Saint John of Damascus was a Syrian Christian monk and priest, celebrated as a polymath whose contributions spanned law, theology, philosophy, and music. Before his ordination, he served as a chief administrator to the Muslim caliph in Damascus. His writings expounding the Christian faith and his hymns remain in daily use in Eastern Christian monasteries worldwide. The Catholic Church regards him as a Doctor of the Church, particularly noted for his writings on the Assumption of Mary.
"St John of Damascus is often regarded as "the last of the fathers," and his On the Orthodox Faith (or An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith) is a summary and creative synthesis of all preceding patristic thought, touching upon every major aspect of the Christian faith. Norman Russell's new translation is based upon Kotter's critical Greek text, which is included on the facing page"--
Barlaam and Ioasaph, a hagiographic novel in which an Indian prince becomes aware of the world s miseries and is converted to Christianity by a monk, is a Christianized version of the legend of the Buddha. Though often attributed to John Damascene (c. 676 749 CE), it was probably translated from Georgian into Greek in the eleventh century CE.
Is all Christian art fundamentally blasphemous? That was the question posed aggressively by the Christian iconoclasts of the eighth century in a bitter controversy. The resounding answer 'No' from John of Damascus helped to secure the future of art in the service of Christ. Without his brilliant defense, both profound and at times earthy, we might well have had no icons, murals, and mosaics in churches to elevate and enrich our spirits. This fresh and complete translation, by a distinguished patristic scholar, of John's three treatises on the divine images shows us the issue at stake both then and now. Professor Louth places all of us who care about them in his debt.