#Hesychasm

Authority in the Byzantine Church of the 11th century is analysed through the conflict between institutional authority and charismatic-mystical authority, with a focus on the figure of Saint Symeon the New Theologian. The tension between the secular humanism of Michael Psellos and the charismatic mysticism of Simeon, his dispute with Metropolitan Stephen of Nicomedia, and the modern interpretations of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, paint a picture of authority gained through the mystical experience of the vision of God.

The interview conducted by Fr. Constantin Olariu with Father Veniamin addresses the deification of man, unceasing prayer and the Hesychast tradition in Romanian monasticism, with particular reference to Bistrița Monastery and the intercessions of Saint Gregory the Decapolite; the reader comes to understand that prayer, rooted in the teachings of the Holy Fathers, is man’s living and continuous communion with God.

This article presents the hermit traditions of the Cozia Mountains and the lives of the Holy Monks Daniil the Hermit and Misail the Nacealnic, who lived as ascetics in caves beneath the Cozia cliff in the 17th century. A disciple of Daniil, Misail founded the Hermitage of Daniil and Misail, and their relics were laid in the foundations of the church built by Bishop Varlaam of Râmnic in 1676.