John of Damascus
Christian theologian of Syria under Arab rule. His three treatises on the divine images, written about 730, distinguish the honour paid to images from the worship owed to God, as the Second Council of Nicaea later did. The iconoclast council of 754 cursed him by name.
Theophanes names him among the defenders of images in the time of Leo III: “John Chrysorrhoas”, the golden-flowing, son of Mansur, a priest and monk at Damascus in Syria, an excellent teacher, who together with the bishops of the East placed the emperor under anathema (Theophanes, Chronicle AM 6221 (p. 408)).
His treatises argue that the God who became visible in the flesh may be depicted, that matter is honoured because salvation came through it, and that the honour paid to images differs from the worship owed to God alone (John of Damascus, On the Divine Images 1 (pp. 9–10, 15–16)). He denies that emperors may legislate for the church (John of Damascus, On the Divine Images 2 (pp. 69–70)). The council of Hieria in 754 anathematized him as “Mansur”, with “Saracen opinions” (Council of Hieria (754), acclamations), and Theophanes records that the sentence was proclaimed in the forum of Constantinople (Theophanes, Chronicle AM 6245 (p. 428)). See the Iconoclast Controversy Begins.
In the timeline
- AD 726–730, estimated dateThe Iconoclast Controversy Begins
The emperor Leo III moves against religious images, and the patriarch Germanus resigns rather than consent. John of Damascus writes in their defence from outside the empire. In 754 a council under Leo’s son condemns images as contrary to the doctrine of Christ.
Primary sources
Chronicle (Chronographia)
- Theophanes, Chronicle AM 6221 (p. 408)archive.org
- Theophanes, Chronicle AM 6245 (p. 428)archive.org
Three Treatises on the Divine Images
- John of Damascus, On the Divine Images 1 (pp. 9–10, 15–16)sourcebooks.fordham.edu
- John of Damascus, On the Divine Images 2 (pp. 69–70)sourcebooks.fordham.edu