John of Damascus as a systematizer of the ideas of Eastern patristics. History of Philosophy. From the poem - John of Damascus

OK. 675 Damascus - d. until 753), Byzantine theologian, philosopher and poet, finalizer and systematizer of Greek patristics. He belonged to the Christian Arab nobility, inherited from his father the position of the Caliph's court treasurer, but then left Damascus, becoming (before 700) a monk in the monastery of St. Savvas near Jerusalem. Sources have preserved the Arabic name of I.D. - Mansur; however, he wrote in Greek, and his culture is wholly Hellenistic in its foundations. In disputes with iconoclasm, I. D. acted as the ideological leader of icon worshipers; from outside the Byzantine Empire, he was all the more able to inspire his like-minded people and outline for them a strategy of argument. The historical and philosophical significance of I.D. is not in the novelty of ideas, but in the ability to systematize the ideas of their predecessors in the most acceptable form for the medieval reader. The encyclopedic work of I. D., traditionally referred to as the “Source of Knowledge”, includes “Dialectics”, that is, an explanation of logical concepts, based on the summary of the “Introduction” by Porfiry and his commentators, the treatise “On Heresies” and “Exact explanation of the Orthodox faith. The tripartite construction corresponds to the pedagogical plan of I.D.: first, to give the reader the tools of disciplined thinking, then to refute the heretical versions of the dogma, and, finally, to state the dogma of the Church. The work of I. D. includes information from the natural sciences: following Philo and Clement of Alexandria, he uses the assimilation of theology to the queen, and the sciences, headed by philosophy, to the servants, but even this metaphor does not quite convey the essence of the matter - the sciences are simply included in the theological doctrine. The condemnation of superstition, the rejection of astrology, the demand for explanation by natural causes, the resolute denial (contrary to Neoplatonism) of the animation of heavenly bodies - all this is elevated to the rank of doctrinal truths. I. D. continued the work of apologists who sought to demystify the cosmos in the fight against pagan mythology, magic and metaphysics; thanks to this enlightening pathos, the works of I. D. (early translated into other languages) played a special role in the Christianization of the “barbarian” peoples (in particular, the Slavs). I. D. reproaches Christians who deny the usefulness of the study of nature, since natural science substantiates theology. The theological rationalism of I. D., striving to unite all kinds of knowledge on the foundation of formal logic and under the rule of theology, anticipates the “sums” of mature Western scholasticism. I.D. also wrote a number of other logical, polemical (against the Nestorians, against the Monophysites), exegetical, and homiletic works. I. D. entered the history of literature as an outstanding poet who created a number of famous church hymns. In liturgical lyrics, he restores ancient prosody, brings the architectonics of the canon to extraordinary complexity, supplementing it with ingenious acrostics and turning it, as it were, into a crystalline structure that affects the imagination with its thoughtfulness and harmony. Along with this, he is capable of expressing a simple and heartfelt feeling (for example, in the funeral hymn "What sweetness in this life ..."). The authorship of I.D. in relation to the Greek version of the philosophical "Tale of Barlaam and Josaph" is rejected by most modern scholars. The impact of I. D.’s writings in Byzantium and beyond, in the Orthodox East (in Guzia, Ancient Russia, etc.) and the Catholic West (the Latin translation of the third part of the “Source of Knowledge”, carried out in the middle of the 12th century, influenced Peter Lombard, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas) was exceptional in its breadth. Sergei Averintsev. Sophia-Logos. Dictionary

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Origen(Greek Friginzs) (about 185, Alexandria - 254, Tire), Christian theologian, philosopher and scientist, representative of early patristics. Born into a Christian family, later executed for his beliefs. In his youth he taught grammar and rhetoric, studied ancient philosophy. From 217 he headed the Christian school in Alexandria, but in 231 he was condemned by the Alexandrian and other churches, after which he transferred his teaching activities to Palestine (to Caesarea). During the next wave of anti-Christian repressions, he was thrown into prison and tortured, from which he soon died.

In the writings of Origen, Christian thought for the first time reaches the highest philosophical and scientific level of the pagan culture of that time. The list of Origen's writings included about 2,000 titles. In his work on the criticism of the text of the Bible, Origen acted as the heir to the Alexandrian philological tradition and at the same time as the founder of biblical philology. The philosophy of Origen is a stoically colored Platonism. In order to harmonize it with the belief in the authority of the Bible, Origen, following Philo of Alexandria, developed the doctrine of the three meanings of the Bible - “corporeal” (literal), “spiritual” (moral) and “spiritual” (philosophical-mystical), which was given unconditional preference. Origen interpreted the creation of the world by God as an eternally lasting act: before this world and after it there were and will be other worlds. Origen's eschatological optimism was reflected in his teaching about the inevitability of complete "salvation", enlightenment and union with God of all souls and spirits, including the devil, and about the temporary nature of hellish torments. Origen's doctrine of ascetic self-knowledge and the fight against passions had a strong influence on the formation of monastic mysticism in the 4th-6th centuries, and the system of concepts developed by him was widely used in the construction of church dogma. During the heyday of patristics, Origen's adherents were Eusebius of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and especially Gregory of Nyssa. Other theologians sharply condemned Origen for "heretical" opinions and for including in the Christian dogma the theses of ancient philosophy incompatible with it (in particular, the Platonic doctrine of the preexistence of souls).

John of Damascus(Iobnnes Damaskenus) (675 - 753) Byzantine theologian, philosopher and poet. Born into a Christian Arab family. He received an encyclopedic education in the Greek spirit. Apparently, he was close to the caliph; then became a monk (until 700). He acted as the leading ideological opponent of iconoclasm.

John of Damascus is the finalizer and systematizer of Greek patristics. He did not strive for novelty of ideas and originality of theories, true to his motto: "I will not say anything from myself." The comprehensiveness of John's knowledge allowed him to combine heterogeneous ideological material into a single closed system. Solving the problem of streamlining the sciences under the auspices of church dogma and on the basis of Aristotelian logic, John of Damascus created the foundations of the scholastic method, which was later developed by the medieval theologians of the West, who studied under John. The main work of John of Damascus is "The Source of Knowledge"; the Latin translation of its third part, carried out in the middle of the 12th century, influenced Peter of Lombard, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas. The writings of John of Damascus also became widespread in Eastern Christian countries: Georgia, Ancient Russia, and others. The idea expressed by John about the subordinate position of philosophy in relation to theology influenced the further formulation of this thesis in Western scholasticism.

John of Damascus entered the history of literature as an outstanding poet who created a number of famous church hymns. In liturgical lyrics, he restores ancient prosody, brings the architectonics of the canon to extraordinary complexity, supplementing it with ingenious acrostics and turning it, as it were, into a crystalline structure that affects the imagination with its thoughtfulness and harmony.

Gregory of Nyssa(Gregorios Nysses) (about 335, Caesarea, - about 394, Nisa), church writer, theologian and philosopher, one of the most prominent representatives of Greek patristics. The brother of Basil the Great, a friend of Gregory of Nazianzus, was with them in the so-called Cappadocian circle of church leaders and thinkers. In his youth he studied philosophy and rhetoric, then went to a monastery; from 371 Bishop of the city of Nisa (Asia Minor). Participated in the second Ecumenical Council (381). The philosophical worldview of Gregory of Nyssa was formed under the decisive influence of Plato and Christian Platonism (Origen). This influence and attraction to philosophical speculation often led Gregory of Nyssa to an unorthodox position. He put forward the thesis about the need to delimit the spheres of philosophy and theology; like Origen, Gregory of Nyssa made extensive use of free allegorical interpretation of the Bible. The most original is the anthropology of Gregory of Nyssa; it proceeds not from the idea of ​​the individual, but from the idea of ​​humanity as an organic whole, a kind of collective personality, the essence of which is seen in the intellect. Gregory of Nyssa had a strong influence on the author of the Areopagitics, Maximus the Confessor, John Scotus Eriugena.

Boethius(Boltius or Bolthius) Anicius Manlius Severinus (about 480, Rome - 524, Pavia), Roman philosopher and statesman. Senator, at one time close to the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. On charges of secret ties with Byzantium, he was imprisoned, where, while awaiting execution, he wrote his main work, Philosophical Consolation. The main ideas of this treatise, which has the form of a dialogue between the author and personified philosophy, are the insignificance of earthly goods, the advantages of peace of mind and a clear conscience. The influence of Boethius on the spiritual life of the early Middle Ages was determined by his translations into Latin of Aristotle’s logical work (“Categories” and “On Interpretation”) and “Introduction” by Porphyry (to the “Categories” of Aristotle), translations of “Arithmetic” by Nicomachus, “Beginnings” by Euclid, as well as the treatise "On Music". The ideas of Christianity are eclectically intertwined in Boethius with the teachings of various schools of late antique philosophy (except Aristotle - neoplatonism and stoicism).

Ambrose of Milan(Ambrosius Mediolanensis) (340 - 397), Bishop of Milan (Mediolanum) from 374; preacher, theologian (recognized as the father of the church by the Catholic Church), church politician. In 370-374 he was governor of Liguria and Emilia (with residence in Milan). Having taken the episcopal rank, Ambrose defended the interests of the Christian church in a number of conflicts with the imperial authorities. In his most significant work, On the Duties of the Clergy, Ambrose outlines a system of Christian ethics. Fought with paganism and Arianism. He composed church hymns; established the foundations of ritual singing in the Western Christian church (the so-called Ambrosian singing). Ambrose - substantiated the church concept of the relationship between church and state.

Gregory I the Great(Magnus) (about 540, Rome - 12.3.604, ibid.), Pope from 590. Struggled to strengthen papal power. He expanded the sphere of influence of the Roman Church: he sent missionaries to Britain to the Anglo-Saxons, to Spain to the Visigoths, intervened in church affairs in Gaul and Africa, declared his exclusive right to act as the supreme court of appeal for the entire Western Church. Starting with Gregory I, the claims of the popes to world domination are intensifying. He paid much attention to the organization of the economy on the papal lands ("Peter's patrimony") in order to increase their profitability. Gregory I left a number of theological writings, valuable correspondence; reformed church hymns. He was hostile to secular education, destroyed many ancient literary monuments.

After the death of St. Augustine (430), philosophical thought almost died out. At this time, the Angles invaded Britain, the Franks in Gaul (modern France), the Vandals in Spain. In the middle of the 5th century, St. Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity, and later Germanic kingdoms were formed in Europe. The Goths came to Italy, and they were driven here from the east by the Huns (Mongols). During this period of chaos, the church was torn apart by a dispute over the incarnation. The main opponents are two churchmen - Cyril and Nestorius. Cyril is the Patriarch of Alexandria, and Nestorius is the Patriarch of Constantinople. The dispute flared up because of how the divine and human natures of Christ relate to each other. As a result, the church split.

John of Damascus (Ioánnes Damaskenós) (b. circa 675, Damascus - d. before 753) Byzantine theologian, philosopher and poet. Born into a Christian Arab family. He received an encyclopedic education in the Greek spirit. Apparently, he was close to the caliph; then became a monk (until 700). He acted as the leading ideological opponent of iconoclasm.

John of Damascus is the finalizer and systematizer of Greek patristics. He did not strive for novelty of ideas and originality of theories, true to his motto: "I will not say anything from myself." The comprehensiveness of John's knowledge allowed him to combine heterogeneous ideological material into a single closed system. Solving the problem of streamlining the sciences under the auspices of church dogma and on the basis of Aristotelian logic, John of Damascus created the foundations of the scholastic method (see Scholasticism), which was later developed by medieval Western theologians who studied under John. The main work of John of Damascus is "The Source of Knowledge"; it is a compendium of philosophical and theological information, anticipating the "sums" of Western scholastics; the Latin translation of its third part, carried out in the middle of the 12th century, influenced Peter of Lombard, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas. The writings of John of Damascus also became widespread in Eastern Christian countries: Georgia, Ancient Russia, etc. The idea expressed by John about the subordinate position of philosophy in relation to theology influenced the further formulation of this thesis in Western scholasticism (primarily by Peter Damiani).

John of Damascus entered the history of literature as an outstanding poet who created a number of famous church hymns. In liturgical lyrics, he restores ancient prosody, brings the architectonics of the canon to extraordinary complexity, supplementing it with ingenious acrostics and turning it, as it were, into a crystalline structure that affects the imagination with its thoughtfulness and harmony [ 2, Disk 1. ].

Basil the Great, Basil of Caesarea (Basíleios Mégas, Basíleios Kaisaréias) (about 330, Caesarea Cappadocia, - 1.1.379, ibid.), Christian church leader, one of the church fathers. Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia since 370. Basil the Great belonged to those circles of the Eastern Roman nobility who unconditionally joined orthodox Christianity. In an effort to consolidate the forces of Christianity, he opposed Arianism, preached asceticism, and supported monasticism. He defended the independence of the church from the emperor. Considered possible "useful use" in the interests of Christianity of ancient culture (sermon "To Youth"). The main works of Basil the Great: Wisdom (an anthology of Origen's writings compiled jointly with Gregory the Theologian), Against Eunomius (a refutation of the Arian doctrine), conversations (including the Six Days, which outlines the principles of Christian cosmogony). The works of Basil the Great (especially Wisdom of Wisdom and Six Days), translated into Slavic languages, served as a source for acquaintance with ancient thinkers, whom Basil the Great quoted abundantly. An especially important source for the history of church struggle in the empire of the 4th century. - Letters of Basil the Great (about 250) [2, Disk 1.].

Gregory Nazianzenos (Gregorios Nazianzenos), Gregory the Theologian (Theologos) (about 330, near Nazianzus, Cappadocia in Asia Minor - about 390, ibid.), Greek poet and prose writer, church figure and thinker, one of the most prominent representatives of patristics. He received a brilliant rhetorical and philosophical education, completed in a pagan high school in Athens, where Gregory of Nazianzus became friends with Basil the Great. In 379 he was called by the orthodox community to the bishopric in Constantinople to fight Arianism, and in 381 he presided over the 2nd Ecumenical Council, but in the same year, in an atmosphere of unrest and intrigue, he resigned as bishop and returned to his homeland. As a theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus belongs, together with Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, to the so-called. the Cappadocian circle, which transferred the methods of Platonic idealistic dialectics to theology [5, p. 209-210. ]. The highest achievement of the prose of Gregory of Nazianzus is the funeral panegyrics to his father and Basil the Great. The lyrics of Gregory of Nazianzus are distinguished by the intimacy of tone and the variety of intonations. Autobiographical poems "About my life", "About my destiny" and "About the sufferings of my soul" with their deep psychologism and culture of introspection are in the same row as Augustine's "Confession" [ 2, Disk 1. ].

Gregory of Nyssa (Gregorios Nysses) (about 335, Caesarea - about 394, Nisa), church writer, theologian and philosopher, one of the most prominent representatives of Greek patristics. The brother of Basil the Great, a friend of Gregory of Nazianzus, was with them in the so-called Cappadocian circle of church leaders and thinkers [5, p. 210.]. In his youth he studied philosophy and rhetoric, then went to a monastery; from 371 Bishop of the city of Nisa (Asia Minor). Participated in the 2nd Ecumenical Council (381). The philosophical worldview of Gregory of Nyssa was formed under the decisive influence of Plato and Christian Platonism (Origen). This influence and attraction to philosophical speculation often led Gregory of Nyssa to an unorthodox position (for example, following Origen and in contradiction to church doctrine, he taught about the temporality of hellish torments and the final enlightenment of all sinning souls, including Satan). He put forward the thesis about the need to delimit the spheres of philosophy and theology; like Origen, Gregory of Nyssa made extensive use of free allegorical interpretation of the Bible. The most original is the anthropology of Gregory of Nyssa; it proceeds not from the idea of ​​the individual, but from the idea of ​​humanity as an organic whole, a kind of collective personality, the essence of which is seen in the intellect. Gregory of Nyssa had a strong influence on the author of the Areopagitics, Maximus the Confessor, John Scotus Eriugena [2, Disk 1.].

Boethius (Boëtius or Boëthius) Anicius Manlius Severinus (about 480, Rome - 524, Pavia), Roman philosopher and statesman. Senator, at one time close to the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. On charges of secret ties with Byzantium, he was imprisoned, where, while awaiting execution, he wrote his main work, Philosophical Consolation. The main ideas of this treatise, which has the form of a dialogue between the author and personified philosophy, are the insignificance of earthly goods, the advantages of peace of mind and a clear conscience. The influence of Boethius on the spiritual life of the early Middle Ages was determined by his translations into Latin of Aristotle’s logical work (“Categories” and “On Interpretation”) and “Introduction” by Porphyry (to the “Categories” of Aristotle), translations of “Arithmetic” by Nicomachus, “Beginnings” by Euclid, as well as the treatise "On Music". The ideas of Christianity are eclectically intertwined in Boethius with the teachings of various schools of late antique philosophy (except for Aristotle - neoplatonism and stoicism) [5, p. 223-224. ].

Ambrose of Mediolanum (Ambrosius Mediolanensis) (about 340 - 4.4.397), Bishop of Milan (Mediolanum) from 374; preacher, theologian (recognized as the father of the church by the Catholic Church), church politician. In 370-374 the governor of Liguria and Emilia (with residence in Milan). Having taken the episcopal rank, Ambrose defended the interests of the Christian church in a number of conflicts with the imperial authorities. In his most significant work (On the Duties of the Clergy, Russian translation, 1908), Ambrose outlines a system of Christian ethics. Fought with paganism and Arianism. He composed church hymns; established the foundations of ritual singing in the Western Christian church (the so-called Ambrosian singing). Ambrose - substantiated the church concept of the relationship between church and state (independence of the church) [ 2, Disk 1. ].

JOHN DAMASKIN
(generic name Mansur, i.e. ‘victorious’) (c. 675 - before 750) - Byzantine theologian and philosopher, one of the Greek church fathers, systematizer of the ideas of Greek patristics. A Syrian by origin, he spent his whole life in the Damascus Caliphate. For some time - the prime minister of this state. Main work: 'The Source of Knowledge' is a compendium of philosophical and theological knowledge of its time. In the first part of this treatise - 'Dialectics' - Aristotle's logic and metaphysics are expounded. The second part, ‘On Heresies in Brief’, provides information on 103 heresies. In the third part - 'The exact presentation of the Orthodox faith' - I.D. expounded his own understanding of church dogmas, expressing, in particular, the idea of ​​the subordinate position of philosophy in relation to theology. According to I.D., 'philosophy is the knowledge of the existent, since it is the existent, that is, the knowledge of the nature of the existent ... Philosophy is the knowledge of divine and human things, that is, visible and invisible ... Philosophy is the thought of death, as arbitrary, so natural... Philosophy is likeness to God... through wisdom, which is the true knowledge of the good; and through justice, which is an impartial recompense for everyone who is due; and through a righteousness that exceeds the measure of justice... Philosophy is the love of wisdom; true wisdom is God... love of God is true philosophy.' It is considered a classic of the application of ancient school logic to the systematization of church teaching (Windelband). Opponent of iconoclasm (composition ‘Against those who reject holy icons’).

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"JOHN DAMASKIN" in books

Saint John of Damascus († before 753/4)

Rev. John of Damascus († before 753/4) Rev. John of Damascus. Fresco fragment. Manuel Panselin. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Protata, Athos, Greece. Beginning 14th century After all, the goal is not to win, but to extend a hand to the truth under attack ... The Seljuk Turks came with

John of Damascus