Gregory Palamas and the Making of Palamism in the Modern Age (Changing Paradigms in Historical and Systematic Theology)

Product Description
The fourteenth-century Greek hesychast and controversialist, Gregory Palamas, has been so successfully cast as ‘the other’ in Western theological discourse that it can be difficult to gain a sympathetic hearing for him. In the first part of this book, Norman Russell traces the historical
reception of Palamite thought in Orthodoxy and in the West, and investigates how ‘Palamism’ was constructed in the early twentieth century by both Western and Eastern theologians (principally Martin Jugie and John Meyendorff) for polemical or apologetic purposes. Russell argues that we need to go
behind these ideological constructions in order to gain a true perception of the teaching of Gregory Palamas. In his recent survey of Palamite scholarship, Robert Sinkewicz noted that it is now time to raise the larger questions. The second part of the book attempts to do this, following the
contours of Palamas’ thinking in three areas: his relationship to tradition, his philosophy, and his theology. Russell shows that Palamite thought, when freed of misunderstanding and misrepresentation, has the potential to enrich our understanding of divine-human communion. This study contributes to
the changing paradigm of scholarship on Palamas, nudging it towards the point at which Palamite thought can be used fruitfully by contemporary Western and Eastern theologians without the need to subscribe to what has been regarded as ‘Palamism’.

Review
“…provides a comprehensive overview of the historical reception of and reaction to Gregory Palamas, beginning with the era im-mediately following his death (1357) through the present century.” — Father Demetios Harper,
Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies

“To sum up, this is an amazing book which every scholar of Palamas ― but also of the theology of Byzantium and the Eastern Fathers ― should definitely read.” — Alexandros Chouliaras,
The Journal of Theological Studies

“Russell offers the reader an unsurpassed ecclesiological and theological history of the Orthodox Church from the early councils to the present few others would be capable of giving. At home in both worlds, Russell’s investigative zeal and sensitivity to ecumenical, political, and cultural
ramifications qualifies him as the ideal guide to direct readers on what they need to know to un-pick the complex ‘knots’ in events and developments.” — Patrick Madigan,
Heythrop Journal

“an outstanding study of genuine importance” — Daniel A. Keating,
International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church

About the Author

Norman Russell is Honorary Research Fellow of St Stephen’s House, University of Oxford. He is a noted patristics scholar and translator of contemporary Greek philosophers and theologians. His work has been translated into several languages, including Romanian and Mandarin Chinese. An Orthodox since
2010, he lives in Burgundy, France. His publications include
The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition (2005) and
Metaphysics as a Personal Adventure: Christos Yannaras in Conversation with Norman Russell (2017).