A word which will appear frequently throughout this work, with which some readers may be unfamiliar, is hesychasm. Hesychasm stems from the Greek word hesychia, which entered the vocabulary of Christian spirituality in the fourth century. It has become a technical term to designate the state of inner rest and silence, gained through victory over the passions, which allows one to proceed to contemplation. Hesychasm refers to the Orthodox spirituality that attains the perfection of the person by union