Yohanes dari Damaskus

Santo Yohanes dari Damaskus
Santo Yohanes dari Damaskus
	John Damascene (ikon arabia)
Doktor Gereja
Lahir	c. 676; Damaskus
Meninggal	4 Desember 749; Mar Saba, Yerusalem
Dihormati di	Gereja Katolik Roma, Gereja Ortodoks Timur, Gereja Lutheran, Gereja Katolik Timur
Pesta	4 December; 27 March (General Roman Calendar, 1890-1969)

Santo Yohanes dari Damaskus(Bahasa Arab: يوحنا الدمشقي Yuḥannā Al Demashqi; Bahasa Yunani: Ιωάννης Δαμασκήνος/Iôannês Damaskênos; Bahasa Latin: Iohannes Damascenus atau Johannes Damascenus juga dikenal sebagai John Damascene, Χρυσορρόας/Chrysorrhoas, "mengalir dengan emas"—yaitu, "Sang Pembicara yang Keemasan") (c. 676 – 4 Desember 4 749) adalah seorang biarawan dan imam Gereja Katolik yang berasal dari Syria. Ia lahir dan dibesarkan di kota Damaskus dan meninggal (kemungkinan terbesarnya) di biaranya Mar Saba, sebelah tenggara kota Yerusalem.

Ia adalah seorang yang memiliki pengetahuan mendalam dalam banyak bidang. Bidang-bidang yang ia memiliki ketertarikan dan pernah memberikan kontribusi antara lain bidang hukum, teologi, filosofi dan musik. Ia adalah kepala administrasi penguasa Damaskus, menulis karya-karya yang menguraikan secara terperinci iman Kristiani, dan menggubah himne-himne yang masih digunakan secara umum di biara-biara Kristen Timur di seluruh dunia. Ia adalah seorang Doktor Gereja, seringkali dirujuk sebagai Doktor Pengangkatan Tubuh dan Jiwa atas dasar tulisan-tulisannya mengenai Maria Diangkat ke Surga.^[1] ]</ref> family living under Muslim rule. His father held a high hereditary public office with duties of chief financial officer for the caliph Abd al-Malik, apparently as head of the tax department for Syria.

When John reached the age of 23, his father sought out to find a Christian tutor who could provide the best education for his children. Records show that while spending some time in the marketplace, John's father encountered several captives, imprisoned as a result of a raid for prisoners of war that had taken place in the coasts of Italy. One of these, a Sicilian monk by the name of Cosmas, turned out to be an erudite of great knowledge and wisdom. John's father arranged for the release of this man and appointed him tutor to his son. Under the instruction of Cosmas, John made great advances in music, astronomy and theology. According to his biographer, he soon equaled Diophantus in algebra and Euclid in geometry.

Succession to Chief Councilor

In spite of his Christian background, his family held an important hereditary public office in the court of the Muslim rulers of Damascus, the Umayyads. John of Damascus succeeded his father in his position upon his death: he was appointed protosymbullus, or Chief Councilor of Damascus.

It was during his term in office that iconoclasm, a movement seeking to prohibit the veneration of the icons, first appeared and gained acceptance in the Byzantine court. In 726, in disregard of the protests of St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Emperor Leo III issued his first edict against the veneration of images and their exhibition in public places. A talented writer in the secure surroundings of the caliph's court, John of Damascus initiated his defense against the emperor in three "Apologetic Treatises against those Decrying the Holy Images", the earliest of his works, which gained him a reputation. Not only did he attack the emperor, but the use of a simpler literary style brought the controversy to the common people, inciting revolt among those of Christian faith. His writings later played an important role during the Second Council of Nicaea which met to settle the icon dispute.

Unable to punish the writer openly, Leo III managed to acquire a manuscript written and signed by John of Damascus, which he used to forge a letter from John to the Isaurian emperor offering to betray into his hands the city of Damascus. Despite John's earnest advocation to his innocence, the caliph dismissed his plea, discharged him from his post, and ordered his right hand, which he used for writing, to be cut off by the wrist.

According to the 10th-century biography, his hand was miraculously restored after fervent prayer before an icon of the Virgin Mary. At this point the caliph is said to have been convinced of his innocence and inclined to reinstate him in his former office. However, John then retired to the monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, where he continued to produce a series of commentaries, hymns and apologetic writings, including the "Octoechos" (the Church's service book of eight tones) and An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a summary of the dogmatic writings of the Early Church Fathers.

Last Days

John died in 749 as a revered Father of the Church, and is recognized as a saint. He is sometimes called the last of the Church Fathers by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1883 he was declared a Doctor of the Church by the Holy See.

Veneration

When the name of Saint John of Damascus was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1890, it was assigned to 27 March. This date always falls within Lent, a period during which there are no obligatory Memorials. The feast day was therefore moved in 1969 to the day of the saint's death, 4 December, the day on which his feast day is celebrated also in the Byzantine Rite calendar.^[2] -->

Daftar karya

Karya awal

Tiga "Risalah Apologetik menentang mereka yang mencela Gambar-gambar Suci"; Risalah-risalah ini adalah beberapa diantara penjelasan-penjelasan terperinci awalnya sebagai tanggapan atas maklumat Kaisar Byzantium Leo III yang melarang penyembahan atau pemajangan gambar-gambar suci.^[3]

Ajaran dan Karya Dogmatis

"Sumber Air Pengetahuan" or "Sumber Air Kebijaksanaan", dibagi menjadi tiga bagian:
1. "Bab-bab Filosofis" (Kephalaia philosophika) – Umumnya dinamai 'Dialectic', sebagian besar membahas masalah logika, tujuan utamanya adalah untuk menyiapkan para pembaca supaya bisa mengerti lebih baik lagi dari isi buku ini.
2. "Mengenai Penyimpangan Terhadap Ajaran Gereja" (peri haireseon) – Bab terakhir bagian ini (Bab 101) membahas Penyimpangan Kaum Ishmael dari Ajaran Gereja. Berbeda dengan bab-bab sebelumnya yang membahas mengenai penyimpangan terhadap ajaran gereja yang biasanya hanya beberapa baris panjangnya, bab ini memakan tempat beberapa halaman dalam karya tulisnya ini. Dokumen ini menjadi salah satu karya tulis polemik Kristiani pertama menentang Islam, dan yang pertama ditulis oleh seorang yang beragama Ortodoks Yunani/Melkite.
3. "Sebuah Penjelasan Terperinci yang Tepat mengenai Iman Ortodoks" (Ekdosis akribes tes orthodoxou pisteos) – Bagian ketiga buku ini dikenal sebagai bagian yang paling penting dari John de Damascene, dan merupakan sebuah peninggalan Kristiani yang sangat berharga.
"Paralel-paralel suci"

Referensi

^ Christopher Rengers The 33 Doctors Of The Church Tan Books & Publishers, 200, ISBN 0895554402
^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), pp. 109 and 119; cf. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
^ * "St. John Damascene on Holy Images, Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption" – Eng. transl. by Mary H. Allies, London, 1899.

Pranala luar

Templat:Stub-katolik

[1] Christopher Rengers The 33 Doctors Of The Church Tan Books & Publishers, 200, ISBN 0895554402

[2] Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), pp. 109 and 119; cf. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

[3] * "St. John Damascene on Holy Images, Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption" – Eng. transl. by Mary H. Allies, London, 1899.

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