St. John Damascene and His Contribution to the Medieval Controversy over the “Right Religion”

Abstract

The 100th chapter of the book On Heresies presents a peculiar mixture: a dispassionate, realistic exposition alongside scathing criticism. It includes verifiable facts about Islam and the Qur’an, interspersed with mere allegations. The text juxtaposes attacks with defenses of the true faith, with themes shifting rapidly and without discernible consistency. Only specific aspects are thoroughly developed in a comparative context; repetitions occur despite the text’s brevity, and stylistic devices appear abruptly. St. John of Damascus employs various stylistic techniques and argumentative methods to support his theses and construct a form of judicial defense aimed at demonstrating that Islam is a false religion while affirming his own faith as the true one. The transition to the third part of the Fountain of Knowledge trilogy—An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith—is presented dramatically, moving from a detailed refutation of fallacies to a clear exposition of the true religion, which St. John wholeheartedly believed in and advocated: Chalcedonian Orthodoxy.