Divine Energies and Divine Action: Exploring the Essence-Energies Distinction

Every construct has its internal and coherent logic; to a point. Conforming to Platonism or Enlightenment principles, Christianity has historically created systems that seemingly ‘embed’ intricately into their respective Milieus. Time and again the Gospel stands as a corrective.David Bradshaw has spotlighted, the need for such a corrective. He demonstrates in this collection of essays the overwhelming preponderance of philosophical incongruities and arguments that Palamism presently enjoys. This certainly is not pristine dogma let alone doctrine. Palamas just happened to be the only ‘horse in the race’ at certain councils and by default happened to cross the line.Norman Russell in his magisterial ‘Gregory Palamas and the Making of Palamism in the Modern Age (Changing Paradigms in Historical and Systematic Theology)’ concludes that Palamism is incomplete. Bradshaw certainly demonstrates this in his essay chapter on replying to critics.________Luke 10:38-42, Martha [Palamism & Scholasticism] works hard to welcome Jesus to her home. Her sister, Mary of Bethany, simply sits at his feet and listens. Both Mary and Martha serve, yet Mary understands the priority and necessity of choosing to abide with Christ. Sitting at the feet of Jesus prevents Mary’s service from becoming distracted and unhealthy.  “When we reach love, we have reached God: our road is ended, and we have crossed to the island which is beyond the world, where is the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.” Abba Isaac, ‘Logos 72’Simplicity

I absolutely loved the book, and the author gives a well researched book on divine energies and much more. The research done by Professor Bradshaw is excellent..I found all of the books done by Professor Bradshaw to be excellent, and I highly recommend all of his books.

I was frankly disappointed in the book, and relieved that I only purchased the inexpensive Kindle version. I expected, perhaps unreasonably, a very scholarly approach to understanding the essence-energy question, but it was more confessional apology than open-ended investigation. There were the normal bromides against "the West," a convenient way to avoid genuine engagement: "The Christian tradition has always contained the resources for a view of God that is both philosophically cogent and scripturally sound. All we have to do is look to the East." (p. 79) I also found that, whereas the author's familiarity with the Greek Fathers and Neoplatonism was impressive, his knowledge of Augustine and Aquinas, and indeed medieval theology in general, was scant and one-sided, more suited to polemics than reflection. (There is always an a priori dismissal, sometimes explicit, that they could not do proper theology, because they did not read Greek. If only Augustine had paid attention in class!) Further, Bradshaw's philological claims concerning "energeia" and "energein," while certainly plausible, are not really compelling. Finally, his central idea of "synergy" represents not so much a solution of the problem of human freedom as an unwillingness to address it. (Granted that an energy may be common to God and creature, one still has to explain freedom in terms consistent with the subordination that is essential to any Christian understanding.) As a Thomist who is very favorable to Byzantine theology and looking toward a synthesis, I just found the work unenlightening. I have given three stars, more for the sake of the topic than its treatment.

This is another masterpiece by David Bradshaw after his "Aristotle East and West: Metaphysics and the Division of Christendom" (Cambridge University Press, 2007). "Aristotle East and West" triggered a new wave of scholarship, vibrant discussions and intense inter-confessional dialogue focusing on Byzantine philosophy, the reception of St Gregory Palamas East and West and, in particular, the relevance of the distinction between Divine essence and energies in Eastern Christian theology in general. The renewed interest in this domain was made possible by Bradshaw's dialogical style, intellectual honesty and ability to engage others in a serious and respectful scholarly dialogue. His new book "Divine Energies and Divine Action: Exploring the Essence-Energies Distinction" is a manifestation of Bradshaw's approach as a scholar and author. It contains his main contributions on the topic after the publication of his first book, but it is much more than a collection of articles. It includes a critical reflection on his own work as well as on the latest developments in this domain that were enabled by other scholars. The book will be highly valuable to philosophers, theologians, historians of ideas, interdisciplinary scholars and lay people interested in Christian theology and philosophy. It establishes David Bradshaw as one of the major intellectuals in the 21st century who have contributed significantly to conceptualizing a fundamental aspect of the human experience with the Divine.