A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

90 PALAMAS. PALAMAS.
and has since that time been frequently reprinted. ments were accustomed to shut themselves up for
The following is a list of the principal editions:- days and nights together in a corner of their cell,
By Tollius, with a Latin translation and notes, and abstracting their thoughts from all worldly
Amsterdam, 1649; by Martin Brunner, Upsala, objects, and resting their beards on their chest,
1663, which edition was reprinted with improve- and fixing their eyes on their bellies, imagined
ments under the care of Paulus Pater, Frankfort, that the seat of the soul, previously unknown, was
1685, 1686, or 1687, for these three years appear on revealed to them by a mystical light, at the disdifferent title pages; by Thomas Gale in the Opus- covery of which they were rapt into a state of
cula MAythologica, Cambridge, 1670, reprinted at extatic enjoyment. The existence of this light,
Amsterdam, 1688; by Dresig, Leipzig, 1735, well described by Gibbon as " the creature of an
which edition was frequently reprinted under the empty stomach and an empty brain," appears to
care of J. F. Fischer, who improved it very much, have been kept secret by the monks, and was only
and who published a sixth edition at Leipzig, 1789; revealed to Barlaam by an incautious monk, whom
by J. H. M. Ernesti, for the use of schools, Leipzig, Cantacuzenus abuses for his communicativeness, as
1816. The best edition of the text is by Wester- being scarcely above the level of the brutes. Barmann, in the "MvOoypadpot: Scriptores Poeticae laam eagerly laid hold of the opportunity afforded
Historiae Graeci," Brunswick, 1843, pp. 268- by the discovery to assail with bitter reproaches the
310. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 182, &c.; fanaticism of these Hesychasts ( rjvx'/ovses) or
Voss. de Hist. Graec. p. 478, ed. Westermann; Quietists, calling them'OCpao4/vuXo1, OmphalopsyWestermann, Praefatio ad MvOoypa'qovs, p. xi. chi, " men withl souls in their navels," and identi&c.; Eckstein, in Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopa- fying them with the Massalians or Ellchites of the
die, art. Paliiphatus.) fourth century. The monks were roused by these
PALAESTI'NUS (IahaioTzrvos), a son of Po- attacks, and as Gregory Palamas was eminent
seidon and father of Haliacmon. From grief at among them for his intellectual powers and attainthe death of his son, Palaestinus threw himself ments, they put him forward as their champion, both
into the river, which was called after him Palaes- with his tongue and pen, against the attacks of the
tinus, and subsequently Strymon. (Plut. De Fluv. sarcastic Calabrian. (Cantacuz. 1. c.; Niceph. Greg.
11.) [L. S.] Hist. Byz. xi. 10; Mosheim, Eccles. Hist. by MurPA'LAMAS, GREGO'RIUS (rp-wydpios O doch and Soames, book iii. cent. xiv. pt. ii. ch. v.
eIaXacFas), an eminent Greek ecclesiastic of the ~ 1, &c.; Gibbon, Dec. and Fall, c. 63.)
fourteenth century. He was born in the Asiatic por- Palamas and his friends tried first of all to
tion of the now reduced Byzantine empire, and was silence the reproaches of Barlaam by friendly reeducated at the court of Constantinople, apparently monstrance, and affirmed that as to the mystical
during the reign of Andronicus Palaeologus the elder. light which beamed round the saints in their
Despising, however, all the prospects of worldly seasons of contemplation, there had been various
greatness, of which his parentage and wealth, and similar instances in the history of the church of a
the imperial favour gave him the prospect, he, divine lustre surrounding the saints in time of
with his two brothers, while yet very young, be- persecution; and that Sacred History recorded the
came monks in one of the monasteries of Mount appearance of a divine and uncreated light at the
Athos. Here the youngest of the three died; Saviour's transfiguration on mount Tabor. Barlaam
and upon the death of the superior of the mo- caught at the mention of this light as uncreated,
nastery in which the brothers were, which fol- and affirmed that nothing was uncreated but God,
lowed soon after the death of the youngest brother, and that inasmuch as God was invisible while
the two survivors placed themselves under another the light of Mount Tabor was visible to the bodily
superior, with whom they remained eight years, eye, the monks must have two Gods, one the
and on whose death Gregory Palamas withdrew Creator of all things, confessedly invisible; the
to Scete, near Berrhoea, where he built himself a other, this visible yet uncreated light. This secell, and gave himself up entirely, for ten years, to rious charge gave to the controversy a fresh imdivine contemplation and spiritual exercises. Here pulse, until, after two or three years, Barlaam,
the severity of his regimen and the coldness of his fearing that his infuriated opponents, who flocked to
cell, induced an illness which almost occasioned the scene of conflict from all the monasteries about
his death; and the urgent recommendation of the Thessalonica and Constantinople, would offer him
other monks of the place induced him then to leave personal violence, appealed to the Patriarch of
Scete, and return to Mount Athos; but this change Constantinople and the bishops there, and charged
not sufficing for his recovery, he removed to Thes- Palamas not only with sharing the fanaticism of the
salonica (Cantacuzen. Hist. ii. 39). Omphalopsychi, and with the use of defective prayers,
It was apparently while at Thessalonica, that but also with holding blasphemous views of God,
his controversy began with Barlaam, a Calabrian and with introducing new terms into the theology
monk, who having visited Constantinople soon after of the church. A council was consequently conthe accession of the emperor Andronicus Palaeolo- vened in the church of St. Sophia at Constantinople
gus the younger in A. D. 1328 (ANDRONICUS III.), (A. D. 1341) in the presence of the emperor, the
and professed himself an adherent of the Greek chief senators, the learned, and a vast multitude of
church, and a convert from and an opponent of the the common people. As it was not thought adLatin church, against which he wrote several works, visable to discuss the mysteries of theology before
obtained the favour and patronage of the emperor. a promiscuous multitude, the charge against Pala-.
Barlaam appears to have been a conceited man, mas and the monks of blasphemous notions respectand to have sought opportunities of decrying the ing God was suppressed, and only the charge of holdusages of the Byzantine Greeks. To this super- ing the old Massalian heresy respecting prayer,
cilious humour the wild fanaticism of the molfks of and of using defective prayers, was proceeded
Athos presented an admirable subject. Those of with. Barlaam first addressed the council in supthem who aimed at the highest spiritual attain- port of his charge, then Palamas replied, retorting