(c.560-c.638) Sophronius was born in Damascus. He became an ascetic, practiced extreme self-discipline in Roman Egypt, and entered a monastery in Bethlehem. He taught rhetoric there and at several other monasteries, including in Anatolia, Egypt, and Rome. Sophronius wrote and preached extensively against heretics, clarifying that Jesus had both a human and a divine will. Around 74, he was elected patriarch of Jerusalem, where he spent the last four years of his life. Sophronius wrote theology, poetry, and personal correspondence. Accounts of his death vary, with one version making him a martyr in Jerusalem for baptizing Muslim converts.
The teaching Sophronius defended throughout his life has implications for our recovery. “Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested” (Hebrews 2:18). How can this truth help you surrender to God?
“The True Light has come, the light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendour, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness” (Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem).
Reflection by Brad Farmer