By Analea Styles
,_Beijing_(149187726).jpg "Dragon Scuptures") |
| Dragon sculptures on the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Wikimedia Commons |
In the Genius of Ancient Man we talk about the various
puzzle pieces that make up the “big picture” (Chapter 12). Many times the
pieces aren’t recognizable at first or don’t seem to fit anywhere; but as we
continue to study and learn, we widen our view and sometimes the pieces fall
suddenly into place.
On Dragons...
John of Damascus, a renowned theologian living in the 8th
century once wrote, “We harm ourselves most of all when we ignore reading of
the Holy Scriptures and studying them according to the Word of our Lord”. The
fascinating aspect of this statement is that he wrote it at the end of an essay
entitled; “On Dragons and Ghosts”[1].
What did this 8th century writer have to say
about dragons? Well it would seem that even back then Christians had to combat
the extravagant myths and legends that always seem to accompany dragons. John’s
essay addresses the common beliefs of his day that “dragons can take human form
and turn into serpents…and sometimes…having turned into people, they start to associate
with them, appear to steal women and consort with them.” John flatly denies
that these claims have any truth, teaching that God created only men and angels
as intelligent beings and explains that dragons are merely animals: “dragons
exist, but they are serpents, [reptiles] born of serpents”[2].
The essay goes on to describe dragons as real, living
creatures - large reptiles, some with “goat-like beards”, horns, and golden
eyes.
A Proper View of Dragons
But the main essence of John of Damascus’ essay was not to
convince people of the existence of dragons, people already believed they
existed and may have even seen them! His main purpose was to contradict the
false beliefs about dragons and help
people to view these creatures realistically and according to Scripture.
The question for us then is this: Do we have a proper view
of dragons?
In The Genius of
Ancient Man we briefly describe our beliefs about dragons. Along with
Answers in Genesis, we believe that many, if not most, of the dragon legends,
paintings, and carvings around the world come from human encounters with dinosaurs and other extinct reptile creatures.
(The word
"dinosaur" was originally defined by Richard Owen in 1842 as
"fearfully-great lizard"[3].)
We know that land animals, including dinosaurs, were created on the 6th
day of creation (Genesis 1:24-25) and would have been on the ark with Noah as
well (Genesis 6:19-20). They once lived and walked among humans, despite what
evolutionists teach, and the many ancient myths and legends of dragons confirm
this truth.
(See the bottom of this post for links to some great AiG
articles on dragons and dinosaurs)
So we believe “dragons” are real, in the case that this word
is simply referring to dinosaurs. Therefore we believe that ancient man lived with dragons and interacted with them.
We believe that pots like this one from the Moshe culture of
Peru (flourishing around A.D. 400-1100) are evidence that people saw them.
 |
| http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v5/n4/dragons-peru |
We believe that the “dragon” symbol in the Chinese zodiac
represents a real creature just like the other eleven signs.
 |
| http://landsofwisdom.com/?p=7622 |
We believe that ancient legends like St. George and the dragon
are describing real events that actually occurred as man hunted and killed these
large and sometimes dangerous animals.
 |
| St. George and the dragon. Wikimedia Commons |
Fitting in the Puzzle Piece
So what next? If we believe that dragons or dinosaurs
are/were real – what does it matter? Well, just like we didn’t write a book
about ancient man’s genius just to convince you that ancient man was intelligent,
we don’t want to merely convince you that dragon legends are based on reality
and dragons once walked the earth. (It’s also important not to swing from one
extreme to the other: from non-belief to worship or belief in mythical dragon
powers and magic.)
It’s time to fit the dragon puzzle piece into the big
picture to discover its true purpose.
Personally, I love dragons. I grew up reading dragon fantasy
fiction and I love discovering dragon myths and legends that I haven’t heard
before. I love the intrigue and the adventure that revolves around dragons. But
have you noticed the vast amount of “Christian Fiction” that includes dragons
in some way? Not to mention the secular media. Dragons are everywhere! People love
dragons.
Maybe we need to hear from John of Damascus again?
“This dragon is a type of beast, like the rest of the animals.”[4]
Dragons or dinosaurs, are merely animals. They may have some
fascinating stories but they are just animals. Beasts of the earth, created by
God for His glory, named by Adam, ruled over by mankind. Let’s not elevate them
to any other status.
The Great Red Dragon
There is one final point to be made about dragons concerning
Scripture. It is interesting to note that the Bible uses the word “dragon” most
often as a symbol and synonym of Satan, our great enemy. This dragon is
monstrous with seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 12:3); he wages war with the
angels and those who keep God’s commands (Rev. 12:7, 17), he deceives the whole
world (12:9), and he will one day be bound and eventually thrown in the lake of
fire (Rev. 20:2, 10).
Not just a myth…
This is one dragon you don’t want to mess with and yet one
that we as Christians are constantly at war with. The devil, the serpent of old
and the great red dragon, seeks always to overthrow God. His counterfeit
kingdom, his perversions and distortions tempt people away from their created
purpose of glorifying the Creator. He is powerful, he is clever, and he is
deceptive (though he must work within the boundaries God has placed on him).
Yet he will not prevail. In the end, he will burn forever.
And until then, Christ has given us strength to overcome his temptations
through the Holy Spirit. Just like the knights in the dragon legends, Ephesians
6:10-17 describes the armor that Christ has supplied for every Christian to
combat this dragon.
·
The belt of truth (14)
·
The breastplate of righteousness (14)
·
The readiness of the gospel of peace on your feet
(15)
·
The shield of faith (16)
·
The helmet of salvation (17)
·
The sword of the Spirit (17)
He commands us to “put on the full armor of God, so that you
may stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (11). This dragon is not a
legend.
So don’t just read about dragons and dinosaurs and ancient
man being intelligent. Go deeper than that. Just like John of Damascus warned--don’t
ignore the Scriptures! What does the truth about dragons tell you about God and
His Word and how can you use your knowledge to glorify God’s name? Put on that
armor and relying on God’s strength, join the fight against the real dragon that
is waging a real war today. Knowing that Jesus will have
the ultimate victory (1 John 3:8), you can stand firm on the truth of His Word!
More on Dragons:
[1] Alferov,
Timofey. “Dragons: animals…not Apparitions”. June 1, 2000. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v22/n3/dragons.
Accessed July 21, 2013
[2] Alferov.
[3] “Dinosaurs”.
http://www.wyzant.com/help/english/etymology/words-mod-dinosaur-info.
Accessed July 23, 2013.
[4] Alferov
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