John of Damascus

Fount of Knowledge — defender of icons, organizer of chant

The last of the Greek Church Fathers and the great systematizer of Orthodox theology. The Fount of Knowledge became the Summa of the Eastern Church. He defended icon veneration and organized the eight-mode (octoechos) system that still governs Orthodox chant.

Key works

• Fount of Knowledge (Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith)~743— Systematic theology — the Eastern Summa
• Three Treatises on the Divine Images~726-730— Defense of icons — shaped Christian art theory
• Octoechos hymns~730s— Organized the eight-mode system of Byzantine chant
  Score / performed in Orthodox liturgy

Connections

External