Constantinople synod on hesychasm (1341)
A synod in Constantinople addressed the dispute between Gregory Palamas and Barlaam over hesychast prayer and the knowledge of God.
Historical context
This was the first of several fourteenth-century synods; its decision should not be treated as the single final settlement of the controversy. The Hagioritic Tome is a distinct Athonite declaration, rather than a synonym for the Synodal Tome of 1341.
Key points
- The debate concerns genuine participation in God's uncreated life.
- The divine essence remains beyond created comprehension.
Scripture
- Matthew 17:1-2 — An editorial biblical connection: the Transfiguration is central to the hesychast dispute. The short quoted clause concerns deifying grace without naming Tabor.
Primary sources
Section 1 defends those who declare:
The contemporary Athonite Declaration drafted by Palamas defends confession of the uncreated reality of deifying grace. This is a monastic witness to the 1341 controversy, not the synod's own act.
deifying grace of God to be uncreated, ungenerated and completely real
Passage context and translation
Section 1 defends those who confess the uncreated reality of deifying grace against the charges of Messalianism and ditheism. The Declaration was drafted by Palamas and signed by Athonite monks and their local bishop. It is a contemporary monastic statement associated with the controversy addressed in 1341, not the synodal act of that council. This short clause concerns grace; it does not itself name Tabor.
Before the excerpt
those who declare this
After the excerpt
, and calls them ditheists,