Church history is endlessly fascinating. For one, it is populated by remarkable individuals, many of whom I hardly know and whose lives beckon and promise wisdom and inspiration. Such a one is John of Damasacus, the eighth century theologian. I knew the name of course, but until a few weeks ago when I began preparing for a talk at Sola Scriptura's Toronto conference on Islam, I really knew next to nothing. I have significant disagreements, of course. His rebuttal of iconoclasm, for one. But what a deft responder to Islam. He isolated one of the central issues of Islam, central, that is, to its self-identity: Islam's rejection of the Trinity. Allah has no son and no associates. John, who read Arabic and the Qur'an in Arabic, saw this clearly and responds accordingly.
A delight to find and read.