The Holy GreatMartyr George the Victory-Bearer
Commemorated on April 23
The Holy
GreatMartyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a
district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family.
His father had accepted a martyr's death for Christ, when George was yet a
child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, resettled there with her son and
raised him in strict piety.
Having grown up,
Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave
and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian
(284-305) and was accepted into the imperial guards with the rank-title of
"comites" – one of the higher military officer ranks.
The pagan emperor,
while having done much for the restoration of Roman might, and who was quite
clearly concerned, as to what sort of danger the triumphing of the Crucified
Saviour might present for pagan civilisation, in especially the final years of
his reign intensified his persecution against the Christians. Upon the advice
of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian afforded all his governors full freedom
in their court proceedings over Christians and in this he promised them all
possible help.
Saint George, having
learned about the decision of the emperor, distributed to the poor all his
wealth, set free his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. The brave
soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor's designs, he confessed
himself a Christian and appealed to all to acknowledge the true faith in
Christ: "I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting on Him, I have
come amidst ye at mine own will, to witness concerning the Truth".
"What is Truth?" – one of the dignitaries said, in repeating the
question of Pontius Pilate. "Truth is Christ Himself, persecuted by
ye", – answered the saint.
Stunned by the bold
speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor – who loved and had promoted
George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and
honours, but rather in the Roman custom to offer sacrifice to the gods. To this
followed the resolute reply of the confessor: "Nothing in this inconstant
life can weaken my resolve to serve God". Then by order of the enraged
emperor the armed-guards began to jostle Saint George out of the assembly hall
with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. But the deadly steel
became soft and it bent, just as the spears would touch the body of the saint,
and it caused him no hurt. In prison they put the feet of the martyr in stocks
and placed an heavy stone on his chest.
The next day at the
interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the
emperor: "Thou wilt become exhausted sooner, tormenting me, than I being
tormented of thee". Then Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to
some very intense tortures. They tied the GreatMartyr to a wheel, beneathe
which were set up boards inset with sharp pieces of iron. With the turning of
the wheel the sharp edges tore at the bared body of the saint. At first the
sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted, not letting out
even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead,
and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and set off then
to a pagan temple to offer a thank-offering. But at this very moment it got
dark all over, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: "Fear not, George,
for I am with thee". Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel
appeared an Angel of the Lord in the form of a radiant youth. And just as he lay
his hand upon the martyr, saying to him: "Rejoice!" ‑- Saint
George stood up healed. And when the soldiers led him off to the pagan temple,
where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he
thought, that in front of him was some other man or even a ghost. In confusion
and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became
convinced, that actually a miracle had occurred. Many thereupon came to believe
in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. Two illustrious officials, Saints
Anatolios and Protoleon, – secretly Christians, therewith openly confessed
Christ. And right away, without a trial, by order of the emperor they were
beheaded with the sword. Present also in the pagan temple was the Empress
Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she too knew the truth. She was on
the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her
and led her off to the palace.
The emperor became
all the more furious. But not having lost all hope of swaying Saint George, he
gave him over to new quite fiercesome torments. Having thrown him down a deep
pit, they covered it over with lime. Three days later they dug him out, but
found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with
red-hot nails, and with blows they drove him back to the prison. In the
morning, when they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healthy
feet, he said to the emperor, that the sandals had fit him. Then they beat him
with ox-thongs so much, that his body and blood became mingled with the ground,
but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding.
Having decided, that
magic was helping the saint, the emperor summoned the sorcerer Athanasias, so
that he should try to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else
poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets with drugged
ingredients, the one of which should have quieted him, and the other – to kill
him. But the drugs also did not work – and the saint as before continued to
denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify the True God.
To the question of
the emperor, what sort of power it was that helped the saint, Saint George
answered: "Think not, that the torments do me no harm thanks to human
powers, – I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. Whoso
believeth on Him hath no regard for tortures and is able to do the deeds, that
Christ did" (Jn. 14: 12). Diocletian asked, what sort of deeds were they
that Christ did. – "To give sight to the blind, to cleanse the leprous,
to grant walking to the lame, and to the deaf – hearing, to cast out devils,
and to raise up the dead".
Knowing, that never
whether by sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, never had they been
able to resurrect the dead, and wanting to test the trust of the saint the
emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person right in front of his eyes. To
this the saint replied: "Thou wouldst tempt me, but for the salvation of
the people which shalt see the deed of Christ, my God wilt work this
sign". And when they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out:
"O Lord! Show to those here present, that Thou art the One-Only God
throughout all the world, let them know Thee as the Almighty Lord". And
the earth did quake, a grave opened up, the dead one came alive and emerged
from it. Having seen with their own eyes the Almighty Power of Christ, the
people wept and glorified the True God. The sorcerer Athanasias, falling down
at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and besought
forgiveness of his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his
impiety thought otherwise: in a rage he commanded to be beheaded both the
new-believer Athanasias and likewise the man resuscitated from the dead,
and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. The people, weighed down
with their infirmities, began in various ways to penetrate the prison and they
there received healings and help from the saint. There resorted to him also a
certain farmer named Glycerios, whose ox had collapsed. The saint with a
smile consoled him and assured him, that God would restore his ox to life.
Seeing at home the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the
Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerios
was arrested and beheaded.
The exploits and the
miracles of the GreatMartyr George had increased the number of the Christians,
and therefore Diocletian decided to make a final attempt to compel the saint to
offer sacrifice to the idols. They began to set up a court at the pagan temple
of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and when he
dozed off, he beheld the Lord Himself, Who raised him up with His hand, and
hugged him in giving him a kiss of greeting. The Saviour placed on the head of
the GreatMartyr a crown and said: "Fear not, but rather make bold and be
vouchsafed My Kingdom".
In the morning at the
court the emperor offered Saint George a new test – he proposed to him to
become his co-emperor. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered,
that from the very beginning the emperor had seemed inclined not to torture him
but rather shew mete mercy, and with this he expressed the wish to go forthwith
into the pagan temple of Apollo. Diocletian decided, that the martyr was
accepting his offer, and he followed after him into the pagan temple with his
accompanying retinue and the people. Everyone waited, whether Saint George
would offer sacrifice to the gods. He however, in going up to the idol, made
the sign of the Cross and turned towards it, as though it were alive:
"Thou wishest to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?" The demon
inhabiting the idol cried out: "I am not God and none of those like me are
God. The One-Only God is He Whom thou preachest. We are of those servant-angels
of His, which became apostate, and in the grips of jealousy we do tempt
people". "How dare ye to be here, when hither have come I, the
servant of the True God?" – asked the saint. Then was heard a crash and
wailing, and the idols fell down and were shattered.
There began a general
confusion. In a frenzy pagan-priests and many of the throng pounced upon the
holy martyr, they tied him up and began to beat him and demand his immediate
execution.
Into the noise and
the shouts rushed the holy empress Alexandra. Pushing her way through the
crowd, she cried out: "Thou God of George, help me, in as Thou Alone art
All-Powerful". At the feet of the GreatMartyr the holy empress glorified
Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those worshipping them.
Diocletian in a rage
immediately pronounced the death sentence against the GreatMartyr George and
the holy Empress Alexandra, who without being accompanied, followed Saint
George to execution. Along the way she collapsed and slumped senseless against
a wall. Everyone thought, that the empress was dead. Saint George offered up
thanks to God and he prayed, that he should end his path worthily. At the place
of execution the saint in heated prayer besought the Lord, that He would
forgive the torturers that knew not what they did, and that He would lead them
to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy GreatMartyr George bent
his neck beneathe the sword. This occurred on 23 April 303.
In confusion the
executioners and the judges catch glimpse of their Conqueror. In a bloody agony
and mindless thrashing about ended the era of paganism. It lasted for all of
ten years more – up until the time of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles
Constantine, who was one of the successors to Diocletian upon the Roman throne,
and who gave orders to imprint the Cross on his military-banners, as a
testament also sealed by the blood of the GreatMartyr George and that of the
blood of thousands of unknown martyrs: "By this sign thou wilt
conquer".
Of the many miracles,
worked by the holy GreatMartyr George, the most famous are depicted in
iconography. In the native-region of the saint, at the city of Beirut, were
many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was situated a
large lake, in which lived an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the
lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing the people could do, since from
one of its nostrils it infected the very air.
On the advice of the
demons inhabiting the idols, the ruler there adopted this decision: each day
the people would draw lots to give over as food their own children, and when
the turn reached him, he promised to hand over his only daughter. That time indeed
did come, and the ruler, having dressed her in her finest attire, sent her off
to the lake. The girl wailed bitterly, awaiting the moment of death.
Unexpectedly for her, the GreatMartyr George rode up on his horse and with
spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. But the
saint, having caught sight of the serpent, signed himself with the Sign of the
Cross and with the words "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit", he rushed off after it. The GreatMartyr George pierced
the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then
he bid the girl bind the serpent with her sash, and like a dog, lead it into
the city. The people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words:
"Be not afraid, but rather trust on the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in
Him, since it be He Who hath sent me to you, to save you". Then the saint
killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city.
Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptised,
and there was later built a church in the name of the Most Holy Mother of God
and the GreatMartyr George.
Saint George went on
to become a talented military officer and to amaze the world by his military
exploits. He died, when he was not even 30 years old. Hastening to unite with
the Heavenly army, he entered into the history of the Church as the Victory-Bearer
("Pobedonosets"). With this title he was glorified in early
Christianity and Holy Rus'.
Saint George the
Victory-Bearer was the patron saint and protector of several of the great
builders of the Russian state and Russian military might. The son of holy
Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise – in holy Baptism Georgii (+
1054), much advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He
built the city of Yur'ev [i.e. "of Yurii" – "Yurii" being
the diminutive of "Georgii", as "Ivan" is to
"Ioann" (John)], he founded likewise the Yur'ev monastery at
Novgorod, and he erected a church of Saint George the Victory-Bearer at Kiev.
The day of the consecration of the Kiev Georgiev temple, done on 26 November
1051 by Sainted Ilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', entered forever
into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special churchly feastday –
Yur'ev Day, beloved by the Russian people as an "Autumn Saint George's
Day".
The name of Saint
George was indeed also borne by the founder of Moscow – Yurii Dolgoruky (+
1157), who was the builder of many a Georgiev church, and the builder of the
city of Yur'ev-Pol'sk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation
against the Mongol Horde was headed by the Vladimir GreatPrince Yurii (Georgii)
Vsevolodovich (+ 1238, Comm. 4 February), fallen into eternal rest in the
Battle at the Sita River. His memory, just like that of Egor (Igor) the Brave,
and defender of his native-land, was reflected in Russian spiritual
versification and ballads. The first great-prince of Moscow, in the period when
Moscow had become the centre of the gathering together of the Russian Land, was
Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325) – son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of
Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory-Bearer – the
horseman, smiting the serpent – became the coat of arms of Moscow and emblem
of the Russian state. And this has more deeply strengthened the connections
with Christian peoples and especially with the same-believing Iveria (Gruzia,
or Georgia – the Land of Saint George).
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
