In the
Jesus Prayer we confess Christ as Lord and ask Him for His
mercy. The Jesus Prayer combines St Paul's doxology
(Phil. 2:11- "and that every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."), the tax
collector's spirit of repentance (Luke 18:13- "But the tax
collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling
to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’), and the blind man's plea
for enlightenment (Mk. 10:47,51- When he heard that it was
Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son
of David, have mercy on me!”, "And answering him, Jesus said,
“What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said
to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!”). "The divine
name of Jesus Christ holds in itself the whole gospel truth,"
wrote the author of The Way of a Pilgrim.

The Jesus Prayer is appropriate for every Christian and may
be recited in all circumstances - while kneeling, sitting, standing,
walking, eating, traveling, working, or falling asleep. It may be
offered at regular prayer times, during breaks at home and office,
even in the bustle of commuting to and from work or while
shopping and preparing meals. Its brevity makes it useful as a
way of centering the inner consciousness on Christ, guarding
against temptations and finding ready spiritual strength.

The effectiveness of the Jesus Prayer comes from the power and the
grace of Christ who hears our fervent invocation, cleanses our heart
from evil and comes to dwell in us as personal Lord. The fruits of the
Jesus Prayer are repentance, contrition, forgiveness, joy, peace and
above all, as the pilgrim put it, "a burning love for Jesus Christ and
for all God's creatures." Developed to maturity, the Jesus Prayer
becomes a mystical prayer of the heart, an unceasing breath of the
Holy Spirit praying within the believer, an inner spiritual fire
energizing the Christian in all things.

From the believer's side the Jesus Prayer requires a sincere and
humble spirit rather than a particular method. In quiet moments
of concentrated prayer it may be recited rhythmically in order to
establish inner attention, (Pray "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God"
while breathing in, and "have mercy on me" while breathing out.)
But far more important are the constant attention to the words
of the prayer and the fervent personal appeal to Christ for whom
the soul yearns. Trust in the love and mercy of God. Seek the
presence of Christ in your heart. Pray to Christ calmly and
unhurriedly by enclosing your thoughts and feelings in each word
of the Jesus Prayer.

From My Orthodox Prayer Book, p. 64-66, Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of North and South America, Brookline, MA 1985, 
5th Printing 1994.

This prayer book was my first book of prayers which I received
as a gift from the Greek Orthodox Priest who introduced me
to the Orthodox Church, Fr Demetrios Tsigas, then Priest of the
Greek Orthodox Church of The Holy Trinity in Portland, OR.
It has been sixteen years but the moment I received this gift
has been indelibly imprinted in my memory. Fr Dimitri gave
this book to me during the winter of 1996, after a conversation
we had in his office in which I expressed my desire to join the
Orthodox Church. He walked with me to the church's bookstore,
bought the book and surprised me with it. This book has been
my dear and faithful companion for many years. On Great and
Holy Monday 1997, Fr Dimitri made me a catechumen of the
Orthodox Church. I was baptized the next year, Pascha 1998,
by Fr Nicholas Letten.

My Orthodox Prayer Book is available from Light & Life Publishing
Description:
A pocket-size book designed to help Orthodox Christians in private and family

devotions. Reflecting the treasures of Orthodox worship, it contains the basic
cycles of daily and other prayers. Includes Morning and Evening Prayers,
Occasional Prayers, Confessional Prayers, Communion Prayers, etc. 

Source

On the Jesus Prayer by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

Valaam Monastic Community- The Spiritual Treasure of Russia

Donate

Notes on the Jesus Prayer by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov

Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Church of St Panteleimon,

Thessaloniki, Greece

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner"
The Jesus Prayer

Warm, concise suggestions on making the prayer of the heart come alive from Moscow pastor, Fr. Artemy Vladimirov.

We very much pity those Orthodox Christians who think that the best rest for their exhausted soul is to watch television news. This isn't a bad thing, perhaps, but it's a dead thing. You may spend all of the earthly time you have been allotted with such distractions, but you will never be at peace. If you want to calm your mind and ease your heart, try calling instead on the most holy name of Jesus Christ, without haste and with only one intent: to attract His attention and repent of your sins.

To stand before the face of God, to cleanse your heart and sanctify the space of your life by invoking His name, this is your aim.We don't know how God cleanses our heart by His name, but we believe that He does so in a supernatural way. In saying the Jesus Prayer, it is not so important whether you are a monk or a drunk, but you are to be very steadfast, attentive, humble, mild, and concentrated. 

Try taking a walk for ten minutes as you invoke His miracle-working name, and you will see spiritual profit. Begin in a simple, humble manner, Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner. You may even do this somewhat mechanically, knowing that this tradition has been sanctified by generations of saints, but as you walk and pray, try not to think of anything else. Just walk in the presence of God.

In these ten minutes, you will find that your fevered mind is soothed, that the noisy bazaar of your thoughts has become light, clear, and direct, and that your heart has begun to say other prayers in a manner that satisfies you. You pray, you breathe, you speak to God; you are not just repeating empty words.

What does it mean to have your mind in your heart? It means that you are to control your feelings. You are not to admit invaders into your heart, but are to check your heart with your mind, to observe everything that takes place there. To have your mind in your heart is exactly what our Lord prescribes to us in His commandment: "But thou when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret." Matthew 6:6 What does it mean to shut the door? It means to banish every earthly image or passion with the concentration of your mind and will. When we pray we should not admit feelings of lust or open our hearts to the snake of irritation; we are to rid ourselves of everything that is unpleasant. To have your mind in your heart is to control the space of your heart. It is the kingdom of God Almighty and of nothing else.

If you make progress in this humble prayer, you will begin to understand that this commandment is very complete. Your heart will be filled with a spiritual warmth that embraces the center of your feelings. You will come to understand what attentive prayer is, and that your heart has been created for ceaseless prayer. Ceaseless prayer is not a perpetual repetition of this or that word or phrase. The Holy Fathers say that it is the feeling of your heart. Just as you view the objects of this world with open eyes, so your heart, warmed by prayer to God, will partake of the spiritual world. This will be due, not to your piety, but to God's grace. Unceasing prayer may have no words, but you will walk and sleep in the presence of God.

From; Bright Faith - Father Artemy Vladimirov Talks with Western Orthodox Christians , 

pp.170-171, by Fr. Artemy Vladimirov, CSB Publishing, Ash Grove Missouri, 2010 

Source

Elder Sophrony Sakharov- His Holy Way of Life in Mt. Athos

Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov Source

"Besides all those I have mentioned up to now, it is worthwhile

to mention especially the two select fathers, the wise Russian

priest-monk, Father Sophronios Sacharoff, and the "violent"

hermit, Father Gabriel.

The former (Fr Sophrony) lived at the time a little further down

from our kalyva. I had the blessing and special honor to make

him my confessor with the permission of my elder, when the

confessor of our group, Father Christopher, moved from 

Karoulia to the Skete of Vatopedi.

Close to Father Sophronios I found out how much the life of

solitude and prayer enriches the soul. I enjoyed his knowledge,

his experience, and his sanctity. The grandeur of that soul had

captivated me, and I would never want to leave Karoulia, even

though there were so many hardships for me, since I was young

and a beginner.

Father Sophronios had a prodigious education. He knew 

several languages, among them Greek and especially ancient 

Greek. But it wasn't his education which fascinated me. His virtue,

spiritual radiation and cultivation of prayer attracted me the most.

He described to me the many ways of prayer of the hermits in 

Karoulia. One way which he himself used - may he forgive me for
revealing a strict personal fold of his spiritual life - was the 
repetition of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father", with the lifting up
of the hands toward heaven. This repetition was done slowly,
syllable by syllable, so that mind and heart with seize and make 
theirs, the content of each word of the God-taught prayer, 
penetrating its deepest meaning. He began the prayer at night
and would finish at sunrise. Of course, Father Sophronios would
have practiced the prayer of the heart also. But he made known
to me the former way with the, "Our Father" also, like a preparation,
and perhaps a training, for the perfect, the spiritual prayer of the
heart.


Father Sophronios is now in England. He is the founder of the 
Stavropegiac Monastery of the Holy Forerunner in Essex, near
London, and will surely remember, just as I do, with nostalgia,
life in Karoulia". Archimandrite Cherubim


(Please note that Archimandrite Cherubim wrote these words 
before Elder Sophrony's repose in 1993)


From the book, 'Recollections of Mount Athos'  pp.191-192, 
Archimandrite Cherubim Karambelas , Holy Cross
Orthodox Press 1987, Brookline, MA 02146
ISBN 0-917651-44-8 (pbk)


For more on Elder Sophrony, please read here, here, and here 

The Cell of Elder Sophrony in Mount Athos

The Heart in the Hesychastic Treatises of St Gregory Palamas

Reliquary of St Gregory Palamas, Thessaloniki, Greece


The paper I partially reproduce below is brilliantly written and
thoroughly researched and documented. (It appears that the original
must have been written in Greek?). But even more so, this work is 
imbued with a sense of awe. It communicates to the reader the sheer
magnificence of a life of prayer and stillness, as well as the desire to
engage himself in prayer. May our hearts become aflame with the 
longing to be in the Presence of the Living God, the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.


The Heart in the Hesychastic Treatises of St Gregory Palamas
by Monk Vartholomaeos

Introduction
In a Russian village not so long ago, a pious middle-aged Russian
woman, striving to live a conscientious Christian life, went to see
her priest for confession. Having listened to her for a while, and
perceiving her general instability of thought and therefore also life,
the elderly priest took a small metal cross into his hand, and in a
friendly, but stern manner, struck the woman twice upon the head
saying, ‘you silly woman, go inside, go inside, and you will find 
rest’. This unorthodox behaviour of the confessor, in a strange
way, is a most practical and direct way to express what we mean
by the term Hesychasm.


When one speaks about the heart, in an Eastern Christian
context, one is somewhat obliged to talk about Hesychasm
also. Furthermore, when one is talking about Hesychasm,
St Gregory Palamas inevitably enters the equation. The
heart possesses a centrality few can claim. If one accepts
that man is the centre and crown of creation (1) [seeNotes],
it would not be an exaggeration to say that the heart is at
the centre of the world. If this can be applied to the material
world, even more so does it appertain to the spiritual. For 
the heart is the meeting point between the Creator and
creation, between God and man. St Augustine asks the
following question, ‘Where can we find God?", and
continues in answer, "not on earth, for He is not here. And
not in heaven, for we are not there. But in our own hearts we
can find Him." (2)


St Gregory Palamas was a prolific writer. It was not until the second 
half of the previous century that his works were finally compiled and 
published by Professor Christou Panagiotis in Thessalonica, the city
where St Gregory served as Archbishop. It is a voluminous corpus 
consisting of theological treatises, letters, ascetic writings, homilies, 
and prayers. I have chosen to focus on three of his works: the 
Treatises in Defence of those who Practise Holy Stillness (3) 
(1338-40), commonly termed the Triads due to their structure, for 
they consist of three sets of triple tracts. This is, indisputably, 
St Gregory Palamas' most important theological work (4), and another
treatise, To the Most Reverend Nun Xenia (1345/6), a statement of 
traditional Orthodox asceticism, written at Xenia’s request, and finally,
for obvious reasons, one of Palamas’s briefest works, On Prayer and 
the Purity of Heart (1336/7).


I. Pre-requisites to Understanding St Gregory Palamas


i. The Person (St Gregory)
After the sack of Constantinople, by the fourth Crusade in 1204,
Byzantium never fully recovered. The material and military power
under the Palaeologoi was nothing but a shadow of what it once 
was in the days of Constantine and Justinian. Throughout the 
fourteenth century, her borders were steadily declining in the face
of the advancing Turks. Yet, the last two centuries of the Byzantine
Empire were far from being a story of merely increasing weakness
and steady decline. In the realm of the ‘spirit’, Byzantium continued
to be vibrant and creative right until the very end. The fourteenth 
century witnessed the last Byzantine renaissance, marked by
scholars and humanists such as Theodore Metochites (5) 
(1270-1331) and Nicephorus Gregoras (1296-1360).
It was likewise a time of outstanding artistic brilliance. One only 
needs to look at the mosaics and frescos of the monastery of 
Chora in Constantinople (6) and the later Byzantine churches of 
Thessalonica. Last, but not least, it was also an era of renewal for
ascetic and mystical theology. It was at this time that the Hesychast
Controversy broke out. An eloquent and authoritative spokesman
came to its defence: Saint Gregory Palamas (7).


Palamas has been described as the greatest Byzantine theologian
of the fourteenth century, and one of the most renowned of all ages
(8). He was born in Constantinople in 1296 into a noble and pious
family. He grew up in the court of emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus.
Palamas’s father was so well respected by the Emperor that the heir,
Andronicus III, was placed under his personal tuition. Palamas himself
received a first class education at the imperial university, which the 
Emperor personally supervised, since Palamas’s father had died when
the young Gregory was still only seven years old. Indeed, it is said that
when he had to talk about Aristotle in the presence of the Emperor, at 
the tender age of seventeen, he was so successful that Theodore
Metochites, Chancellor of the university at the time, exclaimed to the
Emperor that even if Aristotle himself were present he would have 
praised him (9). However, under the influence of the hesychast Bishop
Theoleptus of Philadelphia, Palamas, to the great disappointment of 
the Emperor, decided to turn his back on a glorious secular future and
to enter the monastic estate at the age of twenty. Prior to his death, 
Palamas’ father had also taken monastic vows; now it was the turn of
his mother, three sisters, and two brothers to follow suit. St Gregory 
Palamas was thus free to embark on a new life. Due to political turmoil,
and the Hesychast Controversy, Palamas spent most of his monastic
life on Mount Athos, Northern Greece, and Constantinople. At the age
of thirty, he was ordained priest in Thessalonica. Following the 
hesychast custom, he generally spent his time in utter seclusion, 
returning to the monastery only at weekends, in order to celebrate the
Divine Liturgy with his fellow ascetics.


The Hesychast Controversy broke out when the notorious Greek monk 
Barlaam (1290-1338) came from Calabria (10) to Thessalonica and
started attacking various aspects of Hesychasm. St Gregory Palamas,
prompted by his fellow monks, came to their defence writing his 
famous Triads. The anti-Palamite baton had been passed from 
Barlaam to Gregory Akindynus (11) a former friend of Palamas, to the 
learned scholar Nicephorus Gregoras. Three councils were convened
in Constantinople between 1341 and 1351 where Hesychasm was 
vindicated. This period was marked by civil strife and complicated 
turn of events. Palamas found himself imprisoned and 
excommunicated from the Church, only to later be exonerated and
even raised to the rank of Archbishop of Thessalonica. Apart from
a short period of imprisonment by the Turks, Palamas ended his
life peacefully fulfilling his pastoral responsibilities with great 
diligence, as one can see from his homilies (12). His life ended on
14th November 1359. By synodal act in 1368, Palamas’ name 
entered the Church calendar of Constantinople, and he was 
officially revered as a saint. His memory is celebrated twice a year:
on the day of his death and on the second Sunday of Great Lent (13).
This indicates the importance the Church ascribed to St Gregory
Palamas and his teaching.


ii. Hesychasm
The question we are faced with from the start is what is Hesychasm? 
It is derived from the Greek word ἡσυχία, which means silence/
stillness. According to the Father Sophrony Sakharov, Hesychasm is
such a rich and splendid ‘culture’ that any description of it sounds 
incoherent and incomplete (14). Palamas refers to it as ἱερή ἡσυχία 
(15) [holy silence] and calls it, ‘the art of arts’ (16). 


Hesychasm is a way of life in which a monk, in the midst of 
intense ascetic struggle, seeks inner stillness (ἡσυχία) and the
cleansing from the passions, which in turn leads to a mystical 
union with God, essentially effected by divine grace. Great 
attention is given to νήψις (vigilant inner sobriety), and physical
techniques have sometimes been employed. The mystical 
tradition to which Hesychasm belongs is marked by a strong 
use of apophatic theology.


God cannot be properly comprehended by the human mind, 
and all language applied to Him is inevitably inaccurate. It is, 
therefore, less misleading to use negative theology when 
speaking about God, rather than positive. This negative, or 
apophatic theology as it is more commonly termed, reaches
its classical expression in Dionysius the Areopagite 
(5th–6th c.). Many have used this approach not only as a 
device indicating God’s utter transcendence (17) but more 
fundamentally, as a means for attaining union with Him 
through prayer. These negations act as a springboard 
whereby the monk seeks to leap up into the living mystery
of God. This ‘way of negation’ is at the same time a ‘way of 
union’ (18). Apophaticism, therefore, is seen as a spiritual 
pathway, which prepares one to see God (19).


Chronologically, many have restricted Hesychasm to the controversies
of the fourteenth century. Hesychasm has a long history and continues
to play an essential role in Eastern monasticism to this very day. 
It has its roots in the first hermits who fled in the fourth century to the 
barren deserts of Egypt, Palestine and Syria (20). From the sixth 
century, the word ‘Hesychast’ has been synonymous with the word
‘monk’ (21). Besides, even from the time of Origen (c.185-c.254) the
word ἡσυχία took on the meaning of ‘solitude’ and life far from the 
world (22). From the very beginning ἡσυχία, was a characteristic 
feature of monasticism. According to one contemporary Greek 
theologian, Orthodox monasticism is at the same time Hesychasm
(23).


Some Hesychasts, and indeed Palamas himself, claimed that they
would experience a vision of the divine light, that same divine light
that shone on Mount Tabor, bringing about union with God (24). 
Although this may be the result of the Hesychast’s life, it cannot be
his purpose. A Hesychast is warned not to enter the monastery or
desert in order to receive supernatural visitations, but rather to 
engage in spiritual warfare. Thus, one may say that there are no 
‘mystics’ in the Orthodox Church, since one is clearly warned to 
avoid contemplation and the seeing of visions (25).


One of the fruits of Hesychasm is rest, essentially internal in 
character. However, this rest has little to do with absence of 
conflict or pain. It is a rest in God in the midst of an intense 
daily struggle (26). Temptation and labour remains to the end. 
A Hesychast does not try to run away from temptation, but 
rather, seeks to obtain that inner strength that enables him 
to bear it. In deed, the Fathers knew that temptations were
unavoidable, but also salutary. 


According to St Anthony the Great, ‘whoever has not experienced
temptation cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Without 
temptation no one can be saved’ (27).


For a better understanding of Hesychasm, it is essential to draw
a distinction between loneliness and solitude. The word ‘monk’
is of Greek origin and is derived from the word μόνος (to be
alone). However, the life of the monk is far from being an
unbearable state of isolation or an undesirable banishment.
Rather, the life of the hesychast is rich in transformations and
sensations, essentially spiritual in character (28). The
Hesychast tries to turn his aloneness into solitude, and not let
it slip into loneliness.


Loneliness is painful, whereas solitude is peaceful; and one
might add, and Hesychasm is blissful. It is a lifelong struggle
(29). The Desert Fathers never thought of solitude as being
alone with one’s self, but as being with God. They did not
think of silence as not speaking, but as listening to God.
Solitude and silence are the context in which prayer is 
practiced (30), they are also the conditions that the
hesychasts sought.


One must be alone in order to realize how far one is from 
singleness of heart, and thus discover a deep longing for God.
Getting on in the world clutters up the heart with an array of
preoccupations and concerns which dampens this longing for
God (31). In order to express this theory - the manner in which 
external activities can obstruct the Hesychast from seeing his
true inner state - the Desert Fathers would use the example of
water being disturbed by the dropping of a stone.
The ripples do not allow the onlooker to see his face clearly in
the water. But once tranquillity has prevailed, one then is able
to see an undisturbed reflection of one’s self.


Hesychasm must not be perceived as an unhealthy esoteric movement
of the later Byzantine period, but rather as a spiritual renewal of a most
authentic tradition in the Christian East (32). For some, the word
Hesychast is synonymous with an uneducated monk. Undeniably, 
most of the monks were not learned, but it is not right to think of 
Hesychasm as only for the untutored. The example of Palamas himself
is proof of this. Furthermore, it is also wrong to believe that 
Hesychasm leads to a utopian, nirvana-type of peace. Rather, it seeks
the peace of God in the midst of intense daily struggle (33).


There is nothing mechanical about Hesychasm. It is not some
sort of spiritual technique that leads to divine contemplation,
for God is not subject to automatic influence or compulsion.
God freely communicates His grace to the soul when He wills
and when the soul is ready. This readiness consists of the
soul ardently aspiring towards God by the keeping of the
commandments. The preparation for this is suffering,
repentance, and tears (34).

Palamas was no revolutionary innovator, but firmly rooted in the
tradition of the past; yet he was a creative theologian of the first 
rank, and his work shows that Orthodox theology did not cease 
to be active after the eighth century and the seventh Ecumenical
Council (35). He was not one who merely repeats, as the starting 
point of his theology was his own spiritual experience and not 
only the study of the Fathers (36)


Palamas’ teaching is a new reading of traditional theology, 
formulated in response to the fresh challenges for the Orthodox 
faith (37). Tradition is not passive but active. It is active in two
ways. Firstly, it is about receiving what your ancestors – 
namely the Fathers of the Church - have passed on. Secondly,
it is active as an act of offering, of passing on that which you
have received (38).


It was due to St Gregory Palamas’s efforts that Hesychasm, that
age long tradition, was set on a firm doctrinal basis, the 
Constantinopolitan councils of 1341 and 1351 confirming his
teaching. Although these councils were local, they are of great
importance for Orthodox theology; in authority, ranking just 
below the seven general councils themselves (39). Palamas truly
lived the tradition of the Church. He was thus in a position to 
defend it, subsequently also to add to it.


iii. The Jesus Prayer
As the name suggests we are dealing with a prayer that has
Jesus Christ at its centre. It is a very short prayer that, with
a few variations, runs thus: "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God
have mercy on me a sinner." At the heart of Hesychasm we
find ‘heart spirituality’, and at the centre of this heart
spirituality we find the Jesus Prayer (40).


Phrases such as, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ [Rev. 22:20] (41) the humble
prayer of the publican: ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’
(Lk. 18:13), and the cry of the blind men: ‘thou Son of David, have
mercy on us’ (Matt. 9:28) are all seen as prototypes of the Jesus
Prayer. The parable of Jesus which urges men, ‘always to pray
and not to faint’ (Lk. 18:1-8), and the admonition of St Paul, ‘pray 
without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:17), have been taken as the scriptural
basis of the Jesus Prayer.


How to accomplish this unceasing prayer has long occupied the 
Christian mind. Others saw it as a combination of frequent prayers
and good works (Origen). In their attempt to practice unceasing 
prayer, the Messalians (42) rejected other ‘external’ aspects of 
worship. In the fifth century we even had the so-called ‘ἀκοίμητοι
μοναχοί’, literally translated the monks that never slept.
Groups of monks that would take turns to stay in church so that 
prayer would continue incessantly day and night (43). Barlaam
interpreted this injunction in a strange manner. For him, by prayer,
the apostle meant to have the habit of praying; and to have this habit
means to be aware that no one can do anything if God does not will it.
Palamas rejected this understanding, for in such a case, he said, even
the devil would be praying continually (44). All the above-mentioned
techniques tried to accomplish unceasing prayer in an external and
artificial manner. 


Gradually, in the East, prayer started to be seen more as a state
rather than as an act. The Desert Fathers would use short ‘arrow
prayers’ (45) which would lead to this perpetual state of prayer. It was
not until the fifth-sixth century that these arrow prayers became 
integrated with the name of Jesus and thus gave us the standard 
form of the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer has exercised immense
influence upon the spirituality of the Christian East – not the least in
our own times as it is probably being practiced more than ever before,
by lay people as well as by monastics (46). Palamas did not discuss
the Jesus Prayer specifically as a topic on its own, but it is taken for
granted in almost all of his writings, since he was replying to attacks
aimed against it (47). Its practice was so widespread that it was 
superfluous to discuss it. However, he does speak about 
μονολόγιστη εὐχή -the prayer of a single thought- (48) which 
essentially is the Jesus Prayer. 


By the constant repetition of this short prayer, the mind is 
brought to a certain concentration. Μονολογία, thus, leads to
ἡσυχία (49). Although Hesychasm is the work of the monk par 
excellence, it is not only confined to monasticism. Indeed, 
Palamas felt strongly about this himself. In his biography, it is
recorded that he had a dispute with a certain monk Job over the
matter (50). The Hesychast teachers sought to spread the practice
of the Jesus Prayer outside the cloisters, for to them it was 
pre-eminently a means of making the grace of baptism real and
efficacious (51). The Jesus Prayer is said to contain the whole
Gospel (52). It declares that the second person of the Holy Trinity
‘Lord Jesus Christ son of God’ came into the world to save fallen
man ‘have mercy upon me a sinner’. Is this not  that trustworthy 
saying given to Timothy? ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to 
save sinners’ (1 Tim.1:15).


This paper can be read in its entirety (nineteen pages) here


NOTES
1 See Gen. 1:26-28.

2 Quoted in Anthony Coniaris, Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality (Minneapolis: Light and Life,1998), 261.

3 Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἱερῶς Ἡσυχαζόντων.

4 John Meyendorff, The Byzantine Legacy in the Orthodox Church (New York: Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press,1982) 167.

5 In fact, Palamas studied under his supervision.

6 In the early fourteenth century, the church was restored and redecorated by none other than the Grand Logothete Theodore Metochites, during the reign of Andronicus II Palaeologus (1282-1328).

7 Kallistos Ware, Act out of Stillness (Toronto: The Hellenic Canadian Association of Constantinople, 1995) 1-3.

8 George Mantzarides, Παλαμικά, (Thessalonica: Πουρναράς, 1998) 79.

9 Philotheos Kokkinos, Λόγος Ἐγκωμιαστικὸς εἰς τὸν ἐν Ἁγίοις Πατέρα ἡμῶν Γρηγόριον Ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Θεσσαλονίκης τὸν Παλαμά, in J. P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca, vol. 151 (Paris: 1865), 560A.

10 Southern Italy.

11 Born early 14th century.

12 Of which two volumes have already been published in English by St Tikhon’s Seminary Press.

13 For a fuller account see: Carmelo Giuseppe Conticello, and Vassa Conticello (eds.) Le Theologie Byzantine et sa Tradition, vol. II (Turnhout: Brepolis, 2002), 131-137, and Παναγιώτης Χρήστου ‘Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς’, in Α. Μαρτίνος (ed.), Θρησκευτική και Ηθική Εγκυγκλοπαιδεία (Athens: Μαρτίνος, 1965) vol. IV, 775-794.

14 See Sophrony Sakharov, Saint Silouan the Athonite, trans. Rosemary Edmonds (New York: Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1999), 142.

15 Gregory Palamas, Défence des Saints Hésychastes, Jean Meyendorff (ed.) (Louvain: Spicilegium Sacrum Lovaneiense, 1973), 2. 2. 12. 345.

16 Palamas, Défence des Saints Hésychastes, 1. 2. 2. 321.

17 An early patristic example of this would be the works of St Gregory of Nyssa The Life of Moses and the Homilies on the Song of Songs.

18 Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church (London: Penguin Books, 1997), 63-4.

19 Don Fairbairn, ‘Eastern Orthodox Mystical Theology’, in C. Partridge and T. Gabriel (eds.), Mysticism East and West: Studies in Mystical Experience (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2003) 154-5.

20 Alphonse Goettmann, Prayer of Jesus – Prayer of the Heart (New York: Paulist Press, 1991), viii.

21 Philip Sheldrake (ed.), The New SCM Dictionary of Christian Spirituality (London: SCM Press, 2005), 335.2

22 Mantzarides, Παλαμικά, 80.

23 George Mantzarides, ‘Tradition and Renewal in the Theology of Saint Gregory Palamas’, Eastern Churches Review 9, no. 1 (1977), 3.

24 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 66.

25 John Romanides, ‘Notes on the Palamite Controversy and Related Topics – II’, The Greek Orthodox Theological Review 9, no. 2 (1963-64), 230.

26 Coniaris, Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality, 70.

27 Apopthegmata Partum, in J. P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca, vol. 65 (Paris: 1865), 77A.

28 Zacharias Zacharou, Αναφορά στη Θεολογία του Γέροντος Σωφρονίου (Essex: Ιερά Μονή Τιμίου Προδρόμου, 2000), 223.

29 Henri Nouwen quoted from Coniaris, Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality, 215.

30 Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart (New York: Seabury Press, 1981), 69.

31 See Andrew Louth, The Wilderness of God (London: Darton, Longman and 
Todd, 1999), 52.

32 John Meyendorff, A Study of Gregory Palamas, trans. George Lawrence (London: The Faith Press, 1964),201.

33 Coniaris, Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality, 218.

34 See Sophrony, Saint Silouan, 147.

35 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 70.

36 Basil Krivoshein, The Ascetic and Theological Theology of Gregory Palamas (London: Coldwell, 1954), 48.3

37 Conticello, Le Theologie Byzantine, 171.

38 Mantzarides, Παλαμικά, 17.

39 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 67.

40 Goettmann, Prayer of Jesus – Prayer of the Heart, viii.

41 See Ware, ‘The Beginnings of the Jesus Prayer’, in B. Ward and R. Waller (eds.), Joy of Heaven (London:SPCK, 2003), 3.

42 From the Syriac word mslÿn (praying people) in Greek εὐχήται. An 
extreme ascetic movement widespread in the Near East during the 4th 
and 5th centuries. Characterised by an over spiritualised approach to
prayer and anti-sacramentalism. They never formed an institutionalized
sect, neither did they develop any doctrine. They were criticized by 
Fathers and councils, including the third ecumenical council in 
Ephesus (431).

43 See George Galitis, ‘Η Αδιάλειπτη Προσευχή κατά τον ΄Αγιον Γρηγόριον τον Παλαμά’, in Γ.Μαντζαρίδης and Χ. Κοντάκης (eds.), Πρακτικά Θεολογικού Συνεδρίου (Thessalonica: Ιερά Μητρόπολις Θεσσαλονίκης, 1986), 177.

44 See Palamas, Défence, 2. 1. 30. 283.

45 Kallistos Ware, ‘Praying with the Body: The Hesychast Method and Non-Christian Parallels’, Sobornost 14, no. 2 (1992), 9.

46 Ware, ‘The Beginnings of the Jesus Prayer’, 2.

47 Lev Gillet, The Jesus Prayer (New York: Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1987), 60.

48 See Défence, 1. 3. 2. 109.

49 Ware, ‘The Beginnings of the Jesus Prayer’, 20.

50 Philotheos Kokkinos, Λόγος Ἐγκωμιαστικός, 573BC.4