ABSTRACT
One of the earliest accounts of the Arab conquest of the Middle East is by Sophronius, the Chalcedonian Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 to 638. In his Christmas sermon of 634 he refers to the invasion of the Saracens, who have prevented him from travelling from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to preach, and says that he would be glad to see the downfall of these bloodthirsty opponents who ‘dare to approach our beloved and sacred Bethlehem’ (Hoyland 1997: 70). In his sermon for Epiphany in 636 or 637 he asks why the Saracens have set churches on fire, overturned monasteries, mocked the cross and blasphemed Christ. His answer is, ‘We are ourselves responsible for all these things and no word will be found for our defence’ (Hoyland 1997: 73). He believes that God has allowed the abomination of desolation, foretold in scripture as a judgment for the sins of his people, to visit them. In the process, the Arabs are depicted as anti-God followers of the devil.
