Theoleptos of Philadelphia (c. 1250–1322) was a Byzantine bishop, mystic, and a significant figure in the hesychast tradition of the Orthodox Church. As Metropolitan of Philadelphia in Asia Minor, he combined his pastoral duties with a deep spiritual practice focused on inner prayer, asceticism, and the experience of the divine presence.
Theoleptos was a spiritual teacher of Saint Gregory Palamas and played a key role in shaping the theology of hesychasm. In his writings, he emphasized the necessity of the purification of the heart, watchfulness (nepsis), and the unceasing Jesus Prayer as the path to union with God.
His work stands in the tradition of the early Christian Desert Fathers and has deeply influenced the mystical spirituality of the Eastern Church.
If persistent and pure prayer has freed us from all earthly charms and you regard them all as shadows, and if we have completely focused our spirit on the presence of God, then a covenant partner arises for us in the love of God. The pleading call to prayer causes love for God to bubble up in our soul like a spring, seizing our spirit and allowing it to behold a mysterious land.
© BLI - Thomas Schuh 2025