Christian Theology in Islamic Lands: John of Damascus

3 credits · Undergraduate

John of Damascus (d. 749) is one of the greatest Christian theologians of the Patristic age. Though he wrote in Greek, he was probably a Christian Arab (his Arabic name is Mansur ibn Sarjun), who lived under Muslim rule and was employed as a public official in the Umayyad administration in Damascus. The course will focus on his theological works (especially his summa of Christian theology, entitled On the Orthodox Faith, and his three treatises in defence of the icons), their Christian sources, and their Islamic context. PREREQUISITES: At least one of: RELS 1002.03, RELS 2003.03, RELS 2281.03, RELS 3009.03, RELS 3282.03, foundation year program, or permission of the instructor CROSSLISTED: CLAS 4018.03 FORMATS: Seminar