The Martyrdom and Miracles of Saint George of Cappadocia

Martyrdom of Saint George, the valiant martyr of our\\\ /ord Jesus Christ, who completed his strife on the 23rd of the month Pharmuthi, in the peace of God, Amen.

Now in times of old there arose a severe and terrible storm, and a great and mighty storm and persecution came upon the Church. In all places the governors had gone astray, and they dragged the preachers of the, truth to the altars of the idols, and compelled them all to offer sacrifices to devilish idols. Thus also did the governor Dadianus, who had acquired dominion and had obtained the rule over the four quarters of the earth. When Dadianus had become chief, he s’at upon the tribune, and wrote edicts to be proclaimed throughout the whole world; and these are the things that were written in them. “Inasmuch as a rumour has come to my ears that He to whom Mary gave birth is the God who is alone to be worshipped, and that Apollo and Poseidon and Hermes and Astarte and Zeus and Ezabel (sic) and Uranus and Scamandros and the other gods are not to be worshipped at all, but that Jesus Christ whom the Jews slew is to be worshipped,— I, therefore, write to every place, and to the governors of every land, and to all rulers under the authority of my government to come to me speedily that they may know the decision of my power.” Then seventy governors from all parts of the world were gathered together there with so great and mighty a multitude, that the land could not contain them for their number.. And Dadianus the governor sat upon the tribune and made them bring forth all the instruments of the torture chamber and lay them before him; and these were they. The brazen bed, the bone smashing choppers, the iron rods (?), the wheels with knives fixed to them, the wooden horses, the wooden g.oves, the iron gloves, the tongue slitting knives, the tools for drawing out the teeth, the iron bone borers, the sharp saws and other implements of cruel torture. And Dadianus swore an oath, saying, “If I find any people of doubtful mind and refusing to vorship the gods, I will reverse tthe commands of my fathers find will torture them with bitter sufferings, I will break in the lowers of their hearts, I will smash their heads, I will cut out Iheir brains with sharp knives, I will saw off their shin bones, I will tear open their bodies, and I will cut off their limbs from their bodies.” When the multitude heard these things they feared the tortures greatly, and those who wished to become martyrs [refrained] when they considered the numbers of tortures which they ran the risk of suffering; and three whole years went by without any one daring to say, “I am a Christian”.