In Brazil and other places around the world millions of persons watch TV novelas. One that is playing now, “Long Live George”, takes place in Cappadocia, Turkey, where Saint George probably had lived.
There is an already old debate among scholars as to the place of birth of the Saint. It was widely discussed by Malga di Paulo, researcher of the life of the Saint, who provided the data for the current novel. One of her books will be published soon. To Malga, who knows Cappadocia very well, all the clues lead to that place as the birthplace of this famous martyr. Others place it in Lydia, (Lod), Palestine, now Israel, where a sanctuary has been built in his honor.
We can say very little with certainty on the topic. The school of historical critics of the lives of the saints and martyrs started in the XVII century, the Bolandistas, and their work, the Acta Sanctorum leave the question open. Another group, created around A. Buttler, based in the Bolandistas, and accessible in Portuguese through the 12 volumes of The life of the Saints, (Vozes 1984) states: «There is a whole series of reasons to believe that Saint George was a real and true martyr who suffered death in Lydia (Palestine), probably in the epoch before Constantine (306-337). Besides that, it seems that nothing more can be affirmed with certainty.» (vol. IV, pag. 188).
I am inclined to believe that Palestine, and not Cappadocia, was his birthplace. The reason rests in what must have been a confusion of names. In fact, it is a well confirmed historical fact that there was a bishop in Cappadocia named George of Cappadocia. He entered into the history of theology because of his polemics about the nature of Christ: would His nature only be like the nature of God (Arianism) or would it be the same (anti-Arianism)? This debate divided the Church. Emperor Constance II (one of his titles was Pope) wanted to secure the unity of the empire through a single confession, in this case, Arianism. He militarily occupied Alexandria, the focus of the anti-Arianism resistance, and imposed George of Cappadocia as Arian bishop (357-361). He was later murdered.
My hypothesis is that the first compilers of the life of Saint George, already in the V century and later on in the XII century, confused Saint George with the well-known George of Cappadocia, and that’s why they claim he was born there. It is only an hypothesis.
Leaving aside the debate, it is important to remember his best known image: a warrior mounted on a white horse, dressed with a cuirass, a red cross on the white background, confronting a ferocious dragon with his pointed lance.
Since his father was a military man, he followed the same career. He was so brilliant that Emperor Diocletian incorporated him into his personal guard, and gave him the high title of Tribune. When this emperor forced all Christians, on pain of death, to renounce the Christian faith and worship the Roman gods, George refused, and went on the defense of his brothers in the faith. Jailed and tortured, so the legend goes, he miraculously escaped untouched from the caldron of boiling lead, and from several attempts to poison him. But in the end he was beheaded.
In the beginning, he was venerated in the West as a simple martyr, with his trademark palm frond. Over time, especially due to the crusades, he began to be represented as a warrior, with the proper weapons. He was particularly associated with the confrontation with the dragon, the symbol of evil and of the devil.
The best known legend in the West is the following:
On a certain occasion, George, as a soldier, passed through Libya, in North Africa. In the small city of Silene the people lived in terror. In a nearby lake, a terrible dragon reigned. His fiery breath was so deadly that no one could come close enough to kill him. The dragon would eat two sheep daily. When there were no more sheep, the dragon demanded human victims, chosen by lot. One day the lot fell on the daughter of the king. Dressed up as a bride she walked to face her death. And then, saint George appeared on his white horse with his pointed lance. He wounded the dragon and dominated it. He bound its mouth with the sash of the princess and she led the dragon, as tame as a lamb, to the center of the city. And everyone, grateful, converted to the Christian faith.
Saint George has been patron saint of England since 1222, but officially only since 1347 with Edward III, and is celebrated with a solemn feast (St .George’s Day). He is also the patron saint of Russia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece, Catalonia and numerous other cities.
When in 1969, the Vatican conducted a review of the list of saints, and removed the popular Saint George from that list, for reasons that are not totally clear, a great polemic ensued. There was a general outcry, especially in England, Catalonia and also from the Corinthians football team. Cardenal Don Paulo Evaristo Arns, a fervent Corinthian fan interceded with Pope Paul VI in 1969 to keep the veneration of Saint George, at least as an optional celebration. To this the Pope replied: “We cannot prejudice England nor the Corinthian nation; continue with the devotion”. In 2000, John Paul II, with pastoral sensibility, reestablished the feast. Saint George is also present in the Afro traditions: Ogum to the Umbanda and Oxossi to the candomblé-nagô. In Rio de Janeiro, April 23rd is Saint George’s feast day, and is a municipal holiday because he is the official patron saint of the city.
In the next article we will try to decipher the basic archetype that underlies the warrior Saint George and the dragon. Until then, we adopt the popular prayer:
«I will walk dressed up and armed with the weapons of Saint George, so that my enemies having feet do not reach me, having hands do not hit me, having eyes do not see me … that my enemies become humble and submissive to You. Amen».
Translation  by
Melina Alfaro, [email protected],
done at REFUGIO DEL RIO GRANDE, Texas, EE.UU.