626 FOUKTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
ultimately be re-united with God, and the final glorification of God will be by the complete destruction of all evil.
An interesting point of a humane interest is his declaration that slavery is a dissolution, introduced by sin, of the original unity of human nature, and a denial of the original dignity of man, created after the image of God.
§ 144. John of Damascus. Cf. l\ 89 and 103.
I. JOANNES DAMASCENES: Opera omnia in Migne, Patrol. Gr. Tom.
XCIV.-XCVI. (reprint, with additions, of Lequien's ed. Paris, 1712. 2 vols. fol. 2d ed. Venice, 1748).
II. JOHN of Jerusalem : Vita Damasceni (Migne, XCIV. col. 429-489) ; the Prolegomena of Leo Allatius (I. c. 118-192). PERKIER : Jean Da mascene, sa vie et ses Merits. Paris, 1862. F. H. J. GRUNDLEHNER : Johannes Damascenus. Utrecht, 1876 (in Dutch). JOSEPH LANGEN (Old-Catholic professor at Bonn) : Johannes von Damascus. Gotha, 1879. J. H. LTTPTON : Si. John of Damascus. London, 1882. Cf. Du PIN, V. 103-106 ; CEILLIER, XII., 67-99 ; SCHROECKH, XX., 222-230; NEANDER, iii. passim; FELIX NEVE: Jean de D. et son influence en Orient sous les premiers khalifs, in " Revue Beige et etrangere," July and August, 1861.
I. LIFE. JOHN OF DAMASCUS, Saint and Doctor of the Eastern Church, last of the Greek Fathers,1 was born in the city of Damascus in the fourth quarter of the seventh century.2 His common epithet of Chrysorrhoas (streaming with gold) was given to him because of his eloquence, but also pro bably in allusion to the river of that name, the Abana of Scrip ture, the Barada of the present day, which flows through his native city, and makes it a blooming garden in the desert. Our knowledge of his life is mainly derived from the semi-legendary account of John of Jerusalem, who used an earlier Arabic biog raphy of unknown authorship and date.3
1 Grundlehner, p. 22 ; Langen, p. 20.
2 The usual date is 676. Grundlehner says (p. 19), "probably about the year 680."
3 This Life is summarized by Lupton, pp. 22-36.
$ 144. JOHN OF DAMASCUS. 627
The facts seem to be these. He sprang from a distinguished Christian family with the Arabic name of Mansur (ransomed). His father, Sergius, was treasurer to the Saracenic caliph, Abdul rneled (685-705), an office frequently held by Christians under the caliphs. His education was derived from Cosmas, a learned Italian monk, whom Sergius had ransomed from slavery. He made rapid progress, and early gave promise of his brilliant career. On the death of his father he was taken by the caliph into his service and given an even higher office than his father had held.1 When the emperor Leo the Isaurian issued his first edict against images (726)2, he prepared a circular letter upon the subject which showed great controversial ability and at once raised him to the position of leader of the image worshippers. This letter and the two which followed made a profound impression. They are classical, and no one has put the case better.3 John was perfectly safe from the emperor's rage, and could tranquilly learn that the letters everywhere stirred up the monks and the clergy to fanatical opposition to Leo's decrees. Yet he may well have found his position at court uncomfortable, owing to the emperor's feelings towards him and his attempts at punishment. However this may be, shortly after 730 John is found as a monk in the Convent of St. Sabas, near the shore of the Dead Sea, ten miles south east from Jerusalem. A few years later he was ordained priest.4 His last days were spent in study and literary labor. In the closing decade of his life he is said to have made a journey through Palestine, Syria, and even as far as Constanti-
1 The term is Trpurnavfi^ov^o^^ "chief councillor." This is commonly inter preted "vizier," but that office did not then exist. Langen (p. 19) thinks "chief tax-gatherer" a more likely translation. Cf. Lupton, p. 27.
2 See this vol. p. 456.
3 See analysis, p. 630.
4 Lequien (i. $ 452) conjectures that he was ordained before the iconoclastic controversy broke out, because in a sermon he alludes to the peaceful condition of the empire, which was not applicable to the time after that event. Cf. Lupton, p. 57.