Kudüs Patriği Sophronius (Ö.638).
Sophronius/Σωφρόνιος/ صفرونيوس)
(560-638). 634’ten 638’e kadar Kudüs patriğiydi. 560 civarında Şam'da doğdu.
Gençliğinden dindarlığı ve klasik çalışmalara olan sevgisi ile ayırt edildi.
Yunanca bilgisinden dolayı Sofist olarak adlandırıldı. Kudüs'e Aziz Theodosius manastırına geldi ve
orada Rahip keşiş John Moschus ile yakınlaştı, manevi oğlu oldu ve itaat ederek
ona boyun eğdi. Birkaç manastırı ziyaret ettiler, tanıştıkları çilecilerin
hayatlarını ve ruhsal bilgeliklerini yazdılar. Bu notlardan, Yedinci Ekümenik
Konsey'de çok saygı duyulan ünlü kitapları “Leimorarion” veya “Spiritual Meadow”
ortaya çıktı. Kudüs’te Bizans askeri liderlerinin çekilmesinden sonra Kudüs
Patriği aziz Sophronius Şehirden sorumluydu. Noel vaazı yazıları Müslümanların
o sırada Beytüllahim'i elinde tuttuğunu gösteriyor. Kudüs 637'de İslam
halifeliği tarafından fethedildi. 638’de Sophronius öldü.
Sophronius’un Müslümanlara göndermeleri, Noel Vaazı (634), Kutsal
Vaftiz, Manevi Çayır, Sinodik Mektup metinlerinde parça parçadır. Hermann
Usener “Weihnachtspredigt des Sophronios” başlıklı çalışmasında Yunanca
metinleri yayınlamıştır.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41251766 (17.08.2022).
Hermann Usener, “in Rheinisches Museum NF 41”, 1886, s.
500-516; reprinted in Religionsgeschichtlische Untersuchungen 1, Bonn, 1889, s.
326-330; Christoph von Schönborn, Patrologia Graeca 87-3, 1865,
3197D-3200A, “Sophrone de Jérusalem: vie monastique et confession
dogmatique” Beauchesne Rue de rennes, 177, Paris, 1972, s.89-91;
Felix-Marie Abel, “Histoire de la Palestine depuis la conquête d’Alexandre
jusqu’à l’invasion arabe” Tome IIe: De la guerre juive à l’invasion arabe,
Paris, 1952; Donald R. Hill, “The Termination of Hostilities in the Early
Arab Conquests, AD 634-656”, London, 1971;
Christoph von Schönborn “Sophrone de Jérusalem; vie monastique et
confession dogmatique” Paris, 1972; Demetrios J. Constantelos, “The
Moslem Conquests of the Near East as Revealed in the Greek sources of the
Seventh and the Eighth Centuries”, Byzantion 42, 1972, s. 326-357; Marius
Canard, “L’expansion arabo-islamique et ses répercussions”, London,
1974; Fred M. Donner, “The Early Islamic Conquests” Princeton, 1981;
Hugh Kennedy, “Change and Continuity in Syria and Palestine at the time of
the Moslem Conquests” ARAM, 1, 1989, s.258-267; Walter E. Kaegi “Byzantium and the Early
Islamic Conquests” Cambridge, 1992; Robert Hoyland, “Seeing Islam as
Others saw it. A Survey and Evaluation of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian
Writings on Early Islam”, Princeton, 1997, s. 67-73; Pauline Allen, “Sophronius
of Jerusalem and Seventh-Century Heresy, The Synodical Letter and other
Documents” Edited and translated by, Oxsford Early Christian Texts, 2009;
Daniel J. Sahas “The face to face
encounter between patriarch sophronius of jerusalem and the caliph ‘umar ibn
al-khattâb friends or foes?” The Encounter of Eastern Christianity with
Early Islam, Brill, Leiden-Boston, 2006, s. 33,34: “Patriarch Sophronius,
‘Umar and the capitulation of Jerusalem”, Byzantium and Islam, 2021,
s.152–167.
Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
“A strong and vigorous sceptre to break the pride af all the
barbarians, and especially of the Saracens who, on account of our sins, have
now risen up against us unexpectedly and ravage all with cruel and feral
desing, with impious and godless audacity. More than ever, therefore, we
entreat your Holiness to make urgent petitions to Christ so that he, receiving
these favourably from you, may quickly quell their mad insolence and deliver
these vile creatures, as before, to be the footstool of our God-given emperors.”
(Ep. Synodica, Patrologia Graeca 87, 3197D-3200D-3200A [S.69]).
“I offer an equally profuse appeal to You, that You will make
intense and unceasing plea and petition (cf. Eph. 6: 18) to God on behalf of
our Christ-loving and most serene sovereigns,‘ who received from God the
rudders of the empire. My intention is that God himself, lover of mercy and
lover of human beings, who has power equal in force to intention, when he has
been appeased by Your prayers which are acceptable to God, will bestow on them
a large number of years, and grant them both the greatest victories over the
barbarians, and trophies, and crown them with children of their children and fortify
them with divine peace, and provide them with strong and mighty authority over
all barbarians but especially the Saracens, destroying their pride. Through our
sins they [sc. the Saracens] have now unexpectedly risen up against us, and are
carrying everything off as booty with cruel and savage intent and impious and
godless daring. This is why we especially beg also Your blessed Self to make
the most intense supplications to Christ, so that when he has graciously
approved these from You he may immediately cast down their insolent acts, full
of madness, and present them, paltry as they are, as a footstool to our God-
given rulers, just as before, so that those who have the empire on our earth
may themselves enjoy good days once they have ceased from the clamours of war,
and with them their whole state, fortified by their puissant authority, when
through their peaceful direction it has harvested the grapes that generate good
cheer.”
https://archive.org/details/synodalletterofsophroniustoconstantinopleii/page/n43/mode/2up?q=arab
“We, however, because of our innumerable sins and serious
misdemeanours, are unable to see these things, and are prevented from entering
Bethlehem by way of the road. Unwillingly, indeed, contrary to our wishes, we
are required tos tay at home, not bound closely by bodily, but bound by fear of
the Saracens.” (Christmas Sermon, 506 [S.70]).
At once that of the Philistines, so now the army of the godless
Saracens has captured the divine Bethlehem and bars our passage there,
threatening slaughter and destruction if we leave this holy city and dare to
approach our beloved and sacred Bethlehem.” (Christmas Sermon, 507 [S.70]).
If we were to live
as is dear and pleasing to God, we would rejoice over the fall of the Saracen
enemy and observe their near ruin and witness their final demise. For their blood-loving
blade will enter their hearts, their bow will be broken and their arrows will
be fixed in them” (Christmas Sermon, 515 [S.71]).
But the present circumstances ara
forcing me to think differently about our way of life, for why are [so many]
wars being fought among us? Why do barbarian raids abound? Why are the troops
of the Sarecens attacking us? Why has there been so much destruction and
plunder? Why are there incessant outpourings of human blood? Why are the birds
of the sky devouring human bodies? Why have churches been pulled down? Why is
the cross mocked? Why is Christ, who is the dispenser of all good things and
the provider of this joyousness of ours, blasphemed by pagan mouths (etnikios
tois stomasi) so that he justly cries out to us: “Because of you my name is
blasphemed among the pagans,” and this is the worst of all the terrible things
that are happening to us.
That is why the vengeful and
God-hating Saracens, the abomination of desolation clearly foretold to us by
the prophets, overrun the places which are not allowed to them, plunder cities,
devastate fields, burn down villages, set on fire the holy churches, overturn
the sacred monasteries, oppose the Byzantine armies arrayed against them, and
in fighting raise up the trophies [of war] and add victory to victory.
Moreover, they are raised up more and more against us and increase their
blasphemy of Christ and the church, and utter wicked blasphemies against God.
Those God-fighters boast of
prevailing over all, assiduously and unrestrainably imitating their leader, who
is the devil, and emulating his vanity because of which he has been expelled
from heaven and been assigned to the gloomy shades.
Yet these vile ones would not have
accomplished this nor seized such a degree of power as to do and utter
lawlessly all these things, unless we had first insulted the gift [of baptism]
and first defiled the purification, and in this way grieved Christ, the giver
of gifts, and prompted him to be angry with us, good though he is and though he
takes no pleasure in evil, being the fount of kindness and not wishing to
behold the ruin and destruction of men. We are ourselves, in truth, responsible
for all these things and no Word will be found for our defence. What Word or
place will be given us for our defence when we have taken all these gifts from
him, befouled them and defiled everything with our vile actions? (Holy Baptism,
166-167 [S.72-73]).
“Why do barbarian raids abound? Why
are the troops of the Saracens attacking us? Why has there been so much
destruction and plunder? Why are there endless outpourings of human blood? Why
are the birds of the sky devouring human bodies? Why have the churches been pulled
down? Why is the cross mocked? Why is Christ, who is the dispenser of all good things
and the provider of this joyousness of ours, blasphemed by pagan mouths (ἐθνικοῖς
βλασφημεῖται τοῖς στόμασι) so that he justly cries out to us: “Because of you
my name is blasphemed among the pagans,” and surely, this is the worst of all
the terrible things that are happening to us. That is why the vengeful and
God-hating Saracens, the abomination of desolation clearly foretold to us by
the prophets, overrun the places which are not allowed to them, plunder cities,
devastate fields, burn down villages, set fire to the holy churches, overturn
the sacred monasteries, oppose the Byzantine armies arrayed against them, and
in fighting, raise up trophies and add victory to victory. Moreover, they are
raised up more and more against us and increase their blasphemy of Christ and
the church, and utter wicked lasphemies against God. These God-fighters boast
of prevailing over all, assiduously and unrestrainedly imitating their leader,
who is the devil, and emulating his vanity because of which he has been
expelled from heaven and been assigned to the gloomy shades.” (A.
Papadopoulous-Kerameus (ed.), “Tou en hagiois patros hēmōn Sōphroniou
archiepiskopou Hierosolymōn logos eis to hagion baptisma,” Analekta
Hierosolymitikēs Stachyologias 5 (1898), s. 166-1677).
“Therefore it is not without grief
that we lead this assembly, closed in within the walls and celebrating the
festival in the holy temple of the Theotokos. Thus I pray and plead and beseech
you to desire for Christ God, in order that each of us, whatever our power,
might reform ourselves and adorn ourselves with repentance, and turning around
(ἐπιστροφή), we purify and we curb the flow of deeds which are hateful to God.
For if we were to live as is dear and pleasing to God, we might laugh at the
fall of our adversaries the Saracens and not before long we might make their
ruin feeble and behold their final destruction. For their blood-loving swords
will enter into their hearts, their bows will shatter, and their weapons will
ensnare them, and they will provide for us a way free from fear.” (H. Usener
(ed.), “Weihnachtspredigt des Sophronius,” Rheinisches Museum für Philologie 41
(1886), s.515, “Initial
Byzantine Reactions to the Arab Conquest,” Church History 38.2 (1969), s.139-149.).
