Saint George, "Intrepid Champion of Our Risen Christ"

“Clad in his bright coat of mail, mounted on his warsteed, and spearing the dragon with his lance,--George, the intrepid champion of our Risen Jesus, comes gladdening us today with his Feast…His martyrdom took place in Paschal Time; and thus, he stands before us as the Guardian of the glorious Sepulcher just as Stephen, the Protomartyr, watches near the crib of the Infant God..”—Dom Prosper Gueranger, The Liturgical Year

There is a tendency among us post-moderns to quickly dismiss saints, even illustrious martyrs, when certain parts of their hagiography are called into question. Part of this is because we don’t know how to read stories. Perhaps it is also because we do not appreciate the gift of the Christian martyrs as we should. After all, there is no such thing as a saint who is “just a martyr.” Martyrdom is “the supreme act” of a Christian. 1

It is true that an early hagiography …