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Some
famous people from both biblical and modern times, are remembered
in St John's Cathedral because their lives were dedicated to God
through service to other people.
Our
knowledge of some of these personalities is slim, being based almost
entirely on legend, as in the case of St George and St Nicholas
With others we have a wealth of historical data on which to base
our knowledge, as in the case of King David.
The
following notes give a small sample of the many lives remembered
in St John's Cathedral.
 Lives
from the distant past
St
George Represented in a stained glass window
All
we know for sure about St George is that he was a soldier and
a martyr. Many sources indicate that he was born in Cappadocia
in the third century of noble Christian parents. He held an important
position in the Roman army during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian
who was noted for his persecution of Christians. Because of his
faith George was dragged through the streets of Lydda (now Lod
in Israel) in Palestine, then beheaded.
According
to the best known legend concerning St George, a dragon was terrorising
the people of a town in Libya. Citizens tried to placate the dragon
by feeding it two sheep every day. When this was not enough, they
began to sacrifice human beings to it, drawing lots to decide
who was to be the next victim. One day the lot fell upon the local
princess.
St
George happened to be riding by and , making the sign of the Cross,
engaged the dragon in mortal combat. He pinned it to the ground
with his lance and thrust his sword through the dragon, which
was then hauled into the town where it was killed by George, thus
saving the princess and the townspeople. This story was popularised
in The Golden Legend (1265)
During
the Middle Ages St George became an ideal of martial valour and
selflessness. He is the patron saint of England (and also associated
with the Order of the Garter), Moscow, Georgia, Aragon, Genoa
and Venice (after St Mark). He is also the patron saint of soldiers
and armourers. In his portrayal as patron saint, he is clad in
knightÕs armour with a scarlet cross.
St
Nicholas
Represented in a banner
Nicholas
of Myra is thought to have lived in the fourth century. He was
born of Christian parents, travelled a great deal during his youth
and eventually became Bishop of Myra. He was thrown into prison
during the Roman Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians
but was released under Emperor Constantine.
The
tradition of Santa Claus has its origin in the story of St Nicholas'
reputation for kindness and generosity to the poor and needy.
One story concerns three girls to each of whom he gave a bag of
gold as a wedding dowry, thus saving them from lives of prostitution.
Because the feast of the saint occurs near Christmas and because
the giving of the three bags of gold was compared to the gifts
of the Magi to the infant Christ, St Nicholas gradually became
merged with the Christmas story.
On
another occasion it is said that he restored to life three children
who had been chopped up by a cruel butcher and put into a vat
of brine. On the basis of this miracle St Nicholas was adopted
as the patron saint and protector of children and young choristers.
Another
story tells of a voyage during which the boat in which St Nicholas
was travelling was almost wrecked by rough seas. Nicholas stood
up and, in the name of Christ, rebuked the waves, which then subsided.
He thus became the patron saint of sailors and travellers. St
Nicholas is usually depicted as a bishop. He is the chief patron
saint of Russia.
St
John, the Apostle and Evangelist
Represented in stained glass windows, a banner, and by symbols
on the western facade
The
youngest of Jesus' twelve disciples, John is credited with being
the author of the Fourth Gospel, the book Revelation and three
epistles, alll part of the Holy Bible. He played a leading role
in the early church at Jerusalem.
He
was the son of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman, and Salome. John
and his older brother James were among the first disciples called
by Jesus. He and his brother together with Simon Peter formed
an inner nucleus of intimate disciples who were present at the
raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration of Jesus and
the Crucifixion of Jesus'.
John's
authoritative position within the church after the Resurrection
is shown by his travels about Judea with Peter preaching the Gospel
and laying hands on the new converts. He is said to have journeyed
to Asia Minor where he founded the seven churches referred to
in Revelation. He settled for a time in Ephesus where he was persecuted
by the Roman Emperor Diocletian who, according to legend, twice
attempted to put John to death.
On
one occasion, the emperor ordered him to drink a cup of poisoned
wine. As John raised the cup to his lips, the poison departed
in the form of a snake. On another occasion John was immersed
in a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped unhurt.
He
was exiled to Patmos, the place of his Revelation. He came back
to Ephesus where he is said to have died at an advanced age. Another
tradition says that John did not die, but ascended into heaven
like Enoch and Elijah.
John
is depicted sometimes as an evangelist, sometimes as an apostle.
He is often represented in art by the eagle, symbol of the highest
inspiration, and the book. He is also on occasion seen with the
cauldron of oil or the cup with a snake, in reference to the attempts
on his life. He is the patron saint of St JohnÕs Cathedral.
King
David Represented in stained glass windows
David
was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem c. 962 BC. He was
the second of the Israelite Kings, reigning from c.1000 - 962
BC. He established a united kingdom over all Israel, with Jerusalem
as the capital. In Jewish tradition he became the ideal king,
the founder of an enduring dynasty. As he was a symbol of future
fulfilment, New Testament writers emphasised that Jesus was of
the lineage of David. Before the Crucifixion, Jesus was welcomed
into Jerusalem as the 'son of David.'
In
the Bible, the two books of Samuel and the first book of Kings
in the Old Testament provide the main source for knowledge of
his earlier life and his reign. He is first mentioned when he
is anointed by Samuel as the future king.
Perhaps
the most well story of David (1 Samuel, ch 17) is his victory
over the Philistine giant Goliath and the subsequent rout of the
whole army of Philistines, armed only with a slingshot and stone
and an unswerving faith in God.
Saul,
the reigning king at that time, promoted David, but subsequently
became jealous of him and sought to kill him, but David fled.
Upon SaulÕs death, David became king of the Judean tribes
and later won the allegiance of all Israel, first, by his successful
war against the Philistines, thus bringing security to the whole
land and then by establishing Jerusalem as the centre for political
power and worship.
Although
the kingdom eventually broke up after the death of his successor,
Jerusalem, the 'city of David' became the Holy City for all Jews,
and the Messiah, 'the anointed one' of the house of David, a sign
of the relationship between the God of Israel and his people.
He
is traditionally regarded as the author of the Psalms, but it
is generally considered unlikely that he wrote more than a fraction
of them.
Lives
from the recent past
Represented
in stained glass windows in the Sth Transept
The
New Guinea Martyrs
- Mavis
Parkinson
-
May Hayman
-
Margery Brenchley
-
Lilla Lashmar
During
Word War II, 333 Christians lost their lives in New Guinea during
the invasion and occupation of the island by the Japanese forces.
The four women depicted in the stained glass window are representative
of those who remained at their posts, refusing to desert the people
they cared for.
In
December 1941 Japanese forces attacked the American fleet at Pearl
Harbour. In the same month they invaded Malaya. British forces
capitulated in Singapore in February 1942. The missionaries living
in New Guinea watched events anxiously.
In
January 1942 the Anglican bishop, Philip Strong, had broadcast
an appeal for them to stay at their work, come what may. "The
history of the church tells us", he said, "that missionaries
do not think of themselves in the hour of danger and crisis, but
of the Master who called them to give their all, and of the people
they had been trusted to serve and love to the uttermost."
Many of the missionaries themselves wished to stay and had already
resisted calls to turn to safety.
On
21 July 1942 the Japanese invaded the island near the mission
station at Gona where Mavis Parkinson, a teacher, and May Hayman,
a nurse, were based. Eventually they were caught and killed by
the Japanese at Popondetta in August 1942. Their bodies were later
recovered and buried at Sangara Mission Station. Mavis Parkinson
came from Ipswich and May Hayman from Fortitude Valley.
Lilla
Lashmar, a teacher, and Margery Brenchley, a nurse, who had been
working at Sangara Mission Station were beheaded on the beach
at Buna. Their bodies were never recovered as it was believed
they were thrown into the sea.
Philip
Strong later wrote of the New Guinea Martyrs: "I knew intimately
all those who suffered and died in Papua... Without doubt they
were all good soldiers of Jesus Christ. In their deaths, they
have glorified God and have helped to save his Church, which is
the Body of Christ in New Guinea."
World
War I Service-men and women Remembered in stained glass windows
in the Sth Transept & in regimental colours
During
the war "to end all wars" thousands of Australians were
killed or wounded . Most towns in Australia experienced the loss
of at least one of their fellow citizens. Early in the war the
main theatre of battle was in Turkey, Palestine and Egypt. The
Australians and New Zealanders earned a reputation for their skill
and determination , often in the most terrible conditions. These
soldiers became known as the Anzacs.
In
1916 Australian troops were progressively moved to the Western
Front to fight in the trenches that extended across Belgium and
north-east France from the English Channel to the Swiss border.
Here Australian and Allied troops experienced deplorable conditions
- the trenches were muddy, cold, waterlogged, infested with lice
and rats and strewn with bodies. By the end of the year 42,000
Australians had been killed or wounded in the Western Front.
In
1917 a further 76,000 became casualties in battles such as those
at Bullecourt, Messines and the four-month long campaign around
Ypres (Ypres appears as a banner in one of the windows).
As
well as the servicemen and women of the defence forces, there
were many other kinds of personnel involved, e.g. medical staff
and chaplains. All made a crucial contribution to the war effort
and to the quality of AustraliaÕs role in the First World
War.
Note
the text that links two of the military sacrifice windows with
the centre window depicting the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross
: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends. (John 15:13)
Edith
Cavell Represented in a stained glass window in the Sth Transept
Edith
Cavell was born in England in 1865. She became a nurse in 1895
and in 1907 was appointed the first Matron of the Berkendael Institute
in Brussels which became a Red Cross Hospital in WW1. Here she
greatly improved the standard of nursing.
After
the Germans occupied Belgium she became involved in an underground
movement formed to help British, French and Belgian soldiers escape
to neutral Holland. The soldiers were sheltered at the Institute
and were given money and guides to help them in their escape.
About 200 men had been helped when, in August 1915, the Germans
discovered what had been going on and Cavell and several others
were arrested.
They
were brought before a court-martial in October of that year and
were sentenced to die before a firing squad, despite efforts of
the U.S. and Spanish ministers to obtain a reprieve. The words
Edith Cavell spoke to her last English visitor, the English chaplain
in Brussels, have become famous - I know now that patriotism is
not enough, I must have no hatred and no bitterness towards anyone.
The
shooting of Edith Cavell turned out to be a serious miscalculation
on the part of the Germans. Within days, this heroic nurse became
a universal martyr.
Lesley
Peardon
References
Evelyn
Heath
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 1994 -1999
Ferguson, George (89) Signs and Symbols in Christian Art OUP
Focus (Newspaper for Anglicans in the Diocese of Brisbane) August
2002
Livingstone, E A (editor, 2000) Oxford Concise Dictionary of
the Christian Church OUP
The Macquarie Dictionary -second revised edition
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