Martyrdom and Miracles

When St. George defied Emperor Diocletian’s order to worship idols, the emperor unleashed many tortures to break his faith. Tradition says George was bound to a wheel studded with sharp blades and rolled over jagged stones, his body hurt yet unbowed. As tradition recounts in the Coptic Synaxarion, a voice from heaven said, “Do not fear, George, I am with you,” and God restored him through his faith, leaving onlookers in awe. Some say generals Anatolius and Protoleon, seeing this, confessed Christ and became martyrs themselves.

Tradition says a magician named Athanasius offered George a cup of deadly poison, but through his prayer and the sign of the cross, God protected George, and he drank it unharmed. This led Athanasius to believe in Christ and face martyrdom. Tradition says Diocletian ordered George boiled in a brass cauldron, yet God preserved him through his faith, and he walked forth unscathed. Some say George endured seven years of such torments, each met with God’s deliverance.

George’s courage was a testimony to Christ’s power, inspiring those around him. Through every trial and deliverance, he showed that true strength comes from faithfulness, a lesson that lives in the Church today.