St. John of Damascus grew up in Syria under Islamic rule. A few decades before his birth, Islamic forces had invaded and captured Syria, part of the Christian Byzantine Empire. Although his family members were Orthodox Christians, they were closely associated with the state. St. John, like his father, held a high position within the Muslim caliph's government. Since St. John lived as an Orthodox Christian during the very early years of Islam, near the time of Mohammed, he was in a unique position to comment on the new religion the Arab merchant introduced to the world.Read what St. John of Damascus said about Islam (also known as Mohammedism) in the post, St. John of Damascus on Islam, from the biblicalia blog.
The St. John of Damascus School of Theology at Balamand University in Lebanon has provided a helpful webpage with more information on St. John of Damascus.
Copyright © 2006 by Dana S. Kees. Photo by Dana S. Kees.
