Hypostasis

In Trinitarian theology, hypostasis refers to the three Persons of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each a distinct, concrete reality sharing the same divine essence. The term appears in the Philokalia primarily in theological contexts. For the practical reader, the key insight is that the God the tradition describes is not an impersonal force but a personal reality — or more precisely, a communion of Persons — which is why prayer is understood as a relationship, not a technique.