Recommendations: Uncreated Energies
Hello. I am a Protestant theologian with an interest in Eastern theology. Lately I’ve been reading on the distinction between God’s essence and uncreated energies. I just completed Mantzaridis, Georgios I. 1984. The Deification of Man: St Gregory Palamas and the Orthodox Tradition, which was quite good. I’m interested in a more in-depth treatment, particularly one (if it exists) that interacts with Western theology in a systematic manner.
I would appreciate any recommendations in this area. If it helps, I have Logos 10 Orthodox Silver; some pointers on resources in that would be extremely helpful. I don’t think I have any of Gregory Palamas’s own writings. Thanks in advance!
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It's been decades since I read it but I suspect George Maloney's work Uncreated Energy: A Journey into the Authentic Sources of Christian Faith has become a classic. The author is a dual rite Catholic who retired into an Orthodox monastery. Of course, that required that he become Orthodox ... which seems to be becoming a pattern as Eastern Rite monasteries are rather scarce here. I don't think any of Maloney's works have made it into Logos/Verbum. Palamas himself is available in Gregory Palamas: The Triads | Logos Bible Software Several sermons are translated but not in Logos. Finally, John Meyendorff has written A Study of Gregory Palamas which I have not read but everything I have read from Meyendorff has been excellent.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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In addition to what MJ recommended above, I would also suggest Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Pomazansky. He discusses God's uncreated energies quite a bit in the book, interweaving the topic into many different sections of the book.
Unfortunately, we don't have this title available yet in Logos. I'm hoping we can eventually get it. This is my favorite book on Orthodox theology because it's written from a faith perspective and not your often-typical, dry, academic discussion. And it was translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose who added lots of explanatory footnotes.
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Thanks for the recommendation, MJ. That looks like a good read, though I don't know how I'd my hands on it.
This is my favorite book on Orthodox theology because it's written from a faith perspective and not your often-typical, dry, academic discussion.
Not a selling point for me! [:P] Thanks, though.
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