7th century
7th century: the birth of Islam. Orthodoxy defines itself
What happened — and why
Muhammad and the birth of Islam (610-632)
Muhammad receives revelation. In 22 years - from the first verse to his death - Islam becomes the religion of the Arabian Peninsula.
The philosophical cause
Arabia lies between two great empires (Byzantium and Persia), both exhausted by war. A new power arises where the old ones weaken.
By 750, Islam stretches from Spain to Central Asia. A translation movement: the Arabs preserve Greek philosophy just as Europe is losing it.
John of Damascus: the synthesis of Orthodox thought
John of Damascus systematizes Orthodox theology in The Fount of Knowledge. He lives at the court of the Arab caliph in Damascus.
The philosophical cause
John of Damascus — The iconoclastic dispute: may one depict Christ? John defends the icons - and formulates the theology of the image that stands behind all Orthodox iconography.
His Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith is for the East what Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae is for the West. Written earlier - and it influenced Thomas.
