In Defence of Those Who Devoutly Practise a Life of Stillness

A shorter theological defense of hesychast practice, related to Palamas' larger Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts but more compact and focused. Palamas argues that the practice of stillness and the prayer of the heart are not innovations but the authentic continuation of the apostolic tradition. The text addresses those who dismissed hesychast prayer as superstitious or heretical. Important for understanding the theological controversy that surrounded the practices described throughout the Philokalia.