St. John Damascene is a Doctor of the Church and one of the last Greek Fathers. He was born in Damascus, Syria, which was under Islamic domination, and succeeded his father as an adviser to Caliph Abdul Malik as chief representative (Secretary of State) of the Christian community to the caliph. In 719, however, he was compelled to resign hi spost because of his Christian faith.

He entered a monastery near Jerusalem, where he concentrated his energies on prayer and writing; he authored one hundred and fifty works on theology, religious education, hagiography, and philosophy.

John also penned a composition in defense of the veneration of icons against the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian. His two most famous writings were Sacred Parallels and Found of Wisdom, which earned him a notable place among the Church’s theologians.

St. John Damascene is declared a Doctor of the Church which are certain men and women who are revered by the Church for the special value of their writings and preaching and the sanctity of their lives. They each made important and lasting contributions to the faith and are to be recognized for their great merits.

To be declared a Doctor of the Church, you have to meet three basic requirements.

1. First, you must have lived a life of exemplary holiness, or insignis vitae sanctitas (outstanding sanctity). In short, you have to be a saint.
   

2. Second, to be a Doctor of the Church you must have deepened the whole Church’s understanding of the Catholic Faith with emins doctrina (eminent teaching). Which is to say, sanctity isn’t enough. There are thousands of saints, but only 37 Doctors of the Church. To be a Doctor one must do more than just live the Faith. Rather, one must significantly and profoundly contribute to our understanding of Divine Revelation, helping us to know more deeply some truth about God and His actions in the World.
   

3. And third, a pope must officially declare you a Doctor. That being said, as the Church understands it, when a pope declares someone a Doctor of the Church, he’s not so much making someone a Doctor as he is recognizing what the Holy Spirit has already done - that He has conferred the charism of Doctor upon them.