Development of rationalistic tendencies in byzantine philosophy during the hesychast controversy

The article examines the main philosophical aspects of the Hesychast controversy between proponents and opponents of the doctrine of Gregory Palamas. The Hesychast controversy, in which the key one is the opposition between Gregory Palamas and Barlaam of Calabria, is interpreted as a conflict of mystical and rational tendencies in Byzantine philosophy. As part of the study, the author shows that the polemic with the Hesy-chastists led to the development of rationalist ideas, which, however, were not widespread. Hesychasts denied the methods of rational cognition of God, similar to Western European scholasticism. For this reason, the adoption of the teachings of Gregory Palamas as official church doctrine had important consequences for the advancement of Byzantine philosophy. The victory of Hesychasm became an insurmountable obstacle to the widespread rationalization and secularization of philosophical thinking in Byzantium.