An Annotated Bibliography of Printed and Online Primary Sources for the Middle Ages

John of Damascus (John Damascene) Saint
lived c. 675-750

Saint John of Damascus is known as the last of the Greek Fathers. A life of the saint was written by John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the tenth century, but it is not considered to be a satisfactory source from a historical perspective. It is known that John was brought up at the court of the caliph in Damascus in Syria where his father was an official. John inherited this position and then went to Palestine to become a monk. He played a prominent role in the iconoclast controversy when Emperor Leo III banned the veneration of images 726. John defended the veneration of icons and wrote Three Apologetic Treatises against those Decrying the Holy Images. His other major work is the Fountain of Knowledge, which is composed of three books: Philosophical Chapters, Concerning Heresy and An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith. TLM

• Wikipedia
• Catholic Encyclopedia

OMSB Records by John of Damascus:

• Allies, Mary H., ed., St. John Damascene on holy images; followed by three sermons on the Assumption (London: Thomas Baker, 1898).
• O'Donovan, Oliver, ed.; O'Donovan, Joan Lockwood, ed., From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought 100-1625 (Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999).
• Salmond, S.D.f., trans., "In Defense of Icons" in Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, 2nd Series, Vol IX, 1899 [Rpt.1955]).