John Damascene, a leading figure in the…

John Damascene, a leading figure in the defense of icons in the iconoclastic controversy, dies on December 4, 749, at the Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified in Palestine.

He leaves a number of “kanons” and many theological writings, including his principal work, the three-part “Fountain of Knowledge.” The work’s first part is a study of Greek philosophy; the second, a history of heresies; and the third, a synthesis of the doctrines Eastern Fathers of the church.