Tuesday 23 April 2013

St George


Saint George (c. 275/281 – 23 April 303 AD) was a Greek who became an officer in the Roman army. His father was the Greek Gerondios from Cappadocia Asia Minor and his mother was from the city LyddaLydda was a Greek city in Palestine from the times of the conquest of Alexander the Great (333 BC). Saint George became an officer in the Roman army in the Guard of Diocletian. He is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography, Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic (Western and Eastern Rites), AnglicanEastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches. He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. His memorial is celebrated on 23 April, and he is regarded as one of the most prominent military saints.
Many Patronages of Saint George exist around the world, including: GeorgiaEnglandEgyptBulgariaAragonCataloniaRomaniaEthiopiaGreeceIndiaIraq,IsraelLithuaniaPortugalSerbiaUkraine and Russia, as well as the cities of GenoaAmersfoortBeirutBotoşaniDrobeta Turnu-SeverinTimişoaraFakiha,BteghrineCáceresFerraraFreiburg im BreisgauKragujevacKumanovoLebanonLjubljanaPérougesPomoriePrestonQormiRio de JaneiroLodLviv,BarcelonaMoscow and Victoria, as well as of the Scout Movement[3] and a wide range of professions, organizations and disease sufferers.

What, on appearance looks like a fair reflection of history on England's Patron Saint, falls down on immediate inspection because the writer does not have the courage to treat the reader as intelligent. To write that Lydda was a Greek city in Palestine is to rewrite history.  Palestine did not exist at this time so why not place Lydda in the country of the day? Judea perhaps?

No comments:

Post a Comment