“The man who conquered Palestine“ beheaded at Lydda
Somewhere in between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, yet much closer to Tel Aviv, lies the Israeli city of Lod. Before 1948 this place was called Lydda. In the year 303, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, fourteen helpers in need, was martyred there in Lydda: Saint George.
“In Bede‘s Calendar we read that he was martyred in the Persian city of Dyaspolis, which formerly was called Lidda and is near Joppe.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 238
Joppe, by the way, is Jaffa, a neighborhood at the seaside right next to Tel Aviv. Actually it is one municipality today: Tel Aviv-Yafo. In the Acts of the Apostles we find a report about how Cornelius – a God fearing Gentile – was advised in a dream to send for Saint Peter, who at that time was staying in Jaffa (Joppa) at the house of Simon the tanner. Cornelius then became the first Gentile to be baptized, together with his relatives and friends.
“The angel said to him, ‘Your prayers and tzedakah have gone up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, also named Peter. He is being entertained as a guest by Simon the tanner, whose house is beside the sea.‘“
Acts 10: 4-6
Besides Jaffa also the town of Lydda is mentioned in the very same book about the deeds of the Apostles. We thereby see that early on, there was already a community of Christians in Lydda:
“So Messiah‘s community throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had shalom and was built up. Walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, it kept multiplying. Peter went here and there among them all. He came down as well to the kedoshim living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years – he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Messiah Yeshua heals you. Get up and pack up your bed.‘ Immediately, he got up! All who lived in Lydda and the Plain of Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.“
Acts 9: 32-35
So it is there, at Lydda, that Saint George, who was a Roman soldier refusing to offer sacrifices to the gods, suffered martyrdom under the emperor Diocletian on the 23rd April 303, which is why he is remembered every year on the 23rd April.
This is what Jacobus de Voragine, a member of the Dominican Order and archbishop of Genoa in the 13th century, relates in his Legenda Aurea, a book in which he collected the stories and legends of the saints, about Saint George‘s martyrdom:
“At this time, in the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, the prefect Dacian launched against the Christians a persecution so violent that in one month seventeen thousand won the crown of martyrdom, while many others, being threatened with torture, gave in and offered sacrifice to the idols. Seeing this, Saint George, overcome with grief, gave away all his possessions, laid aside his military trappings, and put on the garb of the Christians. He then pushed into the middle of the crowd and cried out: ‘All your gods are demons, and our God alone is the Creator of the heavens!‘ This angered the prefect, who retorted: ‘By what rashness do you dare to call our gods demons? Where do you come from and what is your name?‘ George answered him: ‘My name is George, I come of noble forebears in Cappadocia. With the help of Christ I have conquered Palestine; but now I have left all that to serve the God of heaven more freely.‘ The prefect, seeing that he could not win him over, commanded that he be stretched on the rack and had him torn limb from limb with hooks. His body was burned with flaming torches, and salt was rubbed into his gaping wounds. That very night the Lord appeared to him in the midst of a great light, and so sweetly comforted him with his presence and his words that the saint thought nothing of his torments.
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 240-241
Dacian, now convinced that the infliction of pain was of no avail, summoned a certain magician (…). Thereupon, relying on his magic and invoking the names of his gods, he mixed poison into some wine and gave it to blessed George to drink; but the saint made the sign of the cross over the wine, drank it, and suffered no harm. The magician then put a stronger dose of poison into the wine, but the saint, again making the sign of the cross over the cup, drank with no ill effect. (…) The following day the prefect ordered George to be bound upon a wheel that was fitted with sharp knives, but the wheel fell apart at once and the saint remained unharmed. Dacian then had him plunged into a caldron of molten lead, but George made the sign of the cross and, by God‘s power, settled down as though he were in a refreshing bath.“
Dacian then employs “soft speech“ instead of violence to bring Saint George around to his side, offering him “great honors“ (ibid. p. 241). Saint George seems to agree – only to do an Elijah-style miracle:
“The city was strung with garlands and filled with rejoicing, and all stood by as George came into the temple to offer sacrifice. He fell to his knees and prayed the Lord to destroy the temple with its idols so completely that, for the glory of God and the conversion of the people, nothing would be left of it. Immediately fire came down from heaven and consumed the table, the idols, and the priests, and the earth opened and swallowed up anything that was left. Saint Ambrose says in his Preface for Saint George: ‘While Christianity was professed only under cover of silence, George, most loyal soldier of Christ, alone and intrepid among Christians openly professed his faith in the Son of God; and the grace of God, in return, gave him such fortitude that he could scorn the commands of tyrants and face the pain of innumerable torments. O blessed and noble fighter for the Lord! Not only was he not won over by the flattering promise of earthly power, but he fooled his persecutor and cast the images of his false gods into the abyss.‘ Thus Ambrose.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 241
Dacian‘s wife Alexandria is converted by Saint George‘s witness – “redeemed from the futile way of life handed down from (her) ancestors“ (1 Peter 1: 18):
“Enraged, the king said to Alexandria, his wife: ‘I shall faint, I shall die, because I see that this man has got the best of me.‘ Her response was: ‘Cruel, bloodthirsty tyrant! Did I not tell you not to go on mistreating the Christians, because their God would fight for them? And now let me tell you that I want to become a Christian.‘ Stupefied, the king cried: ‘Oh, worse and worse! So you too have been led astray!‘ Thereupon he had her hung up by the hair of her head and beaten with scourges. While she was being beaten, she said to George: ‘O George, light of truth, what do you think will become of me since I have not been reborn in the waters of baptism?‘ ‘You have nothing to fear, lady!‘ he answered. ‘The shedding of your blood will be both your baptism and your crown.‘ With that she prayed to the Lord and breathed her last. Ambrose testifies to this, saying in his Preface: ‘For this reason the queen of the pagan Persians, though she had not yet been baptized, was shown mercy and received the palm of martyrdom when her cruel spouse had condemned her to death. Hence we may not doubt that she, crimson with the dew of her blood, gained entrance through the celestial portal and merited the kingdom of heaven.‘ Thus Ambrose.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 241-242
“The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.“
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1258-1259
“For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.“
This Alexandria mentioned here – who received the “baptism of blood“ – is venerated in Eastern Orthodox churches as Saint Alexandra of Rome…
“The following day George was sentenced to be dragged through the whole city and then beheaded. He prayed the Lord that all who implored his help might have their requests granted, and a heavenly voice came to him saying that it would be so. His prayer finished, his head was cut off and his martyrdrom accomplished in the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, which began about the year of our Lord 287. As for Dacian, while he was on his way back to his palace from the place of execution, fire fell from above and consumed him and his attendants.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 242
The conversion and redemption of Alexandria was not the only time the valiant soldier Saint George rescued a woman: There is also the well-known story about Saint George slaying a hungry dragon and thereby saving a princess. We will get to it, but first: What‘s up with Saint George and Palestine? Remember, this is how he introduced himself to the prefect Dacian:
“‘My name is George, I come of noble forebears in Cappadocia. With the help of Christ I have conquered Palestine; but now I have left all that to serve the God of heaven more freely.‘“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 240
Saint George, Cappadocia, Palestine, and the Crusades
Jacobus de Voragine opens his article on Saint George with pondering about the meaning of his name. Names are identities. It is a quite mysterious thing but the name our parents gave us seems to be anything but arbitrary. It contains some piece and kernel of who we are.
“The name George is derived from geos, meaning earth, and orge, meaning to work; hence one who works the earth, namely, his own flesh. Now Augustine writes in his book On the Holy Trinity that good earth is found high on the mountains, in the temperate climate of the hills, and in level ground: the first bears good grass, the second, grapes, and the third, the fruits of the fields. Thus blessed George was on the heights because he disdained base things and so had the fresh green of purity; he was temperate by his prudence and so shared the wine of heavenly joy; he was lowly in his humility and therefore bore the fruits of good works. Or George is derived from gerar, holy, and gyon, sand, therefore, holy sand; for he was like sand, heavy with the weight of his virtues, small by humility, and dry of the lusts of the flesh. Or again, the name comes from gerar, holy, and gyon, struggle; so a holy fighter, because he fought against the dragon and the executioner. Or George comes from gero, pilgrim, gir, cut off, and ys, counselor, for he was a pilgrim in his contempt for the world, cut off by gaining the crown of martyrdom, and a counselor in his preaching of the Kingdom.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 238
Who are the parents who gave him this name? And what is Saint George‘s relation to Cappadocia and Palestine?
A problem that can occur with saints who lived such a long time ago is that there are at times different traditions circulating about their life story. Jacobus de Voragine told us that Saint George was martyred in Lydda, Palestine, today Lod, Israel. Yet other sources speak of Nicomedia, a city in Turkey, as the place of his death. In any case, there is a church in today‘s city of Lod, the Church of Saint George, which is built over an older structure from the time of the Crusades in the 12th century, and it is believed that the remains of Saint George were buried in Lydda after his martyrdom. Because, as we will see, Saint George had a family connection to Lydda.
We already read in the Legenda Aurea that Saint George was of noble origin, born in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. His father was Gerontius, a man who had also served in the Roman army. His mother Polychronia though was from the aforementioned Lydda. Both parents were Christians. Was Saint George‘s mother a direct descendant of one of the very first Christian families of Lydda dating back even to the days of the Holy Apostles? At least in a spiritual sense she was the daughter, the offspring of that very ancient Church at Lydda visited by Saint Peter the Chief Apostle.
According to the Greek – Byzantine – tradition Saint George‘s father died for the cause of the faith when he was only fourteen years of age. The boy and his mother then returned to Palestine, to her homeland, where his mother kept educating him in the faith. Only after his mother‘s death did Saint George leave Palestine again, joining the Roman army in Nicomedia.
An article published on BBC News in 2014, entitled Why Saint George is a Palestinian hero, explains why and how Saint George is highly venerated by Palestinian Christians – and even Muslims, especially in the region around Bethlehem, as their tradition has it that Saint George once lived in a village near Bethlehem, the village of al-Khadr:
“A familiar flag flaps in the wind above a Palestinian church in the West Bank village of al-Khadr. The red cross on a white background has been associated with Saint George since the time of the Crusades. It is the national flag of England and is also used as an emblem by other countries and cities that have adopted him as their own patron saint.
Yolande Knell: Why Saint George is a Palestinian hero, published on the 23rd April 2014 on BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27048219
However, Palestinians have particular reason to display the symbol and revere the early Christian martyr. For them he is a local hero who opposed the persecution of his fellow Christians in the Holy Land. (…)
St George was a Roman soldier during the Third Century AD, when the Emperor Diocletian was in power. It is said that he once lived in al-Khadr near Bethlehem, on land owned by his mother’s family. While the saint’s father is usually traced back to Cappadocia, an area in modern Turkey, it is believed his mother was Palestinian from Lydda – now Lod, in Israel.
The saint is remembered for giving away his possessions and remaining true to his religion when he was imprisoned and tortured before he was finally executed.
There are many churches in the West Bank and Israel that bear the name of St George – at al-Khadr, Lod and in the Galilee, for example.
While the Western world marks St George’s Day on 23 April, in the Palestinian areas it falls on 6 May, according to the older calendar used by the Eastern Churches.
A service is held for the saint at al-Khadr, bringing worshippers from the Bethlehem area and much further afield to light candles and say prayers. During the feast, special bread is baked that shows him in his typical pose as a dragon slayer.
Such images are also a permanent feature on many Palestinian Christian homes and public buildings. It is thought that the saint brings them protection.
‘He’s a native saint who has done many miracles. We respect him a lot,‘ explains sculptor Akram Anastas. ‘He’s presented as a knight full of peace and grace, riding his horse and always fighting evil, which is symbolised by the dragon. We write underneath in Arabic ‘God bless our house.’‘
Anastas has worked on thousands of stone carvings of the saint during his career, selling them to Palestinian and international buyers.
‘I like him very much. He’s a good friend of mine and I’ve found him many times in my life. He’s my guardian angel,‘ he says.
With its associations of courage, gallantry and honour, the Christian name, George, remains one of the most common in the Palestinian Territories. Other variants are Khadr (Arabic for “green one”) and Jeries. (…)
In a Bethlehem coffee shop known locally as “Abu George” [the father of George], I sit with members of the Thalgieh family, who are all called George. (…) ‘Here in Bethlehem, it’s not just our family. We all believe that St George will help us when we need him. If you have an accident the first thing you say is ‘Ya Khadr’ – it means we are calling for St George to help us.‘ (…)
‘It’s not only the Christians that appreciate him, the Muslims also feel the power and the miracles of St George,‘ says Father Ananias. ‘When the church was built [in the Byzantine period] the neighbours were Christians. I don’t know when the local people became Muslims, but under the Turkish [Ottomans] they protected the monastery and remained very close.‘
An old woman wearing a traditional embroidered dress and the Islamic veil tells me: ‘We all believe in al-Khadr, even my husband. I made a vow to light a candle in al-Khadr church.‘ Many Muslim scholars suggest that a servant of God mentioned in the Koran as an associate of Moses, refers to the figure of al-Khadr, who is identified with St George. (…)“
How interesting! Saint George is even venerated by Muslims in the area around Bethlehem – under the invocation of “al-Khadr“, meaning the “Green One“.
In this report we just read, the journalist mentions the red-on-white cross that is known as St George‘s cross, and that this kind of cross became associated with Saint George in the Middle Ages, during the Crusades. While the white background of this flag may represent purity and holiness, the red cross can be seen as the martyr‘s cross, as the cross of the one who sheds his blood for Christ. In the 10th century this type of cross was used by the Republic of Genoa. Troops from Genoa figured prominently in the Crusades.
There appear many depictions of Saint George as a crusader with the red-on-white cross during this time period. Here you see a picture in a manuscript of the Legenda Aurea from the 14th century that is weaving into the story about Saint George the dragon slayer the imagery of the crusading knight.
But how did this association of Saint George with the Crusades and the red-on-white cross come about? Sure enough, the troops of the Crusades were on a mission to free the land of Palestine, Saint George‘s homeland, and its Christian minority from the “infidels“ and to secure again for the universal Church access to all the most holy ancient sites spread out across the land of Israel. But Jacobus de Voragine mentions that there is much more to it: Saint George actually helped the Crusaders who had set foot on his “homeland“ in their capturing of Jerusalem:
“And in the History of Antioch we read that during the Crusades, when the Christians were on their way to besiege Jerusalem, a very beautiful young man appeared to a certain priest. He told the priest that he was Saint George, the captain of the Christian host, and that if the Crusaders carried his relics to Jerusalem, he would be with them. Then, when they had laid siege to the city, they did not dare mount the scaling ladders in the face of the Saracens‘ resistance; but Saint George appeared to them wearing white armor marked with the red cross, and made them understand that they could follow him up the walls in safety and the city would be theirs. Thus reassured, the army took the city and slaughtered the Saracens.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 242
The white armor with red crosses was the Crusader‘s garb – and Saint George appears to the Christian soldiers in this very dress to reassure them that he is their “captain“ in battle. “My name is George (….). With the help of Christ I have conquered Palestine…“
Saint George slaying the dragon
We could see the line “With the help of Christ I have conquered Palestine…“ also as refering to the most famous legend about Saint George, the one that appears in pictures on so many buildings and homes of Christians in the region of Israel / Palestine, meant for protection: Saint George slaying the dragon.
Jacobus de Voragine tells us that Saint George “held the military rank of tribune“ (ibid. p. 238). From other sources one gets the information that he rose even higher to the rank of “count“ and was, at Nicomedia, a member of the personal guard attached to the Roman emperor. In any case: He was a really capable and charismatic soldier. And then the emperor Diocletian whom he served as guard turned against him and his brothers and sisters in the faith by issuing an edict in the year 303 that authorized the systematic persecution of the Christian people all over the Empire.
Now when it comes to the story about Saint George the soldier’s battle with the dragon, a prelude to his struggle against the tyrants who decided to shed the blood of Christians, it is once again not clear which place is to be imagined as the setting for it. Jacobus de Voragine speaks of “the city of Silena in the province of Lybia“ (ibid. p. 238), North Africa, but other accounts associate it either with Cappadocia or with the region of Beirut, modern-day Libanon, back in those days part of the “Provincia Syria Palaestina“ of the Roman Empire.
Let us assume the latter and see how Saint George “conquered Palestine“ with the help of Christ not only as a helper from heaven during the Crusades but already during his lifetime – and not only in his role as a member of the Roman army, but as a virtuous knight of Christ. So here‘s a good tale, the tale of Saint George the dragon slayer:
“Near this town there was a pond as large as a lake where a plague-bearing dragon lurked; and many times the dragon had put the populace to flight when they came out armed against him, for he used to come up to the city walls and poison everyone who came within reach of his breath. To appease the fury of this monster the townspeople fed him two sheep every day; otherwise he would invade their city and a great many would perish. But in time they were running out of sheep and could not get any more, so, having held a council, they paid him tribute of one sheep and one man or woman. The name of a youth or a maiden was drawn by lot, and no one was exempt from the draft; but soon almost all the young people had been eaten up. Then one day the lot fell upon the only daughter of the king, and she was seized and set aside for the dragon. The king, beside himself with grief, said: ‘Take my gold and my silver and the half of my kingdom, but release my daughter and spare her such a death.‘ But the people were furious and shouted: ‘You yourself issued this decree, O king, and now that all our children are dead, you want to save your own daughter! Carry out for your daughter what you ordained for the rest, or we will burn you alive with your whole household!‘ Hearing this, the king began to weep and said to his daughter: ‘My dearest child, what have I done to you? Or what shall I say? Am I never to see your wedding?‘ And turning to the people he said: ‘I pray you, leave me my daughter for one week, so that we may weep together.‘ This was granted, but at the end of the week they came in a rage, crying: ‘Why are you letting your people perish to save your daughter? Don‘t you see that we are all dying from the breath of the dragon?‘ So the king, seeing that he could not set his daughter free, arrayed her in regal garments, embraced her tearfully, and said: ‘Woe is me, my darling child, I thought I would see sons nursing at your royal breast, and now you must be devoured by the dragon! Alas, my sweetest child, I hoped to invite princes to your wedding, to adorn the palace with pearls, to hear the music of timbrel and harp, and now you must go and be swallowed up by the beast.‘ He kissed her and sent her off, saying: ‘O, my daughter, would that I had died before you, rather than lose you this way!‘ Then she threw herself at his feet and begged his blessing; and when, weeping, he had blessed her, she started toward the lake.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 238-239
Let us pause for a moment and recapture the situation: We are told about a struggle between life and death. The hope for a fruitful and happy life that passes on to the next generation – “I thought I would see sons nursing at your royal breast“ – is swallowed up by a beast, a dragon whose favorite dish are “sheep“ – the meek – and young people. The “breath“ of this dragon is the very breath of death, the very opposite of the “breath of life“ that God breathed into Adam‘s nostrils. The people of the town have to sacrifice their own children to appease this beast that is stronger than them and rules over their region: The life-negating death this dragon brings cannot be avoided and overcome, it can only be held at bay by sacrificing life piece by piece instead of perishing altogether at once. By this arrangement the dragon is kept at a “safe“ distance, yet enormous sacrifices must be made continuously just to avoid a real confrontation. Sacrifices, though, that accomplish nothing to actually redeem the situation – futile sacrifices.
This story with a young princess on her way to be eaten alive by the ugly dragon needs a hero – now…
“At this moment blessed George happened to be passing by and, seeing the maiden in tears, asked her why she wept. She answered: ‘Good youth, mount your horse quickly and flee, or you will die as I am to die.‘ George responded: ‘Lady, fear not; but tell me, what are all these people waiting to see?‘ The damsel: ‘I see, good youth, that you have a great heart, but do you want to die with me? Get away speedily!‘ George: ‘I will not leave here until you tell me the reason for this.‘ When she had told him all, he said: ‘Don‘t be afraid, child! I am going to help you in the name of Christ!‘ She spoke: ‘Brave knight, make haste to save yourself; if not, you will die with me. It is enough that I die alone, for you cannot set me free and you would perish with me.‘
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 239-240
While they were talking, the dragon reared his head out of the lake. Trembling, the maiden cried: ‘Away, sweet lord, away with all speed!‘ But George, mounting his horse and arming himself with the sign of the cross, set bravely upon the approaching dragon and, commending himself to God, brandished his lance, dealt the beast a grievous wound, and forced him to the ground. Then he called to the maiden: ‘Have no fear, child! Throw your girdle around the dragon‘s neck! Don‘t hesitate!‘ When she had done this, the dragon rose and followed her like a little dog on a leash. She led him toward the city; but the people, seeing this, ran for the mountains and the hills, crying out: ‘Now we will be eaten alive!‘ But blessed George waved them back and said to them: ‘You have nothing to fear! The Lord has sent me to deliver you from the trouble this dragon has caused you. Believe in Christ and be baptized, every one of you, and I shall slay the dragon!‘ Then the king and all the people were baptized, and George, drawing his sword, put an end to the beast and ordered him to be moved out of the city, whereupon four yoke of oxen hauled him away into a broad field outside the walls. On that day twenty thousand were baptized, not counting the women and children. The king built a magnificent church there in honor of Blessed Mary and Saint George, and from the altar flowed a spring whose waters cure all diseases. He also offered a huge sum of money to blessed George, who refused to accept it and ordered it to be distributed to the poor. Then he gave the king four brief instructions: to have good care for the church of God, to honor the priests, to assist with devotion at the divine office, and to have the poor always in mind. Finally, he embraced the king and took his leave.“
So this is how Saint George brought life – new life in Christ – to the people of this region who had been plagued by the power of the dragon and death, how he saved the princess and lead thousands upon thousands to baptism in Christ. Who is the dragon, who is behind every beastly assault on life, true happiness, and freedom from bondage in Christ? Saint John the Apostle was once shown a vision that provides the answer:
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She is pregnant – crying out in birth pains, in agony to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: a great fiery red dragon that had seven heads and tern horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail sweeps away a third of the stars of heaven – it hurled them to the earth. Now the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that whenever she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God so they might take care of her for 1,260 days. And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels making war against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down – the ancient serpent, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I head a loud voice in heaven saying, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters – the one who accuses them before our God day and night – has been thrown out. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great rage, knowing that his time is short.‘ Now when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he stalked the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly away from the presence of the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is taken care of – for a time, times, and half a time. And from out of his mouth, the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, in order to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the aid of the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring – those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yeshua. And he stood on the shore of the sea.“
Revelation 12: 1-18
Here the devil is pictured as a “dragon“ – at war with the Woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven, with her Son, the Anointed One, with Michael the archangel, the leader of the heavenly angelic army, with the Church and with all the Woman‘s offspring. At war with Saint George – and with every blessed soul that ever was and ever will be. But both Sacred Scripture and the story about Saint George slaying the dragon tell us how this war ends: It ends well.
Saint George, pray for us!