John Damascene

Athonite fresco painter, Saint John of Damascus (fresco), 14th-15th Century · Public domainAthonite fresco painter, Saint John of Damascus (fresco), 14th-15th Century

Church Fatherc. 675–7491 work in the Library →

Who

Monk of Mar Saba near Jerusalem, writing under Muslim rule, and a Doctor of the Church since 1890. The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, the last part of his Fount of Knowledge, sums up the Greek Fathers and served Aquinas as a handbook; the three treatises against the iconoclasts defended the veneration of images. His homilies on the Nativity of Mary and the three on her Dormition are the clearest patristic statement of the Assumption, and the chain quotes them at length.

An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith

Quoted in

An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith100 passages
Book I · Book II · Book III · Book IV · …
Catena Aurea on Luke10 comments
Luke 1:11–14 · Luke 23:44–46 · Luke 6:20–23 · Luke 9:28–31 · Luke 9:32–36 · …
Catena Aurea on Matthew5 comments
Matthew 26:36–38 · Matthew 27:45–50 · Matthew 8:1–4 · …

In Jewish Roots of Mary

Who

Monk of Mar Saba near Jerusalem, the last of the Greek Fathers, whose summary of the faith and homilies on the Dormition gather the whole earlier tradition on Mary.

Quoted works

On the Dormition of Mary II.2 — 'the holy, living ark of the living God, the one who carried her own maker within herself… David — her ancestor and God's — leaps for joy' (p 63)
On the Orthodox Faith 4.14 — 'God's Mother and Lady and Queen over all created things' (p 86)
Homily on the Dormition 1.2 — 'the Queen Mother, the benefactress of all nature' (p 86)
On the Orthodox Faith 4.14 — Mary 'suffered those pains, which she escaped at the birth, in the hour of the passion… her thoughts pierced her as a sword' (Luke 2:35) (pp 132–133)

Connections

Cited by · 6

ArgumentHow the Ark typology points to the Assumption.Jewish Roots
On the Dormition II.2 (p 63)
ArgumentThe Assumption in three steps — and which came first, Revelation 12 or the ArkJewish Roots
On the Dormition II.2 (p 63)
Argument'Incorruptible wood' — Exodus 25:5 in the Septuagint, Josephus, and Munificentissimus Deus 26Jewish Roots
On the Dormition II.2 (p 63)
Argument'Pray for one another' — why stop in heaven? and the earliest recorded prayers to MaryJewish Roots
On the Orthodox Faith 4.14; Homily on the Dormition 1.2 (p 86)
ArgumentThe surprising claim about Mary's birth pangs at Bethlehem.Jewish Roots
On the Orthodox Faith 4.14 (pp 132–133)
ArgumentPainless at Bethlehem, pains at the passion — Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, John Damascene; Mater DolorosaJewish Roots
On the Orthodox Faith 4.14 (pp 132–133)

Verses discussed · 4

VersePsalm 132:8Jewish Roots
VerseIsaiah 66:7Jewish Roots
VerseLuke 1:41Jewish Roots
VerseLuke 2:35Jewish Roots

Referenced by · 8

AuthorityGregory of NyssaJewish Roots
AuthorityMaximus the ConfessorChain of Faith
AuthorityModestus of JerusalemJewish Roots
AuthorityModestus of JerusalemChain of Faith
AuthorityMunificentissimus Deus (Pius XII, 1950)Jewish Roots
AuthorityNemesius of EmesaChain of Faith
AuthoritySecond Council of Nicaea (787)Chain of Faith
AuthorityThomas AquinasChain of Faith

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