Barlaam of Calabria

Born around 1290 in a Seminar , Calabria, Southern Italy, in an Orthodox family, knew Greek very well . By origin - Greek. Around 1330, he moved to Constantinople , where he soon entered church and political circles; Emperor Andronic III Paleologue gave him a teaching position at the university. Later he became abbot of the monastery of the Savior in Thessaloniki , and two confidential missions were assigned to him on behalf of the emperor. In 1333–1334, Varlaam negotiated a church union with representatives of Pope John XXII . In 1339, he was sent to Pope Benedict XII in Avignon to discuss the unification of the churches, but failed. However, then he met Petrarch , who later taught Greek.

In the mid-thirties of the XIV century. the theological discussions between the Greeks and Latins revived. In a number of his anti-Latin writings directed, in particular, against the Latin teachings on the descent of the Holy Spirit and from the Son, Varlaam emphasized that God is incomprehensible and that judgments about God are not proved. Then Gregory Palamas wrote apodictic words against Latin innovation, criticizing Varlaam's theological “agnosticism” and his excessive trust in the authority of pagan philosophy, later called idealism : Varlaam was a follower of Aristotelian scholasticism and a philologist. After this, a conflict broke out between Barlaam and Palamas; Barlaam accused Palamas of heresy as a defender of Hesychasm . However, two St. Sophia Cathedrals in 1341 and Vlacherna Cathedral in 1351 condemned Barlaam.

On June 10, 1341, a debate about hesychasm took place at the Council, held in Constantinople under the chairmanship of Emperor Andronicus; first of all, because of the enormous influence that the Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite and his writings had in the Eastern Church, Varlaam was condemned and brought repentance. He returned to Calabria, where he adopted Roman Catholicism . He became a home teacher of Greek at the future great humanist poet Francesco Petrarch , and later received the rank of bishop of Hieraq (Bishop of Jerachet). During the later Hesychast disputes, all the opponents of Palamas received the name of the Barlaamites, since, although they usually did not oppose the Hesychast practice, unlike Varlaam, they perverted and interpreted it in the spirit of idealism, since, like Barlaam, they were followers of the pagan idealistic philosophy and opponents of Christ-centered humanism and the views of St. Palamas. At the same time, the Council of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, confirming the condemnation of idealism by the V Ecumenical Council and in the worship of the Orthodox Church, perhaps on the initiative of the most inclined to compromise, St. Palamas, despite attacks in his writings against the whole Greek philosophy of idealism, did not directly condemn the student of Plato Aristotle , to which Barlaam most often referred, in order not to offend the representatives of the pope and Socrates who participated in the cathedral, since parallels were repeatedly drawn in Greek patristics between Socrates and Christ, the Orthodox faith itself was called Greek, although at that time the Greeks were called Romans, precisely because of their connection with Greek philosophy. In addition, the achievements of Socrates were considered to be the creation of the image of a Christian philosopher before Christ according to Justin the Philosopher, Ambrosius of Mediolana and other Holy Fathers, the development of rationalism and philosophy in general, and not idealism (barlaamism). ^[four]

Barlaam died in 1348.

The clash occurred in 1337, when Varlaam was notified by some simple and illiterate monks about a certain technical method that the hesychasts used to create clever prayers. Having also studied some of the writings of the Hesychast Fathers devoted to prayer, especially the work of Nicephorus the Solitary , he frantically attacked the Hesychasts, calling them Messalians and “novices” (ὀμφαλόψυχοι). Then the refutation of the attacks of Barlaam was entrusted to Palamas. A personal meeting exacerbated the contradiction.

Living in Constantinople and being on Mount Athos , which was the center of Byzantine medieval monasticism, Varlaam was confused by the views and method of asceticism of the Byzantine Hesychasts, these silent and silent people, distinguished by their intuitive contemplation, spending time in prayer and clever work, completely detached from the interests of the world and thought about salvation.

This type of asceticism, unknown to Western monasticism, living a predominantly active life, seemed to Varlaam not only strange, but also worthy of condemnation. But the representative of Western monasticism was even more embarrassed when one of the simple-minded Athos kalogers in an unsophisticated form informed him that the monks, through a special way of ascetic mood, were rewarded with bodily eyes to see the light of God and contemplate the nature of God.

Barlaam in a polemic with the Hesychasts did not limit himself to verbal guises, but also wrote an essay in which he proved that the Divine light, in particular, that shone on Mount Tabor, is material and perishable, convicted the monks for allegedly believing that the Holy Scripture is useless , and science is harmful, and they think that the being of God can be seen with bodily eyes with the help of some artificial techniques. As stated in the decisions of the council condemning him, Varlaam “began to trample underfoot and all the monastic virtue in theory and practice, referring to (even) the sacred Athos, the general receptacle of all virtue, this host, chosen in the whole universe, where truly Olympic valor is stored ".

“Barlaam was not able to understand the mystical and ascetic traditions of the East, and therefore he criticized it,” said Meyendorf. According to Palamas, the “glory of the Lord" appearing in various episodes from the Old and New Testaments (for example, the burning bush that Moses saw, the light on Mount Tabor on the Transfiguration) was actually God's uncreated energy (that is, the grace of God). Barlaam believed that they were created, since no part of God, however that may be, can be directly perceived by man. According to Orthodox liturgical chants, the Holy Spirit “made fishermen apostles” (that is, it makes saints even uneducated people). In his fight against hesychasm, Barlaam concluded that the knowledge of worldly wisdom was necessary for the perfection of monks and denied the possibility of seeing the Divine life. Thus, as a humanist, Varlaam overestimated the importance of philosophy for theology, arguing that only on the basis of philosophy can mankind come to perfection.

The views of Varlaam met in Byzantium some sympathy. This is due to the fact that here the ground was prepared for that by the previous struggle of two local church parties - Zealots and politicians, the first of which defended the interests of monasticism, and the second of the white clergy. The clash of these parties can be observed for centuries (VIII-XIV): the struggle of the Palamites with the Barlaamites did not stand out in the church and public life of medieval Byzantium. This is part of the cultural movement that arose in Byzantium in the fourteenth century, causing considerable activity of thought, both philosophical and theological.

The Zealotians of Thessaloniki were influenced by the teachings of Barlaam and his dogmatic sentence on Hesychasm, so that Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, was not even able to occupy his department. However, in general, Varlaam, brought up in the spirit of humanism, could not bridge the gap between the Christian West and East; he never succeeded in synthesizing the two traditions in a satisfactory manner. Putting philosophy over theology, Barlaam came under fire from critics of the Eastern Church.

The reason for the condemnation of Varlaam must be seen in his rationalism, excessive trust in reason, and in the preference of logical arguments for the testimony of church tradition. The reason for the struggle between the Barlaamites and the Palamites was the ascetic ideals of the Byzantine Hesychasts, who stood in connection with the basic principles, character and direction of Greek-Eastern monasticism, but incomprehensible to the rational theologian and even seemed strange from the point of view of the advocate of Aristotle's philosophy. According to about. John Meyendorf, “Gregory Palamas is building the whole polemic with Varlaam of Calabria on the question of“ Hellenic wisdom, ”which he considers as the main source of Varlaam’s mistakes.”

According to Varlaam, who followed a scholastic trend in philosophy, the human mind is able to comprehend the very nature of things, since the ideas of the mind are identical with real things. Syllogisms serve as a means of knowing the essence of things, the correct use of which leads a person to the truth. But man's comprehension of truth brings him closer to God, who is the highest truth, and connect him with the Creator. What is called the blessed contemplation of God is the mental perception of the Divine, or the radiance that is available to the elect, but not the communion of the divine being, which is inaccessible to external senses.

At this point in Varlaam’s teachings, the significant difference in his views was compared with the views of Byzantine scholars, who, not recognizing the logic and syllogisms of a powerful tool for knowing the reasons for everything, referred to the authority of church tradition and patristic creations as the only reliable way to know everything and in general recommended not to violate in theology the limits established by the holy fathers.

These two opposing points of view on cognition, the scholastic and traditional Byzantine, with particular relief were defined in the field of applying those and other philosophical views to Christian dogma, the reason for which was given by the teaching of the Byzantine Hesychasts.

In controversy with Varlaam entered St. Gregory Palamas (see details of the controversy in the article about him). Barlaam’s teaching as heretical provoked a condemnation of the Eastern Church. Councils were convened in connection with him in 1341, 1347, 1351, 1352 and 1368. At these councils, the teachings of Palamas and his supporters were recognized as agreeing with the teachings of the church, Varlaam and other opponents of Palamas were anathematized, and all their creations were destroyed (therefore, we are familiar with the views of Varlaam only on quotes and polemic attacks in the writings of the victorious party.All others, except Varlaam, who left us their anti-palamits, were Hesychasts and opponents of Varlaam, representatives of the victorious Barlaam, but then split in the next stage of the Hesychast dispute s, parties. They are called barlaamites not because they were supporters of Varlaam in the dispute, but because they adhered to an idealism called barlaamism, for example, even in the Confession of the Orthodox Faith of St. Palamas). Barlaam, who accused the Hesychasts of the wrong method of prayer and refuted the doctrine of the uncreated Tabor light, was convicted. It can be assumed that in a strange mixture of agnosticism and rationalism, the rejection of Hesychasm and extreme reverence for the philosophy of idealism, the Eastern Church saw a threat to its traditional views. Although Gregory Palamas still had to defend his views from more subtle attacks, we can say that after the cathedral in 1341 and the removal of Barlaam, the first stage of the Hesychast disputes ended.

• Vasina M.V. Dispute of Varlaam of Calabria with St. Gregory Palamas on Divine vision and Russian religious philosophy // Beginning. SPb., 1999.No 8.С.248-252.
• Krasikov S.V. Byzantine thinking: erudition versus creativity? (Nicephorus Grigora and Barlaam of Calabria) // Antiquity and the Middle Ages. - Yekaterinburg: Ural. state un-t, 2000. - Issue. 31. - S. 266-283.
• Krasikov S.V.The dispute between Varlaam of Calabria and Gregory Palamas on the relationship of faith and science // Antiquity and the Middle Ages. - Yekaterinburg: [Publishing house Ural. University], 2001. - Vol. 32. - S. 228-238.

• Biography on the scientific - theological portal Bogoslov.RU
• VARLAAM CALABRIAN. Orthodox Encyclopedia.
• Barlaam of Calabria . On the Chronos website .
• BARLAAM Calabrian. Author's project by Alexander Kolodin.