Popular Patristics Series Volume 24
Is all Christian art fundamentally blasphemous? That was the question posed aggressively by the Christian iconoclasts of the eighth century in a bitter controversy. The resounding answer 'no' from John of Damascus helped to secure the future of art in the service of Christ. Without his brilliant defense, both profound and at times earthy, we might well have had no icons, murals, and mosaics in churches to elevate and enrich our spirits and to enhance our worship. This fresh and complete translation, by a distinguished patristic scholar, of John's three treatises on the divine images shows us the issue at stake both then and now.
About the Translator: Andrew Louth is Professor of Patristics and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham and the preeminent scholar on St. John of Damascus.
Other works by Andrew Louth:
- Abba: The Tradition of Orthodoxy in the West
- Orthodoxy and Western Culture
- Orthodox Readings of Augustine
1 review
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Understanding the Icons
This book is one that I have read several times. It is the first book I looked at when I was trying to understand why we venerate icons, in my first few years as an Orthodox convert. Many of St. John's arguments and explanations make use of imagery that was relevant at the time, but which is still accessible to us today. It is beautiful to see a snapshot into our history and how we arrived where we are with iconography. But it has also been helpful in discerning my own perspective, and learning to love and understand the icons more fully.
