Some of you know that I like to paint traditional Christian icons. This icon of St. George, the patron saint of Palestine, was painted by Ian Knowles (http://www.eliasicons.co.uk/).
Saint George was one of the early victims of the anti-Christian persecution ordered by the Emperor Diocletian. It is believed that he died 303CE. George means tiller of the soil and the real Saint George was probably a farmer. I’m fairly confident that he never saw a dragon or rescued a princess in distress. The real St. George was a courageous witness to his faith in Jesus Christ and one of the many men and women who were tortured and murdered by the empire of his day. His memory lived on within the Christian community and over the centuries he has became a patron saint of agriculture, flocks and shepherds and the people Palestine.
The earliest icons of St. George show him dressed in the garb of a military man. It has been suggested that the historical George was not a soldier but is clad in military attire because he possessed the qualities that Saint Paul spoke of in his letter to the Church of Ephesians. Paul argued that the followers of Jesus should gird themselves with truth, be armored with righteousness, have their feet wrapped with the Gospel of peace, protect themselves with a shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, carry with them the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. In this icon George seems to be fully equipped for battle with the forces of oppression.
The dragon legend began centuries later. The version I remember from childhood tells of a dragon who lived in a swamp close to a village. In fear local villagers offered their children to the dragon as a sacrifice to appease his/her wrath. One day Elizabeth, the king’s daughter, was to be sacrificed. George arrived riding a white horse. He prayed to God and then subdued the beast with his lance. Elizabeth later led the wounded dragon into the city.
When I look at this icon I remember that the fire breathing dragon is a literary invention used to symbolize the the forces that tried to destroy Christians in the 4th century. I notice that George rides a white horse which represents the courage God gave to George as he faced empire and death. I also notice that his face is not angry, or full of fear or hatred. His calm, composed face reminds me that Our Lord has commanded us to “Love our enemies”. I notice that the lance George holds is very thin and rests lightly in his open hand and there is a small cross at the top. All this suggesting that weapons of violence and war will not overcome evil.
I also notice in this particular icon subtle differences which reflect the contemporary reality of the Palestinian people. This dragon clutches an olive tree, uprooted and destroyed, which is one of the ways present day Israeli settlers terrorize Palestinian farmers. And the defeated dragon has fallen onto, and broken, a large concrete wall, which looks strangely like the separation wall created by the Israelis.
If my memory is right and the legend ends with Elizabeth walking a wounded, and no longer terrifying dragon, through the city then I can carry within my heart an reminder that the goal is not to destroy the dragon but rather to convert it from enemy into friendship.
As I venture off to Palestine remember me in your prayers. May the Spirit gird me and all who seek peace in the middle east, with truth, arm us with righteousness, and wrap our feet in the Gospel of peace.
Thom in Palestine 