In Western tradition, St. George is known as the dragon slayer. In the Middle East, he is called Khidr (“Green One”), and in addition to being a dragon slayer, he is also somehow the prophet Elijah. In this book, Robert D. Miller II untangles these complicated connections and reveals how, especially in his Middle Eastern guise, St. George is a reincarnation of the Canaanite storm god Baal, another “Green One” who in Ugaritic texts slays dragons. Combining art history, theology, and archeology, this multidisciplinary study demystifies the identity of St. George in his various incarnations, laying bare the processes by which these identifications merged and diverged. Miller traces the origins of this figure in Arabic and Latin texts and explores the possibility that Middle Eastern shrines to St. George lie on top of ancient shrines of the Canaanite storm god Baal. Miller examines these holy places, particularly in modern Israel and around Mount Hermon on the Syrian-Lebanese-Israeli border, and makes the convincing case that direct continuity exists from the Baal of antiquity to the St. George/Khidr of Christian lore. Convincingly argued and thoroughly researched, this study makes a unique contribution to such diverse areas as ancient Near Eastern studies, Roman history and religion, Christian hagiography and iconography, Quranic studies, and Arab folk religion.

This fascinating history captures more than two centuries of life on and around the St. George Peninsula. These images feature war heroes, churches, community volunteers, historic sites, summer visitors, sailing vessels, and all phases of the still important fishing industry. St. George's rich cultural heritage is well documented due to the booming granite industry, which lured European laborers to this area in the early 20th century. Many of these quarry workers remained. They put down roots and constructed stores, post offices, schools, and clusters of wood-framed dwellings. The stark walls of abandoned granite quarries still pay tribute to these hardworking immigrants. Today, this area is the gateway to Monhegan Island. It inspires the exceptional Wyeth paintings and is a magnet for other noted artists and photographers. Locals, however, still cling to the traditions of their small seaside town.

Excerpt from History of St. George's Parish, Flushing, Long Island The following history of Saint George's Parish, with the exception of the first and the last chapters, has been compiled from a series of articles written for Samr Gaonom's Sworn) and Surnw by the rector of the parish the Rev. J. Carpenter Smith, S. T. D. The editor's work has been to condense and arrange the material thus fur nished. He has not undertaken to verify, by indepen dent research, dates or statements of historic fact. The history appears in the fiftieth year of Dr. Smith's rector ship. The publishers beg that it may be accepted as their offering to commemorate this half-century of faithful ser vice. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.