author
Saint John of Damascus
675–749
A monk, theologian, and gifted hymn writer from Damascus, he became one of the most important Christian voices of the 8th century. He is especially remembered for defending sacred images during the great iconoclast controversy.
2 Audiobooks
St John Damascene on Holy Images (πρὸς τοὺς διαβάλλοντας τᾶς ἁγίας εἰκόνας). Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption (κοίμησις)
by Saint John of Damascus
Barlaam and Ioasaph
by Saint John of Damascus
About the author
Born in Damascus around 675, John of Damascus grew up in a Christian family living under Umayyad rule. He is traditionally said to have served in public administration before leaving for the monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem, where he devoted himself to prayer, study, preaching, and writing.
He became famous for works that explained Christian belief with unusual clarity and range. His writings on the veneration of icons made him a leading defender of sacred images in the 8th century, and his theological synthesis, especially The Fount of Knowledge, had a lasting influence in both Eastern and Western Christianity.
John was also celebrated as a hymnographer, and many Christians have remembered him not only as a thinker but as a poet of worship. Later honored as a saint and a Doctor of the Church, he remains one of the best-known bridge figures between the early Christian world of the Near East and the Byzantine tradition.