Feasts of Saint George
April, 2022
The holy and honored, the great star of the East, Saint George, the fighter, became a martyr on May one. The name of the father of this Holy man was Anastasius and he was from the country of Cappadocia. His mother’s name was Theobesta from the country of Palestine.
When George was twenty years old his father died and after he grew up, went to the Emperor Dodyanos so that he might receive the appointment which his father had held. He found the emperor setting up idols worshipping them and compelling all men to do as same. George divided all the goods, which were his among the poor, the needy and set free his slaves. Then, he stood up before the emperor and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ. The emperor tried to persuade him [to reject Christ] and promised him many great [honors]. But he would not turn [to idolatry] and he would not submit to him. The emperor tortured him lots, but God strengthened him and healed his wounds. He told him that he should die three times for His holy Name, and that each time He would raise him up, but that when he died for the fourth time he should received the crown of martyrdom. He promised him he should inherit great and well-known fame in all the ends of the world, informed him that he should continue to be tortured for seven years and that He would send His angels to minister unto him. Now the emperor was exceedingly sad and sorry because of all the many tortures which he was inflicting upon Saint George; Because the saint would not submit to him.
After this the emperor brought to him a great and powerful magician whose name was Athanasius. He concocted a cup full of poison, gave it to that saint to drink, and he thought that he would die as soon as he had drunk it. When Saint George had drunk the cup, which was full of poison, he received no injury whatsoever. The magician believed on our Lord Jesus Christ and became a martyr. The emperor had an instrument brought wherein were teeth like a saw. He commanded his soldiers to saw the saint in it and when they had sawn him, he delivered up his soul. But our Lord Jesus Christ raised him up, and the Saint returned to the city. Whilst the people saw this, many of them believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and they received crowns of martyrdom. They were in number thirty thousand and seven hundred souls. When Saint George stood before the Emperor Dodyanos, in the place where the kings assembled, now the kings were sitting upon seventy thrones, the emperor said unto him, “We wish thee to make these thrones whereon we are now sitting to put forth leaves, and bear fruit.” Saint George prayed to God concerning these thrones and they put forth leaves and bore fruit straightway.
After this they took Saint George, and boiled him in a brass cauldron and then threw him out into the desert. But God restored his soul to his body and raised him up again; The Saint returned to the kings, preached the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ openly. They all marveled and said to him, “If you will raise the dead we shall know that thy God is God indeed and we will believe.” Saint George prayed to God and he raised up for them from a cave very many dead people, both men and women and young people. These preached the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, told the people about Gahanam, and the Judgment. (or, punishment) After this they returned to their graves and died. When those infidels who were contending against him and resisting him, saw this they said, “These creatures which you have raised up are unclean spirits. They are satanic spirits and not men.” Because of their great sadness and sorrow for Saint George and the tortures which he was condemned by them to suffer and in order that he might submit to them, they committed him to the care of a poor beggar woman. When the poor woman went out to beg for bread the angel of the Lord brought him a table whereon there were all kinds of good food.
There was in the house of that woman a piece of dry wood and whilst Saint George prayed to God that wood germinated, put forth leaves, became a tall tree with long branches and much foliage. When the poor widow came, saw that great miracle, how that tree had shot up and the table, she marveled, and brought her son who was blind, deaf, a dumb, a paralytic, and asked the Saint to heal him for her. He told her the way to God and she believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. The Saint made the sign of the Cross over the face of the child and he saw straightway. Saint George said to her, “I will that the next time he may be able to hear, to walk and to speak.” The emperor passed through the city, saw that tree, and he marveled, asked questions concerning it. They told him, saying, “This tree is in the house of the widow wherein Saint Gorge dwell.”
The emperor having remembered Saint George had him brought to him and he commanded his soldiers to beat him with very many stripes. They beat him and crushed his feet. He died for the third time and they cast [his body] outside the city. But God raised him up and he returned to the kings. When the Emperor saw him, he marveled and was frightened, because of all the tortures to which he had subjected the Saint and he began to speak him fair. He promised to give him his daughter in marriage and to make him the second in the kingdom [if he would deny Christ]. Then the Saint made a mock of him and promised him, untruthfully, that he would offer incense to his gods. The emperor rejoiced and thought that the saint would do so actually. He ran to him, kissed his head and brought him into the royal palace. The Saint rose up and prayed repeating a psalm of David, and the empress, the wife of the emperor, kissed him and asked him to explain to her what he had read. He began to make her to know and to understand the matter from the time when God created the world, to the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ; His words entered her heart and she believed on our Lord Jesus Christ.
On the following day a herald went round calling upon all the men of the city to gather together in order to see Saint George make an offering of incense to the gods. When the widow heard this, she was exceedingly sorry and she went out with the multitude to see Saint George make an offering of incense to the idols. When the Saint saw her he rejoiced and said to her son, “Go to Apollo, and command him to come. Hither to me in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ”; the widow’s son was healed straightway, and he walked and talked, He went to the idol, and told him what Saint George had said. He drove out the Satan that foul spirit, which dwelt in the idol, and brought it to Saint George. The idol confessed before all the people, saying, “I am not God, but a creature that lead men into error.” The saint commanded the earth to swallow him up, and straightway the earth swallowed that deceiver. When the emperor saw this, he and all those who were with him were ashamed. Being filled with fury and wrath against Saint George, he came to the empress his wife and she said to him, “Did I not tell thee not to oppose the Galilean? Their God is strong and mighty.” The emperor was exceedingly wroth with her, for he knew that Saint George had brought her into the True Faith. He commanded his soldiers to drag her outside the city, and to cut up her body with a saw, [and they did so,] and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens.
Then straightway the kings were afraid because of Saint George and they advised the Emperor Dodyanos to write the order for the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, so that he might have rest from Saint George, the mighty one, the conqueror, rejoiced exceedingly. He entreated our Lord Jesus Christ to bring down fire from heaven and destroy the seventy kings, so that they might cease from inflicting tribulation upon the Church. Forthwith fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the seventy kings and all their soldiers. Then our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint George and made many covenants with him. He said to him, “Whosoever shall commemorate thee upon earth I will destroy all his sins. Whosoever is in tribulation, whether by sea or on land, or is sick, and entreat Me in your name, I will deliver him quickly from his tribulation”; having said this He went up into heaven.
After this the Saint bowed his neck, cut off his holy head with the sword and he received three everlasting crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Four of his believing slaves took the body of Saint George, wrapped it up in his apparel, took it into the city of Leda, built a beautiful church, laid his body therein, and countless miracles were wrought there.
Salutation to thee, O George, the root of thousands of martyrs. Salutation to the ninety men and thirty-seven women who, when they saw the hidden glory of the heavens revealed at the martyrdom of Saint George, became martyrs.
Source: The Ethiopian Synaxarium pages 473-475