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St. John of Damascus (ca. 676-764 A.D.)
John's main contribution to the Church was his massive Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.
In this text, John offers a systematic exposition of the doctrines of the Church Fathers
who preceded him, providing a synthesis of all accepted Orthodox dogma. Clearly, John
saw the book of theology as essentially closed, and he reminds us that he is adding
nothing of his own thought, but simply repeating the Fathers, albeit in a more concise
form. His main sources were Maximus Confessor, Leontius of Byzantium, and Anastasius
of Sinai, though he clearly had a voluminous knowledge of many other Church Fathers.
Yet there was a slightly speculative side to John, noted particularly in his ruminations
about predestination. But his greatness is due mainly to the massive task he accomplished
in providing the Church with an encyclopedic catechetical work, the first of its kind.
Selected Works:
An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
Also See in Theandros:
Fall 2004 - A Philosophical Explanation of Hypostatical Union in John Damascene's Fount of Knowledge - Anna Zhyrkova
Spring/Summer 2005 - The Concept of Unbounded and Evil Matter in Plotinus and John Damascenus - Katelis Viglas
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