c. AD 675 – 749

John of Damascus

His On the Orthodox Faith is the first great systematic summary of Greek theology and shaped Nicaea II.

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Location
Damascus and the monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem
Role
Monk, priest and Doctor of the Church
Major writings
  • The Fount of Knowledge, including On the Orthodox Faith
  • Three Treatises on the Divine Images
Teachings
  • The incarnation justifies the making of images
  • The distinction between veneration and adoration
Connection to apostolic Christianity
He argued from what the churches had always practised rather than from novel reasoning.

Quotations with references

I do not venerate matter, I venerate the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake.

John of Damascus, On the Divine Images 1.16

Sources and References