St. John of Damascus

Joseph Hirst Lupton

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OF DAMASCUSST. JOHN \\\t ll«, »t*^^^ '% N. J.PRINCETON, 1832J64.F41705BR 1836Hirst,JosephLupton,^^ 1905.« Damascus' ofJohnSt.s/^eif. ..i, ¥=: ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS. // jTatbrid for (!;ngli *Osbotn, tthi. sup., Osborn,p. p. 338.337. THE MAHOMETAN KLI.K IN SYRIA. 21 sucli men might be capricious and lyraiir.ical rulers, might leave their soldiers unpaid, their lands untilled, subjects the prey of rapacioustheir officials—but or Christians, as such, were not likelyJews to sufler so much comi»arativcly as under masters of stricter orthodoxy. In later times indeed Damascus has been notorious for the intolerance of its Mussulman i)0i)u- iation. But under the free-thinking caliphs of the house of Omeiyah, Christians were often found occupying important posts. Intermarriages were not unknown. of KhalidThe mother ibn Abdallah, Hishamwhom had appointed governor of Irak, was a Christian. Akhtal, the court poet of Abd al Malek, who was led in a robe of honour through the streets "of Damascus, with a herald proclaiming : Behold the poet of the Commander of the Faithful ! the "greatest bard among the Arabs ! was also a Christian. It was not until the reign caliphof the same that the state records wereeven ordered to be kept in Arabic. Before that time the records of Irak had been kept in Persian, those of Syria in Greek. The value of the knowledge derived by Western Europe from the Saracens has been often overestimated.

Sujets

• John

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• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

Extrait

OF DAMASCUSST. JOHN\\\t ll«<*%ial
^l ^., .
''%>,
»t*^^^ '%
N. J.PRINCETON,
1832J64.F41705BR
1836Hirst,JosephLupton,^^
1905.«
Damascus' ofJohnSt.s/^eif. ..i,
¥=:ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS.//
jTatbrid for (!;ngli<5i) Ixrnlirrs.Z\)t
ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS,
BY THL
/
REV. H. LUPTON, M.A.,
J.
SURMASTER OF ST. PAULS SCHOOL, AND FORMERLY FKLLOW
CAMBRIDGE.OF ST. JOHNS COLLEGE,
PUBLISHED rNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTER.
LONDON:
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTLAN KNOWLEDGE.
NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, CHARING S.W.CROSS, ;
QLEEN VICTORIA STREET, B.C. ; 48, PICCADIIJ.Y, W. ; ANU43,
NORTH STRKF.T, nRIGIITON.135,
NEW VORK & YOUNG & CO.
: E. B.J.
1882.PREFACE
The fact that this little volume is one of a series on
a settled plan, and with well-defined limits, may
obviate in some measure the charge of presumption
to which the author would otherwise have been liable.
For portray, in anything liketo due proportion, such
an historical character as John of Damascus, would
require a far larger canvas and a hand of more varied
powers. It is not indeed too much to say that, for
any adequate representation of such a character, a
threefold ability would be needful. For besides his
position theologian of the Eastern Church,as a we
have him closely connected withto regard as the rise
of Mahometanism ; and, further still, as a Christian
poet, whose hymns are sung by myriads at this very
day. But while feeling how incomplete, on that
account, such an essay as the present one must of
necessity be, the author has endeavoured to make
it of some little value, as the result of an attentive
study of writings Damascene.the of St. John
In spelling Arabic or Mahometan names, nothe of
Hardly anyattempt at uniformity has been made.
two and hence, when awriters agree in this respect ;
quotation from any authority on thehas been madePREFACE.VI
subject, the form there found has been retained.
This may explain some apparent inconsistencies.
Besides the special acknowledgments recorded in
mention should here be made of the advan-the notes,
from two works, theHymns the Easterntage gained of
Churchy by the late Dr. Neale, and the articles in La
Belgigue (1861) on S. Jean Damascene, by M. Felix
Neve. The excellentmonograph ofDr. Joseph Langen,
Johannes vofi Damashis did not come into the(1879),
author's hands till the greater part of his own work
completed; but a few remarks or corrections duewas
inserted.to it have been It was only at the last
moment also that he learnt that the Funeral Hymn
of St. of Damascus, which isJohn of a rendering
given at hadp. 150, been already translated by Dr.
Littledale, and published in the People's Hymnal.
Had he been aware of this in hetime, would gladly
have availed himself of the abler version.
St. Paul's School,
November 1881.25///,