St George's Day is commemorated on 23 April. St George is the patron saint of England and identified with the ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry. This renowned martyr was born in Cappadocia, Turkey, the son of God-fearing parents. His father suffered for Christ, after which his mother moved to Palestine. When George grew up, he went into the army, in which he rose, by the age of twenty, to the rank of tribune, and as such was in service under the Emperor Diocletian. The Emperor Diocletian (AD 245-313) began a campaign against Christians at the very beginning of the fourth century. In AD 303 George is said to have objected to this persecution and resigned his military post in protest. George tore up the Emperor's order against Christians. This infuriated Diocletian, and George was imprisoned and tortured - but he refused to deny his faith. George was told his life would be spared if he would offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. The people assembled to see him do so, but instead George prayed only to the Christian God. Immediately, fire came down from heaven, an earthquake shook the ground, and idols and the temple buildings were destroyed. Eventually he was dragged through the streets of Diospolis (now Lydda) in Palestine and beheaded. It's said that Diocletian's wife was so impressed by George's resilience that she became a Christian and that she too was executed for her faith.I know it's a stretch for PaleoJudaica, but the story is that he was martyred in Palestine in the fourth century, so close enough. Plus we like dragons. More on St. George's day and Lod here.
I've been at a Heads of School Away Day all day, so this is my first chance to blog. Tomorrow is likely to be very busy too.
