John Damascene, a monk near Jerusalem in the early 700s, never set foot in the Byzantine Empire, yet he had a great influence on Byzantine theology. This book, the first to present an overall account of John's life and work, sets him in the context of the early synods of the Church that took place in the Palestinian monasteries during the first century of Arab rule.

Andrew Louth is Professor Emeritus of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at Durham University, and also Visiting Professor of Eastern Orthodox Theology at the Amsterdam Centre of Eastern Orthodox Theology (ACEOT), in the Faculty of Theology, the Free University, Amsterdam. He is the author of many books, including Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology (SPCK, 2013).

• 1: Life and Times


• 2: John Damascene and Tradition


• 3: The Fountain Head of Knowledge: Nature and Development


• 4: Settling the Terms


• 5: Defining Error


• 6: Defining the Faith


• 7: Against the Iconoclasts


• 8: Chrysorrhoas ('flowing with gold'): John the Preacher


• Steps to the Altar: John the Monk at Prayer


• 9: Glykorrhêmôn ('sweetly speaking'): John the Poet


• Epilogue