John of Damascus and the Perichoresis
Rev. Angus Stewart's article examines John of Damascus (c.675-c.750), the last of the Greek Church fathers and an important theological systematizer whose works significantly influenced both Eastern and Western theology, particularly through medieval scholastic thinkers like Peter Lombard. The article highlights John's significance as a capable summarizer of patristic theology and his role in transmitting Eastern theological insights to the Western church through philosophical frameworks. This resource provides valuable historical context for understanding the development of systematic theology and the transmission of patristic thought within the Reformed tradition.
Rev. Angus Stewart (Slightly modified from an article first published in the British Reformed Journal) John of Damascus (c.675-c.750), though little known by most in the West today, is probably the most famous theologian in the last 1,500 years of the Eastern church. He was born into a prominent family and educated under Cosmas, a learned Sicilian monk. Like his grandfather and father before him, John served as an high official in the court of the Muslim Umayyad caliph of Damascus. Later John...