St George, 5th century “Passio” – English translation now online

Posted on by Roger Pearse

The earliest account of the martyrdom of St George is palpably fictional, and probably Arian in origin.  It was composed in Greek, probably by an Arian.  It was a rather embarrassing work, and later versions remove much of the rubbish.  For this reason Matzke, who reviewed the tradition, referred confusingly to the original as the “apocryphal version” and the revised version as the “canonical version”.

Only a few leaves of the Greek of the original version exist in palimpsest.  A Latin translation of the whole does exist, however, dating from the 5th century.  An English translation of this has now been prepared.  Here it is:

The files are also available from Archive.org here.

As usual, the file is public domain.  Make whatever use of it you like, whether personal, educational or commercial.

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6 thoughts on “St George, 5th century “Passio” – English translation now online”

  1. dear Roger, Thank you very much for this annotated translation! I am especially interested in locating variants of the episode (on pp 18-19) where St George confronts a demon inhabiting an idol in the temple of Apollo. This is in all likelihood the primary source for the miracle of the demon (BHG 687k), which directly follows the celebrated princess-and-dragon miracle. As I mentioned in a previous message, I have been working on the Old Georgian recensions of the dragon miracle, which has led me to look at the narrative which immediately follows it in nearly all early witnesses (Greek and Latin as well as Georgian). Although the demon miracle is much shorter than the dragon miracle, there is a surprising degree of variation within the witnesses I have looked at, notably in the part where the demon talks about his earlier career as an angel. My question for you is, have you turned up any early Greek versions of the demon-in-an-idol episode? The Greek witness that Krumbacher published (as his “Athener Volksbuch”), recently translated by Papaioannou, is from the 16th century.
    I would be very grateful for any information you could offer.
    Best wishes,
    Kevin

  2. Hi Kevin,
    You’re very welcome! I don’t recall ever paying much attention to the miracle stories of St George, especially in Greek, so I suspect that you know far more than I! Really sorry!

    Do you have the “Saints at the Limits” volume (Papaioannou, DOAKS, 2023), which gives a text from manuscripts and translation? (And mentions your work in the intro!)

    Roger

  3. I’m sure you are aware of the discussions in J. B. Aufhauser, Das Drachenwunder des heiligen George in der griechischen und lateinischen Überlieferung, Leizig: Teubner (1911)

    https://archive.org/details/dasdrachenwunder00aufhuoft/page/n7/mode/2up

    Which gives this text (ChatGPT ‘translation’ after), based on Ms. Paris BNF gr. 770, 1315 AD.

    Ἐξερχομένον δέ τοῦ ἁγιον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως (Λασίας add. Angel. 46) καὶ ἀπερχομένου πρὸς τὴν ίδιαν πόλιν αυτου πατρίδα ὑπήντησεν αυτόν έν τή όδῶ δαίμων ταπεινωμένος, ήσνχος, κρατών έν τή χειρί αυτόῦ βακτηρίαν· καὶ λαβών εἰρηνικά σννήντησεν τον άγιον Γεώργιον καὶ λέγει αὐτω «Εἰρήνη σοι, Γεώργιε.» ὁ άγιος λέγει• « Πώς έτόλμησας καλέσαι το όνομά μον, ὃ ονκ οίδας; μὴ γάρ οὐκ είσαι πονηρός δαίμων;» ό δαίμων είπεν «Πῶς ἐτόλμησας είπεΐν τοΐς ἀγγέλοις τον θεον ταντα; σκόπενσον, τί έλάλησας.» ό άγιος Γεώργιος λέγει· «Έάν είσαι άγγελος θεον. δείξον [σου] τὴν δύναμίν σου.» καὶ ποιήσας έν τή γή τον τύπον τον τιμίον στανρον περιέφραζεν κύκλω τον δαίμονας, καὶ λέγει αντώ· «Επί τω δνόματι τον κνρίον ημών Ίησον Χρίστον δεῦρο άκολούθει μοι.» καὶ ενθέως έβόησεν ὁ δαίμων λέγων. «Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, Γεώργιε, ότι σε νπήντησα.» ὁ άγιος Γεώργιος λέγεν «Ορκίζω σε, πονηρέ δαίμων, τὴν αἰώνιόν σον τιμωρίαν, ΐνα ημΐν εἴπης, τίς εί σύ καὶ τί με έβούλον ποιῆσαι;» ὁ δαίμων είπεν «Εγώ ημην, Γεώργιε, τον πρώτον Σαμουήλ δεύτερος, έγώ, Γεώργιε, σαράκοντα χιλιάδας κατεΐχον· καὶ ὅταν ὁ θεός του οὐρανόν έποίησεν, έγώ έκεϊ ημην. καὶ όταν τὴν γην έχώριξεν, εκεί παρήμην· όταν τον στύλον τῆς γης έποίησεν, έκεί ἱστώμην· όταν τὴν άβυσσον έσφράγισεν, έγώ έθεώρουν, φοβέρας άστραπάς έγώ έπεΐχον· έγώ τὰς νεφέλας έδέσμενον, έμέ ανθρώπινη φύσις ἰδεῖν οὐ δύναται· έμέ αΐ λεγεώνες τών άγγέλων δεδοίκασιν· καὶ ἄρτι διά τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν μου πατονσιν οί πόδες μου τὴν γην, άλλ’ οῦν μάλλον, ότι καὶ σώματα γήινων ἀνθρώπων ημάς μίγονσιν. έγώ, Γεώργιε, έφθόνησα τὴν δοθεῖσάν σοι χάριν καὶ ήβουλήθην άπαντήσαί σοιν, ῖνα με προσκννήσης, ότι πολλούς τον θεοῦ έχώρησα έκ τῆς δόξης αυτου ταντα πάντα εΐπόν σοι, μνήσθητι, Γεώργιε, τὴν προτέραν μον δόξαν καὶ τὴν δευτέραν μου άθλιότητα· μὴ έπιτρέψης με άπελθεΐν είς τὴν ἄβυσσον, ὅτι οἱ έν τω ἀβυσσω ὄντες πρώτοι εισιν παραβάσεως, καὶ ού μὴ εἰσέλθω ἐκεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» τότε ὁ μέγας Γεώργιος ἠρεν τὴν φωνήν αυτού πρός τῶν ὅλων θεὸν λέγων· «Κύριε ὁ μου, εΐσάκουσον της δεήσεώς μου, διότι πάντοτε μου ακούεις· συ γὰρ είπας, κύριε, ὅτι· «Τὸν ερχόμενον πρός με οὐ μὴ εκβάλω ἔξω·» σὺ γάρ, κύριε καρδιογνῶστα, ὁ δήσας καὶ δεσμεύσας έν τῆ χειρί μου τὸν πονηρὸν δράκοντα καὶ τοῦτον τὸν δαίμοναν τον μὴ ποιήσαντα τὸ θέλημά σου καὶ μὴ φυλάξαντα τὰ προστάγματά σου, ἀλλ’ ἐμίανεν τὴν εαυτοῦ πονηρίαν καὶ μὴ ἐπιστρέψαντα πρός σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινόν θεὸν κατάβαλε εἰς τόπον φοβερόν, ἵνα κολάζεται καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα, ἥν ἐπλαστούργησας, μὴ πειράζειν.» καὶ ήν ἐκεῖ πέτρα παμμεγέθης καὶ ἐσφράγισεν αυτὴν ὁ μέγας Γεώργιος λέγων· «Ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριοτοῦ ἀνοίχθητι πέτρα καὶ ὑπόδεξαι τὸν πονηρὸν δαίμονα τοῦτον.» καὶ παραχρῆμα ἐσχίσθη ἡ πέτρα καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πῦρ ἐξ αὐτής καὶ κρατησας τὸν δαίμονα ἔρριψεν αὐτόν ἐν τῶ χάσματι ἐν μέσω τοῦ πυρός. καὶ πάλιν έπέστρεψεν τὴν πέτραν, ὡς ήν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ήν ἐκεῖ κολαζόμενος ὑπό τοῦ πυρὸς ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.
    Δοξάσωμεν πάντες τὸ θαυμαστὸν ὄνομα τοῦ ἁγίου μεγαλομάρτυρος Γεωργίου καὶ ἡμεῖς τώ θεω (δόξαν) ἀναπέμψωμεν· ὁμού αὐτω πρέπει πάσα δόξα, τιμή καὶ προσκύνησις τῶ πατρὶ καὶ τῶ υἱῶ καὶ τω ἁγίω πνεύματι, νύν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ἀμήν.
    Ταῦτα ούν τὰ θαύματα τὰ ὑπέρκαλα καὶ ὑπερθαύμαστα καὶ ἄπειρα, ἅ ἐποίησεν ὁ παμμέγιστος καὶ τρισμακάριστος καὶ πανένδοξος Γεώργιος διὰ τῆς δοθείσης ἐν κυρίω αὐτοῦ χάριτος ἐν Χριοτῶ Ἰησοῦ τῶ κυρίω ἡμῶν, ὡ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀμήν.

    Output:

    As the saint was leaving the city (Lasia, according to manuscript Angel. 46) and going to his own homeland, a demon, humbled and quiet, met him on the road, holding a staff in his hand. And he greeted Saint George peacefully and said to him, “Peace be with you, George.”

    Saint George replied, “How did you dare to call my name, which you do not know? Are you not an evil demon?”

    The demon said, “How did you dare to say such things to the angels of God? Consider what you have spoken.”

    Saint George said, “If you are an angel of God, show me your power.”

    Then he traced the sign of the precious cross upon the ground, encircling the demon, and said to him, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, come and follow me.”

    Immediately, the demon cried out, saying, “Woe to us, George, that I have encountered you!”
    Saint George said, “I adjure you, evil demon, by your eternal punishment, to tell me: Who are you, and what did you intend to do to me?”

    The demon said, **”I was, George, second after the first Samuel. I, George, held sway over forty thousand souls. And when God made the heavens, I was there. And when He separated the earth, I was present. When He established the pillar of the earth, I stood there. When He sealed the abyss, I observed. I wielded terrifying lightning. I bound the clouds. Human nature is unable to see me. The legions of angels feared me. And now, because of my pride, my feet tread upon the earth. Moreover, earthly human bodies mix with us.

    I, George, envied the grace given to you and wished to meet you so that you would worship me, for I have led many of God’s people away from His glory. Having told you all this, remember, George, my former glory and my present wretchedness. Do not permit me to be cast into the abyss, for those who are in the abyss are the first of the transgressors, and I will never enter there for all eternity.”**

    Then the great George lifted his voice to the God of all, saying, “Lord my God, hear my prayer, for You always listen to me. For You have said, Lord, ‘The one who comes to Me, I will not cast out.’ You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, who bound and chained the evil dragon in my hand, cast down this demon who has not done Your will nor kept Your commandments, but defiled himself with his own wickedness and has not turned back to You, the only true God. Cast him down into a dreadful place, that he may be tormented and may no longer trouble the image which You have fashioned.”

    And there was a massive rock there, and the great George sealed it, saying, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, be opened, O rock, and receive this evil demon.”

    Immediately, the rock split apart, and fire came forth from it, and seizing the demon, George cast him into the chasm in the midst of the fire. Then he restored the rock to its original state, and the demon was there tormented by the fire until the end of the age.

    Let us all glorify the wondrous name of the holy great martyr George, and let us render praise to God, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and worship, together with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

    These, then, are the exceedingly great, marvelous, and countless miracles that the most glorious, thrice-blessed, and all-honored George performed through the grace given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and dominion unto the ages. Amen.

  4. Good morning Roger, Thank you for the prompt reply! Yes I have looked at Papioannou’s new book, which is what set me off on this latest philological Easter-egg hunt. And I read his response to my article on the Georgian witnesses of the dragon miracle. He makes some good points in justification of his choice of manuscript for translation (Aufhauser’s “ms Z”), although I persist in my belief that, despite its early date, it is significantly divergent from the Georgian and Latin texts which I consider closer to the hypothetical Urtext. I have another paper on this topic which will appear in the Dumbarton Oaks papers. If you want, I will send you a copy. By the way, a second thank you for steering me to the Soghdian fragments of St G’s martyrdom, which includes the demon-in-an-idol motif I am interested in, as well as thought-provoking commentary by Hansen.
    best wishes
    Kevin

  5. Glad to help! It will be most interesting to see what you come up with! I’d be glad to see your paper – thank you.

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