Page 239 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

H E S YC H A S M A N D M Y S T I C I S M
from the divine essence precisely inasmuch as the energies, in
contrast to the essence, are known to man and work for the
life and salvation of the world. Since the theology of St. Greg-
ory Palamas has become more widely known, the path to
deification through the uncreated energies tends to be re-
garded as the supreme mode of expression in Orthodox theol-
ogy. This approach, however, tends to treat the notion of per-
son as superfluous, if not suspect.
A point that is often overlooked is that, for St. Gregory
Palamas, the uncreated energies are not given to us directly
from the divine essence, but only through the Persons of the
Holy Trinity. The world is neither created, nor sustained, nor
saved through energies emitted directly from the divine es-
sence. When we fail to stress God’s personal presence and
confine ourselves to emphasizing the uncreated energies, we
risk distorting Palamas’ theology. More seriously, we risk fall-
ing into a form of impersonalism—even a subtle paganism—
since the divine energies are understood to suffuse all cre-
ation. Since revelation and salvation are effected “in the per-
son of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6), it becomes impossible to
avoid the question of person in soteriology.
This same imbalance appears in another tendency. Influ-
enced by the connection between creation and the divine en-
ergies, some dismiss any iconic portrayal of the Holy Trinity
in creation, arguing that God is present only through His en-
ergies and not through His Trinitarian existence. Yet, accord-
ing to St. Gregory Palamas, the uncreated energies are always
personal and en-hypostatic. Moreover, as St. Maximus em-
phasizes, the primary link between God and the world is the
Person of the Son and Logos. The connection between God
and the world is therefore personal and Trinitarian, not mere-
ly energetic.
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