This Short Communication shall address the culmination of iconoclastic
controversy in the seventh and eighth centuries alongside the critiques
of Christian orthodoxy from the newly emerging Muslim community.
Anastasios of Sinai and John of Damascus are two figures who responded
to the presence of Islam in unique ways. The former provides the
earliest Christian references to Islam and the Qur'an while the latter
represents a marked readiness to provide highly developed Christological
articulation amidst rapidly changing circumstances due to the rise of
Islam. In previous centuries, it is evident that there is a high degree
of tension regarding how visually to portray the crucified Christ, the
tension stemming (in part) from Theopaschite controversy of whether or
not Jesus's divine nature was affected during the Passion. In light of
this development and the presence of a Muslim community that presented
challenging claims against Orthodox Christology, these two figures
contributed significantly to the further development of Christology
after the rise of Islam. Taking a synchronic approach to sources within
the given timeframe, I will propose that the early seventh century rise
of Islam was a catalyst for the extended effort provided within the
seventh and eighth centuries toward enhancing and systematizing
Christological articulation.
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