John of Damascus argued against the faulty Muslim view of the Trinity and of Jesus Christ as the Son of God in his works The Exposition of the Orthodox Faith and the Heresy of the Ishmaelites. He argued that if Jesus were the Word and Son of God, then He was certainly the same as God Himself, for God cannot be without his Word and Spirit. John believed that the mutual indwelling of the three persons of the one God, or the perichoresis, enabled Jesus to represent the Spirit as well as the Word of God. This concept provides a basis for John’s view of the unity of the Godhead as well as the three hypostases sharing one ousia “without confusion” and “without separation.”
In his development of the concept of the perichoresis, or the “circle dance,” John explains that the Godhead is somehow always in motion, as in a dance, but a dance of begetting, proceeding and yet remaining unbegotten. Thus, a full understanding of the perichoresis solves the one and three problem, for the three hypostases are “one in all things save in being unbegotten, the being begotten, and the procession.” Therefore, if the Father does not exist, then neither does the Son or the Spirit, for their existence is in one another.
From this foundational presupposition, John develops his apologetic approach which critiques Islam with his famous comparison between “associators” and “mutilators.” He points out that even the writings of Muhammad teach that Jesus is the Word and Spirit of God (Qur’an 4:171). Thus, he accuses the Muslims of separating Jesus from God and therefore “mutilating” God himself, for, if the Father were not in union with the Spirit and the Son from the very beginning, then the Father would have been incomplete, or, in John’s words, “mutilated.” Therefore, John concludes, even the writings of Muhammad give testimony that God is eternally three in one.
This paper analyzes John of Damascus’ view of perichoresis, or mutual indwelling, to demonstrate how this concept provides a firm foundation for understanding how a Triune God could share one essence in three hypostases without confusion or separation. It will also explain how John’s understanding of this “community of being” enabled him to construct a powerful argument against the Muslim’s rejection of the Trinity. Finally, based on John’s apologetic approach, a challenge will be given to Christians to regain a clear understanding of the Trinity so that they will be prepared to give an answer to Muslims who deny the Triune God.