ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the different ways that the essence–energies distinction has been interpreted by scholars from the early modern period to the present day. It traces three broad phases in this history, from classic Roman Catholic critiques through the Orthodox revival of the twentieth century to contemporary thinking about what ‘energies’ are and how they are said to differ from the divine essence. This chapter also provides a unique overview of the complete writings of St Gregory Palamas in order to explain why new research, making full use of this wide corpus, is essential to understanding what Palamas himself teaches about God’s essence and energies.
