ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS ON THE DIVINE IMAGES Three Apologies Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images Translated by David Anderson ST. VLADIMIR'S SEMINARY PRESS (CRESTWOOD, NEW YORK 10707 1980Libary of Congies Cataloging ia Pubcon Data Jane, of Danis, Ss. ‘On the divine sna, onions lierstire-Clled wos, “Te BReSje2sPr613 "2483-3408 Translation © 1980 St, Vladimir's Seminary Press 515 Serie Road ‘Crew, New York 10707 ISBN 0.913836-62-1 LL ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction First Apology of St, Joba of Damascus ‘Against Those Who Attack ‘The Divine Images Ancient Documentation and Testimony of "The Holy Fathers Concerning Images Second Apology of St, John of Damascus ‘Against Those Who Attack The Divine Images Ancient Documentation and Testimony of "The Holy Fathers Conceming Images ‘Thied Apology of St. John of Damascus Against Those Who Attack ‘The Divine Images Ancient Documentation and Testimony of the Holy Fathers Concerning, Images M so 6 n otINTRODUCTION ‘The iconoclastic controversy begun inthe eighth century by the Byzantine emperor Leo IH (717-741) and continued by his successor Constantine V (741-775) cannot be con Siered in isolation from the Christological controversies of the preceding centuries Just as ealice ecumenical councis had insisted that the incarnation of Jesus Christ united the second person of the Holy Trinity with human nature, chus making salvation possible by breaking down the wall of Separation between God and man, so also the seventh council (787) upheld the doctrine of the veneration of images as an inevitable reslt of the incarnation. To say that God the Word assumed a human body and soul (and {or Him to do so was the only means by which the reign of ‘death and sin in the universe might be destroyed) is 0 say that the infinite consented to become circumscribed, There fore, the material Nesh of Jesus Christ became part of His divine person, the invisible was made visible, and hence- forth itis a good and praiseworthy thing to depict Him as, He is: God become man; God become matter. ‘The three treatises of St.John of Damascus all ae intended to defend the use and veneration of images as an extension of this ‘most essential of Christian teachings. ‘St Joba of Damascus lived in politcal isolation from Constantinople, Waiting during the reign of Leo IIL from his monastery of St. Sabbas in a Palestine ruled by the "Foran Histovcal and theological anal ofthe, consti contovery, the seader about reer to-J. Meyendor, Chr in Eatern Chistan Thoush, (Se Visin’s Seriary Pros, 1975), 7