Manuel Gabalas, On true wisdom : text and translation

This article presents the first critical edition and translation of Manuel Gabalas’ treatise On True Wisdom, a previously unpublished work that offers a critique of intellectual arrogance and pretensions to moral superiority. In this text, Gabalas articulates a theology of wisdom grounded in humility and mimesis, emphasizing that true wisdom lies not in the direct appropriation of the divine essence but in the performative participation in God’s activities. The treatise prefigures key arguments later advanced in his opposition to Gregory Palamas, particularly concerning the distinction between God’s essence, names, and energies. The recovery of this work contributes to our understanding of pre-Palamite theological discourse and highlights Gabalas’ role in shaping late Byzantine debates on deification and human access to the divine.