Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

Posts Tagged ‘St George and the Dragon’

St. George's Dragon "Tamed" Embroidered Dragon with Cross

The story of St. George alternatively slaying or taming a dragon dates back centuries. While it is considered a legend in many ways, there is a strong historical foundation that explains the “dragon” in it’s original context and also explains well the nature of St. George’s conquering love. The historical St. George was a Roman soldier and a martyr for the cause of Christ.

Either version of the story relates to the Church’s classic struggle of spiritual combat against the powers of darkness. In Eastern Orthodoxy icons of St. George in battle with the dragon have been used to inspire the faithful in their own private war with sin and lawlessness for generations. At the present day, St. George’s Day celebrations in the UK recall the legend and allow participants to “act it out”

As Americans devoted to newness at any cost, we often fail to recognize the power of Classical Christian Symbols and understandings of history to inspire people in the present however. Many relics of the past, to be sure, must be reinterpreted in light of scripture because as Reformed and Evangelical Christians we do not consider St. George our patron in terms of things eternal. Like St. George, we have the Risen Christ alone as our heavenly patron and intercessor! But as the embedded You Tube video shows, modern people can be engaged through the historic symbolism of the Church when we are engaged by it ourselves.

Here you can see the band “Toto” singing their song “St. George and the Dragon”. It would indeed be cheesy to create a “Got Dragons Lately?” bumper sticker, though Christian attempts at relevance have not failed to stoop to that depth. This should be a reminder that if we live our lives in light of the Christian view of life and history, such living faith can’t help but grasp the imaginations of people who have their own dragons to slay yet today.

Enjoy the music. But look beyond it to our Lord whose own Conquering Love inspired “St. George the Martyr” in his original battle with the “Dragon”!