Hesychasm as the antithesis of Gnosticism

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comparative study of Hesychasm in its relation to Gnosticism. According to contemporary research, Hesychasm is regarded not only as an Eastern Orthodox practice of silent prayer, but also as an intellectual movement represented by Gregory Palamas and his followers. This movement consisted of secular forms described as Political Hesychasm and Laical Hesychasm. Hesychast doctrine is based on the ideas of eternal divine energies and the Tabor Light. This implies the rejection of early Christian concepts influenced by Gnostic dualism. The author of this article relies on Roman Svetlov’s concept of "Gnostic consciousness," which characterizes early Christian thinkers. This Gnostic consciousness characterizes not only the heretics of the second century, but also early Byzantine Church writers. A common feature of the Gnostic position is ontological pessimism, understood as the denial of fallen reality. In this respect, Hesychasm adopts a different position, which can be described as ontological optimism. Empirical material reality is not only the world of sin, but also a space full of invisible divine energies, such as the Tabor Light described in the Synoptic Gospels. According to the first Hesychast document, the “Hagioritic Tomos,” the way of salvation does not mean ascetic destruction of the flesh and the emotional soul, but rather the transformation of the flesh through Divine Ligh.