John of Damascus Quotes
John of Damascus was an Arab Christian monk, theologian, and hymnographer, often counted as the last of the Greek Fathers. After serving for a time as a high official at the early Umayyad court at Damascus, he withdrew to the monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem, where he composed the bulk of his work. The quotes below are attributed to John of Damascus, organized by topic.
Browse John of Damascus by topic
John of Damascus on God
-
Attributed to John of Damascus:
“I shall not paint God in his own nature; I shall paint the visible flesh of God.”
-
Attributed to John of Damascus:
“Knowledge of God is given to us by revelation, not invented by reason.”
-
Attributed to John of Damascus:
“Faith is the unhesitating confession of what is to be hoped for.”
-
Attributed to John of Damascus:
“All bodies are circumscribed; God alone is uncircumscribable.”
-
“In the relics of the saints the Lord Christ has provided us with saving fountains which in many ways pour out benefactions and gush with fragrant ointment. And let no one disbelieve. For, if by the will of God water poured out of the precipitous living rock in the desert, and for the thirsty Sampson from the jawbone of an ass, is it unbelievable that fragrant ointment should flow from the relics of the martyrs? Certainly not, at least for such as know the power of God and the honor which the saints have from Him.”
In Saint John of Damascus: Writings (The Fathers Of The Church A New Translation Vol. 37), 1958, 1999, Frederic H. Chase, Trans. -
“Alternate translation: Christ gives us the relics of saints as health-giving springs through which flow blessings and healing. This should not be doubted. For if at God’s word water gushed from hard rock in the wilderness-yes, and from an ass’s jawbone when Samson was thirsty -why should it seem incredible that healing medicine should distill from the relics of saints”
In Relics: The Shroud of Turin, the True Cross, the Blood of Januarius: History, Mysticism, and the Catholic Church , by Joan Carroll Cruz, 1984 , p. 37. -
“Defense against those who attack the holy images," as translated by Andrew Louth, Three Treatises on the Divine Images , (Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press: 2003) p. 46”
Images are books for the illiterate and silent heralds of the honor of the saints, teaching those who see with a soundless voice and sanctifying the sight.
John of Damascus on Knowledge
-
“In Saint John of Damascus: Writings (The Fathers Of The Church A New Translation Vol. 37), 1958, 1999, Frederic H. Chase, Trans.”
In the relics of the saints the Lord Christ has provided us with saving fountains which in many ways pour out benefactions and gush with fragrant ointment. And let no one disbelieve. For, if by the will of God water poured out of the precipitous living rock in the desert, and for the thirsty Sampson from the jawbone of an ass, is it unbelievable that fragrant ointment should flow from the relics o -
“The Christianocategori , or Accusers of Christians , are such and are so called, because those Christians who worship one living and true God praised in Trinity they accused of worshiping as gods, after the manner of the Greeks, the venerable images of our Lord Jesus Christ, of our immaculate lady, the holy Mother of God, of the holy angels, and of His saints.They are furthermore called Iconoclast”
In, Saint John of Damascus: Writings ( The Fathers of the Church , Vol. 37), 1958, 1999, Frederic H. Chase, Trans. p. 160
John of Damascus on Truth
-
Attributed to John of Damascus:
“The image is a likeness which carries within itself the prototype.”
John of Damascus on Virtue
-
“Images are books for the illiterate and silent heralds of the honor of the saints, teaching those who see with a soundless voice and sanctifying the sight.”
Defense against those who attack the holy images," as translated by Andrew Louth, Three Treatises on the Divine Images , (Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press: 2003) p. 46