John of Damascus
Born Yahya ibn Mansur. He was born into a wealthy Christian family in Damascus, which had fallen under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. He inherited his dad’s post as a high-ranking tax official (or “Grand Vizier, this was also Jafar’s title in Disney’s Aladdin) for the Caliph Abd al-Malik.
His grandpa, Mansur ibn Sarjun, was a prominent Byzantine official of Damascus, who’d been responsible for the taxes of the region during the reign of Emperor Heraclius & also served under Emperor Maurice. Mansur seems to have played a role in the capitulation of Damascus to the troops of Khalid ibn al-Walid in 635 after securing favorable conditions of surrender.
Because John lived in the Umayyad Caliphate, the Byzantine Emperor couldn’t touch him. John could talk smack about the Emperor’s theology from the safety of Damascus & Jerusalem. John spoke Arabic & Greek fluently. Around 706 CE, he left the worldly life of the Damascus court to become a monk at the Monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem.
He was a polymath whose fields of interest, & contribution, included law, theology, philosophy, & music. He was given the by-name of Chrysorroas (literally “streaming with gold”). John’s most notable historical contribution was his defense of: Icons. In the 720s, Byzantine Emperor Leo III began the “Iconoclasm” (image-breaking) Movement, ordering the destruction of all religious art. Leo argued that icons were idols & that God couldn’t be pictured.
John made a crucial distinction that still the difference between Catholic/Orthodox & some Protestant views on art today:
- Latreia (Adoration): Worship reserved for God alone.
- Doulia (Veneration): Honor or respect paid to a created thing (like a flag, a photograph of a loved one, or an icon.
“I do not worship matter, I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake… & through accomplished my salvation.”
John was the 1st person to “systematize” Christian theology. Before him, theology was found in letters, sermons, & poems. John organized it like a modern textbook:
- The Fountain of Knowledge:
- His magnus opus. The 3rd part, The Orthodox Faith, became the gold standard for theology in the East & later influenced Thomas Aquinas in the West.
- The Heresies in Epitome:
- A list of 100 Heresies. Interestingly, number 100 was the “Heresies of the Ishmaelites” (Islam), providing 1 of the earliest Christian critiques of the new religion.
- Hymnography:
- He’s credited with writing much of the Octoechos – the book of 8 tones used in Orthodox liturgical singing.
Because John lived among Muslims, his perspective on Islam is a vital historical document. He didn’t see Islam as a completely “new” religion. But rather as a Christian heresy, a “mutilated” version of the faith. John praised their monotheism. He critiqued their view of Jesus (which he saw as ironically Docetic, as the Quran suggests Jesus only appeared to be crucified).
His writings formed the basis of Christian-Muslim polemics for the next 1,000 years. He remains a hero to those who believe that the physical world is capable of carrying the divine.
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