Gregory Palamas was a 14th-century Byzantine theologian and metropolitan who was born in Constantinople around 1296. A monk of Mount Athos, he became a prominent figure in Eastern Orthodox thought through his defense of hesychast spirituality. He is most famous for his theological distinction between the divine essence and the divine energies. During his career, he contested the views of several contemporaries, including Barlaam, Akindynos, and Gregoras, while serving as the archbishop of Thessaloniki until his death in 1359.