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In this article I attempt to approach the concept of the saint in late antiquity from a theological rather than a socio-historical perspective. Using the abundant correspondence of Barsanuphius and John of Gaza, I look at how they conceived of the saints, the unmistakable importance they attached to their prayers and intercessions, and how the saints fit into Barsanuphius and John's broader Christian framework. I emphasize that the importance of the ἅγιοι is not constrained to their locality, and that their role for the two Gazan ascetics is not at all bound up with projects of self-promotion.

Christian theology has from its inception posited a powerful vision of humanity’s ultimate and eternal fulfilment through the person and work of Jesus Christ. That said, how precisely to understand and approach the human perfection to which the Christian is summoned is a question that has vexed the minds of many and diverse theologians. Orthodox Christian theology is notable for its consistent interest in this question, and over the last century has offered to the West a wealth of theological insight on the matter, drawn from both the resources of its Byzantine theological heritage as well as its living interaction with Western theological and philosophical currents. In this regard, the important themes of personhood, deification, epektasis, apophaticism, and divine energies have been elaborated with much success by Orthodox theologians; but not without controversy. This work addresses the question of human perfection in Orthodox theology via a retrieval of the sources, examining in turn the thought of leading representatives of the Byzantine theological tradition: St Maximus the Confessor, St Theodore the Studite, St Symeon the New Theologian, and St Gregory Palamas. The overarching argument of this study is that in order to present an Orthodox Christian understanding of human perfection which remains true to its Byzantine inheritance, supreme emphasis must be placed on the doctrine of Christ, especially on the significance and import of Christ’s humanity. The intention of this work is thus to keep the creative approach to human destiny in Orthodox theology firmly moored to its theological past.

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