Antonio Belda, presbyter
(Also called Dioscópolis) in Palestine. (From the Greek manuscript of
Venice, confronted with the Vatican and Florentine manuscripts).
Chapter II
New torments.
Victory over the magician Athanasius.
10.- Diocletian, leading to what happened, reacts irrationally. Order the saint to be thrown into a freshly baked lime oven. Post guards to prevent anyone from helping you until the third day.
Bound is led to this ordeal. Jorge prays very loudly: "O conservative of the afflicted, protection of the persecuted, hope of those from whom nothing is expected! Lord my God listen to the prayers of your servant! Look at me and have compassion on me! Deliver me Lord of the adversary's snares! Grant me to preserve to the end immutable the confession of your name! Do not leave me, Sir, because of my iniquities when my enemies say: where is your God? Show your power, illuminate your name on me, useless servant of yours! Send your Angel, custodian of my unworthiness; You who in Babylon moved the dew oven and kept the three young men unharmed! You are blessed forever. Amen!”
The minions sent return once they have executed what was ordered.
11.- Diocletian says to them three days later "I don't want Jorge to be left without a grave, once it has been thrown into the lime kiln for its wickedness and stubbornness. His followers would honor him and fall into perdition, victims of his mad desire for glory. ” "Go, well, and bury it and erase it forever if any of its bones are left!”
Soldiers go as fast as possible. They are followed by a crowd of the people; they want to take a closer look at what happened and what could happen. They take out the lime. Inside the oven is the saint dressed resplendent as one who returns from a banquet. Thanking God for all your benefits, with raised hands. They take it out of the oven; Jorge has no sign of injury. The stunned attendees, praise god.
12.- The rumor of the prodigy reaches Diocletian; soldiers linger and time passes.
The emperor approaches George and, pasmado, says "where do you get, Jorge, these wonders and with what art they are made in you? I think you simulate the religion of the Crucified and you do magic; with your extraordinary deeds you drag and show yourself as great. In this way you publish your God superior to all gods, whatever it is."
The Saint responds: "I certainly believed, Emperor, I couldn't open my mouth despising God: He is powerful in everything and delivers those who wait on Him from their troubles. You are in a deep abyss of error, surely pressed by the devil. I deplore your blindness because you have decided not to believe the miracles that you just verified with your eyes and you call them witchcraft. You are miserable, unworthy of you answering. "
"Now I will know, Diocletian says, if you do admirable things before us, if you judge me unworthy to answer me and if you have someone who heals you against your will. ”
Order to bring some iron shoes with very pointed nails. In their presence they are put into the forge. When they are red hot, they put on the martyr and lead him to prison, whipping him on the road.
The tyrant scoffed saying: What a fast runner you are, Jorge!”
The so bitterly driven and beaten Martyr re-created himself saying: "Jorge runs until you reach them. Run in such a way that it is not in vain ”. Then I would invoke God and say: "Lord, look from heaven at my work and attend to the groan of your servant subject with these irons; my enemies have multiplied; because of your name they hate me innocuously. You lord, heal me because my bones have been crushed. Give me patience until the end; that my enemy does not say: I could. "
In this way I prayed on the way to prison, handcuffed to the guardian, distressed from the wounds that burning spiked shoes caused him.
13.- All day and all night he spent thanking God.
On the third day the Emperor calls him and presents himself. I was in the public theater, seated, forming court. He sees that the saint is as graceful as if he did not receive any inconvenience from the shoes with spikes. Exclaims greatly admired: "What is it Jorge? Have you found the shoes pleasant and comfortable?”
And Jorge: "Certainly, Emperor."
Diocletian says: "Give up your boldness, behave modestly, leave your magic and come closer. Sacrifice the auspicious gods. Otherwise I will put you in many other torments and I will take this sweet life from you. ”
And Jorge: "How foolish you seem! What do you call deception to the power of my God! Compare your aid to magic, games of the demons you worship! What do you say such trickery with such impudence!”
Diocletian with an irritated voice and terrible gaze orders the Martyr to be interrupted; that the soldiers hit him in the mouth; "So that I may learn not to insult the Emperor". Then he orders to be flogged with ox nerves until his flesh and blood mix with the ground..
14.- The holy Martyr tormented with so much cruelty remains happy. The admired Emperor comments to his close ones: "Without a doubt this does not come from strength and virtue, before contrary to magic ".
Magnencio proposes to her: "There is in this place a man very specialized in magic; if you want make him come. Jorge will be defeated and will succumb. He is called the magician. Introduced to the Emperor, what does he say; "What has this wicked man all witnessed; How did your business do it is to know. Undo your deceptions. Make him modest and restrained, or with your magic take his life right away. So we will see him caught in his own networks; receive the death you have deserved. I have allowed him to live until now because I have decided your magical intervention. The magician Athanasius promises the Emperor that three days later he will do the task.
The Emperor orders the chained custody of the Saint and leaves the court.
Again Jorge enters prison and prays to God: "Your mercy Lord be admirable in me; direct my steps to your confession and lead my way in your faith, so that your name may be praised in everything. ”
15.- Completed the three days, constituted the court, Diocletian is sitting in the most preeminent place and calls the magician. Immediately comes with the gravity of the lips, showing some ingredients in a ceramic pot. Say to the Emperor: "Now bring the prisoner and, with the help of the gods, you will fully feel the power of my preparations. If you want this crazy to do what you say to take this drink (and presented a jar); on the contrary if you want your court to witness his bitter death that he drinks from this other. ”
The Emperor commands that Saint George be brought into his presence; and newcomer exclaims: "At last, Jorge, your magic will end or will disappear. ” And orders them to make him drink the prepared drug by force. He drinks it willingly; does not notice anything wrong. Finally nothing new happens. Is joyful. He has fooled the devil's deception.
But the Emperor is furious, wants to be forced to take the other pot. The divine Jorge does not wait to be forced to drink it and, spontaneously, take it willingly; but it is kept in the same way without any harm by the help and grace of God.
The Emperor and Senate were stunned, and no less Athanasius himself, seeing so extraordinary fact.
The Emperor replaced the Martyr: "How long will you take us to the amazement with your deeds? How long won't you tell us the truth? For what less reason do you value the torments we give you?, and you escape the effect of the potions that we have administered? Oops, Make all things clear to us; we listen to you carefully!”
16.- The blessed Jorge responds: "Emperor do not think that I remain unscathed by human means, but by the power and invocation of Christ. Confident in them, they do nothing torments, according to his arcane discipline. ”
And Diocletian: "What is this discipline of your Christ?”.
The divine Jorge: "Foreseeing your diligence for the worst, confirmed to his disciples, He instituted that they should not fear those who kill the body and that they should not worry about the superfluous saying: "Not a hair will fall from your head" and "even if you drink something deadly it will not harm you". Finally listen, oh emperor, speaking briefly, this is his true promise: "He who believes in me will do the same things that I do."
Diocletian: What are your works you say?”
The divine George answers: "Give sight to the blind, heal the lepers, make the lame walk, open the ears to the deaf, drive out the unclean spirits, raise the dead and other such things. "
The Emperor returned to Athanasius: What do you say to this?”
Athanasius: "I am amazed that Jorge, spreading lies to your meekness be persuaded that your empire may be wrong. We gain daily benefits from the immortal gods, and of his goodness we enjoy many goods; but we have never seen the dead rise in our day. East, trusting a mortal man, worshiping a crucified God, shamelessly witnessing the greatest signs. More when he affirms before all of us that his God has done such things, and that those who hope in Him experience his true promise, and they will do what he himself did, let a dead man rise before you. Then we will also worship their God as almighty. In that stone grave that you see there is a dead man that I knew; recently buried. If Jorge resurrected him. It would certainly win. ”
17.- Admired the Emperor agreed to Athanasius's advice to try. There was a large grave in front of the court, half a stadium away. Then Magnencio, who assisted the Emperor, asked that divine George be detached from the chains that held him. And tells: "Show us now the wonderful works of God and by faith you will unite us with Him."
Saint George answers: "My Consul, God, who has created all things from nothing, it is not powerless to resuscitate for me this dead. But you cannot understand the true because of your minds deceived by error. Afraid, for the people present, what you send to tempt me, God do it through me and you attribute it to magic too. See here in your presence the magician that you have brought: He has confessed that this cannot be accomplished either by spells or by any of your gods.. In sight and hearing all those present I will pray to my God ".
Saying this, kneeling, almost crying I begged God; and getting up he continued like this out loud: "Eternal God, Merciful God, God of all strength and that you can do everything, that you do not confuse the hope of those who hope in you. Lord Jesus Christ listen to me, my wretched servant of yours, at this time, You who listened to the apostles everywhere and in all things with wonders and signs. Grant this evil generation the miracle they have asked for and raise the dead who rests in the grave, to the confusion of those who do not worship you and to your glory and that of the Father and the Holy Spirit. I ask you, Lord, to show those present that you are only the Most High God over all the earth; that they themselves know that you are the mighty Lord, that everything is subject to your desire and that the glory is yours forever Amen. ”
Said the amen by the saint a huge thunder sounded, so much that everyone trembled from head to toe.
So, open burial, resurrecting the dead leaves the grave in full view.
18.- Then a riot arises in the town; many with loud voices praise Christ as the highest God.
The Emperor and his court, full of amazement and disbelief, they said that Jorge was great and that he deceived those present through the spirits. But when they found that the risen true man and who invoked Christ and that running towards Jorge he was joined, they were dumb as lacking in judgment.
Athanasius, running, kneels at the feet of the Saint, proclaiming Christ omnipotent God, and asking the Martyr for himself to forgive him of what he had done out of ignorance.
After a long time Diocletian, indicating silence the people, spoke like this: "Do you see the deception? Do you clearly perceive the malice of these conjurers? This lousy Athanasius, secretly favoring his very similar and studious of his same art, hasn't given him the enchanting drugs to trick us. That is why Jorge has hardly been harmed with those discounts; before well, most disrespectful, has promised that he would resurrect the dead. They have pretended to resurrect the feigned deceased in their own favor ”:
19.- Having said that, the tyrant orders that Athanasius and the risen one together, right there, be hacked to death, as to those who publicly confess that only Christ is God. But the Holy Martyr Jorge puts him in jail: "He will remain chained until he deliberates what to do with him, once I am free of public works. ”
The Emperor returns to his palace. Saint George, in jail, exulted in his spirit and continued thanksgiving to Dio:Glory to you Lord, do not confuse those who wait on you. I thank you because you have helped me everywhere; because every day you grant me even greater benefits and you adorn my lowliness. Make me worthy Christ my God, to see your glory quickly, now that I'm confused. ”
To be continue…
