Jovan Milanovic: The eros in the theology of Gregory Palamas

In the beginning of constitution of Christian theology the Greek word eros was very often replaced by word agape which, by certain authors is much more Christian. In their opinion the word eros is more pagan. Nevertheless we can see the utilization of the word eros with in the work of the apostolic fathers – the epistles of saint Ignatius of Antiochus. The usage of the word, that has it origins in the Neo-Platonism, can also be seen in Gregory of Nyssa, Dionysus the Areopagite and Maxime the Confessor. Their theological interpretation reserves the word eros for Christ. In their theological perception the divine eros is the Christ. That “tradition” of using the word eros seems to be interrupted with Gregory Palamas which gives to the word eros different theological explication. For him the eros is the Holy Spirit. He confirms it clearly in his 150 chapters. That kind of changement, attest certain authors, is made by the influence of Augustine of Hippo over the Palamas. For Augustine the Spirit is the love – amor that Father gives to the Son. That was possible because Palamas knew the translation of the Augustin’s work – De Trinitate (The Trinity) – how was operated by Maxime Planudes in XIIIth century. This fact can explain the influence of Augustin over the Palamas. Although Palamas doesn’t use the word agape by which Planudes translates the Augustine’s word amor whom he used when speaking about the Holy Spirit. He uses the word eros. What is the reason for those changements within the theology of Palamas? We can see that Palamas changes the signification of the word eros from one side, and from the other, that he is “making the correction” in the way of interpreting the Augustine’s amor. Was it a correction or an opening toward occidental theology? That will be the subject of our communication.