Hesychasm is a theological concept I’ve encountered previously, but never understood. It is a way of living out the faith that strikes me as peculiar or perplexing. I believe researching this practice will broaden my understanding of the varieties of Christian expression that have existed through the centuries. From Wikipedia: Hesychasm (/ˈhɛsɪkæzəm, ˈhɛzɪ-/; Greek: Ησυχασμός) is a mystical tradition of contemplative prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Based on Jesus’s injunction in the Gospel of Matthew that “whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you”, hesychasm in tradition has been the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God (see Theoria). The intent of this assignment is to not only deepen your skills in historical research and written presentation, but also to broaden your understanding of the varieties of Christian expression that have existed through the centuries. Each paper should have a clear thesis and address each of the following questions: So what? Why is this topic important to the history of doctrine or the history of Christianity? Every paper should have a clear “so what.” What was the idea? This section will describe, to the degree possible, given information available, what the idea was and its historical context. Who proposed it or acted on it? Why? Identify the causal factors behind this expression of Christianity. Why did it develop this way in this context? This section consists largely of historical narrative. What were its implications? What happened, in terms of theology, mission, church/state relations, or some other aspect of the kingdom of God, as a result of this strange idea? Why? Identify these implications for both the short term and the long term, including the present. This section should consist largely of historical interpretation.
