The revival of political hesychasm in contemporary orthodox thought - Daniel P Payne

The Revival of Political Hesychasm in Contemporary Orthodox Thought focuses on the retrieval of the spiritual theology of the Orthodox Church and how it is being used in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries to develop a political ideology that allows for the creation of a unique Eastern Orthodox identity, which is against western globalization. The author approaches the phenomenon from the standpoint of constructivism as understood in the social science tradition of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The author argues in the text that the construction of this unique Orthodox identity, especially by the Greek theologians John S. Romanides and Christos Yannaras, is similar to what is occurring in other religious traditions around the world. Additionally, the author examines the retrieval of the hesychastic tradition of the Orthodox Church using a genealogical approach. Here the thought of the Russian emigration, especially the thought of Georges Florovsky, is of primary importance. The text concludes with an appraisal of this revival in the Orthodox world and its ecumenical possibilities for a pluralistic world.