St John of Damascus (c. 675 – 749)

 

St John of Damascus (c. 675 – 749) also called St. John Damascene, was born in Damascus around 675 or 676 A.D., after Syria fell from Christian control into the hands of the Moslem Caliphate. According to Christian tradition, St. John became a monk at the Mar Saba monastery around the age of 40. According to the same tradition, he was ordained to the priesthood in 735 A.D.

He wrote three highly-spirited treatises defending the use of icons during a period when the Byzantine Emperor Leo III banned them. St. John’s position prevailed at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which met at Nicea in 787 A.D., 38 years after his death in 749 A.D. His best-known writing was The Fountain of Wisdom, a three-part work also known as the Fountain of Knowledge, which included An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (part 3 of the trilogy), one of the earliest comprehensive explanations of Church Doctrine.

His greatest accomplishment was his hymn-writing. According to tradition, he composed many hymns in his lifetime, one of which, The Day of Resurrection, is still sung at Easter in the Anglican, Episcopal and Lutheran tradition. In the Anglican tradition the 18th C. German tune Ellacombe is used. Another of his hymns used in the Anglican tradition at Easter is Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain (usually sung to the mid-16th C. tune Gaudeamus pariter). He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIII in 1890 A.D.

With thanks to The Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Shibley of the Anglican Internet Church for this biography, Founder & Director, The Anglican Internet Church Business address: 7162 Soft Wind Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111-5623 (804) 559-2690

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Hymns associated with St John of Damascus (c. 675 – 749)

  • Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain (Ave Virgo Virginum, Organ, 4 Verses)
    Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain : Recording https://soundcloud.com/richardirwinmusic/come-ye-faithful-raise-the-strain?si=3ba89dcec4e94291930a94a1148e0646 Tune: Ave Virgo Virginum, a traditional German tune by an anonymous composer, published in Johannes Leisentritt’s Catholicum Hymnologium Germanicum, Cologne (1584). Public Domain. Performance ℗ 2021 Richard Irwin Music®. All Rights Reserved. ISRC UKTU21900296. Meter: 76 76 D. Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain : Free MP3 Download The music used in this ...
  • The Day Of Resurrection (Ellacombe, Organ, 3 Verses)
    The Day Of Resurrection : Recording https://soundcloud.com/richardirwinmusic/the-day-of-resurrection-ellacombe-3-verses-organ Tune: Ellacombe, composer anonymous, from the hymnal: Wüttemburg Gesangbuch (1784). Public Domain. Meter: 76 76 D. Performance ℗ 2020 Richard Irwin Music®. All rights reserved.  ISRC UKTU21900129 The Day Of Resurrection : Free MP3 Download Please Right-Click and Save Link if needed The music used in this recording belongs in the Public Domain, but the ...
Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain
Hymn / 76 76 D / Ave Virgo Virginum / Catholicum Hymnologium Germanicum (1584) / Easter Sunday / Easter Vigil / Feast Of The Blessed Virgin Mary / General / Hymns For Easter / John Mason Neale (1818-1866) / St John of Damascus (c. 675 - 749) / Traditional German / Year A Easter 2 / Year A Easter 3 / Year A Lent 3 / Year A Proper 13, Ordinary 18, Trinity 8 / Year A Proper 17, Ordinary 22, Trinity 12, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost / Year A Proper 18, Ordinary 23, Trinity 13 / Year A Proper 19, Ordinary 24, Trinity 14 / Year A Proper 7, Ordinary 12, Trinity 3 / Year B Easter 2 / Year B Easter 3 / Year B Epiphany 3 / Year B Epiphany 4 / Year B Lent 2 / Year B Proper 11, Ordinary 16, Trinity 7 / Year B Proper 15, Ordinary 20, Trinity 11 / Year B Proper 28, Ordinary 33, Second Sunday Before Advent / Year C All Saints' Day / Year C Easter 2 / Year C Easter 3 / Year C Proper 21, Ordinary 26, Trinity 25

Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain (Ave Virgo Virginum, Organ, 4 Verses)

Come Ye Faithful Raise The Strain : Recording Tune: Ave Virgo Virginum, a traditional German tune by an anonymous composer,

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The Day Of Resurrection
Hymn / 76 76 D / Anonymous / Classical / Easter Sunday / Easter Vigil / Ellacombe / Hymns For Easter / John Mason Neale (1818-1866) / St John of Damascus (c. 675 - 749) / Wüttemburg Gesangbuch (1784) / Year A Easter 3 / Year A Lent 5 - Passion Sunday / Year A Proper 18, Ordinary 23, Trinity 13 / Year B Easter 2 / Year B Easter 3 / Year B Easter 6 / Year C Easter 2 / Year C Easter 3

The Day Of Resurrection (Ellacombe, Organ, 3 Verses)

The Day Of Resurrection : Recording Tune: Ellacombe, composer anonymous, from the hymnal: Wüttemburg Gesangbuch (1784). Public Domain. Meter: 76 76

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