Sophia (fl. early 2nd c.)

Saint. Name variations: Sofia; St. Wisdom. Flourished early 2nd century in Rome; married and widowed; children: daughters Pistis, Elpis and Agape. Feast day is August 1 (September 30 in the Roman Martyrology).

In the early history of the church, Christians often substituted a pious pseudonym for the actual name of a saint or martyr. Some of the pseudonyms were Greek, some Latin, and they generally were instructive or had a mystical meaning (e.g. Pistis, meaning faith). Nothing is known of Sophia. Her name, or pseudonym, was found on a tomb in a cemetery reserved for martyrs on the Aurelian Way; thus, it was assumed that she had died for her faith. The legend that has grown up around the names on this tomb—Sophia, Pistis, Elpis and Agape (Wisdom, Faith, Hope and Charity in Greek)—is almost certainly derived from an Eastern allegory about the cult of Divine Wisdom. According to the legend, Wisdom was a widowed Roman during the time of Emperor Hadrian. Her three young daughters were persecuted for their Christian beliefs: 12-year-old Faith was scourged and thrown into boiling pitch, while 10-year-old Hope and 9-year-old Charity were tossed into a furnace. When these punishments did not hurt them, they were beheaded. Wisdom died praying at their graves three days later. Greek churches were often dedicated to Saint Sophia, but the magnificent church in Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia, is not. In effect Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom, or Holy Spirit; it refers not to a woman but to the word of God.