or Saint John Damascene
born с 675, Damascus
died Dec. 4, 749, near Jerusalem; Western feast day December 4
Monk and theological doctor of the Greek and Latin churches.
He spent his entire life under Muslim rule. As a writer of hymns and theology, he had great influence in the Eastern and Western churches, especially through Exposition of the Orthodox Faith , a summary of the teachings of the Greek Fathers. He also wrote against the Iconoclasts (see iconoclasm ).