A translation of St Gregory Palamas, with notes

Below is the working translation of my thesis concerning St Gregory Palamas.  The original is first,  mine in the middle, and Meyendorff's. Now,  I will admit I am literalistic as far as translation theory.  My rendering is not as readable.  But I believe there are nuances in the text that a little extra verbiage elicits.  Namely, St Gregory was fighting the notion that we can only have a knowledge of created things.  However,  we believe and experience  the uncreated grace of God. Barlaam denied this proposition.  So  when translating  the  distinction  needs to be brought out.  Of course, someone could accuse me of eisegesis,  but everyone works out of presuppositions. God willing the rest of the passage will be posted next week.

Ἐπειδή τινων ἤκουσα λεγόντων δεῖν μεταδιώκειν τήν ἔξω σοφίαν καί τούς μονάζοντας, ὡς ἄνευ ταύτης οὐκ ἐνόν ἀγνοίας καί ψευδῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι δοξασμάτων, κἄν εἰς ἀπάθειαν ἀφίκηταί τις ἄκραν, οὐδέ τελειότητός τε καί ἁγιότητος ἐπιλαβέσθαι, εἰ μή πανταχόθεν τό εἰδέναι συλλέξει, μάλιστα δέ τῆς καθ’ Ἕλληνας παιδείας, θεοῦ γάρ καί αὕτη δῶρον τῶν προφήταις καί ἀποστόλοις δι’ ἀποκαλύψεως δεδομένων ὁμοίως, καί γνῶσις δι’ αὐτῆς τῶν ὄντων τῇ ψυχῇ προσγίνεται καί τό γνωστικόν κρεῖττον ὄν ἁπασῶν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεων κοσμεῖ, πᾶσάν τε ἄλλην κακίαν ἐξορίζει τῆς ψυχῆς, καί γάρ πᾶν πάθος ἐξ ἀγνοίας φύεταί τε καί κρατύνεται, ἀλλά καί εἰς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ποδηγεῖ τόν ἄνθρωπον· ἄλλως γάρ οὐκ ἔνι γνῶναι τόν Θεόν, εἰ μή διά τῶv
κτισμάτων


 Since I heard from certain people who  were saying, “ it’s necessary to  pursue the wisdom from without and the wisdom  of those who  live monastically, since without this no one is delivered from ignorance  and lying conjectures, and that if someone were to attain  perfect spiritual dispassion, he would  not lay hold of perfection  and holiness, unless he  gathers knowledge from every place, but especially the knowledge from a Hellenic  education, for this is also the gift of God, as likewise is the knowledge which is given by the prophets and apostles  through  revelation.  Through this education  knowledge is afforded to the soul  of created things.  The faculty of knowledge being better than all of the powers of the soul adorns a man, and banishes all other evil from the soul,  for every passion is both engendered and prevails out of ignorance, and  guides man toward the knowledge of God, for there is no other way for someone to know God, except through his creations." 


I  1 have heard it stated by certain people that monks also should pursue secular wisdom,
and that if they do not possess this wisdom, it is impossible for them to avoid ignorance and false opinions, even if they have achieved the highest level of impassibility; 2 and that one cannot acquire perfection and sanctity without seeking knowledge from all quarters, above all from Greek culture, 3 which also is a gift of God—just as were those insights granted to the prophets and apostles through revelation. This education confers on the soul the knowledge of [created] beings,  4 and enriches the faculty of knowledge,
which is the greatest of all the powers of the soul. For education not only dispels all other evils from the soul—since every passion has its root and foundation in ignorance—but it also leads men to the knowledge of God, for God is knowable only through the mediation of His creatures. 5



THE  ARGUMENT  AT HAND
has  implications.  Hellenic education is a blessing-  but it is not necessary for understanding the Scriptures or to have the experience of the grace of God. The Fathers can be understood by themselves without having to resort to Hellenic categories- since they transformed them.  Now,  if someone perchance is inclined to  learn all the details of say  Plotinus  his Monad etc: na na euloghmena. It won't draw you closer to God, only katharsis does that.