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to proceed boldly against sacred stillness itself and to attach many reproaches to the hesychasts, calling them deceivers and liars and Messalians, having taken the pretexts for his many revilings from having heard that a light shines around the saints. And yet one might justly blame the teacher concerning other things, but concerning this, no one. For this divine light shone around many others who were struggling for Christ in times of persecution, and the divine Antony, arrayed not against tyrants, but against demons more terrible than tyrants, as it is possible to learn from the writings about him. But if it is necessary, passing over all these things, to go back to the first example, it will be clearly possible to receive the proof that it is possible for the bodily eyes to see the divine and uncreated light. For taking, it says, the Lord before his passion the chief of the disciples and having gone up on Tabor, was transfigured before them and his face 1.549 shone like the sun; not bearing to see its brightness, the disciples fell upon the ground. If, therefore, they too being men and still more imperfectly disposed, were able to see the divine and uncreated light that shone around them, what wonder is it if now too we should say the saints see a light, being illuminated from above by God? For this reason we ask of you neither to speak nor to write about such things, as one who knows little or nothing about them; but also to destroy what has been written, as it will provide for many causes of no ordinary harm. Such things Gregory and those around him conveyed as a message to Barlaam, thinking that their exhortation would stop his verbal abuse. But it turned out the opposite of what they thought. For as the ambassador went through the words to him, on the other matters he kept quiet, but on hearing that the light that shone on Tabor was uncreated, he shouted, "What absurdity! For fleeing the smoke, we have fallen into the fire. Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth! The light on Tabor is uncreated, and what else is it but God, according to you! For nothing is uncreated except God. If, therefore, that light is neither a creature, nor the essence of God, for no one has ever seen God, what is left but to worship two gods, one, the creator of all, whom everyone would confess to be invisible, and a second, this uncreated and visible light of yours? But I 1.550 would never endure, either before or after, to consider anything whatsoever that is distinct from the essence of God to be uncreated." Setting out from these words as from a starting point, he both said and wrote many things against Gregory and the other monks, in addition to his previous charges, also accusing them of ditheism. Nor indeed did they neglect to speak openly against him and to show him introducing corrupt doctrines and things contrary to the divinely wise words. But Barlaam, thinking that he would prevail over even the ancient theologians by the wisdom of his words and by persuasion, sailed to Byzantium, and to John, who was then patriarch, he handed over his writings against the monks and asked for a synod to be assembled against them, in order to convict them of both thinking and saying things contrary to the orthodox doctrines, and he was flowing on at great length against them, and accusing them of ditheism. But it did not seem right to the patriarch to overlook such things, but he summoned the monks by letters from Thessalonica to come to the trial; and they themselves also were present to submit to an examination of their words. In the midst of these events, and with much uproar and confusion possessing the church, the emperor also returned to Byzantium from his campaign into Acarnania. And having learned what Barlaam and the monks were disputing, he first tried to silence them, exhorting both sides to abstain from contradiction and, having put an end to their enmity, to be friends with one another as before and not for the sake of rivalry to cause turmoil for themselves and for others. 1.551 But since neither side was persuaded, but Barlaam insisted that he would prove that Gregory and those with him held corrupt opinions and was urging on the trial, and Gregory maintained he was being wronged and those with

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θρασέως κατ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς χωρῆσαι ἡσυχίας καὶ τοῖς ἡσυχάζουσι πολλὰ προστρίψασθαι ὀνείδη, ἀπατεῶνας καλοῦντα καὶ ψευδομένους καλοῦντα καὶ Μασσαλιανοὺς, ἐκ τοῦ φῶς περιαστράπτειν τοὺς ἁγίους ἀκηκοέναι τὰς ἀφορμὰς εἰληφότα τῶν πολλῶν λοιδοριῶν. καίτοι γε τῷ διδάξαντι περὶ ἄλλων μὲν ἄν τις μέμφοιτο δικαίως, περὶ τούτου δὲ οὐδείς. ἄλλους τε γὰρ περιήστραψε πολλοὺς τὸ θεῖον τοῦτο φῶς ἐν τοῖς τοῦ διωγμοῦ καιροῖς ἀγωνιζομένους ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καὶ Ἀντώνιον τὸν θεῖον οὐ πρὸς τυράννους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς δεινοτέρους τυράννων δαίμονας παρατεταγμένον, ὡς ἐκ τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ συγγεγραμμένων ἔξεστι μαθεῖν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' εἰ δεῖ καὶ ταῦτα πάντα παραδραμόντας πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον παράδειγμα ἀναδραμεῖν, σαφῶς ἐξέσται τοῦ δυνατὸν εἶναι τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς θεῖον καὶ ἄκτιστον φῶς θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀπόδειξιν λαβεῖν. παραλαβὼν γάρ, φησιν, ὁ κύριος πρὸ τοῦ πάθους τοὺς προκρίτους τῶν μαθητῶν καὶ ἀνελθὼν ἐπὶ Θαβὼρ, μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔλαμψε 1.549 τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος· οὗ μὴ φέροντες τὴν λαμπρότητα ὁρᾷν οἱ μαθηταὶ κατέπεσον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. εἰ οὖν κἀκεῖνοι ἄνθρωποί τε ὄντες καὶ ἔτι ἀτελέστερον διακείμενοι, τὸ περιαστράψαν αὐτοὺς θεῖον καὶ ἄκτιστον φῶς ἠδυνήθησαν ἰδεῖν, τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ καὶ νῦν τοὺς ἁγίους φαίημεν φῶς ὁρᾷν ἄνωθεν ἐλλαμπομένους ἐκ θεοῦ; διὸ δή σου καὶ δεόμεθα περὶ τῶν τοιούτων μήτε λέγειν μήτε λογογραφεῖν, ὡς ὀλίγα ἢ οὐδὲν περὶ αὐτῶν εἰδότα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ γεγραμμένα ἀφανίζειν, ὡς πολλοῖς αἴτια βλάβης παρεσόμενα οὐ τῆς τυχούσης. Τοιαῦτα μὲν Γρηγόριος καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν διεπρεσβεύοντο πρὸς Βαρλαὰμ, οἰόμενοι τὴν παραίνεσιν αὐτῷ τὴν γλωσσαλγίαν στήσειν. τὸ δ' ἐναντίως ἢ αὐτοὶ ᾠήθησαν ἀπέβη. ὡς γὰρ τοὺς λόγους ὁ πρεσβεύων διῄει πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἡσυχίαν ἦγε, τὸ ἐν Θαβωρίῳ δὲ λάμψαν φῶς ἄκτιστον ἀκούσας «τῆς ἀτοπίας!» ἀνεβόησε· «καπνὸν γὰρ φεύγοντες, ἐμπεπτώκαμεν εἰς πῦρ. ἄκουε οὐρανὲ καὶ ἐνωτίζου ἡ γῆ· τὸ ἐν Θαβὼρ φῶς ἄκτιστον καὶ τί ἄλλο ἢ θεὸς καθ' ὑμᾶς! οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄκτιστον ὅτι μὴ θεός. εἰ οὖν μήτε κτίσμα τὸ φῶς ἐκεῖνο, μήτε θεοῦ οὐσία, θεὸν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε, τί λοιπὸν ἢ δυσὶ λατρεύειν θεοῖς, ἑνὶ μὲν, τῷ πάντων δημιουργῷ, ὃν καὶ ἀόρατον πᾶς τις ἂν ὁμολογήσειε, δευτέρῳ δὲ, τῷ καθ' ὑμᾶς ὁρωμένῳ ἀκτίστῳ τούτῳ φωτί; ἐγὼ δὲ οὔτε 1.550 πρότερον οὔθ' ὕστερόν ποτε ἀνασχοίμην ἂν ὁπωσοῦν τι διαφέρον τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἄκτιστον ἡγεῖσθαι.» ἐκ τούτων δὴ τῶν λόγων ὥσπερ ἀφετηρίας ὁρμηθεὶς, πολλὰ καὶ εἶπε καὶ συνεγράψατο κατὰ Γρηγορίου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μοναχῶν, πρὸς τοῖς πρότερον καὶ διθεΐαν ἐγκαλῶν. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοί γε ἠμέλουν τοῦ μὴ ἀντιλέγειν φανερῶς καὶ διεφθαρμένα δόγματα εἰσάγοντα ἀποδεικνύναι καὶ τοῖς θεοσόφοις λόγοις ἐναντία. Βαρλαὰμ δὲ οἰόμενος καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων θεολόγων σοφίᾳ λόγων καὶ πειθοῖ κρατήσειν, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐκπλεύσας, Ἰωάννῃ τῷ πατριαρχεύοντι τότε τὰ κατὰ τῶν μοναχῶν συγγράμματα ἐγχειρίζει καὶ σύνοδον ἐδεῖτο συναθροίζειν κατ' αὐτῶν, ὡς τοῖς ὀρθοῖς δόγμασιν ἐναντία καὶ φρονοῦντας καὶ λέγοντας ἐλέγξων, καὶ πολὺς ἦν ῥέων κατ' ἐκείνων, καὶ τὴν διθεΐαν ἐγκαλῶν. πατριάρχῃ δὲ περιορᾷν οὐ δεῖν ἐδόκει τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ γράμμασιν ἐκάλει τοὺς μοναχοὺς ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἀπαντᾷν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην· καὶ παρῆσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν λόγων ὑφέξοντες εὐθύνας. ἐν τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ θορύβου πολλοῦ καὶ ταραχῆς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κατεχούσης, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκ τῆς εἰς Ἀκαρνανίαν στρατείας εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανῆκε. καὶ πυθόμενος ὅσα Βαρλαὰμ διαφέροιτο καὶ οἱ μοναχοὶ, πρῶτα μὲν κατασιγάζειν ἐπειρᾶτο, ἑκατέροις παραινῶν τῆς ἀντιλογίας ἀποσχέσθαι καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν καταλύσαντας, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἀλλήλοις εἶναι φίλους καὶ μὴ διὰ φιλονεικίαν σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ταραχὴν παρέχειν· 1.551 ὡς δὲ ἐπείθοντο οὐδέτεροι, ἀλλ' ὅ,τε Βαρλαὰμ διεφθαρμένα ἰσχυρίζετο δοξάζοντας ἀποδείξειν Γρηγόριον καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπέσπευδε τὴν δίκην, ὅ,τε Γρηγόριος ἀδικεῖσθαι διετείνετο καὶ οἱ περὶ