Page 140 - Uros Todorovic Byzantine Painting Contemporary Eyes

Byzantine Painting through Contemporary Eyes
ready well developing between the Renaissance and the Byzantine style of painting. In this way the parallel between the Hesychast Debate, which constitutes a rather abstract theological dispute, and the difference which exists between the characteristics of Byz- antine and Renaissance painting, becomes particularly intelligible. Having said this, we note that the principle purpose of this short subheading is to provide a concise history of the Hesychast Debate. Therefore, the reader who is familiar with the historical events concerning the Hesychast Debate will not be at loss if they proceed to the last part of this chapter, entitled Perivleptos and Kalenić: Sisters in Hesychasm.
In the Orthodox Church, the term hesychast (ὁ ἡσυχαστής, literally “quietist”) is very old, and it is mentioned even by the fathers of the Early Church.33 However, the theoret- ical roots of the actual hesychast teaching, which was the subject of the Hesychast De- bate in the 14th century, can be detected in the writings of Dionysius the Pseudo-Areop- agite (late 5th and early 6th century), and in those of Maximos the Confessor (c.580–662), who presented and legitimised the mysticism of Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite in the Orthodox Church. The common characteristic of these two theologians is their enquiry into mystical methods of approaching the divine, methods which exceed the realm of the senses. As stated by Ostrogorsky, both of these theologians speak of the otherworldly light which is entered into by those who experience the vision of divinity.34
However, it is Symeon the New Theologian whom the hesychasts of the 14th century regarded as their official teacher. For Symeon, who lived in the late 10th and early 11th century, the vision of the divine light was the main aim of ascetic inclinations, while moral enlightenment, achieved through spiritual concentration and through entering into one’s inner world, was the main purpose of his life.35 Having said this, we shall now turn to the main events of the 14th century concerning the Hesychast Debate.
Grigorios, a monk from the Saint Catherine’s Monastery of Mount Sinai had, whilst being on Crete, adopted the mystical teaching of Hesychasm from a monk called Arse- nios, and traveled during the twenties and thirties of the 14th century throughout many regions of the Byzantine empire, visiting the more significant Greek monasteries.36 Upon his visit to Mount Athos, Grigorios had concluded that the monks there were immacu-
33 For example, in the 5th century in the Monastery of Saint Sava in Palestine, an ascetic named John lived “ἐν ἡσυ- χίᾳ” (in silence). His biography was written by Cyril of Scythopolis (525–558), Hieromonk and Greek historian of mo- nastic life in Scythopolis (Palestine). See also: Георгије Острогорски, О Веровањима и Схватањима Византинаца. Наслов Оригинала: Studien zur Geschichte des byzantinischen Bilderstreites. Превела Др Љиљана Црепајац (Београд: Просвета, 1970), 208.
34 Ibid., 208–209. 35 Ibid., 209. 36 Ibid.
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