Saint of the day, March 11 – Zeale
St. Sophronius was born to a respected family in Damascus, Syria, and received a thorough education in philosophy. As a young man, he became a teacher of rhetoric and lived the life of an ascetic, eventually joining the monastic life in Palestine.
March 11 - Saint Sophronius
Born: 560
Died: 638
Nationality: Syrian
Vocation: Bishop
Attributes: Bishop’s vestments, book
Canonization: pre-congregation
St. Sophronius was born to a respected family in Damascus, Syria, and received a thorough education in philosophy. As a young man, he became a teacher of rhetoric and lived the life of an ascetic, eventually joining the monastic life in Palestine.
Sophronius became friends with another monk, St. John Moschus, and after Palestine was invaded by the Zoroastrian Persians, the two monks fled to various monastic centers in Egypt, Asia Minor, and Rome. John chronicled their travels in a book titled “The Spiritual Meadow.”
In the 630s, the “monothelite” heresy swept through Christendom. The heresy claimed that Jesus had only a divine will, not a human one as well. Sophronius was outspoken in his condemnation of the heresy and worked to persuade the Church patriarchs to reject it.
He was then chosen to be the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Sophronius wrote extensively in defense of Christ’s two natures, but unfortunately, those writings have been lost. Some of his other writings have survived, including his synodical letter, the Life of Saint Mary of Egypt, and Commentary on the Divine Liturgy.
When the Muslims besieged Jerusalem, Sophronius met with the Caliph and negotiated for Christians to retain their civil and religious liberty in exchange for tribute. Ultimately, Jerusalem fell to the Muslims in 637, and many holy places were desecrated. It is said that Sophronius died a year later from grief.
St. Sophronius, pray for us!
