Just making it up as I go along

While St. Gregory Palamas is an enormous influence on my theology, I always have a little chuckle when folks state that the Energy-Essence distinction just came out of nowhere in the 13th century. For those of you who are ignorant of what the E/E Distinction is, in a simple way, it affirms paradoxically God’s absolute transcendence (in his essence) and his utter immanence in creation (his energies, or uncreated activities). The two are never separate, for they are faculties of the persons of the Trinity, but they are metaphysically distinct. Anyhow, going through St. John of Damascus primer on the Orthodox Faith when lo and behold, I read this.

Prayers in the Night

St. Ephraim and his praying routine.

While I do enjoy discussing ethics and theology, there is something to be said of prayer. I was reading part of the The Philokalia (a good book(s) to read on Eastern Orthodox spirituality) when I saw this quote by St. Peter of Damaskos (Damascus).