St John Damascene on Holy Images (πρὸς τοὺς διαβάλλοντας τᾶς ἁγίας εἰκόνας). Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption (κοίμησις)

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

49917

Title

St John Damascene on Holy Images (πρὸς τοὺς διαβάλλοντας τᾶς ἁγίας εἰκόνας). Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption (κοίμησις)

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1898 edition presents St. John of Damascus's definitive defense of holy images against Iconoclasm, arguing that worshiping the Incarnate Word validates the use of material forms. Followed by sermons on the Assumption, the text offers a theological bridge between earth and heaven, emphasizing that rejecting matter risks severing the connection to God.

Summary up to 500 words

Written in the eighth century, St. John of Damascus's treatise *On Holy Images* serves as a robust defense of religious icons against the Imperial Iconoclasts. These opponents argued that creating images withdrew honor from God, a claim St. John refutes by distinguishing between the invisible God and the visible Son. He posits that while the Father cannot be imaged, the Son is the eternal Image of the Father who became visible in the flesh. Consequently, honoring the visible Son in images is not idolatry but a recognition of divine glory manifested in matter. St. John argues that the human mind requires corporeal aids to reach God; without images, believers face a form of agnosticism and a denial of the glorification of creation. He asserts that the enemies of the Saints are the enemies of God, as the Communion of Saints allows believers to approach God through those who love Him best. The work concludes with three sermons on the Assumption, preached around 727 AD. These sermons celebrate Mary's purity and her unique union with the Son, noting that her body was a fitting resting place for the Lord because her soul was all-holy. The text affirms that the Assumption is a logical triumph of divine maternity, proving that the tomb was not for her. St. John demonstrates that forgetting Mary severs the link between earth and heaven, leaving humanity groping in darkness. The work stands as a firm assertion that religious truth is inseparable from good works and that matter, when glorified in the Person of the Eternal Word, is essential for spiritual life. By rejecting the notion that religious truth is secondary to good works, St. John upholds the Catholic tradition that matter is not inglorious but a vessel for divine presence.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49917.epub.noimages

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Categories

• Classics
• Religion