Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/655

 DAMASCENE DAMASCUS 651 DAMASCENE, John (Jonx OF DAMASCUS ; also gurnamed CHEYSOEEHOAS, gold-pouring), a saint and doctor of the church, born in Damascus about 700, died near Jerusalem about 760, ac- cording to some in 780. His father Sergius, who, though a Christian, held high office under the caliphs, intrusted his son's education to an Italian monk named Cosmas. He became proficient in philosophy, mathematics, and mu- sic, besides acquiring a knowledge of theol- ogy. He won the confidence of one of the caliphs, who appointed him governor of Da- mascus. The circumstances which led to his abandonment of worldly honor are unknown. He liberated his numerous slaves, distributed his wealth among the poor, and retired to the monastery of St. Sabas near Jerusalem, where he spent a long period of probation before being raised to the priesthood. After his or- dination, his superiors chose him to combat throughout the East the prevailing heresies. The iconoclasts, emboldened by the protection of the Greek emperors, were desecrating the churches of Palestine; but John, opposing them with voice and pen, prevented the further spread of their sect in Syria. He pursued his ca- reer of preacher and apologist throughout Asia Minor, and undertook two journeys to Constan- tinople, one under Leo the Isaurian, the other under Constantine Copronymus, for the purpose of attacking the heresy in its seat of power ; but he gained only fresh persecutions from both princes. On his return to Palestine, he with- drew to his solitude of St. Sabas and devoted his remaining years to the composition of doc- trinal, liturgical, and ascetic works. The Greek church celebrates his feast on Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, and the Latin church on May 6. Two things have made St. John Damascene as pop- ular with scholars and churchmen in the East as St. Thomas Aquinas has been with the schoolmen of the West : his attachment to Aristotle's dialectics, which he was the first to popularize among Christian students, and his labors in introducing a uniform method of ec- clesiastical chant. His works have a very wide range, including mental philosophy, ethics, phys- ics, theology, moral treatises, a collection of hymns, and a treatise on sacred music. A re- ligious romance, the earliest in Christian letters, entitled " The Story of the Hermit Barlaam and of Joshaphat, Son of an Indian King," was at- tributed to him, and published at Spire in 1470. The best edition of his works is that of the Dominican Lequien (2 vols. fol., Paris, 1712), republished at Verona in 1748, and repro- duced in vols. xciv.-xcvi. of Migne's Patrologie grecque (Paris, 1857, 1866). For his biography, see the Vitm Sanctorum of Surius, at date of May 6, and the BibliotJieca Grcsca of Fabricius, vol. ix. DAMASCENES, Nicolans, a Greek historian and philosopher, contemporary and favorite of the emperor Augustus and Herod the Great. He was born of a wealthy and influential family at Damascus, studied with Herod, resided at his court, and went twice to Rome, the first time in company with that king, 13 B. C.,' and again to bring about a reconciliation between him and Augustus. At both visits he was very favorably received. Of his writings we have only some fragments, the most important of which are from his work on universal history. DAMASCUS, a Greek philosopher, born proba- bly at Damascus, about A. D. 480. He studied for a time at Alexandria, and then went to Athens, where he was first a student and then a teacher of the Nee-Platonic philosophy. When the heathen schools at Athens were closed by order of Justinian in 529, he went to the court of Chosroes, king of Persia ; and al- though he afterward returned, little is known as to the remainder of his life. His works, gome of which are extant, included a philo- sophical treatise entitled "Difficulties and So- lutions of First Principles " ('Airopiai Kol Kbceis Kepi T&V Trp&rov apx&v, Frankfort, 1828), and commentaries on Aristotle and Plato. DAMASCUS (Heb. Dammesek ; Gr. Aa/zacr/c<5? ; Arab. Dimeshk ; called by the present natives fish-Sham), one of the most ancient cities of the world, formerly the capital of all Syria, and now of the Turkish vilayet of Syria. The population has been estimated as high as 200,- 000, but probably it does not exceed 150,000, of whom about 130,000 are Mohammedans and Druses, 15,000 Christians, and 5,000 Jews. It is situated in lat. 33 32' N., Ion. 36 20' E., 136 m. N. N. E. of Jerusalem, 180 m r S. by W. of Aleppo, and about 45 m. E. of the Medi- terranean, at an altitude of 2,344 ft. above sea level, in a very fertile plain, 80 m. in circum- ference, so remarkable for its beauty as to be called in oriental phrase one of the four terres- trial paradises. The streams from the adjacent high range of Anti-Libanus, the Barada or Chrysorrhoas and the Awadj, are supposed to be the Abana and Pharpar of Scripture (2 Kings v. 12). For many miles the city is sur- rounded by fertile fields and gardens, which are watered by rivulets and sparkling streams, giving to the vegetation a charming freshness and sweetness. It is nearly two miles in length and a mile in width. The old city or nucleus of Damascus is on the S. bank of the Barada ; it is of an oval form, measuring about one mile E. and W. and a mile and a half N. and S., and is encompassed by an old wall having the castle at the N. W. corner. In this part are the principal buildings, the castle, the mosque Abd el-Malek, 650 ft. in length by 150 ft. in breadth, which is the chief architectural mon- ument in the city, the khan As'ad Pasha, and the principal Christian churches and Jewish synagogues. Here many of the Christians re- side, mostly near the E. gate. On the south is the Jewish quarter, while the N. W. and the suburbs on the W. and N". bank of the river are occupied by the Moslems and the civil and military employees. In the suburbs W. of the city are the barracks, the beautiful mosque and hospital of Sultan Selim, and the palace.