Course:Carey HIST501/Project 2/John of Damascus
Research on the life of an early Church Father from the list provided below and put together a 500-word mini biography of the historical figure assigned by the instructor (the list will be posted on the course website). For each mini biography, please include the following:
Year of Birth and Death
John of Damascus was otherwise known as John Damascene. He was born about 679 in Greek speaking Syria, and passed on as a marry, around 749, at the age of 70 years in the monastery of Mar Saba, Jerusalem.[1]
Short Biographical Sketch
- a. Upbringing
- John of Damascus was brought up in Damascus, after Syria was governed by the Moslems. He was brought up in an Arab Christian family under strict Muslim authority. He was tutored by a Christian scholar, called Cosmas who was a Sicilian monk.[2]
- b. Education
- Under the tutelage of Cosmas, John of Damascus was sharpened in politics, music, theology, geometry, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, algebra, and astronomy. He was also trained at the monastery of St. Sabas, closer to Jerusalem.
- c. Journey of Faith
- Although John of Damascus was born in an Islamic empire, his Christian Arab family was instrumental in his upbringing as a Christian. His father, Sergius, an Arab Christian, got him a Christian teacher, who also nurtured him in the Christian faith. Because his father was allowed to practice the Christian religion, his father had great impact on his Christian faith and his upbringing as a Christian, although he was well versed in both Iskam and Christianity.
- d. Influential person(s)
- He was influenced by Cosmas, a Silician Christian monk. He was also influenced by Paul the Apostle, Basil the Great, Plato, and Aristotle.[3]
- e. Vocational path
- He was trained as a musician, astronomist, mathemtician, politician, a hymnist, and theologian. He held a sensitive office as Chief Councilor/Administrator (Caliph) in the court of the Muslim rulers of Damascus. He was ordained a priest by John V, who was a patriarch of Jerusalem. Later, he abandoned the work of the Caliph, and became a monk the rest of his life.[4]
Major Contributions
- a. Contributions to doctrinal development
- His writings were employed in the Second Council of Nicaea. He defended the use of icons in Christian Orthodox worship.[5]
- b. Contributions to pastoral work
- He was an astute theologian who defended the Christian faith. He preached and practiced holiness.
- He was an astute theologian who defended the Christian faith. His hymns are employed in Eastern Orthodoxy. His salient theological work, The Fountain of Wisdom, is the epitome of Eastern theology.[6]
- c. Contributions to Christian ethics
- He educated the church on ethical issued by writing ethical literatures for consumption by the church. Initiated a defense against the Emperor Leo III. He balanced politics with theology, and served in both God and humanity faithfully. He served as good role model of holiness and academic intelligence to other people in Jerusalem.
- Although a Christian, he se
- erved faithfully as administrator to the ruler of DamasHe sni. Initiated a defense against the Emperor Leo III. He balanced politics with theology, and sed in both God and humanity faithfully. He is renowned as a doctor of the c, and father of Eastern Christianity.urch.
- d. Major Works Written
Short and Long-term Impact
His defense of the use of icons in Christian Orthodox worship has led to the worship of icons like the Virgin Mary in modern Catholicism. He is renowned as a doctor of the church; a title that has been nodelled by several church leaders across the globe. His Christian ethical writings continue to be integral aspects of Christian theology, used extensively in the church and in theological schools then, and now. He influenced the theology of the Greek fathers, and Eastern Christianity.[10]
John of Damascus positively influenced Scholasticism and Hesychasm. Also, he influenced the Council of Nicaea. He had positive impact on both Eastern and Western Christian philosophy. Contemporary Catholic theology owes much of its great feats to him. He is noted to complete the era of Patristic dogmatic development in the present era. The part he played in Iconoclastic controversy ever remains indelible in the history of the church and in present application.[11]
References
Janosik, Daniel J. John of Damascus: First Apologist to the Muslims. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2016.
Louth, Andrew. St. John Damascene: tradition and originality in Byzantine theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Renwick, A. M. The Story of the Church. London: InterVarsity Press, 1968.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2013.