John of Damascus

Saint John of Damascus, ; ; , ; also called John Damascene, Chrysorrhoas (meaning "streaming with gold", that is, "the golden speaker", a very good speaker). ( 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.M. Walsh, ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints(HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 1991), pp. 403

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.Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Idols in the East: European representations of Islam and the Orient, 1100-1450, Cornell University Press, 2009 p.204David Richard Thomas, Syrian Christians under Islam: the first thousand years, Brill 2001 p.19. 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".Aquilina 1999, pp. 222 He is also honored by Catholic churches, specifically the Roman Catholic Church.

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Category:670s births
Category:749 deaths
Category:Arab people
Category:Christian saints
Category:Early Christian theologians
Category:People from Damascus
Category:Syrian Christians