Three Treatises on the Divine Images by St John of Damascus

An Eighth Day Books Review of Three Treatises on the Divine Images by St. John of Damascus; translated by Andrew Louth

Perhaps no name is more synonymous with the subject of early Christian art than the eighth-century monk, John of Damascus. Renowned in both East and West for his profound yet clearly-expressed theology, St. John remains our most accessible defender of Christ glorified in His Church, and this desire is foundational to each of the treatises presented here. He is careful to explain what is meant by “image” and “worship”, and he makes a distinction between different forms of veneration. Without St. John’s contribution, the political and social concerns of the late Byzantine Empire could have eclipsed the humble beauty and proper use of art in Christian life. Christian iconography is not idolatrous, says St. John, but biblical and an integral part of our apostolic heritage. (A new translation, by the leading scholar of the Damascene monk in the English-speaking world.)

163 pp. paper $18.00

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