Bernardo Massari, better known as Barlaam of Seminara, navigated the complex intellectual landscape of the 14th century as a mathematician, theologian, and diplomat. Born in 1290 in southern Italy, he operated within the Byzantine Empire, where he gained significant influence in Constantinople before his theological disputes and career shifts eventually led him to a career as a Catholic bishop.
Early Career and Diplomatic Missions
Arriving in Constantinople in the 1320s, Massari secured a teaching position at the University of Constantinople under the patronage of Emperor Andronicus III Palaeologus. Tonsured at the monastery of Sant'Elia di Capassino, he adopted the name Barlaam and became the abbot of the Monastery of Our Savior. His expertise in mathematics, philosophy, and classical scholarship facilitated diplomatic missions to Naples and Paris, as well as an unsuccessful 1339 attempt to negotiate church unity with Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Conflict Over Hesychasm
Barlaam challenged the mystical practices known as Hesychasm, which were championed by Gregory Palamas. While visiting Thessalonica, Barlaam criticized the monks for their psycho-physical practices, labelling them 'Omphaloscopoi' or navel-gazers. He argued that their claims of perceiving divine light were absurd and potentially heretical. This confrontation prompted a series of synods, specifically the Councils of Sophia in 1341 and the Council of Blachernae in 1351, which ultimately ruled against Barlaam and supported Palamas's defense of the mystical tradition.
Ecclesiastical Transition
Following his theological disputes and failed diplomatic efforts regarding the union of the churches, Barlaam returned to Constantinople to work on commentaries concerning Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. His intellectual output included twenty-one treatises composed against the Latins during his earlier negotiations. By 1342, he transitioned into the Catholic Church hierarchy, serving as a diocesan bishop until 1347. He died in 1348 in Gerace.
Fast facts
- Born: 1290, Galatro/Seminara
- Died: 1348, Gerace
- Citizenship: Byzantine Empire
- Occupations: Mathematician, diplomat, Catholic bishop, philosopher, monk
- Religious affiliation: Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox
- Languages: Latin, Ancient Greek
- Bishopric term: 1342-1347
Questions readers ask
What was the core of Barlaam's conflict with Gregory Palamas?
Barlaam disputed the Hesychast practice of claiming direct perception of divine light, which he categorized as absurd and potentially heretical.
Was Barlaam successful in his diplomatic efforts?
No. His attempts to negotiate the union of the churches with the papacy, including a 1339 mission to Avignon, did not achieve their intended goals.
Achievements
- Fields: theology