If you haven't been reading John Stamps' series of reflections on St. Gregory Palamas over at The Orthodox Way blog, you're missing out on a real treat. Take, for example, his most recent post, Who can argue against life?--the Triads of St Gregory Palamas.
Here are two snippets to whet your appetite.
Orthodox faith is deeper than moving around mental concepts between our ears. Jesus' parable of the wise man and the foolish man (Matthew 7:24-27) comes to mind here. If your faith is ultimately built on mere argument and conjecture, how can it possibly stand against the storms of doubt that assail us?
And this:
St Gregory's bottom-line to his fellow monk: Trust your own experience with God and don't be swayed by mere argument. If your belief in God is based exclusively on arguments pro or con, then you'll constantly be changing your mind. Doubt yourself. Doubt your own intellectual capacities. Doubt anything, but don't be so foolish as to doubt the experience of the saints. But by his belligerence shown towards the Athonite monks, Barlaam demonstrates that he would rather prove himself in the right than accept the age-old traditions of Eastern spirituality. He would rather argue than pray!Posted by Clifton at July 12, 2005 09:07 AM | TrackBackNow St Gregory doesn't renounce the "outer learning." It is perfectly fine for gaining knowledge of the world. What it doesn't do is tell us anything accurate about God.