Apodictic and Dialectical Reasoning in Gregory Palamas and Their Aristotelian Sources (original) (raw)

Mikonja Knezeviz (ed.), Aristotle in Byzantium, “St. Sebastian Orthodox Press”, Alhambra, Los Angeles 2020, 301-323

In this paper we investigate how Gregory Palamas understands the difference between apodictic and dialectical reasoning, as well as the priority he gives to the former in matters of Christianity. Using philosophical thought and, mostly, Aristotelian thought, the foundation of any of his arguments is solid: man cannot understand the divine essence, but he can describe the ad extra manifestations of God through apodictic syllogisms. Regarding the structure of our study, it consists of four subsections. In the first, we discuss the ontological conditions and the scientific range of apodictic and dialectical reasoning and we come to the conclusion that the former, in contrast to the latter, is characterized by objectivity. In the second subsection, we elaborate the four data on which dialectical reasoning is based and conclude that, according to Gr. Palamas, any limits can only be applied in the field of creation. In the third subsection on dialectical reasoning and on true theological propositions, we attempt to approach the methodological and conceptual questions that Gr. Palamas raises regarding the apodictic and the dialectical method. In the last subsection, we briefly present the impasses of the Platonic and Aristotelian theory based on the Christian criterion and highlight the importance of the middle term according to Gr. Palamas for the correctness of a syllogism. It becomes clear that the hesychast theologian manages to combine in an exceptional way the theories of Plato and Aristotle and to participate in a special way in the formation of the Orthodox Christian Epistemology.