; Western criticism of the practice of Hesychasm and by proxy the Theoria derived from it.

Hesychasm ( from the Greek for " stillness, rest, quiet, silence ") is a mystical tradition and movement that originated with the Desert Fathers and was central to their practice of prayer.

Although some mystics in both the Western and Eastern churches have associated feelings of ecstasy with meditation, ( e. g. St. Teresa of Avila's legendary meditative ecstasy ), St. Gregory of Sinai, one of the originators of Hesychasm, stated that the goal of Christian meditation is " seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, beyond the minor phenomenon of ecstasy ".

Hesychasm is contrasted with the more mental or imaginative forms of Christian meditation in which a person is encouraged to imagine or think of events from the life of Jesus or sayings from the Gospel.

The admonition in his rule Empty yourself completely and sit waiting places him in relation to the long Christian history of intellectual stillness and interior passivity in meditation also reflected in quietism and in the nearly contemporary Byzantine ascetic practice known as Hesychasm.

Hesychasm can refer to inner or outer stillness, though in The Sayings of the Desert Fathers it referred to inner tranquility.

The central and unifying feature of Orthodox monasticism is Hesychasm, the practice of silence, and the concentrated saying of the Jesus Prayer.

Hesychasm for the Desert Fathers was primarily the practice of " interior silence and continual prayer.

Hesychasm itself is not recorded in Lampe, which indicates that it is a later usage, and the term Jesus Prayer is not found in any of the Fathers of the Church.

Much of the literature of Hesychasm is occupied with the psychological analysis of such tempting thoughts ( e. g. St Mark the Ascetic ).

The descent of the mind into the heart is taken quite literally by the practitioners of Hesychasm and is not at all considered to be a metaphorical expression.

Hesychasm is a traditional complex of ascetical practices embedded in the doctrine and practice of the Orthodox Church and intended to purify the member of the Orthodox Church and to make him ready for an encounter with God that comes to him when and if God wants, through God's Grace.

Mount Athos is a centre of the practice of Hesychasm.

St Paisius Velichkovsky and his disciples made the practice known in Russia and Romania, although Hesychasm was already previously known in Russia, as is attested by St Seraphim of Sarov's independent practice of it.

Hesychasm, which was never anything close to a scholar's pursuit, is now studied by Western theologians who are astounded by the profound thought and spirituality of late Byzantium.

* Pope John Paul II's Angelus Message, August 11, 1996 ( The same in Italian ) This is a brief modern reflection by a Pope that refers directly to Hesychasm, indicating that its defense was in conflict with certain aspects of Roman Catholic teaching

Hesychasm is of primary importance in the ascetical theology of the Orthodox Church.

The practice of ascetic prayer called Hesychasm in the Eastern Orthodox Church is centered on the enlightenment, deification ( theosis ) of man.

Edward Pace's 1909 article on quietism indicated that, while in the strictest sense quietism is a 17th-century doctrine proposed by Miguel de Molinos, the term is also used more broadly to cover both Indian religions and what Edward Pace called " the vagaries of Hesychasm ", thus betraying the same prejudices as Fortescue with regard to hesychasm and, again in the same period, Siméon Vailhé described some aspects of the teaching of Palamas as " monstrous errors ", " heresies " and " a resurrection of polytheism ", and called the hesychast method for arriving at perfect contemplation " no more than a crude form of auto-suggestion "

" Hesychasm, which was never anything close to a scholar's pursuit, is now studied by Western theologians who are astounded by the profound thought and spirituality of late Byzantium.

Hesychasm involves the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, but Lectio Divina uses different Scripture passages at different times and although a passage may be repeated a few times, Lectio Divina is not repetitive in nature.

Fifth Council of Constantinople is a name given by some to the Quinisext Council of 692, and by others to a series of six patriarchal councils held in the Byzantine capital Constantinople between 1341 and 1351 to deal with a dispute concerning the mystical doctrine of Hesychasm.

The process of theosis which leads to that state of union with God known as theoria is practiced in the ascetic tradition of Hesychasm.

Hesychasm is to reconcile the heart and the mind into one thing ( see nous ).

Hesychasm involves the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, but Lectio Divina uses different Scripture passages at different times and although a passage may be repeated a few times, Lectio Divina is not repetitive in nature.

Hence, the tradition of St John Cassian in the West concerning the spiritual practice of the hermit can be considered to be a tradition parallel to that of Hesychasm in the Orthodox Church.

Wishing to devote himself more fully to prayer and asceticism he entered a skete called Glossia, where he taught the ancient practice of mental prayer known as " prayer of the heart " or Hesychasm.

He brought an accusation of heresy against Gregory Palamas for the latter's defence of Hesychasm ( the Eastern Orthodox Church's mystical teaching on prayer ).

* Barlaam of Seminara, Italian scholar and theologian ( c. 1290 – 1348 ), also known as Barlaam of Calabria, whose name as a layman was Bernardo Massari, brought an accusation of heresy against Gregory Palamas for the latter's defence of Hesychasm ( the Eastern Orthodox Church's mystical teaching on prayer )

It is believed that through ascetic struggle, prayer and Hesychasm ( seclusion or withdrawal ), the Holy Spirit bestows special gifts onto the elder including the ability to heal, prophesy, and most importantly, give effective spiritual guidance and direction.

* To be Transformed by a Vision of Uncreated Light: A Survey on the Influence of the Existential Spirituality of Hesychasm on Eastern Orthodox History-by Gregory K. Hillis

Hesychasm attracted the attention of Barlaam, a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy who encountered Hesychasts and heard descriptions of their practices during a visit to Mount Athos ; he had also read the writings of Palamas, himself an Athonite monk.

The Zealots of Thessalonica were influenced by Barlaam's teachings, and his arguments effected the dogmatic definition of Hesychasm in the Eastern Church.

Hesychasm was promoted by Saint Gregory Palamas in the 14th century and remains a part of Eastern Christian spirituality.

* Hesychasm: Orthodox Spirituality Compared and Constrasted with Other Religious Traditions-by Thomas Mether

* The Revival of Political Hesychasm in Greek Orthodox Thought-by Daniel Paul Payne

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent commemorates St. Gregory Palamas, the great defender of the Orthodox Church's doctrine of Hesychasm against its attack by Barlaam of Calabria.

In opposition to what they characterize as pagan, heretical and " godless " foundations, the Orthodox rely on an intuitive and mystical knowledge and vision of God ( Theoria ) based on Hesychasm and noesis.

Orthodox theologians assert that the theological division of East and West culminated into a direct theological conflict known as the Hesychasm controversy during several councils at Constantinople New Rome, between the years 1341 – 1351.

* Fifth Council of Constantinople, the Ninth Ecumenical Council for the Orthodox, concerning Hesychasm, in 1341-1351.

Despite the military and political weakness, during his rule Bulgaria remained a major cultural center and the ideas of Hesychasm dominated the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.