confessor to the Orthodox faith. His spiritual writings combine
theological rigor and profound piety.o John Climacus (579–649) was abbot of the monastery at Saint
Catherine, whose name derives from his writing, The Ladder of
Divine Ascent (klimachos = “of ascent”). He describes 30 steps
of discipleship, the final 4 of which introduce the “stillness/
quietness” (hesychia) that gives the tradition its name: The
highest form of prayer is silent and involves “breathing” the
name of Jesus. His work was most widely read by other monks.• The tradition continued in two other influential monastic writers
centuries later.
o Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022) left the imperial
service to become a monk and then abbot at the monastery
of Saint Mamas; in such works as the Catecheses, his vivid
writing on the vision of the divine light, on Christ, and on the
Eucharist earned his title, making him the equal of the great
Gregory of Nazianzus.o Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) provided an argument for
hesychasm against the philosopher Barlaam: It is not rational
argument but mystical experience that leads to the truth of
God, and this experience is possible because of the divine-
human connection established by the Incarnation and theosis.
In The Triads, Gregory elaborates more fully the techniques
of hesychasm, especially the role of the body and the control
of breathing.• The practice of hesychasm passed also into Slavic Orthodoxy and
continues to be practiced within the monastic tradition.Ware, The Orthodox Church.
Wells, Sailing from Byzantium.
Suggested Reading