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John of Damascus, First Apologist to the Muslims: The Trinity and Christian Apologetics in the Early Islamic Period
Much of the world today is convulsed in an epic struggle between the Christian West and Islam. Scholars seeking to understand the issues look back in history to unearth the roots of this conflict. Of great value in this effort are the writings of an eyewitness, a devoted Christian who served as chief financial officer of the Umayyad Empire and wrote at the time Islam was developing. John of Damascus (675-750) authored two major works, the Heresy of the Ishmaelites and the Disputation between a Christian and a Saracen, to provide an apologetic response to Islam from a Christian perspective. His writings shed light on many questions that are pertinent today: When was the Qur'an actually written? What was the role of the powerful caliph Abd al-Malik in the making of Muhammad? How did the theological issues related to the deity of Christ and the Trinity develop in the early days of Islam? This book delves into the life of John and studies his apologetic writings in detail, utilizing the first English translation from the critical text. It seeks to address these questions thoughtfully, provide valuable insights from the past, and then equip today's church as it engages with Islam.
"In this age of ignorance of Islam, Dr. Daniel Janosik has introduced us to one of the most significant Christian thinkers of the eighth century, one who provides us with a real window on early Islam. Dr. Janosik's book is highly relevant to our age, well written, and accessible even to the uninitiated. This is a critical book, not just for patristics but for understanding our present circumstance."
--David Cashin, Professor, Intercultural and Muslim Studies, Columbia International University
"The last twenty years have been a wake-up call for many in the West, not least in terms of the relation of Islam to the modern world. With helpful insight from one of the earliest witnesses to the rise of Islam and the significant theological differences between the historic view of God found in orthodox Christianity and the new movement emerging which we now know as Islam, Daniel Janosik's book is a valuable historical tool to help lead us into the substance of the core issues of what is at stake in the debates over sources, substance, and truth claims in regard to the view of God. John of Damascus saw firsthand the advance of this new movement and engaged in public service under the conquerors even as he also wrestled with the ideas and claims being made by this new faith. He saw it as a significant challenge to Christianity and engaged with the earliest claims and ideas and provided a thoughtful Christian response. His work sheds important light on early Islam, the formation of its beliefs and not merely on what was present but what was missing in this early period. Daniel's work will be an important resource for those interested both in history and in theology as it carefully delineates important issues on both these fronts which have bearing on contemporary interactions with Muslims. John of Damascus deserves more attention and this book provides a timely resource on a neglected voice. I highly recommend it."
--Stuart McAllister, Global Support Specialist, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
"One of the key issues of the twenty-first century has been the relations between Islam and the West. In that context it is helpful to look back at the first major Christian theologian to engage with Islam, the last of the Eastern Church Fathers, John of Damascus. Daniel Janosik gives us a fascinating and illuminating guide to John's approach. Definitely to be commended."
--Tony Lane, Professor of Historical Theology, London School of Theology
Daniel Janosik is an adjunct professor of apologetics, historical theology, and Islamic studies at Southern Evangelical Seminary, as well as Columbia International University.
"In this age of ignorance of Islam, Dr. Daniel Janosik has introduced us to one of the most significant Christian thinkers of the eighth century, one who provides us with a real window on early Islam. Dr. Janosik's book is highly relevant to our age, well written, and accessible even to the uninitiated. This is a critical book, not just for patristics but for understanding our present circumstance."
--David Cashin, Professor, Intercultural and Muslim Studies, Columbia International University
"The last twenty years have been a wake-up call for many in the West, not least in terms of the relation of Islam to the modern world. With helpful insight from one of the earliest witnesses to the rise of Islam and the significant theological differences between the historic view of God found in orthodox Christianity and the new movement emerging which we now know as Islam, Daniel Janosik's book is a valuable historical tool to help lead us into the substance of the core issues of what is at stake in the debates over sources, substance, and truth claims in regard to the view of God. John of Damascus saw firsthand the advance of this new movement and engaged in public service under the conquerors even as he also wrestled with the ideas and claims being made by this new faith. He saw it as a significant challenge to Christianity and engaged with the earliest claims and ideas and provided a thoughtful Christian response. His work sheds important light on early Islam, the formation of its beliefs and not merely on what was present but what was missing in this early period. Daniel's work will be an important resource for those interested both in history and in theology as it carefully delineates important issues on both these fronts which have bearing on contemporary interactions with Muslims. John of Damascus deserves more attention and this book provides a timely resource on a neglected voice. I highly recommend it."
--Stuart McAllister, Global Support Specialist, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
"One of the key issues of the twenty-first century has been the relations between Islam and the West. In that context it is helpful to look back at the first major Christian theologian to engage with Islam, the last of the Eastern Church Fathers, John of Damascus. Daniel Janosik gives us a fascinating and illuminating guide to John's approach. Definitely to be commended."
--Tony Lane, Professor of Historical Theology, London School of Theology
Daniel Janosik is an adjunct professor of apologetics, historical theology, and Islamic studies at Southern Evangelical Seminary, as well as Columbia International University.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2016
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March 2, 2017
John of Damascus, aka John Damascene, (675-750 AD) is not a household name for most Protestant Christians. Few know of the importance of this figure in Church history, much less the history of Christianity and its interaction with Islam. Dr. Daniel Janosik provides a detailed description of who this apologist is, and then what his significance is to Christian Theology, and to the Christian-Muslim dialogue.
As I read the beginning of the book, I thought that Dr. Janosik was reading my mind. Janosik explains that John of Damascus was a theologian and an apologist, not one or the other. Because of this, he tried to clarify the biblical position using more specific terminology. Janosik explains that Christian orthodox theology is what it is “because the orthodox explanations were more precise in their terminology, more logical in their teachings and more faithful to Scripture” (4). He then also argues that each successive early Church father who wrote needed to bring the terminology “up to date” in a sense. Each generation of the early Church needed to “re-contextualize” doctrine to meet the challenges of their day. John of Damascus met the challenge of Islam in his day.
Dr. Janosik jumps into John Damascene’s writings by setting up the context in which he lived. Janosik goes into extensive detail about who John of Damascus is and what we can know about his life and writings. He also provides the context of the Islamic world in which John wrote and taught. John Damascene lived during the infancy stage of Islam. Much as Christianity developed (in the sense of the re-contextualization described above) in the first centuries after Christ, Islam underwent similar development. However, Janosik describes it as more pronounced than the development of Christian teaching.
Janosik cites multiple sources that indicate that Islamic teaching had not reached maturity by the time John of Damascus wrote (79 ff.). What we can glean from John of Damascus’ writings are some of the early developments of the Islamic religion. Of course, what John writes must be understood as the writing of an outsider which gives pause to merely accepting what he wrote about Islamic theology as being fact because it was, and still is, common to misrepresent one’s opponent. According to Janosik, John shows a unique understanding of Islamic theology and some of the nuances in the disagreements between Muslim sects (143-149). In fact, John is known as one who desired to be fair in his assessment of other religions and not simply knock down straw men (200).
Regarding the authenticity of John Damascene’s writings, Janosik offers more than enough evidence to show John is the author of the works reported as his, or at least the ideas come directly from him. Janosik argues this is important because if they were either written by John, or if it can be shown that they directly came from him, then the writings are a reliable indication of the state Islam was in during the time John wrote (140). Since John of Damascus wrote much earlier than many other Muslim sources, we can see more clearly how the religion developed and how the different Muslim sects addressed various theological issues.
Janosik also spends a good deal of time addressing John’s conception of the Trinity. According to Janosik, John based his apologetic approach on his understanding of historic, orthodox Christian doctrine (170). Janosik restates that John engaged in “re-contextualization” of doctrine to his current time. John displays an ability to draw together sources in synthesizing his re-contextualization of the doctrine (171). Apparently, John relied so much on earlier sources that many have suggested that he is “unoriginal” (201).
Janosik also lays out John of Damascus’ apologetic approach to Islam which is one of the greatest values of the work. This approach to apologetics is one that can, and should, be applied to almost any apologetic encounter. Janosik writes that John desires to clearly articulate the position he argues against. Then, he rebuts them with his understanding of Christian doctrine and Scripture. Finally, he shows how the Muslim beliefs are “inferior and irrational” compared to Christian beliefs (203). Janosik then provides an analysis of each step of John’s apologetic approach and how it related to John’s overall mission of helping Christians better understand their own theology over against the “heresy of the Ishmaelites.”
Finally, Dr. Janosik explores the legacy of John of Damascus. While he is not one of the more well-known writers in the early Church, his teachings have had a lasting impact on the Christian faith. Janosik describes his influence in several authors who helped shape the way Christians try to reach Muslims.
Overall, Dr. Janosik did a wonderful job guiding the reader through the life and works of John of Damascus. He presented a variety of evidence supporting how influential this author was and how he should be given more time by Christians today. His desire to guide Christians to better understand their faith and then use that as his apologetic approach was much appreciated. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the applicability of doctrine to apologetics against Islam.
As I read the beginning of the book, I thought that Dr. Janosik was reading my mind. Janosik explains that John of Damascus was a theologian and an apologist, not one or the other. Because of this, he tried to clarify the biblical position using more specific terminology. Janosik explains that Christian orthodox theology is what it is “because the orthodox explanations were more precise in their terminology, more logical in their teachings and more faithful to Scripture” (4). He then also argues that each successive early Church father who wrote needed to bring the terminology “up to date” in a sense. Each generation of the early Church needed to “re-contextualize” doctrine to meet the challenges of their day. John of Damascus met the challenge of Islam in his day.
Dr. Janosik jumps into John Damascene’s writings by setting up the context in which he lived. Janosik goes into extensive detail about who John of Damascus is and what we can know about his life and writings. He also provides the context of the Islamic world in which John wrote and taught. John Damascene lived during the infancy stage of Islam. Much as Christianity developed (in the sense of the re-contextualization described above) in the first centuries after Christ, Islam underwent similar development. However, Janosik describes it as more pronounced than the development of Christian teaching.
Janosik cites multiple sources that indicate that Islamic teaching had not reached maturity by the time John of Damascus wrote (79 ff.). What we can glean from John of Damascus’ writings are some of the early developments of the Islamic religion. Of course, what John writes must be understood as the writing of an outsider which gives pause to merely accepting what he wrote about Islamic theology as being fact because it was, and still is, common to misrepresent one’s opponent. According to Janosik, John shows a unique understanding of Islamic theology and some of the nuances in the disagreements between Muslim sects (143-149). In fact, John is known as one who desired to be fair in his assessment of other religions and not simply knock down straw men (200).
Regarding the authenticity of John Damascene’s writings, Janosik offers more than enough evidence to show John is the author of the works reported as his, or at least the ideas come directly from him. Janosik argues this is important because if they were either written by John, or if it can be shown that they directly came from him, then the writings are a reliable indication of the state Islam was in during the time John wrote (140). Since John of Damascus wrote much earlier than many other Muslim sources, we can see more clearly how the religion developed and how the different Muslim sects addressed various theological issues.
Janosik also spends a good deal of time addressing John’s conception of the Trinity. According to Janosik, John based his apologetic approach on his understanding of historic, orthodox Christian doctrine (170). Janosik restates that John engaged in “re-contextualization” of doctrine to his current time. John displays an ability to draw together sources in synthesizing his re-contextualization of the doctrine (171). Apparently, John relied so much on earlier sources that many have suggested that he is “unoriginal” (201).
Janosik also lays out John of Damascus’ apologetic approach to Islam which is one of the greatest values of the work. This approach to apologetics is one that can, and should, be applied to almost any apologetic encounter. Janosik writes that John desires to clearly articulate the position he argues against. Then, he rebuts them with his understanding of Christian doctrine and Scripture. Finally, he shows how the Muslim beliefs are “inferior and irrational” compared to Christian beliefs (203). Janosik then provides an analysis of each step of John’s apologetic approach and how it related to John’s overall mission of helping Christians better understand their own theology over against the “heresy of the Ishmaelites.”
Finally, Dr. Janosik explores the legacy of John of Damascus. While he is not one of the more well-known writers in the early Church, his teachings have had a lasting impact on the Christian faith. Janosik describes his influence in several authors who helped shape the way Christians try to reach Muslims.
Overall, Dr. Janosik did a wonderful job guiding the reader through the life and works of John of Damascus. He presented a variety of evidence supporting how influential this author was and how he should be given more time by Christians today. His desire to guide Christians to better understand their faith and then use that as his apologetic approach was much appreciated. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the applicability of doctrine to apologetics against Islam.
October 25, 2020
Excellent
Always enjoy Daniel’s teaching. This book is the fruit of his studies on very important church father John of Damascus. Excellent insight into John’s theology and how applies to Islam!
Always enjoy Daniel’s teaching. This book is the fruit of his studies on very important church father John of Damascus. Excellent insight into John’s theology and how applies to Islam!
February 7, 2025
This book seemed to make a couple of interesting points and then repeat them over and over again for far too long. I wish I would've just read John of Damascus' writing on Islam myself instead.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews