Barlaam of Calabria

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Barlaam of Calabria (ca. 1290-1348) was an Italian-born Eastern Orthodox clergyman of the 14th century. He is one of the representatives of Byzantine Humanism. He brought an accusation of heresy against Gregory Palamas for the latter's hesychast prayer. Three Orthodox Christian synods ruled against him and in Palamas's favor (1341-1351). In contrast to Palamas's teaching that the "glory of God" revealed in various episodes of Jewish and Christian Scripture (e.g., the burning bush seen by Moses) was the uncreated Energies of God, Barlaam held that they were created effects, because no part of God, whatsoever, could be viewed by humans. Upon the synodical decisions against him, he left Constantinople permanently and returned to Calabria, where he converted to Roman Catholicism and became Bishop of Gerace. The Zealots of Thessalonica were influenced by Barlaam's teachings. He was a master of Greek and the writings of Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio owe much to him as he was their initial instructor in that language.