John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus[1] (c. 675 or 676 – 4 December 749) was a Christian leader from Damascus. He was a monk and a priest (a Christian preacher). He was born and raised in Damascus, which is today the capital of the country of Syria. He died in the Jerusalem in Palestine, at the Mar Saba monastery.[2]
Saint John of Damascus | |
|---|---|
.gif) Saint John Damascene (Arabic icon) | |
| Doctor of the Church | |
| Born | c. 675 or 676 AD Damascus |
| Died | December 4, 749 Mar Saba, Jerusalem |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Lutheran Church Anglican Communion |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | December 4 March 27 (General Roman Calendar 1890-1969) |
John of Damascus studied religion. He also studied law, theology, philosophy and music. He is said by some sources to have served as a Chief Administrator to the Muslim caliph of Damascus before he became a priest.[3][4] He wrote works about Christianity. He composed hymns that are still used by Greek Orthodox churches around the world. He is considered "the last of the Fathers" of the Eastern Orthodox church. He is best known for arguing to let people use pictures of Greek Orthodox saints, which are called "icons".[5] He is also honored by Catholic churches, specifically the Roman Catholic Church.
References
change- ↑ Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνός, Iōannēs ho Damaskēnos; Latin: Iohannes Damascenus; Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي, Yuḥannā Al Demashqi; also called John Damascene, Chrysorrhoas (meaning "streaming with gold", that is, "the golden speaker", a very good speaker).
- ↑ M. Walsh, ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints(HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 1991), pp. 403
- ↑ Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Idols in the East: European representations of Islam and the Orient, 1100-1450, Cornell University Press, 2009 p.204
- ↑ David Richard Thomas, Syrian Christians under Islam: the first thousand years, Brill 2001 p.19.
- ↑ Aquilina 1999, pp. 222
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