The most famous miracle of St. George is the release of Princess Alexandra (in another version, Elisawa) and the victory over the devil's serpent.
It happened in the vicinity of the Lebanese city of Lasia. The local king paid an annual tribute to a monstrous snake that lived in the Lebanese mountains, in a deep lake: one person was given to it by lot to be eaten every year. Once the lot to go to be eaten by the serpent fell to the daughter of the ruler himself, a chaste and beautiful girl, one of the few inhabitants of Lasia who believed in Christ. The princess was led to the snake's den, and she was already crying awaiting a terrible death.
Suddenly, a warrior on horseback appeared to her, who, having overshadowed himself with the sign of the cross, struck a serpent with a spear, devoid of demonic power by the power of God.
Together with Alexandra, George came to the city, which he had saved from a terrible tribute. The pagans mistook the victorious warrior for an unknown god and began to praise him, but George explained to them that he was serving the true God - Jesus Christ. A multitude of townspeople, headed by the ruler, listening to the confession of the new faith, were baptized. A temple was built on the main square in honor of the Mother of God and George the Victorious. The rescued princess took off the royal clothes and remained a simple novice at the church.
From this miracle originates the image of St. George the Victorious - the victor of evil, embodied in a snake - a monster. The combination of Christian holiness and military valor made George an example of a medieval warrior-knight - defender and liberator.
This is how the Middle Ages saw George the Victorious. And against its background, the historical St. George the Victorious, a warrior who gave his life for faith and defeated death, somehow got lost and faded.
San Giorgio Schiavoni. St. George fights a dragon.
In the rank of martyrs, the Church glorifies those who endured suffering for Christ and accepted a painful death with His name on their lips, without renouncing the faith. This is the largest order of saints, numbering thousands of men and women, old people and children who suffered from pagans, godless authorities of different times, militant gentiles. But among these saints there are especially revered - the great martyrs. The sufferings that fell to their lot were so great that the human mind cannot contain the strength of patience and faith of such saints and only explains them with the help of God, like everything superhuman and incomprehensible.
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Such a great martyr was George, a wonderful youth and courageous warrior.
George was born in Cappadocia, an area in the heart of Asia Minor, which was part of the Roman Empire. Since early Christian times, this area was known for its cave monasteries and Christian ascetics leading in this harsh land, where they had to endure the heat of the day and night cold, droughts and winter frosts, ascetic and prayer life.
George was born in the 3rd century (no later than 276) in a wealthy and noble family: his father named Gerontius, a Persian by birth, was a high-ranking nobleman - a senator with the dignity of a stratilate; mother Polychrony - a native of the Palestinian city of Lydda (modern Lod near Tel Aviv) - owned extensive estates in her homeland. As often happened at that time, the couple adhered to different beliefs: Gerontius was a pagan, and Polychronia was a Christian. Polychrony was involved in raising his son, so George absorbed Christian traditions from childhood and grew up as a pious youth.
From his youth, George was distinguished by physical strength, beauty and courage. He received a brilliant education and could live in idleness and pleasure, spending his parental inheritance (his parents died before he reached the age of majority). However, the young man chose a different path for himself and entered military service. In the Roman Empire, people were accepted into the army from 17-18 years old, and the usual service life was 16 years.
The marching life of the future great martyr began under the emperor Diocletian, who became his sovereign, commander, benefactor and tormentor, who gave the order for his execution.
Diocletian (245-313) came from a poor family and began serving in the army as a simple soldier. He immediately distinguished himself in battles, since there were plenty of such opportunities in those days: the Roman state, torn apart by internal contradictions, also tolerated the raids of numerous barbarian tribes. Diocletian quickly went from soldier to commander, while gaining popularity among the troops due to intelligence, physical strength, determination and courage. In 284, the soldiers proclaimed their commander emperor, expressing love and trust in him, and at the same time, confronting him with the daunting task of ruling the empire during one of the most difficult periods of its history.
Diocletian made Maximian, an old friend and comrade-in-arms, his co-ruler, and then they shared power with the young Caesars Galerius and Constantius, adopted according to custom. This was necessary in order to cope with rebellions, wars and the difficulties of devastation in different parts of the state. Diocletian was engaged in the affairs of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and made the city of Nicomedia (now Ismid, in Turkey) his residence.
While Maximian suppressed the uprisings within the empire and resisted the raids of the Germanic tribes, Diocletian moved with an army to the east - to the borders of Persia. Most likely, during these years, the young man George entered the service in one of the legions of Diocletian, passing by a campaign through his native land. Then the Roman army fought with the Sarmatian tribes on the Danube. The young warrior was distinguished by courage and strength, and Diocletian noticed and promoted such people.
George especially distinguished himself in the war with the Persians in 296-297, when the Romans, in a dispute for the Armenian throne, defeated the Persian army and drove it behind the Tigris, annexing several more provinces to the empire. George, who served in the cohort of the Invictors ("invincible"), where they fell for special military services, was appointed a military tribune - the second commander in the legion after the legate, and later appointed by the committee - this was the name of the senior military leader who accompanied the emperor on his travels. Since the komits were the emperor's retinue and at the same time were his advisers, this position was considered very honorable.
Diocletian, an inveterate pagan, was quite tolerant of Christians for the first fifteen years of his reign. Most of his closest associates, of course, were his associates - adherents of traditional Roman cults. But Christians - soldiers and officials - could quite safely move up the career ladder and occupy the highest government posts.
The Romans generally showed great tolerance for the religions of other tribes and peoples. Various foreign cults freely went everywhere in the empire - not only in the provinces, but also in Rome itself, where foreigners were only required to respect the Roman state cult and practice their rites in a private way, without imposing them on others.
However, almost simultaneously with the appearance of Christian preaching, the Roman religion was replenished with a new cult, which became the source of many troubles for Christians. It was the cult of the Caesars.
With the advent of imperial power in Rome, the idea of a new deity appeared: the genius of the emperor. But very soon the veneration of the emperors' genius grew into a personal deification of the crowned heads. At first, only the dead Caesars were deified. But gradually, under the influence of oriental ideas, in Rome they got used to consider the living Caesar as a god, he was given the title "our God and sovereign" and fell to his knees before him. Those who, through negligence or disrespect, did not want to honor the emperor, were treated like the greatest criminal. Therefore, even the Jews, who in all other respects firmly adhered to their religion, tried to get along with the emperors on this issue. When Caligula (12–41) was told against the Jews that they did not show enough reverence for the holy person of the emperor, they sent a deputation to him to say: “We offer sacrifices for you,and not simple victims, but hecatombs (centesimal). We have already done this three times - on the occasion of your accession to the throne, on the occasion of your illness, for your recovery and for your victory."
This is not the language that Christians spoke to emperors. Instead of the kingdom of Caesar, they preached the kingdom of God. They had one Master - Jesus, so it was impossible to worship both the Lord and Caesar at the same time. In the time of Nero, Christians were forbidden to use coins with the image of Caesar on them; all the more, there could be no compromises with the emperors who demanded that the imperial person be titled "Lord and God." The refusal of Christians to make sacrifices to the pagan gods and to deify the Roman emperors was perceived as a threat to the established ties between the people and the gods.
The pagan philosopher Celsus addressed Christians with exhortations: “Is there anything bad in gaining the favor of the ruler of people; is it not without divine favor that power over the world is obtained? If you are required to swear in the name of the emperor, there is nothing wrong; for everything that you have in life you receive from the emperor."
But Christians thought differently. Tertullian instructed his brothers in faith: “Give your money to Caesar, and yourself to God. But if you give everything to Caesar, what will remain for God? I want to call the emperor ruler, but only in the ordinary sense, if I am not forced to put him ruler in the place of God”(Apology, ch. 45).
Diocletian ultimately also demanded divine honors for himself. And, of course, he immediately ran into the disobedience of the Christian population of the empire. Unfortunately, this meek and peaceful resistance of Christ's followers coincided with the growing difficulties within the country, which aroused open rumors against the emperor, and was seen as a rebellion.
In the winter of 302, co-ruler Galerius pointed out to Diocletian the “source of discontent” - Christians and suggested starting the persecution of the Gentiles.
The emperor turned for a prediction about his future to the temple of Apollo of Delphi. The Oracle told him that she could not do divination, because those who destroy her power interfere with her. The priests of the temple interpreted these words in such a way that the Christians are to blame, from whom all the troubles occur in the state. So the close circle of the emperor, secular and priestly, pushed him to make the main mistake in his life - to start persecution of believers in Christ, which in history has received the name of the Great Persecution.
On February 23, 303, Diocletian issued the first edict against Christians, which ordered "to destroy churches to the ground, burn holy books and deprive Christians of honorary positions." Soon thereafter, the imperial palace at Nicomedia was engulfed in fire twice. This coincidence gave rise to the unsubstantiated accusation of arson against Christians. After that, two more decrees appeared - on the persecution of priests and on the sacrifice to pagan gods, obligatory for everyone. Those who refused to sacrifice were subjected to imprisonment, torture and the death penalty. So the persecution began, which claimed the lives of several thousand citizens of the Roman Empire - Romans, Greeks, people from barbarian peoples. The entire Christian population of the country, quite large, was divided into two parts:Some, for the sake of deliverance from torment, agreed to offer pagan sacrifices, while others confessed Christ to death, because they considered such sacrifices a renunciation of Christ, remembering His words: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or one will be zealous, and neglect about the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”(Luke 16:13).
Saint George did not even allow the thought of worshiping pagan idols, therefore he prepared himself for torture for the faith: he distributed gold, silver and all the rest of his wealth to the poor, and gave freedom to his slaves and servants. Then he appeared in Nicomedia for a council to Diocletian, where all his military leaders and confidants gathered, and openly declared himself a Christian.
The assembly was amazed and looked at the emperor, who sat in silence, as if struck by thunder. Diocletian did not expect such an act from his loyal military leader, a longtime companion. According to the Life of the saint, the following dialogue took place between him and the emperor:
- George, - said Diocletian, - I have always marveled at your nobility and courage, from me you received a high position for military services. Out of love for you, as a father, I give you advice - do not doom your life to torment, make a sacrifice to the gods, and you will not lose your rank and my favor.
“The kingdom that you are enjoying now,” replied George, “is fickle, vain and transient, and his pleasures will perish with it. Those who are deceived by them receive no benefit. Believe in the true God, and He will give you the best kingdom - immortal. For his sake, no torment will frighten my soul.
The emperor got angry and ordered the guards to arrest George and throw him in prison. There he was spread out on the prison floor, shoes were put on his feet, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest, so that it was difficult to breathe and it was impossible to move.
The next day, Diocletian ordered George to be brought in for interrogation:
- Have you repented or will you show disobedience again?
- Do you really think that I will be exhausted from such little torment? - answered the saint. “You’re more likely to get tired of tormenting me than I am to endure torment.
The enraged emperor gave the order to resort to torture in order to force George to renounce Christ. Once upon a time, during the years of the Roman Republic, torture was applied only to slaves in order to knock out testimony from them during the judicial investigation. But during the time of the Empire, the pagan society became so corrupted and bitter that torture was often applied to free citizens. The torture of Saint George was distinguished by special savagery and cruelty. The naked martyr was tied to a wheel, under which the torturers laid boards with long nails. Spinning on a wheel, George's body was torn to pieces by these nails, but his mind and mouth prayed to God, at first loudly, then more and more quietly …
Mikael van Coxie. Martyrdom of Saint George.
- He died, why didn't the Christian God deliver him from death? - said Diocletian, when the martyr was completely quiet, and with these words he left the place of execution.
This, apparently, exhausts the historical layer in the Life of St. George. Further, the hagiographer tells about the miraculous resurrection of the martyr and the ability he acquired from God to come out safe and sound from the most terrible torments and executions.
Apparently, the courage shown by George during the execution had a strong influence on the local residents and even on the emperor's inner circle. The Life reports that in these days many people adopted Christianity, including the priest of the Temple of Apollo named Athanasius, as well as the wife of Diocletian Alexander.
According to the Christian understanding of the martyrdom of George, it was a fight with the enemy of the human race, from which the holy passion-bearer, who courageously endured the most severe tortures to which human flesh was ever subjected, emerged victorious, for which he was named the Victorious.
His last victory - over death - George won on April 23, 303, on the day of Good Friday.
The great persecution ended the era of paganism. The torturer of Saint George, Diocletian, only two years after these events, was forced to resign as emperor under the pressure of his own court entourage, and spent the rest of his days in a distant estate growing cabbage. The persecution of Christians after his resignation began to subside and soon stopped altogether. Ten years after the death of George, Emperor Constantine issued a decree, according to which Christians returned all their rights. On the blood of the martyrs, a new empire was created - the Christian one.
Author: Sergey Eduardovich Tsvetkov