John of Damascus's de fide orthodoxa as a response to Islam
[Thesis]
Joel I. Oladele
Mikhail, Maged S. A.
California State University, Fullerton
2014
42
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-321-54953-9
M.A.
California State University, Fullerton
2014
About sixty years after the initial Arab conquests had taken place, the relatively well established Arab conquerors began to enforce Islamic ideological policies on the conquered populace. This advancement of new policies resulted in varying reactions among local elites. One such elite, John of Damascus (c. 675-750), lived his entire life under Islamic rule and witnessed the change in the attitude toward Christians firsthand. John of Damascus was a crucial figure in the development of Christian theology and practice, and his writings, which include theological works, polemical treatises, and hymns, have influenced generations of Christians and occupied scholars until the present day. Nevertheless, few scholars have considered in detail the impact of his environment on his theological writings. This study examines John of Damascus's three-part Fount of Knowledge and establishes a link between two contrasting parts of the work-'The Superstition of the Ishmaelites,' a heresiological chapter directed against Islam, and An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, John's principal writing on Christian theology-that is indicative of the interaction between John's environment and his theological writings.
Middle Eastern history; European history; Medieval history
Social sciences;Islam;John of Damascus;On Heresies;The Fount of Knowledge;The Orthodox Faith;The Superstition of the Ishmaelites