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Saint George is one of Christianity's most popular saints, and is highly honored by both the Western and Eastern Churches.〔Christian Roy, 2005, ''Traditional Festivals'' ISBN 978-1-57607-089-5 page 408〕 A wide range of devotions, traditions, and prayers to honor the saint have emerged throughout the centuries. He has for long been distinguished by the title of "''The Great Martyr''" and is one of the most popular saints to be represented in icons.〔Robin Cormack, ''Icons'', Harvard University Press, 2007 ISBN 0-674-02619-5 page 69〕 Devotions to Saint George have a large following among Christians, and a large number of churches are dedicated to him worldwide. Since the Middle ages, the story of the life of Saint George, both as fact and legend, has come to symbolize the victory of good over evil, and become part of local Christian traditions, festivals and celebrations that continue to date. Saint George has been widely represented in Christian art in multiple media and forms, from paintings and sculptures to stained glass and reliefs, through the ages and has become the subject of multiple prayers and devotions.〔Fred Kleiner, 2008, ''Art Through the Ages: A Global History'' Wadsworth Press ISBN 0-495-41060-8 page 546〕〔Jack Finegan, 1981, ''The archeology of the New Testament'', Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-7099-1006-1 page 84〕〔Thomas Dale, ''Relics, prayer, and politics in medieval Venetia'' Princeton University Press, 1997 ISBN 0-691-01175-3 page 115〕〔Dorothy Spicer, ''Festivals of Western Europe'', Published by BiblioBazaar, 2008 ISBN 1-4375-2015-4, page 67〕〔Robert Pateman, 2006, ''Belgium'', Published by Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 0-7614-2059-2 page 117〕 This article traces the origins, development and growth of the Christian devotions, traditions, and prayers to Saint George. ==History and origins== Aloysius Lippomani, the 16th century Bishop of Bergamo, was one of the first people to undertake a serious study of Saint George. But modern scholarship really began in the 17th century with the group of Jesuit scholars called the Bollandists. Daniel Papebroch, Jean Bolland and Henschen provided a good account of the life of Saint George in Acta Sanctorum and it inspired other scholars to dispense with Medieval myths, and perform detailed studies.〔Christopher Walter, 2003, ''The Warrior Saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition'' Ashgate Publishing, ISBN 1-84014-694-X page 110〕 After multiple attempts by hagiographers the time of Saint George's life was firmly established in the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca as being during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the late third century, rather than the mythical King Dadianus. A document found in the Vatican was signed by a witness Pascrates on April 23, which had previously been reported as the date of Saint George's execution, and had since become his feast day. The saint's father was established as a Cappadocian pagan senator Gerontius and his mother Polychronia as a Christian from Palestine, who raised him as a believer.〔Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca 271, 272.〕 The saint's father died when he was young, and his mother inherited a large estate which she later descended to her son. He joined the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian but during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians declared himself to be one and tore down the Emperor's edict in defiance. Saint George was tortured and dragged behind horses through the streets but would not renounce his Christian beliefs. The saint was then beheaded on April 23 303. A significant number of conversions to Christianity were reported after his martyrdom, and led to his continued veneration.〔F. J. Foakes-Jackson, ''A History of the Christian Church'', Published by Cosimo, Inc., 2005 ISBN 1-59605-452-2 page 87〕〔John Foxe, ''History of Christian martyrdom'', Published by J.P. Peaslee, 1834 page 57〕〔Alban Butler, ''The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints'' Published by Duffy, 1845, page 235〕 Saint Nino of Cappadocia, who was probably a relative of Saint George on her father's side, was taken as a slave woman and was moved to ancient Iberia (a remote part of the Roman Empire between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea) in about 320. But she became a healer and confidant to the Queen of Iberia and spread Christianity and the story of Saint George. The Iberian King became a Christian after he was lost in the woods and found his way back by praying to Christ. Saint Nino initiated the construction of the first Christian Churches in east Georgia at Mcxeta, including a church where Svetitskhoveli Cathedral stands today. By the end of the sixth century, the Kings of Iberia had adopted the insignia of Saint George, from which the country of Georgia derived its name.〔Martin D. Stringer, ''A sociological history of Christian worship'' Cambridge University Press, 2005 ISBN 0-521-81955-5 page 141〕〔F. J. Foakes-Jackson, ''A History of the Christian Church'', Published by Cosimo, Inc., 2005 ISBN 1-59605-452-2 page 556〕〔Antony Eastmond, ''Royal Imagery in Medieval Georgia'', Penn State Press, 1998 ISBN 0-271-01628-0 page 119〕 But the early devotions to the saint were not limited to the northern countries. In the sixth century Saint George as the ''Martyr of Cappadocia'' began to grow in popularity among Greek Egyptians and the devotion spread to other parts of Europe.〔Jill Kamil, ''Christianity in the land of the pharaohs'' Published by Routledge, 2002 ISBN 0-415-24253-3, page 276〕 By the sixth century Saint George had become the ideal Christian knight. In the seventh and eighth centuries stained glass windows in churches across Europe depicted him.〔Sister Mary Kathleen Glavich, ''Saints and Feast Days'' Published by Loyola Press, 1985 ISBN 0-8294-0505-4 page 110〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Saint George in devotions, traditions and prayers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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