Saint John
of Damascus
December 4th
Troparion (Tone 3)
Thou wast a holy instrument and a tuneful
harp of godliness. Thy teachings shone forth to the ends of the
world; O righteous John. We pray thee to entreat Christ our God
to grant us His great mercy.
John was in the administration of Caliph Abdul-Malek, during which time he was a strong advocate for the veneration of icons. The iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian slandered St. John to the Caliph, who, in response, deposed John and had his hand cut off. The saint asked if he could keep his severed hand and the Caliph consented. John fell down in prayer before the icon of the Theotokos. His hand was healed and restored to his arm. The Caliph, seeing this, repented of his evil and restored John to office. John, instead, became a monk in the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified. He wrote hymns and along with St. Cosmos organized the Octoechos (8 tones), the Irmologion, the Menologion and the Easter Canon. He reposed in about 749 at 75 years of age. His banner reads: "Shall I not make images of friends?" Perhaps his most famous writing is "On the Divine Images" in defense of icons.
This Icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. It is from St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Monessen, Pennsylvania.
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