Barlaam of Calabria (ca. 1290-1348) was an Italian-born Eastern Orthodox clergyman of the 14th century. He is one of the representatives of Byzantine Humanism. He brought an accusation of heresy against Gregory Palamas for the latter's hesychast prayer. Three Orthodox Christian synods ruled against him and in Palamas's favor (1341-1351). In contrast to Gregory Palamas's teaching that the "glory of God" revealed in various episodes of Jewish and Christian Scripture (e.g., the burning bush seen by Moses) was the uncreated Energies of God, Barlaam held that they were created effects, because no part of God, whatsoever, could be viewed by humans. Upon the synodical decisions against him, he left Constantinople permanently and returned to Calabria, where he converted to Roman Catholicism and became Bishop of Gerace. The Zealots of Thessalonica were influenced by Barlaam's teachings. He was a master of Greek and the writings of Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio owe much to him as he was their initial instructor in that language. For broader historical context, see 1290s and 13th century. ... Events April 7 - Charles University is founded in Prague. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Humanism is a broad category of active ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Gregory Palamas (1296 - 1359) was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece, and later became Archbishop of Thessalonica. ... Hesychasm (Greek ησυχασμός, from ησυχία, stillness, rest, quiet) is an eremitic tradition of prayer in Eastern Orthodox Christianity practised (Gk: ησυχάζω: keep stillness) by the Hesychast (Gr. ... ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centred on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ... Burning bush at St. ... Moses strikes water from the stone, by Bacchiacca Moses or Moshe (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה, Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: موسى, ; Geez: ሙሴ Musse) is a legendary Hebrew liberator, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian. ... The Energies of God are a central principle of theology in the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Gerace is a town in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy. ... Zealots was an anti-aristocratic political group with social demands in 1342 that dominated political developments in Thessalonica until 1350. ... From the c. ... Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (June 16, 1313 – December 21, 1375) was an Italian author and poet, a friend and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist in his own right and author of a number of notable works including On Famous Women, the Decameron and his poems in the vernacular. ...