International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Ivan Christov
University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria; 
[e-mail]
The Debate on Aristotle’s Theory of Proof 
between St. Gregory Palamas and Barlaam
In this paper, I will challenge the thesis that in late Byzantium logic has lost its autonomy from 
theology. As testified by St. Gregory’s 
Vita
and other written sources the logical studies have retained 
their independent status in the Byzantine culture. On the other hand, in the occasions when logic 
was integrated into the theological discourse (which was not an innovation of the 13-14
th
c.), this 
could even stimulate the logical studies. So the debate on method between St. Gregory Palamas 
and Barlaam put to stress the ontological foundations of Aristotle’s theory of proof. The Palamas’ 
solution was actually innovative. My second thesis is that it is an oversimplification to appreciate 
the value of a logical discourse of the time checking its literal correspondence to Aristotle and the 
commentators. St Gregory was well trained in this tradition. Only one line of his criticism against 
Barlaam however could be reduced to its literal application in the debate – he blamed Barlaam in 
contradicting Aristotle. The arguments “proving” that Palamas has lost this line of controversy will 
be re-examined. Most important however is his second line of criticism against Barlaam. Palamas 
made senseless his opponent’s objections reassessing the ontological foundations of Aristotelian 
logic. The divergence from the main authority in logic did not mean here neither a loss of autonomy 
nor of a quality. To give a proper assessment of the value of Palamas’ arguments one should dissociate 
himself from a set of preconceptions related to this episode of the Palamite debates and understand 
the difference between the essence and the energies.

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323
Basil Lourié
St. Petersburg University of Aerospace Instrumentation, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation; 
[e-mail]
Joseph Bryennios and the Problem of Order within the Trinity
*
The problem of order – or rather of inexistence of any order – between the three hypostases of 
the Holy Trinity has been discussed briefly on the margins of the great theological quarrels of the 
late fourth century. Since then, it seems never being considered until Nicephorus Blemmydes. At the 
early stage of the 14
th
-century hesychast quarrels it has been readdressed by Gregory Palamas, but 
apparently without any substantial elaboration in the later 14
th
-century authors. Joseph Bryennios, 
however, made it one of keystones of his elaborated triadological doctrine, thus explaining important 
intuitions of the Palamite theology.