Sophronius of Jerusalem
Sophronius | |
|---|---|
Athonite fresco icon of Saint Sophronios of Jerusalem, 14th—15th century | |
| Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem | |
| Born | c. 560 Damascus, Byzantine Empire |
| Died | 11 March 638 (aged 77–78) Jerusalem, Rashidun Caliphate |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholic Church |
| Feast | 11 March [O.S. 24 March (where the Julian calendar is used)] |
| Attributes | Vested as a bishop, with right hand upheld in blessing, holding a Gospel Book or scroll |
Sophronius (Ancient Greek: Σωφρόνιος; Arabic: صفرونيوس; c. 560 – 11 March 638), called Sophronius the Sophist, was the Greek Patriarch of the city known as Aelia Capitolina and then Jerusalem from 634 until his death. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Before rising to the primacy of the See, he was a monk and theologian who was the chief protagonist for orthodox teaching in the doctrinal controversy on the essential nature of Jesus and his volitional acts. He is also renowned for the negotiation of the surrender of Aelia Capitolina to the Rashid caliph Umar in 637/8.