XPost: alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox   
   From: hayesmstw@hotmail.com   
      
   On 8 Sep 2004 13:17:57 -0700, nat1995@hotmail.com (learner) wrote:   
      
   >hayesmstw@hotmail.com (Steve Hayes) wrote in message news:<4130   
   c98.225560948@news.saix.net>...   
   >   
   >> "learner" approaches this from the point of view of Western modernity. But   
   >> modernity, premodernity and postmodernity are just three ways of looking at   
   >> the same thing.   
   >   
   >In many cases, this is true.  However, Orthodox Tradition [both icons   
   >and oral] describes St. George killing a real dragon.   
   >   
   >> How, I wonder, does "learner" interpret the biblical story of Aaron's rod   
   >> (Exodus 7:8-13)?   
   >   
   >I approach all such claims with a degree of skepticism.  However, the   
   >preponderance of the evidence is more in favor of the OT than Orthodox   
   >Tradition.   
   >   
   >> So what does the Bible have to say about dragons? And how does one interpret   
   >> them?   
   >>   
   >> The main things the Bible says about dragons are in the Revelation of St   
   John   
   >> the Theologian, chapters 12 & 13, where there is an unholy trinity that is a   
   >> parody of the Holy Trinity.   
   >   
   >Meaning that they are not literal creatures walking around the earth!   
   >   
   >> 1) He is the Great Martyr.   
   >>   
   >> Why? He was probably a Roman soldier at the time of Diocletian, the author   
   of   
   >> one of the greatest persecutions of Christians. It is said that he tore down   
   >> the imperial decree ordering the persecution of Christians, and for this he   
   >> was condemned to be burnt alive. Destroying government property, defying   
   state   
   >> authority and all that.   
   >   
   >The majority of historians [even Roman Catholic historians] generally   
   >admit that St. George cannot be the nameless martyr spoken of by   
   >Eusebius (Hist. Eccles., VIII, v) - who tore down Diocletian's edict   
   >of persecution at Nicomedia. The version of the legend in which   
   >Diocletian appears as the persecutor is not old enough. Diocletian, in   
   >this account, is only a rationalized form of the name Dadianus. Also,   
   >the connection of the saint's name with Nicomedia is inconsistent with   
   >the early cult at Diospolis.   
   >   
   >> 2) He killed a dragon and thereby rescued a princess from death   
   >>   
   >> ... There are several English variants of the legend, but by then it was   
   >> already several hundred years old, so they no doubt took many different   
   >> forms, and perhaps borrowed elements from the story of Perseus's slaying of   
   >> Medusa.   
   >   
   >Which makes me doubt Church Tradition to an even more!  How many   
   >mythical encrustations are there on the corpus of Orthodox Tradition?   
      
   Pussy cat, pussy cat where have you been?   
   I've been to London to visit the Queen.   
      
   Pussy cat, pussy cat, what saw you there?   
   I saw a little mouse under a chair.   
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   E-mail: hayesmstw@hotmail.com   
   Web: http://www.geocities.com/hayesstw/stevesig.htm   
        http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/books.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)