Phronema Catalogue

The present paper examines the polemical aspects in the preaching of St John Damascene. After discussing the definition of polemics, the author provides a survey of polemical passages in John’s homiletic oeuvre and contextualizes them in the historical milieu of Umayyad Palestine. As the study shows, the Damascene is not a particularly polemical preacher, but his polemical targets can be divided roughly into two categories: those who are embedded in the scriptural or hagiographic narrative (such as Jews) and those who are related to the interpretation of these narratives (such as heretics).

- Fr Damaskinos Olkinuora, University of Eastern Finland