Hesychasts

Hesychasts are practitioners of hesychasm, a mystical and ascetic tradition within Eastern Orthodoxy that emphasizes inner quiet, continual prayer, and the deliberate turning of attention toward God within the heart. The term derives from hesychia, a Greek word meaning stillness, silence, or rest.

Originating in early Christian monasticism in the East, hesychasm matured in the Byzantine period and became especially associated with Mount Athos. In the 14th century Gregory Palamas defended hesychasm against critics such as Barlaam of Calabria, arguing that it is possible for a monk to experience the uncreated divine energies of God in this life through contemplative practice, while God’s essence remains beyond human apprehension. This theological articulation, often called the Palamite synthesis, became central to Orthodox hesychasm.

Practices typically center on the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” repeated continually. Practitioners seek to quiet the senses, purify the heart (nous), and attend to God’s presence through contemplative vigilance and stillness. Monastic rules, fasting, and liturgical participation commonly accompany the practice, which may occur in solitude in cells or hermitages as well as in communal settings.

Aims include purification of passions, restoration of spiritual perception, and theosis—the deification of the person through participation in the divine energies of God. Hesychasm has had a lasting influence on Orthodox spirituality, especially on Mount Athos and other monastic centers, and remains practiced by both monks and laypeople with varying methods and emphases.