- In his sermon on the Holy Baptism delivered on the feast of the Epiphany, he gets into a lengthy defense of the traditional Christian doctrine of baptism. Towards the end of the sermon however he mentions the Arab attacks in-depth. The mention is long and thus specific portions relevant to the topic will be selected and discussed.
- “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 (ethnikois tois stomasi) so that he justly cries out to us: “Because of you my name is blasphemed among the pagans,”
- “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,”
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- “[They, the Saracens] increase their blasphemy of Christ and the church, and utter wicked blasphemies against God. ”
- 1 and 2 shows that in already in 636 CE, Muslims held enmity towards the cross, the divinity of Christ [blasphemy according to them], and more importantly the churches and monasteries. Had primitive Islam been ecumenical and Christian Believers were a part of the force we would not expect this behavior. we would expect a much more tolerant “3-way monotheistic faith” version of Islam. This also refutes the idea that Islam was born of a Christian heresy.
Sophronius, Patriach of Jerusalem (636 CE)
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