| April
2009 - Vol. 29
Quotes
From
Early
Church
Fathers
on Christ's
Death
Crucifixion by Michael
O'Brien
.
What
Happened on the Cross?
by
John of Damascus
By
nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought
low:
The
sin of our first parent destroyed,
hell
plundered,
resurrection
bestowed,
the
power given us to despise the things of this world,
even
death itself,
the
road back to the former blessedness made smooth,
the
gates of paradise opened,
our
nature seated at the right hand of God,
and
we made children and heirs of God. |
By the
cross all these things have been set aright...
It
is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us,
a
raising up of those who lie fallen,
a
support for those who stand,
a
staff for the infirm,
a
crook for the shepherded,
a
guide for the wandering,
a
perfecting of the advanced,
salvation
for soul and body,
a
deflector of all evils,
a
cause of all goods,
a
destruction of sin,
a
plant of resurrection,
and
a tree of eternal life. |
[excerpted
from Orthodox Faith, 4]...
Go
to > Next
Page
> What
Happened on the Cross? by John of Damascus
>
A
Few Drops of Blood Renew the Whole World, by Gregory Nazianzen
>
The
Lamb That Was Slain Has Delivered Us from Death and Given Us Life,
by Melito of Sardis
>
The
Death of Death, by Augustine of Hippo
.
|
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to > Next
Page
John
of Damascus
John
of Damascus, also known as John Damascene, was born in 676. He was brought
up in Damascus Syria in a Christian family living under Muslim rule. His
father was a government official under both the Byzantine emperor and the
Muslim rulers of Damascus. John received a classical education. His fields
of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, and music.
He was fluent in Arabic as well as Greek. John worked in the Muslim court
until the hostility of the caliph toward Christianity caused him to resign
his position, about the year 700.
Mar
Saba Monastery, Judaean dessert
photo
by Shay Shtickgold
He
moved to the vicinity of Jerusalem and became a monk at Mar Saba Monastery
located in the Judaean desert hills near Bethlehem, 18 miles southeast
of Jerusalem. He taught in the monastery, preached many sermons in Jerusalem,
and wrote both theological treatises and hymns.
Since
he lived in the midst of political and theological turmoil, John wrote
a great deal to clarify true doctrine and to do his part in spreading the
gospel. He is recognized as one of the principal composer of hymns in Eastern
Orthodoxy. His most important theological work, The Fount of Wisdom,
is a summary of Eastern theology. He was a key defender of the use of icons
during the iconoclast controversies.
John
is considered the last of the Greek church fathers and the first of the
East to formulate a comprehensive synthesis of Christian Dogma. John died
in 749. He worked to the very end and was beloved by his fellow monks and
revered by the people. He was buried at the Monastery of Mar Saba. |
