A talented writer in the secure surroundings of the caliph's court, John of Damascus initiated a defense of holy images in three separate publications. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Emperor Leo III issued his first edict against the veneration of images and their exhibition in public places. In the early 8th century AD, iconoclasm, a movement seeking to prohibit the veneration of the icons, gained some acceptance in the Byzantine court. A polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, and music, before being ordained, he served as a Chief Administrator to the Muslim caliph of Damascus, wrote works expounding the Christian faith, and composed hymns which are still in everyday use in Eastern Christian monasteries throughout the world. Born and raised in Damascus, he died at his monastery, Mar Saba, near Jerusalem. 676 - 4 December 749) was an Arab Christian monk and priest.
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