StJohnofDamascus 10221829

t tJfa t
btrs for (Engli sh mantra .
ST . JO HN O F DA MAS C US .
BY T H E
R EV J H LU PT ON , MA
’
. . . . .
,
S U R M A ST E R A UL S R M E R LY F E LLO W
'
OF ST . P S C H OO L , A ND FO
O F ST .
JO NH '
S COLLEG E, C A M B R I DG E .
P U B LI S H ED U N D ER T H E D I R ECT I O N O F T HE T R A CT CO M M I T T EE .
LO N DO N
S OC I ET Y F O R P R OM OTI N G C H R I STI A N KN OW LEDG E ,
4 8, P I CCA D I LLY , w ; . AND
B R I G HT O N .
P R EF A C E .
T HE fact th a tthis litt l e volum e is on e of a s e ri e s on

a s e ttl e d plan and with welld e fi n ed limits may
, ,
obviate in som e m e asur e t h e charge of pre sumption

to which t he author wo u l d oth e rwis e hav e b e e n liabl e .
For to portray in anything lik e du e proportion such

, ,
an historical charact e r as John of Damascus would ,
re quir e a far large r canvas a n d a hand of more vari e d

pow e rs I t is not ind ee d too much to say that for
.
,
any ad e quat e r e pr e s e ntation of such a charact e r a ,
thr e e fold ability wo u l d b e n ee dful For b e sid e s his

.
position as a th e ologian of t h e E ast e rn Church we ,
hav e to r e gard him a s clos e ly conn ect e d with t h e ris e

of M a h o m e t a n i s m ; and furth e r stil l as a Christian
, ,
po e t whos e hymns a re sung by myriads at this v e ry

,
day . But whil e fe e ling how incomple t e on that ,
account such an e ssay as t

, h e pr e s e nt o n e must of
n ec e ssity b e t h e author has e nd e avoure d to mak e
,
it of som e littl e valu e as t ,

h e r e sult of an att e ntiv e
study of t he wri tings of StJohn Damasc e n e

-
. .
In t h e spe lling of A rabic or M ahom e tan nam e s n o ,
att e mpt at uniform ity has b e e n m ad e H ar dly any

.
two write rs agre e in this r e sp e ct and h e nc e wh e n a ,
quotation ha s b e e n mad e from a ny authority on t he

i P R EF A CE .
subj e ct t h e form th e re found has b ee n r e tain e d

, .
This may e xplain som e appare nt inconsist e nci e s .
B e sid e s t h e sp e cial acknowl e dgm e nts r e cord e d in

t h e not e s m e ntion should h e r e b e mad e of t
,
h e a dva n
tage gain e d from two works t h e Hy m n s of fl u Ea si er ”
,
C/z u r cfi by t ,
h e lat e D r N e al e and t h e articl e s in La
.
,
B elgz gu e ( 1 8 6 1 ) on S J e an D amascen e by M F elix

'
. .
,
N ev e T h e e xc e ll e nt monograph of D r Jos eph Lange n

. .
,
f o /z a /m e s va n D a m a sk u s did not com e into t

h e
author s hands till t

’
h e gr e at e r part of his own work
was compl e t e d but a fe w re marks or corr e ctions du e
to it hav e b e e n in s e rt e d It was only at t . h e last
mom e nt also that h e l e arnt that t h e F n u e ra i Hymn
of St John of Damascus of Which a r e nd e ring is
.
,
give n at p 1 5 0 had b e e n alre ady translat e d by Dr

.
, .
Li t t l e da l e and p u blish e d in t h e P eop l e s Hy mna l

’
, .
Had h e b ee n awar e of this in tim e h e would gladly ,
hav e avail e d hims elf of t h e abl e r v e rsion .
ST P AU L SC H OO L,
’
. S
N ovember z
stlz, 1 88 1 .
C O N T EN T S .
I .
—L I F E .
C H A PT ER P A GE
I . D A M AS CU S
II . T HE M O N A STE R Y OF ST S . A BA S
III . T H E MAH O M ET A N R ULE IN SY R I A
IV . JOH N M A N SO U R
V . T HE GR EEK C H U R CH IN TH E EI G HT H
CE N T U RY
VI . T HE I CO N OC A L ST I C Co m n o v n n sv
II —. WR I T I N GS .
”
T HE F O N S S CI EN T I Ai
O H T i na M A H O M E TA N CO N T R O V E R SY
HYM N S
CO MM E N TA R I E S ON H O LY SC I PT U R E R
O N N AT U RA L SC I EN C E
D O U B T F UL W R I T I N Gs z — (x) “
B A R LAA M A N D
JOASA P H ;
”
(2)
“
P A N EGYR I C ON ST . BAR
ST J OHN OF DAMASCUS
. .
CHAPTER I .
D A M A SCUS .
IN giving an account of any e min e nt man it is ,
natural to b e stow som e att e ntion on t h e plac e from

which h e sprang Just as our knowl e dge of som e
.
scarc e plant could not b e thought compl e t e if we

ha d no inform ation about t h e soil in which it gr e w ,
so we can s e ldom und e rstand fully t h e life and cha

ra c te r of a gr e at man withou t studying t h e surround
ings amidst which h e was born But t . h e stre ngth
and impo rtanc e of this conn e cting link vary v e ry
consid e rably in di ffe r e nt cas es T h e histo ry of a
.
Cyril i s clos e ly i n t
ef wo ve n with th a t of A l e xandri a
in his tim e 5 that of Gr egory with N a z i a n z u s that of

our own B e d e with Jarrow and M onkw e armouth But .
in t h e cas e of J ohn of Damascus whil e his nativ e ,
city has giv e n him t h e nam e by which h e is always

distinguish ed its i n fl u e n c e upon his charact e r and
,
t h e ultimat e cours e of his li fe do e s not s e e m to hav e

b ee n important I n his e xtant writings h e mak e s
.
littl e or no allusion to i t E v e nts which happe n e d

.
th e r e w e re no doubt the imm e diat e caus e of a gr eat

B
‘ 2 ST . J OH N OF D A M AS C US .
and d e cisiv e change in his car e e r B ut that change .
— t h e change from t h e e x cit e m e nt of stat e a fl a i r s to

'
t h e s e clusion of a monast e ry — was probably du e to

t h e b e nt of his own mind and would hav e e qually ,
tak e n plac e amid oth er surroundings I t is with t he .
Conv e nt of St S abas or with J e rusal e m that we

.
, ,
associat e t h e r e a lly pr ol i fi c p e riod of his li fe Wh e n .
th e re Damascus was to him but o n e spot in that

,
out e r world which h e had forsak e n From that tim e .
for ward w e fa il to disc ern that it had any sp ecial

int e r e st for him .
S till as b e ing aft e r all t

,
h e plac e in which h e fi r st
drew br e ath D amascus cannot fail to hav e a strong
,
int e r e st for anyon e studying t h e life of this dis

t i n gu i sh e d scion of i t A nd e v e n apar t from this
.
,
D amascus has claims on our r egard such as few

oth e r citi e s poss e ss For it is probably t
. h e most
anci e nt city now standing in t h e world I t was .
e x isting in t h e days of A braham whos e st eward ,
E li ez e r wa s a nativ e of i t Jos e phus ascrib e s its .
foundation to U z a grandson of S h em Its ch e qu e r e d

,
.
fortun e during t h e r e igns of t h e kings of I sra e l is

familiar to u s from t h e B ibl e story Whil e R om e was
.
as yetscarc e ly found e d o n e lo n g t e rm of t ,
h e history
of D amascus was b e i n g brought to a clos e by its c a p
tur e by T i gl a t h P i le se r wh e n its l e ading inhabitants
-
,
w e r e carri e d away captiv e s to Kir For a long p eriod .
aft e r this partly from its b e ing but an appanage of

,
t h e A ssyrian e mpir e and partly from t ,

h e subs e qu e nt
ris e of t h e rival city of A ntioch it r e main e d in com ,
p a r a t
i v e ob scurity A passing
. complim e nt to its b e auty
and importanc e by S trabo , a notic e of t h e alab ast e r
D A M ASC U S .
found th er e b y Pliny and t h e som ewhat strang e

,
e pith e t o f
“
windy appli e d to it by Lucan a r e t
”
he ,
chi e f allusions to b e m e twith in classical authors ]

.
Wh e n Pompe y ov e rran S yria it was brought und e r ,
R o m an sway In t h e tim e of St Paul it was subj e c t

. .
to t h e rul e of t h e King of P e tra having lat e ly b e e n ,
transfe rre d to that gov e rnm e n t by Caligula To t he .
A postl e Paul no spot coul d b e fraught with associa

tions of int e ns e r int e r e st than Damascus N ea r its .
walls was t h e sc e n e of that h e av e nly vision which

change d t h e whol e life of t h e man who chang e d t he
world N o pe rils that h e afte rwards w e nt through
.
s e e m to hav e mad e a d e e p e r impre ssion on his mind

than his e scap e as a fugitiv e from its battl e m e nts .
“ ”
Th e str e e t that is call e d S traight still re mains ,
running for t h e l e ngth of a mil e du e e ast and w e st 3

but alas ! how change d In thos e days it was o n e .
hundr e d fe e t in width and divid e d by Corinthian

,
colonnad e s into thr e e av e nu e s whil e midway along

its cours e t h e wayfa r e r pass e d und e r a R oman
triumphal arch of nobl e proportions N ow r emain s .
,
of t h e colon nad e s and gat e s may still b e trac e d but ,
tim e has d e stroy e d e v e ry v e stige of th e ir original

“ “
1
Se e a rticl e D a ma scus in Smith s D iction a ry o f Ge o ’
gra phy .
”
I t m a y pe rh a ps b e s a id in d e fe nc e o f Lu c a n s ’
e pith e t v en t os a D a m a scus iii , . th a t it is no t qui t e
c e rt a in wh e t h e r h e m a y no t ha v e m e a n t t o r e fe r to t h e cha
’
m et e r of i t s i nh a b i t a nt
“
a s wh e n Cic e ro spok e o f homo
‘
s ,
ven t Epp a o F a m x i 9 I f i t b e a li t e ra l imit a

” ’
o s i ss i m u s, . . . . .
”
t ion o f H om er s wi ndy Ilium i t is no t impossibl e to fi nd a
’
,
t t it in wh t t r v ll rs t ll u s of t h e fi e rc e h u rri
j u s i fi ca i on fo r a a e e e
c a n e s o f wind th a t t ra v e rs e t h e d e e p ra v in e s l ea di ng t o t he
g a r d e n
-
lik e pl a in o f D a m a scus i ts e l f .
B 2
4 ST . JOH N OF Da ma s c u s .
m a gn i fi c e n c e . t A tpr e s e nt
h e str ee t inst e ad of t he ,
lordly proportion s which onc e call e d forth t he

strang er s admiration has b e e n contract e d by suc
’
,
c e ssi ve e ncroachm e nts into a narrow passag e mor e ,
r e s e mbling a b y—lan e than t h e principal av e nu e of a

”1
nobl e city .
From t h e tim e of St Paul onwards it continu e d .
und e r t h e dominion of R om e till its captur e by t he

S arac e ns i n A D 6 3 4 T h e incid e nts of that captur e
. . .
may b e more prop e rly n otic e d wh e n w e com e to

sp e ak of t h e M ahom e tan rul e in S yri a Its sub .
s e qu e nt fortun e s aft e r t h e s e a t of M ahom e tan rul e

,
had b e e n transfe rr e d to Bagdad in 7 6 3 may b e v e ry , ,
b ri e fl y r e lat e d A ft e r b e ing unsucc e ssfully b e si e g e d

.
by t h e Crusad e rs in 1 1 4 8 it was tak e n by Tam e rlan e ,
in 1 4 00 and d e stroye d by fi r e t
,
h e following y e ar In .
1 5 1 6 it fe ll into t h e hands of t h e Turks who r e tain e d ,
poss e ssion of it till 1 8 3 2 wh e n it was captur e d by ,
I brahim Pacha T he gr e at e r indulge nc e shown to

2 .
Christians from that dat e e xcit e d t h e bitt e r animosity

of t h e M aho m e tan population who hav e t h e r e puta ,
tion of b e ing t h e gr e at e st fanatics in t h e E ast T he .
st e a dy advanc e of t h e Christi a n community in w e alth

and numb e rs during t h e last thirty y e ars
”
says a ,
“
writ e r in has t e nd e d to e xcit e th e ir bitt e r
L e win s Li fe a n d E pistl e s o f St P a ul
’ “
i p 69 . .
, .
,
wh e re a vi e w o f D a m a scus looking south e a st is give n t a k e n

,
-
, ,
from a photogr a ph .
A rt “ “
D a m a scus in M c c ulloch s
. G e ogra phic a l D ic ’
t
i on a ry .
3
In t
he Cyclop aedi a o f Biblica l Lit e ra tur e by M c Cl in
“
,
”
t ock a n d Strong N e w Y ork 1 8 6 8 vol i A striking a ccount

, , , . .
D AMAS C US .
5
e nmity In July 1 8 6 0 taking adv a nt a ge of t

.
, ,
h e war
b e tw e e n th e Drus e s and M a ronit e s and e ncoura g e d ,
also by t h e Turkish authoriti e s th e y sudd e nly ros e ,
again st t h e poor d e fe nc e l e ss Christians mass a cr e d ,
about six thous a nd o f th e m in cold blood a n d l e ft ,
S uch is t h e last a c t
”
th e ir whol e qu a rt e r in ash e s .
,
h e a dds “
in t
,
he history of Damascus Though .
still t h e larg e st city of A siatic Turk e y with a p 0 p u la ,
tion in 1 8 5 9 o f th e prosp e rity o f Damascu s

is on t h e wan e T h e op e ning of t
. h e S u e z C a n a l in
1 8 7 0 d e alt it a h e a v y b lo w by div e rting much o f t,
he
tr a ffi c th a t had hith e r to pass e d through it b
y c a ra
vans It is a som e wh a t strange r e t ribution that t
. he
op ening of a n e w w a t e r wa y should thus undo t -
he
prosp e rity that D a m a scus has s o long ow e d to its
own fe rtilising stre a ms .
For it is not too much to s a y th a t to its stre ams

o f wat e r this a nci e nt city has ow e d not only its
“
prosp e rity but its v e ry e xist e nc e
, A r e n ot A bana .
and Pharpa r rive rs of Damascus b e tt e r th a n all t

,
he ,
”
wat e rs of I sra e l ? was a qu e stion th a t N a aman
might w e ll a s k as h e turn e d indign a ntly from t
, he
proph e t s door Trav e ll e rs hav e vi e d with o n e a n
’
.
oth e r i n d e scribing t h e unrivall e d b e a uty o f thos e

stre ams . T h e j uic e of h e r li fe says o n e w e ll ,
known wr i t er
l is t h e gushing and i c e cold torr e nt
,
-
th at tum b l e s from t h e snowy sid e s of A nti L e banon -

.
Clos e along on t ’
h e riv e r s e dg e through s e v e n sw e e t ,
of th e dr e a d ful sc e n e s will b e found in F r a n cois

of 1 8 60
Le n o r m a n ts “
H istoir e de s M a ssa cr e s de Sy r i e e n
’
P a ris 1 86 1 T h e F r e nch r e ligious house s e sp e ci a lly su ffe re d

, . .
Se rj e a nt Kingl a k e :
“
E oth en 1 8 5 4 p 2 3 7 ,
”
, . .
6 ST . J O HN OF D AMAS C US .
mil e s of rustling b oughs and d ee p e st shad e t h e city ,
spr e ads out h er whol e l e ngth as a man falls flat , ,
fac e forward on t
-
h e brook that h e may drink and ,
drink again : so D amascus thirsting for e v e r li e s , ,
down with h er lip s to t h e str e am and clings to its ,
rushing wat e rs S tanding as it do e s at t

. h e w e st e rn , ,
e xtr e mity o f t h e gr e at d e s e rt plain of El Hauran -

,
which stre tch e s aw a y right to t h e E uphrat e s no city ,
of any si z e could h av e exist e d h e re unfe d by such ,
living wat e rs “
Without t h e B arada
.
”
( t
h e anci e nt
Abana ) says Port e r ,
1 t
h e plain would b e a parch e d
,
d e s e rt ; but now aqu e ducts int e rs e ct e v e ry quart e r ,
and fountains sparkl e out in almost e v e ry dwe lling ,
whil e innum e rabl e canals e xt e nd th e ir r a m i fi c a t i on s

ove r t h e vast plain clothing it with v e rdur e and,
”
b e auty .
To what a d egr e e t h e city and its surrounding

orch a rds lit e rally drink i n t h e wat e rs of its two
str e ams may b e gath e re d from t
,
h e fact that aft e r
th e y hav e e scap e d from its suburbs th ey flow with
gr e atly diminish e d volum e to a lak e or clust e r of thr ee
-
,
small lak e s a fe w mil e s e ast of D amascus and th er e

, ,
1
F iv e Y
rs in D a m a scus 1 8 5 5 i p 2 7 As a r e m a rk
ea , , .
, . .
a bl e inst a nc e o f t h e e xt e nt t o which tra v e ll e rs m a y di ffe r in

the ir e stim a t e o f t h e s a m e sc e n e ry it m a y b e not e d th a t whil e
,
D r R obinson
.
“
Biblic a l R e s ea rch e s ( ii
,
”
thought t he .
vi e w i n fe rior t o th a t fro m t h e north e rn h e ights o f London ,
Por ter consid e rs th a t t he v i e w th a t pr e s e nts its e l f t o t h e e ye

of t h e tr a v e ll e r a s h e surmounts t h e l a st ridg e o f A n t i li b a n u s ,
a ft e r p a ssing t h e bl ea k a n d b a rr e n slop e s b e yond is rich a n d ,
gra nd a lmost surp a ssing conc e ption B u tw e a r e a l l fa mili a r

”
, .
with t he w a y in which our impre ssions o f a spo t a r e m o di fi e d

by our pr evious e xp e ct a tions .
D A MAS C US .
7
los e th e m se lv e s th e r e b e ing no
,
fl o w from t
ou t h e banks .
1
T h e Barada is t h e principal stre am and brings down a ,

’
consid erabl e body of wat e r T h e Awaj or P h ege .
, ,
th e anci e nt Pharpar is a l e ss important riv e r but

, ,
be tt e r for drinking purpos e s for which it is c h i efl y

,
e mploy e d by t h e inhabitants T h e u s e of t
. h e wat e r
of t h e Barada is obs e rve d to b e o ft e n att e nd e d by
g oi tr e .A t th e e dg e of a plain thus f e rtilis e d som e ,
sixty mil e s from t h e s e a at B e iru t with t h e snow ,
capp e d summits of A nti Lib a n u s looking down upon

-
it to t h e north and w e st and its whit e dwe lli ngs

,
e mbosom e d in gr e e n foliage str e tching away towards

,
th e south and e ast stands this most anci e nt o f citi e s

,
.
T h e dirt and disord e r of its str e e ts wh e n o n e ,
pass e s within t h e walls i n strang e and unw e lcom e

,
contrast to t h e b e auty o f t h e gard e ns without s e e m ,
a tok e n of t h e misgove rnm e nt of its pre s e nt rul e rs

’
’
Around it is n a ture s paradis e man s w ild e rn e ss is
’
within S uch as it is n o w in its b e tt e r asp e ct it was

.
,
tw e lv e hundr e d y e ars ago A nd it must make u s

.
think more h ighly of t h e d e votion o f John Damas

c e n e that h e could forsak e not only t
,
h e glitt e ring
,
prosp e cts of wo r dly ambition b ut this fa ire st of ,
e arth s fa ir citi e s for t h e dr e ary solitud e of his c e ll

’
,
by t h e D e ad Sea .
It w a s in t h e littl e vill a g e o f H a ra n n ea r t h e south we st

,
-
corn e r o f this l a k e A teib eh th a t t

,
h e l a t e D r B e k e thought h e
.
h a d discov e r ed t h e tru e H a r a n to which A br a h a m migr a t e d

from U r o f t h e Ch a ld ee s S e e his int e r e sting work “
J a cob s ’
.
,
F light ”
. But Le win a rg u e s a tl ength a ga ins t this Opinion .
8 ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C US .
C H A PT ER I I .
T HE M O N A ST E R Y OF ST . SA B AS .
ON t h e south sid e of t h e Wa ay en N dr or Vall e y

’
-
,
of Fir e t ,
h e n a m e giv e n to t h e low e r p a rt of t he
Kidron Va ll e y wh e r e it approach e s t he D e ad Se a ,
stands t h e M ar S a ba or monast e ry of St S abas ,

. .
T h e sam e circumstanc e caus e s t h e gorg e a littl e ,
high e r u p to b e a r t h e nam e of Wa d er —R dlz z b or

’
, y ,
M onks Vall e y T h e savage wildn e ss of t

’
. h e sc e n e ,
and t h e s e ns e of utt e r d e solation around hav e ,
always l e ft a d ee p impr e ssion on t h e m i nds o f

trav e ll e rs To t. h e e ast ris e t h e pr e cipic e s 8 0 0 fe e t ,
high b e hind w hich t

,
h e blu e and glossy wat e rs of t he
D e ad Se a l i e glaring 1n t h e sun To t h e north w e st .
th e dry torr e nt b e d o f t h e Kidron l e ads u p to

-
J e ru sal e m h e r e som e t
,
e n mil e s distant T h e build .
ings th e ms e lv e s app e ar to hang lik e an e agl e s n e st ’
o n to t h e pr e cipitous fac e o f t h e rocks Two high .
to we rs s a ys a r e c e nt trav e ll e r
,
1 “
fi r s tm e e t t he ,
e ye but on approaching n e are r o n e is b e wild e re d

with t h e pil e of massiv e walls dom e s battl e m e nts , , ,
st a l r c a se s and fi v e spl e ndid buttr e ss e s supporting t

,
he
bu ilding on t h e e dg e of t he pr e cipic e from t h e giddy
Egypti a n S e pulchr e s by E mily A

a nd S yri a n Shrin e s , .
B e a u fort 1 8 6 1 ii p 1 2 6 A vi e w o f t
, , .
,
h e mon a st e ry is given
. .
in C a rne s Syri a a n d t
’
h e H oly L a nd
”
ii p 8 6 , .
, . .
TH E M O N A ST E R Y 0 1? ST . SA B AS .
9
d e pths b e low On e uniform h u e of tawny y e llow

.
p e rvad e s alik e t h e walls of t h e conv e nt and t he

w e ath e r worn cli ffs to which th e y cling 3 and though
-
,
in t h e Opinion o f o n e writ e r
“
th e wild grand e ur of ,
its situ a tion r e nd e rs this mon a st e ry t h e most e xtra

ordinary building in Pal e stin e t ”
h e g e n e ral impr e s,
sion drawn from t h e vi e w of it s ee ms to b e that of

utt e r dr e arin e ss But p e rhaps n o b e tt e r de sc r i p
.
tion can b e give n than in t h e words of o n e of t he

1 to i t A ft r sp e a king o f t h e t e rribl e
lat e st visitors e .
h e at that pr e v a il e d unr e li e v e d by a blad e o f grass or

,
a br e ath of wind t h e writ e r continu e s

,
t
h e sil e nc e
of t h e d e s e rt surrounds i ta n d only t h e shrill not e of
,
th e gold e n gr a ckl e or t h e howl o f a j ack a l bre aks

, ,
this sol e mn stilln e ss N ot a tre e or shrub is in sight

.
w a lls of whit e chalk and sharp ridg e s shut out t he

w e st e rn bre e z e and t h e sigh of t
,
h e wind in t h e tr e e s
is a sound n e v e r h e ard in t h e solitud e T h e pl a c e .
s e e ms d e ad T h e conv e nt an d its vall e y hav e a

.
fossilis e d app e a r a nc e S ca rc e ly l e ss d e ad a n d fossil

.
a r e its wr e tch e d inm a t e s monks e xil e d fo r crim e s or

,
h e r e sy and plac e d in charg e of a fe w poor lunatics

,
.
L a di e s a r e not a dmitt e d into t 2

h e mon a st e ry but we ,
w e r e provid e d with a l e tt e r to t h e S up e rior A littl e .
iron door in a high y e llow wall give s admission from

Cond e r Te nt Work in Pa l e stin e 1 8 7 8 i p 3 0 2 , ,
.
, . .
2
Wh a t M iss B e a u fort writing in 1 86 1 d e s e rve dly c a lls a
, ,
vulga r trick h a d be e n l a t e ly pl a ye d upon t

”
,
h e monks by
a n e nt e rprising l a dy tr a v e ll e r who e nt e r e d t
h e mon a st e ry in
,
m e n s cloth e s conc e a ling h e r h a nds in h e r pock e ts whil e going

’
,
ove r t h e whol e building but whilst t a king co ffe e h e r se x w a s

discov e re d a n d sh e w a s imm e di a t e ly e xpe ll e d by t
,
h e j ustly
”
o fi e n de d monks
'
.
IO ST . J OH N OF D AM A S C US .
th e w e st th e nc e a long staircas e l e ads down into

a court b e for e t h e chap e l T h e walls within a r e .
c ov e r e d with fr e sco e s som e old som e b e l o n gl n g to

, ,
th e tim e wh e n t h e monast e ry was r e built in 1 8 4 0 , ,
by t h e R ussian Gov e rnm e nt Gr e e k saints hid e ou s .

,
fi gu r e s i n black an d gre y dr e ss e s W ith stol e s o n ,
which t h e cross and ladd e r and sp e ar a r e paint e d in

whit e stand out from gild e d backgrounds A gainst
, .
th e s e ghosts of th e ir pre d e c e ssors t h e monks w e r e

rang e d in wood e n stalls or mzser er e b e nch e s with
’
high arms which support e d th e ir w e ary fi gu r e s und e r

,
th e armpits T h e old m e n stood or rath e r droop e d

.
, ,
in th eir plac e s with pal e sad fac e s which spok e of

, , ,
ignoranc e and of hop e l e ssn e ss and som e tim e s o f ,
vic e and brutali ty for t h e Gr e e k monk is p erhaps

th e most d e grad e d r e pr e s e ntativ e of Christianity an d ,
th e s e w e r e t h e worst of th e ir kind R ob e d in long .
sw eeping gowns with t

'
h e cylindrical black fe lt cap on

,
th e ir h e ads th e y look e d mor e lik e d e ad bodi e s than

,
living m e n propp e d u p against t

,
h e quaint By z antin e
b ackground T h e floor of t
. h e church was unoc
c u p i e d and pav e d with marbl e
,
th e trans e pt was
clos e d by t h e gr e at scr een bla z ing with gold and , ,
cov er e d with dragons and arab e squ e s and gaudy

pictur e s of saints and ange ls on wood A sm e ll of .
inc e ns e fi ll e d t h e church and t h e nas a l drawl of t

,
he
o ffi c i a t
i n g pri e st soon drov e u s away to t h e out e r air .
T h e conv e nt p e ts cam e about u s t h e b e au ,
tiful black birds with orange wings which liv e only in ,
th e J ordan Vall e y and hav e b ee n n am e d Tristram s

,
’
,
grackl e a ft e r that w ell known e xplor e r Th ey hav e

,
’
-
.
a b e autiful cl ea r not e t h e only pl e asant sound e v er

,
1 2 ST . J OH N OF D AMA S C US .
r ec e nt tim e s e xpr e ss e d i t t h e image of our li fe It,

“
.
was h e r e that StS abas n e arly two c e nturi e s b e for e

.
, ,
had fi x ed his dw elling a famous anchorit e of C a ppa

do c i a n origin whos e charact e r for sanctity stood so
,
high that wh e n about t

,
h e y e ar 4 8 3 h e mad e a
, ,
j ourn e y to Constantinop le to int e rc e d e with t he

E mp e ror for t h e anchorit e s of J e rusal e m Justinian ,
w e nt outsid e t h e city to m e e t him and fe ll on his ,
kn e e s b e for e him R ound t h e cav e chos e n by S abas

.
for his c e ll in this lon e ly wild ern e ss a cav e from which ,
tradition says that h e had fi r stto ej e ct t h e pr e vious o c

c u p a n ta lion oth e r h e rmits quickly s e ttl e d and thu s
, , ,
was form e d t h e l a wn : of StS a bas

1
T h e found e r is . .
said to hav e surviv e d to t h e a ge of 9 4 y e ars dying in

‘
and his tomb gild d a n d adorn e d in t h usual

53 2 e ,
e
tawdry mann e r of t h e Gr e e ks ”
is still shown und e r a ,
dom e in t , h e middl e of a small pav e d court in t he

monast e ry 2
H e r e live d thos e thre e h e rmits of t
. he
sixth c e ntury Xe nophon and his sons A rcadius and
, ,
J ohn who e v e ry day salut e d e ach oth e r from t

,
“
he
thr e shold of th e ir cav e s not b e ing abl e to sp e ak , .
b e caus e of t h e distanc e
” 3
A nd h e r e in du e tim e .
, ,
cam e John Damasc e n e and his fost e r broth e r Cosmas -

.
B ut b e for e we sp ea k of t h e e v e nts which l e d him to

tak e this st ep and to e xchang e Damascus with its
,
“
T hesocie ti e s o f t h e A n a ch o r ets who liv e d in a c e r t a i n ,
union with e a ch oth er in singl e c e lls w e r e c a ll e d l a u m a ,

’
t erm which d e riv e d from t

, h e a nci e nt Gr e e k a d je ctiv e l a u r os ,
d enot e d prope rly a l a rge op e n pl a c e a stre e t — N e a nde r s

”
,
.
’
Church H istory B o hn s e dn i v p 3 3 4
”
,
’
.
, .
, . .
2
C a rn e a bz s u p " p 8 7
'
. . .
,
3
Voic e s from t h e E a st ”
p 1 5 6 , . .
THE M O N A ST E R Y OF ST . SA B AS . I 3
for th e awful solitud e s of t h e Vall e y

of Fire a fe w words s ee m n ee dful on t
,
h e stat e o f
at the tim e and t
,
h e form of gov e rnm e nt
und e r which his nativ e city had th e n pass e d .
1 4 ST . J OH N OF D AM AS C US .
C H A PT ER I I I .
T HE M A H O M E T A N RU L E IN SYR I A .
IT has b e e n oft e n r e mark e d that t h e fi r e of M aho

m et a n i s m was lo n g in kindling but wh e n onc e alight, , ,
it spr e ad a c on fi a gr a t i on around with un e xampl e d

rapidity T h e P roph e t hims e lf had r e ach e d t
. h e a ge
of forty b efor e h e anno unc e d his mission For e l e ve n .
y e ars mor e from 6 1 1 till his fl igh tfrom M e cca in 6 2 2

, ,
h e app e ar e d to mak e littl e or no way with his fe llow

trib e sm e n t h e Kuraish to b e dashing hims e l f vainly
,
against a ro ck to b e growing old with t h e bitt e r ,
consciousn e ss of failur e His abandoning M e cca

.
was its elf an acknowl e d gm e nt of d e fe at A n d yetas .

,
t h e e v e nt show e d it was a st e p towards victory

, .
c ri t
”
T he e g rms of futur e succ e ss says a military
, ic l
,
had b e e n plant e d in t h e midst of s e e ming di sc om

fit u re . H e d e part e d carrying away with him t
,
h e flow e r
of t h e Kuraish A b ou B akr O mar A li Talha,
.
, , ,
Z obair and t h e oth e r companions of M uhammad ,

‘ ’
,
l e ft non e e qual to th e ms e lv e s wh e n th e y shook t , he

dust of th e ir anc e stral city from o ff t h e sol e s of th e ir
fe e t . T h e s e v e nty m e n who follow e d t he
P roph e t to M e dina not m ere ly drew away t
,
h e h e art s
’
blood from t h e Kuraish — th e y plant e d in t he city

Which gave th e m sh elt e r an i mper i u m z n z mp er zo
' ' '
1 M aj or O sborn Isla m U nd e r t
h e Ar a bs ,
”
1 87 6 , p . 2 1.
T HE M A H OM E TA N R U LE I N SYR I A .
5
bound toge th e r by t h e strong e st of all ti e s t h e s ens e ,
T h e sam e pr e par e dn e ss of t
”
of a Divin e calling . he
soil to r e c e iv e th e s e e d which mad e t h e t e aching o f
,
M ahom e t tak e root and g e rminat e so quickly at

M e dina was t
,
h e caus e also of t h e rapid Spre ad of
M ahom e ta n conqu e sts soon aft e rwards A tY athrib .
,
b e tt e r known th e nc e forwar d as M edi n a l

t h e City ”
, ,
te e
h f uds of th e A rabs and th e J e ws — and wh e n t he ,
latte r we r e subdu e d t h e int e rn e cin e fe uds of t

, he
Arab trib e s of A u s and Kha z raj — had e nd e d in a
g en eral fe e ling of ins e curity and w e arin e ss of war ,
such as mak e s m en cast about fo r a strong rul e r to

gove rn th e m Th e y w e r e in fact on t
. h e point of so , ,
choosing A bdallah son of O bay wh e n t , h e arrival of ,
M ahom e t s e e m e d to furni sh th e m with t h e v e ry

l e ad e r whom th e y sought 2 .
I n lik e man n e r wh e n t he armi e s of I slam b e gan

,
to invad e t h e adj oin ing countri e s E gyp t on t h e w e st ,
and S yria on t h e north th e ir succ e ss might s e e m at ,
fi r stout of all proportion to t h e m e ans e mploye d or ,
to t h e tim e consum e d B ut t h e c o n fl a gr a t
. i o n spr e ad
rapidly b e caus e t h e tr e e s w e r e dry Just as t he .
citi z ens of Yathrib had b e e n w e ak e n e d by th e ir long

conti nu e d blood fe uds so t h e inhabitants of S yria ,
and E gypt w er e in a stat e of re ligious as we ll as civil , ,
disunion an d w ea kn e ss T h e maj ority in both thos e .
countri e s w er e N e storians or M onophysit e s de ,
pr e ss e d b y t h e imp e rial laws and r e ady to w e lcom e

'
1
prope rly M edz ne tdl N a b t City o f t
M or e h e Proph e t
' '
- - .
,
R obe rt
son s H ist o f t h e Christi a n Church ”
ii p 3 9 n
’
. . .
.
, , ,
O sborn a b z s u p p 4 2
’
.
, .
, .
1 6 ST . JOH N OF D AMAS C US .
h e e n e mi e s of t
t ”1
h e By z antin e Court as d e live r e rs .
Tfze w lzol e [l ea d i s si ck , a nd fi l e w i z a l e b ea r ! fa i n t
such might almost b e t h e languag e appli e d to C hris
t e n do m at this tim e T h e E mp e ror H e raclius but .
,
lat e ly t h e conqu e ror of Ch o sr o e s t h e d e liv e r e r from ,
t h e P e rsian yok e of S yria and E gypt was wasting ,
away through sickn e ss and constra in e d to look on ,
and s ee th e s e province s a gain lost to t h e e mpir e .
A mong his subj e cts th e r e was t h e sp e ctacl e of s e ct

oppos e d to s e ct cl e rgy wrangling with cl e rgy upon
, ,
t h e m ost abstrus e and m e t a physical points of

”
doctrin e .
B e yond this th er e was all t h e advantage on o n e

, ,
sid e of t
,
he e nthusiasm which nov e lty a lon e will som e
tim e s inspir e T he r e ligion of M ahom e t was a n ew
.
thing upon t h e e arth A nd th e r e was t h e far mor e

.
pot e nt and e nduring e nthusiasm which is born of

conviction — t h e d e cision of action arising from fre sh
and sharply cut impr e ssions T h e soldi e r who saw
-
.
h ell with its fi r e s blaz ing b e hind him if h e fl e d para ,

”9
dis e op e ning b e for e him if h e fe ll would b e hard to ,
b e at A nd ind ee d it was not till Christ e ndom had

.
l e arnt this l e sson and t h e count e r e nthusiasm of t

, he -
Crusad e s was arous e d that t h e tid e of M ahom e tan ,
conqu e st was s e riously ch e ck e d .
What has b e e n said may l e ss e n t h e surpris e that

any re ad e r m ight fe e l at obs e rving for t h e fi rs ttim e , ,
t h e sudd e nn e ss of t h e growth of I slam Within .
thirt e e n y e ars from t h e H egira within thr ee y e ars ,
R ob e r tson , p .
41 . S ee a lso M ilm a n , “
L a tin Christi a ni t
y ,
1 8 5 4, ii p .
, .
46 .
M ilm a n ,
ib .
, p 38
. .
T HE M A H O M E TA N RULE IN S YR I A . 1 7
from M ahom e t s d e a th t h e armi e s of t

’
h e n e w fa ith
,
had a pp e a r e d b e for e Damascus .
T h e story o f t h e si e ge and captur e of this anci e nt

th e Granad a of t
”
and spl e ndid city ,
h e E as t has ,
b ee n o ft e n told and only t

1
,
h e b a r e st outlin e s o f it
n e e d b e r e trac e d h e r e E l a t e d by t h e conqu e st o f
.
Bosra four days m arch from Dam a scus t

,
’
h e S arac e ns , ,
in 6 3 4 pr e ss e d on to attack this latt e r city A ft e r

,
.
singl e combats a n d d e e ds of individu a l h e roism ,
which m a d e Volt a ir e draw a parall e l b e tw e e n this a n d

t h e si eg e of Troy t h e garrison w e r e fi n a lly shut up
,
within t h e walls M ore than o n e r e inforc e m e nt s e nt

.
,
to th e ir a i d by H e raclius was d e fe at e d We r da n ,
.
,
th e imp e rial g e n e ral who was d e spatch e d w ith an

,
army of s e v e nty thousand m e n w as sl a in and mor e , ,
than two thir ds o f his forc e p e rish e d with him T h en

-
.
,
in t h e ir d e spair Thomas t ,
h e Gov e rnor of Dam as cus , ,
tri e d t h e pow e r of r e ligious e nthusi a s m to rival that

which n e rv e d t h e b e si e g e rs to such e fforts A tt he .
prin cip a l gat e in t h e sight of both armi e s a lofty

, ,
c ru cifix w a s e r e ct e d ; t h e bishop with his cl e rgy , ,
a ccompani e d t h e march and l a id t h e volum e o f t,

he
N e w T e stam e nt b e for e t h e imag e of J e sus and t he
Th e work a scribe d to El W ak i dy from which O ckl e y -

,
dr e w his picture squ e a ccount is now r e ga rd e d by comp e t e nt ,
schol a rs a s only a n historica l nove l writt e n in t h e tim e o f t he ,
Cr u sa d e s W zi k i dy s r e a l work is lost Gibbon ( c h l i )

’ ’
. . . .
follows this a ccount in its m a in p a rticul a rs — Se e Port e r s F i ve

“ ’
.
Y e a rs in D a m a scus ”
i p 1 10 .
, . .
2
Gibbon obse rving how unlik e a Gr ee k n a m e this is sugge sts
, ,
th a t it m a y b e a n a n a gra m fo r A n dr ew c a us e d by t h e A r a bi a n ,
scribe writing b a ckw a rds But sur e ly this would b e to import

.
th e E nglish l e tt e r 20 into t h e Gr e e k A n dr ea s .
1 8 ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C US .
cont e nding parti e s w e r e scandalis e d or e di fi e d by a '
pray e r that t h e S on of God would d e fe nd H is s e rvants ,

”1
and vindicat e His truth A ll was in vain T h e
. .
imp e tuous Kal e d th e sword of God

,
”
r e puls e d a ,
night attack in which t h e Christians had put forth

th e ir last e n e rgi e s ; and as h e forc e d an e ntranc e at
th e e ast e rn gat e A b u Ob e i da h e nt e r e d by capitula
, ,
tion at t ,
h e w e st e rn T h e story that Kal e d and his
.
,
mor e t e mp e rat e coll e a gu e — th e o n e b e nt on sacking

th e conqu e r e d city t h e oth e r pr e par e d t o d e al m e rci
,
fully with i t — m et in th e gr e at church of StJohn t he .
2
Baptist is now discr e dit e d But th e r e is no doub t
.
that from this poin tt h e partition of D am a s cus b e gan 5

th e share of t h e A rabian conqu e rors gradually e xt e nd
ing at t,
h e e xp e ns e of th e ir C hristian subj e cts T he .
m e tropolitan church its e lf t h e v e n e rabl e structur e

,
that had b ee n r e stor e d mor e than two c e nturi e s

b e for e by A rcadius and whos e bishop had count e d
,
fi ft e e n dioc e s e s und e r his sway was divid e d for a ,
tim e b e t we e n t h e victors and t h e vanquish e d T he .
form e r took t h e e ast e rn e n d5 t h e lat t e r had l e ft to

th e m t h e w e st e rn an e mbl e m of th e ir s e tting glori e s
,
.
Littl e more than s e v e nty y e ars afte r Walid I t he ,

.
,
sixth caliph of t h e Om e i ya des r e vok e d e v e n this ,
conc e ssion and e xtort e d from t

,
h e Christians t he
shar e th e y had b e e n p e rmitt e d to r e tain in t h e church .
Originally a h e ath e n t e mpl e it pass e d onc e mo re to ,
a worship oth e r than C hristian I t is now t h e M osqu e .
of t h e O m e i ya de s and n e ar it I S t ,
h e tomb of t he
gr e at S aladin T h e fa t e of t
. h e cath e dral church is a
D e clin e a nd F a ll c h li
, . .
2
Port e r “
F i ve Y e a rs in D a m a scus , p.
7 2 .
and his succ e ssor Walid I n e xt aft e r t h e found e r o f

,
.
,
th e dynasty O m e i ya h hims e lf w e must look fo r what

, ,
e v e r e l e m e nts of gr e atn e ss a r e to b e found in this
rac e of sov e r e igns Passi n g ov e r th e s e w e fi n d littl e

.
,
b ut a r e cord of indol e nc e and p r o fl i ga cy T he .
fi r stY e z i d S ulaiman t ,
h e s e cond Ye z i d a n d his son ,
Walid who succ e e d e d t

,
h e Khalif H isham — th e s e
w e r e o n e and all royal rak e s of that thorough going -
”1
typ e which is to b e fo u nd o n ly i n O ri e ntal countri e s .
Hisham whos e r e ign ( 7 24 — 7 4 3 ) is also notic e abl e

, ,
from t h e p e riod of J ohn s li fe it cov e rs was c h i e fl y

’
,
sway e d by avaric e That h e k e pt his thron e so long, .
was du e in m easur e to t h e political shr e wdn e ss or ,
cun n i n g which taught him to bal a nc e t

,
h e two gr e at
Ar a b ian faction s mor e e v e nly against e ach oth e r ,
and to a llow a du e pr e pond e r a nc e to t h e Ye m e nit e

tri b e I t do e s n o tfollow that t
. h e lot of Christians
und e r such rul e rs wa s hard e r than it might hav e b e e n
und e r t h e rul e of sinc e r e and mor e singl e mind e d -
z e alots of t h e M ahom e tan faith A Ye z i d who b e for e .

,
his acc e ssion had scandalis e d t h e b e li e v e rs b y his

avow e d fondn e ss for t h e win e fl a s k and fo r falcons -
,
and hounds 5 a Walid I I w ho could ord e r a copy of .
th e Koran to b e s e tup b e for e him as a mark fo r his

arrows having tak e n offe nc e at som e v e rs e in it
,
which smot e his consci e nc e a n d th e n pi e rc e it with ,
h i s arrows e x c la i mi ri g t
,
h e whil e — 2
Y ou thr t nt h e m a n proud a n d r eb e llious ; w e ll th a t m a n

ea e ,
proud a n d r e b e llious is m e .
Wh en yo u a pp e a r b efor e your M a st e r on th e da y o f r e s u r r e c
tion s a y to H i m Lord it is W a lid who h a s cut m e into
, , ,
shre ds .
O sborn ,
2
Osborn , p 3 3 8
'
a bz . su p , p 337
. . . .
T HE M A HO M EI
'
'
AN R U LE IN S YR I A . I
such m e n might b e capricious a n d tyr a nnic a l rul e rs ,
might l e a v e th e ir soldi e rs unp a id th e ir l a nds untill e d , ,
th e ir su b j e cts t h e pr e y of rapacious o fii c i a l s — but

J ews or Christians a s such w e re not lik e ly to suffe r
, ,
so much comparativ e ly as und e r m a st e rs of strict e r

orthodoxy I n lat e r tim e s ind e e d D a m a scus has b e e n
.
notorious for t h e intol e ra nc e of its M ussulman p op u

lation . B ut und e r t h e fr e e thinki n g caliphs o f t-
he
hous e of O m e i ya h Christi a ns w e r e o ft e n found
,
occupyi ng important posts Int e rmarri a g e s w e re

.
not unkno w n T h e moth e r of Kh a lid ibn Ab d a llah

.
,
whom Hish a m had a ppoint e d gove rnor o f Ira k w as ,
a Christi a n A k h t
. al t h e court po e t of A bd a i M a l e k
, ,
who was l e d in a rob e o f honour through t h e str e e ts

“
of Damascus with a h e ra ld procl a iming : B e hold
,
t h e p o e t of t h e Comm a nd e r of t h e Fa ithful ! t he
gr e at e st b a rd amon g t h e A ra b s w a s also a Christian .
It was not until t h e r e ign o f t h e s a m e caliph that

e ve n t h e st a t e r e cords w e r e ord e r e d to b e k e pt in
A rabic B e for e th a t tim e t
. h e r e cords of Ira k had
b ee n k e pt in P e rsian thos e of S yria in Gr e e k T h e
,
.
valu e o f t h e knowl e dg e d e riv e d b y W e st e rn E urop e

from t h e S a r a c e ns h a s b e e n o ft e n ov e r e stim a t e d .
M ost o f t h e l e arning th e y g a in e d was in fa ct pick e d

up from t h e conqu e r e d rac e s T h e A ra bs have .
r e nd e re d a l a sting s e rvic e to mankind b y a cti n g fo r

a tim e as t h e d e positori e s o f sci e nc e 5 b u t th e y
could not o riginat e Th e y could b u ttr a nsmit w h a t
.
th e y had r e c e iv e d . M e r e B e douins of t h e d e s e rt
”
,
1
w rit e s M a j or O s b orn th e y found th e ms e lv e s a ll at
,
onc e t h e m a st e rs o f vast countri e s with e v e r ything to
Osb o rn , p 9 3 . .
ST . J OH N OF D AM A S C US .
l earn Th e y w e r e comp e ll e d to put th e ms e lv e s to

.
school und e r t h e v e ry p e opl e th e y had vanquish e d .
Thus t h e P e rsians and S yrians conqu e r e d though

,
th e y w er e and tributar y from t ,

h e ignoranc e of th e ir
mast e rs r e tain e d in th eir hands t h e control of t he
administrativ e machin e ry We may thus fi n d l e ss
.
di ffi c u l t
y in und e rstanding how a Joann e s P h i l o p o n u s
should b e abl e to i n fl u e n c e t h e conqu e ring O mar at

A l e xandria or t
,
h e fath e r of John of Damascus b e a
high o ffi c er of stat e in t h e divan of M o a wi ya h .
ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US . 2
3
C H APTER IV .
J O H N MANSOUR .
Life of StJohn of Damascus which is found

.
,
r e fi x e d to e ditions of his coll e ct e d works though t h e

p ,
only o n e of t h e kind we poss e ss is in m any r e sp e cts

,
an unsatisfactory o n e T h e styl e is rh e torica l and

.
turgid 5 th e r e is littl e pre cision about nam e s or

dat e s 5 whilst o n e at l e ast of t h e e v e nts r e lat e d so
fa r surpas s e s b e li e f as to m a k e N e and e r a n d oth e rs
,
sti gmatis e it as fabulous This how e v e r is probab ly

.
, ,
an e xtre me opinion T h e a uthor s nam e is giv e n as

.
’
John Pat ri a rch o f J e rusal e m 5 and as th e r e w e r e mor e

, ,
than o n e of this nam e and titl e w e a r e l e ft in som e ,
unc e rtainty about t h e writ e r hims e l f Without e nte r .
ing into d e tails of criticism it m a y s u ffi c e to say that

,
h e is consid e re d to b e t h e John P a tri a rch of J e ru

,
sal e m who wa s put to d e ath b y t

,
h e S arac e ns in
t h e latt e r part of t h e r e ign of N i c e p h o r u s Phocas
( A D
. .
9 6 3 H e is thus r e mov e d by two c e n
tu ri e s from t h e su b j e ct o f his b iogra phy 5 a n d t he

r ea d e r has to e x e rcis e his own j udgm e nt on t he
amount of cr e d e nc e to b e giv e n to t h e rud e and frag
m e ntary accounts in A rabic which t ,
h e biogr a ph e r
profe ss e s to hav e e mbodi e d and sup e rs e d e d S till .
,
as t h e n e ar e st ap p roach to a cont e mporary Life th at

24 ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C U S .
has b e e n pr e s erv e d to u s an abstract of it shall b e

,
giv e n h e r e .
T h e writ e r b egins by r e marking that as statu e s a r e ,
e r e ct e d to p e rp e tuat e t h e m e mory of gr e at m e n so ,
thos e who hav e t h e pow e r of raising a lasting

me morial by th e ir writt e n works a re bound to tak e
this m e ans of handing down to post e rity t h e nam e s of
thos e w h o d e s e rv e such honour Who could d e s e rv e
.
s u ch a m e morial b e tt e r than t h e saint call e d from his

nativ e city Da ma sc en u s P For h e was no m e an star
in t h e e ccl e siastical fi r m a m e n t shining with st e ady
,
ray in t h e dark night of h e r e sy what tim e t, h e tyrant ,
l e onin e in nam e and l e onin e in disposition ( for so ,
aft e r his mann e r h e plays on t,

h e nam e of t he
E mp e ror Le o t
,
h e I saurian ) was fu l fi ll i ng t
, h e pro
p h e ti c w ords of A mos T h e lion h a th roar e d who ,
wil l not fe ar ?
-
”
S uch a champion of t h e faith who ,
fl e d not from t h e roaring lion should not b e suffe re d

,
to hav e his r e cord only in rud e and scatt e r e d accounts ,
writt e n in t h e language of t h e u nb e li e v e r H e was a .
citi z e n mor e ov e r of no m e an city Damascus was .
fam e d for its b e autiful gard e ns fam e d for its rushing

,
str e ams Its str e e ts had b e e n trodd e n by StP a ul

. .
,
wh e n fi r sth e b e cam e a Christian I t had giv e n b irth .
to many a nobl e scion ( Da m a s c i u s t h e philosoph e r

, ,
8 0p h r o n i u s t h e patriarch of J e rusal e m and oth e rs )

, , ,
but to n on e mor e worthy than J ohn Lik e fra gran t .
fl o we rs in t h e midst of thorns such ha d b e e n his

,
fore fath e rs amid t h e i n fi de l conqu e rors of Damascus .
Lik e J os e ph or Dani e l th e ir virtu e s had won fo r th e m

,
t h e r e sp e ct of th e ir unb e li e ving rul e rs Th e y h a d .
b ee n st e wa rds in high trust e v e n among t h e S arac e ns .

J OH N 1 14 115 0 6 12 . 2
5
A nd as t h e fath e r o f John Baptist had b e e n a fa ithful

se rvant of God so t 1
h e fa th e r of this s e cond Jo hn
,
was not unworthy of such a son H e was a man in .
high sta tion b e ing appoint e d to administ e r t

,
h e public
a ffairs through t h e whol e country H e had in con .
s e qu e nc e gr e a t w e alth B ut all his rich e s h e d e vote d

.
,
not to rioting and drunk e nn e ss but to t h e good work ,
of ransoming Christi a n c a ptive s and e nabling th e m ,
to fi n d su b sist e nc e in t h e land to which th e y had

b e e n brought as slav e s .
Wh e n a son had b e e n born to him and baptis e d ,
at t h e risk of incurring t he displ e asur e of th e ruling

powe rs his e ducation was car e d for as b e s e e m e d his
,
b irth . A s J ohn gr e w up h e was taught not to hunt , ,
or shoot with t h e bow or rid e or thro w t h e sp e ar but

, , ,
accomplishm e nts mor e fi t te d for his futur e calling .
To this e n d th e r e was nothing so much longe d fo r

by his fa th e r as a good tutor A nd Provid e nc e in .
du e tim e brought him what h e d e sir e d A mong t he .
It will be obse rv e d th a t t
he write r do e s not giv e his n a m e .
A s se m a nu s s a ys th a t John s fa th e r w a s n a m e d M a n sur a n d
’
,
fi nds fa ul t with P a gi fo r m a king M a nsur t h e gr a nd fa th e r

B ib l io th O ri e nt
. ii p.
,
This opinion is followe d by
.
, .
D r Li t
. tl e da l e in a not e to t
,
he “
Hymns o f t h e E a st e rn
Church . A ssem a nu s e v e n thinks it w a s this M a nsur who
h elp e d to b e tra y D a m a scus to t h e Sa r a c ens in 6 3 4 B u tt he .
d a t e s m a k e this improba bl e a s t h e birth o f John o f D a m a scus

,
is commonly fi x e d a t6 7 6 a n d in a l l prob a bility w a s l a t e r

, .
Th e oph a n e s 1 86 3 p 8 4 1 ) s e e ms to imp l y , .
th a t M a nsur w a s his gra nd fa th e r s n a m e 5 a n d Le q u i e n con ’
e lud e s in fa vour o f Se rgius b e ing his fa th e r who is spok e n o f by ,
Th e oph a n e s und e r A O 6 9 1 a s b e ing a good Christi a n a n d

, . .
, ,
l ogot /z ete to t h e C a liph A b d a l M a l e k by wh o m h e w a s highly ,
e st ee m e d .
26 ST . JOH N OF D A M A S C US .
c aptiv e s o n e day brought in to t h e slav e mark e t at

1
Damascus was an I talian monk His r e v e r e nd air .
and b e aring made e v e n his fe llow prison e rs throw -
th e ms e lve s at his fe e t to b eg a bl e ssing in th e ir ,
distr e ss . N o wond e r th e n that his captors w e r e

impr e ss e d T h e fath e r of John was standing b y a
.
,
sp e ctator of t h e sc e n e M ov e d by t h e captiv e s t e ars

.
’
,
h e dr e w n e ar and qu e stion e d him His nam e wa s

'
Cosmas a simpl e monk 5 h e fea r e d not d e ath for its

,
own sak e but for t ,

h e loss it would bring of all t he
l e arning he had painfully acquir e d T h e wisdom of .
te S tagirit e t
h h e philosophy of Plato
,
— all t h e stor e s
of Gr e cian l e arning and th e ology— w e r e as an i n
h e ritanc e h e had laboriously won and would now b e ,
lost by his d e ath for want of an h e ir to succ e e d to i t .
S uch an h e ir such an int e ll e ctual son h e had not ye t

, ,
hadt h e opportunity of fi n di n g H er e it was e vid e nt .

, ,
wa s t h e v e ry tutor for whom t h e fath e r had so long

s e arch e d H e hast e n e d with all sp ee d to t
. h e Caliph 2
,
1
T he conqu e s t o f S icily by t h e Sa r a c e ns ( on which occ a s ion
th ey might e a sily h a v e r a v a ge d t h e a dj a c e nt co a st o f It a ly ) w a s
not till t h e ye a r 8 2 7 B u tLe qu i e n inclin e s to pl a c e this
.
occurr e nc e a bou t t h e y e a r 6 99 wh e n t h e Ar a bs h a ving con

, ,
qu e r e d t h e north co a st o f Afric a w e r e in fe s t ing t h e a dj a c e nt

,
shor e s o f t h e M e dit e rr a n e a n H e quo t e s ind e e d a st a t e m e n t o f

.
Th e oph a n e s to sho w th a t p a r t o f Sicily w a s ov e rrun a n d i t s ,
i n ha bita nts conv e y e d to D a m a scus a s ea rly a s t h e twe n ty ,
s e cond y ea r o f Const a ns I I (A D but this s e e ms to l a ck

. . .
c on fi r m a t i on T h e poin t would no t b e wor th d iscussion but

.
,
fo r t h e light it migh tthrow i f cl ea r e d u p on t h e d a te o f John

, ,
D a m a sc e n e s birth. ’
2
H e r e a ga in t h e writ e r m e n tions no c a liph s n a m e Abd a l ’
.
M a l ek (6 85 or his succ e ssor W a lid I ( 7 0 5 a re .
na t ur a lly t h ou gh to f a s t h e most lik e ly

‘
.
28 ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C U S .
on image worship brok e out T h e E mp e ror Le o t

-
he.
I saurian t ,
he roaring lion had issu e d his fi r ste dict ,
against t h e practi ce ( A D A tsuch a c hall e ng e

. .
t h e privy councillor of D a mascus could not r e main

-
sil ent H e gird e d up his loins to t

. h e cont e st with a
z e al lik e that of E lias in t h e days of A hab To .
animat e t h e ortho dox in t h e fa i th to r e sistanc e h e ,
1
s e nt out circular l e tt e rs to b e pass e d from hand to
,
hand among t h e Christians This rous e d t h e ang e r

.
of t h e e mp e ror U nabl e to crush his oppon e nt by

.
forc e as b e ing a subj e ct of a hostil e pow e r h e has

, ,
r e cours e to stratage m Having succ e e de d in int e r

.
c ep ti n g an autogr a ph l e tt e r of Jo h n of Damascus h e ,
lays it b e for e som e of his scrib e s that th e y may ,
famili a ris e th e ms e lv e s both with t h e form of t he

charact e rs and t he turn of e xpr e ssion H e th e n bids .
th e m concoct a l e tte r in imitation of John s writing

,
’
purporting to b e addr e ss e d to hims e lf in which John ,
is mad e to propos e a tr e asonabl e surr e nd e r of

Damascus if t h e e mp e ror would s e nd a forc e thith e r
,
.
T h e S arac e n guard at Da m ascus ( s o t h e l e tt e r ran )

was w e ak and n e glige ntly k e pt and if Le o would ,
d e spatch a b a nd of r e solut e m e n h e would captur e

t h e city with littl e troubl e T h e writ e r would aid in
.
bringing ab out such a r e sult This forge d l e tt e r was .
th e n forwar de d to t h e caliph with anoth e r from t he ,
Gibbon ( eh li ) . . t
h e O mmi a d e s ha d only or s e cr e ta ry a ka t
ab , ,
a nd t h e o ffi c e o f vi z ir w a s not r e viv e d or institut e d till t he

o n e hundr e d a n d thirty s e cond y e a r o f t
”
-
h e H e gir a A D . .
which wou ld b e l a t e r th a n the e v e nts und e r consid e r a tion .
It is a musing to o b s e rve und e r wh a t a cloud o f words t he

writ e r wra ps up t h is t o u s simpl e no tion
,
‘
, .
J O H N MANSOUR . 2 9
e mp eror hims e l f Le tt h e caliph look to his Chris

.
tian subj e cts wh e n such w e r e t

,
h e propos a ls th e y w e re
capabl e of making O n r e c e ipt of this John was
.
,
summon e d at onc e to t h e pr e s e nc e of t h e M ahom e tan

rul e r and t
,
h e l e tt e r shown him H e admitt e d t . he
similarity of t h e writing but indign antly d e ni e d t
, he
authorship o f i t His d enial and his app e a l for a
.
,
r e spit e in which to prov e his innoc e nc e w e re alik e ,
vain T h e s e nt e nc e was giv e n that his o fi e n din g

'
right hand should b e chopp e d o ff This was don e 5 .
a n d that sam e h and — such is t h e writ e r s childish

’
a ntith e sis — which was lat e ly dipp e d in ink in d e fe nc e
of t h e truth was now dippe d in blood

, Wh e n e v e n .
ing cam e t h e pain of t

,
h e wound b e ing intol e rabl e ,
J ohn v entur e d to p e tition t h e caliph for t h e r e stitu

tion of t h e amputat e d m e mb e r that it might r e c e iv e ,
burial inst e ad of b e ing l e ft hanging up in t

,
h e mark e t
plac e S uch rit e s of int erm e nt might bring him t
. he
r e li e f th e y did to Archytas T h e d e sir e d r e qu e st was
.
gr ant e d a n d t,
h e hand s e nt back Th e n J ohn pros .
,
tra t i n g hims e lf b e fore an image of t h e Virgin in his

privat e chap e l poure d out his soul in supplication
, ,
praying that t h e hand which h e plac e d against his

m u tilat e d arm might grow again to t h e limb from
which it had b e e n se v er e d H e falls asl e e p worn .
,
out with p a in and w e arin e ss and in a dre am b e holds ,
th e Holy Virgin signifying that his pray e r is h e a rd .
T h e vision com e s tru e On starting up h e fi n ds his

.
hand to b e i n d ee d r e stor e d whol e a s t h e oth e r T he .
n e w s of this miracl e soon r e ach e s t h e e a rs of th e caliph .
John is again summon e d to his pr e s e nc e a n d strictly ,
qu e stion e d His e n e mi e s try i n vain to e xplain it

.
3 0 ST . J OH N OF D A M A S C US .
away 5 t h e r e d lin e showing wh e r e t h e knife had gon e

still r e mains visibl e and no e arthly physician co u1d,
hav e wrought such a work of h e aling T h e caliph is .
convince d and would fain hav e had t

,
h e su ffer e r
r e sum e his form e r o ffi c e But John pl e ad e d so .
e arn e stly for r e li e f to r e tir e from public affairs that
his mast e r yi e ld e d 5 and s o having dispos e d of a l l ,
h is worldly goods h e s etout accompani e d by his

, ,
old companion Cosmas for t h e conv e nt of StS ab a s

,
. .
On arriving th e r e h e was lovingly r e c e iv e d by t he

abbat 5 but for a whil e non e of t
,
h e inm a t e s would
,
und e rtak e t h e task of training so distin guish e d a

novic e A tlast an ag e d monk w a s found willing
. .
Taking t —
h e n e w com e r with him to his c e ll h e taught ,
him t h e fi r s tprincipl e s of monastic ob e di e nc e to do

nothing of his own privat e will to wr e stl e with God ,
in pray e r to l e this t e ars wash out t

, h e stams of bygon e
sins . Hard e r p e rhaps than all th e s e for o n e of ,
D a m a sc e n u s habits was t h e inj unction to writ e to

’
,
no o n e to k e e p sil e nc e e v e n from good word s to

, ,
r e m e mb e r t h e pr e c e pt of t h e h e ath e n Pythagoras .
A l e ss e arn e st spirit might hav e brok e n down und e r

such probation 5 but John was not o n e to fl i n c h .
T h e s e e d of instruction was falling in this cas e , ,
n e ith e r among thorns nor on t h e rock but into good ,
ground Ye thard e r trials still r e main e d T h e old

. .
monk b a d e him load his should e rs with bask e ts of ,
t h e conv e nt mak e and go with th e m straight to ,
Damascus Th er e h e was to offe r th e m for sal e at

.
doubl e th e ir valu e and on n o account to bat e a j ot

,
of his pric e With t .h e fondn e ss of O ri e ntal nations

for driving a bargain this fi x e dn e ss of pric e would ,
J O H N MANSOUR .
3 1
e xpos e t h e v e ndor to abus e and ill usag e But -

.
,
nothing daunt e d t h e onc e Privy Councillor of

,
-
D am a scus trudg e d on und e r his burd e n till h e ,
re ach e d t h e str ee ts of his old city Th e r e h e brave d .
for hours t h e j ee rs an d ridicul e of all such as ask e d

t h e pric e of his war e s till at last a form e r a c qu a i n
,
tanc e r e cognising him in his squalid disguis e bought

, ,
t h e bask e ts out of compassion an d t h e novic e r e turn e d

,
unv a nquish e d to his task mast e r O n anoth e r occa

-
.
sion t
,
h e broth e r of o ne of t h e monks who had di e d
b e sought J ohn to indit e a fun e ral hymn as som e con ,
solation to his fe e lings Th e r e qu e st was not com

.
pli e d with at fi r st from a fe ar of transgr e ssing t

, he
l e tt e r of his sup e rior s command 5 bu t at last yi e lding
’
,
to t h e mourn e r s importunity J ohn compos e d t

’
, he
short dirg e b e ginning
All hu ma n things a r e v a in ,
N o r bid e with u s through d e a th 5

N o w ea lth m a y ch e e r t
h e tra v e ll e r th e re ,
”
N o r honour s e mpty br ea th
’
.
Wh e n t h e old monk who was J ohn s instructor

,
’
,
h e ard t h e sound of music on r e turning to his c e ll a s ,
th e s e w ords w er e b e ing sung h e angrily upbraid e d ,
th e novic e Wa s t
. his t h e way for him to k e e p his
promis e ? th e s e th e sounds which should com e from
th e lips o f o n e mourning for his sins in solitud e and
gloom ? It was in vain that his discipl e pl e ad e d a
caus e for what h e had don e and implor e d forgiv e ,
n e ss H e was e xp e ll e d as insubordinat e from his

.
, ,
train e r s c e ll On this t
’
. h e oth e r monks int e rc e d e d 5
but for a long tim e t h e eld e r was obdura t e a n d ,
wo u ld list e n to no e ntr e ati e s A tlast h e cons e nt e d

.
to nam e a p e nanc e as t h e condition of r e c e iving t he

o ffe nd e r back 5 but o n e so humiliating involving ,
a m e nial labour so bas e that t ,

h e v e r y monks th e m
s e lv e s stood aghast John how e v e r had no scrupl e s
.
, , .
H e had fe lt as o n e driv e n from P aradis e a n d no ,
s e rvil e labour should count with him if only h e might ,
fi nd t h e gat e of e ntranc e op e n again Thus h e won .
th e admiration e v e n of his s e v e r e t e ach e r .
A n d now t h e tim e cam e wh e n t h e probation migh t

c e as e T h e old m onk was warn e d by t
. h e Virgin in a ,
dr e am to ch e ck no long e r t
,
h e outpouring o f a spirit
o f song in his gift e d pupil T h e hymns o f J ohn
.
Damasc e n e w e r e to b e a j oy of t h e whol e Church ,
surpassing e v e n t h e S ong of M os e s and t h e choral

minstr e lsy of M iriam H is e xposition of t
. he Faith ,
his r e futation of h e r e si e s would b e as pillars of

,
support on which t h e Church might l e an Thus .
admonish e d t ,
h e monk calls J ohn to him and b ids him ,
giv e fr ee cours e to t h e inspiration by which h e was

mov e d Thus s e tfr e e at last and with thos e pursuits
.
,
now sanction e d to which h e was by natur e inclin e d ,
J ohn gav e full play to his voic e and to his p e n N ow .
w e r e compos e d t h e gr e at works on which his fam e as

— his F on s Scz en t
' '
a writ e r will r e st z ce his s e rmons his , ,
hymns I n all of th e s e h e had a fri e nd and advi s e r

.
m his old companion t h e younge r Cosmas

,
1
hims e lf ,
Th e r e is still e xt a nt a numb e r o f hymns c a nons a n d t he , ,
lik e be a ring t h e n a m e o f Cosm a s ; but it is di ffi cu l tto d e t e r

min e which o f th e m b e long to t h e young e r o n e o f the na m e
m d bishop o f M a i u m a a bout A D a n d which to t he
( a e . .
e ld e r Cosm a s,
th e tutor A ccordi n g to D r N e a l e
.
“
Hymns .
,
J O H N MANSOUR .
a po e t and compos e r of hymns till his promotion to ,
th e se e of M a i u m a n e ar Ga z a in Pal e stin e r e mov e d

, , ,
him from t h e conve nt S om e y e ars b e for e i f the.

,
chronology can b e r e c o n c i le d t
l
h e sam e Patriarch of ,
J e rusal e m who had rais e d Cosmas to t h e b ishopric ,
had ordain e d J ohn to t h e pri e sthood But whil e .
thus e nabl e d to prais e God in t

“
h e s e at of t he
h e did not forsak e t
”
pr e sbyte rs ( P s cvii . . he
monast e ry of StS abas A nd consid e ring t
.
“
h e dou b l e
.
of t
he E st
a rn Church third ed p 6 3 Cosm a s is t
e ,
he .
, .
,
most l e a rn ed o f t
h e Gr e e k Church poe ts 5 a n d his fondn e ss fo r
typ es boldn e ss in th e ir a pplica tion a n d lov e o f a ggr ega ting
, ,
th e m m a k e him t
, h e ori e nt a l Ad a m o f S V i c t
or S e v e ra l o f . .
his compositions h a v e bee n tra nsl a t ed by D r N ea l e o f which .

,
th e following m a y s e rv e a s a spe cim e n
R od o f t
h e R oo t J ess e of ,
Thou F lowe r o f M a ry born

, ,
F rom th a t thick sh a dy mount a in

Ga m s t glorious forth this morn
’
5
O i h er t h e E v e r Virgin
, ,
Inc a rna t e w a st Thou m a d e ,
T he imm a t e r i a l E sse nc e ,
T h e God by a ll obe y e d
Glory Lord Thy se rva n ts p a y
, ,
To Thy wondrous might to da y -
T he r e fer enc e in th e t hird lin e is t o H a b a kkuk ii 3 .

,
.
T he d a t e o f t h e cons e cra tion o f Cosm a s is commonly give n

a s a bou t A D 7 4 3 5 th a t be ing t
. . h e y ea r in which Th e oph a n e s
pl a c e s t h e m util a tion a n d d ea th o f P e t e r m e tropolit a n o f ,
D a ma scus whil e h e a dds tha t

,
a tt h e s a m e tim e his n a m e
sa k e P e ter o f M a i u ma ( Cosm a s s predec e ssor ) gl o ri fi e d God by
’
a volun ta ry m a rtyrdom Ou t h e oth e r h a nd t

. h e s a m e ch to ,
n o l o ge r pl a c es t h e d e a th o f John I V P a tri a rch o f J e rus a l e m .

,
( who is s a id in t h e t ex t t o h a v e both promo t e d Cosm a s a nd

ord a ine d D a ma sce n u s ) in t h e y ea r 7 3 5
,
.
D
34 ST .
J OH N O F D A M AS C U S .
honour of which StPaul d ee ms t h e e ld e r that rul e s

.
w e ll to b e worthy ( 1 Tim v to m e an rath e r a . .
doubl e r e sp o n si b i li t
'
y a n d a twofold obligation , to
k e e p both t h e b ody and mind und e r disciplin e h e ,
s e thims e lf t h e m e ntal labour of dilig e ntl y r evising

and corr e cting his form er writings Wh e r e v e r th e r e .
was too much of a fl o wery luxurianc e ( says this

biograph e r who is a notic e abl e o fi e n de r in t h e sam e
’
way) h e would u s e t
,
h e pruni n g—hook and r e duc e his ,
styl e to t h e m e asur e of a du e sobri e ty A long with .
this h e continu e d his labours of pr e aching in d efe nc e

,
of t h e sacr e d imag e s e arning from his n e ph e w ,
S t e ph e n wh e n h e too cam e to glorify God lik e his

,
nam e sak e t h e fi r stmartyr t

,
h e titl e of w n em é /e and ,
z m fiz r m
fi
' '
y Thus
’
occupi e d d e ath cam e upon him 5 ,
and h e of whom I writ e says his b iograph e r n o w , ,
s ee s God fac e to fac e This humbl e r e cord has .
b e e n writt en h e adds ri ot to incr e as e his glory

, , ,
or to k e e p his m em ory from fading ( which n e e ds

no such m e morials to pr e s e rv e i t ) but rath e r that ,
he t ,
h e gl or i fi e d saint m ay r e m e mb e r m e and fi ll , ,
1
T he r e fe re nc e to this m a rtyr i s introdu ce d som e wh a t
a bruptly a n d obscur e ly but th e r e s ee ms no doub t who i s
,
inte nde d S tSt eph en c a ll ed t

. .
, e from t
h e Sa b a i t h e pl a c e o f hi s ,
prolonge d a bod e w a s brough t (a ccording to Le on t

,
iu s ) a tth e a ge
of t e n y e a r s to t his conv ent by his uncl e John o f D a ma s cus , ,
a n d di e d th e r e in A D 7 94 a ft e r a r e sid enc e o f n e a rly si x ty

. .
,
y ea r s I t is to him th a t we ow e w h a ti n D r N e a l e s t
. r a n sl a , .
’
tion i s o n e o f t
,
h e m os tb e a u t
i ful of mod e rn hymns
Ar t thou w ea ry a r tthou l a nguid , ,
A r tthou s or e distr e s t?
Com e t o me s a ith On e 5 a n d c oming
,
’ ‘
,
Be a t
3 6 ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US .
in t h e Gre e k C hur ch at t h e tim e That alon e n e e d not

.
h av e di sq u a l i fi e d t
h e author for obtaining cr e d e nc e ,
wh e n h e wrot e simply of t he ordinary e v e nts of a

m an s life O ur complaint is that inst e ad of a n ything
’
.
,
de fi n i t e and tangibl e w e hav e t

,
he i n fl a te d d e clamation
o f o n e wh o s e e ms c h i c fl y conc e rn e d to e xtol c ertain

favourit e doctrin e s of t h e Gr e e k Church For it .
must b e r e m e mb e r e d that in t h e abov e abstract t he

outlin e s only hav e b ee n giv e n te fram ework s o far
h ,
—
as th e r e is any — o f t h e composition To gain any.
ad e quat e id e a of t h e styl e t h e r e ad e r must suppos e

,
th e s e dry b on e s cloth e d with a body of swelling

v erbiag e S till as i t is t
.
,
h e only biography of any
pre t ensio n s we poss e ss i t has s e e m e d d e sirabl e to
,
pr e s e nt such a summary of it as t he abov e I t will .
b e a mor e satisfactory task to e nd e avour to fi ll up

som e portions at l e ast of this shadowy outlin e by a
study of D amasc e n e s e xtant works B u tb e for e pro
’
.
c e e di ng to this portion of our subj e ct it may cl e ar ,
th e way a littl e to surv e y t h e stat e of t h e Gr e e k

Church at t h e tim e and in particular t
,
h e long con
tr o ve r s
y about image worship in which J ohn of
-
,
Damascus play e d so conspicuous a part .

ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C US .
3 7
C H A PT ER V .
T H E GR EE K CH URCH I N T H E E I G H T H C EN T U R Y ‘
.
IT is di ffi c u l tto mak e t he gr e at principl e s und e rstood

w hich we r e at work in t h e E as t e rn Church in t he
tim e of J ohn o f Damascus without som e r e fe r e nc e ,
to e arli e r controv e rsi e s To trac e back t he chain o f

.
caus e and e ffe c t a tall compl e t e ly would ind e e d b e an

e ndl e ss t a sk ,
but it m a y su ffi c e to b e gin with t he
spr e ad of t h e doctrin e s known as mon op /zy sz fe
’
A s A l e xandria had b e e n t h e c e ntr e of N e o Pla -
to n i s m it wa s natur a l for it to b e a nurs e ry als o o f

,
monophysit e principl e s For th e r e was an undoubt e d

.
conn e ction b e t w e e n t h e two T h e e x a ltation of the .
Divin e n a tur e and b e ing a s some thing b e yond m e a ,
sur e transc e nding all human e xpre ssion or human ,
pow e r of thought is a promin e nt fe atur e in t

, he
w ritings o f t h e s o call e d Dionysius t
-
h e A r e opagit e .
S o also is t h e e x a ltation of t he mystic cont e mplativ e ,
mod e of li fe as t ,
h e only way of attaining in any
d egr e e to t h e godlik e All this would b e as an e cho
.
of famili a r sounds to thos e who had imbib e d t he

t eaching of Plotinus For that philosoph e r had laid
.
To a void t h e troubl e o f fr e qu e n t r e fe r e nc e s it m a y b e ,
sta t e d a tt h e outs e t th a t t h e a uthoriti e s fo r this ch a pt e r a r e

’
c hi c fl y Gi e s e l e r s
“
E ccl e s H is t vol ii a n d N e a nd e r s
”
.
, . .
,
’
”
Church H ist ( B oh n s e dn ) vols iv a n d v
.
’
. . . .
down that e v e n m e ditation can only b e r e gard e d as

,
t h e w ay to truth without b e ing e v e r abl e to r e ach it 5

,
nay that uncondition e d B e ing or t

,
h e Godh e ad , ,
cannot b e grasp e d by thinking or sci e nc e but only , ,

”
by intuition H e nc e wh e n th e ologians r e ar e d in
.
, ,
such an atmosph e r e of thought approach e d t h e sub ,
j e c t of th e I ncarnation it was t o b e e xp e ct
,
e d that
th e y would r e gard it mor e or l e ss e xcl u siv e ly in
o n e particular light A nd so it cam e to pass
. T he .
in e ffab l e incompr e h e nsibl e transc e nd e nt u nion of ,
natur e s —such was t h e langu a g e in which th e y p r e

fe rr e d to sp e ak o f this myst e ry T h e sup ernatural .
sid e of i t t h e absolut e on e n e ss of t
,
h e divin e and
human in Christ was that which had t ,
h e most
attraction for th e m Th e y carri e d this so far as to
.
transfe r t h e t e rms appropriat e t o t h e divin e e ss e nc e

to t h e human natur e in C hrist and t h e conv e rs e ,
.
“
Gradually such e xpr e ssions as
,
God has suffe r e d ,
” ”
for u s ,
God was c r u c i fi e d for u s and ab ov e all , , ,
M ary t h e Tfi eoz ok os or M oth e r of God

,
‘
,
”
b e cam e ,
r e c o gm se d watchwords of t h e party Cyril of A l e x .
andria wh o di e d i n 4 4 4 may b e tak e n as a r e p te

, ,
s en t at i ve of t h e caus e in its e arli e r stag e T he .
de cr e e s o f t h e Council of Chalc e don summon e d by ,
t h e E mp eror M arcian in 4 5 1 s e r ve d only to e x a s ,
p e rat e t h e M onophysit e party who consid e r e d th e m ,
t oo indulge nt to N e storianism 5 and sc e n e s of vio

l e nc e and bloodsh e d follow e d b oth at A l e xandria ,
and J e rusal e m and in t ,

h e capital its e l f T he Ma .
h o m et a n s though pr ofe ss e dly hostil e to Christianity

,
in any form w e r e natur a lly mor e inclin e d to b e i n

,
du lge n ttowards a phas e o f it wh i c h a p p e a r e d s om e x

T HE G REE K C H UR C H IN THE E I G H TH C EN T URY .
3 9
what more akin to th e ir own c e ntral doctrin e o f t he

unity of t h e Godh e ad 5 and thus an addi tional party ,
and a most important o n e was brought into t ,

he
strife.
T h e m on ot f wlet e
l controv e rsy or that which turn e d ,
upon a s i ngle w i l l i n Christ was an aft e rsw ell of this

,
storm I t aros e from t

. h e e nd e avours to carry out
t h e monophysit e princi p l e s to th e ir logical conclusion .
I f in man it was argu e d who has a singl e hum a n

, ,
natur e though consisting of soul and body th e re is

, ,
but o n e will which we may call t

,
h e human will and ,
o n e e e gy or activ e e x e rcis e of that will

n r — s o in Christ
, , ,
who had a singl e natur e though both God and man , ,
th e re must n e e ds b e in lik e mann e r bu t o n e will and

o n e e n e rgy or op e ration T h e unrivall e d fl e x i b i l i t
.
y
of t h e Gre e k languag e and t h e re ady way in which
,
it l e nds its e l f to t h e formation of compound words ,
whil e i t undoubt e dly r e nd e rs discussion e asi e r may ,
hav e to answ e r for som e of t h e confusion of thought

i n which t h e combatants w e r e oft e n involv e d Wh e n .
it was found that Dionysius t h e A re opagit e had us e d

t he t e rm t fz ea n dr zk to e xpre ss t
,
he working of Christ ,
so conv e n i e nt a word was gladly borrow e d 5 and it

was doubtl e ss fe lt to b e an e asi e r task to maintain
t h e unity o f Christ s will or op e ration wh e n a t e rm
’
, ,
which look e d singl e though r e ally doubl e had b ee n

, ,
m e twith to d e not e i t .
T h e subj e ct b egan to b e a c t i ve i y d e bat e d about
T he t e r m m on ot
/z elet
e is s a id to in t he b e fi r stm e twith
writings o f S t John o f D a m a scus
. O f cours e t h e subj e ct .
,
conv eni e ntly summ e d up in th a t word h a d b e eri d e b a t e d ,
e a rli e r
.
t
'
h e sam e tim e that M ahom e t e nt e r e d on his car e e r .
S e rgius patriarch of Constantinopl e had notic e d in

, , ,
a l e tt e r ascrib e d to his pr e d e c e ssor M e n n a s t h e ex , ,

“ ”
pr e ssion o n e will and o n e life giving op e ration
,
-
,
appli e d to t h e S aviour B e ing struck with i t b e

.
,
consult e d T h eo do r e B ishop of Phara n in A rabia

, ,
'
“ 1 “
a p e rso n says R ob e rtson
, o f whom nothing is ,
known e xc e pt in conn e ction with this controv e rsy ,
but who from t ,

h e r e fe r e nc e thus mad e to h i m may ,
b e suppos e d to hav e e nj oy e d an e min e nt ch a ract e r

for l earning and to hav e b ee n as ye tunsusp e ct e d o f
,
any e rror in doctrin e 5 and as Th e odor e approv e d t he

words t ,
h e patri a rch adopt e d th e m and had som e ,
corr e spond e nc e with oth e r p ersons on t h e sub j e ct

”
.
T h e opposit e or d y ot/ze l
,
ete vi e w was that t h e faculty ,
o f willing is inh e r e nt in e ach of our Lord s natur e s 5

’
although as his p e rson is o n e t

,
h e two wills act in ,
t he sam e dir e ction — th e human will b e ing e x ercis e d

i n accordanc e with t O n e of t
”
h e divin e h e abl e st .
champions of t h e orthodox or dyoth e l e t e vi ew was , ,
M aximus a man of a nobl e By z antin e family whos e

, ,
car e er was not unlik e that of D a m a s c e n u s hims e l f .
H e had b ee n fi r s ts e cr e tary or s e cr e tary of stat e

”
, ,
und e r t h e E mp e ror H e raclius and lik e t h e o n e j ust

, ,
m e ntion e d had a prosp e ct of high pre fe rm e nt at

,
court B u t h e too d e t e rmin e d to e mbrac e t

.
, , he
monastic life an d b e cam e t ,
h e z e alous and untiri n g
oppos e r of monoth el etism N e a n der s analysis of his .
’
r e ligious syst e m may h e lp t h e r e ad e r to form a b e tt e r

conc e ption of t h e grounds on which t h e twofold
”
Christi a n Church ,
vol . ll., p 42. .
T HE G REE K C H U R C H IN T HE E I G HTH C EN T URY .
4 1
’
natur e of Christ s will was maintain e d Christianity .
,
a s it s ee m e d to him forms t
,
h e e xact m e an b e t w ixt
t he too narrow appr e h e nsion of t h e id e a o f God in
Judaism a n d t
, h e too bro a d o n e of t h e de i fi c a t
ion o f
n atur e in paganism 5 and this m e an is e xpre s s e d by
t h e doctrin e of t h e Trinity T h e high e st e n d of t

. he
whol e cr e ation b e suppos e d to b e t h e intim a t e union
i n to w hich God e nt e r e d with it through Christ ; wh e n ,
without d e trim e nt to His immut a b ility H e assum e d ,
human natur e into p e rson a l union for t h e purpos e of

r e nd e ring huma n ity godlik e : God b e coming man
without change of his own e ss e nc e a n d r e c e iving ,
human natur e into union with Hims e lf w i t hout its

losing aught th a t b e longs to its p e culiar e ss e nc e I t .
was with a vi e w to s e cur e this point that h e attach e d ,
so much importanc e also to t h e articl e s touching t he

union of t h e two nature s in which e ach r e tains
, ,
”
withou t change its own p e culi a r prop erti e s
, I t is .
an instructiv e comm e nt on t h e passions that can b e

rous e d b y such s e e mingly abstrus e and sp e culativ e
doctrin e s to not e w hat was t
, h e e n d of “
th e saintly
M aximus a s h e is oft e n call e d A ft e r b e ing banish e d
, .
to a fortr e ss in Thrac e wh e re h e was k e pt imprison e d

,
in t h e hop e of a r e cantation h e was dragg e d back

,
a gain to Constantinopl e and th e r e publicly scourg e d

, ,
his tongu e cut out and his right hand s e v e r e d from

,
teh wrist — i n this circumst a nc e again r e calling what

is r e cord e d of John of D a m ascus H e was th e n .
b a nish e d onc e mor e to t h e r e gion of t h e La z i — t he ,
anci e nt Colchis — and th e r e di e d in 6 6 2 from t

, ,
he ,
inj uri e s h e had und e rgon e S till s e v e r e r i f possibl e

.
, ,
w ere t h e suffe rings e ndur e d in t h e sam e caus e a fe w

y e ars b e for e by P o p e M artin 1 Wh e n Constans had

,
.
publish e d in 6 4 8 his r e ligious e dict known as t he

7 3 755 t ,
h e e xarch Olym p i u s had ord e rs to proc ee d
from R av e nn a to R om e and th ere e nforc e t ,
h e mono
thel e t e principl e s contain e d in i t O n t h e d e ath of .
Olym p i u s in 6 5 3 his succ e ssor Ca lli 0p a s w e nt on

, , ,
with t h e e x e cution of th e s e ord e rs M artin I was . .
s e i z e d by an a rm e d band of t h e imp e rial soldi e rs in

th e Lat e ran church and conv e y e d as a criminal to
,
Constantinopl e I n M arch 6 5 5 h e was b anish e d to

.
, ,
th e Crim e a and th e r e h e di e d aft e r e nduring t

,
he ,
gr e at e st privations in S ept e mb e r of t
,
h e sam e y e ar .
I t might s ee m strang e to u s did we n ot r e coll e ct ,
h o w o ft e n t h e sam e sc e n e s hav e b ee n e nact e d sinc e ,
that such should b e t h e practical outcom e of O pinions

s o pur e ly th e or e tic a l as thos e ab ov e d e scrib e d A nd .
ye t it is only ignoranc e or indiffe r e nc e that can ,
dismiss t h e subj e ct of th e s e controve rsi e s ( as is

som e t i m e s don e ) with o n ly a hasty e xpr e ssion of
cont e mpt I say advis e dly t
. h e subj e ct as distin
, ,
g u i s h e d from th e mod e in W hich th e disput e was
carri e d o n or t ,
h e practical r e sults to which it l e d .
“ ”
I f we look e d at this controv e rsy from o n e sid e ,
writ e s t h e lat e P rofe ssor M auric e } “

w e m ight pro
nounc e it o n e of t h e most important an d s erious in
which m en wer e e v e r e ngag e d —t h e gath e ring up of
all pr e viou s disput e s r e sp e cting fr e e dom and n e c e s
sit y r e sp e cti n g t
,
h e r e lation of t h e D ivin e will to
th e human r e sp e cting t
,
h e struggl e in t h e h e art of h u
m anity i ts e l f .A ll th e s e argum e nts would s e e m to b e
i
M e di aeva l Philosophy ( f8 59 ) p , . 29 °
wid e ly spr e ad acquaintanc e with t

-
h e writings of A ris
tot l e and t
,
h e incr e as e d practic e to which it wa s put
in t h e monophysit e and m onoth e l e t e controv e rsi e s ,
w er e mad e subs e rvi e nt to a formal orthodoxy to ,
e n u nciati n g articl e s of a cr e e d ; T h e ignorant crowd

m ight b e goad e d to fury by party cri e s in t h e church
or t h e amphith e a tr e 5 but to clamour for or aga inst an
a ddition to t h e Tr z s a gz on could afford littl e p r e su m p
' '
tion that t h e clamour e r was in e arn e st about t he

r e aliti e s of Christian life A tt h e s a m e tim e th e s e
.
“
mis erab l e circus fi gh t s of
-
t h e sixth c e ntury of ,
which M auric e indign a ntly complains th e s e windy ,
controv e rsi e s of p e opl e who had talk e d ab out t

“
he
divin e and human natur e till th e y had lost a l l fa ith in
”
God and man w e r e fa r from d e void of e ffe cts e v e n
, ,
lasting e ffe cts on t,

h e political world I tis not e asy .
to m easur e t h e importanc e of t h e st e p tak e n b y t he

R oman ponti ff in 4 8 4 wh e n sol e ly on t ,
h e ground ,
of monophysit e opposition F e lix I I issu e d his ,

.
anath e m a against t h e patri a rch of Constantinopl e ,
and co m munion was brok e n o fl b e t we e n t h e E a st e rn

'
and We st e rn church e s Who can calculat e what

.
might hav e b e e n t h e condition of R ussia of E urop e , ,
of t h e Turk ish E mpir e at this day had t ,

h e union of ,
th e E ast e rn and W e st e rn church e s not b e e n s e v e r e d ?

T h e outlin e thus b r i e fl y sk e tch e d of t h e two gr e at
controv e rsi e s which harass e d t h e E ast e rn Church
during t h e fi fth sixth a n d s e v e nth c e nturi e s s e e m e d
, , ,
n e c e ss a ry as an introduction to t h e stat e of that Church

in J ohn of Damascus s own day T h e latt e r of t
’
h e two .
,
ind e e d t ,
h e monoth e l e t e li ng e r e d on into t ,
h e e ighth
c e ntury and J oh ns writings a r e c ol o u 1 e d by allusions
,
’
T HE G REE K C H U R C H IN T HE EI G HTH C EN T U RY .
45
to it a n d its pr e d e c e ssor N e arly a hundr e d y e a rs a ft e r

.
H e raclius had vainly striv e n to unit e t h e disorg a nis e d

provinc e s of t he e mpir e by a compromis e which
should satisfy t h e monophysit e s we fi n d t h e E mp e ror
,
P h i l i p p i c u s B ardan e s ( 7 1 1 7 1 3 ) giving t
-
he asc e ndancy
to t h e monoth e l e t e party an asc e ndancy only to b e
,
wr e ste d from th e m onc e mor e und e r his succ e ssor .
T he subs ervi e nc e of t h e Gre e k bishops to t h e imp e rial

will is an unfavourabl e sign of t h e tim e s : with fe w
e xc e ptions th e y app e ar to hav e cha n g e d th e ir front
, ,
and marshall e d th e ir subordinat e s in n e w positions at ,
t h e promulgation of an ect /zes zs or fi en ot z mn or {yp c

' '
, , y
with t h e sam e r e adin e ss as o ffi c e r s at a r e vi e w e xe cut e

t he e volutions of th e ir troops wh e n th e ir ge n e ral has
giv e n t h e word of command S uch ind e p e nd e nt
.
thought as th e r e was s e e m s mostly to hav e sought

t h e sh e lt e r of t h e cloist e r .Ye te v e n h e r e how gre at ,
a diffe r e nc e is p e rc e ptibl e b e twe e n t h e fr e e dom and

progr e ss of t h e We st and t
,
h e e v e r circling and u n -
progr e ssiv e disputations of t h e E ast W e i nv o l u n .
t a ri ly r e call our own B e d e sp e nding his last mom e nts

,
in Wea rm o u t h A bb e y dictating t
,
h e closing v e rs e s o f
his translation of St John s Gosp e l and compar e
.
’
,
him with an E ast e rn count e rpart such as might hav e ,
b e e n found in t h e solitud e s of Pal e stin e or E gypt ,
on that sam e e ve of Asc e nsion Day 7 3 4 It may , .
hav e b ee n from a crushing s ens e of infe riority to t he

ev e r growing pow e r of I slam no l e ss than from t
-
,
he
i n fl u e n c e of writ e rs lik e t h e s o call e d D ionysius and
-
,
O rige n and Gre gory of N yssa that a mystic con

, , ,
t e mp l a t i ve symboli z ing habit of mind took poss e ssion

,
of t h e Gr ee k Church at this tim e T h e spre ad of

.
’
Christ s kingdom on e arth must hav e s e e m e d to
many to b e s o ch e ck e d that t h e thoughts had n o
,
r e li e f but in t h e cont e mplation of t h e world uns e e n .
Thus t he fi gu ra ti v e spirituali z ing t e nd e nci e s of t

, he
t h e ologian and t
,
h e craving for coars e and mat erial
r e pr e s e ntations of t h e illit e rat e could fi n d th e ir satis ,
faction toge th er A s t . .h e n ew e r Platonism had tri e d

to sublimat e t h e s e nsual rit e s of t h e old Gr ee k
.
“
m ythology so this, positiv e and n egativ e mod e of
”1
appr e h e nsion ,
this way of conc e iving God and
things divin e only und e r image s e nabl e d t h e t e ach e r ,
to e xtract a spiritual m eaning from t h e rud e and u m

artistic imag e or t ,
h e childish c er e monial i n which ,
t h e vu lgar d e light e d .
This may mak e it l e ss strang e to fi n d that t h e n ex t

gr e at controv e rsy which agitat e d t h e Church that ,
with which t h e nam e of J ohn of D amascus i s so pro

m i n en t l y associat e d was about a subj e ct at fi r s tsight
,
s o utt e rly for e ign to t h e two pr e c e ding on e s as t he ,
worship of image s T h e i con ocl a st . i c controv e rsy as it ,
is commonly call e d was how ev e r by no m e ans so

, , ,
disconn e ct e d as might hav e app e ar e d from t

,
h e mor e ,
sp e culativ e on e s alr e ady d e scrib ed I t was th e ir .
l egitimat e succ e ssor Whil e t h e star gaz e r mov e s on

.
-
with his ey e s int ent on t h e const ellations his fee t ,
fall into t h e ditch Whil e t . h e sp e culativ e minds

of t h e Gr e e k Church w er e thu s lost in b e wild e ring
altitud e s t ,
h e unl e arn e d on e s at t h e oth e r e xtr em e
w e re fast falling into idolatry T h e t e rm is hardly too
-
.
strong a o n e . T h e pictur e or t h e image which t,

he ,
a fz a t
Ca t p op /z a t to h e a ct u a l t
t e rms
' '
p z c a nd A z c, u se .
T HE G REE K C H U R C H IN T HE E I GH TH C EN T U RY .
47
th e ologian tol e rat e d it m a y b e e v e n approv e d as in its

, , ,
way a shadow o f that r e ality of which nothing in this

world could b e mor e than a shadow was allowe d to ,
b e com e for t h e multitud e a palpabl e obj e ct of th e ir

d e votions I t has b ee n ofte n all e ge d as a r eason for
.
th e succ e ss of t h e M ahom e tan cr e e d as a j u s t ific a ,
tion of it in t h e provid e ntial gov e rnm e nt of t he

world that it did in fact r e call m en from what was
, , ,
practically a worship of saints and r e lics and image s , , ,
to t h e primal confe ssion of On e only God ; that it

bad e m e n whil e th e y w e r e lost in e ndl e ss discussions
,
about His natur e and will r e alis e t h e fact that th e r e ,
w a s ind e e d a God ov e r t h e world and that His will ,
must b e ob e ye d Wh e n onc e e stablish e d t

. he M a ,
hom et a n faith has ind ee d shown a far mor e li fe l e ss
rigidity than e v e r t h e By z antin e Church did in it s

dark es t days But in t . h e fi rs tvigour of its youth t he ,
uphold e rs of I slam had c e rtainly this ground of van

t age and kn e w how to turn it to account
,
Th er e .
i s e xtant a l e tte r of Le o t h e I sa u r i a n to t
l h e Caliph
Th e his tory o f this l e tt e r to which r efe re nc e m a y b e m a d e

,
h e r e a fte r is a n int e r e sting o n e

, I o w e my fi rs ta cqu a int a nc e
.
with it to a n a rt icl e in La Be lgiqu e by F é lix N é ve A n

”
,
.
A rm e ni a n doctor o f t h e e igh t c e ntury na m e d Gh é v on d , ,
h a d l e ft a his t ory o f his own time s b e ginning with t h e sub,
mission of Arme ni a to t h e Ara bi a n yok e in 6 6 1 a n d e nding ,
with even t s o f 7 7 0 or 7 7 1 In t h e cours e o f it h e e mbodi e s a

.
l e tt e r of Om a r I I writt e n soon a fte r his a cce ssion ( i n 7 1 7 ) to

.
,
Le o him se l f a l so n e wly s ea t e d on his thron e a s w ell a s t

,
he ,
e mpe ror s r e ply O m a r s l e tt e r is o n e o f e nquiry a bou t t

’ ’
. he
Christ ia n r eligion with a s ta t , e m e n t o f his obj ec t ions t o i t a s
hith e rt o pre se n te d to him O ne o f th e s e runs a s follows in

.
,
t h e F r ench tr a nsla t ion ( Pa ris 1 8 5 6 p 4 2 ) o f t ,

h e a rchim a ndrit e
, .
48 ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US .
O mar I I in r eply to o n e addr e ss e d to h i m by t

.
,
he
latt e r, in which singularly e nough we se e t
, h e gr e at ,
iconoclastic e mp eror playing t h e part of a d e fe nd e r

of image s— a tl e ast of what h e th e n thought th e ir
,
r e asonabl e u se “
We honour t
.
”
h e cross h e writ e s , ,
“
b e caus e of t h e suffe rings e ndur e d upon it by t he
incarnat e Word of God A s for pictur e s we do not
.
,
pay t h e l ike r e sp e ct to th e m , not having r e c e iv e d

from Holy S criptur e any command what e v e r on t he
subj e ct A tt
. h e sam e tim e as we fi n d in t h e O ld
,
T es tam e nt t h e divin e commission to M os e s to carv e

fi gu r e s of ch e rubim in t h e tab e r n acl e and as we a r e ,
inspir e d by a sinc e r e r e gard for t h e discipl e s of t he

Lord and burning with lov e of t
,
h e inc a rnat e Lord
Hims e l f we hav e e v e r fe lt t
,
h e n e e d of pre s e rving
th e ir lik e n e ss e s 5 an d th e s e hav e sinc e b e com e for u s ,
as i t w er e th e ir living r e pr e s e ntation Th e ir pr e s e nc e
,
.
d e lights u s ; and we glorify God , who save d u s by

th e m e diation of His only S on app e aring in t he ,
world und er a lik e fi gu r e We glorify t h e saints also 5

.
but w e re nd e r no homag e to paint e d wood (a u bois

e tau x
S uch w e r e t h e mod e rat e O pinions of Le o about t he

y e ar 7 1 7 But within t
. h e n e xt t e n y e ars we fi n d him
taking a v e ry di ffe re nt cours e T h e t e mp e rat e de

.
fe nd e r o f t h e u se of imag e s now app e ars as t he

d et e rmin e d oppos er of what h e consid e r e d th e ir
abus e What caus e s may hav e b e e n at work to
.
Ch a h n a z a r i a n Pourquoi a dor ez vous l e s oss e m e nts de s

-
a 6t re s e td h e t insi u e l e s t a bl e a u x e tl a croi x qui

p es p pr O e s a q , ,
s e lon l a loi d i n st r u m e n tde s u pp l i e e ?

”
a nci e nn e m e nt s e rva it
’
, ,
L e o s r eply is no t so civilly word ed a s t

’
h a t o f his corre spond ent .
T HE G R EE K C H U R C H IN T HE E I G H TH C EN T U R Y .
49
produc e this change can only b e infe rr e d I t may .

1
hav e b ee n a conviction that nothing but a pu r i fi e d

faith i n Christ e ndom could long withs t and t he
adva n c e of I slam I t may hav e b ee n t
. h e fruit of
continu e d att e ntion giv e n to t h e subj e ct sinc e h e ,
was fi r stattract e d to it by t h e Caliph s l e tt e r O r it

’
.
may hav e b ee n that matt e rs had b e e n ge tting wors e

in t h e Christian church e s of his dominions during t he
past d e cad e and that by t
,
h e y e ar 7 2 6 h e fe lt it
, ,
n e e dful to int e rpos e and ch e ck t

,
h e growing abus e of
what ( fo r w a nt of a mor e conv e ni e nt t e rm ) we may
allow ours e lv e s to call image worship A tany rat e
-
.
,
in t h e y e a r a bov e nam e d h e issu e d his fi r s tordi

-
,
nanc e 5 in which whil e not as ye t cond e mni n g

,
im a g es in th e ms e lv e s he strov e to abolish t
, h e pr e
vailing mod e of showing honour to th e m by kn e e ling
and prostration Thu s t . h e signal was giv e n for battl e
-
a battl e which rag e d long an d fi e r c e ly and with
v e ry varying succ e ss That t .h e caus e e spous e d by

Le o ultimat e ly fail e d is ( irr e sp e ctiv e of t
,
h e inh e r e nt
T he ch a r a ct er a n d motive s o f Le o I I I c ommonly c a ll e d
. .
,
from his n a tiv e coun t ry t

h e Isa uri a n h a v e be e n v e ry v a riously
,
r e pr es ent ed T h e e ccl e si a stica l histori a ns h a ve n a tur a lly p or

.
tr a e d him a s a viol e n t a n d p e rse cu t ing tyr a n t

y Gibbon p e r .
,
h a ps t h e mor e r e a dily on this a ccount comm e nds , th e wisdom

o f his a dministra tion a n d t h e purity o f his m a nn e rs ”
D ea n .
M ilm a n pr a is e s t he “
incomp a r a bl e a ddr e ss a s promp t a s
d ecisiv e which h e showed in t h e most t rying situ a tions
'
.
,
F inl a y ( H istory o f t
“ ”
h e Byz a ntin e E mpir e 1 85 4 ) a nd ,
F r e em a n ( H istory a n d Conqu es ts o f t
”
“
h e Sa r a c e ns 1876 ) ,
sp ea k o f him in still high e r t e rms T h e form e r ind ee d r e g a r ds

.
him a s o n e o f t he worl d t
h e un a ppr e ci a t e d h e ro e s o f t he ,
sa viour o f t h e e a st e rn e mpir e .
E
m e rits of t h e cas e ) but o n e instanc e mo r e of t he

'
truth of t h e obs e rvation that a r e forming mov e m e nt

,
rar e ly succ ee ds if it b egins with t

,
h e gov e rnm e nt
inst e ad of t h e p e opl e
.
T h e i mm e diat e r e sults of t h e e dict an d t h e part

,
t ak e n by John o f Damascus may b e more conv e ni e ntly

,
r e s e rv e d for a fr e sh chapt e r .
5 2 ST . J OH N OF D AM A S C US .
to b e s ee n t h e im a g e s o f Christ and of His M oth e r

‘
image s of t h e saints e mbl e ms of divin e grac e or

,
op e ration t h e dov e for t

,
h e Holy S pirit t h e ark for ,
th e Church t h e fi s h as t
,
h e l e tt e rs of its nam e in
,
Gr ee k form e d t h e initial l e tt e r s of t h e nam e and titl e

of Christ t h e anchor of Christian hop e and so o n
, ,
.
S uch e ffigi e s w e r e e n gr av e d on th e ir sign e ts an d ,
drinking cups and tombs 5 and b y and b y w e r e found

-
,
- -
on t h e walls of th e ir church e s as w e ll To trac e t he .
growth of this practic e thro u gh succ e ssiv e g e n e rations

would b e b eyon d our limits it may b e s u ffi c i en tto
r e mark that it d e v e lop e d mor e slowly in t h e We st ern
than in t h e E ast ern branch of t h e Church Comi n g .
at onc e to a tim e approachi n g that of J ohn of

Damascus we fi n d Gr e gory t
,
h e Gr e at ( 5 9 0 6 0 4 ) -
writi n g t o a h ermit who had appli e d to him on t he

subj e ct that h e was w e ll awar e that his corr e spond en t
,
d e sir e d not t h e imag e of his S aviour to worship it as ,
God but to kindl e in him t

,
h e lov e of Him whos e
“ ” 1
image h e b e h e ld N e ith e r do we
. h e add e d , ,
“
prostrat e ours e lv e s b e for e t h e imag e as b e for e a
D e ity 5 but we ador e Him whom t h e symb ol r epr e ,
s e nts to our m e mory as born or suffe ring or s eat e d , ,
on t h e thron e
”
.
Th e r e could hav e b e e n small caus e for diss e nsion ,
if a ll wh o found comfort in a c r u c i fix or a painting

had k ept th e ms e lv e s within th e s e b ounds But e ve n .
in t h e W e st e rn Church a n d still mor e wid e ly and ,
rapidly in t h e E ast e rn t h e actual practic e unl e ss all

, ,
t estimony is to b e discr e dit e d w e nt far b e yond this ,

.
N ea n d e r , v .
, p . 275 .
TH E I CON OC L A ST I C C ON T RO V ERSY .
53
I t had b e com e usu a l to down b e for e image s to (a ll ,
pray to th e m to kiss th e m to burn lights and inc e ns e

, ,
in th e ir honour to adorn th e m with g e ms and

,
pr e cious m e tals to lay t he hand on th e m in sw e aring

, ,
1 ”
and e v e n to e mploy th e m as sponsors at baptism .
T h e miracl e s all eg e d to hav e b ee n wrought by th e m

w e r e multipli e d G e rmanns Patriarch of Constanti
.
,
n o p le wh e n L e o s fi r s te dict was put forth

'
,
dw ells ,
particularly on this as a motiv e for r e t a ining th e m i n

v e n e ration He s pe c i fi e s in o n e of his l e tt e rs an
.
, ,
image of t2
h e Virgin at S o z opolis in Pisidia from t he ,
hand of which ungu e nts distill e d M ore fa mous still .
was t h e lik e n e ss of our Lord said to ha v e b ee n b orn e ,
by A nanias to E d e ssa and plac e d by King A b ga r in ,
a nich e ove r t h e city gat e Th e r e it was car e fully .
conc e al e d by t h e Bishop of E d e ss a in th e tim e of ,

’
A b ga r s grandson with a lamp burning b e for e it 5 and
, .
wh e n fi ve c e ntu ri e s aft e r this t

,
h e P e rsians had b e e n ,
R ob e rtson , p 91 . .
2
Gi ese l e r , ii p 2 0 1 I t should b e obs e rve d th a t whil e
.
, . .
,
th e te rms “ “
im a g e s a n d im a ge worship a r e r et a in e d fo r
” -
,
w a n t o f a be tt e r substitute e a ch o f th e m re quire s som e q u a l i fi

,
ca tion . T he “
im a ge s fi n a l ly sa nction e d in t
”
h e s e ve nth
ge n era l council ( t h e s e cond o f N ic aea “
we re no t works ,
o f sculptur e but p a intings a n d oth e r r e pr e s e nt a tions on a fl a t

,
su r fa c e ; a limit a tion to which t h e Gre e k Church h a s e v e r

sinc e a dh e re d ”
. R o b e rtson i b p 1 6 4 W e
, h a v e.a lso
,
as . .
,
D ea n M ilm a n h a s obs e rv e d no words corr esponding to t ,

he
: a n d [ a fr a i d o f t Gr ks th singl t er m wor
'
p r os ku n i r z h e e e ; e e
ship h a ving to do duty both fo r t h e f wn ou r impli e d in t he

form er which t ,
h e Gr ee k d ivin e s a llowe d t o b e p a id t o th e ir
icons a n d fo r t
, h e s er v i ce or hom a g e impli ed in t h e l a tte r whic h ,
i s du e t o God only O f cours e t

. he m a in qu e stion is wh e th e r ,
t he multi tu d e pr ctic a lly ob se rve d a n y such dis t

a in c t ion .
54 ST . J OH N 0 17 D AMAS C US .
r e puls e d by t h e hidd e n virtu e of this pictur e i t Wa s ,
found on b e ing tak e n from its conc e alm e nt to hav e

, ,
t h e lamp still burning b e for e i t It was aft e rwards .
r e mov e d to By z an tium 1 T h e rough mountain e e r of .
I sauria an e mp e ror whos e life had b ee n sp e nt chi efly

,
in t h e camp was not lik e ly to list e n with mor e pati e nc e

,
to t h e r e cital of such fabl e s than our own H e nry VI I I ,

.
to accounts of t h e marv e ls wrought by t h e imag e of

StM ary of Walsingham or our Lady of I pswich
. .
But our imm e diat e conc e rn is with t h e way in

Which John of Damas cus took up t h e gauntl e t t hu s (
thrown down A s soon probably as t

. h e n e ws , ,
r e ach e d S yria h e dr e w up his fi r s tAp ol ogy or dis

, ,
cours e in d e fe nc e of t h e sacr e d imag e s d e sign e d for ,
circulation throughout t h e e mpire I n this h e com .
bat e d t h e position tak e n by t h e iconocl a sts To t he .
obj e ction drawn from t h e languag e of t h e S e cond

Comm a ndm e nt h e r e pli e d that fi gu r e s of t
,
he
ch e rubim and of animals and plants w e r e us e d to
, ,
adorn t h e T e mpl e and that th e l e tt e r kill e th but

, ,
th e spirit giv e th life ”

If t h e prohibition in that .
S e cond C ommandm e nt was dir e ct e d not against ,
making such image s but worshipping th e m th e n ( h e , ,
can r e ply) I ador e not t

“
h e e arthly mat e rial but its ,
Cr e ator who for my sak e vouchsafe d to d we ll in an

,
e arthly tab e rnacl e and who by t h e e arthly mat e rial

,
”2
wrought out m y salvation With such a r elativ e .
1
T he story is in G e orgius Ce dr en u s a monk o f t h e e l e ve nth ,
c ent ury Se e M r Wright s a rticl e on A b ga r in t

. . he ’“
D ic
ti o n a r y o f Christi a n Lit e r a tur e ”
.
2
N ea nd e r v p 2 86 wh e r e a n a bs t
, .
, . ra ct o f t
h e discour s e is
,
giv e n .
T HE I C O N OCL A ST I C C ON T RO V ERSY .
55
”1
honour and v e n e ration b elonging to th e m in virtu e
,
o f th e ir associations h e d e clar e s that h e will n ev e r

,
c e as e honouring t h e e arthly mat e rial by m e ans o f

which his salvation h a d b e e n e ffe ct e d Or aga i n .
,
should it b e urge d that t he imag e s of Christ and t he

Virgin M oth e r would b e s u ffi c i e n tfor this p u rpos e ,
h e answ e rs that to forb id t

,
h e r e nd e ring a shar e of
t h e lik e honour to image s of saint e d m e n would b e to
disparage that human natur e which Christ had e xalt e d
by His inc a rnation “
Why should not t
. h e saints ,
who hav e shar e d in t h e su ffe rings o f Christ sh a r e also , ,
as His fri e nds e v e n h e re upon e arth in His glory

, ,
In this in truth lay t

,
h e di ffe re nc e b e tw e e n t
,
h e old
di sp e nsation and t h e n ew U nd e r t h e old a man s
.
,
’
de ath was but an occasion for mourning N o t e mpl e .
was d e dicat e d to God und e r a n y man s nam e But ’

.
now t h e m e mory of t h e saints was h e ld in hono u r ,
and t he “
mourni n g for a Jacob chang e d into t
”
he
”
r ej oicing for a S t e ph e n .
M e anwhil e t h e imp e rial e dict was producing a

gr e at e r fe rm e nt in m e n s minds than Le o hims e lf had
’
probably e xp e ct e d T h e e ruption of a volcano in

.
t h e ZEgaea n and t ,
h e sudd e n throwing up of a
volcanic isl a nd was look e d on as a tok e n o f t
, he
wr ath of h e av e n against t h e suppr e ssors of im a g e
worship . In t h e A rchip e l a go t he i n fl u e n c e o f t he
1
T h e phr a s e is from t h e R e v W P a lm e r s “
.D iss e rt
. a tion s
’
on Subj e cts R e l a ting to t h e O rthodox or E a st e rn C a tholic -
Communion 1 8 5 3 p 2 6 5 D iss e rt a tion xv iii o f th a t work is

”
, , . . .
Of t
”
e ntitl e d : h e worship or v e n e r a tion o f icons a n d r elics ,
a n d con ta ins a skil ful d e fe nc e though in t h e n a tur e o f sp e ci a l

,
pl e a ding o f t
,
h e pr a ctic e o f t h e E a s t e rn Church in this p a r
monks was gr e at and this was thrown into t

, h e scale
against t h e e mp e ror A n insurr e ction was rais e d in
.
th e Cyclad e s A pr e t e nd e r to t
. h e thron e was s e tup
in t h e p e rson of o n e Cosmas and an ill e quipp e d ,
-
fl ee t was s e nt against Constantinopl e 1 Le o had no

di ffi c u l t
y in suppr e ssing th e r e volt and th e e xasp e ra ,
tion it produc e d only l e d him on to tak e still s ev e re r

m e asur e s I n 7 3 0 or shortly b e for e h e issu e d a
.
, ,
s e cond e dict in which not cont e nt with forbidding

, ,
t h e worship of imag e s or ord e ring th e m to b e plac e d

,
in such a p osition on t h e walls as not to invit e adora

tion h e d e cr ee d t
,
h e absolut e unlawfuln e ss of image s
in church e s S uch as w ere found th er e we re to b e
.
d e stroy e d and t,
h e vacan t spac e s wh e r e th e y had
b ee n w e r e to b e wash e d ov e r Ge r m a n u s Patriarc h .
,
of Constantinopl e an old man of nin e ty fi ve r e sign e d

,
-
,
his o ffi c e soon e r than ob e y this n ew e dict and was ,
succ e e d e d by his sy ncell u s or s e cr e tary A nastasius , ,

.
On h e aring o f t h e d e position of Ger m a n u s John ,
o f D a m a scu s c o m p o s e d his s e cond addr e ss

.
T he .
i m m e diat e caus e o f i th e says at t h e b e ginning was

, ,
a want of p erspicuity in t h e fi rs t on account of

t h e fi rstdiscours e b e ing not v e ry int e lligibl e to t he
multitud e ”
Possibly th e y found it l e ss diffi c u ltto
.
und e rstand his m e aning than to d e t e rmin e at onc e

what ought to b e don e J ohn hims elf wh e th er still .
,
at t he Caliph s Court in D amascus or an inmat e of

’
t h e monast e ry of St S abas 2 was within S arac e n

.
,
R ob e rtson , p 94 . .
2
To t his p eriod b e longs t t e mpt t
h e s t ory o f L e o s a t o c om
’
p a ss t he ruin o f John o f D a m a scus by m e a ns o f t h e forged

l et te r b e for e r e fe rr e d t o I f w e could trust t
. h e a uthor o f t he
THE i c o n o c m s r rc C ON T RO V E RS Y .
57
j urisdiction and out of t ,

h e e mp ero r s r e ach 5 and in
’
his boldn e ss th e re for e th e r e was not of n e c e ssity any ~
thing v e ry h e roic But thos e who w e r e more e xpos e d

.
to t h e imp e rial displ e asur e must oft e n have fe lt th e m

s e lve s in a strait A s an instanc e of t . h e h e ight to
which popular p a ssions w e r e rous e d may b e m e ntion e d ,
t h e d e struction of t h e gr e at statu e of Christ standing

ov e r t h e Bron z e Gat e of t he palac e in Constantinopl e ,
and known by t h e nam e of t h e S ure ty from a l e g e nd ,
of its having onc e b e e n a sur e ty for a Christian sailor

wh e n forc e d to borro w mon e y This im a ge obnoxious .
,
to Le o from its promin e nt position and t h e sup e r

st iti o u s v e n e ration with which it was r e gard e d wa s ,
doom e d to d e struction and a s oldi e r of t ,

he impe rial
guard mount e d a ladd e r to r e mov e i t A crowd of .
wom e n thronge d about him with e ntre ati e s to spare ,
i t Wh e n h e struck his a x e against t

. h e fac e of the
image th e y dragge d down t
,
h e ladd e r in fury and t he ,
soldi er was e ith e r kille d by t h e fall o r lik e a s e cond , ,
P enth e us torn in pi e c e s by t
, he i n furiat e d wom e n 1 .
Li fe John w a s th e n a tD a m a scus Bu t Leq u i en c o nj e c

,
”
.
ture s t h a t h e must h a v e be e n ord a in e d b efor e this controve rsy

brok e out ( Opp i .H i s r e a son fo r thinking so is th a t
.
,
in his s e rm on on t h e Annunci a tion d e liv e r e d a ft e r his ordin a

,
tion h e sp e a ks o f t
, h e R om a n E mpir e a s a tpea c e This in .
,
Le q u i en s judgm e nt would no t h a v e b e e n sa id a ft e r t h e icono

’
,
cl a stic storm h a d b e gun to ra g e Wh a te ve r t h e a rgum e nt is

.
wo rth it will h a rdly be a r Gibbon out in s a ying ( Ch xlix n ot

, . . .
i n lac ) . th e l e g e nd [o f t
h e a mput a t e d h a nd ]is fa mous 5 but his
l ea rn e d e ditor fa the r Le q u i e n 1za s u n l u ck i ly p r oved th a t S t
, , .
J ohn Da m a s cenu s w a s a lrea dy a monk b e fore the Iconocl a st

disp u te ”
.
1
Se e a n a r ticl e in t h e Cfi r z st wh e r e
'
z a n Ob s er ver fo r 1 8 7 7
'
Ba ron i u s s comm end a tion o f th e s e h a rrid a ns is disc u s sed

’
.
The hous e of t h e n ew patriarch A nastasius wa s , ,
attack e d and i t was not without consid e rabl e blood

,
sh e d that ord e r was r e stor e d T h e statu e was how .
e v e r r e mov e d — to b e e r e ct e d again at a lat e r tim e by
t h e E mpr e ss Ir e n e — and a plain cros s s e tup in t he

nich e wh e r e it had stood A n inscription was add e d .
,
i n Gr ee k iambics as a t e stimony to t , h e e mp e ror s

’
z e al
E nduring not th t h e r e a li fe l e ss form

a ,
A sp ee chl e ss wood e n im a g e sm e a r e d with p a int, ,
Should b e a r t h e n a m e o f Christ our sov r a n lord

’
,
Le o a n d with him Const a ntin e his son

, ,
H a v e c a rv e d this bl e ss e d e mbl e m o f t h e cross ,
r t
”
Joy o f th e fa ith ful o e h e p a l a
,
c ’
e g a t e s .
I t was to minds thus e xcit e d that t

h e r e maining
l e tt e rs of John w e r e addre ss e d His s e cond and .
third discours e s do not contain m a ny fr e sh argum e nts 5

t h e third in particular b e ing littl e m or e than a r e p e ti
tion of t h e oth e r two 5 but h e us e s much strong e r lan
guage in t h e s e cond than in t h e fi r st I t is t
h e w e lfar e .
of t h e st a fe h e says that is t
,
h e conc e rn of kings 5 t
,
he
s e ttl e m e nt of t h e church i s for pastors and t e ach e rs .
Without as yetgoing so far as to anath e matis e Le o ,
e v e n praying that t h e n e c e ssity for such a st e p may

b e avert e d h e hints v e ry plainly at such an issu e in
,
t h e turn h e giv e s to a passag e from StPau l Citing . .
t h e words of Gal i 8 h e s i gn i fi c a n t
. . l y ins e rts t
,
he
“
nam e of k z 7zg But tho u gh we or an an ge l from
'
-
,
h e ave n or a ki ng pr e ach any oth e r gosp e l unto you

, ,
than th a t which we hav e pr e ach e d unto you —and

th e r e stops short S hut your e ars h e concl ud e s
.
”
, ,
60 ST . J OH N OF Da ma sc u s .
r e fle c tupon t h e e mp e ror s conduct by throwing on t

’
he ,
ground a coin b e aring his imag e and stamping upon

i t For this h e was imprison e d afre sh 5 but his act
.
was applaud e d so warmly that Constantin e was ,
“
driv e n to e xclaim A m I or is this monk e mp e ror
, , ,
of t h e world ? ”
T h e words j ust as in t h e parall e l
,
cas e from our o wn history w e r e caught up by e ag e r ,
courti e rs . T h e prison in which S t e phanus was

c o n fi n e d wa s burst op e n h e hims e lf was dragge d
,
through t h e str e e ts by a rop e ti e d to his h ee ls till h e

was d e ad and his body thrown into a r e c eptacl e for
,
1
suicid e s and criminals S uch proofs of indomitabl e
.
r e solution in his oppon e nts may hav e convince d

C0p ro n ym u s that his hands would n ee d str e ngth e n
ing by t h e support of church councils A ccordingly .
,
in 7 5 4 h e conv e n e d a n ass e mbly of bishops from his

,
own dominions to t h e shor e s of t

h e B osphorus T he .
pop e disr egard e d t h e summons and would not ,
a tt e nd 5 t h e patriarch of Constantinopl e ( A nastasius )

was d e ad ; t h e oth e r thr ee patriarchat e s w e re und e r
M ahom e tan sway S till an imposing array of thr e e
.
,
hundr e d and thirty e ight bishops was coll e ct e d and

-
,
by th e ir pliant d e cisions t h e iconoclastic principl e s

w e re c o n fi r m e d . T h e chi e f d e fe nd e rs of imag e
worship w e r e anath e matis e d by nam e 5 t h e old
patriarch Ger m a n u s G e orge m e tropolitan of Cyprus
, , ,
and ab ov e all J ohn of D amascus b e ing conspicuous

, , ,
“ ”
obj e cts of displ e asur e A nath e ma to M anso u r
.
,
ra n t curs e d favour e r of t
“
h e s e nt e nc e ,
h e S arac e ns ,
traitorous worshipp e r of image s wronge r of J e sus ,
R ob er ts on , p . 10 5 .
THE I C O N O C L A ST I C C ON T RO V ERSY . 61
Christ and disloyal to t

,
h e e mpir e ! A nath e ma to
M ansour t e ach e r of impi e ty and bad int e rpr e t e r o f
, ,
S criptur e A n additional insult was d evis e d by t he ,

”
e mp e ror s causing his nam e to b e writt e n M an z e r
’
,
b a sta r d} inst e ad of M ansour ; a sp e ci e s of a ffront
v e ry popular at t h e tim e and hardly l e ss so sinc e ,

.
I t is di ffi cu ltto b e li e v e that t h e bigotry of Constantin e

could carry him so far as to ordain that in plac e o f , ,
th e r e ligious paintings r e mov e d from church walls ,
“
th e r e should b e substitut e d pictur e s of birds and
fruits or sc e n e s from t
,
h e chas e t h e th e atr e and t he , ,
Ye tit is not e asy to say what bounds a

”
circus .
rul e r of such a dispo sition would s e tto his impe rious

will wh en provok e d by t
,
h e fanatical obstin a cy of t he
opposing pa rty E v e n his abl e st apologist cannot
.
d en y that in followin g out his purpos e h e was guilty

of viol e nt e xc e ss e s and that wh e n e ith e r policy or
,
passion prompt e d him to ord e r punishm e nt to b e

inflict
” 2
e d it was don e with fe arful s e v e rity
,
.
Ins t e a d o f his gra nd fa th e r s n a m e Al a m oa r ’
( s a ys ,
”
Th e opha n e s Ch r o n ogra p h i a cd M ign e p
, , which is
.
, .
by int e rpr e t a tion r a ns omea h e ca l l e d t he n e w doctor of t

’
, he
Church M a u se r with a J e wish m ea ning
,
”
T h e word is u se d .
in thi s form in t h e Vulga t e o f D e ut xx iii 2 a n d in t h e D ou a y

. .
, ,
v e rsion t a k e n from it A m a m z e r tha t is to s a y o n e born o f , ,
a prostitut e sh a ll not e nt e r into t h e church o f t h e Lord In

”
, .
a lik e spiri t John h a d b e e n nickn a m e d S a r a b a i t a fo r S a b a i t a ,
a n d J a nn e s fo r Jo a nn e s ; whil e h e hims e l f wa s no t b a ckw a rd
to misc a ll t h e iconocl a s tic bishops ep i s m t oz ( obscur a n t ists ) fo r

’
R e a d e rs o f D r M a itl a nd W ill ca ll to mind t he

’ '
p p
e z s co oz . .
m a ny inst a nc e s h e brings o f t h e fondn e ss o f th e e a rli e r Purit a n s

fo r t h e s a m e kind o f thing .
2
F inl a y Byz a ntin e E mpire i p 7 2 H ow di ffi cu l tit is
, , .
, . .
to d i sc e rn t he t ru e ch a ra cte r o f th e gr ea t a c t
o rs in th es e tim e s
ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US .
B u tas th e suppr e ssion of imag e worship took its -
ris e with t h e e mp e ror so i t was liabl e to com e to an

,
e n d w ith any chang e in t h e occupant of t h e thron e .
Constantin e h ad b ound t h e inhabitants of Constan

t i n o pl e — according to som e all t h e inhabitants of his
,
dominions b y a n oath to t
— h e ob s e rvanc e of his
,
d e cr e e s B ut h e di e d in 7 7 5 and his son Leo I V

.
, ,
.
,
r eign e d b ut four y e ars and a half T he e mpr ess .
mo th e r I r e n e was l e ft as re ge nt during t
, , h e minority
of h er son Constantin e V I a child of t
, e n y e ars old
.
, .
I re n e had b e e n bound lik e t h e r e st by h e r fath e r i n

, ,
-
law s oath but h er mind was b ent on undoi n g t

’
, he
r e ligious work of his r e ign Comparing t h e short
.
int e rr egnum of Le o IV to that of our E dward V I . .

,
t h e task s h e s e th e rs e lf will app e ar no taltoge th e r

unlik e that und e rtak e n by Q u ee n M ary Witho u t .
e nt e ring into d e tails conc e rning t h e Opposition s h e

had to ov ercom e or t ,
h e pr e lat e s and soldi e rs sh e had
to conciliat e it may s u ffi c e to say that in 7 8 7 a s e cond
,
council was ass e mbl e d by h er dir e ction at N ic aea at

, , ,
which t h e d e cr ee s of t h e iconoclastic council in t he

H e r aeu m in 7 5 4 w e r e r e vok e d I t was now d e cid e d .
that e v e n as t
,
“
h e fi gu r e of t h e cross was honour e d ,
so image s of t h e S aviour and t h e Bl e ss e d Virgin of ,
ang e ls and of saints wh e th er paint e d or mosaic or of

, ,
any oth e r suitabl e mat e rial a r e to b e s etup for kiss,
through t h e mis t
s o f p a rtis a n histori a ns m a y b e in fe rr e d from ,
th e v e ry sobriqu e t o f Cop r ony m u s which th e y h a ve succ ee d e d

in fa st e ning on this e mp eror Though a s fa mili a rly kno wn t
. o
u s by i ta s C a ius by his nickn a m e o f C a ligul a i t w a s r e a lly ,
m e a nt fo r a most opprobrious e pith e t b a s e d on a l ege nd of his ,
h a ving foul e d th e ba ptism a l fon t wh e n a n in fa n t .

THE i c o n oc m sr rc c o m n ovnn s v . 63
ing and oth e r hono u rabl e r e ve re nc e but

not for that r e al s e rvic e (l a t ) th
'
r ez a which b e longs to e
” 1
D ivin e natur e alon e . This council gradually cam e
to b e r e gard e d both by Gr e eks and Latins as t
, ,
he
s e ve nth g e n eral council ; and with its s e ttl e m e nt of
th e qu e stion we may for t h e pr e s e nt tak e l e av e of the
subj e ct.
R ob e r t
son , p . 157 .
64 ST .
JOH N OF D AMAS C US .
PA R T I I .
WR ITIN GS .
C H A P T ER VI I .
TH E “
F ON S SCI EN T UE .
IT is not e asy to k ee p s e parat e t h e life and works of

an author wh en h e is known to u s only by a c ol lec
,
t i on of writings admitting no s e ttl e d ord er of c h ro

,
n o l ogy 5 and by vagu e traditions sugg e st e d in many ,
cas e s ( as it i s probabl e) by thos e writings O f such a .
o n e it might almost b e said that his writt e n works
constitut e his life So it is in a gr e at m easur e with this

.
Doctor of t h e E ast e rn Church Had w e poss e ss e d

.
a n y compl e t e or trustworthy account of him from i n
d e p end ent sourc e s it would hav e b e e n natural to

,
h e story of his life fi r s tand th e n e nt er upon

r e lat e t ,
an inv e stigation of his writings But t h e e v e nts in

.
which w e c a n trac e any active part tak e n by him a r e

so few and among thos e t
,
h e controv e rsy on imag e
worship holds so promin e nt a plac e that it s ee m e d ,
most fi t ti ng to notic e his thr ee l e tt e rs or discours e s on

that subj e ct in t
,
h e account of t h e controv e rsy j ust
giv e n If we a r e to trust t
. h e accr e dit e d biograp h y of
John of J e rusal e m th e s e l e tt e rs also di ffe r from all
,
th e r e st of his writings in having b e e n co m p os e d

'
b e for e his r e tir e m e nt to a monast e ry Th er e m a y .

"
T HE F ON S SCI EN T UE . 65
a ccordingly b e t h e l e ss impropri e ty in b eginning our

surv ey of t h e e xtant works 1
of John of Dam a scus
with thos e which con fe ss e dly b e long to his monastic
life O f th e s e t
. h e fi r s tin ord e r of importanc e is t he
Fons Sc i e n t i ae or ,
S ourc e of Knowl e dge ”
.
U nd e r this titl e is compris e d a group of thr e e

works e ach compl e t e in its e l f but forming to
, ,
ge th e r an e ncyclo p e di a o f Christi a n th e ology Th e y .
“
a re ( 1 ) Capita P h i 10 5 0p h i c a ( 2 ) De H aere s i b u s
”
,
Lib e r ( 3 ) Ex p o s i t
,
“
i o accurata Fid e i Or t ho do x ae
”
.
“
T he ge n e ral titl e of S ourc e or W e ll S pring of ,
-
Knowl e dg e (P ag Gfl oseé s ) is giv e n b y t

”
h e author
' '
7
e
hims e lf a tt h e e n d of t
,
h e s e cond ch a pt e r o f t he fi r st
tre atis e in which h e s a ys th a t his int e ntion is t
, o sk e tc h
out an e pitom e of all knowl e dge To this e n d h e .

,
will fi r s tcl e ar and stre ngth e n t h e int e ll e ctual vision

by h e lp of t h e b e st philosophical syst e m h e kn e w ,
t hat of A ristotl e 5 th e n h e will pas s in r e vi e w t he

e rron e ous opinions of h e r e tics from t h e e arli e st tim e s,
to his own 5 and lastly h e will s e tforth a n e xposition

,
of divin e truth From t . he d e dication to Cosm a s ,
It m a y b e m e n tion e d th a t t h e fi rs tprint e d e dition o f a n y

portion o f D a m a s c e n u s w a s th a t o f a La tin v e rsion o f t he De
F id e O r t h odo x a , by J a cobus F a be r in 1 5 0 7 T h e fi rs tGre e k
”
,
.
edition in print w a s th a t o f t h e s a m e tr e a tis e with a dditions a t , ,
Ve ron a in 1 5 3 1 T he fi rs ta ppro a ch to a coll e cte d e dition o f

, .
the works still only in a L a tin tr a nsl a tion w a s th a t by Gr a v i u s

, ,
o f B a y e ux publ i sh e d a t
, Cologn e in 1 54 6 P a ssing ove r oth e r .
e d itions w e com e t o t
, h e gr e a t o n e o f t h e F r e nch D ominic a n
Le rl u i en in two vols
, fo l .P a ris 1 7 1 2 This h a s be e n te
, .
, , .
.
print ed with t
, he a ddition o f som e doubt ful pi e c e s in t he s e ri e s ,
of t h e Abb é M ign e 3 vols , P a ris 1 86 4 5 a n d it is t o this

.
, ,
th a t a l l r e ferenc es will b e m a d e .
F
Bishop of M a i u m a it would s ee m that t

,
h e coll e ctive
work was not fi n i sh e d at l e ast in its pr e s e nt form
, ,
b e for e t h e y e a r 7 4 3 5 that b e ing t h e dat e assign e d to

Co s m a s s cons e cration
’
W e propos e to giv e a short
.
analysis of e ach of th e s e t hree t rea t i se s .
T h e titl e of t h e fi r st Capita P hi l o sop h i c a

,
( K ep /z a l a z a
'
or H e ads of Philo
5 0 phy ,
”
app e ars to indicat e a wid e r scop e than t he
e xtant tr e atis e tak e s i n A s it actually stands t
. he ,
“
D i a le c t
”
curr e nt h e ading , i ca r e ally an sw e rs m or e
,
accurat e ly to i tas it consists of littl e mor e than a

,
s eri e s of short ch apt e rs on t h e Cat egori e s of A ristotl e ,
and on t h e U niv e rsals of Po r phyry I f it is not to b e

.
r e gard e d as on e s e ction or in stalm e nt of a l a rger work ,
w e must conclud e that D a m a sc e n u s was cont e nt with

so much only of philosophic introduction as would ,
fi this r e ad e rs to j udg e t h e b e tt e r b e tw e e n what was

fals e and what was tru e t — h e subj e ct matt e r of his
n ext t wo divisio n s of t Fons Sc i en t
“ ”
he i ae For h e .
says plainly e nough ( cap iii ) that logic or dial e ctic

. .
, ,
is rath e r an instrum ent of philosophy than a di vision

of it its e lf A nd that h e took no narrow vi e w of t
. he
fi e l d of philosophy is cl e ar from t
, h e fanciful six
fold de fi n i t i o n of it which he giv e s at t h e outs e t and ,
still more from his division of it into 1 ) S p e culativ e ,
( )
2 Practical 5 th e s e again b e ing subdivid e d r e sp e ctiv e ly
in t o 1 ) Th e ology Physiology ( o r N a t
, u ra l Sc i en c e ) and ,
M ath e m a tics ; ( 2 ) E thics E conomics and Politics

, , .
I t is obvious th e re for e that by t

, ,
h e titl e of this pi e c e ,
assuming it to b e compl e t e h e can only hav e m e ant ,
to giv e a summary of o n e d e partm e nt of philo

sophy This is furth e r e vid e nt from t
. h e cont e nts of
68 ST . J OH N or D AM A S C US .
mad e t h e s e at of e mpir e H e pr e c e d e d b y a .
whol e c e ntury t h e A rabic translators of A ristotl e ,
M é su c h t h e physician H o n a i n his pupil Isaac t he

’
, ,
son of H on a i n 1 T h e gre at S yriac L e xicon of B e rn

’
st e in shows by t h e n u m b e r o f words of Gre e k forma

,
~
tion i t contains how much t ,

h e v e rnacular had b ee n
e nrich e d by t h e contributions of writ e rs lik e Damas
c e n u s from t
,
h e middl e of t h e e ighth c e ntury I t is .
this priority in tim e along with t h e application of t

,
he
A ristot e lian m e thod to Christian th e ology that giv e s ,
its valu e to t he Capita P h i l o so ph i ca ”

.
T h e s e cond work of this group is t “

h e D e H aer e s ib u s
”
C omp e ndium or S ummary of H e r e si e s I n this th e r e
,
.
is t h e l e ast originality of t h e thr e e as it is littl e mor e ,
than a transcript of a similar work by Ep i p h a n i u s i n

'
,,
th e fourth c e ntury with som e additions by Damas

,
c e n u s hims e l f In t h e introductory l e tt e r to Cosmas

.
h e had disclaim e d all pr e t e nc e to originality s o that ,
we must not misj udg e him Ep i p h a n i u s in his work

.
, ,
had e num erat e d e ighty s e cts or h e re si e s b e ginning , ,
with what we should hardly class in such a list ,
th e four stat e s of life m e ntion e d by St Paul ( Col . .
iii
. as thos e of t h e Gr e e k t h e Je w t h e Barbarian , , ,
and t h e S cythian H i s last is that of t

. h e M assalians .
This accordingly r e app e ars in t h e work of John of

-
D amascus and is follow e d by an app e ndix of som e

,
tw enty thr e e or tw e nty four mor e drawn from Timo

- -
,
th e us P r e sbyt e r and oth e rs , T he author hims e lf .
mak e s t h e numb e r to b e j ust o n e hundr e d ( p 7 7 7 ) 5 .
“
B elgiqu e t om x 1i
La , . .
, p . 12 7 . S ee a lso M u lli nge r s ’
U niv ersity o f C a mbridg e ”

p 92
. .
TH E F ON S SCI EN T U E .
bu t counting o n e or two doubtful on e s which m a y ,
hav e b e e n add e d by som e lat e r r e vis e r th e r e a r e o n e ,
hundr e d and thr ee in all T h e most int e r e sting .
articl e in this latt e r portion as w e ll as t h e only o n e ,
( with t h e e xc e ption of th a t on t h e Ch r i s t
i a n oca te go ri ,
or Iconoclasts ) which may probably b e t ,

h e work of
D a m a sc e n u s hims e l f is that on t h e M ahom e tans
, ,
whom h e calls Ishma elit e s T h e argum e nts cont a in e d .
i n it may b e mor e conv e ni e ntly notic e d wh e n we com e

’
to consid e r J ohn s writings on this topic coll e ctive ly .
But we may obs e rve in passing his odd d erivation , ,
of t h e nam e S arac e n Tracing t h e origin o f t

. h e rac e
up to H a ga r and I shm a e l who w e r e s e nt emp t y ,
away b v S a r a /z h e d e duc e s th e ir nam e from two

,
“
Gr ee k words ( Sa r r /za s kazz a z) signi fying -
S arah s ,
’
e mpty on e s
”
Lik e Ep i ph a n i u s he conclud e s hi s
.
,
summary of fals e b e li e fs by a profe ssion of t he

tru e E v e r mindful of monophysite and monoth el e t e
.
disput e s which h e had r e fe rr e d to e v e n i n his

,
Dial e ctic h e ins e rts a claus e in this cr e e d on t

”
,
he
o n e will o n e action ,
in t h e thr e e hypostas e s of t he
Godh e a d T h e myst e ry of t
. h e Trinity h e strive s t o
illustrat e b y a p a rall e l with t he root t he branch and , ,
t h e fruit of a tre e 5 or ag a in with fountain riv e r , and

, , ,
sea . A tt h e e n d is add e d an inj unction to worshi p
(p )
1
and honour th Holy M oth r of God i
’
r osk u n ez n e e .
2
T he kind o f worship implie d by this word a s it will b e ,
r e m e mbe red is wh a t t he Gr e e k Church a llow e d to b e p a id

,
to sa ints or to t,
h e holy im a g e s a n d is ca re fully distinguish e d
,
from l a t t
h e s e rvic e du e to God a lon e T h e oth e r word
'
r cz a ,
.
D a m a sc e n u s us e s in t h e t e xt is a g e n e ra l t e rm fo r honour o r
r e v e re nc e I m e n t
. ion this be c a us e t h e writ e r in Ce ill i e r s
,
’
T he third and longe st of t h e s e ri e s the D e Fid e ,
Or t h o do x a ,is p e rhaps t h e most important o f all

John s writings and in som e r e sp e cts o n e of t
’
, , he
most important works that hav e com e down to u s
from Christi a n antiquity For it is t h e fi r s tcompl e t e
.
“ ”
B ody of Divinity that w e poss e ss and as such , , ,
has had an i n fl u e n ce that cannot e asily b e m e asur e d

r on th e th e ology of t h e W e st I t was mad e known to .
q
th e Latin Church by t h e v e rsion of Burgundio of
Pisa J ohn of Brompton fi x e s t
. h e dat e with p r e
c i si o n by saying that t
,
h e translation was m a d e t he
sam e y e ar that t h e Tham e s was fro z e n ov e r — z e
’
. .
,
in t h e Gr e a t Frost o f T h e stat e m e nt that

P e t e r Lombard had this v e rsion b e for e him wh e n
pr e paring his Book of t h e S e nt e nc e s thus b e com e s
quit e proba b l e Without th e r e for e taking account
.
, ,
of A quinas lat e r o n whos e ind e bt e dn e ss to t

, ,
h e work
of D a m a sc e n u s is admitt e dly gr e at w e h a v e h e re ,
a visibl e link of conn e ction b e tw e e n t h e E ast e rn

'
Church and t h e W e st e rn I n fa ct t h e common .

,
division i nto four books which t he “ ”

D e Fid e p r e
,
s e nts is thought not without good r e ason to hav e

, , ,
b ee n t h e work of tr a nscri b e rs s e e king to mak e it

harmonis e mor e clos e ly ev e n in outward form with , ,
th e popular t e xtbook of Lo m b a r du s T h e divis 1on .
in t o four books s ee ms to hav e b e e n a favourit e o n e
H is t
oire G én é ra l e to m xviii p 1 1 7 s e e ms
. to dr a w .
, .
,
a n in fe r e nc e from t h e e quiv a l e nc e o f th e L a tin words by which

th e s e two a r e r e nd e r e d a n d which h e quot e s
,
N ous de yo n s
a dor e r e t honore r ( ca r i l m e tc e s d e u x t e rm e s comm e syn o n ym e s )
l a tr es s a int e M er e de D i e u
-
.
T wyscl e n s “
’
D e c e m Sc r i p t or e s p 103 6 , . .
“ ”
3 1 1113 FON S S CI EN T UE .
7 1
with t he Latins for works of this cl a ss as we m a y s e e ,
by t
“ ”
he S e nt e ntiae of B a n di nu s 5 which r e s e mbl e d
P e te r t h e Lombard s so clos e ly in form that it has
’
,
b e e n disput e d which of t h e two imitat e d t h e oth e r 1 .
T he division of D a m a s c e nu s hims e lf is into o n e

hundre d chapt e rs possibly m e ant to corr e spond with
,
t h e hundre d s e ctions of his D e H ae r e s i b u s Lib e r 5

and a s e paration into four books r e ally br e a ks t he
conn e ction b e tw e e n chapt e rs m e ant to b e c o n s e cu ~
tiv e 5 as for e xampl e t

,
h e forty third and forty fo u rth
,
- -
n t
( o h e provid e nc e of God a n d on His for e know ,
l e dge ) .
B e sid e s pas sage s from Holy S criptur e which a re ,
large ly quot e d though in a way that may oft e n s e e m

,
to u s fa r fe tch e d t
-
h e chi e f quotations a r e from
,
Gr e gory o f N a z i a n z u s and his nam e s a k e of N yssa

, ,
Basil Chrysostom Ep i p h a n i u s N e m e s i u s and som e

, , , ,
oth e rs . T h e writings ascri b e d to Dionysius t he

Ar e opagite should not b e l e ft out ; in p a rticul a r t he ) ,
D e Div i nis N o m i n i b u s
”
I n fact t h e a mount of his
.
,
ind eb te dn e ss to th e s e and similar write rs is gr e at e r

t h an might at fi rstsight b e ob vious from his wa y o f ,
using th e ir l a nguage at tim e s without troubling to

sp e cify t he ir nam e s Thus fo r e xampl e towards t
.
,
he ,
e n d of t h e s e cond chapt e r wh e n tr e ating of t ,

he
impossi b ility of knowing God or compre h e nding t he
,
nature of t h e Incarn a t e Word h e has r e cours e to t he

,
illustration us e d by t “
h e A r e op a git e ( Div N o m c . . .
nam e ly t h e walking upon t

,
he se a T h e di vision .
into book s b e ing as was said a bov e in all prob a bility

, ,
Gi ese l e r , iii .
, p . 29 1 , n .
an arbitrary o n e not cont emplat e d by t

, h e author we ,
a r e at lib e rty to classi fy t h e chapt e rs in large r or

small e r groups according to t
, h e subj e cts Down to .
t h e s e v e nty fi ft
-
h chapt e r we can trac e a fairly con
sist e nt plan ; but in t h e r e ma i n i ng chapt e rs it i s
di ffi c u l tto distinguish any m e thod or s e qu e nc e of
subj e ct T h e following may s e rv e as an imp erfe ct
.
outlin e of te groundplan o f t
h h e work 1
( a ) T h e i m possibility of our knowing or compr e
h e nding Go d who far transc e nds all human know

,
’
l eg e T h e proof of God s e xist e nc e ; His e ss e nc e
.
,
and unit y ( Chs i . .
n t : t t
( 2 ) O h e Trinity h e distinct p e rsonality of h e
Word and H oly S pirit ( vi .
()c O n th e cr e a tion : a ng e ls d e mons ; physical ,
ph e nom en a such as light fi r e winds & c (x v

, , , , . .
( d ) O n man : his cr e ation in Paradis e 5 his fa c u l
ti e s and passions ang e r fe ar and t ,

-
h e lik e : m an s
, ,
’
fr e e will and God s pr e d e sti nation ( x x v .

’
() O
’
e n God s sch
’
e m e for m an s r e d e mption
f O n t h e I ncarnation : th e doubl e natur e of
Christ : various topics in conn e ction with that such ,
as P e t e r t h e Full e r s a ddition to t T e r S anctus

’
he ,
th e m e ani n g of t h e Dionysian phras e t b em m r z c op e ra

'
'
,
tion a n dt
,
h e lik e ( xl v i .
(g) E xcursus on passions or aff e ctions to which

human natur e is subj e ct ( lxiv appar e ntly intro .
du c t ory to
Som e u se b e e n m a d e in this a rra ng em en to f a n a rticl e

ha s , ,
on John o f D a m a scus in M Cl i n t o c k a n d S trong s Cyc l o p ee di a

’ '
( N e w Y ork 1 8,6 8 vol ,

in which a n a.bstr a ct o f t
h e
“
D e .
F id e forms t h e most promin e nt p a rt .

TH E F O N S 5 01 13 111 1112 .
( )
’
l O ur Lord s passion d e ath and burial ( 110 1
“
z , , .
( ) t
'
z dT he
e sc e nt into h e ll h e r e surr e ction a s c e n ,
sion and s e ssion at t

,
h e right han d of t h e Fath e r
( lxxiii .
A nsw e rs to obj e ctions c h i e fl y on t h e doubl e

,
natur e of Christ ( lxxvi .
a ith : baptism : praying to t t

( )
I O u f h e e ast : h e
holy imag e s : t h e Holy S criptur e s — and oth e r mis ,
(
c ella n e ou s subj e cts lxxxii .
T he abov e synopsis may e nab l e t h e r e ad e r to form

som e slight id e a o f t h e cours e t a k e n by t h e author in
this grea t work and of t ,
h e e xt e nt o f ground gon e
ov e r I t would fa r e xc e e d our pr e s e nt limits to
.
att e mpt any d e tail e d an a lysis of i t A fe w indica .
tions of his mod e of tr e atm e nt must s u ffi c e .
In what h e sa ys a tt h e b e ginning on t h e e xist e nc e

and attribut e s of God w e m a y r e adily trac e t
,
he i n flu
e nc e of writings lik e thos e ascrib e d to Dionysius That .
is to s a y h e proc e e ds b y w a y of n e ga tion rath e r than

,
of a ffi r m a tion God is uncr e at e unchang e abl e incor

.
, ,
p o r e a l invisibl e incompre h e nsibl e and so o u

, ,
H e nc e
, .
th e r e is nothing th a t we can a fli r m of God b e yond \

w hat has b e e n re ve al e d to u s in Holy S criptur e ( 0 ! .
A s e vid e nc e of t h e e xist e nc e of God h e points to t he ,
concurre nt t e stimony of thos e who hav e had a r e v e

l a tion to guid e th e m in t h e O ld and N e w T e stam e nt
, ,
a n d o f thos e who h a v e had but t h e light of nature as ,
w e call i t R e ason com e s to t

. h e sam e conclusion .
For all things that ar e a r e e ith e r cre at e d or uncr e at e d

,
.
I f cr eat e d th e r e must hav e b ee n a Cr e a tor that is

, , ,
74 ST . JOH N or D A MAS C U S .
God ; if uncr e at e d th e r e could b e 1n t ,

hem n o . .
liability to chang e or d e cay B ut we w1t ness t he

.
latt e r all around u s Th e r e for e t . h e oth e r alt e rnativ e

must b e t h e tru e o n e : t h e world has b e e n cr e at e d ,
and that prov e s a Cr e ator T h e ord e r and r e gularity.
pr e vailing in t h e univ e rs e stre n gth e ns this conclusion

( c ii i ) What follows is on t
. . h e attrib ut e s of God ;
and in tre ating of this we hav e t h e s a m e p e culiariti e s
as at t h e fi r s t T h e n e gative m e thod of shutting out
.
“
fals e conc e ptions is pursu e d What ev e r w e say of
.
God by way of a ffi r m a t ”
i o n a r e his words ,
“
shows ,
not His natur e but only t ,

h e surroundings of His
natur e I f you sp e ak of Him as good or j ust or
.
, ,
wis e or anything e ls e you a r e not e xpr e ssing t

, ,
he
natur e of God but only its surroundings S om e
.
, .
things th er e a r e spok e n a ffi r m a t i v el y of God which ,
hav e t h e forc e of n e gation in e xc e ss 5 as for instanc e , ,
wh e n we sp e ak of da r k n ess with God w e do not ,
m e an positiv e darkn e ss but that which is 7201 [ gi l l

,
r
from its b e ing abov e light So wh e n we u se t . he

word 122 9 12! of Him we m e an ,
th e n e g a tion of dark
”
n e ss (c . I t will b e not e d that it is on t he
m e ta physical or transc e nd e ntal attribut e s of God that
Da m a s c e n u s d we lls rath e r than on t
,
h e e thical His .
argum e nts for t h e e xist e nc e of a S on of God and a ,
H oly S pirit may strik e u s as som e what too much in

,
—
t h e natur e of infe r e nc e s from words and nam e s T he .
F ai h e rh o o d of God impli e s a S on T h e S pirit must .
p e rtain to Him as n e ce ssarily as t h e br e ath ( spirit ) of

man w hich is in his nostrils p e rtains to him ( c .
This Holy S pirit w e may also c a ll t h e S pirit o f t he \
S on but we must not say that H e is fr om t

, h e S on
76 ST . J OH N or D A M AS C U S .
h e av e n was gr av e ly maintain e d by StChrysostom

,
.
and oth ers partly on t , h e str e ngth of such passage s as

I saiah x l 2 2 .
,
“
that str e tch e th out t
,
h e h e av e ns as a
curtain (wh e r e inst e ad of curtain t,
h e S e ptu a gint ,
5 and partly on t
“ ”
has chamb e r or he
“ ”
impossibility of th e re b e ing e nds of h e av e n ,
a ccording to a common S criptur e phras e if t he ,
h e av e n w e r e circul a r (c In tr e ati n g of t
. he
works of cr e ation he has an opportunity of showing
,
th e astronomical attainm e nts which his bio gr a ph e r

'
comm e nd e d T h e s e ve n plan e ts and th e ir ord e r 5

.
,
th e signs o f t h e z odi a c ; t h e n a tur e o f t h e star that

app e are d to t h e M agi 5 t h e n atur e of air and winds
— ”
and wat e r a r e all discuss e d in ord e r O c e an is .
th e r e fl u e n t str e am compassing t ,
h e e arth lik e a
girdl e with which we a r e familiar from Hom e r T h e
, .
four riv e rs of P aradis e parting away from this circum ,
a mbi e nt oc e an str e am a r e t -
h e Gang e s t ,
h e N il e t he , ,
Tigris an d t
,
h e E uphrat e s ( c His m e asur e .
m e nts of t h e contin e nts which a r e giv e n in stad e s

, ,
”
a pp e ar to b e tak e n from S trabo T he tr e e o f life .
,
and t he “
tr e e of t h e knowl e dge of good and e vil,
h e int e rpr e ts in a m ann e r pur e ly all egorical T h e .
form e r is an imag e of that cont e mplation of Go d by ,
virtu e of which w e can ris e from things t e rr e strial to

th e gr e at A r t i fi c er of th e m all 5 t h e latt e r of that ,
bodily nourishm e nt and gra t i fi ca ti on which pass e s

away into corruption .
P as sing on to man ( c h e give s what has

.
“
b ee n call e d a psychology i n 7224 68 Contrary to .
P lotinus h e mak e s t
,
h e mi n d of man not a distinct
e l e m e nt of his n atur e from t h e s ou l but only t he ,
THE FON S 77
most subtl e and r e fi n e d p a rt o f t h e soul For a s .
an e ye in t h e body so is mind in t
,
h e soul T he .
chapt e rs which follow tre at of man s faculti e s and i n ’
particular of his fr ee dom of will T h e fa ll of man is

.
the subj e ct with which t h e third book b e gins ( 0 x l v ) 5 . .
but it is tre a t e d in a bri e f rh e torical kind o f way, .
N othi n g is s a id as to t h e lit e ral or fi gu ra t i v e m e a ning

of t h e act of our fi rs tpar e nts 5 but som e r e fl e ctions
on i tin an oratorical strain a r e mad e to introduc e
, ,
th e subj e ct of Christ s incarnation

’
T h e p e rsonality
.
and twofold n a tur e of Christ a re discuss e d a tl e ngth ,
and with gr e at di a l e ctic skill This n a tura lly l e a ds .
th e author to o n e of his favourit e topics t h e mono ,
h
p y s i t
e doctrin e s ; in handling which h e r e lat e s t he
addition to t he “ ” “
Tri sagion or T e r S a nctus mad e
,
”
,
by t h e monophysit e patriarch of A l e xandri a P e t e r t he ,
l
F u l le r ( c A fruitful sourc e of e rror h e d e cl a re s
.
to hav e b e e n t h e confusion of n a t u r e with

p e r son a l it
y
A man consists of soul a n d body ,
which wh e n compare d with e ach oth e r a re as u rt

, ,
lik e as possibl e A nd ye twe can truly s a y of any

.
,
give n man that h e has o n e common natur e — human

,
na ture Be ca us e whil e th er e is an in fi nit e numb e r o f

.
,
individual m e n and no two of th e m e xactly a lik e

, ,
all th e s e i ndividual p e rsonaliti e s ( hypost a s e s ) a re so

far aft e r t h e sam e patt e rn that th e y all consist o f
,
soul and body H e nc e it is allowabl e to sp e ak o f

.
on e n a t u r e in any p a rticular man But wh e n t .he
T he urna m e o f Gn ap/z eu s F ull e r or Cloth dre ss e r w a s

s ,
-
,
given h i m from t h e circumst a nc e o f his h a ving work e d a tthis

e mploym en t wh e n a monk H e liv e d in t
. h e r e ign o f A n a s
t
as i u s ( 4 9 1
78 ST . JOH N or DAM A S C US .
sam e principl e is appli e d by h e r e tics to t h e twofo l d

natur e of Christ and th e y would sp e ak b y parity of
,
r e a soning of his o n e natur e th e y e rr For Christ is , .
not an individual of a sp e ci e s Th e r e i s no ot h e r .
lik e him A nd th e r e for e it is not admissibl e to

.
, ,
sp e ak of o n e natur e in him in t h e sam e way as we ,
can sp e ak of t h e o n e ( human ) natur e shar e d alik e by

two diffe r e nt human b e ings e ach composit e in him ,
s e lf as P e t e r and Pau l (c
,
1 T h e fl e sh or .
,
human natur e was pr e s e nt by way of efl /zyp osz a szfl in

'
‘
,
th e incarnat e Word (0 T h e position h e ld by.
th e Virgin M oth e r com e s in du e cours e aft e r this ,
and h er right to t h e titl e T/z eot okos or M oth e r of ,
God is str e nuously d e fe nd e d This had b e e n mad e

,
.
a battl e cry in t
-
h e Gr e e k Church e v e r sinc e t h e days
of N e storius wh e n t ,
h e church e s at Constan tinopl e
rang with t h e applaus e of h e at e d partisans ch e e ring ,
t h e turgid e loqu e n ce of a P roclus in d e fe nc e of t he

honour of M ary N e storius is assail e d in no
'
m e asur e d t erms by J ohn of Damascus for his

e nd e avour to substitut e M ot fi er of Ch r i s tfor M offi er
of G od ( c T
. h e natur e of th e twofold will and
op e ratio n in Christ is th e n brought und e r r e vi e w A s .
o n e illustration of i th e cit e s t h e passag e wh e r e t

,
he
divin e and human will in Christ s e e m to manife st
As t (p /zy s i s ) is h e r e di st
na u re i ngu 1sh e d from p er s on or
r s on a li t ( kyp ost so bo t h a re e ls e wh e r e distinguish e d by
’
pe y a szs )
D a m a sc e n u s from ozm a which h e e x pl a ins a s t h e sp eci es to

'
which v a rious individu a ls b e long ( c x lviii . .
2
This m a y b e mor e int e lligibl e to som e by its L a tin eq u i va
l e n tin t h e At h a n a si a n Cr e ed wh e r e Christ is d e cl a r e d to b e
,
o f a r e a son a bl e s oul a n d hum a n fl e sh

,
TH E “
F ON S scm n r m .
”
79
th e ms elv e s div e rs e ly— t h e sam e which long aft e r

w a rds form e d t h e subj e ct of a n int e r e sting discussion
b e tw e e n E rasmus a n d Col e t —t h e agony in Ge t hse
“
man e with its pray e r N ot my will but thin e b e
, , ,
don e (c lxii .This l e ads to a consid e ration of t

. he
passions or a ffe ctions of our natur e to which as
, , , ,
b e ing sinl e ss Christ in His humanity could b e sub

,
j ec t S uch a r e t
. h e cravings o f hunge r and thirst ,
w ea rin e ss a n d sorrow and fe a r I n lik e mann e r a re .
w e to und e rstand t h e growth or progr e ss mad e by , ,
“
Chri st wh e n it is writt e n that h e
, incr e as e d in
wisdom and knowl e dge (c T h e fe e ling of .
human w e a kn e ss s u gge sts pray e r Thus it is n a tural .
to turn n e xt to t h e Lord s Pra y e r Christ s divin e a n d

’
.
’
holy mind n ee d e d nothing to r a is e it to communion

with God H e n e e d e d not to ask anything of God
.
,
who was Hims e lf God But having tak e n upon Him .
our natur e in its e ntir e ty J e sus would giv e u s this ,
e xampl e of pray e r S uch it is add e d was t

. h e r e ason
, ,
for His pra ying giv e n by Christ Hims e lf at t h e raising

of Laz arus (c T h e r e ality of t
. h e human
natur e t a k e n upon Him b y Chri st sugge sts t he
qu e stion of its corruptibility H e saw no corrup .
tion in t h e grav e but ye tHis body could not b e

”
,
call e d incorruptibl e till t

“ ”
h e r e surr e ction 5 oth e r
wis e it would not hav e b e e n tru ly our nature that H e
wor e . T h e third book e nds ( c l xxiii ) with a short . .
s e ction on t h e D e sc e nt into H e ll and t h e proclama ,
“
tion of a R e d e e m e r th e r e : that unto Him e v e ry
kn e e should bow o f b e ings in h e av e n and on e arth
, , ,
and und e r t h e e a rth .
T he fourth book ( 0 lxxiv ) b e gins with t h e r e sur

. .
80 sr . J OH N or DAMAS C U S .
r e ction of Christ ; t h e m e aning of His e ating and

drinking with t h e discipl es nam e ly to show t ,
h e truth ,
and r e ality of H is r e surr e ction i n t h e body ; His

sitting but not in any lit e ral or local s e ns e
, at t he ,
right hand of t h e Fath e r ”

Th e n follows a s eri e s of
.
c h apt e rs ( lx x vi —lxxxi ) of a r e trosp e ctiv e charact e r

. .
,
r e fe rring again to t h e doubl e nature of Christ and his

singl e p e rsonality A n answ e r is giv e n to t
. he ob
j ec t i o n s of thos e who r e ason that if th e r e a r e two ,
natur e s in t h e Christ whom we worship o n e of which ,
is human w e must b e worshipping what is human

,
that is a cr e a tur e ( c
,
A s has b e e n b e for e
.
notic e d t ,
h e r e maining chapt e rs a r e of a m i sc el
l a n e o u s d e s cription and cannot w e ll b e r e duc e d to
,
any syst e matic ord e r T h e e ighty s e cond is h e ad e d

.
-
”
O n Faith and B a ptism but should mor e prop e rly,
b e e ntitl e d O n Baptism a lon e 5 t h e following o n e

”
b e ing On Fa ith T h e thr e e fold imm e rsion is con
.
s i de r e d to b e a symbol of t h e thr e e days during

which Christ lay in t h e grav e R e mission of sins is
.
giv e n to all a lik e by m e ans of bap t ism 5 but t h e gr a c e

of t h e Holy S pirit is giv e n in proportion to th e ir
faith and pr e vious p u r i fi c a t
”
ion O il is e mploy e d at
.
baptism a s s i gn i fyi n g our anointing an d r e nd e ring

,
~
,
u s Ch r i s t anoint e d on e s and promising u s God s

’ ’
s
m e rcy thro u gh t h e Holy S pirit 5 e v e n as it was a

branch of oliv e tr e e that t
-
h e dove brought to thos e
who w e re sav e d from t h e d e luge
” 1
I t is charac .
According t o t h e Gr e e k Church t
h e us a g e o f t h e c a ndi ,
d a t e fo r b a ptism is a noint e d with simpl e oil a n d th e n a ft e r ,
b a ptism h e is a noint e d a ga in this t im e with a chrism com

,
pound e d o f v a rious ungu e nts a s a t ok e n o f t

h e gr a c e o f con
,
“
’
I HE
‘
F ON S 81
teri st ic of t h e writ e r and of his tim e that t he s e ction

, ,
on F a ith is much short e r th a n that on t h e Cross ,
which follows T h e cross h e s a ys is t

. h e sign that , ,
distinguish e s t h e Christian as t h e s e a l o f circum ,
c i s i o n did t h e Je w I t is that which r a is e s up th e m

.
th a t a r e fa ll e n str e ngth e ns th e m th a t st a nd t
,
h e sta ff ,
of t h e w e ak th e salvation of soul a n d body .
H e nc e we should worship t h e mang e r t h e grotto t he , ,
s e pulchr e t h e v e ry wood w hich b or e Christ s su ffe r

,
’
ing body E v e n image s of i t in what e v e r mat e rial

.
, ,
d e s erv e t h e sam e N ot that we p a y this honour to

.
th e mat e rial obj e ct ( God forbid but to t h e e mbl e m ,
as a typ e of Christ ”
For if t h e v e ry dw e lling t
. he ,
b ed t ,
h e clothing of thos e whom w e lov e is d e ar t
, o
u s how much mor e so should b e t

,
h e things b e long
ing to God our S aviour ? (c lxxxiv ) I n our d e vo . .
tions we worship towards t h e E as t fo r we turn to ,
t h e rising of our
”
sun of right e ousn e ss and we look ,
with longing e y e s to our n a tiv e hom e t he Eden ,
plant e d in t h e E ast from which w e a r e e xi l e d for a ,
tim e for our sins ( c .
T h e chapt e r on t h e sacram e nts is among t h e most

import a nt in t h e work A ft e r r e citing t h e goodn e ss.
o f God in cr e ating man and m a n s disob e di e nc e ’

,
which cut him off from union with his M ak e r t he ,
author b r i e fl y r e fe rs to t h e sch e m e for our r e d e mption ,
fi rm a t
i on, h e d e sc ent o f t
t a nd h e H oly Spirit It m a y b e .
obse rv e d th a t by t h e phra s e ex t r eme u n ctz on is prop e rly m e a nt

'
l a s tunction l as t o f t
,
h e v a rious on e s which a b e li e v e r m a y
r e c e ive during t h e cours e o f his li fe ; a n d not a s m a y som e ,
tim e s b e thought a n a noin t ing only r esor t

,
e d to wh e n a p e rson
is
'
in ex fr em z s .
82 ST . J OH N OF DAMAS C U S .
wh e r e by we might onc e mor e b e com e fi tto e nj oy t he

pr e s e nc e of God N ow for a man to b e rais e d to
.
,
this n e w and b e tt e r life h e n e e ds t h e r e g e n e ration

,
which shall b e his b irth into i tand t h e ne w food ,
which shall sustain him in i t B oth th e s e a r e suppli e d .
u s a n d in a w a y to corr e spond to t
,
h e two fold wants -
o f our natur e T h e doubl e birth for that two fold

.
- -
n a tur e I S m baptism 5 wh e r e in as our body ris e s from ,
th e wat e r our soul is quick e n e d by t

, h e Holy S pirit .
T h e doubl e food for t h e sam e composit e natur e is in

th e Holy E ucharist 5 wh e r e in t h e br e ad and w in e
r e fr e sh man s b ody 5 t h e outpouring of t
’
h e S pirit his ,
soul T h e institution of t
. h e Lord s S upp e r is th e n
’
r e lat e d “
A ft e r Christ had e at e n t h e old Passov e r
with H is discipl e s and thus fu lfill e d t ,
h e old cov e nant ,
H e w a sh e d t h e fe e t of His discipl e s pr e s e nting th e r e in ,
a symbol of Holy Baptism Th e n H e brak e t . he

b r e ad and gav e it to th e m saying : Ta k e ea tfl zz s i s
’
, , , ,
my b od y b r ok
,
en o n y ou r b efi a f
l f o r r em i ss i on of s i n s .
An d in lik e mann e r h e took t h e cup of win e and ,
wat e r and gav e th e m to partak e o f i ts a ying : —a ft e r

”
, ,
which follow t h e words of cons e cration I t will b e .
ob s e rv e d that Da m a s ce n u s mak e s t h e washing of t he

discipl e s fe e t to hav e b e e n b e for e a n d not aft e r t
’
he , ,
institution of t ’
h e Lord s S upp e r and that h e us e s this ,
infe r e nc e to compl e t e t h e par a ll e l with baptism : also ,
t hat h e sp e aks of win e and wat e r not win e alon e as , ,
that which Christ took To e xpr e ss t . h e way in which

t h e cons e cra t e d e l e m e nts b e com e t h e B ody and Blood
of Christ h e us e s t , h e words a r e 5 124 723 6 4 ! and a r e 1
t u r n ed and b orrows an illustration from t

,
h e natural
proc e ss e s of t h e human body A s br e ad by e at . ing ”
,
84 51 . J OH N OF DAMAS C U S .
to s u r m ou ntt h e di ffi c u l t
~
y by sugg e sting a n e w pi e c e
’
o f subtilty that lik e as a man s body tak e s in daily
,
matt e r and all b e com e s o n e and t

,
h e sam e
body so our Lord s p er son a l b ody tak e s in all t
,
’
h e n ew
m a a e bodi e s of t h e E ucharist ; and thus by a kind
’
,
of growth or augm e ntation all b e com e o n e and t he ,
s a m e p e rsonal body of Christ A marv e llous thought .
” “
But h e wa s w e dd e d to a n e w sch e m e This n ew .
”
sch e m e of which Wat e rland mak e s J ohn o f D amascus
,
a votary was t ,
h e ca us e of image worship U pon -
.
this in fact Wat e rland lays t

, ,
h e blam e of much of
t h e innovation in th e ory which about this tim e b e gan
t o pr e vail r e sp e cting t h e Holy E ucharist T he .
”
br e ad and win e D a m a sc e n u s go e s on to s a y
,
is not a t y p e of th e body and blood of Christ : God
forb id ! bu t t h e v e ry de i fi e d body of t h e Lord .
Comm e nting upon languag e lik e this Wat e rlan d ,
t e lls u s that th e n e xt tim e this n e w doctrin e

app e are d upon t h e stag e was in t h e s ervic e of imag e
worship th e n cr e e ping into t
,
h e Church Th e y who .
oppos e d th a t innovation k e pt up t h e anci e nt principl e

,
with r egard to t h e e l e m e nts of t h e E ucharist as

sy m b ols fi gu r es i ma ges ; pl e ading that our Lord had
, ,
l e ft no visibl e imag e of Hims e lf His incarnation , ,
p assion sa c r i fi c e & c but that of t

, ,
h e E ucharist
.
,
In .
r e ply to th a t pl e a t h e innovators r e monstrat e d again st

,
t h e symbolical natur e of t h e E ucharist cont e nding ,
th a t t h e cons e crat e d e l e m e nts w e r e no i m a ges t ypes , ,
or fi gu r es b ut t ,
h e v e ry body and blood o f Christ ,
N ea r as t
”1
lit e rally s o . he l a n guag e of D a m a sc enu s
l “
E pis t . a d Z a ch a ri a m , 13 . I 97
TH E F ON S SCI EN T UE .
”
85
may s e e m to go to t h e R oman doctrin e of t ra n s u b
st ant ia ti o n it is prop e r to add that in its strict a n d

, ,
t e chnical s e ns e that doctrin e could not b e d e duc e d

,
from i t .
So much spac e has b e e n giv e n to this import a nt

chapt e r o f t he
”
D e Fid e that what r e mains must b e,
b r i e fly d e spatch e d A ft e r a s e ction in honour of t

. he
Virgin M a ry vindicating h e r right to t
,
h e title o f
T fieot ok os or M oth e r of God t
,
h e author pass e s on to
,
a favourit e su b j ect with him t he worship o f imag e s

,
( 0. lxxxix ) H e m
. e e ts th e argum e nt dra w n fro m t h e
abs e nc e of any dire ction for such worship in t h e O ld

T e stame nt by urging that it was t
,
h e incarn a tion t he ,
pr e s e nc e of God in visibl e form among m e n th a t ,
gav e a motiv e and sanction for t h e practic e To .
mak e t he li fe and actions of J e sus and his follo w e rs

more int e lligibl e to t h e ignorant t h e Fa th e rs of t he
,
e say s r e solv e d to s e tth e m forth by this

1 h
Church , ,
m eans for t,
h e e asi e r instruction of such as could not
r e ad A tt
. h e sam e tim e John is car e ful to add th a t
,
th e honour we pay to imag e s of t h e saints or of t he ,
Holy M oth e r or to t h e c r u c i fi x is only an e xpr e ssion

, ,
of t h e r e v e r e nc e we r e a lly fe e l for what th e y re pr e s e nt .
T h e n e xt chapt e r ( c x c ) is on Holy S criptur e . . T he .
books of t h e O ld T e stam e nt h e m a k e s to coincid e

in numb e r with t h e l e tt ers of t h e H e br e w a lphab e t
that is to say th e y amount to tw e nty two o f whic h
,
-
,
fi v e a re doubl e on e s thus making tw e nty s e v e n in a l l

,
-
,
in his not e on t
Le q u i e n , h e p a ssa g e a dmits th a t fo r t he,
fi r s tthr e e c e nturi e s such a u se o f im a g e s ( s o fa r a tl ea st a s a n y

a dor a tion o f th e m w e nt ) w a s unkno w n 5 a n d th a t in fa c t it did
not begin to d e v e lop e i t s e l f until th e fi fth c e ntury .

6 ST . J OH N or D A MAS C U S .
if count e d s e parat e ly T h e doubl e on e s a r e ( 1 ) Judge s .
and R uth 5 ( 2 ) First and S e cond Books of Kings ( ou r

I S amu e l and I I S amu e l ) 5 ( 3 ) Third and Fourth
. .
B ooks of Kings ( our I Kings and I I Kings ) 5 ( 4 ) . .
F i r s tand S e cond B ooks of Chronicl e s 5 ( 5 ) First and

S e cond Books of E sdras ( our E z ra an d N e h e miah ) .
T h e B ook of J udith is not n am e d by him whil e ,
E ccl e siasticus and t h e B ook of Wisdom a r e not mad e

canonical In t h e N e w T e stam e nt hi s list agr e e s
.
W ith our own e xc e pt that h e adds to t ,

h e numb e r t he
Ap os t
’
ol z ca l Ca n on s drawn u p as h e suppos e s by , , ,
Cl e m e nt R e turning to a subj e ct discuss e d b e for e

.
t h e twofold natur e o f Christ — h e e nquir e s into t he

a pplication of v a rious t e xts of S criptur e to that
doctrin e T h e origin of e vil i s th e n tr e a t e d o f but
.
,
at no gre at l e ngth ; as also t h e M a nich e an th e ory o f

two c o ordinat e principl e s o n e good t h e oth e r bad , ,
( cc xcii . xciii ) . In,

what h e. says of th e S abbath
( c . th e r e a r e som e striking r e m arks coupl e d ,
with much that is m e r e ly fanciful God knowing t he .

,
coars e and fl e sh ly n atur e of t h e p e opl e of I s r a el I

,
ordain e d for th e m this outward obs e rvanc e that th e ir ,
slav e s a n d cattl e might r e st as w e ll a s th e y Had .
th e y b e e n ab l e to r e alis e t h e high e r position of sons ,
and not s e rvants of God t h e Isra e lit e s would not

, ,
h av e b e e n thus command e d to s e tapart a fraction of

th e ir tim e for t h e sp e cial s e rvic e o f Him to whom
‘
th e y ow e d all I n this r e sp e ct as in oth e rs t

. /z e l a w , ,
w a s 7201 m a de f or a r zgfi l eozzs ma n b u t f r Me l a w l ess

‘
o ,
In t
1
a king this t on e D a m a scenu s m a y r e mind u s , of D ea n
Go l e t s Le tt e rs to R a du l phu s on t
’ ”
h e s a m e subj e ct .
TH E FO N S S CI EN T UE .
”
87
a nd di sob edi en t( 1
Tim i in e vid e nc e of which
. . .
,
we m a y obs e rv e th a t M os e s a n d E lij a h in th e ir fa sts ,
o f forty d a ys must hav e includ e d S a b baths on which

, ,
th e law forb a d e m e n to fast H e nc e h e a rgu e s that .

,
for t h e Christi a n t h e l e tt e r of t h e pr e c e pt is to b e e x
,
change d for t h e law of lib e rty A s circumcision is .
spiritu a lis e d fo r t h e Christian so is t h e S a bb ath 5 ,
which h e obs e rv e s on t h e r e curr e n c e o f that tru e a n d

only p e r fe ct da y o f r e st fo r humanity th a t fi r stda y of ,
th e w e e k wh e n Christ b y his r e surr e ction op e n e d out

,
fo r u s t h e inh e ritanc e o f t h e saints .
T h e su b j e ct of t h e n e xt ch a pt e r ( c xcvii ) is . .
Virginity ; which Da m a sc e n u s as might b e e xp e ct e d , ,
e xalts a bov e t h e marri e d st a t e M a rri a g e is honour .
abl e b u tt
, h e oth e r e xc e ls it t h e o n e is a hum a n t he ,
oth e r an ange lic mod e o f li fe ,

From a comp a rison .
“
of Ge n vii 7 A n d N o a h w e nt i n and his sons
. .
, , , ,
a n d his wife and his sons wiv e s with h i m into t he

’
, ,
Go forth o f t
”
a rk ,
with Ge n viii 1 6 . . h e ark thou
, , , ,
and thy w ife a n d thy sons a n d thy sons w iv e s with

, ,
’
th e e h e dra w s t
-
h e str a ng e in fe r e nc e ( i n which ,
how e v e r h e is not a lon e a mong anci e nt e xpositors )

, ,
th a t a s e p a r a tion o f s e xe s in t h e a r k is point e d a tby

th e ord e r of t h e words in t h e form e r passag e to b e ,
discontinu e d on t h e ir l e a ving t h e a rk 1 .
A ft e r two short ch a pt e rs on Circumcision a n d A nti

Christ t h e work e n ds w ith a fi na l o n e ( c c ) on t
,
he . .
R e surr e ction In it h e sums up t

. h e S criptur a l argu
1
The ord e r in t h e e ight e e nth v e r s e in which th e ir d e p a rtur e ,
from t h e a r k is m e ntion e d is t h e s a m e a s th a t in vii 7 5 which

,
.
s e e ms to n e utra li z e wha t e ve r forc e t h e in fe r e nc e might h a ve

88 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC U S .
m e nts for a r e surr e ction of t h e body and for our ,
p ersonal id e ntity b e ing unchang e d T h e conclu .
sions drawn b y StPaul from t h e analo gy of natur e

.
— 8 a r e r e p e at e d and e nforc e d
( 1
. Cor x v
.
3 5 3 )
, .
, 5 and
with t h e following words D a m a s c e n u s conclud e s :
Wh e r e for e we shall ris e again with our souls unit e d ,
a gain to th e ir bodi e s now mad e incorruptibl e a n d ,
putting off d e cay and shall stand b e for e t , h e dr e ad

tribunal of C hrist Th e n shall t h e D e vil and his
.
,
a ng e ls and that man of his e v e n A ntichrist an d t

, he , ,
ungodly and sinful b e d e liv e r e d up to ev e rlasting ,
fi re no t a mat e rial fi r e as with u s b u tsuch as will

1
, ,
b e known to God But th e y that hav e don e good

.
sh all shin e forth lik e t h e sun unto e t e rnal li fe along

, , ,
w ith th e ange ls and with ou r Lord J e sus Christ 5 e v e r

se e ing Him and s e e n by Him 5 e nj oying for e v e rmor e
t h e happin e ss that com e s from Him 5 praising Him ,
w ith t h e Fath e r and t h e H oly S pirit for e ndl e ss ag e s ,

”
of age s A m e n. .
E v e n such an outlin e as t h e abov e bri e f and sk e tchy ,
a s it unavoidably is may ye tb e consid e re d by t he

,
r e ad e r as s om e wh a t t e dious B ut t h e importanc e of .
t “ ”
h e D e F i de o r rath e r of that e ncyclop ae dic S ourc e
,
“
,
of Knowl e dg e o f which it is but o n e portion should ,
b e born e in mind A nd if it is r e m e mb e r e d that we

.
hav e h er e t h e e arli e st syst e m or b od y of Christian , ,
th e ology t h e pr e cursor of t
,
h e gr e at works of Lom
b a r du s and A quinas we shall not grudge a littl e e ffort ,
1
In t
he “
contr a M a n i c h aeo s ( Op i pp 1 5 0 5
D i a l o gu s . .
, .
t h e n a tur e o f this fi r e is mor e pl a inly d e scrib e d It is .
th e re s a id to b e not m a t e ria l fi r e but t h e unqu e nch a bl e fl a m e o f

,
s in ful d e sir e .
TH E “
F ON S SCI EN T UE .
"
89
to o b t
a i n a passing surv e y of such a monum e nt of
'
Christian int e ll e ct in t
h e e ighth c e ntury 1 .
1
I r egre t th a t I h a v e not b e e n a bl e to m ee t with C J . .
Le ns t i o n e F id e i o r t
D e e x p o si t
’ ”
r om s h o do x ae U p sa l ae 1 83 9 5
'
, ,
th e only work ( s o fa r a s I c a n judg e from its titl e ) which is

known to m e a s tr e a ting a ta l l fully o f this work o f D a m a sc e n u s .
Th ere is no copy in t h e B ritish M us e um libra ry T h e a bstra cts

.
of the D e F id e give n in Ce i l l ie r a n d H e r z og a re n e c ess a rily

ve ry m e a gr e .
0 ST . J OH N or DAMAS C U S .
C H A PT ER VI I I .
ON T HE M A H OM ETA N CO N TR OV E R SY .
T HE writings which John of Damascus has l e ft on

this subj e ct a r e not so much of importanc e from th e ir
e xt e nt as int e r e sting to u s from t
,
h e n e arn e ss of t he
author to t h e tim e wh e n M a h o m e t a n i sm aros e On .
this ground h e is plac e d by M a ra c c i at t 1 h e h e ad of

controv e rsial writ e rs against M ahom e t B e sid e s t he .
s e ction 101
) in th e D e H ae r e s i b u s Li b e r
”
b e for e
spok e n o f on t h e q ber s z z i z on of t h e [ sh na el z t
’ ' ’
en w e
‘
,
hav e two short dialogu e s or disputations b e tw e e n a

Christian and a S arac e n 2—
th e t e rm Sa r a cen b e ing
u s e d as synonymous with Ishmae lit e and A ga r e n e to ,
d e not e a d e sc e ndant of that A gar who was s e nt

e mpty
”
away by S arah H e nc e t h e fanciful de
.
r i va t
i o n of t h e n am e b e for e notic e d as if it m e ant ,
S ar a h s e mpty on e s ( Sa r r fi a s
’ 2
1
Prodromus a d r e fu t
ati on e m A lcor a n i , R om ae, 1 69 1 .
2 “
D i sp u t
atio Christi a ni e tSa ra c e ni vol i pp 1 5 8 5 ,
”
. .
, .
1 5 97 ,
a n d a noth e r with t h e s a m e titl e print e d by M ign e in
th e
“‘
A d d e n da vol
, iii pp 1
.
33 6 —13 4 8
.
, . .
2
Th e most prob a bl e e t ymology o f t h e word s e e ms to b e th a t
which m a k e s it simply d e not e O ri e nt a ls from t ”

h e Ar a bic ,
word fo r r i s i ng ; t hough B o cha r tpr e fe rs a root s a r a /é a de ,
noting to p l u n der T h e r e fe r e nc e to S a r a /z is not how e v e r

.
, ,
e ntir e ly giv e n up by mod e rn a uthoriti e s See t h e a rticl e .
D ic t
“ “ ”
S a r a c e ni
”
in Smith s ion a ry o f G e ogr a phy a n d
’
,
Le qu i en s not e on i p 7 6 3
’
.
.
, .
9 2 ST . J OH N OF DAMAS C U S .
r e markabl e a fe atur e in t h e e arly r e ligious syst ems o f

t h e p e ninsula a n d which was m o di fi e d rath e r than
, ,
e xtinguish e d by M a h o m e t a n i s m i s not h e r e j oin e d

, ,
by Da m a sc e n u s to t h e two p r e ce di n g i do l a t
ri e s From .
th e tim e of H e raclius w hos e r e ign ( 6 1 1 —6 4 1 ) ,
cov e r e d t h e chi e f e v e nts of M ahom e t s life D amas

’
,
c e nu s go e s on to say that th e s e pagan sup e rstitions
w e r e chang e d T h e n e w proph e t happ e ning to m e e t

.
,
with t h e scriptur e s of t h e O ld and N e w T e sta m e nts ,
and with a living e xpound e r in t h e form of an A rian

1 “
m onk ( o r according to anot h e r r e ading
,
with ,
H e br e ws and s o call e d Christians A rians and N e s

'
,
-
,
tor i a n s form e d a composit e syst e m of his o wn from

th e s e various sourc e s God according to t he n ew
.
,
r e ligion is t h e o n e M ak e r of all things n e ith e r b e

, ,
gott e n nor b e g e tting Christ is t h e Word and S pirit

.
o f God but a cr e at e d b e ing and a s e rvant born

, ,
without m an s int e rv e ntion of M ary who is i den t

’
ifi ed ,
with M iriam t h e sist e r of M os e s and A aron

,
2 J e sus .
w a s b e gott e n of h e r by t h e Logos or Word of ,
God H e was a proph e t of God But what t

. he .
J e ws in th e ir wick e dn e ss c r u c i fi e d was not Christ but ,
a m e re shadow T his form of D oc e tism it may b e

.
,
1
This s ta t e m en t he st
m a y h a v e a ris e n from t ory o f his m e e t
ing with t h e monk B a h i r a on o n e o f his j ourn e ys in t ,o Syri a .
T h e story is discuss e d by S i r W M uir in his Li fe o f M a ho .
m et
”
, i .
, p 35. .
This in fe r e nc e commonly dr a wn from t

is t
he he words o f t he
Kora n M a ry t
“
, he d a ught e r o f I m r a m
, ( zl e Amr a m ) Sa l e
”
. .
tri e s to s a v e M a hom e t from t h e r e pro a ch o f so stra ng e a n

a n a chronism by giving a noth e r int e rpr e t a tion to t h e p a ss a g e .
S e e his not e on it in S ur a iii a n d a lso S ur a x vi s u é fi n .

, .
, .
ON THE M A H OM E T A N CO N TR OV E R SY .
93
obs e rv e d was d evis e d long b e for e M ahom e t s tim e

,
’
.
T h e r e al Christ asc e nd e d without any such passage

of d e ath into h e av e n 5 and wh e n qu e stion e d by t ,
he
A lmighty as to wh e th e r h e had giv e n hims e lf out to
be t h e S on of God a n d hims e l f God m a d e answ e r
, ,
God forbid Thou k n ow e st that I said it not nor ,
disdain to b e Thy s e rvant Wick e d m e n wrot e this .
state m e nt conc e rn ing m e and th e y li e d and a r e ,
S uch a r e t h e fi gm e n t
” 1
d e c e iv e d . s contain e d in th a t
book of M ahom e t t h e Kora n w hich h e pr e t e nds to

, ,
hav e had d e liv e r e d to him b y God .
From this point t h e s e ction in t he De H ae r e si b u s

”
Lib e r tak e s a mor e dir e ctly controv e rsi a l ton e 5
t h e ass e rtions of M ahom e tans and t h e r e pli e s of
,
Christians b e ing thrown into an argum e nta tive

,
form I t may b e t
. h e simpl e st way of e xhi b iting
th e s e argum e nts and showing t ,
h e lin e tak e n b y
a Christian apologist in thos e days to combin e ,
what we h e re fi n d with t h e subst a nc e o f t he two

short D z sp u t at and s e tdo w n t h e r e sult in t he
'
z om
’
form of a d e bat e b e tw e e n a Christian and a

M ahom e tan .
C H R Y ou say that M ahom e t had his commission

.
dir ectly from God N ow wh a t e vid e nc e is th e r e of

.
this ? We hav e t h e t e stimony of M os e s and of a long

s e ri e s of proph e ts to t h e divin e mission of Christ ,
a nd t h e e v e nts of his life a r e a ll cl e arly fore told in

th e ir writings Why h a s t . h e s a m e e vid e nc e not b e e n
a ccord e d to M ahom e t ?
1
Th e subst a nc e of this pa ss a ge is found n ea r t
he e nd o f
Su ra v.
94 ST . J OH N or DA M ASC U S .
M A H God can do a s s e e m e th Him b e st

. .
C H R U ndoubt e dly h e can

. But if that is all that .
is to b e said t e ll u s at any rat e mor e particularly in

,
what way your proph e t r e c e iv e d this communication

from God in which you say his scriptur e s w e r e
,
r e v e al e d to him .
M A H Th e y c am e down to him whil e sl e e p

.
ing .
C H R Th e n if s o o n e may fairly quot e t

.
, h e old,
adage and call th e m such stu ff as dr e ams a re mad e

,
” 1
Of .
M A H Le tu s l e av e t
. h e qu e stion of vi d e nc e and e
com e to doctrin e Why do you mak e a plurality i n.
t h e Godh e ad and e arn your nam e of H et cen s t

' '
, s
(
“
A ssociators b y av e rring that Christ is th e S on of
God and is God ?
,
C H R B e caus e we fi n d it s o in t
. h e writings of t he
proph e ts which yo u yours e lv e s profe ss to r e c e iv e and
, ,
in our own scriptur e s Furth e r you yours e lv e s admit .

,
that God has a Word and a S pirit N ow a r e th e s e .
cr e at e d or uncr e at e d ? e xt ernal to God or inh ere nt in ,
Him P
M A H S uppos e I say uncr e at e d an d inh e re nt ?
.
,
C H R Th e n you agr e e with m e for what e ve r is not

.
,
cr e at e d is God .
M A H But if I say cr e at e d and e xt e rnal P

.
,
1
If t
he p a ss a g e is n o tincompl et e a s i t st a nds — “t
h e sa y
ing o f t h e common prov e rb is fu l fi l l e d r e sp e cting him ”—
we
must suppos e t h e prov e rb t o b e a ssum e d a s t oo fa mili a rly kno w n
to n e e d quoting Prob a bly t . h e a llusion is to o n e o f Luci a n s

’
,
You t e ll m e drea ms give n in E ra smus s Ad a gi a und er

”
,
“ ” ’
th e h ea ding V a ni tas
”
( cd 1 6 2 9 p .
, .
9 6 ST . J OH N 0 11 DAM ASC US .
th e ston e in your t with your kiss e s as Ch a b a h a 1
d e vot ee s ?
M A H A nd with good r e ason wh e n t
. h e sacr e d ,
associations of t h e spot a r e consid er e d That ston e .
w itn e ss e d t
h e nuptials of A braham and A gar ; to i t
A b raham b ound his cam el wh e n ab out to sacri fi c e ,
I sa a c .
C H R H is cam e l ! why in S criptur e ( Ge n xxii

. . .
w e do but r e ad of an ass which h e l e ft som e distanc e ,
This r e fe rs to t h e fa mous ston e in t

“
1 h e K a a b a or S qu a r e , ,
at M e cc a b e li e v e d by M osl e ms t o h a v e b e e n origin a l ly built by

,
S e th a n d r ebuilt a ft e r t
,
h e d elug e by Abr a h a m a n d Ishm a e l .
“
T h e bl a ck ston e
”
s a ys O ckl e y which t
,
“
h e M oha mm e d a ns
,
hold in gr e a t r e v e r e nc e a n d b e li e v e t o b e on e o f t
, h e ston e s o f
p a ra dis e which fell down with Ad a m from h ea v e n is a sm a ll
, ,
ston e s e tin silv e r a n d fi x e d in t h e south e a st corn e r o f t he -
K a a b a a bou tfour fe etfrom t

,
h e gr ound I tis s a id to b e whit e .
w ithin but to h a v e b e e n turn e d bl a ck on t

,
h e outsid e by t he
sins o f t h e p e opl e or mor e prob a bly by t , h e kiss e s o f t he
pilgrims . H ist o f t h e Sa r a c e ns .
”
1 84 7 p 3 According , , . .
to a noth er a ccount t h e ston e w a s brought to Ishm a e l by t he

a ng e l G a bri e l Tr a dition s a id th a t t
. h e gu a rdi a nship o f t he
t e mpl e r e m a in e d fo r m a ny c e nturi e s in t h e h a nds o f th e Dj o r h o
mit e s a trib e o f Y e m enit e e xtr a ction Th e s e in tim e n egl e c t
, ed .
th e ir ch a rge a n d a bout A D 2 06 t
,
he st on e w a s dislodge d from
. .
its pl a c e in t h e w a ll a n d buri e d A Kh oz a i t e wom a n h a d .
w itn e ss e d its int e rm e nt a n d in form e d t h e chi e fs o f h e r trib e

, .
I t thus c a m e into th e ir custody till a bou tA D 44 0 Its sub . . .
s e qu e nt history wh e n it p a ss e d in t o t
, h e k e e ping o f t he
M o dh a r i t es is told a t l ength by M a j or O sborn
,
Isl a m und e r ,
t a lso t
” “
h e Ara bs p 7 6 sqq
,
S ee.
,
h e V .i e de M oh a mm e d
tr a nsl a t e d from t h e Ar a bic t e x t o f A b o u lfé da by A N

’
.
D e s V e rg e rs 1 8 3 7 p 1 05 M a hom e t s fi r s timpuls e w a s t o
’
. .
, ,
a bolish this ston e worship ; a n d it is int e r e sting to sp e cul a t e

-
wh a t might h a ve e nsu e d h a d h e m a d e J e rus a l e m his s a cr ed

c e ntr e inst e a d o f M e cc a with its K a a b a
,
.
ON THE M A H OM E TA N CO N TR OV E R SY .
97
off in charge o f his young m e n T h e pl a c e mor e

,
.
,
ov e r wa s w e ll wood e d a t l e a st A br a ham could

, ,
cl e av e w ood th e r e fo r a burnt offe ring 5 a n d thi s -
accords but ill with t h e situation of your Kaa b a .
M A H For all that it is A bra h a m s ston e

.
,
’
.
C H R Grant that it is ; c a n you kiss i t in d e votion

.
b e caus e forsooth Ab r a ham ti e d his cam e l to i to r

, , ,
e v e n fo r som e l e ss d e c e nt associ a tion ; a n d th e n
bl a m e u s for bo w in g do w n b e for e th e cross o f Christ ?

MA H This m e ntion of t
. he cross brings u s to wh a t
you say of Christ s s u fTe r i n g N o w do you hold th a t
’
.
thos e w ho do t h e will of God a r e good or b a d ?

CHR . I s e e your art I f I say good you will tax.
,
m e with a pproving t h e conduct o f t h e J e w s who fu l ,
fi ll e d th e w ill of God in sl a ying J e sus : i f b a d th e n I ,
should s e e m to mak e Christ su ffe r unwillingly or h e ,
too would com e und e r that h e a d .
MA H S uch was my m e a ning

. .
CHR . Th e n le tu s b e cl e ar a bout t h e m e aning o f

”
this ambiguous t e rm will I hold that it o ft e n .
stands fo r tol e r a tion or long

MAH Ho w so P
.
CHR . S uppos e that God says Thou shalt not ,
st e al 5 thou shalt not kill A s H e is A lmighty His .

,
w i l l cannot b e b a t fl ed Y e tit i s e vid e nt that e ith e r

.
o f u s could i f w e chos e,
ris e up this v e ry mom ent
, ,
and st e al or kill I f this is so th e n a r e we not boun d

.
,
to admit that by God s w i l l may som e tim e s b e m e ant

,
’
His e nduranc e and that in this s e ns e t

,
h e wick e d may
b e doing what h e e ndur e s and so far fu l fil l i ng His will ?
,
This ma y su ffi c e as a sp e cim e n of t
h e way in which
11
98 ST . J OH N or DAM ASC U S .
John of D amascus or o n e of his discipl e s might ha ye

, ,
argu e d with a M ahom e tan of his tim e I t should b e .
stat e d that whil e t

,
h e subst a nc e of t h e various argu
m e nts is giv e n abov e an e ffort has b ee n mad e to
,
string th e m toge th e r mor e conn e ct e dly and to soft e n ,
o ff abrupt transitions T h e latt e r p a rt o f t

. h e s e ction
in t “
h e D e H aer e s i b u s Lib e r consists of an inve ctiv e
against t h e immor a l conduct of M ahom e t hims e lf in ,
t h e marriage s h e contract e d and t h e pre c e pts in t

,
he
Koran by which h e strov e to scr e e n his own del i n
u e ncies whil e p e rmitting indulg e nc e s to oth e rs
q .
T h e sp e cial r e fe r e nc e is to t h e subj e ct matt e r of t he -
4 th S ura
,
and to t h e story o f Z e i ds wife allud e d to
’
in S ura xxxiii T h e m onstrous l e ge nds also found

.
in t h e Koran or in t
,
h e writings of its e xpound e rs ,
a r e h e ld up to ridic u l e 5 such as that of t h e s h e cam e l -

,
spok e n of in t he 7 t h S ura which drank up whol e ,
r iv e rs and could s a tis fy a whol e trib e with its milk

,
.
I n this inst a nc e p e rhaps t ,

h e comm e ntators hav e
,
more to answ e r for tha n t h e Koran its e l f .
T h e l e ast satisfa ctory fe a t ure as som e m a y think , ,
in t h e asp e ct of r e ligious controv e rsy h e r e pr e s e nt e d

to u s is te pl ying on words fo r it scarc e ly
,
h a —
d e s e rv e s to b e call e d by any b e tt e r nam e It s ee ms .
a childish dil e mma in which to plac e an oppon e nt ,
t o mak e him own that if Christ t h e Word o f God

, , ,
w e re no t uncr e at e d th e r e must hav e b e e n a tim e

,
wh e n God was Wordl e ss and S piritl e ss We miss also .

, ,
what might fairly hav e b ee n e xp e ct e d from t h e gr e at

champion of image worship a j u s t
“ ” -
ifica t i o n of t
,
he
limits within whi ch t h e Christian might lawfully avail
hims e lf of image s or symbols as a h e lp to d e votion , ,
T he author t h e A bb é B ourgad e assur e s u s that

, ,
this was t h e v ery an sw e r h e had from two

M ahom e tans of A lgi e rs to whom h e had giv e n t
, he
sam e e xplan ation whil e th e y w e r e o n e day dis
,
cussing r e ligious topics on board t h e j osep k z n e in

'
1 84 6 . To t h e ard e nt but ill inform e d mind of

,
-
M ahom e t t ,
h e natur e of t h e fi r s t impr e ssions h e
r e c e iv e d from Christianity was a matt e r of t h e utmost
importanc e . T h e appar e ntly idolatrous charact e r of
Christian worship in his day was o n e gri ev ous
stumbling block ; t
-
h e appar e nt ob scuration of t he
unity of t h e Godh e ad was anoth e r B e li e v e th er e
.
,
”
for e in God and His apostl e s a r e his words towards
, ,
t h e e n d of t he 4 t h S ura and say not th e r e a r e thr e e

,
Gods Forb e ar this 5 it will b e b e tt e r for you God

. .
”
is but o n e God .
“
I t app e ars probabl e says S ir William M uir
,
1
,
that t h e cr e e d of t h e Christians of his day was

und e rstood by M ahom e t to b e that M ary was o n e of ,
t h e p e rsons in t h e Trinity This probab ly aros e from

.
t h e worship paid to t h e Virgin by t h e E ast e rn

Church e s and from t
,
h e st at e m e nts of M ahom e t s ’
J e wish follow ers — th ems e lv e s imp e rfe ctly acquaint e d

with Christianity Had t .
”
h e tru e doctrin e h e adds , ,
“
r e gardi n g t h e Virgin M ary b e e n rightly plac e d
b e for e M ahom e t tog e th e r with that of t
,
h e spiritual
and e t e rn al ge n eration of t h e S on of God and shown ,
t o b e n e c e ssarily d e ducibl e from t h e l e gitimat e con

struction of t h e S criptur e s acknowl e dg e d by him to
b e inspir e d could h e hav e r e fus e d to approv e thos e
,
doctrin e s P
T h e Kora n 1 79
“ ”
1
1878 p , , . .
ON T HE M A H O M ETA N CO N TR O V E R SY . 101
It ind ee d many sorro w ful r e fl e c t

,
i o n s to ,
think how gr e atly t h e history of t h e world might

hav e b e e n change d had t,
h e Christian fa ith b e e n p r e
s e nt e d to th e mind of t h e A rabian e nthusiast in a
pur e r form . But at any rat e t
, h e fact of th e r e b e ing
,
such w e a k points must not b e forgotte n a n d must b e ,
tak e n count of as we try to e stimat e t h e str e ngth of

th e position tak e n up by J ohn of Damascus .
C H A PT ER IX .
SERMONS .
T H E w ork of J ohn of D a mascus as a pr e ach e r do e s

not fill a n y gr e at spac e in t h e r e cord l e ft u s o f his
labours His biogr a ph e r in t
. h e vagu e mann e r which
,
has disap p oint e d u s b e for e m e r e ly says in p a ssing

,
that h e “
mor e ov e r compos e d discours e s for t he
”
j oyous fe stivals ( c xxxiii ) 5 but wh e n a n d wh e r e
. .
th e y w e r e d e liv e r e d w e a r e not told

, In fa ct t he .
,
circumst a nc e is m e ntion e d b e for e h e r e l a t e s his

ordination 5 and t h e v e ry word e mploy e d which we ,
“ ” “ ”
hav e r e nd e r e d compos e d ( lit e rally put forth )
l e av e s it doubtful wh e th e r t h e wr1t e r m e a nt that
J ohn of D amascus r e ally d e liv e r e d th e m or m e r e ly ,
wrot e th e m as rh e torical or d e votional e x e rcis e s

,
.
T h e e xpr e ssion is such as might hav e b e e n us e d by

o n e wh o had glanc e d at this p ortion of his writings ,
and took no pains to go mor e d e eply into t

‘
h e m a tt e r .
Wh e n we e x a min e t h e s e r m o n s th e ms e lv e s th e r e i s ,
not much m or e to satis fy u s in t h e way of e x a ct i n

,
form a tion .In t h e titl e to o n e of th e m — th a t o n t he -
Wi t t
L
“ ”— “
h er e d Fig tr e e
-
h e author is styl e d Pri e st
of t h e Holy R e surr e ction of Christ our God 5 and ”
,
coupling this Wi th t h e st a t e m e nt that h e w a s ord a in e d

by J ohn Bishop of J e rusal e m w e may in fe r th a t h e
, ,
was th e n s e rving as pri e st of a church d e dica t e d by

that nam e in I e ru sa l e m From t . h e l a n guag e u se d in
1 04 ST . J OH N or D AMA S C US .
T h e fi r stin ord e r as we now hav e th e m is that , ,
on t h e T r a n s fi gu r a t
i o n of our Lord Le q u i e n thinks .
that it was d e liv e r e d in t h e church e r e ct e d on

M ount T a bor to comm e morat e that e v e nt A nd .
c e rtainly though th e r e do e s not app e ar to b e any

,
thing in t h e langu a ge e mploy e d which ab solut e ly

r e quir e s i tthis supposition would accord v e ry w e ll
,
with t h e g e n e ral ton e of t h e discours e Tabor as is .

,
w e ll known was from t h e e arli e st ag e s b e li e v e d to

,
hav e b e e n t h e sc e n e of t h e T ra n s fi gu r a t
i on No .
mountain it is agr e e d by all could b e more suitabl e

, ,
for such an e v e nt from its isolation its sol e mn , ,
b e auty a n d t h e grand e ur of t
,
h e wid e spr e ad vi e w from
its summit B ut t h e asc e rtain e d fact that in our
.
S aviour s tim e it was crown e d by a R oman fortr e ss

’
,
h a s caus e d this b e li e f to b e now giv e n u p In t he .
monastic a g e s howe v e r th e r e was no misgiving on

, ,
t he subj e ct It was th e n a fa vourit e r e sort fo r

.
h e rmits StJ e rom e had spok e n of it unh e sitatingly

. .
as t h e sc e n e ; and thus “
i twas o n e of t h e shrin e s ,
from t h e e arli e st p e riod which pilgrims t o t h e Holy,
Land r e gard e d it as a sacr e d duty to honour with

A tt
”1
th e ir pr e s e nc e and th e ir pray e rs h e pr e s e nt .
day both t
,
h e Latin a n d Gr e e k Christi a ns maint a in
p e riodical s e rvic e s h e r e I f it w e r e m dee d to a con .
re a t i o n gath e r e d tog e th e r on this m ount a i n that St

g g .
J ohn of D amascus spok e his words must hav e com e ,
w ith vivid int e r e st and pow e r as h e thus b e gan ,
Com e ye ass e mbly of God l o vi u g p e opl e and l e t

,
-
,
1
Pro fe ssor H a ck e tt : A rt . in Smith s
’ “
D iction a ry of t
he
B ibl e
”
.
SERMONS . 10
5
u s hold high fe stival this day Com e and le tu s k e e p

.
,
t h e fe ast t his day along with t h e fe stal Pow e rs abov e .
For th e y a r e com e hith e r to j oin in t h e fe stiv a l w ith

u s . Com e l e tu s ra is e t
,
h e shout of j oy with our lips ,
as with w e ll tun e d cym b a ls Com e l e tu s e xult in

-
.
,
spirit For to whom b e long fe a st and sol e mnity ?

.
To whom b e long j oy a n d gl a dn e ss i f not to th e m ,
that fe ar t h e Lord th a t worship t

,
h e Trinity th a t ,
r e ve r e t h e S on and Holy S pirit with t h e Fath e r

c o e t e rnal
-
that w ith h e art and mind a n d mouth
,
con fe ss t h e Godh e a d re v e al e d to u s indivisibly in thre e

P e rsons that both know and a ffi r m that Christ is t
,
he
S on of God and ve ry God r e ve a l e d to u s in two
, ,
nature s without division a n d without con fusion and

, ,
with th e ir natural prop e rti e s ? For u s is gladn e ss

and e v e ry fe stal j oy It is for u s th a t Christ has
.
ordain e d t h e fe stivals 5 for alz er o i s n o j oy t o t /z e

‘
Le tu s la y asid e t h e cloud of e v e ry gri e f that dark e ns

our mind and su ffe rs i t not to b e rais e d on high
,
.
Le t u s mak e light of all e a rthly things fo r our ,
citi z e nship is not on t h e e arth Le tu s dire ct our

.
thoughts to h e av e n fr om zolzem e a ls o w e l ook for t

,
lze
Sa vi ou r t ,
lz e Lo r dj es u s
T h e r e ad e r w ill not fa il to b e struck with t h e way
in which t h e pr e ach e r brings t h e controv e rte d topic
’
of Christ s twofold natur e e v e n into this e xordium .
A ft e r e nlarging on t h e s a m e su b j e ct ( c h e quot e s .
th e words of t h e Psalmist Ta b or a n d H er mon s/z a l l

'
re j oi ce i n t lzy fl a m e ; and appli e s th e m in t h e usual

mann e r H e rmon had its da y of r ej oicing wh e n
.
Christ was b apti z e d in t h e n e ighbouring J ordan .
N ow Tabor has its day of honour that divin e and ,

1 06 ST . J OH N or DAMAS C U S .
holy mountai n tow e ring on high n o l e ss by its glory

,
and spl e ndour th a n by its cloud capt loftin e ss I t -

.
vi e s with h e av e n in t h e gr ac e confe rr e d upon i t .
For whil e in h e av e n t h e v e ry ang e ls avail not to ga z e

un wav e ringly on Christ h e r e t h e chos e n apostl e s s e e
,
Him shining forth in t h e glory of His kingdom .
On this mountain an assuranc e is giv e n of t h e r e sur

r e ction of t h e d e ad 5 and Christ is shown to b e Lord
b oth of t h e quick a n d d e ad by bringing forth as a ,
witn e ss M os e s from t h e d e ad a n d E lias still aliv e , ,
him who o f o l d sp e d away to t h e c e l e stial r e g1o n s in

his chariot o f fi r e (0 ”
H e th e n go e s on to
.
contr a st Tab or a n d S inai Wh e n t h e law wa s giv e n

.
o n S inai th e r e was cloud and storm and darkn e ss

, ,
all symbols o f t h e imp e n e tr a b l e myst e ry in w hich t he

D ivin e Giv e r of t h e law was shroud e d But now o n .
,
M ount Tabor all i s full of light and radi a nc e

,
For .
t h e S on is com e from t h e bosom o f t h e Fath e r to

'
r e v e al His glory A nd His count e n a nc e sfi zfl es a s

.
z fi e s u n ; for it b e ams forth in hypostatic union with

‘
i mmat e rial light 5 and h e nc e H e is b e com e t

1 h e S un
of right e ousn e ss But His garm ents a r e w i l li e a s
.
1
This p a ss a g e m a y s e rv e a s a sp e cim e n o f t h e w a y in which
th e Gr e e k t e xt o f D a m a sc e n u s still n e e ds r e v i s i on T he re a d .
ing h e r e is (pwr i ydp a i h q) r a v i Zs r a r a r

’
In a
fr a gm e nt o f a C a t e n a on S t M a tth e w giv e n l a t e r on in t
.
, he
s am e volum e o f M i gn e s e dition ( col
’
it is owr i y ap ci ANy
.
r a v n Zer a z x a 9 é r é a r a m v N o o ne I suppos e would h e sit a t e

’ ’
.
, ,
to r e pl a c e in t h e l a tt e r p a ss a g e by 1151 41 from t h e form e r

( ,
whil e fo r r a v r i Zer a r in both I h a v e v e ntur e d to r e a d zl y é Zea-a t a

’
.
E v e n i f r a v r i Zje- r a t could h a v e t h e m e a ning o f is m a d e

id e ntic a l with th a t s e ns e is not w a nt e d ; t
,
”
h e following words
s u fii c i e n t
ly e xpl a ining wh a t kind o f union is m ea nt
’
.
nor of Paul nor of J os eph nor of any oth e r fa th e r

, , ,
but of m a n : for H e had not a fath e r on e arth who ,
had not a moth e r in h e av e n (0 .
R e asons a re n e xt giv e n for t h e u se of t h e e xpr e s

“
sion th e r e a r e s ome standing h e r e which shall not
,
t a ste of d e ath & c on t

”
,
h e ground th a t if o n e only
.
,
had b e e n singl e d out t h e words would hav e b e e n ,
int e rpr e t e d i n t h e sam e s e ns e as t h e d e claration in

St J ohn xxi 2 2 an d r e fe rr e d to t
. .
, h e survival of
StJohn 5 wh e r e as i f a ll had b e e n us e d inst e a d of
.
som e t,
h e unworthy I sc a riot would hav e b e e n includ e d
( c
. T h e appar e nt discr e pancy b e tw e e n StM at .
th e w an d St Luk e as to t
. h e tim e “
aft e r s i x days ,
and aft e r ezgfi f d a ys is e xplain e d in t

“ ”
h e simpl e
,
and natural way o f supposing th a t o n e e vange list

counts both e xtr e m e s i n t h e oth e r n e ith e r B ut not
,
.
cont e nt with this t h e pr e ach e r go e s on to display t

,
he
symbolic prop e rti e s of both th e s e numb e rs in a way
th a t r e minds u s of t he N u mer or u m My s t er z a of P e trus
’
B ungus S i ze is a p e rfe ct numb e r for it is mad e up

.
,
of t h e sum of its factors and ezglz tis t h e numb e r of ,
th e r e surr e ction I n conn e ction with this h e quote s

.
th e b e autiful applic a tion mad e by N a z i a n z e n o f t he

“
pass a ge in E ccl e siast e s ( xi Giv e a portion to .
s e v e n and also to e ight 5 wh e r e seven t

,
”
he numb e r ,
of t h e w e e k is int e rpr e t e d of t
,
h e a ffairs of this life
which d e mand our car e whil e ezgfi t d e noting t he , ,
r e curr e nc e of t h e fi rs tday ov e r a gain is int e rpr e t e d ,
of t h e life to com e which also must hav e its portion

,
in our thoughts ( c T h e r e a son fo r t

. h e choic e
of P e t e r Jam e s and John to b e witn e ss e s o f t
, ,
he ,
i o n is th e n giv e n 5 as a l so t
T r a n s fi gu r a t ,
h e r e aso n of
S ERMON S . 10
9
a mountain b e ing t h e ch os e n spot A mountain a s .

,
rising high abov e t h e l e v e l of t h e e a rth is a sym b ol ,
of that charity or lov e which is t , h e crowning Chris

,
tian gra c e T 0 r e ad e rs of t
. h e works b e aring t he
nam e o f Dionysius t h e A r e op a git e this thought will ,
b e a fa mili a r o n e Through t. h e succ e ssiv e st a g e s o f

p u r i fi c a t
i o n and illumin a tion t h e soul must ris e to its
p e rfe ction 5 as through faith a n d hop e we r e ach t he
e mpyr e an su m mit o f lov e
“
Wh e re for e St J ohn
”
.
, .
we should l e av e to t
“
of Damascus continu e s , he
e arth what is e a rthy and surmount this b od , y of ou r
and born e on high to t h e lofty and divin e
watch tow e r o f lov e th e re ga z e on wh a t had b a t
-
, fled
our ga z e For h e who h a s attain e d to t
. h e e min e nc e
of lov e b e ing in a m e asur e out o f hims e l f disc e rns
, ,
th e uns e e n and b y soaring a bov e t

,
h e gloom o f this
co rpor e a l cloud that hov e rs ov e r him and r e a ching ,
th e cl e ar upp e r air o f t h e soul fi x e s a mor e pi e rcing ,
g a z e upon t h e S un o f R ight e ousn e ss e v e n though ,
un a bl e a s ye tto b e fully s a t e d with t h e sp e ct a cl e .
A n d on t h e words ap a r ta n d l o p r ay b rought to ,
ge th e r by j oining t h e accounts o f t h e first a n d third

e v a ng e list h e a dds t
,
h e pithy comm e nt For qui e tud e ,
is t h e moth e r of pra y e r 5 as pray e r is t h e m a ni fe sta

T h e T r a n s fi gu r a t
”
tion of divin e glory (c . ion
its e lf wa s not an assuming o f what Christ h a d not
b e for e b u ta mani fe sting to t
,
h e discipl e s o f th a t
which h e had 5 th e ir e y e s b e ing op e n e d so th a t , ,
w hil e hith e rto but b lind th e y w e r e now e n a bl e d to

,
see
(
. c x ii ) From t.h e words his fac e did shin e as
,
t h e draws anoth e r illustra tion of t

”
h e sun ,
h e topic
e v e r pr e s e nt to his thoughts t h e t wofold natur e of
,
1 10 ST . J OH N OF D A MAS C U S .
Christ .For light was in e xist e nc e b e for e t h e sun .
E v e n so Christ b e ing Light of light e t e rnal and

, ,
u napproachabl e cam e to dw e ll in a t e mporal and

,
cr eat e d body and is thus o n e S un of R ight e ousn e ss

, ,
o n e Christ r e v e al e d to u s in t
,
wo undivid e d nature s
t b n efi ts that t
( c
. I n d e scribing h e e h e chos e n
apostl e s would gain by t h e sight of th e ir pr e d e c e ssors

,
i n God s s e rvic e M os e s and E lias thus gl o r i fi e d t

’
,
he , ,
pr e ach e r allo ws hims e lf to b e carri e d away for a

mom e nt from t h e pati e nt task of t h e e xpositor It
was m e e t that th e y should s ee this glory and stat e of
fr e e dom of th e ir own fe llow s e rvants and minist e rs of -
God 5 and having s e e n i t b e amaz e d at t h e loving

,
cond e sc e nsion o f th e ir M ast e r and b e mor e fi lle d ,
with z e al and b e com e n e rve d for t

,
h e cont e st For .
h e who has s e e n what a r e to b e t h e fruits of his

labours will most r e adily v e ntur e on t
,
h e c on fl ic t .
T h e d e sir e of gain can t e mpt m e n to b e unsparing of

th e ir b odi e s For soldi ers and athl e t e s and husband
.
, ,
m e n and m e rchants b e tak e th e ms e lv e s ch e e rfully to

, ,
th e ir labours risking t h e oc e an billow and h e e ding

, ,
n ot wild b e asts or robb e rs that th e y may obtain t he ,
long e d for r e ward 5 and t

-
h e mor e th e y se e thos e who
hav e toil e d b e for e th e m e nj oying th e ir gains t h e more ,
a r e th e y spurr e d on to e ndur e hardships E v e n so will .
t ‘
u a l m en a t
h e sp i ri t arms and athl e t e s and husband
- -
, ,
m e n and m e rchants of t
,
h e Lord who cov e t n o t ,
e arthly gains nor asp 1r e afte r fl e e t

,
i n g honours wh e n ,
with th e ir own e y e s th e y b e hold what th e y hav e store d

up in e xp e ctation and see thos e who hav e toil e d ,
b e for e th e m r e alising t h e d e lights of t h e good things

th e y had hop e d for gird th e ms elv e s up mor e r e so ,
1 1 2 ST . J OH N OF DA M AS C U S .
Lord ordain th e e to s etin ord e r Thy discipl e s thy .

,
sh ee p which t
,
h e good chi e f pastor plac e d in thy
charg e hav e bro u ght thy words to th e ir fu l fi l m e n t
, ,
by e r e cting for Christ and for his minist e rs M os e s ,
and E lias t h e tab e rnacl e wh e r e in w e now k e e p t

, he
fe ast ( c xvi ) . .
T h e cl oa a e nt e r e d by t h e thr e e was t
’
h e antityp e o f
that cloud a n d darkn e ss which M os e s e nt e r e d at t he
giving of t h e law For t h e law as St P a ul writ e s
.
, .
,
has a s k a a ow of good t lz z fl gs t
'
’
o com e O nly on that .
form e r occasion t h e cloud was o n e of d a rkn e ss 5 now

i tis a cloud of light For t h e myst e ry hid from past
.
—
g e n e rations was now r e v e al e d that myst e ry which
t h e law and t h e proph e ts had a lik e for e told H e nc e .
t h e fi tn e ss of M os e s and E li a s b e ing now pr e s e nt o n e ,
t h e r e pr e s e ntativ e o f t h e law t h e oth e r of th e proph e t s 5

,
o n e mor e ov e r r e pr e s e nting t he quick and t h e oth e r ,
t h e de a d ( c xvii ) . That voic e from t

. h e cloud which
proclaim e d T/z zs i s j ll y b el oved Son was t
'
,
h e voic e of ,
Him who at t h e fi r s tsaw all th a t H e had m a d e and

pronounc e d it v e ry good T h e good pl e asur e of t
. he
Fath e r w e ld e d tog e th e r in His only b e gott e n S on t he -
conn e cting link o f all For if man is ind ee d t

. he
microcosm b e aring in hims e lf t
,
h e link which coupl e s
th e visibl e univ e rs e with t h e invisibl e b e ing in fa ct ,
both t h e o n e and t h e oth e r 5 rightly was it we ll pl e a sing -
to t h e Lord and Cr e a tor and Gov e rnor of a ll things ,
that in His only b e gott e n and consubstantial S on

-
th e r e should b e mad e a conn e cting link of Godh e ad

and manhood a n d through that of t , , h e whol e ,
cr e ation 5 that God might b e all in all ( c xvii ) . .
In his e xposition of t h e words H ea r y e fi l m ,

SERMONS . 13
tak e s occasion to run ov e r t

D a m a sc e n u s h e command
m e nts as b e i ng p a rt of that divin e utt e ranc e to
,
r
which w e a re to list e n ; and h e thus conclud e s :

“
Th e s e ordinanc e s of God l e t u s k e e p with a l l
watchfu ln e ss that we too may luxuriat e in His
,
divin e b e auty and m ay hav e our fi ll in tasting His

,
swe e tn e ss b oth in this life as fa r a s is possi b l e for

, ,
thos e who a r e w e igh e d do w n w ith this e arthly tab e r

n a c l e of th e b ody and h e re a ft e r in gr e a t e r cl e arn e ss
,
and purity 5 wh e n t /ze r zg/z t

eou s s lz z n e for t
' '
/z a s z lz e s u n ‘
,
a n d wh e n r e l e as e d from t
,
h e constraints of t h e b ody ,
th e y will b e as t h e ang e ls living imp e risha b ly with

,
th e Lord in t ,
h e gr e a t and glorious r e v e l a tion from
h e av e n of our Lord and God and S a viour J e sus
, , ,
Christ Hims e lf 5 to whom b e glory a n d dom inion ,

"
now h e nc e forth and for e v e r A m e n
, ,
. .
T he s e rm on on t h e With e r e d F i g T r e e which follows -

, ,
though consid e rably short e r than that on t h e Tr a ns

fi gu r a ti o n tak e s a wid e r swe e p and is not so clos e
, ,
an e xposition of its subj e ct From t h e title it would

.
,
a pp e ar to hav e b ee n d e liv e r e d in a
“
church of t he
Holy R e surre ction pr e sumably in J e rusal e m A t
"
, .
th e outs e t t h e pr e a ch e r says th a t h e was mov e d to

,
utt e ranc e b y th e su b sist e nt Word o f God t he

Fath e r who d e part e d not from t
,
h e bosom of t he
F a th e r and ye twas conc e iv e d incompre h e nsibly in
,
th e Virgin s womb 5 who for my sak e b e cam e what I

’
a m 5 who though fr e e from passions in His godh e ad

, ,
put on a human body of like p a ssions with m ys e l f 5

who whil e riding on t
,
h e chariots o f t h e ch e rubim ,
y e t s e at e d Hims e lf wh e n on e,arth upon th e foal of ,

1 14 ST . J OH N or DAM ASC US .
an ass ( c i ) . . A n d h e th e n proc e e ds to sp e ak mor e

fully of Christ s inca rnation
’
.
I t might not b e obvious with what d e sign t h e dis

cours e was thus b e gun or what was t ,
h e association of
thought in t h e pr e a ch e r s min d But as we advanc e
’
.
we disc e rn his l e a ding id e a to b e that as Christ , ,
cam e to t h e fi g tr e e hung e ring for fruit and found

-
,
non e so H e cam e to mankind imp e ll e d by a divin e

, ,
y e arning aft e r th e m B e yond t .h e lin e of thought

thus mark e d out and what is n e c e ssary t
, o e lucidat e
i t th e r e is v e ry littl e in t
,
h e way of comm e nt or
e xposition of t h e t e xt With this clu e how e v e r to
.
, ,
t h e pr e ach e r s drift t h e r e ad e r will hav e no di ffi c u l t

’
, y
in tracing t h e conn e ction of t h e following passag e s
We h a t e d Him and turn e d away from Him
, ,
b e coming slav e s to anoth e r But H e continu e d to .
hav e an unchang e abl e lov e for u s On this account .
H e ran aft e r u s H e cam e to thos e who hat e d H im

.
,
H e pursu e d thos e wh o fl e d from Him and wh e n H e , ,
ov e rtook th e m chastis e d th e m not in st e rnn e ss nor

,
brought th e m b ack with a scourg e 5 but as a good ,
physician wh e n insult e d spit upon b e at e n by a

, , , ,
pati e nt i n d e lirium only appli e s r e m e di e s so did H e

, , .
A n d as a mighty work of h e aling H e appli e d His ,

’
o wn Godh e ad to b e a r e m e d y of man s human nature
”
a r e m e dy most e ffi ca c i ou s a r e m e dy a ll pow e rful,
-
.
This r e n d e r e d t h e w e ak fl e sh mighti e r than t he

pow e rs uns e e n For j ust as iron is unapproachabl e
.
,
wh e n unit e d with fi r e wh e n mad e burning hot ) ,
e v e n so t h e m e r e stubbl e of our natur e wh e n unit e d ,
with t h e fi r e of t h e Godh e ad has b e e n mad e u n ,

\
approachabl e to t h e d e vil A nd s ee ing th a t .

,
1 1 6 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC U S .
Me My
'
forth ,
cu r sed is gr ou n d for sa ke zn s or r ow
s/z a ll t
/z ou f i ta l l flee da y s
f ( iii ) A s l ay If
‘
ea z o o e 0 . .
an e xampl e of barr e n and ungrat e ful wordin e ss ,
which h e compare s to t h e profu sion of l e av e s on t he

u n fruitful fi —
g tr e e rough l e av e s in plac e of sw e e t
-
fr u it — t h e pr e ach e r cit e s t h e harsh qu e stions put to

J e su s shortly a ft e r wards by t h e chi e f pri e sts and
e ld e rs of t h e p e opl e ( StM a t th xxi . who cam e . .
to Him in t h e t e mpl e and said : B y w i l a l a u t

'
,
/z or z zy
does t t /zoa f/z ese t /z z fzgs ? a a a w /z o gam e t i me t
'
/zzs
'
’
”
a a f/z or i /
y B e hold h e cri e s th e ir barr e nn e ss of
, ,
s pirit and unb e li e f Th e y ought to hav e said W e ll ,
don e good M ast e r for that Thou didst rais e La z arus

, ,
aft e r b e ing d e ad four days didst mak e t h e lam e to

,
walk didst giv e t

,
h e pow e r o f s e e ing to t h e blind ,
didst h e al t h e bruis e d and wound e d didst driv e ,
a way e v e ry i n fi r m i t y didst put ,

th e e vil spirits to
fl i gh t and sh owe ds tt
’
,
h e way of salvation But in .
plac e of this th e y ask B y w /z a ta u l /z or ziy does l t /z oa

’
t /z ese t lz z rzgs ? O wick e d and faithl e ss g e n e ra

'
tio n .
T h e e xplanation which John of Damascus giv e s a

littl e lat e r on of Christ s b e ing t h e cfi z qf com er s t
’
on e i s
’
notic e abl e Inst e ad of His b e ing so call e d as j oining

.
and locking tog e th e r in o n e t h e J e wish and G e ntil e

worlds as adj ac e nt w a lls h e r e gards H im as p e rform
, ,
ing that o ffi c e for t he t wo parts of t h e Church t he ,
visibl e and t h e invisibl e ang e ls and m e n ,

“
I will .
j oin t h e two hosts tog e th e r t h e things that a r e now,
s e parat e what is on e arth and what is in h e av e n

,
.
Thro u gh m e shall th e re b e form e d o n e Church o f ,
ange ls and of m e n (c iv ) . .
SERMONS . 1 1 7
Com e th e n b re thr e n h e conclud e s

, ,
as m a n y ,
as r e c e iv e d t he nam e of b e li e v e rs who hav e b e e n ,
count e d worthy to b e c a ll e d t h e p e opl e of Christ l e t ,
u s not mak e our calling void nor de hl e our fa ith b y ,
uns e e mly d e e ds Tis not e nough to b e call e d a

.
’
b e li e v e r ; le tu s manife st our fa ith by works

Le tu s r e m e mb e r t h e r e nunci a tion and t h e cov e nant
which we mad e in b a ptism We r e nounc e d t .h e d e vil
and his ang e ls and all his s e rvic e Le tu s k ee p our
,
.
r e nouncing 5 l e tu s not r e turn a ga in lik e t h e dog to his

H e th e n e num e rat e s th e works of t
”
vomit . he d e vil ,
which th e y should r e nounc e ; and t h e gr ac e s o f t he

S pirit which th e y should follow ( c vi ) ; e nding with t
,
he .
praye r Hold thou t h e dominion ov e r my h e art 0 ,
Lord and k e e p it as Thin e inh e ritanc e M ak e Thou

,
.
Thy dwe lling in m e along with t ,

h e Fath e r a n d t he
Holy Ghost Wid e n in m e t . h e cords o f Thy tab er
n a cle ,e ve n t h e op e ra tions of T b y most holy S pirit .
For Thou art my God a n d I will prais e Th e e toge th er

, ,
w ith Thy E t e rn a l Fath e r and T b y quick e ning S pirit ,

”
n o w h e nc e forth a n d fo r e v e r
, ,
Amen . .
T he third s e rmon is on Good Friday— Sa m t a
P a r a sf ev e the “
da y o f pr e para tion
,
for t h e J e w ish
S abb a th In som e m a nuscripts it is attribut e d to
.
St John Chrysostom a n d was includ e d in t

.
,
h e w ork s
of th a t writ e r by S ir H e nry S avil e Le q u i en s e e ms .
to think it ge nuin e by a ss e rting that it is wrongly

,
ascri b e d to Chrysostom and by introducing it in hi s,
o w n e dition of Da m a s c e n u s s works without furth e r ’
r em ark I a m bound to sa y that t

. h e styl e app e ars t o
m e to show a high e r ord e r of e loqu e nc e than is found

1 1 8 ST . J OH N OF DAM AS C U S .
in t h e confe ss e dly g e nuin e works of D a m a sc e n u s 1

‘
But a fe w e xtracts may p e rhaps with propri e ty b e

giv e n if only to e nabl e t
,
h e r e ad e r to form som e
e sti m at e for hims e lf of t h e m e rits of this discours e .
H e b e gins with a pan egyric upon t h e cross a n d t

he ,
O n this t
“
day on which Christ was cruci fi e d he .
,
sixth da y A dam was form e d , On this day h e bor e .
t h e lik e n e ss of God O h this day was e stablish e d .
t h e microcosm in t h e macrocosm (zi e man t he .

, ,
l e ss e r univ e rs e in th e gr e at e r ) O n this day man .

,
a s pilot had giv e n to him t

,
h e fair rudd e r of t he
world a living cr e atur e that was to control a ll living
,
cr e atur e s O n this da y h e r e c e 1v e d commandm e nts

.
to b e willingly ob e y e d 5 on this h e fe ll from paradis e 5 ,
on this h e was brought into paradis e again O h !

,
.
day o f vicissitud e s mourn ful ye tfr e e from mourni n g

, ,
.
O h ! day fraught with sorrow at dawn with gladn e ss ,
at e v e ntid e 5 nay rath e r a day that wound e d not so

, ,
much as i t h e al e d Downcast I a m l e tm e own .

,
i tas I r e cur to thos e disastrous d ee ds of old ; as I

,
h e ar of A dam e xp e ll e d from his nativ e hom e 5 from

paradis e its d e ni z en man Th e r e had h e foun d
,
.
It would b e out o f pl a c e h e r e to go into minut e d e t a ils o f

1
crit icis m B u tI doubt wh e th e r D a m a sc e n u s us e s such t e rms

.
a s Ao m d v 13 5 17 )
“
now 5 ?t ”
evx et omb
p
“
I r ej oic e ( lit “
a m .
cl a d in whit e g a rm e nts p ov o v o v
x a n d som e oth e rs Th e r e’
c
, .
is a lso a conspicuous a bs e nc e o f th a t const a nt a llusion to t he

two fold n a tur e o f Christ a n d kindr e d topics obs e rv e d in , ,
D a m a s cen u s T h e m e ntion too o f a l l p e opl e s n a tions a n d

.
, , ,
l a ngu a ge s ( col a s obs e rving t

. h e L e nt e n fa st would b e ,
l e ss a ppropri a t e in t h e c a s e o f D a m a scen u s a ta tim e wh e n t he ,
world e sp e ci a lly his own qu a rt e r o f i t w a s b e ing ov e rrun by

, ,
t h e Sa r a c e ns .
It was fi t that th e y should b e b e at e n by wom e n

‘
R ahab t h e h a rlot b e at th e m 5 t
,
h e o n e with an issu e
,
of blood b e at th e m 5 t h e Canaanitish woman b e a t

th e m A nd now onc e mor e a woman r e c e iv e s t
. he
”
cro w n o f victory ov e r th e m .
O n e mor e e x t r a ct w ill s u ffi c e I t is from t h e clos e of .
th e s e rmon wh e n h e is sp e aking of t ,
h e p e nit e nt thi e f
on t h e cross “ ”
I could hav e w ish e d h e says to , ,
pass ov e r t h e story so oft e n has it b e e n r e l a t e d to ,
you But t
. h e robb e r is b e for e my e y e s e v e r forcing ,
me .A nd no marv e l 5 for h e forc e d e v e n t h e gat e s of

p a radis e turning his rob b e r s skill to his own pr e s e r
,
’
vatio n Th e r e w e b e hold st a nding on t

. h e Cross t he
Lamb b e t w e e n t w o wolv e s But t h e o n e of th e m .
continu e d in his form e r m ind t h e oth e r r e p e nt e d , .
R em emb er me h e s a id w /z ezz Tfi oa eom es z ,

Tay k i ng ,
‘
a om
’
Oh ! t. h e pow e r of J e sus T h e robb e r is n o w .
a proph e t and this is his m e ssag e from t

,
h e cross
R emem b er m e, Lor d, w lz efz Tlz ou eomes z T/zy ki ng
‘
a om
’
Why what e mbl e m s of roy a lty dost thou s e e
.
, ,
poor robb e r ? bu ffe tings spittings nails t h e cross of , , ,
wood t h e scoffs of t ,
h e J e ws a n d t h e l a nc e of t he ,
soldi e r now b a r e d fo r its work Ye a but saith h e ‘ ’

.
, , ,
‘
I s e e not th e s e things that app e ar I s e e ang e ls .
s t a nding a round I se e t h e sun hiding 1t s fac e

,
the ,
v e il o f th e t e mpl e r e nt t h e e a rth sh a king t h e d ea d , ,
pr e paring to fl e e A n d J e sus that r e c e iv e th a l l e v e n

.
’
, ,
thos e who com e at t h e e l e v e nth hour to proph e sy in

his nam e and giv e th th e m all th e ir p e nny as b e ing
, ,
a lik e work e rs s a ith to him A men T a k e thou too

,
.
thy A men poor rob b e r ! t o d y a ro b e r to da y a son

a ,
b —
,
\ .
To—a ay s/z a l ttfi ou b e w z l /z m e i n pa r a di s e I that cast

'
’
.
,
S E R MON S . I2I
th ee out do bring th e e in 5 e v e n I that shut t

,
h e ga t e s
,
o f paradis e and barr e d th e m with a fl a m i n g sword .
If I bring th e e not i h t h e gat e s r e m a in shut

,
Com e .
hith e r to m e robb e r th a t h a st ro b b e d t
, ,
h e d e vil a n d ,
gain e d t h e crown o f victory ov e r him For w h e n .
thou saw e st m e as man thou didst worship m e a s

,
God Thin e old w e apons thou hast fl u ng away but

.
,
h a st tak e n t
h e shi e ld o f fa ith .
T h e fourth s e rmon on Holy S aturd a y or E a st e r

, ,
Eve is t
,
h e longe st of a ll and is an important though
, ,
som ewhat t e dious o n e A bout its ge nui n e n e ss a s

.
,
Lang e n a dmits th e r e c a n b e no doubt B e ginning

,
.
with t h e qu e stion of t h e Ps a lmist W/z o ( a n u t ,

ter flz e
m zg/z ly a ct s of Me Lo r a
’
w /z o a m s lzow for m a ll ff i s
'
p r a i se ? th e pr e a ch e r r e pli e s th a t non e c a n fully do

so ,
though h e should sp e ak with t h e tongu e s of
ange ls and of m e n S uch myst e ri e s o f divin e lov e
.
can only b e acc e pt e d by fa ith 5 a n d to a ppro a ch th e m

b e comingly we n e e d th a t purity of mind which t
,
he
lov e a n d dr e a d o f God a lon e c a n giv e This w a s .
sym b olis e d b y t h e putting o ff his sand a ls b v M os e s ,
a fi gu r e o f t h e l a ying a sid e a l l d e a d a n d grov elli n g

Le tu s th e n my b r e thre n
”
thoughts .
,
h e proc e e ds , ,
puri fy ours e l ve s from e v e ry e a rthly im a gin a tion a n d ,
from all t h e disturbanc e and con fusion of li fe th a t ,
w e m a y r e c e iv e with uncloud e d vision t h e r a di a nt

spl e ndours of t h e divin e word a n d h a v e our souls
,
n ourish e d with t h e spiritual bre ad which is a n g e ls

’
food ; and p a ssing within t h e v e il m a y l e a rn cl e arly

th e divin e p a ssion of t h e passionl e ss e v e n t h e s a lva
,
tion of t h e world ( c i ) . A ft e r a pray e r fo r hims el f

.
1 22 ST . JOH N or DAMAS C U S .
and his h e ar e rs that th e y may di e u n t o s i n with Christ ,
r e sting as on that day in t h e stilln e ss of t h e grav e h e ,
tak e s occasion from this v e ry paus e and int e rmission ,
as it w e r e in t h e work of Christ to pass in r e vi ew

, ,
th e whol e syst e m of God s d e alings with man

’
This .
,
whil e adding to t h e importanc e o f t h e pr e s e nt homily ,
as conv e ying to u s t h e vi e ws of D a m a s c e n u s on many

doctrinal matt e rs l e ads to a som ewhat t e dious pro
,
l ix i t
y .
B e ginning at t h e v e ry b e ginning with t h e e t e rnal ,
e xist e nc e of a Divin e First Caus e God t h e Fath e r , ,
h e pass e s on to sp e ak of t h e e t e rnal g e n e ration of t he

S on and t
,
h e proc e ssion of t h e Holy Ghost and t he ,
r e lations b e t wee n t h e p e rsons of t h e Holy Trinity .
T h e Holy Ghost i s o f God and t h e Fath e r as ,
proc e e ding from Him 5 and is also said to b e of t lz e

S on as b e ing through Him mad e manife st and com
,
m u ni c a te d to t h e cr e a t e d world but not as having ,
His e xist e nce from Him ( c .
I n d e scribing t h e Cr e ation Da m a s c e n u s giv e s fr e e

,
play to his e xub e ranc e of l a nguage A nd though t he .
e ffe ct is marr e d by t
!
h e incongruous natur e of t he
m a t e rials h e works with — old e pic and dramatic ,
1
T he m e mora bl e a ddition o f t h e words fi l z ogzee to t he
'
W e st e rn cr e e d which involv e d t
, h e doctrin e th a t t h e H oly
Ghost proc e e ds from t h e S o n in lik e m a nn e r a s fro m t he
F a th e r is s a id to h a ve b e e n fi r s tm a d e in 5 8 9 a tt
,
h e third ,
Council o f Tol e do T h e cl a us e would a pp ea r t

. o h a v e b ee n
s l ipp e d in a lmos t without opposition or comm e nt a tt h e tim e .
T h e fi r s tO p e n cont e ntion a bout it b e tw e e n th e Gr e e k a n d La tin

church e s b eg a n a tt h e Council o f G e ntilly in 7 6 7 not m a ny ,
y e a rs a ft e r this s e rmon o f D a m a sc e n e s w a s d eliv er e d Se e

’
.
“
H istory o f t h e Cr e e ds
”
1873 8
’
Lu m b y s p ,5 , . .
1 24 ST . J OH N or D AM A S C U S .
hav e had its n a m e e i t h e r b e caus e it was m e ant to

'
,
’
t e st man s ob e di e nc e and would thus mak e his good ,
or evil bias known 5 or b e c a us e its fruit would impart

to thos e who partook of it a kno w l e dg e of th e ir own
tru e n a tur e .
T he su b j e ct of God s plan for m a n s r e d e mption

’ ’
,
which is n e xt discuss e d l e a ds to a digr e ssion on t ,

he
twofold natur e and will of Christ in t e rms v e ry ,
similar to thos e e mploy e d in t he “

D e Fid e
”
By .
c xix D a masc e n e com e s back m or e dir e ct l y to his

. .
F or s z n ee tb r oa glz m a fz ca me a ea t
l
su b j e ct lz it was
'
’
.
,
right also that through m a n should b e giv e n t he

r e surr e ction from t he dea d S ee ing th a t a r a tional .
soul of its o wn fr ee w ill wrought t h e transgr e ssion it ,
was right that a ra tion a l soul of its natur a l and own ,
fr e e will should work ob e di e nc e to t

,
h e Cr e ator 5 and
th a t S alvation should r e turn through t h e sam e
ch a nn e ls wh e r e by D e a th h a d b a nish e d li fe that ,
”
D e ath might not d e e m hims e lf a d e spot ov e r man .
This is follow e d by a singul a rly forc e d m e t a phor

A nd what was t h e issu e of this ? D e a th a ft e r ,
b a iting for man with t h e hop e o f his b e comi n g a s

God was hims e lf c a ught by t
,
h e bait of proffe r e d
fl e sh 5 a n d aft e r tasting a sinl e ss body b e cam e sick , ,
and vomit e d forth poor wr e tch all t ,

h e food that h e ,
h a d in his insid e (c xx ) I t is fa ir to s a y that such

. .
str a in e d m e t a phors as this a r e not oft e n found in our

author though h e oft e n e rrs in that dir e ction T h e
, .
p a ssage which imm e di a t e ly follows on t h e Cruci ,
fi x i o n is not a bad e xampl e of t

, h e forc e d antith e sis ,
and striving aft e r e ffe ct which marks t h e d e cad e nc e

,
“
of a lit e ratur e H e who had fa shion e d man with
.
S ERMON S . 1 25
divin e hands stre tch e d out His u n de fi le d hands all

,
day long t o a di s ob edi en ta n a ga z fz s ay z ng peopl e and

' '
’
comm e nd e d His S pirit into t h e hands of His Fath e r .
A l a nc e pi e rc e s t h e sid e of Him who form e d Eve

out of t h e sid e of A dam and op e ns t h e fountain of
,
d ivin e blood and wat e r t h e dr a ught of immortality

, ,
t h e l a v e r of r e g e n e ration A tthis sight t h e sun was

.
abash e d not e nduring to se e t

,
h e int e lligibl e S un of
R ight e ousn e ss tre at e d with insult T he e arth did .
quak e b e ing sprinkl e d with t

,
h e blood o f its Lord ,
a n d l e a pt for j oy at its u ri fica ti o n as it shook o f

f th e
p ,
de fi l e m e n to f idols blood M any th a t w e r e d e ad

’
.
ros e from th e ir s e pulchr e s fore shadowing t he r e sur,
r e ction of H im who was b e ing put to d e ath for u s .
T h e sun was e clips e d and r e kindl e d its rays again , ,
s o as to mak e t h e numb e r of thr ee d a ys spok e n of by

the Lord 1 T h e v e il of t
. h e t e mpl e w a s r e nt in twain ,
showing plainly t he way of approach to t h e inn e r

sanctuary and t h e r e v e lation of th a t which had b e e n
,
hidd e n . For now t h e ro b b e r was to e nt e r paradis e ,
and t h e M an w ho was l ift ed up a s a mal e factor was ,
1
This is e xpl a in e d more fully a littl e l a t e r on ( c .
T a king t h e words o f S t M a tt xii 4 0 in which o u r Lord

. . .
, ,
quot e s t h e illustr a tion o f Jon a h to r e quire th a t h is d e a th ,
s h ould e xt e nd ove r p a rts o f thre e d a ys a n d t /z r ee m g/z t s

'
D a m a sce n e thus comput e s th e m T h e su pe rn a tu ra l d a rkn e ss .
from t h e sixth hour to t h e ninth on t h e da y o f t h e P a s sion

, ,
was t h e fi r s tnight m a king with t ,

h e r estore d light th a t te
,
m a in e d be fore suns e t o n e compl e t e da y This would l e a ve

,
.
two succ e ssions o f nights a n d d a ys to follow b e for e t he r e sur

r e ction Z e ch x iv 6 7 IS quot e d a s ha rmoniz ing with this
. . .
, ,
And i t sh a ll com e to pa ss in th a t da y th a t th ere sh a ll not b e

light but a te v e ning time i t sh a ll b e l ight ”
.
1 26 ST . J OH N or D A MAS C U S .
to be b e li e v e d on a nd worshipp e d by e v e ry cr e atur e
( c .
A of t h e cross is found som e wh a t a r t

fi gu r e ifi ,
c i a lly in t h e act of M os e s wh e n h idd e n to l zfz u p

, ,
‘
his rod and s t r et

ch ou z his hand ov e r t he sea 5 t he ‘
uplift e d rod as it would s e e m b e ing m e ant for a

, ,
typ e of t h e upright b e am of t h e cross and t h e out ,
str e tch e d arm for t h e transv e rs e b e am across i t 1

.
T h e r e a son why Christ should have b e e n laid in a

n e w s e pulchr e is thus stat e d : But why is H e laid
in a n ew s e pulchr e wh e r e m no d e ad was e v e r ye t ,
laid ? M e thinks i t was that t h e r e surr e ction migh t

not b e suppos e d to hav e b ee n that of any of its
form e r occupants For t h e m e n who thus look e d
.
with e vil e ye on th e ir own salvation w e r e r e a dy for

any d e vic e an d most prompt to disb e li e v e
, A nd .
,
th e r e for e that t h e r e surr e ction of t

,
h e Lord may
b e visibly an d conspicuously display e d H e is buri e d ,
in a n e w and unus e d tomb H e t h e spiritual R ock .

,
of life from which as it follow e d th e m t

,
h e unmindful
I sra e lit e s drank 5 H e t h e corn er ston e not h e wn with, ,
This s ee ms t h e tru e e xpl a n a tion o f a n obscur e p a ss a ge .
D a m a sc e n e s words a r e : D o e s not t
’ “
h e s a m e M os e s aga in
smit e t h e sea with his r od a n d by t h e two fold m a nn e r o f his
,
strok e t h e upright a nd t
,
h e t r a nsv e rs e b e t ok e n t h e ngur e o f ,
th e cross ( c x x v ) Le q u i en b r i e fl y r e fe rs to E xod xiv 2 7 5

. . . .
but in th a t v e rs e th e re is m e ntion only o f t h e str e tching out o f

th e h a nd ov e r t h e s ea To compl e t e t h e fa nci ful i de a in t
. he
t e xt w e wa n tt
,
h e m e ntion o f th e upli ft e d rod a s w ell found in ,
xiv 1 6 ; unl e ss ind ee d th e r e h a s be e n som e con fu sion in t

. he
writ e r s mind b etw e e n this a n d t
’
h e smiting t h e r ock t w ic e ; a s
th e r e is nothing in E xod x i v to sugge st th a t M os e s srri ot
. .e t he
se a .
1 28 ST . J OH N OF DAMAS C U S
of God ,
a nd fr o m wi n e
~
into t
h e bloo d of God
( 0 .
H is closing words a r e an e x h o r tatl o n to watchful
n e ss e nforc e d by t
,
h e par a bl e of t h e T e n Virgins .
“ “
So watchi n g h e e nds with our lamps brightly
, ,
burning we shall go forth in bright array to m ee t t

, he
vanquish e r of d e ath t h e immort a l Brid e groom 5 and
,
we shall b e w e lcom e d in t h e brid e chamb e r u n de fi l e d ,
and with fac e unv e il e d shall look upon t h e glo ry of

th e Lord and luxuriat e in His b e auty ; with whom
,
to t h e Fath e r and th e Holy S pirit b e glo ry h onour , ,
adoration and m a j e sty now h e nc e forth and for e v e r

, , , ,
.
”
Am e n .
A ft e r analysing so minut e ly t h e fi r s tfour hom ili e s ,
th e re is t h e l e ss n e e d to notic e t h e oth e rs in d e tail .
T he n e xt two in ord e r a r e on t h e A nnunciation 2

.
Wh a t in fe r enc e s c a n b e dr a wn from D a m a s ce n u s s u se o f
1 ’
t h e word “ ”
ch a nge d ( p er a n oro p w o ) in this conn e ction is
'
-
zl v
a qu e stion th a t h a s b ee n p a rtly discuss e d a bov e p 8 3 n , . .
P e tri e comm e nting on t

,
h e p a r a ll e l p a ss a g e in t he D e F i de
( c xiv ) q uot e s him a s s a ying
. B y i n voc a tion a n d by worki n g
, ,
of t h e H oly Ghost t h e B r e a d a n d Win e a n d W a t e r a r e sup e r

,
na t ura lly ch a nge d into t h e B ody a n d B lood o f Christ T he .

”
P a pish e s adds t
”
, h e old S cotsm a n m a k e u s e o f this t
, e stimony
fo r th e ir Tr a nsubst a nti a tion ; but th e r e is a lso a sup e rn a tur a l

ch a nge o f t h e W a t e r i n B a ptism a n d ye tno T r a n su b s t, ant ia
tion ; n e ith e r do t h e Gr e eks b e li e v e it to this da y but only a ,
mystica l ch a nge in r ega rd o f t h e u s e a n d e fi ec t

”
Comp endious
'
H istory o f t h e Ca t
”
h ol i c k Church 1 6 6 2 p a rt i
, p 88 ,
.
, . .
T h e fi r s to f th e s e b e a rs no numb e r in M i gn e s e dition t
2 ’
he ,
n e x t counting a s t h e fift h of t h e s e ri e s F or gre a t e r pr e cision

.
,
I h a ve r e ckon e d th e m a s t h e fi ft h a n d sixth m a king fourt e e n in

‘
a ll .
SERMONS . 1 29
T h e fi r s tof th e s e e xists only in an A rabic v e rsion and ,
that pl a inly d e fe cti ve and incompl e t e A Latin trans .
lati 0n from this was mad e by t h e Ab b é D u Four de

Longu e ru e for Le q u i e n s e dition but t ’
h e pi e c e calls ,
for no particula r r e mark A ccording to Lange n t . he ,
g e nuin e n e ss of it is ve ry doubtful whil e th a t of t he ,
n e xt on t h e sam e subj e ct c a nnot b y any m e an s b e

admitt e d We should b e sorry ind e e d to think that
.
this latt e r of t h e two was by Damasc e n e A ft e r a .
short introduction calling on all nations to r ej oic e at

,
t h e good tidings t he homily if such it can b e call e d

, , ,
i s m a d e up e ntir e ly of e xcl a matory s e nt e nc e s e ach ,
b e ginning with t h e fi r s tword of t h e ang e lic salut a tion ,
H a zl / in slightly v a ri e d forms I t would b e i m p os

’
sibl e to giv e in an E nglish v e rsion any ad e quat e

, ,
conc e ption of t h e turgid a ffe ct e d s t y e w it

l h its com
'
, ,
poun d e pith e ts s e tting all t h e r e sourc e s of l e x i c o

1
gr a phy at de fi a n c e .
T h e fi v e homili e s which com e n e xt in ord e r a r e ,
all on kindr e d subj e cts 5 two on t h e N ativity of t he

Bl e ss e d Virgin and thr e e on h e r A ssumption T he
, .
g e nuin e n e ss at l e ast o f t
,
h e fi r s tt w o o f th e s e thos e -
on t h e N ativity — h a s b ee n call e d in qu e stion 5 partly

on t h e ground that t h e fe stival which gav e occasio n
to th e m was not institut e d till a lat e r dat e But th e r e .
s e e ms good authority for b e li e ving that t h e fe ast of

the Na t i vi t
y of th e Virgin ( Se pt 8 th ) was obs e rv e d in
.
th e Gr e e k Church as e arly as t h e s e v e nth c e ntury 2

.
O n e account e v e n mak e s it to hav e be e n appointe d

1
Within t
h e sp a c e of three or four lin e s we ha ve ob
pa
v 6¢ 9 a o r og
,
wa p fionr o c, dy t
é fih a a r o c.
A nd rea s Cr e t e nsis quot e d by

, Gi es e l er , 11 .
p 3 . 13 .
K
3 0 ST . J OH N or D A M AS C U S .
by Pop e S e rgius I in 6 9 5 T h e growth of l eg e ndary

.
, .
fanci e s which l e d to that of t h e A s su m p t i o 11 was

1
gra dual and involv e d in much obscurity T h e words .
of S ym e on in St Luk e ii 3 5 Yea a s w or d sb a ll
. .
, , ,
i r ce t fi r oa /z t / w l l w r und rstood by
p e g y
z o n s o u a so e e e ,
som e at a v e ry e arly p eriod to imply that t h e Virgin

M ary was to suffe r martyrdom O rig e n argu e d against .
this n otion 5 pointing out that a mat e rial sword do e s

not pi e rc e t h e soul b ut t h e b ody
,
Th e n t h e v e ry .
,
sil e nc e of S criptur e r e sp e cting h e r e n d caus e d various

l eg e nds to spring u p A s e arly as t . h e tim e o f E pi
p h a n i u s som e h e ld this sil e nc e to b e a warrant for sup
posing that sh e had n e v e r r e ally di e d but had b ee n ,
tak e n to God as E lias was Sh e was t

,
h e Woman in
.
t h e A p ocalyps e pursu e d b y t
,
h e D ragon to Whom w e r e ,
giv e n t h e wings of an e agl e t hat sh e should fl ee into ,
t h e wild e rn e ss and e scap e him A lat e r form of t he .
l e g e nd was that s h e had b e e n buri e d in t h e vall e y of

J e hoshaphat and aft e rwards caught up into h e av e n
,
.
Gr egory o f Tours in t h e sixth c e ntury gav e cur

, ,
r e n c y to a mor e circumstantial account in which t he ,
apostl e s w e r e said to hav e b e e n summon e d by a

miraculous call from th e ir various sc e n e s of labour ,
t o b e pr e s e nt at t h e b e dsid e of t h e Virgin on t h e e ve
o f h e r d e partur e This story by whomso e v er i h
.
,
v e nt e d is re lat e d most fully and minut e ly by John

,
o f Damascus , or at any rat e by t h e author of t he
T he t e rm a ss u mp tz o is us e d o f t
h e d e a th o f s a ints with
’
out implying a nything mira culous ”

R ob e rtson “H ist o f . .
th e Christi a n Church ”
vol ii p 2 3 2 n T h e st a t e m e n t
, . .
,
s in
. .
th e t e xt a r e b a s e d a lmos t e ntir e ly on th e a u thoriti e s quot e d by

G i es e l er a n d R ob ertson .
1 3 2 ST . J OH N 0 1? DAMAS CU S .
carri e d with ang e lic and apostolic psalmody with ,
fun e ral rit e s was d e posit e d in a c o ffi n at G e ths e man e

, .
I n this plac e t h e chorus and singing of t h e ang e ls

continu e d thr ee whol e days But aft e r thr e e days .
,
on t h e ang e lic music c e asing thos e of t h e apostl e s ,
w h o w e r e pr e s e nt op e n e d t
h e tomb 5 as o n e of th e m ,
Thomas had b e e n abs e nt and on his arrival wish e d

, ,
to ador e t h e body which had born e God But h er .
a ll glorious body th e y could not fi n d 5 but th e y found

-
th e lin e n cloth e s lying and th e y w e r e fi lle d with an,
in effab l e odour of sw e e tn e ss which proc e e d e d from

th e m T h e n th e y clos e d t
. h e c o ffi n A n d th e y w e r e .
astonish e d at t h e myst e riou s wond e r 5 and th e y cam e

to no oth e r conclusion than that H e who had chos e n
to tak e fl e s h of t h e Virgin M ary and to b e com e a ,
man and b e born of h e r God t

, h e Word t h e Lord -
,
—
of Glory and had pr e s e rv e d h er virginity aft e r birth ,
was also pl e as ed a ft e r h e r d epartur e to honour h e r

, ,
imm aculat e and unpollut e d body with incorruption ,
an d to translat e h e r b e for e t h e common r e surr e ction

”1
of all m en T h e sp e cial day ( A u g 1 5 th ) to b e
. .
k e pt in m e mory of this passing of t h e M oth e r of t he

Lord is said to hav e b e e n fi x e d by t
,
h e E mp e ror
M aur ic e ( A D 5 8 2 . .
T h e r e ad e r will now b e in a position to und erstand

t h e ge n e ral drift of th e s e homili e s and to anticipat e ,
1
p a ss a ge is a tp 7 4 8 of vol iii o f M i gn e s e d I t
Th e . . .
’
.
should b e a dd e d th a t in t D e D ivinis N o m i n i b u s o f t
“ ”
he he
Ps e udo A r e op a git a c a p iii m e ntion is m a d e o f som e o f t
-
,
. .
,
he
a postl e s b e ing a ss e mbl e d to witn e ss t h e Virgin s d e c e a s e a n d
’
,
th a t H i e r o t
heu s t h e t e a ch e r o f D ionysius surp a ss e d a l l t
,
he ,
oth e rs in t h e divin e hymns t o which h e th e n g a v e ut t e r a nc e .

SERMONS . 1 3 3
th e kind of handling which t h e su b j e ct r e c e ive s It .
is not e asy nor p e rhaps d e sirabl e to r e produc e much

, ,
from th e m in an E nglish dr e ss T he subj e ct to a .

,
m e mb e r of t h e Church of E ngl a nd is a p ai nful o n e , .
T h e styl e to an E nglish mind is oppre ssiv e ly forc e d

, ,
and e xagge ra t e d J o a chim and A nn a t

. h e traditional ,
pare nts of t h e Virgin M a ry a r e addre ss e d und e r ,
e v e ry conc e ivab l e fi gu r e R ational p a ir of tu rtl e

.
dove s is t”
h e most fr e qu e ntly r e curring T h e birth .
of th e ir child is t h e bringing forth of a conch sh e ll -

,
h e re afte r to cont a in t h e mos t pre cious of p e a rls .
Th e y a r e t h e plant e rs of a vin e d e stin e d to b e a r t he

fair e st fruit Th e y a r e t . h e r e ar e rs o f a ladd e r that is
to conn e ct e a rth with h e a ve n I f such a r e t h e t e rms
.
appli e d to th e m t h e l a nguag e in w hich t

,
h e Virgin
h e rs e lf is apostrophis e d may p e rhaps b e im a gin e d .
Th e r e is h a rdly a m e t a phor i n t h e S ong of S olomon

which is not pre ss e d into t h e s e rvic e N o doubt th e re .
a r e som e good qualiti e s brought into play by such a
m e thod Whil e mod e rn comm e nta tors e sp e ci a lly o f

.
,
o n e p a rticul a r school a r e fond of r e it e rating a fe w

,
t e xts o r at a n y r a t e r e sorting to a fe w portions o f

, , ,
Holy Writ for th e ir a uthoriti e s t h e old e r on e s show .
a command of a far wid e r fi e ld N 0 book e ith e r of .

,
t h e O ld Te stam e nt or t h e N e w is n e gl e ct e d by th e m ,
.
T h e corre ctn e ss or propri e ty o f th e ir r e fe r e nc e s may

o ft e n b e a matt e r o f disput e ; but t h e fact r e m a ins ,
that t h e minds of m e n lik e J ohn of Dam a scus mus t

hav e b e e n s a tur a t e d w ith t h e l a ngu a g e of t h e B ibl e
to a d e gr ee we can h a rdly r ea lis e Dr N e al e has 1 . .
“
1
M e diw va l Pr e a ch e rs ,
”
1 85 6 , Introd .
pp . x xv xx x i
.
-
.
1 34 ST . J OH N 0 1? D A MA SC U S .
illustrat e d this subj e ct by a comparison of t he t e xts

cit e d in two parall e l discours e s on t h e sam e topic ,
o n e by a m e di ae val pr e ach e r t h e oth e r by a mod ern ,
divin e But this m e thod o f comparison a lon e would

.
not giv e anything lik e an ad e quat e id e a of t h e dif

fe r e nc e T h e Bibl e phras e ology s e e ms to com e so
.
naturally an d spontan e ously to t h e lips of t he

pr e ach e r m t h e form e r cas e that his langu a ge i s ,
colour e d by it in a m an ne r n o marginal r e fe r e nc e s
will indicat e I t would ind e e d b e a b urd e n too gr e a t
.
for any e ditor to hav e to analys e t h e e xpr e ssions in

such homili e s as thos e n ow b e for e u s and assign ,
e v e ry word or s e nt e nc e th e r e quot e d to its origin al
author To t a k e but a singl e e xampl e from t

. he fi rst
of t h e s e rmons on t he Na t i vi t
y o f th e Virgin 0
( .
A mong various m e t a phors by which t h e moth e r of t he

Lord is th e r e d e scrib e d o n e is tak e n from t h e words
,
of t T fi z s z s z lz e fi zl l w a ff le Goa a esz r ez a t
’
h e Psalm
'
’
’
’
'
‘ ‘
o
dw ell i n A s th e r e is not a singl e marginal r e fe r e nc e

.
provid e d by t h e e ditor throughout this ch a pt e r it ,
might e asily e scap e a r e ad e r e v e n w e ll acquaint e d

-
with his E nglish Bibl e that t h e r e st o f t h e passag e is

,
a quotation from t h e sam e Psalm T /i e m oz ml a z n of

'
God i s a r z e/Em oa m a z a a m ou n t
’ ’
a i n ea r a l ea a s elz ees e
' '
‘
, ,
a f l ea m ozm l a z a N or is it without som e consid e ra

’ ’
tion that we id e ntify this with our own v e rsion

T/z e fi z ll of Goa i s a s z lz e f al l of B a sfi a ez a n en lz z ll
' '
’ ‘
, ,
a s Me b i l l o f B a s lza a 1 A nd j ust as th e r e ad.e r s ’
1
Ps lxviii ( ln t
. h e Vulg a t
. e l x vu ) 1 5 T h e La tin Vulg a t e , . .
a gr e e s v e rb a lly with t h e S e ptu a gint o f which t h e a bove is a ,
lit e r a l tr a nsl a tion I t is a noth e r inst a nc e o f t

. h e con fus i on
a risi n g from words b e ing t r ea t e d in o n e v er sion a s prop e r
n a m es a n d in a noth e r no t
,
.
1 3 6 ST . JOH N or D A M ASC U S .
b e l e d into r e gions of obscurity in t he s e arch fo r fa r

fe tch e d and r e condit e allusions B ut wh e th e r it b e .
from a c e rtain oppr e ssiv e consciousn e ss of t h e fam e

of his subj e ct as a sacr e d orator or from an e ffort ,
to writ e on this occ a sion with more classic symm e try

of form t h e Gre e k is undoubt e dly s t i fi e r and mor e
'
labour e d than is usual with D amasc e n e .
A ft e r praising t h e e xc e ll e nt natur e that was in

Chrysostom his unw e ari e d z e al his orthodoxy ( und e r
, ,
which h e ad h e is prais e d for upholding what J ohn o f

D amascus is n e v e r w e ary of adv e rting to — t h e twofold
natur e and doubl e will of Christ ) h e continu e s ,
“
0 that I had giv e n m e a tongu e worthy of thy
pan e gyric ! 0 that I w e r e brought back to that day
o f old tim e wh e n th e r e b e am e d forth t
,
h e divin e fi r e
a mde r t h e lik e n e ss of tongu e s and r e st e d in o n e form
,
. a n d in many m e asure s on e ach of t h e apostl e s that ,
th e r e m l gh tb e pr e ach e d in div e rs e tongu e s t he one

unbrok e n doctrin e of t h e fa ith ! That doctrin e
brought toge th e r into o ne wh a t had b ee n s e parat e d ,
by doing away with t h e manifold e rror which th e y

t hat built t h e tow e r in anci e nt days conspir e d to
bring i n wh e n th e y r e c e iv e d t
,
h e r e ward of th e ir i m
pi e ty in t h e confusion of tongu e s and through that , , ,
in divid e d couns e ls 0 that I had a shar e of th a t

.
tongu e of t h e S pirit so as to r e h e ars e t

,
he mor e than
human e xc e ll e nc e s of this man who was fi lle d with
th e S pirit . I would b i d an oc e an of words th en b e
r e ady at my call and a profoun d e st d e pth o f thoughts
,
.
B u tt h e grac e of t h e S pirit yi e lds not to words For .
t h e wh o without t
,
h e S pirit would d e cl a r e t
,
h e things
o f t h e S pirit is as a man who choos e s to s e e without
,
SE R M ONS . 1 3 7
light and has darkn e ss for t

,
h e gu id e of his vision
( 0
.
T hemor e strictly biographical part of t h e discours e

b e gins at 0 viii and this ch a pt e r may s e rve as a
. .
,
spe cim e n of D a masc e n e s styl e in h a ndling wh a t ’
n ee d b e no more than simpl e n a rrative In a .
pl a in E nglish v e rsion it is not of cours e possibl e , ,
to conv e y t h e ornat e charact e r of t he Gr e e k A ft e r .
d e scribing Ch rys o s t o m s s e l f disciplin e in e arly youth

’
-
,
“
h e proc e e ds 5 — H e now go e s for instruction to
M e l e tius Patriarch of t
,
h e Church at A ntioch a man ,
adorn e d with v e ry many divin e grac e s whos e fam e ,
for holy living and t e aching was in e v e ry on e s ’
mouth H e r e c e iv e d hi m wh e n now about t

. h e a ge
o f e ight e e n and b e cam e e namour e d of t
,
h e lov e ly
qu a liti e s of his h e art For e s e e ing with proph e tic e ye
.
the youth s futur e care e r h e ground e d hi m in t he

’
,
doctrin e s of r e ligion and gav e a s e rious ton e to his

,
ch a racte r a n d mann e rs a n d aft e r tracing in him t ,

he
fair outlin e s of truth thus at l e ngth by t ,
h e lav e r of
r e g e n e r a tion portray e d in him t h e image of Christ ,
fa i r er t fia n t lz e e/z z l a r en of men as shining forth with

'
’
th e b e auty o f t he Godh e ad H e was about thirty .
y e a rs of a ge and thus a rriv e d at t

,
h e p e r fe ction b oth
o f his b odily and spiritual statur e wh e n aft e r b e ing , ,
promot e d to t h e rank of r e ad e r and t e ach e r o f t he

divin e or a cl e s und e r t h e impuls e of h e a v e nly lov e h e
,
r e mov e d his dwe lling to t h e d e s e rt H e sought to .
w ith e r up t h e e v e r sw e lling e v e r fe rm e nting lusts o f

-
,
-
t h e fl e s h that t ,
h e high e r natur e might not b e
e nsl a v e d by t h e low e r For th e s e do b oth lust t
. he ,
o n e aga inst t h e oth e r and t h e d e cay of t ,

h e bodily
1
38 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC U S .
tab e rnacl e giv e s a s is m e e t t ,

h e supr e macy to t he ,
soul A nd s o r e sorting to t
.
,
h e mountains hard b y ,
h e was l e d to an old m an of S yrian sp e e ch but of no ,
m e an knowl e dge who had r e ach e d t ,

h e h e ights o f
philosophic s e lf control For four y e ars h e took t
-
. he
patt e rn of aust e rity from him 5 and aft e r e asily gain
ing t h e m ast e ry ov e r e v e ry kind of indulg e nc e sinc e ,
h e had r e ason fo r his companion in t h e strife h e ,
long e d for s e clusion and b e cam e a dw ell e r in a ,
r e mot e spot d e lighting to hav e a cav e for his r e sort

, ,
th e gymnasium and ar e na o f his virtu e What .
struggl e s did h e h e r e und e rgo r e c e iving t h e comfort ,
of t h e S pirit in proportion to t h e multitud e of his

pains What st e ps o f asc e nt to t h e S pirit did h e lay
and pr e par e in his h e art as h e w e nt forward from ,
str e ngth to str e ngth and by m e ans of work and con

,
t em pla t i o n both e xt e rminat e d from his soul and body

,
” 1
e v e ry d e vic e of E gypt .
I t is not our obj e ct h ere to follow t h e e v e nts o f

Ch r ys o st o m s life e v e n in t h e shadowy outlin e p r e
’
,
s e nt e d to u s in this e ncomium How extr e m e ly .
sh adowy t h e outlin e is may b e infe rr e d from t he

,
following passage in which it will b e obs e rv e d that a

,
bri e f allusion in o n e singl e lin e is all that is giv e n to

, ,
1
A good d e a l o f this is t a k e n with b u tl ittl e a lt e r a tion from
, ,
th e cont e mpor a ry a ccount o f P a l l a di u s Bishop o f H e l e n o p ol i s ,

.
T h e E nglish r e a d e r m a y v eri fy this by comp a ring with t he

a bov e p a ss a ge th e e xtr a cts from P a l l a di u s quo t
e d in t h e a ccount
o f St Chrysostom in t
”
. he D iction a ry o f Christi a n B iogr a phy ,
vol i pp 5 1 9—20 Th e origin a l will b e found in Ga ll a n di u s

. .
, . .
h V e t P a tr
Bi b l i o t
“
. .
”
viii p 2 7 1 Th a t th e r e should b e no
. .
, . .
hint o f this in Le qu i en s e dition is on e proo f how much is still

’
,
w a nting t o suppl e m e n t th a t e dition m e ri torious a s it is ,

.
1 40 ST .
JOH N OF DAM ASC U S .
of J ohn of Damascus i n closing this r e vi e w of th e m

, ,
that whil e th e y show a marv e llous familiarity with t he

languag e of Holy S criptur e and a r e at tim e s lit up
,
w ith fl a sh e s of r e al e loqu e nc e th e y l e av e a vagu e

,
s e ns e of unr e ality b e hind th e m from t ,

h e way in
which facts a r e allud e d to inst e ad of b e ing plainly
stat e d and from t
, h e constant pr e fe r e nc e of t he
m ystical s e n s e to t
h e lit e ral .
ST . J OH N or DAMA SC U S . 1 4 1
C H A PT ER X .
H YM NS .
U NDE R t
he ge n e ral titl e of hymns it is conv e ni e nt to
includ e all Damasc e n e s po e tical compositions as ’
th ey a r e all on sacr e d subj e cts But t h e r e ad e r must .
not b e misl e d by t h e t e rm With u s t h e word is .
sugge sti v e of m e tre and rhym e But in t h e E a st e r n .
Church it is prop e rly appli e d to such passage s from

th e bibl e as t he Ange ls S ong ( St Luk e ii
’
Gl ory . .
to God z n i lz e lz zglzes tet h e nc e call e d t

' '
a ,
h e A nge lic
,
Hym n 5 t h e S ong of t h e S e raphim ( Is vi kno w n . .
as t h e T e rsanct us ; and t h e lik e 1

In t h e Latin .
Church t h e t e rm is e xt e nd e d to i nclud e Introits ,
Gra duals and oth e r s e nt e nc e s fo r singing It wil l

,
.
thus b e s e e n that in sp e aking o f StJohn o f D a mascus

,
.
as t he “
chi e f of th e Gr e e k Hymnodists
”2
we must ,
not form our conc eption o f his work in that d e part

m ent from mod e rn hymnology I n point o f fa ct t he .
,
e xta nt pi e c e s which hav e gain e d for him th a t proud
titl e a r e but fe w in numb e r 5 and o f th e s e t

3 he
See t Glos sa ri e s to H a mmond s

Liturgi e s E a st e rn a nd
’
1
he
W est e rn a n d Li tt of t h e E a st e rn
” “
O ffi ce s
’
l eda l e s
Chur ch und e r th e word H ymnus .
Li tt To t h e s a m e c fl ec tt h e l a t e D r N ea l e
'
2
l eda l e p 2 7 8
, . . .
,
in h is H ymn s o f t h e E a st e rn Church
”
third e d p 3 1 , .
, . .
2
In Le qu i en s origin a l edition und e r t
’
,
“
h e h ea ding C a rmin a ,
14 2 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC US .
maj ority a r e not i n v e rs e at all but in rhythmical ,
pros e A fe w words of e xplanation may b e d e sirabl e

.
to e nabl e t h e r e ad e r to und e rstand t h e natur e of

1
th e s e pros e hymns .
In t h e E arly C hurch wh e n forms adapt e d for ,
singing b e gan to b e r e quir e d a di ffi c u l t y must hav e ,
b ee n e xp e ri e nc e d from t h e v e ry outs e t as to t he
m e tr e or m e asur e in which th e y w e r e to b e com
pos e d Pr obably t. h e e arli e st of all w e r e in a kind
of m easure d pros e such as t h e o n e quot e d in
,
E ph v 1 4
. .
Awa k e thou t ha t sl e e p es t
, ,
And a ris e from t h e d ea d ,
A n d Chris t sh a ll giv e th ee ligh t

”
.
w e r e give n ( 1 ) thr e e hymns in i a mbic m e t r e on t he Th e o ,

“
goni a or Bir t
”
, h o f Christ t he Th e oph a ni a or E piph a ny
,
”
, ,
a nd t Ee n t
e c o st
”
he r e sp e ctiv e ly 5 ( 2 ) four c a nons on
, ,
“
E a st er the Asc e nsion th e T ra ns figu ra ti on a n d th e
” “
,
“
,
”
,
Annuncia t ion ; a n d ( 3 ) a Pra ye r in s o c a ll e d a n a cr e ontics -

.
Th e s e occupy p p 8 1 7 —8 5 6 o f vol iii o f M i gn e s e di t

. ion ; a n d
. .
’
th e r e a r e a dd e d to th e m a s a n a pp endi x ( pp 1 3 64
, ( 1) .
a c a non on t h e p a ssing o f t h e Virgin M a ry 5 ( 2 ) st a n z a s

I di o m el a ) us e d in t h e O ffi c e for Buri a l o f t
”
he D ea d ; a n d
3 ) six c a nons found by C a rdin a l M a i in a M S in t h e Va t ic a n . .
Th er e a r e thus in a ll four pi e c e s in cl a ssic a l m e tr e s 5 o n e set

, ,
“ ”
o f v e rs e s on no fi x e d p a t te rn h e nc e c a ll e d I di om e l a 5 a n d
,
e l e v e n c a no ns or hymns in rhythmic a l pros e N o doubt t he .
numb e r might b e l a rg e ly incr e a s e d .
1
T h e d e scrip tion which follows is t a k e n e n t ir e ly from D r .
“
H istory o f t h e H oly E a s t ”
N ea l e s e rn Church p a rt 1
’
.
,
( G e n e r a l In troduction ) 1 8 5 0 B k iv 0 iii 5 a n d from t

, ,
. he .
, . .
Introduct ion to his H ymns o f t

“
he Ea st e rn Church b e for e
”
m e ntion e d Whil e n o ta bl e to sh a r e D r N ea l e s vi e ws on t
. he .
’
Ea st e rn Church in m a ny r e sp e cts I m u st b ea r my tribu t

, , e of
14 4 ST . JOH N or DAMAS C U S .
though m a d e unfa shion a bl e fo r a tim e in t h e R om a n

lit e rary world by t h e pr e fe r e nc e shown to t h e Gr e e k ,
had probably n ev e r di e d out n o r c e as e d to e nshrin e ,
t h e songs of t h e p e opl e 1
H e nc e its u s e in church
.
,
h ymnody would b e a r e vival rath e r than a nov e lty ,
a n d would app e al with g e nial forc e to t h e national

s e ntim e nt .
In t h e Gr e e k Church as t h e m e tr e s borrow e d by
,
Virgil and Horac e w e r e indig e nous th e y had as , ,
might b e e xp e ct e d a long e r struggl e for e xist e nc e

,
.
StGr e gory of N a z i a n z u s fo r e xampl e wrot e in t

.
,
he ,
ordin a ry cl a ssic a l m e tr e s 5 and his i a mb ics h a v e much

of t h e A ttic grac e and spirit in th e m B ut e v e n .
a gainst t h e i a m b ic m e tr e as fr a m e d on strict rul e s

, ,
th e r e w e r e obj e ctio n s e v e r growing in str e ngth Its .
u s e b rought b a ck t h e a ssociations o f t h e A ttic st a g e .
T h e incr e a sing pow e r of acc e nt ov e r quantity mad e

it mor e and m or e inconv e ni e nt to conform to its
prop e r l a ws O n t h e oth e r hand t
. h e Gr e e k languag e , ,
i n this its p e riod o f d e cad e nc e h a d not for various , ,
r e asons t h e r e sourc e which its sist e r tongu e pos

,
s e ss e d and d e v e lop e d so fr e e ly —that of rhym e A nd .
h e nc e as a matt e r o f fact by t
,
h e b e gin n ing of t
,
he
e ighth c e ntury t h e u s e of v e rs e had in t
,
h e gr e at
1
on this subj e ct t
Se e h e introduction to Tr e nch s S a cr ed
’ “
L a tin Po e try a n d a lso th a t to Kyn a s t

”
, on s
“
M isc e ll a n e ous
’
”
Po e ms . T h e lin e s in this m e tr e w e r e sc a nn e d by a cc e nt a s is ,
t
h e c a s e in mod e rn l a ngu a g e s without r e g a rd to t
, h e qu a ntity o f
th e syll a bl e s T h e following st a n z a will giv e a good id e a o f t
. he
Sa turni a n m e tr e
Go fe tch
my sword Ex ca l i b a r , , Go s a ddl e m e my s teed ,
N o w by my fa y e th a t grim b a ron Sh a ll ru e this ruth ful d eed .

H YMNS . 1 45
maj ority of cas e s giv e n way to that of rhythmical

pros e.
T he compl e t e st form in which th e s e pros e hymns

a r e found is that of t h e canon A canon prop e rly
. .
consis ts of nin e od e s and e ach o de is divid e d into

,
a varying numb e r of stan z as — i f th e s e short s e nt e nc e s ,
or groups o f s e nt e nc e s w ithout rhym e c a n b e pro

, ,
”
pe rly so call e d — t e rm e d troparia T h e numb e r o f
.
tropa ria in an o de is oft e n fi ve som e tim e s l e ss , .
Thos e in e ach o de follow t h e patt e rn of o n e som e ,
tim e s print e d at t h e b e ginning of t h e o de som e tim e s ,
a tt h e e n d5 bu t in t h e Gr e e k s e rvic e books always -
”
distinguish e d by inv e rt e d comm a s call e d a hirmos, .
As t “
drawing t ”
h e h i rrn os tak e s its nam e from he
oth e rs aft e r i tso t
,
he e nsuing troparia a r e s o c a l le d s
from th e ir turning towards it as th e ir mod e l O n e .
or two e xampl e s of v e rs e s se l e ct e d from t h e E nglish

v e rsion of t h e Psalms which happ e n to corr e spond
,
in rhyt hm a r e giv e n by Dr N e al e in illustration of

, .
this p e culiari ty o f t h e Gr e e k canon Thus if v e rs e

.
,
1 3 of t h e cx i x t
h Psalm b e tak e n a s a hirm os
I will ta lk o f Thy comm a ndm e nts

a n d h a v e re spe ct unto Thy w a ys
”
.
th e n as tro paria to i tor v e rs e s pr e se nting t

, h e sam e
rhythm ( i n this cas e a n al most compl e t e trochaic ) ,
th e foll owin g would b e found to corr e spond
With my lips h a v e I be e n t e lling

of a l l t
h e j udgm e nts o f Thy mouth
0 do w e ll unto Thy s e rv a nt
t ha t I m a y liv e a n d k ee p Thy word
,
.
( cx i x .
14 6 ST . J OH N OF D A MAS C U S .
Wh e n t h e Lord sh a ll build up Sion

a n d wh e n H i s glory sh a ll a pp ea r
”
.
( cu .
S uch a s e ri e s of troparia as t h e abov e not limit e d ,

-
to thr e e but not as a rul e e xc e e di n g fi v e would con

, ,
stit ut e an o de T h e last troparion i n e ach o de

.
b e ing to t h e prais e o f t h e Holy Virgin as t. he

.
,
Tfi eoz okos or M oth e r of God is e ntitl e d T /z eot okz on

'
‘
, , .
N in e such od e s mak e a canon ; t h e numb e r nin e

b e ing int erpr e t e d as a thr ee fold r e p e tition of t -
he
numb e r of P e rsons in t h e Bl e ss e d Trinity: M or e
ov er, as an assista n c e to t h e m e mory th e s e canons ,
a r e oft e n acrostichal That is e ach troparion b egins

.
,
with o n e of t h e l e tt e rs tak e n in ord e r of a lin e or

, ,
lin e s ( usually iambic ) p r efi x e d to t ,

h e canon and ,
having r e fe r e nce to its subj e ct T h e alphab e tic .
arran ge m e nt of t he cx ix t h P salm will mak e this mor e

int e lligibl e to t h e r e ad e r I f for e xampl e ( to tak e
.
,
th e illustration provid e d by D r N e al e ) t h e a c r o sti ch .

,
w ere
To ’
r e v r en d a thl et
e s pour
’
a r e v r en d song ,
that b e ing a lit e ral r e nd e ri n g of o n e of t h e h e adings

(
in t h e s e rvic e book and coinciding m t
-
, h e numb e r
of l e tt e rs ) th e n t
,
h e troparia of t h e od e s in succ e s
sion would b egin with t
'
h e l e tt e rs T O R and so .
,
.
,
.
,
on to t h e en d .
S om e littl e notion may b e thus form e d of t he

natur e of Gr e ek hymnody in this particular d e part
m e nt I twill b e s ee n how wid e ly it diffe rs from t he
'
syst e m on which t h e gr e at h ymns of t h e Latin

Church wh e th e r rhyming or not a r e compos e d 5
, ,
1 48 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC U S .
of D amasc en e is familiar to many from t

,he po e tical
v ersion of Dr N e al e : .
Tis t h e D a y o f R e surr e ction

Ea rth t ell it ou ta broa d
T h e P a ssov e r o f gl a dn e ss
T h e P a ssov e r o f God
F rom D ea th to Li fe e t e rn a l ,
F rom this world to t

»
h e sky ,
O u r Christ h a t h brought u s ov e r ,
With hymns o f victory ”

.
But it may giv e a tru e r id e a of its r e al form to

’
subj oin Dr N e al e s lit e ra l r e nd e ring of o n e or two
.
of th e od e s composing it
O D E 3 — T/z e H z r m os
’
. .
QIZ o me , a nd l e d r ink n o tproduc e d by

tu s drink t
he new ,
mira cl e from t h e b a rr e n rock but t h e fount a in o f i m m o r,
t a lity Christ h a ving burs tfrom t

,
h e tomb in Whom w e a r e e st a ,
b li sh e d .
£3 . ow a re a l l with light ; e a rt
t
hings h a n d hea ven
fi ll e d ,
a n d th a t which is und e r th e e a rth N o w th e n l e ta l l cr e a tion .
k e e p fe stiv a l for t
h e R e surr e ction o f Christ in which it is ,
e st a blish e d .
e st Christ I a s buri e d tog e th e r with Th e e ;

33 e r da y O ,
w ,
to da y with Th ee a rising I a ris e Y e st e rd a y I w a s c r u c i fie d

- .
toge th e r with Th e e glori fy m e O Sa viour tog e th e r with Thy , ,
s el f in Thy Kingdom .
O D E 4 — H z r m os
'
. .
E a pon thy divin e w a tch tow e r H a b a ccu k Proph e t o f -

, ,
God st a nd with m e a n d sh e w t
,
h e Ang e l o f Ligh tcontinu a lly
r oc l a i m i n n o da y is s a lv a tion to t
- h e world for Christ as
p , ,
”
A lmighty, h a th a ris en .
h r i s ta pp ea r ed a s a m a l e op e n e d th e Virgin s womb ;
’
Qli ,
a n d, a s mort a l H e is n a m e d a L a mb
, Spotl e ss is our Pa sch a .
H YMNS . 1 49
c a ll ed a s be ing without ta st e o f bl e mish a n d a s tru e God H e

, , , ,
is n a m e d pe rfe ct .
g s a y e a rling l a rn b our bl e ss e d Crown Christ w a s o f

, , ,
H i s o wn a ccord sa c r i fi c ed a s t
h e e xpi a tory P a scha fo r a l l 5 a n d
a g a in shon e forth to u s from t h e tomb t h e b e a uti ful S u n o f ,
R igh te ousn e ss .
g a vid t ,h e D ivin e F a th e r l e a pt a n d da nc e d b e fore t

, he
mystic Ark 5 a n d t h e holy p e opl e o f God be holding t h e forth ,
gi v i ng o f th e symbols Le t u s r ej oic e in God fo r th a t Christ

.
, ,
a s Almighty h a th a ris e n
, .
Of th e oth e r hymns of Damasc e n e thos e with ,
which E nglish r e ad e rs hav e b ee n m a d e most familiar ,
a re pe rhaps t he or irr e gu lar v ers e s fo r ,
A ll S aints b e ginning in Dr N e a l e s b e autiful v e r

,
.
’
sion
Thos e e t e rn a l bowe rs
Ma n h a th n e v e r trod ,
and t he St of t 1
h e La st Kiss Th e s e last
'
z e/z e a
r .
a re t h e sol e mn v e rs e s sung by t h e gr a v e sid e in t he ,
fun e ral s e rvic e of t h e E a st e rn Church whil e t he ,
r e lative s a n d fri e nds of t h e d e c e as e d advanc e a nd

giv e a parting kiss to t h e corps e b e for e it is laid in
th e e art h5 t h e pri e st doing so last of all T he op e n .
ing lin e s a s r e nd e re d by t
,
h e sam e translator a r e as ,
follows
Ta k e t h e l a st kiss t h e l a st fo r e v e r ,
Y e tr e nd e r th a nks a mid your gloom

H e se v e d from his hom e a n d kindr e d
, r
’
,
Is p a ssing onw a rds to t h e tomb .
A st z e/ze r on is a v e rs e or short hymn in m ea sur ed pros e

’
1
, , ,
much t h e sa m e a s a t r o a r i on be for e e xpl a in e d 5 t

he sp e ci a l
p
n a m e giv e n to t h e l a tt e r pointing out its r e l a tion to t h e m ode L
v erse or lz z r mos
'
.
,
1 5 0 ST . J OH N or DA MAS C U S .
F or earthl y l a bours e a rthly pl ea sur e s , ,
And c a r na l j oys h e c a r e s no mor e ,
W h e r e a r e his kins folk a n d a cqu a int a nc e

Th ey st a nd upon a no t h e r shor e .
Le t u s sa
y a round him pr e ss e d
, ,
”
Gr a nt him Lord e t e rn a l r e st l
, ,
'
’
Th e r e a r e e ight [ a zomel a compos e d by Damas
c e n e in t h e Fun e ral S e rvic e o n e for e ach ton e 1
In ,
.
Le q u i e n s e dition only four of th e s e a r e giv e n but

’
,
th e r e maind e r will b e found in t h e Eu c h o l ogi u m 2

.
'
A s I a m not awar e that th e y hav e e v e r app e ar e d in

an E n glish v e rsion I will v e ntur e to giv e t ,
h e follow
in
g
F UN ER A L H Y M N .
I .
Wh a t prid e o f li fe a bid e s u n t
o u c h d by sorrow ?
’
Wh a t e a rthly glory fa d e s no t on t h e morrow ?

~Lik e fl e e t
i n g sh a dows or lik e dr e a ms d e c e iving
, ,
O n e mom e nt ours th e n D e a th s t h e a l l r e c e iving ’

n -
.
,
Th e n l e tThy fa c e upon our lost o n e shin e 5

Ch e e r him sw ee t Sa viour with Thy lov e divin e
, , ,
And giv e r e pos e to this e l e c to f Thin e

II .
A h me t h e a gony o f li fe d e p a rting
H ow gr i e v e s t
h e soul on h e r long j ourn e y st a rting
,
1
igh t ton e s or mod e s r e fe rr e d to a nsw er t o t
T he e ,
h e Gr e , ,
gori a n in t h e W e st e rn Church 5 four c a ll e d a u t lz en t

z e corr e s
'
, ,
ponding to t h e fi r st third fi ft h a n d s e v e nth Gr e gori a n ; a n d

, , ,
th e oth e r four c a ll e d p l a ga l corr e sponding to t

,
h e e v e n num
,
b e rs A ninth is som e tim e s r e ckon e d Se e N ea l e s E a st ern

. .
’
Church p 1 04 6
”
, . .
2
Ed Ve n i e p 4 14
.
g . .
1 5 2 ST . J OH N OF DAMA SC U S .
VI I .
O nc e in Thin e im a ge a n d Thy lik en e ss mould e d

Wa s man t ,
h e lord o f a ll in E d e n fold e d 5 ,
Till by t h e T e m pt e r e nvious o f his bl e ssing

, ,
B e guil e d h e a te Thy fi r s t
, comm a nd tra nsgr e ssing .
Wh er e fore t h e doom w e nt forth R et u rn t o du s t ,
F or du s tflea u a r t A n d ye t 0 Lord w e trust

.
, ,
Thy word th a t r e st r e m a in e th fo r t
, h e j ust .
V III .
I mourn a n d w e ep a tthoughts o f d ea th r e pining

, ,
Wh e n in t h e gr a v e a l l cold I vi e w r e clining
Th a t form now forml e ss onc e by God cre a t e d
, ,
In H i s own im a ge a n d with b e a uty m a t e d

, .
Stra ng e p a ssing str a ng e this fa t e o f m a n myst e rious

, ,
Corruption s pr e y a n d yok e d to d e a th imp e rious

’
, .
God wills i t w e H i s writt e n promis e k ee p ,
Th a t so H e gz v et /z H i s bel ov ed s l eep
'
mor e sp e cim e n may s u ffi c e I t is a P ray e r

On e .
b e for e t
h e Holy E ucharist As t h e e ntir e hymn .
might b e thought too prolix I hav e giv e n t h e fi r st ,
half or rath e r mor e tog e th e r with t

,
h e closing lin e s
,
A P R A Y ER .
With lips uncl e a n O Lord , ,
A n d with a h e a rt de fi l e d ,
With tongu e pro fa n e d a n d consci enc e st a in e d

I com e Thy e rr ing child
,
.
0 Chris t r ej e ct m e not
F o r w a ys or works o f sh a m e 5
But l etm e d a r e in tru st ful pr a y e r
5
To c a ll upon Thy n a m e .
Ye a ,r a th e r t ea ch Thou m e ,
Both wh a t to do a n d s a y 5
H YM N S .
But sh e h e r Sa viour
sought 5
A n d fi n di ng m ee kly d a r e d
, ,
To b a th e H i s fe e t with ointm e nt sw e e t ,
T h e spik e n a rd sh e pr e pa r e d .
Th a t o ff r i n g o f t
’
h e h e a rt
Thou didst not th e n disd a in 5
Th en O my Lord to m e a ccord
, ,
H e r p a rt to a c ta g a in
In fa ith
to cl a sp to hold , ,
To kiss with b a nish e d fea rs

, ,
To ba lm thos e fe e t with ungu e nts swe e t ,
T h e spik e n a rd o f my t e a rs .
Y ea , l e tthos et e a rs fo r m e
B e com e a h e a ling str e a m
Tis I th a t cra v e t
’
h e cl ea nsing w a v e ,
Tis Thou th a t c a nst r e d e e m

’
.
N o thid from Th e e my fa ults ,
M y fa ilings in t h e fi gh t5
T h e sc a rs r e ce ive d t h e st e ps r e tri e v e d
, ,
A lik e a r e in Thy sight .
Thou know e st my d e sire ,
M y M a k e r a n d my God 5
T h e t e a r ful sob t
h e h e a r ts low throb
’
, ,
A r e h ea rd in Thin e a bod e .
A n d bid my su fferings c e a s e 5
O God o f a ll to Th e e I c a ll
, ,
1 54 ST . J OH N OF D A M ASC US .
Thy mys t e ri e s divin e
Ca n h ea v e nly li fe imp a rt ,
Ye a godlik e m a k e a ll thos e who t a k e

,
In pur e a nd hon est h ea rt .
Who t th o f M y fl e sh
ea e
And drink e th o f M y blood ,
Abid e s in M e a n d I will b e ,
In him t ”
h e word h a th stood
, .
My thoughts by this inspire d

O u fr e sh er pinion s so a r ;
E xul tto ga z e with r a pt a m a z e
On gr a c e s boundl e ss stor e
’
.
Like s tr a w with fi r e my soul ,
M a y fl a m e with lov e illum e d ,
T h e lov e th a t burns to de w but t urns 5 ,
T h e bush is not consum e d .
Th e re for e with th a nk ful h e a r t

And spirit I a dor e ,
And hymns o f pr a is e to Th ee will r a is e ,
M y God fo r e v ermor e 1
,
.
M e ntion has b ee n alr e ady mad e of t h e e ight ton e s ,
or mod e s u s e d in th e sacr e d music of t

,
h e E aste rn
Church From th e s e is d e riv e d t
. h e titl e of o n e of
th e S e rvic e books t
”
he O cto echos which contains
-
, ,
th e musical portions o f t h e S und a y s e rvic e s B e for e .
taking l e av e of St John of Damascus as t h e gr e at

.
1
M igu s e dition vol iii p 8 5 3 In t
e
’
,
h e Eu ch ol ogi u m
. .
, . .
it is a ttribut e d I know no t on wh a t grounds to Sym e on t

, he ,
younge r T h e v e rs e s a r e e nti t
. l e d An a cr e on t ics 5 a n d Bi ll i u s ,
i n his L a tin v e rsion h a s pr e s e rv e d this m e tr e

,
But though .
som e o f t h e lin e s m a y by a littl e ing e nuity b e sc a nn e d a s

, ,
A n a cr e ontics it s e e ms to m e th a t th e y a r e in r e a lity troch a ic

,
dim e t e rs sca nn e d by a cc e nt not q u a ntity

, ,
.
1
56 ST . J OH N 0 1? DAM AS C U S .
C H A PT E R XI .
C OM M EN TA R I E S ON H O LY SC R I PTU R E .
FROM t h e import a nc e o f t h e su b j e ct of this ch a pt e r ,
it might s e e m to hav e d e s e rv e d a n e arli e r consid e ra

tion . T h e spac e tak e n up by t h e works incl u d e d
und e r i t — a mounting tog e th e r to n e arly o n e hal f o f -
1
a l l publish e d by Le q u i e n —is so gr e at that we may
,
b e thou ght to hav e postpon e d too long our notic e of

Damasc e n e as a comm e ntator on t h e Bibl e The .
r e ason is simply that th e r e is bu t littl e of his own in

th e s e e xpositions I n t h e fi r s tof t
. h e works in qu e s
tion t ,
he “
Loci Se l e c ti ”
h e only profe ss e s to b e
,
giving e xtr a cts from t h e comm e ntary o f St Chry .
s o st In th e oth e r two t “ ”
om . he S acra P a rall e la
, ,
h e do e s no mor e than group tog e th e r passag e s of

S criptur e on cons e cutiv e topics and add short ,
illustrations of th e m from oth e r writ e rs T h e natur e .
of th e s e work s will b e e xpl a in e d mor e fully pr e s e ntly

what has b e e n said may account for t h e pr e c e d e nc e
giv e n to oth e r compositions of Damasc e n e at fi r st ,
1
M igu e
’
s vol
ed — 8 8 n d vol iii
.
, pp .
4 3 9 1 5 . a , pp . .
, .
—
9 544 A 11 a bridg e m
. e nt only o f t h e l a st o f th e thr ee works ,
the P a ra ll e l a R u p e fu c a ldi n a is print e d by Le qu i en b e c a us e

”
, ,
h e consid e rs it to b e substa nti a lly t h e s a m e work a s t h e pre

c eding o n e It b ea rs its n a m e o f R u p efu ca l di n a from
.
“
th e m a nuscript cont a ining it h a ving b e e n giv e n to t h e J e suits

’
Coll e g e a tCl e rmont by C a rdin a l R och e fouc a uld .

C OMM EN T A R I E S ON H OLY SC R I PT U R E .
sight occupying a much l e ss promin e nt plac e in his

e xtan t writings .
B e for e e xamining th e s e comm e ntari e s in d e tail it ,
may b e we ll to call att e ntion to t h e m e r e fact of th e ir

e xist e nc e and th e ir e xt e nt
,
T he e ighth c e ntury h a s
.
som e tim e s b ee n r e ckon e d a p a rt of t h e dark a ge s ;

and v e ry e xtraordinary ass e rtions hav e b e e n m a de ,
and a r e still mad e about t ,

h e ignoranc e o f Holy
S cripture th e n pre v a iling It b e com e s instructiv e
.
,
th e re for e to obs e rv e how n e arly at t

, ,
h e sam e tim e ,
J ohn of Damascus in t h e E a st e rn Church and our ,
own B e d e in t h e We st e rn w e r e labouring at t
,
h e task
A tt
“
of Biblical e xposition . h e e n d of his Church
History B e d e s e ts down a list of his works and t
”
,
he ,
gr eat maj ority of th e s e a re comm e nta ri e s on t he

s e v e ra l books of Holy S criptur e H e wa s occupi e d
.
in this tas k as is w e ll known up to t

,
h e v e ry clos e o f
,
his life T he touching l e tt e r o f his discipl e Cuthb e rt

.
shows him to u s at Whitsuntid e in 7 3 4 dict a ting t

,
he ,
l a st v e rs e of his translation of St J ohn s Gosp e l .

’
wh e n his own d e parture wa s nigh at hand A nd in .
such s t udi e s t h e b e st part of his life had b ee n spe nt .
“
From t he tim e that I was ordain e d pri e st he ,
w rit e s,
“
till now wh e n I a m fi ft
, y e ight y e ars-
old I ,
have occupi e d mys e lf with writing comm e ntari e s

u pon t h e sacre d S criptur e s to suit my o wn n e e ds
,
and thos e of my br e thr e n 5 gath e r e d from t h e works

of t h e v e n e rab l e fa th e rs and e ith e r b r i e fl y giv e n
, ,
or as a paraphrastical int e rpr e ta tion of t h e sam e

” 1
.
It has b e e n r e marke d that o f t he o n e h u ndre d

and thirty nin e works from his pe n print e d in t
-
he ,
1
Hi st ori a E ccl e si a s t ic a ( ed M ob erly ) Int r od p x i v
.
, .
, . .
1
5 8 ST . J OH N or D A MAS C US .
Cologn e e dition o f his w ritings sixty four consist ,

,
-
e ntir e ly of biblical comm e ntary e mbr a cing illustra ,
tions of almost e v e ry portion of t h e inspir e d volum e ”1

.
S uch was what o n e singl e sch olar was doing in our

own land in t h e e arly part of t h e e ighth c e ntury W e .
hav e now to s e e how far StJ ohn of D amascus was a .
fe llow lab our e r in t

-
h e sam e fi e l d .
T h e fi r s tof t h e thr e e works r e fe rr e d to at t he

b e ginning of this chapte r and which for shortn e ss , , ,
may b e t e rm e d Loci Sel e c t i ”

consists of a ,
s e l e ction of passag e s c h i e fl y from t h e Homili e s of ,
Chrysostom app e nd e d as a running comm e ntary to

,
th e t e xt of St Paul s E pistl e s A ccording to t ’

. he .
e xact titl e giv e n by t h e author hims e lf S e l e ctions ,
tak e n from t h e Catholic int e rpr e tation of John Chry

s o st
”
om it would s ee m as if h e had b e gun by drawing
,
his e xpositions e ntir e ly from t h e writings of that

fath e r A nd in fact on t
. h e E pistl e s to t
, h e R omans ,
and Corinthians t h e comm e ntary I S m t h e main from

,
his homili e s B ut on oth ers — e sp e cially t

. hos e to t he
E ph e sians Philippians Colossians and Th e ssalo n ians
, ,
—i t is not from Chrysostom b u tfr o m T h e o do r e tand

Cyril of A l e xandria that t h e substanc e of t h e annota
,
tions is d eriv e d 2
From t h e gr e at br e vity of t
. he
1
L . Buckingh a m
A . T h e B ibl e in t h e M iddl e Ag e s
p 2 9 A. lis t o f B e.d a s comm e nt a ri e s is giv e n by Pro
’
e ssor S tubbs in his a rt icl e und e r th a t n a m e in t he D iction a ry

”
o f Christi a n Biogr a phy .
2
This is point e d ou t by Le qu i en who a l so obs e rv e s th a t ,
h e r e a r e p a ss a ge s in t h e not e s which a pp e a r to b e writt en i f ,
no t by D a m a sc e n e hims el f a ta n y ra t e by som e o n e who liv e d ,
a ft e r th e ris e o f N est ori a nism ; t e rms p e culi a r t o t ha t h er e sy

b e ing us e d a s in t h e co mm en t on Col ii 9
,
. . .
1 60 ST . J OH N 0 1? D A MAS C U S .
for instanc e t he et er n i t
' '
y of God w z sa om efi a r z fy
’
, , , ,
and what not — a re group e d tog e th e r and followe d , ,
g e ne rally though not always by illustr a tiv e passage s

, ,
from oth e r authors Th e r e i s a car e fully pr e par e d

.
-
ind e x in t h e Gr ee k in which t h e subj e cts tr e at e d of

,
m a y b e found und e r t h e initial l e tt e r of t h e word

d e noting th e m 5 and at t h e e n d of e ach alphab e tical
group com e s a s e ri e s of p a r a p omp w or cross r e fe r ,
-
en c e s to fa cilitat e t
,
h e s e arch Thus to tak e an .
,
e xampl e from t h e E nglish nam e s i f o n e wish e s to ,
fi n d what is said in Holy S criptur e ab out a f r oga my ,
h e is dir e ct e d to turn to t h e word p r i de 5 for men

p lea ser s h e will hav e to turn to fl a t
,
ter er s and t he ,
lik e .
Th e r e is of cours e nothing v e ry original in all

, ,
this and nothing that may b e thought of much

,
int e r e st or importanc e to u s now ; still it is not ,
und e s erving o f m e ntion in its pl a c e as showing t he ,
laboriou s and syst e matic way in which t h e sacr e d

S cripture s w e re studi e d T h e original id e a of
.
D a m a sc e n u s as it would app e a r from his pr e fac e

, ,
was not th a t of an a lp fi a oet zea l concordanc e of sub

'
j e c t
s but,
o f an arrang e m e nt in thr e e books 5 of which
t h e fi r s twas to tr e at o f God and t h e Holy T r i n i ty ,
t h e s e cond of human affa irs and t h e third of virtu e s

,
a n d vic e s M or e ov e r t
. h e passage s to b e s e l e ct e d as
,
illustrative w e r e m e ant by him to b e tak e n e ntir e ly

,
from t h e fath e rs of th e Church Wh e th e r this original .
plan was m o di fi e d by t h e author hims e l f in lat e r y e ars ,
or wh e th e r it was alt e re d by oth e rs it would now b e ,
v e ry di ffi c u ltto d e cid e A tany rat e in t . h e form in ,
which we now hav e i tt h e alphab e tical arrange m e nt

,
C OMM EN TA R I E S ON H O LY SC R I PTU R E . 1 61
1
has entir e ly e fi a c e d t h e trac e s of division into books 5

‘
whil e in a kind o f postscript to t h e pre fac e ( p .
it is stat e d that e xtra cts from Philo and J os e phus

will b e found among t h e illustrations Ind e e d in t he .
,
long list of authors quot e d we may fi n d t h e nam e s o f ,
most of t h e cl a ssic a l writ e rs of Gr e e c e T h e circum .
stanc e of t h e author s fi r s td e sign having b e e n so

’
gr e a tly change d m a y b e tak e n as a t e stimony to t

,
he
practic a l us e fuln e ss of t h e work Its fa t e has simply .
b ee n that of any m a nual or work of r e fe re nc e which , ,
has pass e d through m a ny e ditions .
For t h e sak e of compl e t e n e ss a fe w e xtracts a r e ,
h e r e giv e n as an illustration of t h e mod e o f tr e atm e nt

e mploy e d It would b e s u p e r fl u ou s to pursu e t
. he
subj e ct to a n y l e ngth b e caus e as t h e passag e s cit e d
, ,
a r e tak e n from oth e r authors th e y do not a ffe ct our ,
e stimat e o f Dam a sc e n e oth e rwis e than as th e y m a y ,
mak e u s think mor e or l e ss highly of his skill and

j udgm e nt in t h e s e l e ction A fe w subj e cts h a v e b e e n .
t a k e n almost at r a ndom and a portion only of t

,
he ,
par a ll e l pas sa ge s giv e n .
ON TH E SA I NTS or G0 1) .
Ps xciv — B l essed '

t/z e ma n w lzom Tfi ou
'
. .
, zs
t
eb a s en es l , 0 Lor d, a nd l ea elz es tll i m i n Tlzy l a w .
1
T hepa ss a g e s from S cripture a re t a k e n in r e gul a r ord e r in
the Sa cr a P a r a ll e la
”
T h e e a rli e st quot e d und e r this h ea d is
.
Le \ i txxvi 2 which I h a ve p a ss e d ov e r owing to t

f
. .
,
h e r e nd e r ,
ing o f t h e English v e rsion m a king it in a ppropri a t e Ye s h a ll

r ever m ee m
y s a n ct u a ry ( inst e a d o f my s a i n t s) This is a .
di ffi c u l t
y th a t o ft e n a ris e s Thus in . P s lxviii 35 lz o ly p l a c es . .
,
is a g a m our r e nd e ring fo r t h e sa i n t s of t h e S e ptu a gint a n d

Vulga t e In Je r em x x x i 1 2 fo r Me sou l of t
. . . he s a i n t
,
s slz a l l
M
1 62 ST . JOH N OF DAM ASC U S .
St M a t
th . . v .
,
1 1 .
— B l essed a re y e w lzen men sb a ll
t
'
le y ou
’
f eu a na p er sea / e y oa ,
C
av
e
.
H eb xi 1 3 — l ese a ll di ed i n fa ti k n otb a mng

' ’
,
. . .
,
r ecei ved t b e p r om i s es é e ,
v
.
( A nd thirty thr e e oth e r passag e s from S criptur

-
e
) .
StGr egory N a z i a n z e n
. This I say is t h e b e st .
, ,
of bargains to purcha se t h e kingdom of h e av e n for a

,
fe w drops of blood and in r e turn for t e mporal a dva n ,

”
tage s to r e c e iv e an e t e rnity of glory .
StChrysostom
. T h e wond e r—work e rs of Christ .
a r e not m e n who run on a sl e nd e r cord or who ,
throw som e rsaults ov e r nak e d swords avoiding ,
wounds by th e ir d e xt e rity What th e y run along .
with unfalt e ring st e p is not a rop e but t h e narrow , ,
and pr e cipitous pathway o f right e ousn e ss T h e points .
’
of tyrants swords th e y blunt by th e ir own e age rn e ss
for r e c e iving wounds Th e y count it not a mark of .
skill to avoid su ffe ring but study how to conqu e r in ,

”
su ffe ring .
ON A Goo n KI N G .
N umb xxiv 7 k i ngdom slza ll b e ex a l t

. .ed ,
. .
Prov x i v 2 8 — [ 7z t . lze m u l t
itu de of
. p,
eop l e i s z lz e.
‘
k i ng s lz ofz oa r
’
.
( A nd t w e nty fi v e oth e r passage s -

.
St Gr e gory N a z i a n z e n
. Kings r ev e re nc e your .
— “
,
purpl e For t h e Wor d of God will giv e laws e ve n to

.
th e law giv e rs R e cognis e what has b e e n e ntrust e d

-
.
our v rsion t
’
f f h b s ou l s b a l l b
'
be a r u zl e ula s e z r v i n e, e as
a wa t er ed ga r de n T h e whol e string o f t e xts could no t b e

.
quot e d owing t o this circumst a nc e withou t fr e qu e nt e xpl a n a

, ,
tions .
1 64 ST . J OH N or D A M AS C U S .
tossing wav e s . As t
h e body grows w ea k , t
h e passi on s
furl th e ir sails .
KEE PI N G WA T C H OV ER T H E T O N G U E
ON .
J ob x xvii 4 — os s b a l l fl oz sp ea k w i ck edn ess

l l[ y l zL .
,
.
‘
7207 m t t
ter a eeez t
'
’
y o n
g u e u .
StJam e s iii 2 — ]f ( my m a n of ena n oti n w or d

. .
, .
’
,
ti re s a me i s a p erfectma n a n d a bl e a l so t o b r z a l e flee
'
’
,
w leol e b od
y .
( A nd tw e nty oth e r passag e s ) .
St Gr e gory N a z i a n z e n
. know not what a .
“
Ye
gift from God i s sil e nc e Ye tsp e ak if thou hast .
,
aught b e tt e r than sil e nc e But b e cont e nt to hold .
”
thy p e ac e wh e r e that is b e tt er than words
,
.
N ilus — “
R e frain I b e s ee ch th e e thy u n bridl e d
.
, ,
tongu e For a slip of t

. h e tongu e is mor e s e rious
than a slip of t h e foot
”
.
ON THE C H UR C H , AND H o u s e O F GOD .
xxvi 8 — Lor a , l oved t /z e b a b zt

at
’ '
lz a ve
'
Ps . .
, ,
f
z on o
l y b ou se, a nd Me p la ce w /zer e T/zz n e

'
h onou r
dw ell et
lz .
B aruch iii .
,
24 . H ow gr ea t i s t
/z e b oa se f
o
Goa a nd b ow l a rge i s t
/z e pl a ce of 1171s p os sessi on
'
’
Gr ea t
’
lza l lz lz zg/z , i mmea s u r
’ 7
a na a ba e efl a a fl a
,
a b le .
oth e r passag e s )
( A nd tw e nty -
nve .
St Chrysostom
. Lik e harbours at se a God ,
e stablish e d His church e s in citi e s 5 th a t w e m i ght
fl e e to th e m from t
’
h e tossing of li fe s commotion s ,
and find still wat e r I f we put in th e r e for r e fug e we .

,
n ee d fe ar no surging of wav e s n o attack of pirat e s , ,

C OM M EN T A R I ES ON H OLY SC R I PT U R E . 1 65
no viol e nce of winds no monste rs of t

,
h e d ee p For .
t h e harbour is o n e safe sh e lt e r e d from all th e s e T h e .
C hurch is t h e hav e n of souls

”
.
I t would t a k e a far abl e r translation than min e to

do j ustic e to t h e thoughts of a N a z i a n z e n or a Chry
s o st o m 5 but e v e n from such sp e cim e ns as th e s e t he
r e ad e r may p e rhaps conclud e that t ,
h e Bibl e com
m e ntary pr e pare d by John of Damascus was of a kind
h e would at tim e s b e glad to ge tin e xchange for
more mod e rn annotations .
1 66 ST . J OH N or D AM ASC US .
C H A PT ER XII .
ON NAT U RA L SC I ENCE .
T HE d ebt which E urop e ow e s to A rabia for t he

transmission of anci e nt l e arni n g and sci e nc e has b e e n
oft e n stat e d and m a y b e ch e e rfully own e d U nd e r
, .
t h e spl e ndid rul e of t he Caliphs of Bagdad from t he ,
middl e of t h e e ighth c e ntury t h e arts and sci e nc e s,
fl o u r i sh e d on t h e banks of t h e Tigris in a way that ,
non e could hav e e xp e ct e d from t h e pr e vious history

of M ahom e t s succ e ssors A tt
’
h e court of t
. h e A bas
sid e s says H allam
,
1 “
l e arning W hich t
,
h e fi r st ,
M osl e m had d e spis e d as unwarlik e or r ej e ct e d as ,
profan e was h eld in honour T h e Khalif Al m a mi m

,
.
,
was di st
'
e sp e cially ,
i n gu i sh e d fo r his patronage of
l e tt e rs 5 t h e philosophical writings of Gr e e c e w ere
e ag e rly sought and translat e d 5 t h e stars w e r e num
b ere d t ,
h e cours e of t h e plan e ts was m e asur e d ; t he
A rabians improv e d upon t h e sci e nc e th e y borrow e d ,
a n d r e turn e d i t with abundant int e r e st to E urop e in
t h e communication of num e ral fi gu r e s and t he

int e ll e ctual lan guage of alge bra~ T h e m e rit of
transmitting and as tim e w e nt o n of improving upon
, ,
t h e sci e nc e s th e y transmitt e d cannot und e r any cir , ,
c u m st a n c e s b e d e ni e d th e m
,
But th e r e is no r e ason
.
to allow th em as i s som etim e s don e t

,
h e high e r m e rit ,
1 “‘
M iddl e Ag e s , 0. v i .
1 68 ST . J OH N OF D A M AS C U S .
A frica to t h e r e st of E urop e c h i e fly by m e ans of t he

J e ws about te t e nth and e l e v e nth c e nturi e s 5
h 1 and
of astronomy as a sci e nc e which t
“
h e A rab ians
”
e ngraft e d upon m edicin e B a illy has giv e n a more
.
j ust e stimat e of th e ir claims to our r e sp e ct as b e ing ,
t he safe k e e p e rs a nd continu e rs of a l e arning that

-
would hav e b e e n lost but for th e m 5 whil e ye t , on t he

oth e r hand th e ir e xist e nc e is s carc e ly mark e d by a
,
singl e m e morabl e discov e ry 2 I n giving an abstract .
of what o n e of t h e authors nam e d abov e by Chauc e r ,
our own D amasc e n e has l e ft on s c i e n t ,

i fi c subj e cts
’
,
it will b e our aim to sho w t h e part tak e n by S yrian

C hristians in t h e transmission of anci e nt lor e I f he .
s tudi e d in his youth t h e Diophantin e arithm e tic ,
which was t h e g e rm of our m od e rn alg e bra 5 if h e

e pito m i z e d t h e O rg a num of A ristotl e and mad e him ,
s e lf acquaint e d with t h e astronomical syst e m of

Ptol e my,— and that b e for e t h e s e at of M ussulman
e mpir e was r e mov e d to B agdad — we may s e e in him
o n e e vid e nt link at l e ast by which t he knowl e dg e

,
of anci e nt Gr ee c e was conv e y e d to t h e n ew con ~
q u e r o r s .
part play e d by S yria in t

T he h e history of t he
world has not b e e n conspicuous e ith e r i n arms or ,
1
H is t o f
. E nglish
Po e try s ect x v u ,
. .
2 “
Le s Ar a b e s n e sont r e comm a nd a bl e s q u e pour a voi r é t é
l ent r ep 6 t de s sci e nc e s pour a voir cons e rv e l e fe u s a cr e q u i s e
’ ’ ’
, ,
s er oi t é t e int s a ns e u x M a is s ils n ous ont tra nsmis l es sci e nc e s

’
. ,
113 nous l e s on t fa it p a ss e r a p e u pres t e ll e s q u i l s l e s a v o i e n t

’
r e gu e s ; a p e in e u n e d é couv e rt e m é mora bl e m a rqu e te ll e l e ur - -
e xist e nc e
”
.
“
H ist de l A s t
. r o n o m i e M od e rn e
’ ”
ti . .
,
p . 22 1 .
ON N AT U R A L SC I EN C E . 1 69
s e cular lit e ratur e But it has no t b e e n on that account

.
unimpo rtant It was in S yria that Gr e e k philosophy

.
found a hom e aft e r it had b e e n drive n fro m

,
A le xandria T he A ristot e li a n philosophy in par

.
,
t i c u la r which was look e d on with suspicion and

,
dislik e by t h e e arli e r fa th e rs of t h e Church and ,
which John of Damascus hims e lf inv e ighs a gainst in

o n e of his writings wh e n us e d as a pill a r o f N e s
,
t o ri a n i s m
1
b e cam e domicil e d th e re and w as in t
,
he ,
e n d e mploy e d by D a m a sc e n u s in t h e s e rvic e of the

orthodox fa ith To S yri a n Christi a ns b e longs t
. he
cre dit of h a ving t a ught th e ir A ra bian conqu e rors w hat
t h e latt e r in turn taught W e st e rn E urop e T he .
v e rsions of A ristotl e w e r e not mad e b y A rabic

schol a rs dire ctly from t h e Gre e k b u t by S yrian ,
int e rpre t e rs fi r s tinto S yri a c and th e n ( oft e n from

, ,
2
th a t s a m e S yri a c v e rsion ) into A rabic T h e chi e f .
physicians and in th a t s e ns e t e a ch e rs of sci e nc e a t

, ,
t h e court o f Bagdad a pp e a r to hav e b e e n N e stori a ns

,
of S yri a ; and as t h e fi r s t A rab ic translation o f

Ar istotl e was not mad e till t h e r e ign of A l m a m i m
( 8 13 it b e com e s a m att e r of som e int e r e st to
“
1
Contra J a cobit a s M igu e s c d tom i col 1 4 4 1 H e
,
’
.
, . .
, . .
th e re bitt e rly spe a ks o f Aristotl e a s a thirt e e nth a postl e i n ”
th e e s t im a tion o f t h e h e r e tics .
2
This is distinctly st a t e d by R e n a n in his e ssa y D e Philo
5 0 phi a P e rip a t e tica a pud Syros 1 8 5 2 p 5 5 5 a n d to t he s a m e
”
, , .
e ffe c t Sc h rfiol de r s E ssa i sur l es é col e s philosophiqu e s ch e z l e s

,
A r a be s H is t o f Philosophy
” “ ”
, 1 84 2 p 9 5 a n d Ue b e r w e g
, .
, , .
(t
“
r by N orris a n d Port e r ) 1 87 5 i 4 1 0 T h cqu a int
.
p , e a
, .
, . .
a nc e o f t h e M oh a mm ed a n A ra bs ”
sa ys t h e l a st m e ntion e d
,
-
a uthor ,
“
with t h e writings o f A ristotl e w a s brought a bout
through t h e a ge ncy o f Syri a n Christi a ns .
”
1 7 0 ST . J OH N or D A M ASC U S .
obs e rve what sc i e n t i fi c knowl e dg e wa s poss e ss e d by

John of D amascus n e arly a c e ntury b e for e .
What Da m a sc enu s has writt e n on t h e subj e ct is

m ainly to b e found in t h e s e cond book of his De
Fid e Or t h o do x a
”
A ft e r a fe w g e n e ral r e marks in
.
,
th e fi ft h chapt e r about t h e visibl e cr e ation h e pro

, ,
c e e ds to discuss t h e m e aning of H ea ven This h e .
de fi n e s to b e that which e ncompass e s all things b oth ,
visib l e a n d invisibl e S uch e xpr e ssions found in .

,
S criptur e as b ea m” of h ea ven s a n d t
'
’
,
l ar a b ea ven may
b e e xplain e d without laying stre ss on t
,
h e H e br e w
way of using a plural for a singular as d e noting ( 1 ) ,
th e air ( 2 ) t
,
h e fi r m a m e n tand ( 3 ) t h e starl e ss r e gion ,
b e yond . I t is to t h e s e cond or starry fi r m a m e n t , ,
that t h e t e rm b ea vers most prop e rly b e lo n gs 5 an d

various O pinions as to its natur e shap e and motion , ,
a r e b r i e fl y r e fe rr e d to S om e hav e h e ld with r e gard

.
,
to t h e fi r s tof th e s e points that it must b e a gu i n t am ,
eorp a s or fift
,
h vari e ty of matt e r s e e ing that it has ,
prop e rti e s distinct from thos e of any o f t h e four

kno wn . This r e fe rs of cours e to t h e doctrin e of
, ,
th e lat e r p e ripat e tic school d e duc e d from A ristotl e s ,

’
”1
tr e atis e D e Cael o T h e shap e of it is thought by
.
som e to b e sph e rical and its motion circular whil e , ,
oth e rs hold it to b e of a h em 1sp h er i c a l form H e r e .
1
Lib i c 11 T he a rgum e n t s on this t
. .
, . . opic a r e summ e d up
by F ra nciscus Co v e n t r i e ns i s a tp 2 9 o f his
“
D e M undo
,
.
”
P e rip a t e tico Antw e rp 1 6 5 2 T h e work is I b e li e ve v e ry
, , .
, ,
li ttl e known a n d c e rt a inly do e s not a pp e a r to poss e ss a n y

,
s c i e ntifi c m e rit But t h e fr e qu e nt a llusions cont a in e d in it to

.
English p e rsons a n d e v e nts might possibly giv e it a v a lu e for

e nquir e rs with o t h e r obj e cts .
1 7 2 ST . J OH N os D AM AS C U S .
wo u ld b e a risi n g A s against t
.
1 h e th e ory of Plato in
th e Tim ae us that t
”
,
h e h e a v e n ly b o di e s a r e
or hav e a soul i n dw e lling he a fii r m s that th e y a re
-
,
d e void of soul and s e ns e S uch passag e s of S cript ur e .
as might app e ar to imply t h e contrary such as t he ,
P s a lmist s Lei t lze lzea vea s r ej oi ce a na l ett /ze ea r l }:

’ ’
,
b e gl a d must b e r e gard e d as i n st
'
, a n c es o f a kind of
p e rs o n i fi c a ti o n oft
, e n found i n fi g u r a ti v e languag e .
So in anoth e r psalm we may re ad : Tb e s ea sa w i t

'
a n d fl ed;
'
r a a a w a s dr i ven b a rb b e m oa n l a z a s
f o T .
s k ipp ed l i k e r a ms a na t /ze l i t
tle lz z ll s l zb e l a mb s
' '
’
.
,
Light which is id e ntical with fi r e was call e d into

, ,
b e ing by t h e Cr e ator on t h e fi r s tday D arkn e ss is .
n ot an e ss e ntial prop e rty of matt e r bu t an accid e nt , ,
b e ing nothing e ls e than t h e abs e nc e of light T he .
moon and t h e stars w e r e ordain e d to giv e light by

night 5 not that th e y a r e abs e nt from t h e sky by day ,
but t h e sun by its sup e rior brilliancy th e n mak e s

th e m pal e away a n d disapp e ar Th e y a r e not lights .
in th e ms elv e s but light hold e rs Conspicuous among

,
-
.
th e s e luminari e s a r e t h e s e v e n plan e ts call e d p l a n et s , ,
or e rratic stars b e caus e th e y mov e in an opposit e

,
dir e ction to t h e g e n e r a l motion of t h e h e av e ns Th e ir .
nam e s in ord e r of distanc e from t h e e arth a r e t he ,
1
p e rip a t
T he e tics illustr a t e d this by supposing t he c a se o f a
we ll or sh a ft bore d di a m e tric a lly through th e e a rth I f a ston e
, , .
w a s dropp e d down th e y m a int a in e d th a t it mus t r e m a in in

,
e quilibrium a tt
“
h e c e ntr e Se e Joh a nnis V e l cu r i oni s Com
.
m en t a rii
”
( Lu gd .
p 159 E ra smus a lso includ e s this
. .
p r ob l em a a mong his Colloqui e s but mor e prud e ntly l e a v e s i t a s

,
a n e x e rcis e fo r t h e schol a r to s e ttl e wh a t t

,
h e ston e und er such
circumst a nc es would do .
ON N A TU R A L SC I EN C E . 1 73
M oon M e rcury Ve nus t

, ,
h e S un M ars Jupit e r
, , , ,
S aturn Th e s e h e ave nly bodi e s w e r e s e tby God in

.
th e fi r m a m en tof h e av e n to b e fo r s ign s a n d for ,
sea son s a n d f o r day s a n d

, y ea r s I t i s to th e sun .
,
accordingly that we o we t ,
h e alte rnati ons of t h e four
s e asons I t was in t. he fi r s tof th e s e t h e spring that , ,
th e world was mad e 5 a y e arly re mind e r of which w e

have in t h e r e appe aranc e of plants and fl o we r s in
spring I ts duration is from M arch 1 5 t to Jun e
. 2 1
24 t h . T h e summ e r quar t e r e xt e nds from Jun e 2 4 t h

to S e pt e mb e r 2 5 t h t h e autumn from this latt e r dat e
,
to D e c e mb e r 2 5 t h, and so o n Each quart e r has its .
spe cial e ffe ct upon t h e t e mp e ram e nt 5 spring t e nding

to incr e as e t h e sanguin e ous humour, summ e r t he
chol e ric autumn t ,
h e m e lancholy or atrab ilious and ,
wint e r t h e phl e gmatic 2

I t may hav e b e e n owing to
p as sa g e s such as this or t h e fragm e nt Q u z a es tlzom o
'
’
, ,
to b e a ft e rw a rds notic e d th a t John of Damascus cam e

,
to b e r e gard e d a s a prop e r writ e r for a D o c t “

ou r
of P h i s i c k e , lik e Chauc e r s to study For t

”
h e po e t s
’
,
.
’
physician
ground e d in a stronomi e
wa s
H e k e p t his p a c i e n t
s a full gr e t d e l e
”
In houris by his m a gi k e n a tur ell .
A nd for many age s a ft erwards t

h e h e ali n g art was
1 obvious corr e ction o f t

Ah h e Gr ee k t e xt a s it h e r e a pp e a rs
in M igu e s edition is to a lt e r da b M a p r i o v x a i p é x p tg
’
to
c sr b
i M a p r i o v mi ,
‘
f r om M a r ch 2 1s t
.
2 s a m e a rra nge m e nt
Th e of i n fl u e n ces is giv en in V el cu r i o ,
be for e quot ed p 14 4 , . .
1 74 ST . J OH N or DAM ASC U S .
tinctur e d with astrology A tt h e sam e tim e whil e

.
a
thus noting t h e i n fl u e n c e of t h e s e asons r e al or ,
imaginary on t h e bodily t e mp e r am e nt D a m a sc e n u s
, ,
e nt e rs a strong prot e st aga nst attributing to t

i h e stars
any i n fl u e n c e on t h e human will or actions H is .
“
words on this subj e ct d e s e rv e quoting T he .
G entil e s say that all our a ffairs a re ord e r e d by t he

rising and s e tting and conj unction of th e s e stars an d ,
of t h e sun and moon For such is t h e subj e ct that

.
astrology tr e ats o f B ut we ass e rt that whil e sign s

.
,
a r e giv e n by th e m of rain and fair w e ath e r of cold ,
and h e at of moistur e an d drought of wi nds and t

,
he , ,
lik e ye tof our own actions no sign s at all a r e giv e n

, .
For sinc e w e w e r e form e d by our Cr e ator with

,
fre e dom of will we a r e thus mast e rs of our own

,
actions N o w if it is by t
.
,
h e l e ading of t h e stars that
we do all that we do th e n a r e our actions not ,
voluntary B ut what is not voluntary is n e ith e r virtu e

.
nor vic e A nd if we a re p oss e ss e d of n e ith e r virtu e

.
nor vice we a re d e s e rving of n e ith e r prais e nor

,
punishm e nt so that God al s o will b e found unj ust in

, ,
giving bl e ssings to o n e and a ffl i c t i o n s to anoth e r .
N ay it will follow that God provid e s n e ith e r guidanc e

,
nor for e thought for his cr e atur e s if all a r e l e d and ,
carri e d along involuntarily Wh e r e for e we

affi r m that t h e stars a r e not t h e e ss e ntial caus e s o f
anything that com e s to pass e ith e r o f t h e birth of
,
what com e s into b e ing or t h e d e cay of that which

,
d e cays ; b u ta r e rath e r sign s o f show e rs of rain and ,
chang e s of t h e atmosph e r e O ur habits a r e

among t h e things in our own control for th e y a r e ,
gov ern e d by r e ason and follow t h e turn w e giv e

,
1 76 ST . J OH N or DAMAS CU S .
tr e atis e n o w b e for e u s— that we must conclud e that

th e moon was cr e at e d at t h e full b e ing th e n in i t s ,
p erfe ct and b e fi t t i n g stat e H e nc e it would h a v e got

.
a start of e l e ve n days ov er t h e sun b e ginning in t he ,
condition of fi ft e e n days old wh e r e as th e sun was ,
cr e at e d on t h e fourth da y F our from fi ft e e n l e av e

.
el e ve n ; and thus it aris e s that t h e lunar y e ar i s

e l e v e n days short e r than t h e solar It would not b e .
giving a j ust r e pr e s e ntation of what Da m a sc e n u s has

Writt e n on th e s e subj e cts to pass ov e r unnotic e d such
,
a sp e cim e n o f childish r e asoning 5 b ut i t is only fair

to obs e rv e on t h e oth e r hand th a t t
,
h e thought do e s ,
not app e ar to b e hi s own b u ttak e n from a writ e r ,
m ention e d by Le q u i e n Se v e r i a n u s Ga b a l i t
, a nu s .
In d e scribing t h e e cliptic circl e h e assigns thr ee ,
a eea m or thirty d e gr ee s to e a ch sign of t

'
h e z odiac
’
, , ,
maki n g 3 6 0 fo r t °
h e e ntir e circumfe r e nc e I n what .
follows on t h e lz ozz ses of t

,
h e plan e ts h e s e e ms rath e r ,
1
to v e rge on astrology 5 but a short e num e ration is
all that h e giv e s on this h e ad A ri e s and S corpio .
a re t h e lzoa se of M a rs 5 T a u - rus and Libra of V e nus ,
and so o n .
N e xt in orde r h e discuss e s b r i efl y t h e natur e of air

and wind A ir is a subtl e e l e m e nt h e avi e r than fi r e
.
, ,
b u tl ight e r th a n e arth or wat e r in its e lf colourl e ss and ,
non luminous but s e rvi n g a s a v e hicl e to thr ee of our

-
,
1
In so fa r a s t h e pl a n e ts w e r e conc e rn e d it w a s o f e spe ci a l ,
import a nc e [fo r c a lcul a ting n a tiviti e s]to not e throu gh w h a t sign

of t h e z odi a c th e y h a pp e n e d to b e p a ssi n g sinc e e a ch pl a n e t h a d
,
a p e culi a r sign ,
h e dom a s or hous e o f t
c a ll e d t h e pl a n e t during ,
”
its soj ourn in which it poss e ss e d sup e rior pow er Pro f R a m . .
‘
s a y s a r ton A strologi a in Smith s D i eto f An tiquiti es

’
.
” ’ ”
. .
ON N AT U RA L SC I EN C E . 1 77
s e ns e s sight h e aring and sm e ll Wind is an agita

, , ,
.
tion or curre nt of air ; and according to t

,
h e quart e r
from which it s e ts w e giv e it in e ach cas e a sp e cia l
,
nam e T h e nam e s of t
. h e winds tw e lv e in all a re , ,
th e n se tdown This is follo w e d by a n account of

.
wat e r and t
,
h e chi e f coll e ctions of wat e r on t h e glob e .
B y oeea n —the “
reflu ent
”
oc e an str e a m of M ilton
is m e ant a kind o f riv e r e ncircling t
“
h e w hol e e arth ,
about which Holy S criptur e s e e ms to sp e ak in t he ,
words a r i ver w en to u tof Eden h a ving swe e t and ,
drinka bl e wat e r This suppli e s w a t e r to t

. h e v a rious
s e as But from t
. he wat e r r e maining a long tim e i n
th e m without chang e it b e com e s br a ckish 5 t ,
h e more
ra r e fi e d part b e ing constantly dra w n off b y t h e sun
an d by w a t e rspouts I t is from this that clouds a re
.
form e d and rain e nsu e s t h e wat e r b e coming sw e e t by

,
pe rcolation through t he air

”
T he four riv e rs of .
Paradis e h e i de n t i fi e s with t h e Gange s t h e N il e t he , ,
Tigris a n d t , h e E uphrat e s T h e di ffe r e n t s e as or

.
,
parts of s eas th e n known a r e n e xt n a m e d in ord e r

, , ,
b e ginning with t he ZEgaea n Lastly t h e m e a sur e

.
,
m e nts o f t he thr e e contin e nts a r e giv e n T h e l e ngth 1

.
of E urop e as o n e coasts along from t

,
h e mouth of
t he T a n a i s ( Don ) to t h e Pillars of H e rcul e s ( Gibraltar ) ,
is stad e s 5 that of A frica from Tingis ( Tangi e r ) ,
to t h e Ca n o b i c mouth of t h e N il e is stad e s 5 ,
and that of A sia from Ca n o b u s to t

,
h e Don is ,
stad e s It is plain that som e e rror h a s h e r e cr e pt

.
into t h e t e xt possi b ly by a misint e rpr e tation o f t

,
he
1
T a king l engZ/z in i t s ge ogra phic a l se ns e of longitud e or ,
dist a nc e e a st a n d w est .
1 7 8 ST . J OH N or DA MA S C U S .
Gr e e k num erical l e tt e rs 5 for taking t h e usual 1

,
m e asur e m e nt of 2 0 2 yards for a stad e we should ,
thus arrive at t h e prodigious r e sult of n e arly

mil e s as t ,
h e l e ngth of t h e s outh e rn coast lin e of -
E urop e I t will b e obs e rv e d that t

. h e shor e s of t he
M e dit e rran e an and of t h e land lock e d s e as conn e ct e d
,
-
with i ta r e alo n e compris e d in this surv e y

, .
I n what follows on e arth paradis e a n d t h e tr e e of

, , ,
knowl e dg e to t h e tw e lfth chapt e r which tr e ats of

, ,
m a n th e r e is littl e but infe r en c e s or r efl e c t

, i on s from
S criptur e 5 and h e nc e nothing furth e r n ee d b e said
on th e s e subj e cts h e r e .
B e sid e s t h e abov e th er e a r e e xtant a few short frag ,
m e nts in which D a m a sc e n u s tr e ats of matt e rs mor e or

l e ss conn e ct e d with natural history 5 though his mod e
of tr e atm e nt will hardly b e thought s c i en t ific T he .
fi r s ttwo of th e s e a r e on dragon s and ghouls ?

In
th e s e h e app ears as t h e oppon e nt of popular sup e r
st it i o n s D ragons h e t e lls u s w e r e vulgarly suppos e d
.
, ,
to b e huge snak e s capabl e of assuming human form ,
of e nt e ring hous e s und e r that disguis e and doing ,
harm of variou s kinds to t h e inmat e s M or e ov e r .

,
th e y w er e e sp e cially a mark for thund e rb olts b e ing ,
1
I do no t und e rs t a nd th e principl e on which t h e firs t o f th ese
l ett e rs ( s t
aa or t h e ( l iga m zz za ) is m a d e by t
,
h e L a tin tr a nsl a t or t o
st a nd fo r According to H e ro di a n u s D e N a m er z s a
'
, ,
di fi e r en tsymbol would b e us e d N e ith e r do t h e thr ee a moun t

. s
a bov e giv e n m a k e up t he t ot a l which follows o f st a d e s

fo r a l l t h e co a s tlin e round t h e M e dit e rr a n ea n a n d up t o t he
Se a o f Az ov I f w e rea d
. a nd 4 1 1 1 st a des ,
r e sp e ct iv e ly w e should b e n e a r er t
,
h e m ark ; though t h e s e would
not giv e t h e t ota l r e duc e d on t h e s a m e principl e o f
, ,
M igu e s cd vol i p 1 5 99
2 ’
. . . . .
, ,
1 80 ST . J OH N os D A MAS C U S .
any oth e r animal in e v e ry cas e t

,
h e blow falls alik e .
T h e ton e of this answ e r will r e mind u s of that giv e n

by t h e S partan survivor of Sph a c t e r i a who wh e n an , ,
A th e nian wa s tauntingly supposing that all t h e b rav e

m e n on t h e isl a nd must hav e b e e n kill e d and non e ,
but t h e s orry r e mn a nt l e ft to surr e nd e r r e pli e d th a t ,
i t would b e a wis e arrow that could s e l e ct t h e brav e

and not t h e cowardly for its mark D a m a sc e n u s
.
pr oc e e ds to add a fe w r e marks on t h e caus e why t he

flash pr e c e d e s t h e sound Both originat e s imultan e
.
(
o u sl y 5 but wh e r e as t h e o n e pr e viously lat e nt is th e n
, ,
instantly visibl e t ,
h e oth e r produc e s n o e ffe ct until
i thas com e down from its h e ight If t h e r e ason
.
g i v e n b e not cl e ar h e ,
adds a natural illustration .
Le ta man stand 0 11 a distant e min e nc e and give a

signal by striking with his stick Yo u s e e t h e mov e
.
m e nt of his arm as h e strik e s t

,
h e b low som e littl e ,
spac e b e fo r e t h e sound o f it r e ach e s you I f m en -
would only study t h e B ibl e th e y would not b e misl e d

,
by th e s e childish fa nci e s Ignoranc e is a v e ry m is

.
l e ading thing ; a n d we suffe r t h e gr e at e st loss by not

o b e ying our Lord s pr e c e pt to s e arch t h e S criptur e s
’
.
A s it is all a r e full of e xcus e s for n egl e cting t

'
,
h e duty .
T h e soldi e r says h e has no n e e d of r e ading b e ing a

'
m a n of war 5 t h e husb andman pl e ads t h e n e c e ssity of

a tt e nding to his fa rm and so we a l l fa ll short .
T h e simpl e answ e r to t h e monstrous fa bl e s about

th e St ry a gee or fe mal e form s that can pass through
,
clos e d doors on th e ir m a l e vol e nt e rrands is that ,
C hrist a lon e claim e d and e x e rcis e d this pow e r wh e n ,
H e cam e to t h e discipl e s a ft e r His r e surr e ction 5 a n d

to av e r t h at a n y ghoul or fairy can do t
'
h e sam e thi ng
ON N A T U R A L S C I EN C E . 181
would b e bl a sph e mously to a ssign to th e m t h e sam e

po w e r as to Christ .
T h e r e ad e r m a y b e dispos e d to think that in thu s

arguing w ith r e a sons of what e v e r soundn e ss a ga inst
, ,
t h e popul a r sup e rstitions of his country J ohn o f ,
D a mascus app e ars in a ch a ract e r som e w hat at vari a nc e

w ith that und e r which w e hav e vi e w e d him e ls e wh e r e ,
as t h e d e fe nd e r of imag e worship But as N e and e r

-
.
,
points out th e r e is no r e al inconsist e ncy

,
W e s ee .
no good r e ason h e says ,

’
w hy a d e fe nd e r of imag e
,
s
w orship might not at t h e sam e tim e s e thims e l f t o
O ppos e th a t sp e ci e s of sup e rstition His conduct in .

,
both cas e s a lik e proc e e d e d from r e ligious motiv e s

, .
I mage worship
-
a pp e ars to him a pr a ctic e a lto
ge th e r corr e spond e nt with t h e spirit of Christi a nity ,
a n d conformabl e to r e a son ; but th e s e stori e s b e

r e gard e d as alik e r e pugn a nt to Christian truth and
r e ason H e a scrib e s t
. h e spr e ad of t h e l a tt e r sup e r
st iti o n a mong t h e p e opl e to t h e fa ct th a t th e y w e r e
k e pt in such total i gnor a nc e o f t h e S criptur e s He .
insists that laym e n o f all cl a ss e s e v e n soldi e rs and ,
p e as a nts ought to r e ad t
,
h e sacr e d word “
This .
” “
b iblic a l t e nd e ncy h e adds
, might s ee m to collid e
,
w ith t h e tra ditional o n e of a z e alous imag e worshipp e r 5 -
b u tn e ith e r a r e th e s e contr a ri e ti e s o f such a n a tur e

that th e y might not e xist toge th e r in t h e sam e indi
”
vidu a l.
1
O n e oth e r fragm e nt m a y b e notic e d I t app e ar s .
to hav e for me d part o f a l e tt e r and in its pr e s e nt ,
form is h e ad e d Q a z a es tIz omo ? l/Vb a ti s m a n ? I t

’
’
occupi e s but a singl e column and br e aks off in t ,

he
1
M i gn e s e d vol’
p. 2,43 . . .
1 82 ST . J OH N or D A MAS C U S .
middl e of a s e nt e nc e T h e de fi n i t i o n giv e n of man

.
“
is that h e is a rational animal liabl e to d e ath and , ,
capabl e of int e llige nc e and knowl e dg e His bodily .
natur e consists of four e l e m e nts : blood phl e gm , ,
1
y e llow b il e and black bile
, T h e s e ats of th e s e .
humours a r e th e n d e scrib e d and t h e e ffe cts obs e rv e d ,
from t h e pr e pond e ranc e of o n e or oth e r of th e m .
Trac e s o f th e s e Opinions as we a r e awar e sur , ,
viv e in our own languag e Wh e n we sp e ak of a .
man as sanguin e chol e ric m e lancholy or phl eg , , ,
matic we a r e of cours e e mbodyi ng t

,
h e old id e as
e xpr e ss e d by thos e words 5 j ust as wh e n w e ,
d e scrib e a p e rson as humorous or humoursom e or , ,
of a good or bad t emp er

( that is bl e nding or com ,
bination of th e s e b a moa r s ) we a r e unconsciously ,
e mploying t e rms of anci e nt m e dical sci e nc e An .
account o f t h e nobl e st part of man s body t h e h e ad

’
, ,
is th e n b e gun B ut t h e t e xt is in such a mutilat e d

.
condition that it is not e asy to e xtract much m e aning

1
In the D e F id e O r t h o do x a 11 12 t h e s a m e dis t
,
ribu t ion .
,
is m a d e with a n a ddition a l comp a rison o f th e m to t

,
h e four
cosmic a l e l e m e nts T h e bl a ck bil e a nsw e rs to e a rth a s b e ing
.
,
dry a n d cold 5 t h e phl e gm to w a t e r which is cold a n d moist 5 ,
th e blood to a i r which is w a rm a n d mois t

, ; a nd t h e y e llo w
bil e to fi r e which is hot a n d dry T h e four s e a sons it will b e
, .
,
r e m e mb e re d w er e a lso m a d e a n a logous to th e m a s a lso t

,
h e four ,
oc t
“ ”
p e riods o f h u m a n l i fe B e sid e s Ch a uc e r s
. D o u r o f P h i si k e
’
,
W ho
Kn e w t h e c a us e o f e v e l y m a l a di e ,
W e r e it o f cold or hot e or m o i s t ,
e or dri e , , ,
And wh ete n gen dr e d a n d o f wh a t humour , ,
B urton m a y b e cit e d a s illustr a ting this subj e ct An a tomy of
M e l a ncholy (ed p 93
. . .
s ee n S till t
'
. h e claim put forth on his b e half do e s

,
not app e ar affe ct e d by this Th e r e i s still r e ason to

.
maintain that it was through him and oth e r S yrian ,
Christians lik e him that t h e chain of anci e nt l e arning

,
continu e d unbrok e n What E d e ssa was as a link

.
,
b e tw e e n A l e xandria and Bagdad such wa s John of ,
Damascu s b e tw e e n t h e Gr e e k philosoph e rs and t he

1
S arac e n conqu e rors .
1
As slight e vid e n c e in p a ssing o f t
a , he t e nd e ncy to a ssign
,
to t h e A r a bi a ns mor e cr e dit th a n is th e ir du e it m a y b e obs e rv e d,
t h a t John o f D a m a scus hims e l f is de scrib e d by a n a bl e e d itor ,
of t h e Ca n t er b u ry Ta les a s a n A r a bi a n physici a n
,
prob a bly o f t h e ninth c e ntury See t h e Cl a r e ndon Pre ss

”
.
e dition o f t he “
Prologu e &c 1 8 7 7 p 1 3 5 Whil e noting
”
, .
, , . .
this a s s i gn i fi c a n to f w h a t I st a t e d a bov e I must not r e fra in

, ,
from a dding my sm a ll tribut e to t h e gr e a t m erit o f D r M orri s s

’
.
e ditori a l work .
ST . J OH N OF D A M A SCU S .
C H A PT ER XII I .
D O U BT F U L WR I T I N G S .
B a r la a m
'
(I . a nd
j oa mp /z (I I .
) P a fz eg / r z c on Si . B a r ba r a .
IN consid e ring t h e works of doubtful g e nuin e n e ss

a scrib e d to St J ohn o f D a m a scus t
. h e fi r s tplac e ,
must b e giv e n to t h e Christi a n romanc e if such w e ,
m a y call i tof B a r l a a m and Jo a s a p h

,
“ ”
This p r e .
c e de n c e is du e not m e r e ly to its l e ngth

,
1 but to t he ,
wid e popularity it onc e e nj oy e d A glanc e at t he .
ca ta logu e s of m a nuscripts o f D a m a sc e n u s w h e th e r a t ,
Vi e nna or e ls e w h e r e will show how fr e qu e ntly it was

,
copi e d . T h e sam e t e stimony is born e b y e arly

print e d e ditions T h e pr e ss e s of A ntw e rp M unic h
.
, ,
and Cologn e multipli e d it in ab undanc e to t h e e nd

of t h e s e v e nt e e nth c e ntury In our own country an .
abridg e d v e rsio n of it was issu e d as a ch a p book by -
th e st a tion e rs on London Bridg e 2

A n e pitom e o f i t , .
in a La tin dr e ss app e a r e d in t ,he “

S p e culum His
toria le
”
of Vinc e nt of B e auvais and also i n t he
‘
1
It occupi e s pp . o f vol iii o f M igu e s edition
8 5 7 —1 2 5 0 . .
’
.
Le q u i e n did not includ e i t his d e sign be ing to a dd a third

,
volum e to his e dition in w hich such pi e c e s might a pp ea r

,
.
S uch a n edition a pp e a r e d in 1 7 1 1 und e r t

“
2
h e titl e o f Sa int ,
Jo s a pha t : t h e H istory o f th e F iv e Wis e Philosoph e rs 1 2 1110 , .
T he introduction is sign e d by N H e r i ck who comm e nds it a s .

,
p r o fi t
a b l e r e a ding fo r his countrym e n .
86 ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US .
Gold e n L ege nd T he
qu e stion of its g e nuin e n e ss
.
1
would b e too long and di ffi c u l tto e nt e r upon h e r e .
It may su ffi c e to say that on t h e o n e hand t

, he ,
fre qu e nt citations from Gr e gory of N a z i a n z u s and

oth e r confe ss e dly fa vourit e authoriti e s as w e ll as t he ,
occurr e nc e of passage s v e rb a lly coinciding with parts

of t he D e Or t h o do x a Fid e no l e ss than t
”
,
h e proli x
discussions on t h e p e rsonality of God and t h e worship
of t h e Holy Imag e s offe r a strong pr e sumption in
,
favour of J ohn of Damascus as t h e author Ou t he .
oth e r hand t h e stat e m e nt ( p 1 0 2 8 ) as to t

,
h e p r oc e s
.
sion of t h e Holy Gh o st f r om i k e S o n as w e ll as from

t h e Fath e r would b e at varianc e with t
,
h e acknow
l e dg e d t e aching of a writ e r of t h e E a st e rn Church .
I t might no doubt b e e asily maintain e d that t he

words a r e an int e rpolation ; and p e rhaps mor e con
v i n c i n g r e asons to som e minds would b e drawn
, ,
from t h e g e n e ral styl e of t h e work From t h e titl e

.
of it n o c e rtain con clusion can b e d e riv e d owing to ,
t h e varying forms und e r which it app e ars In o n e .
manuscript it is giv e n as A p r o fi t
2 “
a b l e history of
B a r l a a m and J osaphat from t h e int e rior r e gion o f

,
E thiopia compos e d by our holy fath e r and po et

, ,
1
Wh e n B o i sson a de publish ed t h e Gr e e k t e x t fo r t he first
t ime in vol iv o f his An e cdo t
. . a Gr ae c a ( P a ris he,
h e r ea d e r by s a ying th a t
t a nt a liz e d t h e h a d m e a nt to discuss this
qu e stion fully a s a lso th a to f t
,
h e occurr e nc e o f Syri a c n a m e s i n
a story o f W hich t h e sc e n e is Indi a or ZEt h i op i a but postpon e d
his pl a n in d e fe r e nc e to a n e xp e ct e d e dition by Schmid ta n d
Kop i t ar
. I c a nnot l ea rn th a t this l a tt e r h a s e v e r a pp ea r e d .
Q uot e d by Leo A l l a t
“ ”
2
i u s in his Prol e gom en a ( M igu e s ’
cd vol i p
.
, . .
, . Le o A ll a t i u s conclud e s on t h e whol e i n
, ,
fa vour both o f t h e g e nuin e n e ss a n d a uth e nticity o f t h e work .

G e n e sis x I O B ut th e r e s e e m s n o r e ason why it

. .
s h ould not b e t h e mod e rn Se n a a r b e tw e e n t h e Blu e ,
R iv e r and t h e tru e str e am of t h e N il e As t he .
M e m n o n e s w e r e pl a c e d not far off an additional ,
r e a son m ight thus b e giv e n for t h e bl e nding o f India

and E thiopia as t h e sc e n e of t h e e v e nts If the .
sc e n e w e r e thus corr e ctly laid on t h e c o n fi n e s of

A byssinia a som e what curious an a logy would b e p r e
,
s e nt e d to a mod e rn story n o twholly unlik e t he on e ,
n ow u —
b e for e s Dr J ohnson s R ass e las or t
. he
’
,
Princ e of A b yssini a ”
It is said that to this day t
, he
A byssinians call th e ms e lv e s [ t m or E t i
'
zo
pj a w a f h o
pians and th e ir l a ngu a ge is of S e mitic origin 1 This .

,
last circumst a nc e m a y h e lp to e x plain t h e fa ct that

t h e nam e s in B a r l a a m and Jo a s a p h a r e H e br e w or
S yriac B e sid e s thos e o f t

. he t w o pri n cipal charact e rs ,
we hav e that of King A b e n n e r t h e fa th e r of Jo a sa p h , ,
B arachias nam e d as his succ e ssor N achor t

,
h e astro ,
t r o l o ge r Th e udas t
,
h e magici a n and t he lik e On ,
.
t h e whol e obs e rvi n g also that t

,
h e n a m e s of SS B a r .
l a am and Jo a s a p h or Jos a phat a r e found i n t ,

he ,
R om an martyrology as w e ll as in t h e Gr e e k M a ma
, ,
it might not b e unr e ason a b l e fo r u s to conclud e that

som e such account of t h e spr e ad of Christianity
in Abyssinia or its c o n fi n e s in t ,
h e days wh e n t he ,
Th e bais was p e opl e d with h e rmits had r e ach e d t he ,
e ars of J ohn of D a mascus and th a t b e e nlarg e d it by ,
th e addition of t h e long discours e s b e tw e e n t he

young princ e and t h e monk Th e r e may b e thu s t he .
sam e basis of historical truth in it that th e r e is in t he

1
Se e t
he a rticl e “
E thiopi a in S m i th s
’ “
D iction a ry of
G e ogra phy .
”
D O U BT F U L WR I T I N G S . 1 89
Cyr o p ae di a of X e nophon or t he U topi a of S ir

Thomas M or e But it is tim e th a t we e n a bl e d t
. he
r e ad e r to j udg e of t h e narrativ e for hims e l f .
T h e king th e n of this sh a do w y l a nd of int e rior

, ,
E thiopia w a s n a m e d A b e n n e r H e liv e d at a
.
tim e wh e n t h e d a rkn e ss of idolatry had b e e n

i n part disp e ll e d through t ,
h e pr e aching of St .
Thomas and his succ e ssors and wh e n E gypt i n , ,
p a rticular ab ound e d with holy re clus e s But though

, .
,
gift e d with e v e ry bodily e ndo wm e nt b rav e a n d vic ,
t o r i o u s in war A b e n n e r had no tru e gr e atn e ss o f

,
spirit but d e light e d in worldly pl e asur e s and h a t e d

, ,
and p e rs e cut e d t h e r e ligion of Christ M any o f his .
subj e cts w e re comp e ll e d to ab j ure t h e faith oth e rs

w e r e tortur e d or fl e d to t
,
h e surrounding d e s e rts .
A mong thos e who had so withdrawn to t h e soci e ty o f

t h e h e rm its w a s a chi e f s a tr a p by whom t
”
,
h e king
set gr e at stor e C a ll e d by such a d e fe ction A b e n n e r
.
,
h a d a clos e s e a rch mad e a ft e r him ; and wh e n t he

satrap was at l e ngth capture d and b rought to his
pr e s e nc e h e indignantly d e mand e d of him how he
,
could think of e xchanging his form e r honours and

dignity for t h e m e an and s ordid appar e l of t h e m onk .
M y li e ge r e pli e d t
”
,
h e oth e r if you wish to d e b at e
,
t h e matt e r with m e bid your e n e mi e s d e part out o f

,
c o urt and th e n I will a nsw e r you touching a ll things

,
On t
”
th a t you wish to e nquir e .h e king asking what
“ ”
e n e mi e s h e could m e an : A ng e r s a id h e ,
and ,
Lust ; and l e tth e ir plac e s b e tak e n b y two b e tt e r

”
ass e ssors Discre tion and Justic e
,
This app ea l
.
b e ing fa vourably r e c e iv e d h e proc ee ds to r e lat e t

, he
cours e of e ve nts which had l e d him to b e com e a
1 9 0 ST . J OH N OF D A MAS C US .
Christian Wh e n h e fi n i sh e d t
. h e king was so i n ,
fl a m e d with ang e r as to b e mov e d to commit his

body to t h e flam e s But fe aring to inc e ns e t
. he
fri e nds of o n e wh o had b e e n so high in statio n h e ,
suppr e ss e d his wrat h and t e lling him that h e ow e d, ,
his life to t h e p e ac e ful couns e llors whom h e had

promis e d to call into court di smiss e d t h e onc e high ,
o ffi c e r from his pr e s e nc e .
To compl e t e t h e worldly prosp e rity of this king

o n e thing was wanting for which h e had lon g pin e d ,
in vain H e was childl e ss an d had no h e ir to t

. he ,
thron e A tlast to his d e light a son is born whom

.
, , ,
h e nam e s Jo a sa p h and t h e nation is bidd e n to

,
r ej oic e an d offe r sa c r i fi c e s at th e e v e nt Wh e n t he .
soothsaye rs a r e m e ttog e th e r to for e cast his d e stiny ,
th e y vi e with o n e anoth e r in pr e saging rich e s and

pow e r B ut o n e a strolog e r wis e r than all t
. h e r e st , ,
for e told lik e anoth e r M icaiah that t

,
h e in fant princ e ,
should ind ee d attain to gr e at honour but not in his ,
e arthly fath e r s kingdom H e would e mbrac e t

’
he .
faith of Christ and in His kingdom would h e b e

,
gr e at S uch a fo re boding was ga ll and wormwood t

. o
A b e n n er In t h e hop e of fa lsi fyi n g t
. h e pr e diction ,
h e had a spl e ndid palac e rais e d in a s e clud e d city of

his dominions Th e r e h e had t . h e child k e pt with ,
t h e strict e st inj unction s to his att e nd a nts that nothing

should m e e t his e y e s as h e gr e w u p 1i k e 1y in t ,
he ,
r e mot e st d e gr e e to sugg e st t h e truths of t h e r e ligion

h e abhorr e d T h e royal page s w e r e to b e all young
.
and b e autiful I f o n e fe ll ill h e was to b e r e mov e d

.
,
im m e diat e ly and anoth er in all t

,
h e bloom of h e alth , ,
substitut e d in his plac e E v e ry sight of sickn e ss or .

,
N ow it happ e n e d that in t h e solitud e s of S e na a r

was a monk nam ed B a rl a a m Th e re was r e v e al e d to .
him in a dr e am t h e st a t e of mind in which t h e young

princ e w as a n dh e w a s commission e d to r e pair to him
, .
A ccordingly l a ying asid e his monk s dr e ss and

,
’
assuming t h e garb of a m e rchant h e we nt on b oard,
ship and cam e to t

1
h e kingdom of t h e I ndi a n s .
Th e r e watching h i s opportunity h e accost e d t

,
he,
sam e att e ndant in whom t h e princ e had b e for e con

fi de d and profe ss e d to hav e a pr e cious ston e of
,
e xc e e ding valu e — t
he “
p e a rl of gr e at pric e of t ”
he
m e rchant in t h e parabl e — which h e would g i ve to t he
princ e if allow e d to com e into his pr es e nc e A ft e r .
so m e parl e y h e was a dmitt e d a n d j oyfully r e c e iv e d by

J o a s a p h who divin
, e d th e e rr a nd on which h e w a s
com e T h e m onk to c o nfi r m him in this mood

.
, ,
r e lat e d t h e following para bl e — Th e r e was onc e a

gr e a t and r e nown e d king who wh e n riding abroad in , ,
his gold e n chariot att e nd e d by a gorg e ous r e tinu e

, ,
c am e upon two m e n in squalid attir e Th e ir wan .
fac e s and e maci a t e d fra m e s attract e d his atte ntion .
Wh e n h e l e arnt that it was in t h e aust e riti e s o f a li fe

d e vot e d to God th a t th e y had b e com e thus w a st e d
away h e l e apt down from his chariot and fl i n gi n g
, ,
hims e lf on t h e ground at th e ir fe e t did ob e isanc e to ,
th e m and th e n s a lut e d th e m most lov i ngly T h e .
proud courti e rs offe nd e d at t ,

h e sight of t h e royal
diad e m thus trailing in t h e dust as th e y r e gard e d i t , ,
This it will b e notic e d do e s not a ccord with t

, ,
h e s u gge s
tion m a d e a bov e th a t Se n a a r might b e t
,
h e country still so
c a ll e d ; i f a tl e a st this kingdom o f t
“
,
h e Indi a ns
”
i s to b e
sought in t h e int e rior o f A fric a .
D OU BT F U L WR I T I N G S . [
93
b ut not daring to l e tth e ir murmurs b e op e nly h e ard

by t h e king appli e d to his b roth e r and urg e d him to
,
e xpostulat e with th e ir sov e r e ign T h e king s broth e r

’
.
did s o and t
,
h e king answ e r e d him ; but what t he
m e aning of that a n sw e r w as could not b e un de rstood .
B ut wh e n e v e ning w as com e t h e m e aning of t he

answ e r s e e m e d to b e m a d e but too pla in It was t he .
custom of th a t country w h e n a n y m a n wa s s e nt e nc e d
,
to d e a th for a m e ss e ng e r to b e s e nt to b low a c e rtain

,
trump e t b e for e his door th e nc e c a ll e d t

,
he trump e t o f
d e a th Wh e n t
. h e fatal sound w as h e ard t h e inmat e s ,
kn e w what was m e ant and t h e victim hast e n e d to

,
mak e his last pre par a tion O n this night th e r e for e

.
, ,
th e king s e nt a m e ss e ng e r to blow t h e trump e t b e fore

th e door of his broth e r H e p a l e and t
. e rr i fi e d, ,
thought that h is hour was com e and at e arly morn ,
hast e n e d with wi fe and childr e n clad in mourning to

, ,
s u e fo r m e rcy at t he h a nds of t h e king T he king .
se t him fr e e from his al a rm and r e ad for him t ,

he
m e a ning of this riddl e I f he foolish suppliant thus
.
, ,
dr e ad e d t h e m e ss e nge r of an e arthly king o n e but ,
littl e high e r in rank a n d honour than hims e l f how ,
could h e blam e his broth e r for att e nding w ith awful

r e ve r e nc e to any m e ss a ge that cam e to him from t he
King of Kings e v e n though brought by e nvoys in
,
such humbl e guis e as thos e at whom h e had ta k e n

o ffe nc e
S uch was t h e parabl e by which B a rla a m e ncoura ge d
and r e ward e d t h e cond e sc e nsion o f t h e young princ e
to wards hims e l f T he conv e rsation of t
. h e two and ,
t he syst e matic instruction giv e n by B a rl a a m a r e th e n ,
r e lat e d i tmust b e admitt e d at almost int ermin a bl e

,
-
,
o
l e ngth though t h e introduction of apologu e s e v e ry

now and th e n may h a v e mad e it almost as int e r e st i ng
’
to r e ad e rs o f a bygon e g e n e r a tion as Pilgrim s Pro
gr e ss has b ee n sinc e In bri e f Jo a sa p h is bapti z e d
.
,
and l e d to r e ga rd t h e m onastic life as t h e high e st of

a l l patt e rns B a r l a a m wh e n his task is don e r e turn s
.
, ,
to his distant h e rm itage and Jo a sa ph is l e ft to fac e ,
t h e king s ang e r as b e st h e may

’
T h e s e cr e t cannot .
b e long k e pt from him and his rag e and fury know ,
no bounds But by t . h e couns e l of his chi e f minist e r

A rach e s h e r e sorts to stratage m H e rai s e s t h e hu e .
and cry far and wid e in pursuit of t h e monk who has

caus e d t h e mischi e f and in du e tim e giv e s out that
,
th e chas e has b ee n succ e ssful N achor t h e astro .

,
loge r is to b e disguis e d so as to r e s e mbl e t

,
h e missing
B a r l a a m 3 a sol e mn ass e mbly is to b e proclaim e d ;
th er e t h e advocat e s of t h e old r e ligion shall disput e
with t h e suppos e d Christian m onk and wh e n t he
latt e r gradually succumbs as it is arrang e d that h e ,
.
shall t h e princ e will fe e l that his n e w t e ach e r is

,
u nabl e to giv e a good r e ason for t h e faith that is in

hi m . T h e plot is an artful o n e but is b a t fl e d by t he ,
p e n e tration of Joa sa p h H e disc erns at t . h e outs e t

who it is that stands b e for e him und e r t h e s e mblanc e
of B a rl a a m Turning to t
. h e assum e d monk h e thus ,
addr e ss e s him B a rl a a m thou hast not forgott e n in ,
what Spl e ndour and luxury thou didst fi n d m e B e .
li eving thy words I r e nounc e d all my prosp e cts of

,
w orldly glory and brav e d t,

h e ange r o f my fa th e r to ,
worship an invisibl e king and e arn t h e r e comp e nc e

,
that H e has promis e d N ow thou art on thy trial . .
I t thou dost mak e good t h e truth o f what I l e arnt

1
9 6 ST . JOH N or D AMAS C US .
e m e rg e ncy h e was r e comm e nd e d by A rach e s to

,
shar e h i s kingdom with his son If t h e car e s of

.
st a t e should withdraw t h e princ e s thoughts from

’
r e ligion th e i r e n d would b e gain e d I f not it would

,
.
,
b e a fi n a l tok e n th a t Christianity was from God an d ,
th a t th e y must not fi gh tagainst i t T h e couns e l was .
follow e d and t ,
h e kingdom shar e d with Jo a s a p h A .
s e p a rat e c a pital was assign e d him a n d a full shar e of ,
royal m a gn i fi c e n c e B ut this last t emptation was

.
foil e d . T h e young sov e r e ign act e d lik e a s e con d

Josiah H e cl e ar e d his city from its idolatri e s h e
.
prot e ct e d and e ncourag e d t h e Christian s within his

r e a lm and by his j ustic e and cl e m e ncy m ad e s e ttl e rs
from all parts to fl o c k to his j urisdiction so that his ,
gov e rnm e nt prosp e r e d b e yond e xampl e Y i e lding .
at last to this ov e rwh e lming e vid e nc e t h e old ki n g ,
A b e n n e r com e s as a humbl e discipl e to his son ; is

b y him instruct e d in t h e faith and di e s a Christian ,
.
Th e n Jo a sa ph r e signing t ,
h e sov e r e ignty to Bara
ch ias a Christian also lays asid e for e v e r his royal
, ,
rob e s and starts on foot a humbl e pilgrim to s e e k , ,
his b e lov e d instructor B a r la a m A ft e r a w e ary

, .
s e arch of two y e ars h e fi n ds him in a d e s e rt cav e

, ,
and th e r e abid e s with him till his d eath which t he ,
Gold e n L eg e nd plac e s about t h e y e ar 3 8 0 T he .
b odi e s of t h e two a r e aft e rwards found r e posing sid e

b y sid e and conv e y e d by Barachias with all honour
,
to t h e capital .
S uch in a v e ry m e agr e and curt a il e d outlin e is

, ,
t “ ”
h e o n c e famous story of B a r la a m and Jo a sa p h .
Wh e th e r it b e j udg e d to b e from t h e p e n of Damas

c en u s or not — an d th e r e is m u ch in t h e Gre e k that
DO U BT F U L WR I T I N G S . 1 97
ha s an ali e n look about i t t l—

h e r e a d e r m a y not
grudg e t h e sp a c e d e vot e d to wh a t must h a v e b e e n
r e ad with e a g e r int e r e st (a n d w e n e e d not scrupl e t
, o
say with p r o fi t
, ) by many a lon e ly r e clus e .
( )2 — If
in th e for e going p r o fi t
a b l e history th e r e
was matt e r for doubt as to t h e authorship or t he ,
actual occurr e nc e of t he e v e nts r e lat e d th e r e was ye t ,
nothing which absolut e ly e xc ee d e d t he bounds of

proba b ility T he s e cond pi e c e which I hav e chos e n
.
as a sp e cim e n of t h e writings w hos e g e nuin e n e ss is

dou b t ful t — he “
Pan e gyric on St B a rb a ra ”—
is o f a.
v e ry di ffe re nt d e scription T h e m a n n er fa b zz lce th a t

.
it conta ins would tax a cr e dulity t h e most u n

b ound e d A tt h e s a m e tim e though I should b e
.
,
glad to b e li e v e that J ohn of Damascus h a d no h a nd

in i tand though it m a y r e a d in som e r e sp e cts lik e a
,
”
distort e d imitation of B a rla a m and Jo a sa p h it did ,
not s e e m right to l e av e it out of sight Le q u i e n had .
so littl e doubt of its b e ing a ge nuin e work of our

author s that in t
’
,
h e short pr e fa c e with which h e
introduc e s i th e says th a t a b solut e ly nothing c a n
,
“
b e discov e r e d in t h e tr e a tis e at varianc e with t ,

he
”
diction styl e and mann e r of John of Damascus
, ,
.
2
A nd a l a t e r writ e r not lik e ly to b e uncritic a l is
, ,
dispos e d to admit th a t t h e p a n e gyric was r e a lly

d e liv e r e d by hi m T he pr e limin a ry s e ction is c e r
.
Such xpre ssions a s flu 7 7 14 3 0 w fo r é y i v mce c eca me fo r

n r a
e 1 1
,
Zdw x e a n d t
,
h e lik e strik e o n e a s un fa mili a r
,
On t h e oth e r .
h a nd som e p a ssa ge s such a s t

,
h e pra y e r o f Joa sa p h fo r e x a mpl e , ,
(p. a r e not unworthy o f t h e John surn a m e d Ch r yso r r oa s .
L a ngen “
J oh a nn e s von D a m a sku p 2 3 8 s
,
”
. .
1 98 ST .
JOH N O F D AMAS C US .
t a i n ly in a styl e not unworthy of D a m a s ce n u s ; and
wh e n t h e narrativ e of t h e saint s li fe b e gins it is i n

’
,
t r o du c e d with a
”
tis said which might b e constru e d
’
,
as e x e mpting t h e pr e ach e r fr om b e ing h e ld r e s p o n

sibl e fo r t h e historical truth o f t h e e v e nts h e go e s on
to r e lat e T h e qu e stion wh e th e r this is so or not
.
,
would op e n up a discussion of som e int e r e st w e r e ,
this t h e prop e r plac e for i t ,

on a c e rtain habit o f
mi nd by n o m e ans unknown e v e n at t
,
h e pr e s e nt
da y . I m e an that of thos e who a r e consciou s of no
scrupl e no shock to th e ir s e ns e of historical accuracy
, ,
in r e ading l e tu s suppos e som e of t

,
h e liv e s of t
,
he
saints in t he L e g e nda aur e a ”
Whil e a scholar and .
th e ologian lik e Viv e s ; t h e tutor to our Princ e ss M ary

Tudor could d e clar e that such a coll e ction d e s e rv e d
,
“ ” “ ”
rath e r to b e call e d L e ge nda plumb e a th a n aur e a
— a L e ad e n rath e r than a Gold e n L e g e nd — th e r e a r e
, ,
man y who r e ad an d r e p e at and draw infe r e nc e s from

th e prodigious stori e s th e r e m e twith till it b e com e s ,
di ffi c u l tto asc e rtain wh e th e r th e y e v e r think of t he

lit e ral occurr e nc e or non occurr e nc e of what th e y -
app e ar to acc e pt as fa cts In t h e minds of som e

.
such p e rsons it would s ee m as if t h e moral truth t he ,
Spiritual r e ality conv e y e d had e ntir e ly oblit e rat e d or

, ,
mad e at any rat e to vanish int

, ,
o v e ry dim outlin e ,
th e distinction b e tw e e n what w a s and what was not .
A nd thus it is qu it e possibl e that what is h e r e

r e cord e d of StBarbara may to som e minds pr e s e nt
.
no diffi c u l t y at all 3 and that not b e caus e th e y

,
e ith e r
consciously acc e pt or consciously d e ny t ,
h e lit e ral ,
truth of t h e occurr e nc e s r e lat e d but b e caus e t he ,
qu e stion of it do e s not occur to th e m at all and ,

z oo ST . J OH N or D AMAS C US .
advanc e s with scorn Thu s b a ffl e d Di o s c o r u s de .

,
parts aft e r l e aving ord e rs for a chamb e r to b e con

,
struct e d for h e r having t , wo windows Sh e dire ct s .
t h e workm e n to mak e thr e e in i t with a r e ligious ,
symbolism that can e asily b e divin e d H e r fa th e r .

,
on his r e turn at onc e o b s erv e s t

, h e chang e and ,
d e mands t h e r e a s on of i t Sh e O p e nly avows h e r .
motiv e and s ee ks to convinc e him of t

, h e truth of
t h e Christian fa ith T h e n transport e d with fury h e
.
, ,
rush e s upon h e r with drawn sword to slay h e r B ut .
10 l a n e ighbouring rock l e ss stony h e art e d than this ,

-
unnatural sir e op e ns its bosom to r e c e iv e h e r Sh e

, .
pass e s out through t

,
h e wa y thus provid e d to t he ,
oth e r sid e of t h e m ount a in But e v e n h e r e h e r .
r e l e ntl e ss fath e r pursu e s h er unmov e d by t he ,
miracl e display e d Having s e cur e d his victim h e

.
,
has h e r imprison e d ye tmor e strictly than b e for e ,
and appli e s to M arci a n u s t h e pr e siding gov e rnor of

,
his provinc e to u s e tort u r e or any m e an s h e thinks

, ,
fi t to qu e ll t
,
h e spirit of t h e Christian maid e n The .
r e ad e r of martyrologi e s can now anticipat e t he

cours e of t h e story A tfi r s tM arcianu s struck by
.
,
h e r b e auty tri e s to ingratiat e hims e lf with h e r Wh e n

,
.
his advanc e s a r e r ej e ct e d wi th cont e mpt his admira ,
tion turns to hat e and h e tri e s thr e ats and th e n

,
tortur e s Sh e is scourge d and h e r lac e rat e d fl e sh

.
,
rubb e d with h ors e hair cloth till sh e is o n e mass of

-
,
blood But wh e n brought aga in b e for e his tribun a l

.
,
on t h e following day h e r wounds hav e b e e n h e al e d

, ,
and no ta scar is to b e s e e n ! T h e gov e rnor only

hard e ns his h e art at t h e sight and still mor e dr e adful ,
tortur e s follow T h e r e cital of th e m all and of h e r

.
,
D O U BT F U L WR I T I N G S . 20 1
m ira culous pr e s e rvation through th e m is not mec e s ,
s a ry Su ffi c e it to sa y th a t a tlast wh e n h er con
. .
, ,
st a me y h a d b e e n fully prov e d a n d t h e tim e of h e r ,
de liv e r a nc e w a s com e h e r fa th e r s sword was p e r

’
,
m it te d to drink h e r li fe b lood and s h e fe ll upon t

-
he
,
mount a ins in t h e s a m e spot a s St Juli a n a D ios . .

‘
corus a s h e d e sc e nd e d was struck by lightning a n d

, , ,
consum e d so utt e rly by t h e fi r e of divin e v e nge a nc e ,
that n ot so much a s a tra c e of his ash e s was to b e

found On e account a dds th a t t
. h e sc e n e o f t he
martyrdom was Eu c h a i t ae in P a phlagonia
,
A ccord .
ing to t h e L a tin v e rsion found in som e e ditions of

the
”
Gold e n L eg e nd it w a s N icom e di
,
a 1 .
As t h e ob j e ct in s e tting b e for e t h e r e a d e r an
e pitom e of t he two stori e s of B a r la a m and
Jo a sa p h and St Barb a ra has c h i e fl y b e e n th a t
” “ ”
, ,
.
no mat e ri a l portion o f t h e writings a scri b e d to John

of D a mascus might b e l e ft u n notic e d it is not r e ,
q u i s i t
e to add much mor e in t h e w a y o f comm e nts
upon th e m How e v e r gr a t
. i fi e d som e might b e to
fi n d convincing e vid e nc e that a narrativ e so por
t e nto ns in c e rt a in r e sp e cts a s t
,
h e l a tt e r of t
,
h e two ,
wa s not j ustly assign e d to Da m a s c e n u s such a d e sir e ,
must not b e allow e d to wa rp t h e j udgm e nt T he .
styl e is not unlik e th a t of som e of t h e homili e s a d
“
Le ge nd a A ur ea ( cd D r T h Gra e sse ) 1 84 6 p 8 9 8
. . .
, , . .
L a t e r a dditions a r e th e r e subj oin ed illustr a ting t h e o ffi c e o f S t

,
.
B a rb a r a a s a d e liv e r e r o f c a ptiv e s A s B ithyni a ( i n which pro

.
v inc e N icom e di a w a s situ a t e d ) a n d P a phl a goni a w e r e a dj a c e nt

,
countri e s th e re is no m a t e ri a l discr e p a ncy in t

, h e loc a liti e s
a ssign e d .
ST . J OH N OF D AMAS C US .
t
m ited
1
to b e his 5 and as has b e e n r e mark e d his
, ,
fr e qu e nt ins e rtion of tis said or so runs t ’

he ,
story whil e it do e s not r e li ev e him from t

,
”
h e r e sp on
s i b i li t
y of adopting th e account giv e n fr e e s him at , ,
any rat e from t

,
h e charg e of originati n g i t A nd to .
o n e living as h e did in an a ge of d e solating wars

, , ,
wh e n t h e sword of M ahom e t s succ e ssors s e e m e d to

’
prom i s e t h e e xtirpation of Christiani t y from t h e e arth ,
th e mind of a monk at Sr S aba s conv e n t must have.

’
b e e n r e ady to r e ce iv e such stori e s of constancy und e r

p e rs e cution and l e ss critical than w e can now a fford
,
to b e in discriminating t h e tru e from t h e fals e .
1
T h e fondn e ss , b efore n o t ic e d for H om e ric or po et
,
ica l form s
is e qu a lly m a rk e d Som e o f t
. h e t e rms us e d a r e striking a n d
e ffe ctiv e in th e ir m e ta phoric a l a pplic a tion S uch a r e y ewpyei v
'
for “
cultiva ting though t s Zwypa cpetv fo r d e picting t o t
”
,
“ ‘’
he
ima gin a t ion a nd t
, h e lik e .
it is pl a in that until som e scholar has aris e n with

, ,
t h e a bility and pati e nc e to giv e t h e world a critical

and e xhaustiv e e dition of t h e works of this Fath e r ,
any e stim a t e of his position must b e to som e d e gr e e

t e ntativ e If this allowanc e b e mad e o n e or two
.
,
r eflec t i o n s s e e m to sugg e st th e ms elv e s as j ust and

nat u ra L
T h e o n e which may fi r s toccur to t h e r e ad e r if h e ,
has followe d t h e r e vi e w of t h e writings of D a m a sc e nu s

giv e n abov e is that lik ely to aris e from t
,
h e lat e st
i mpr e ssion on his mind — t h e impr e ssion produc e d
by what hav e b e e n call e d t h e doubtful writings If .
dispos e d to agr ee with thos e critics who think t he

Pan e gyric on StB arbara for e x a mpl e to b e g e nuin e
.
, , ,
h e ca n hardly h e lp r e ga rding him with Voss 1

,
as ,
”
i n p l e r i s q u e c r e du l u s A nd this charge of cr e dulity
.
will I fe ar und e r any circumstanc e s hav e to b e

'
, , ,
admitt e d T h e d e gr e e of it will of cours e vary con

.
s i der a b ly according to t
,
h e v e rdict fi n a l ly pronounc e d
upon this or that particular tr e atis e in r e sp ect of
ge nuin e n e ss On e such tr e atis e for e xampl e ( I m e an
.
,
that Concer n i ng Mose w /z o fl a w di ed i n Me fa z t fz fi) is

’
r ej e ct e d by writ e rs lik e S uar e z B e l larmin e and , ,
Le q u i e n hims e lf not only from its want of accordanc e

,
in doctrin e with admitt e d works of D a m a s c e n u s but ,
from t h e monstrous fabl e s it contains T h e g e n e ral

.
subj e ct of it is t h e b e n e fi twhich t h e d e part e d may

r e c e iv e from t h e pray e rs of t h e li v ing A nd as .
,
“
D e H ist Gr aec
. c 24 . . .
D e his qui in fide do r m i e ru n t M i gn e s

”
2 “
,
’
cd .
,
v ol .
pp .
2 4 8 —2 7 7
.
C ON CL US I ON . 20
5
insta nc e s we r e ad in it of t
,
h e d e liv e ranc e from Had e s
of F a l c o n i lla by t h e pray e rs of Th e cla of t h e lik e ,
d e liv e ranc e of t h e E mp e ror Traj an by t h e int e rc e ssion

o f Pop e Gre gory and of t
,
he oracular skull which
M a ca r i u s us e d to consult N ow i f e v e n th e ologians
.
,
who acc e p tt h e doctrin e of purgatory obj ect to such ,
a tr e atis e a s this on account of its e norm e s t

“
a bul ae ,
and on that ground at l e ast in part would r e fus e its

, ,
cl a im to b e ge nuin e it must obviously m a k e a gr e at

,
di ffe re nc e in our opinion o f D a m a sc e n u s wh e th e r we ,
acc e pt works lik e this as his r e al production or not , .
B ut wh e n e v e ry a b at e m e nt is mad e that can fairly b e

mad e on this scor e I think e nough still r e mains to
,
b e ar out t h e charge of ov e r cre dulity which is o n e of

-
,
th e fi r s tand most obvious faults to b e found with

him A dmitting this som e consid e rations aris e which
.
,
may h e lp in a c e rtain d e gr e e to modify our j udgm e nt .
I f w e be li e v e that miraculous pow e rs did onc e e xist

in t he Church of Christ and w e r e gradually with
,
drawn as t he n e e d of th e m gre w l e ss it will always b e

,
a qu e stion r e quiring gr e at caution in t h e answ e r at ,
what p e riod this withdrawal b e cam e fi na l U nl e ss .
we a r e pre par e d to cut t h e knot summ a rily by dis

carding all historical e vid e nce which it do e s not suit
our inclination to r e c e iv e we must admit that wh e n
,
Justin M artyr I r en ze u s O rige n T e rtulli a n and many

, , , ,
mor e distinctly ass e rt t

,
h e fact of such sup e rnatural
pow e r and point to its e ffe cts in h e aling t
,
h e sick a n d ,
te lik e as an e vid e nc e pat e nt to a

h ,
l l — th e y w e re
a ffi r m i n g w h a t ca m e l e gitimat e ly within th e ir own
provinc e to d e cid e upon and kn e w what th e ir stat e

,
06 ST . J OH N or D A M A S C US .
m e nts m e ant I f th e n we a tt
.
1 h e pr e s e nt tim e think
that we s ee r e asons for limiting t h e continuanc e of
such ph e nom e na to t h e middl e of t h e third c e ntury ,
or to any giv e n p e riod still lat e r it will b e t h e r e sult ,
of a pr e pond e ranc e of e vid enc e or of our own con ,
ce t i o n s of t
h e lik e ly and probabl e What e v e r lib e rty
p .
w e thus claim we must b e pr e par e d to e xt e nd to

,
oth e rs and h e nc e we n ee d not j udg e too s ev e r e ly a

m onk of Pal e stin e in t h e s ev e nth or e ighth c e ntury ,
if h e should s ee m to hav e no doubts or misgivings

ab out t h e e xist e nc e of miraculous pow e rs in t he
Church in his own day M ore ov e r it is in s e asons .
,
of gr e at and e xciting change s that we fi n d t h e e x e rcis e

of such pow e rs chi e fly r e cord e d T h e miracl e s of .
th e O ld T e s t a m e n t as all a r e aw a r e clust e r round

, ,
th e e pochs of chang e and convulsion in Isr a e l s

’
history So it was with t

. h e s e cond E xodu s and with
th e gr e at e r Joshua A nd t h e days in which t
. h e lot
of J ohn of D amascus was cast w e r e undoubt e dly
days of convulsion of a moral uph e aving such as ,
th e world had not s ee n sinc e t h e f oundation of

Christianity B e for e t . h e advancing surge of M aho
m et a n i s m what anci e nt fabric could r e m ain and not
,
b e ov e rthrown ? H e nc e a n e e d of sudd e n and

visibl e int e rposition would b e fe lt which we in
'
e ac e ful tim e s cannot r e alis e H e nc e t h e minds

p .
of m en would b e pr e dispos e d to b e li e v e it and
1
Se e t
h e r e m a rks i n N e a nd e r , a wr it e r no tinclin e d to t
he
s id e o f sup e rstition — “ H istory of t
h e Christi a n Church
”
( B oh n
’
s vol i . .
, pp . 1 00 — 1 04 .
wh e n that of t h e oth e r was still cond e mn e d T he .

“
”
anci e nts says a writ e r quot e d by Bingh am
,
1 did ,
not approv e of massy imag e s or statu e s of wood or , ,
m e tal or ston e but only pictur e s o r p a i n t

, , i n gs to b e . ,
”
us e d in church e s A nd this sh e ws adds Bingham
.
, ,
that massy image s or statu e s w e r e thought to look

too much li ke idols e v e n so lat e as t
”
, h e se cond
Council of N i c ae a in 7 8 7 which r e v e rs e d t
, h e d e cre e s
,
of t h e iconoclastic e mp e rors B ut wh e n w e hav e thus .

.
de fi n e d ou r t e rms and so r e duc e d t , h e dang e r of i m

porting mod ern id e as and prej udic e s into a nci e nt con ~
tr o ve r si e s t h e qu e stion still r e mains wh e th e r Damas

’
c e nu s by throwing t
,
h e w e ight of his e loqu e nc e and
e n e rg e tic pl e ading into t h e scal e against t h e imp e rial
caus e did mor e good or harm to t
,
h e Christian faith .
Th er e a r e thos e as w e know e v e n in our own branch

, ,
of t h e Church wh o a r e d e e ply a n d hon e stly grat e ful

,
to him and to oth e rs who fou g ht on t

,
h e sam e sid e for ,
pr e s e rving as th e y think truths in immin e nt dange r

, ,
of b e ing l e tgo To th e m it s e e ms that John of

.
Damascus and his party e v e n if t h e y di d not s ee

,
cl e arly t h e ultima t e issu e s of t he fi gh thad ye ta con ,
s c i o u s n e ss that in struggli n g ag a inst t h e abolition of

pictur e s o f Christ and his s a ints in th e ir ch urch e s ,
th e y w e r e cont e nding for t h e truth of His incarnation ,
and for t h e whol e myst e ry of t h e Godh e ad mani fe st

in t “
‘
”
h e fl e sh To giv e up th e s e l a ym e n s books
.
’
,
th e s e pictur e d illustrations of B i b lical and Christian

history by which t
,
h e walls of t h e Church b e cam e so
many ston e page s pr e aching s ermons to t ,
h e simpl e
1
An t
iquiti e s , bk . viii .
, 0 . viii .
,
11 .
C ON CL US I ON . 2 09
a nd illit erat e would hav e b e e n to abandon a pre cious

,
m e ans of fost e ring d e votion and instructing t he

ignoran t M or e than that it would hav e h e lp e d to
.
,
forward t h e spr e ad of a bar e th e ism in Christ e ndom ,
to d e ad e n t h e b e li e f in a S aviour who took our lik e

n e ss upon Him and so glo r i fi e d huma n nature I t .
may b e s o But having r egard to t

.
, h e undoubt e d
r e pudiation of e v e rything approaching image worship -
( e v e n in t
h e most q u a l i fi ed s e ns e of worship in
t h e e arly Church an d b e aring in mind also t
, he
d e v e lopm e nt of t h e practic e in lat e r tim e s and t he ,
abus e s that hav e fl o w e d from i tI for o n e cannot but

,
r e gr e t that t h e e loqu e nc e and e nthusiasm of Damas

c e n u s w e r e e nlist e d in this caus e N o dou b t th e re
.
was much to provok e such a cours e of action and to ,
mak e it natural and int elligibl e to u s in t h e high

,
h and e d a n d arbitrary conduct of Le o t h e Isaurian .
I f Le o thought it w e ll to l etit b e known to t h e world

that what most o ffe nd e d M ahom e tans in Christianity
was not of t h e e ss e nc e of that r e ligion but only a fals e
,
growth that had b e com e attach e d to i this oppon e nts ,
may h a v e b e e n e qually sinc e re in b eli e ving that t he

proph e t s follow e rs w e r e not to b e won ov e r by such
’
m e ans . We may s e e th e s e two lin e s of conduct

active ly follow e d in our own da y S om e would con .
ciliat e oppon e nts or r e mov e t

,
h e caus e s o f th e ir o p
position by k e e ping in t
,
h e background what most
o ffe nds th e m in th e ir own principl e s O th ers think .
that t h e tru e st wisdom is to hold fa st what th e y b e li e ve

to b e tru e and le tt
,
h e contrast strik e as sharply as
possibl e on t h e minds of th e ir antagonists with such ,
r e sults as Provid e nc e shall d e t e rmin e I t is not

.
m e ant h er e to r e p e at th e argum e nts that w e r e brought

forward in t h e chapt e r sp e cially d e vot e d to this
subj e ct T h e r ead e r will form his own j udgm e nt of
.
th e charact e r of D a m a sc e nu s by h e lp of t h e mat e rials

b e for e him I a m not awar e of any more s e rious
.
charge that can b e brought against h i m than what

has b ee n adv e rt e d to — a t e nd e ncy to ov e r cr e dulity -
and sup e rstition and having giv e n its full promi

n e n c e to th e s e traits in his charact e r it is a mor e ,
pl e asing task to r e capitulat e b r i e fl y t h e s e rvic e s h e

has r e nd e r e d to r e ligion and l e arning .
A s a pr e s erv e r of anci e nt l e arning in an a ge and,
country wh e n all t he monum e nts of it s e e m e d in

p e ril of d e struction b e fore t h e advancing host of
I slam t ,
h e world will e v e r b e ind e bt e d to him As .
has b ee n s ee n it is not c e rtain what amount o f

,
A ristotl e h e wa s acquaint e d with 1 But h e has l e ft

.
o n e tr e atis e distinctly b as e d on t
“
he Cat e gori e s
and t D e Virtut e e tV i t
”
h e titl e of anoth e r ,
i o as ,
w e ll as t h e g e n e ral natur e of i t s ee m to point to t

2
, he
“
D e Vi r t i b u s e tV i t
u t ii s ”
form e rly ascrib e d to t
,
he
sam e author .In what h e has l e ft on t h e subj e ct o f
natural sci e nc e if we may dignify it by this now
,
ambitious titl e h e may possibly hav e d e riv e d his

'
knowl e dge from t he D e c ael o or t he

,
A lmag e st
Se e on this subj e ct t h e e ss a y o f M R e n ou x
. De
di al ec t i ca Sa nti Jo a nnis D a m a sc e ni , 1 86 3 ,p 3 0 a nd t . he ,
r e fe r e nce s th e r e give n .
2
This a n d t
,
h e comp a nio n pi e c e ,
“
D e oc t
o Sp i ri t ib u s
ne q u i t i ae
,
a pp e a r to b e only fr a gm e n t s o f a conn e ct e d tr e a tis e .
In th e ir pr e s e n tform th e y poss e ss no gre a t m e rit S ee P e rri e r s ’
J ea n D a m
.
a sc en e s a v i e e tses é cri t
“ ”
e ss a y , s 1 862 p 1 4
, , . .
2 12 ST .
JO H N or D AMAS C US .
thus r e nd e r e d Thos e to whom syst e matic th e ology

.
,
as such is distast e ful and wh o obj e ct to doctrin e s

, ,
”
b e coming in th e ir phras e crystallis e d into dogmas
, , ,
will b e littl e dispos e d to thank Da m a s c e n u s for what

h e has don e B ut e v e n th e y will hardly disput e t
. he
r e ality of t h e s e rvic e p e rform e d by o n e who wh e n ,
Caliphs w e r e striving to impos e t h e A rab ic tongu e on

S yria and oth e r A siatic conqu e sts h e lp e d so mat e ,
r i a lly to k e e p th e lamp of Gr e e k l e arning from e x t i nc

tion Gr e gory of N a z ia n z u s wrot e Gre e k wi t
. h con ~
s i de r a b l e purity His iamb i cs a r e oft e n of an almost

.
classic e l e ganc e A nd h e wa s t
. h e great mast e r of
John D amasc e n e T he num e rous quotations not
.
,
only fro m him but from a multitud e of Gr e e k authors

b e sid e s found both in t
,
he Fons Sc i e n t i ae and t he
”
S acra Parall e la would provid e a fi el d of H ell e nic
,
lit e ratur e s u ffi c i en tfor t

,
h e wants of that g e n e ration .
I n having so provid e d i tand having thus b e com e t ,

he
initiator of a warlik e but ill taught rac e into t he
-
m yst e ri e s of an e arli e r ci v ilisation D a m a sc e n u s is ,
e ntitl e d to t h e prais e that t h e e ld e r Le n o rm a n t

award e d him of b e ing in t ,
h e front rank of t h e m ast e r
spirits from whom t h e g e nius of t he A rabs dr ew its
inspiration .
What b e aring t h e doctrinal writings of John o f

Damascus hav e on mod e rn controv e rsi e s e sp e cially ,
that with t h e Church of R om e has b e e n partially ,
discuss e d in an e arli e r chapt e r and it would b e ,
b e sid e our purpos e to e nt e r upon it at any l e ngth

h e r e A minist e r of a S cottish Pr e sbyt e ri a n Church
.
in Holland in t h e r e ign of Charl e s

,
would not b e
lik e ly to r e ad with too favourabl e e ye s t h e works of a
C ON CLUS I ON . 21 3
Gr ee k Fath e r of t he e ighth c e ntury But o n e such 1 .
has r e cord e d that s e tting asid e his maint e nanc e o f

,
image s he was in many oth e r thi n gs an a dv e rs a ry

,
to t h e pr e s e nt doctrin e of R om e A s e vid e nc e h e ,
cit e s such passage s as t he follo w ing a g a inst t he

authority of tradition A ll that is giv e n unto u s
by t h e Law an d P roph e ts A postl e s a n d E vang e lists
, ,
w e e mbrac e acknowl e dg e a n d r e v e r e nc e s ee king no

, , ,
De Fid e Or t
” ”
furth er h o do x a i c O r a ga in , ,
.
,
as agai n st t h e admission o f t h e a pocryphal books

“
A ft e r h e bath at l e ngth r e comm e nd e d t h e r e a ding
of t h e S cripture s h e r e ckon e th t
,
h e b ooks of t h e O ld
T e st a m e n taccording to t h e H e b r e w ; a n d th e n h e
saith T h e Wisdom of S olomon a n d o f J e sus t
,
‘
he ,
S on o f S irach a r e pl e asant a n d good ; b ut a r e not

,
num b e r e d among t h e proph e tic a l books nor w e r e ,
put into t h e a rk
”
( I
’
d iv 0 , O r onc e mor e
.
, .
'
“
I n c a p 2 5 h e comm e nd e th virginity a n d th e n h e
.
,
add e th This we s a y not d e roga ting from marri a ge

,
‘
, ,
God forb id fo r we know that God bl e ss e d m a rri a ge

by his pr e s e nc e and it is s a id m a r r i a ge i s fi on ou r ,
a bl e a mongs ta l l men I t will b e r e m e mb e r e d how

’
.
pl a in and outspok e n w e re his words on t h e culp a bl e

n egl e ct of thos e — e v e n soldi e rs and husb a ndm e n
who did not r e ad t h e S cripture s a n d for l a ck o f , ,
th e sound knowl e dg e th e y would thus hav e ga in e d ,
fe l l into such foolish sup e rstitions as thos e h e

c e nsur e s about dragons and e vil fairi e s .
Al e x a nd e r P et ri e compe ndious H istory o f t

A h e Ca t ho
lick fo l 1 66 2 p a rt i p 8 8
.
,
T h e p a ssa g e r e l a ting to
.
, . .
tra nsubs t
a nti a ti on h a s be e n quot ed be for e p 1 28 , . .
On e mor e topic r e mains to b e notic e d a n d o nthis ,
we may sp e ak with p e rhaps t h e l e ast r e s e rvation or

u a lifica t i of all That is th e m e rit of John of
q o n .
,
D amascus as t h e author of hymns still us e d in t he

s e rvic e s of t h e Church I t is o n e t e stimony to his
.
gr e atn e ss in this r e sp e ct that many hymns a r e a t ,tri
b u t e d to him which in all probability w e r e not his

, ,
and that t h e whol e syst e m of mod e rn church music

is som e tim e s r e fe rr e d to him as w e ll A sort of ha z e .
surr ounds him from this point of vi e w which it is not

, ,
e asy to p e n e trat e Ge rb e r tin his History of S acr e d

.
“
,
M usic ”1
mak e s him p e rform t
,
h e sam e s e rvic e for t he
E ast e rn C hurch that Gr e gory t h e Gre at had don e for
t h e W e st ern 5 that is as far as I und e rstand i te mploy
, ,
what we call not e s inst e ad of l e tt e rs of t

,
h e alphab e t to ,
indic a t e musical sounds and c e rtain marks or charac ,
t ers to b e tok e n t h e int e rvals of t h e asc e nding or de

sc e nding scale W hil e in Latin s ervic e books adds
.
,
this authority musical not e s a r e not found b e for e t

,
he
1 “
C a n t u e tM u si c a sa cr a a u c t
De o r e Ma r ti n o Ge r b e r t
, o 1 7 74 , ,
“
vol .
p 1 . H e d e scrib e s t
. h e inv e ntion a s novum fa c i l i o
r e mqu e c a n t a n di modum p e r not a s music a s loco Gr aec oru m ,
c h a ra c te ru rn onum [s z e l e g e t om mz ]s eu c h o r da m i n di c a n t
”
iu m
'
.
,
T h e inv e ntion o f m a rks t o d e not e in t

e rv a ls ( t
h e sc a l e Ge r b e r t
a ssigns t o D a m a sc e n e on t h e a uthority o f Z a rl i n o But t he .
m e rit o f this inv e ntion is d e ni e d hi m by F é t is “

Biogr a phi e ,
univ e rs ell e des M usici e ns 1 8 6 2 t iii p 4 3 3 a lthough h e

”
, , . .
, .
,
a dmits th a tD a m a sc e n e
“
doit etr e consid é r é comm e l e r e for
m a t e ur da ch a n tde I Egl i se gr e cqu e c e s t a dir e comm e a ya n t
’
,
’
,
at t a ch é son 110111 a l un de s fa its l es plus import a n t s de l hi s t

’ ’
oi r e
de l a rt T h e s e cond volum e o f M r Ch a pp e ll s H istory o f

’ ” '
’
. .
M usic
”
which w oul d cove r t
, his p eriod h a s no t ye tI b elie ve , , ,
b een publish ed .
216 ST . J OH N or D A MAS C US .
D octor of Christian art . B ut whil e som e may b e

found to doubt t h e b e n e fi c i a l natur e of his work in
o n e or mor e of th e s e d e partm e nts though non e
,
would disput e his distinction in th e m in o n e con ,
c l u s i o n all must agr e e . Th er e can b e no gr e at e r

glory to a C hristian po e t than to hav e fu rnish e d t he
words in which t h e d e votion of a Church fi n ds u t ter f
anc e That in his strains mor e than in any oth e r

.
, ,
th e triumphant j oy of E ast e r an d t ,
h e sol e mn far e
w e lls of t h e grav e sid e should alik e fi n d e xpr e ssion is
, ,
sur e ly o n e of t h e high e st tribut es that can b e paid -
him A nd this tribut e this high pr e rogativ e has

.
, ,
b e e n for age s award e d to John of Damascus by t he

E a st e rn Church .
A P P EN D I X .
P . 1 9 1 .
—
T H E ST O R I E S OF J O S A P HA T AN D B U DD H A .
T HE points of re s e mblanc e b e t w e e n t h e B a r la a m a n d
[ osap /za tand t h e La l z t Vz s t or l e ge nd a ry Li fe o f
’ ’
a a ra ,
Buddha a re so int e r e sting as to d e s e rv e mor e than

,
a passing allusion in a not e A tt e ntion was c a ll e d to .
t h e subj e ct by Profe ssor M ax M illle r in a L e cture ,
on t he M igration of Fab l e s d e liv e r e d at t he

R oyal Institution J un e 3 r d 1 8 7 0 and a ft e rwa rds, , ,
publish e d in t h e Con t emp or a m R ev i e w fo r t h e fo l

lowing July It had b e e n b e for e r e m a rk e d U pon
.
,
as M a x M u ll e r obs e rv e s by M La b o o la ye ( i n t he ,
.
D é ba t s , by Dr F Li e br e cht ( i n t h e j a /z r b u clz
. .
fzi r r oma m s c/z e zm d engl z scfz e [ z?er a t B e rlin

’ ' '
u r , ,
and b y M r B e al ( i n his tra nsl a tion of t

. h e T r a z el s of '
F 2 M 21 71 I t is also discuss e d by Dr Lang e n

, .
,
in his j o/za rz fl es va n D a ma sk u s 1 8 7 9 p 2 5 1 , ,
. .
T h e s imilarit y of t h e stori e s is e sp e cially s ee n in t he

accounts of t h e bringing up o f t h e young princ e s ,
and abov e all in what b e fe l e a ch of th e m during his

, ,
e xcursions from t h e palac e wh e r e h e h a d b e e n con

fi n ed A ft e r r e ading wh a t h a s b e e n st a t e d abov e ( p
. .
in t h e a bstract giv e n from J ohn o f Damascus ,
l e tany o n e turn to t h e companion pictur e and h e ,
will s e e what a r e s e mblanc e th er e is b e twee n th e m .
In t h e La l z t Vzs t says Profe ssor M ax M ij lle r

” ' '
a a ra , ,
th e Life though no doubt t ,

h e l e ge ndary Li fe o f ,
B uddha t he fath e r of Buddha is a king

,
-
Wh e n his .
son is born t h e Brahman A sita pr e dicts that he will

,
ris e to gre at glory and b e com e e ith e r a pow e rful ,

21 8 ST .
JO H N O F D AMAS C US .
king o r r e nouncing t
, ,
h e thron e and e m b r a c m g t he
li fe of a h e rmit b e com e a Buddha T h e gr e at , .
obj e ct of his fath e r is to pr e v e nt this H e th e r e fore .
k ee ps t h e young princ e wh e n h e grows u p in his , ,
gard e n and palac e s surround e d by all pl e asur e s ,
which might turn his mind from conte mplation to

e nj oym e nt M or e e sp e cially h e is to know nothing
.
,
of illn e ss old a ge and d e ath which might ope n his

, , ,
e y e s to t h e mis e ry and unr e ali t y of life A ft e r a tim e .

,
h o we ve r t h e princ e r e c e iv e s p e rmission to driv e out ;

,
and th e n follow t h e thr ee driv e s so famous in Bud

dh i sth l st o r y — W i thout following out t h e parall e l
i n all its d e tails it may b e add e d i n bri e f that on
, , ,
his fi r stdriv e through t he E ast e rn gat e t

,
h e youthful ,
Buddha is m e tby a d e cr e pit old man and turns back ,

.
O n his s e cond drive through t h e S outh e rn gat e h e

, ,
is m et by a sick man 3 on his third through t he

We st ern by a corps e ; and on his fourth through t
, he ,
N orth ern gat e by a r e ligious me ndican tor d e vot e e

, , ,
whos e exampl e h e r e solv e s to follow T h e tow e rs .
comm e morating th e s e driv e s a r e said to hav e b ee n

standing as lat e as t h e s e v e nth c e ntury .
N o doub t th e r e a r e minor discr e panci e s J osaphat .
is d e scrib e d as m e e ting two m e n on his fi r ste xcur

sion o n e blind t
,
h e oth e r maim e d (o r as it is in t
,
he ,
Latin ve rsion a l e p e r ) a n d as n otmaking any third

,
j ourn e y T h e monk B a r la a m is s e nt inst e ad to

.
, ,
visit him S till t h e g e n e ral similarity r e mains E ach

.
, .
e nds by conv e rting his royal fath e r and e ach di e s a ,
saint A nd i f it should com e to b e r e gard e d as

.
,
c e rtain that in this P r ofi t

,
“
a b le History brought ,
from t h e int e rior r e gion of t h e E thiopians call e d ,
India we hav e ind e e d only anoth e r v e rsion of t

”
,
he
Life of B uddha it will furnish matt e r ( as M ax Mii ll er
,
points out ) for v e ry instructiv e r e fl e c t i o n that Bar ,
laam and J osaphat should hav e b e e n canoni z e d both

in t h e E ast e rn and W e st e rn Church .
Const a n t inopl e im a ge a t5 7 , , E r smus 7 9

a , , 1 72 n .
Contin e n t s m ea sure m e nts of

, , E uch rist th a
,
e H oly, 8 2 , 127
177
C ontrove rsi e s , in Gr e e k
Church 4 2 , ; wit h R om e ,
2 12
F A I R I E S, e vil , 1 7 9
C0p r o n ym u s, origin o f na m e F i de or t /z oa ox a , L i b er de, 6 5 ,
, ’
62 n
7 0 , 1 7 0, 1 8 2 n , 2 1 1 ; a n a
.
Cosm a s , th e e ld e r, 2 6 , 3 2 n .
lysis o f, 7 2
.
C osm a s t
h e young e r
, ,
2 7, 3 0, F i g-tr ee t h e with e r e d , s e rmon
33 n .
, 66 ,
on , 1 1
Cr e a tion d e scrib e d 1 2 2 1 7 2 3
F z l z ogu e, t
h e cl a us e , 1 2 2 11
’ '
, , ,
Cross inscription on a 5 8 ;
, ,
F an: t he, 65
.
im a ges o f t he 8 1 e mbl e m ,
F ra nciscus Co v e n t r i e n s i s 1 7 0 11
of t
he , 1 26
F un e r a l hymn , 1 5 0
,
.
G .
D A M A SCI U S, 24
G E O R G I U S Ce dr e n u s 54 n
D a m a scus history o f 2 —5
.
,
, , G e rm a n n s p a tri a rch 5 3 , 5 6,
riv e rs of 5 situ a tion o f 7
, , 60
, ,
c a ptur e o f 1 7 ; Church o f , ,
Ger m a n u s I I pop e l e tt e r 0 1,
fa n a ticism o f mod e rn
.
, ,
18 ;
59
inh a bit a nts o i 5 , Gh é v o n d, 4 7 n
D ionysius Ps e udo Are op a git a
.
,
-
, Gibbon , 1 7 n , 4 9 . n .
, 57 11 .
3 7: 3 9» 7 1, 1 09 , 1 3 z n .
Gold e n L e ge nd t
he 1 86 , 1 98 ,
D ioph a ntus 2 7 , 2 0 1 11
, ,
D oc e tism 9 2
.
, Good F rid a y s e rmon o n 1 17

D ra gons sup e rstitions
, a bout , Gr e gory t h e Gr e a t 5 2
,
, ,
,
178
Gr e gory N a z i a n z e n 1 0 8 14 4
D yoth e l e t e ,
doctrin e s c a ll ed ,
1 86 2 1 2 ; quot e d
,
1 62
, ,
1 64
,
, , ,
40
H ARA , 7 n N .
EA ST t urning to t
he, 8 1 H a r en é m , L i ber ale, 6 5 , 6 8, 9 8
'
’
,
E a st e r D a y O bs e r v a nc e s o u
, ,
H ea v e n , physic a l th e ori e s o f,
1 4 7 ; hymn fo r 1 4 8 ,
E a st e r Eve— see H ol y Sa tur H e ra clius , 1 6 , 4 0 , 9 2

da y H e rmon , M ount , 1 0 5
E st e rn Church hymns o f t
a he , , H e t ae rists , 9 4
14 1 see a ls o u n der Church , H irmos , 1 4 5 1 4 8 ,
th e Gr e e k H ish a m , c a l i ph , 2 0
E d e ss a 1 84 ; bishop o f 5 3
, ,
H oly Sa turd a y , s e rmon o n , 12 1
Ep i ph a n i u s, 6 8 H umours , t h e four, 1 8 2
I N D EX . 22 1
H ymns , m e a ning o f t h e t e rm , John p a tri a rch 2 3 2 7 n

, , , .
33 n .
14 1 n a ture o f e a rly 1 4 2 ; , Jos a pha t — see Jo a s a ph

v e rsions o f C re e k 3 1 , 3 3 n ,
.
,
n . , 1 4 8, 1 —
34 5 4
0 K .
H ypost a sis , 7 7
KAA B A t
h e— , s ee Ch a b a t
ha
I . l e d, 18
I CO N OCLA ST I C con trov e rsy ,

Kora n t
he , , 91 ; l e ge nds in,
t
he 9g
4 6, 5 1
Icons , t
,
h e sa cr e d , 5 1 , 2 0 7 Kura ish or Ko te 1sh trib e

, , of
I di o m e l a , 1 4 2 n tra nsla tion .

t
he ,
14
o f, 1 5 0
I ma ge , d e struction o f a n , 5 7
Im a g e -worship , de fi n i t i o n o f,
53 n 85, 20 7 ; a rgum e nts
LA U RA , 1 2
.
,
fo r , 5 4 , 5 5 n , 1 8 1 , 208 ; .
Le o t h e Is a uri a n , 24 , 2 09
growt h o f 5 2 8 5 n , 2 0 8
e dic t
s o f, 2 8 , 5 6 ; l e tt e r
.
, ,
oi ,
I ndi a , con fuse d with E t hi o
i a , 1 87 47 n ch a r a ct e r
. o f, 49 n. ,
p
Ir e n e t
h e e mpr e ss 62 54
Le q u i e n , e ditor o fD a m a scen u s ,
, ,
6 5 n , 20 3
J
.
Lom b a rd, P e t er , 7 0
.
J OA CH I M a n d A nn a S S 1 3 3 , .
,
Jo a nn e s P h i lo po n u s 2 2 ,
J o a sa p h or Jos a ph a t 1 90 2 1 7
, , ,
John St o f D a m a scus birth

, .
, ,
of ,
19 ; biogr a phy o f 2 3 , , MA H OMET, 14 , 100, 207 n
20 3 ; oppon e nt o f M a ho doc trin e s o f 92 ,
m et a ni sm , 90 Ap ol ogi es M a hom e t a n contro ve rsy t

he , ,
o f, 5 4 , 5 8 ; F a n s S cz en t
’ '
z w o f,
99 93 ,
6 4 ; s e rmons o f, 1 0 2 ; Bib M a h om e t a m s m , spr ea d o f, 1 4

l i c a l comm e nt a ri e s o f, 1 5 6 M a n , n a tur e o f, 1 8 2
hymns o f, 3 2 , 1 4 1 , 2 1 5 ; M a nsour , n a m e o f, 2 5 n , 6 1 n . .
doubt ful writings o f, 1 8 5 ; M a n z e r, 6 1 n .
styl e o f, 1 3 7 , 1 3 9 n , 1 9 7 n , . . M a r Sa b a , t he, 8
202 n imbu e d with B ibl e
. M a rci a nus , 200
phra s e ology, 1 3 4 st a t e o f M a rri a g e , 8 7 , 2 1 3
t ext o f, 1 06 n , 1 7 3 n ; i m . . M a x i m i a n u s II , 1 99 .
prov e r o f Church music , M a ximus , S t, 4 1 .
155 n sc i e n t
. ific know M ea sur e m e nts , ge ogr a phic a l ,
l e dg e o f, 1 66 , 1 7 8 , 1 8 3 , I 77
211 credulity o f, 2 0 7 s e r M e din a , 1 5
vic e s o f, to l ea rning, 2 1 0 M e t a phor, for ced , 1 24
syst e m a ti z e r o f th e ology , t
M e r e o f hymns , 1 4 3 , 1 54 n .
2 1 1 ; ge n e ra l es t im a te o f, 2 0 3 M icrocosm , t he , 1 1 8
222 ST . J OH N OF D AMA S C U S .
M ir a culous powe rs , 20 5 , 2 0 7 n. Probl e m ,

a p erip a t
e tic , 172 n .
M o a wya h , 1 9 Ptol e my , A l m a gest o f, 1 83 ,
M onks , Gr e ek , 1 0 2 10
M onophysi e , doc rin e s t t so Purga to ry ,
205
c a ll e d 3 9 4 5 , ,
M us a M a h o mm e d B en 1 6 7 11
, ,
.
M usic i n E a s te rn Church 1 5 5
, ,
N
N
R A I , form a t ion o f, 1 7 7
R a ss e l a s , 1 8 8
'
R e d e mption , ma n s, 1 2 4
’
N AT I V I T Y , of S t M a ry , se r
R obb e r , t
.
h e c r u c i fi e d, 1 20
mons on t he 1 29
R och e fouc a uld , c a rdin a l , 1 5 6 m
Na t ure 7 7 ,
.
N ea l e D r J M
, 14 2 n . . .
, .
N e stori a ns 1 5 1 6 9 , ,
N e storius 7 8 ,
N ic aea council a t6 2
, ,
SA BA S, St, 1 2 ; mo nas t e ry o f,
.
N i c e ph o ru s P hoc a s 2 3 ,
8, 2 7
N ickn a m e s 6 1 n , .
S a bb a th , ordin a nc e o f t h e , 86
N ilus quot e d 1 6 4
, ,
S a cr a m e n t s , 8 1
N umb e rs myst e ri e s o f 1 08
, ,
S al a din , tomb o f, 1 8
Sa ra c e ns , t h e, n a m e o f, 6 9 ,
0 9 0 ; i n fl u en ce o f, on l e a rn
ing 2 1
.
OC E A , t N h e, 1 7 7 S a tu r ni a n m e t re t he 1 4 4 , ,
O ckl e y , S imon , 1 7 n , 9 6 n . . S chol a sticism 2 1 1 ,
O cto echos , t he, 1 5 4 S ci e nc e n a tur a l 1 6 6

, ,
O m a r I I , c a liph , 4 7 n
. . Scrip t ur e H oly— see Bibl e ,
O m e i ya h , or M o a w i ya h , 1 9, 20 Sen a a r l a nd o f 1 8 7
, ,
O pposi te s , cur e d by opposit e s , S e p tu a gin t ve rsion 1 3 4 ,
1 15 Se pulchr e Church o f t , he
H oly 1 4 7 ,
P .
Se rgius fa th e r , o f John o f
D a m a scus 2 5 n , .
P A LLA D I U S, bishop 1 3 8 n , . Se rgius p a t ri a rch 4 0

, ,
P a r a dis e , rive rs o f 7 6 1 7 7 , ,
Se rmons o f D a m a sc e nu s 1 02
, ,
t
P a r a ll ela S a cr a ,
he 1 5 9 ,
S icily conqu e st o f 2 6 11
, , .
P a ssion d a rk n e ss a tt
, he ,
1 25 S ound a n d sight 1 80
, ,
Pe te r t
,
h e F ull e r 7 7 ,
S t e ph en S t t h e Sa b a i t
, e 3 4 n
.
, , .
P e tri e A l e x a nd e r 2 1 2 —3
, ,
S t e ph a nus t h e monk 5 9 , ,
Ph a rp a r t he 7 , ,
S tich e ron 1 4 9 11 , .
Philo Ju daeu s 1 6 3 ,
St r a ight t h e str ee t c a ll e d 3
, ,
Pl a n e ts the 1 7 3 1 7 6
, , ,
S up e rs t itions 1 7 9 2 1 3 , ,
Plotinus 3 7 7 6 , , Syri a e a rly st a t e o f 1 5

, s er ,
Pr a y e r th e Lord s 7 9
, t ra ns ’
,
vic e s o f t o l e a rning ,
1 68 ,
l a tion o f a 1 5 2 , Syri a c l a ngu a g e t he 6 8 , ,

P U B L I C A T IO N S
OF T H E
Soci et
yfor Pr omoti ng Chr i s t
i a n Knowledge .
FATHE NGLISH RE
RS FOR E ADE
RS .
A Se r i es of Mo n o gr a p hs on t the Ch u rch t
h e C h ie f he F a t
h e rs of ,
Fa th e rs se lec te d b e i ng c e n tres o f i n fl u e n c e a ti m p o r ta n t
p e ri ods o f C h u r c h o r y a n d i n i m p o rt
is t a nt H
s p h e re s o f a c tio n .
F c ap . 8 v0 .
, cl o th b o a r ds , 28 . e ach .
L EO T H E GR E A T .
he R e v C H A L E S G
By t . R ORE , M A . .
G R E GO R Y T H E G R EA T .
he R e v J B A R M B Y B D
By t . .
, . .
S A IN T A M B R OS E h i s L i fe , T i m es , a nd Te ach i n g .
By t
he R e v O I N SO N. R BO N ON B D TH R T , . .
SA IN T A U G U ST IN E .
By t
he R ev E . . L . CU TT S , B A .
S A IN T B ASIL T H E GR EA T .
By t
he R ev IC A D T
. R H R
SM I T H B D .
, . .
S A IN T H I L A R Y OF P OIT I ER S , AN D SA IN
M A R TI N OF TO U R S .
By t
h R eJ G I B SO N C A Z E N O V E D D
ev . .
, . .
S A IN T J ER OM E .
By t
h R e E D W A R D L C U TT S B A
ev. .
, . .
S A I N T J O H N O F D A M A SCU S .
By t J H LU P O N M A
he R e v . . . T , . .
S Y N E S I U S O F CY R E N E , P h i l o s op h e r a n dB i sh op .
By A LI C E GA R D N E R .
T H E A P OS TO L I C F A TH ER S .
he R e v H S H O L
By t . . . LA N D .
TH E D EF EN D ER S OF T H E F A I T H ; or , T h
C h r is t i a n A p o l o g i s ts o f t
h e S ec on d a n d
Th i rd Ce n tu r i es .
By t
he R evF W A T SO N
. .
, M A . .
T H E V E N E R A B L E B ED E .
h e R e v G F B RO W NE
By t . . . .
P UB L I CA T I ON S O F T H E SOC I E TY
N ON -CHR I STIAN RELI GI OUS SYSTEMS .
A S er i es q a nu a l s w h i ch f u r n ish in a ar i ef a n dp ofi u l a r f or m a n a cc u m t
a ccou n he g r ea t
tqf t N on R e l i gi ou s Sy s i e m s qf t
ke Wor ld .
F ca p . 8v 0 .
, cl ot
h b o ar ds , 2 8 . 6d . e a ch .
B u ddlz i s m — B ei ng Sé ez clz qf Me [ 376 a nd

f Gu a l a ma
'
a
‘
Tea cfi z ngs o
t
/z e B u a a fia
’ ’
.
By T . W . R a y s Da vm s . Wi th M a p .
’ ’
a a lz i s m i n CIt
'
Bu z na .
By t
he R e v 8 . . R AL E . Wi th M ap.
cz a m s m
’
Ca afu Ta mn s m
’ ’
a nd .
By P ro fe s s or R OB ER T K D O UGLA S .
, of t
he B i ti h M
r s u se u m . Wi th M a p
By P r o fe s s or M ON I E R W I LL IAMS . W i th M a p.
I s la m it
a nds F ou n der .
By J W H ST O B A R T
. . . . Wi th M a p .
i n— [ t
s Comp os z z z on a n d Tea clz z ng
' ' '
T118 Cor t T a l i m ony

'
’
, z
65 a m t /z e H oly S cr ip t
o t u r es .
B y Si r WI LL I AM M u m ,
THE HEA THEN WORLD AN D ST PAUL . .
en ded t
int ot/z r ow l nlz tu j on t lze fl l i ngs a nd L a b ou q/ 111
’
' '
T hi s S a f es 2s fl rs
Aj a s l le cf t
lz e Ge n ti l es .
F ca p . 8v0 .
, cl o t
h b o a r ds , 28 . e a ch .
S tP a u l i n Gr eece
. .
By t
he R ev G S . . . D A I ES V . Wi th M a p .
S t P a u l i n D a m a s c u s a n d A r a bi a
. .
By t he R ev E O RGE R A W LI N S N , M A . G O . .
, Ca n o n of Ca n t
e rb u r y . Wit
Ma p .
By the Ve ry R ev C H AR LE S MERI V A LE , D ea n of Ely

W
.
ith Ma p .
P U B LI C AT I O NS OF T H E SO C I ET Y .
CONVER SI ON Q F THE WEST .
A S er i es of V o lm /z es s h ow i n g [1 07 0 Me Con v e r s i on of t t
'
lz e C/z z qf R a c es (y ’
];
l Ves tw a s b r o u g /z ta b ou t a n d i /z ez r c o n di t
i on b efo r e t
'
, h is occu r r ed .
F ca p . 8 v0 .
, cl ot
h b o a r ds , 28 . e a ch .
T /z e Cel l s .
By t
he R ev G F . . . M A E AR CL , D D . . W i th l w M ' ‘ '
o a p s;
7 713 Engl z s /z
'
By t
h e a b o ve A u t
h or . Wi t
h T w oM a ps ’
.
T /z e N or tfi mm .
By th e a b ove A u t
hor .
By t
he ab o v e Au t
h or . \ it
hV Ma p .
,
Tlz e Con t
i n en t
a l Teu t
o/z s .
By t
he Ve ry R ev . D e a n M ER W A LE . W th M pi a .
I
A NC ENT HI STOR Y F R OM THE MONUMENTS .
l S e r i es of B ooks i s c l uqfly i n t e n de d to i ll u t
ra t
e t
lz e c r ed S cm }t
u r es 6
’ ’
Sa
’
zs s
tlz e r es u l t f r ece n tIlf orz u m en t es ea r c h e s z n /z e E a s t

t
'
s o a l R .
F cap . 8y o .
, cl ot
h b o a r ds , 28 . each .
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BR I G H TON 13 5 N RT STREE T : , O H .

StJohnofDamascus 10221829

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StJohnofDamascus 10221829

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t tJfa t

btrs for (Engli sh mantra .

4 8, P I CCA D I LLY , w ; . AND

T HE fact th a tthis litt l e volum e is on e of a s e ri e s on

obviate in som e m e asur e t h e charge of pre sumption

For to portray in anything lik e du e proportion such

an historical charact e r as John of Damascus would ,

re quir e a far large r canvas a n d a hand of more vari e d

any ad e quat e r e pr e s e ntation of such a charact e r a ,

thr e e fold ability wo u l d b e n ee dful For b e sid e s his

position as a th e ologian of t h e E ast e rn Church we ,

hav e to r e gard him a s clos e ly conn ect e d with t h e ris e

po e t whos e hymns a re sung by myriads at this v e ry

day . But whil e fe e ling how incomple t e on that ,

account such an e ssay as t

it of som e littl e valu e as t ,

study of t he wri tings of StJohn Damasc e n e

In t h e spe lling of A rabic or M ahom e tan nam e s n o ,

att e mpt at uniform ity has b e e n m ad e H ar dly any

two write rs agre e in this r e sp e ct and h e nc e wh e n a ,

quotation ha s b e e n mad e from a ny authority on t he

subj e ct t h e form th e re found has b ee n r e tain e d

This may e xplain som e appare nt inconsist e nci e s .

B e sid e s t h e sp e cial acknowl e dgm e nts r e cord e d in

B elgz gu e ( 1 8 6 1 ) on S J e an D amascen e by M F elix

N ev e T h e e xc e ll e nt monograph of D r Jos eph Lange n

f o /z a /m e s va n D a m a sk u s did not com e into t

author s hands till t

give n at p 1 5 0 had b e e n alre ady translat e d by Dr

Li t t l e da l e and p u blish e d in t h e P eop l e s Hy mna l

Had h e b ee n awar e of this in tim e h e would gladly ,

hav e avail e d hims elf of t h e abl e r v e rsion .

IN giving an account of any e min e nt man it is ,

natural to b e stow som e att e ntion on t h e plac e from

scarc e plant could not b e thought compl e t e if we

so we can s e ldom und e rstand fully t h e life and cha

in his tim e 5 that of Gr egory with N a z i a n z u s that of

in t h e cas e of J ohn of Damascus whil e his nativ e ,

city has giv e n him t h e nam e by which h e is always

t h e ultimat e cours e of his li fe do e s not s e e m to hav e

littl e or no allusion to i t E v e nts which happe n e d

th e r e w e re no doubt the imm e diat e caus e of a gr eat

and d e cisiv e change in his car e e r B ut that change .

— t h e change from t h e e x cit e m e nt of stat e a ﬂ a i r s to

t h e s e clusion of a monast e ry — was probably du e to

tak e n plac e amid oth er surroundings I t is with t he .

Conv e nt of St S abas or with J e rusal e m that we

associat e t h e r e a lly pr ol i ﬁ c p e riod of his li fe Wh e n .

th e re Damascus was to him but o n e spot in that

out e r world which h e had forsak e n From that tim e .

for ward w e fa il to disc ern that it had any sp ecial

S till as b e ing aft e r all t

int e r e st for anyon e studying t h e life of this dis

D amascus has claims on our r egard such as few

e x isting in t h e days of A braham whos e st eward ,

E li ez e r wa s a nativ e of i t Jos e phus ascrib e s its .

foundation to U z a grandson of S h em Its ch e qu e r e d

fortun e during t h e r e igns of t h e kings of I sra e l is

w e r e carri e d away captiv e s to Kir For a long p eriod .

aft e r this partly from its b e ing but an appanage of

t h e A ssyrian e mpir e and partly from t ,

found th er e b y Pliny and t h e som ewhat strang e

chi e f allusions to b e m e twith in classical authors ]