Daily Saint

Umar’s Assurance, also known as the Covenant of Umar, was a pact of safety and religious freedom granted by Caliph Umar to the Christians of Jerusalem after the city’s conquest in 637. St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, negotiated and signed on behalf of the Christians, marking a rare historical instance of protection for a conquered religious minority. The pact guaranteed protection for churches, crosses, property, and the right to practice Christian rituals without forced conversion in exchange for the payment of tribute (jizya). The pact became a foundational document for Muslim-Christian relations in conquered territories because, instead of the massacres that often followed conquests elsewhere, the conquered people were afforded minority rights and religious tolerance under early Islamic rule.

St. Sophronius’s Synodal Letter to Pope Honorius I was profoundly significant, both as a well-defined confirmation of doctrinal orthodoxy and as an urgent appeal to the Bishop of Rome for support against the rising Monothelitism heresy. The letter defended the orthodox doctrine of Christ’s two natures and two wills (divine and human). St. Sophronius’s clear writing about traditional Christian beliefs laid crucial groundwork for the condemnation of the heresy at the Third Council of Constantinople years later. The letter also underscored Rome’s role as the center of doctrinal authority and unity in the Eastern Church. By seeking Rome’s definitive resolution of the doctrinal dispute, the Eastern Church recognized the Pope’s role as the final voice on the matter and as protector of Christian Truth.