A mystical movement within Eastern Orthodox Christianity emphasizing inner stillness, prayer, and direct experience of God through contemplative practices.
From Greek 'hesychia' meaning 'quiet' or 'silence,' combined with the suffix '-ism.' The term was formalized in medieval Byzantine theology to describe monks practicing intense, repetitive prayer on Mount Athos seeking mystical union with the divine.
Hesychasm created one of Christianity's fiercest theological battles—in the 14th century, monks claimed they could see God's uncreated light through prayer, and the Church spent decades debating whether this was genuine mysticism or pure delusion, ultimately endorsing it as orthodox doctrine.
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