Orthodox Glossary · Term

Hesychasm

The spiritual practice of inner stillness and the Jesus Prayer, taught by the Fathers as a path to purification of the heart and encounter with God’s uncreated grace.

Back to glossary Orthodox Concepts
Defined Term
H
Hesychasm
LexiconOrthodox Christianity 101
§ 01 - How to Study This Term

From definition into prayer.

The Orthodox tradition does not separate vocabulary from worship. Pair this term with Scripture, the Liturgy, and the lived life of the Church.

  1. 01
    Look for the word in worship

    Listen for it inside the Divine Liturgy, the daily prayers, or the hymns of the feast it belongs to.

  2. 02
    Trace it through the Fathers

    The same word usually echoes across centuries - Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Maximus, Gregory Palamas.

  3. 03
    Pair it with a prayer

    Vocabulary becomes piety when it lives inside a single, repeated prayer of the Church.

Where the term lives
§ 02 - Related Terms

Words that travel together.

Entries from the lexicon that share the same corner of Orthodox worship and thought as Hesychasm.

GlossaryAltarThe sanctified table at the heart of every Orthodox temple, where the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered and the faithful encounter the heavenly throne of God made present on earth.GlossaryChotki (Prayer Rope)A knotted cord used especially for the Jesus Prayer, aiding believers in unceasing prayer and guarding the heart.
✦   Where to next?

One word, then another.

The Orthodox lexicon is a doorway, not a destination. Keep going - pair this term with prayer and a parish near you.

Find a Parish Back to Glossary