Gregory Palamas

Gregory Palamas was Metropolitan of Thessalonica and, in the words of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, a distinguished theologian. He is mentioned in the article on Orkhan, the early Ottoman ruler, in connection with his captivity. ¹ The Encyclopaedia gives no dates of birth or death for him, so this page is a short record of that episode.

In 1354 Palamas was taken prisoner into Ottoman territory. There he had the chance to meet the Christian communities, and he took part in a public theological debate that Orkhan organised at Nicaea, now Iznik. ¹ The article cites the episode as an example of the close relations between the early Ottomans and the local population, noting that early Ottoman chronicles mention many Byzantine lords and even groups of Christians who collaborated with them. ¹ It lists a 1979 study of Palamas's captivity among the Turks, with documents and commentary, among its sources. ¹

The sources read here do not say how long the captivity lasted, who the debate partners were, or what was said; those need other sources.