2nd century (died c. 117)
Bishop of Sinope who converted many to Christ and suffered martyrdom under Trajan's persecution.
The Holy Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope
Phocas was a bishop of Sinope, a port city on the southern shore of the Black Sea in northern Asia Minor, who is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a hieromartyr. According to the synaxarion he was born at Sinope to Christian parents and led a devout life from his youth, in time being raised to the episcopate of his native city.
As bishop he is remembered for extensive missionary labor, converting many of the pagan inhabitants of the region to faith in Christ. During the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Trajan (reigned 98-117), the local governor demanded that Phocas renounce Christ; when he refused, he was subjected to torture and finally enclosed in a heated bath, where he died a martyr's death, traditionally dated to the year 117.
In the year 404 the relics of the saint were translated from Pontus to Constantinople; the Orthodox calendar keeps a commemoration of this translation in late July (July 23, with the date also given as July 22).
By tradition the translation of his relics was marked by a homily composed in his honor by Saint John Chrysostom.
The Hieromartyr Phocas is especially invoked as a protector against fires, and as a helper of those in danger of drowning at sea.
As a saint who reposed before the Council of Chalcedon, he belongs to the undivided Church and is venerated across traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic Churches.
Phocas of Sinope is commemorated on September 22, the same day as the Martyr Phocas the Gardener, also of Sinope, from whom he is reckoned a distinct person.
Some scholars have observed that the surviving accounts may reflect a conflation of more than one figure bearing the name Phocas, and a degree of historical uncertainty surrounds the details of his life.
Distinct from Phokas the Gardener of Sinope commemorated the same day.