John of Damascus: More Than a Compiler

301 Pages·2022·10.196 MB·English

by  Scott Ables (editor)

JohnofDamascus
Texts and Studies
in Eastern Christianity
ChiefEditor
KenParry(MacquarieUniversity)
EditorialBoard
AlessandroBausi(UniversityofHamburg)–MonicaBlanchard
(CatholicUniversityofAmerica)–MalcolmChoat(MacquarieUniversity)
PeterGaladza(SaintPaulUniversity)–VictorGhica(mfNorwegianSchool
ofTheology,ReligionandSociety)–EmmaLoosley(UniversityofExeter)
BasilLourié(StPetersburg)–JohnMcGuckin(Columbia
University)–StephenRapp(SamHoustonStateUniversity)
DietmarW.Winkler(UniversityofSalzburg)
volume 26
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John of Damascus
MoreThan a Compiler
Editedby
ScottAbles
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Contents
Preface ix
ListofMapsandFigures x
Abbreviations xi
NotesonContributors xiv
Maps xvii
Introduction 1
ScottAbles
part 1
TheDamascene’sSources,Life,&Context
1 TheGreekLivesofStJohnDamascene:CommonInformation,
Differences,andHistoricalValue 17
RobertVolk
2 NewEvidencefortheSourceoftheArabicLifeofJohnDamascene
andtheArabicTranslationoftheExpositiofidei 40
HabibIbrahim
3 ThePurposeoftheAnti-ManichaeanPolemicofJohnofDamascus 65
ScottAbles
4 ‘ὩςθεῖοςἔφηΔιονύσιος’—JohnDamascene’sReceptionand
InterpretationoftheCorpusAreopagiticum 86
VassilisAdrahtas
5 TheOrderingofKnowingandtheAcquisitionofKnowledge
intheExpositiofidei 106
PeterSchadler
6 ‘SupposedlyEncounteredanArianMonk’:JohnofDamascus
ontheOriginofIslam 116
NajibGeorgeAwad
viii contents
7 TheologyforthePublic:AspectsofJohnofDamascus’Theological
DiscourseinHisHomilies 133
PetrosTsagkaropoulos
part 2
TheDamascene’sTheologicalVision
8 TheUnderstandingoftheSacramentsinJohnofDamascus’
Theology 153
VassaKontouma
9 ImagoDei:TheFunctionalityoftheDivineImageinJohn
ofDamascus 172
BrendaMarianaMéndez-Gallardo
10 TheConceptofMatterinStJohnDamascene’sAnti-Manichaean
TheologyofCreation 189
TheocharisS.Papavissarion
11 PhilosophyasBothanInstrumentandaStructuralPrinciple
ofTheologicalDiscourseinJohnDamascene 208
AnnaZhyrkova
12 JohnofDamascus’ViewofUniversalsandParticularsinLight
oftheChristologicalDebate 223
JohannesZachhuber
13 TheHistoricityofPersonalBeing:ADialogueinAbsentiabetweenJohn
DamasceneandMartinHeidegger 240
SmilenMarkov
Appendix:Expositioetdeclaratiofideicpg8078:Introduction
andEnglishTranslation 255
HabibIbrahim
IndexofModernAuthors 272
IndexofNamesandSubjects 275
IndexofAncientSources 278
Preface
In2009IcontactedVassaKontoumaafterreadingher1995articleonPs.Cyril
ofAlexandria.1LeonardPrestigehadarguedthatPs.Cyrilwasthe6thcentury
theologianwhomigratedtheChristologicaltermperichōrēsisintoTrinitarian
thought, which was subsequently adopted by John of Damascus.2 However,
KontoumaarguedthatPs.CyrilwasnotasourceofJohnbutacompilationof
John,soitwasJohnhimselfwhowasresponsibleforTrinitarianperichōrēsis.3I
metKontoumainParis(2010)andOxford(2015)todiscussJohn.Awareofher
interestinnurturingagrowingnetworkof scholarsonJohn,despiteherlong
habitofsummeringinGreece,in2018Ipersuadedhertoparticipateinawork-
shoponJohnthefollowingsummer.Kontoumawonkeyfinancialsupportfrom
Labexresmed(ReligionsandSocietiesoftheMediterraneanWorld).Zachary
Keith,whomImetthroughSidneyGriffithwhileatDumbartonOaksinspring
2015,agreedtohelpaswell.WiththeirhelptheJohnofDamascus:Morethan
a Compiler workshop met at the xviii International Conference of Patristic
Studies,Oxford,20–21August2019.ItonlyremainsformetothankKenParry
andmembersoftheeditorialboardofBrill’sTextsandStudiesinEasternChris-
tianityforacceptingthisvolumeintheseries.
ScottAbles
Portland,Oregon,USA
1 VassaConticello(1995)‘Pseudo-Cyril’sDess.Trinitate:ACompilationofJosephthePhiloso-
pher’,OrientaliaChristianaPeriodica61:117–129.RepublishedinVassaKontouma(2015):John
ofDamascus:NewStudiesonhisLifeandWorks(Farnham,Surrey/Burlington,VT:Ashgate).
2 G.L.Prestige(1964)GodinPatristicThought(2ndedn.;London:spck):284,291,294–299.
3 Conticello(1995):125.SeealsoAndrewLouth’sassessmentofKontouma’sanalysis,‘herargu-
mentsseemtomeabsolutelycompelling’inAndrewLouth(2002)St.JohnDamascene:Tra-
ditionandOriginalityinByzantineTheology(Oxford:oup),87.
Maps, Figures, andTables
Maps
1 NearEastaftertheIslamicConquest(L) xviii
2 NearEastaftertheIslamicConquest(R) xix
3 NorthernSyria,Cilicia,andCyprus xx
4 LebanonandsouthernSyria xx
5 EgyptandPalestine xxi
6 LocationsofManichaeanSites,Texts,orPolemicists 70
Figures
1 Terminology:Generalcorrespondancesinchs.81–86(English) 159
2 Terminology:Generalcorrespondancesinchs.81–86(Greek) 159
3 Adoptionaspresentedinch.81 160
4 Adoptionbygraceaccordingtoch.82 161
5 Complementsbroughtbych.83 162
6 Crossaspraxisandlogosaccordingtochs.82and83 164
7 Mysteriaaccordingtoch.86 166
Tables
1 SignificantManichaeanDates 66
2 ChristianAnti-ManichaeanPolemic 68
3 ThedevelopmentofthemodesofreceptionofthecabytheDamascene 102