Tales of St. Nicholas

Today, December 6, is the day we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas. This is the day that the famous saint, also known as Santa Claus, died in 343 AD. Although we’ve all seen the commercialized images of Santa Claus, the real man was actually a hardcore, badass bishop who single-handedly fought against something called the Arian heresy.

During the 4th century, a persuasive priest named Arius stated that Christ was not fully divine, but instead Christ was a creature created by the Father. Arius tried to prove his point by pointing out a simple spelling issue that had occurred in earlier manuscripts regarding church teachings. The word “homoousios” means “same substance” whereas the word “homoiousios” means “similar substance”. Both had been found in these early writings, but “homoiousios” had been designated a typo. Yet, because of this spelling difference, Arius said that Christ was not of the same substance as the Father, but was simply “similar”. Arius pushed this idea despite the fact the Council of Nicea had recently affirmed that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are of the homoousious (same substance).

Although an obscure argument, Arius’ heresy threatened to schism the early church. So in 325 AD, the First Council of Nicea set up a meeting to debate the issue. Arius arrived to defend his position. While he was speaking, Bishop Nikolaos of Myra (in present-day Turkey) showed up. Nikolaos was so angry at Arius’ heretical argument that he slammed his fist into Arius’ face. Of course everyone was shocked, and Nikolaos was was stripped of his Bishop rank. During that time, the two things identified a man as a bishop: His pallium (a stole) and his personal copy of the Gospels. In those days, the book was a big deal because every copy of the Gospels had to be written by hand on vellum, which also had to be made by hand. Owning a copy of the Gospels offered a man prestige and power. But, after throwing his punch, Nikolaos had to hand over his pallium and his book. Then he was tossed into a dark ages prison aka dungeon.

While in prison, a miracle occurred. Nikolaos received a visit from Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Our Lord asked Nikolaos, “Why are you here?”

Nikolaos replied, “Because I love You, my Lord and my God.”

After he answered, Jesus returned to Nikolaos his copy of the Gospels. Then Mary put his pallium back on. Both of these acts restored Nikolaos to his rank of bishop. Then, the next day, the guards saw Nikolaos sitting in his cell wearing his pallium and reading his Gospels. The same book that the other bishops had hidden far, far away from his cell. Realizing that a miracle had occurred, the bishops released Nikolaos, and he rejoined the Council. With Nikolaos leading the way, the Arian heresy was struck down and reaffirmed in the Nicene Creed which is still recited today. But Nikolaos was forever known as the badass bishop who’d get into a fist fight to defend his faith, and for years after his prison sentence, miracles abounded wherever he preached.

It wasn’t until a few years later that his Santa persona would appear due to the many, many stories of St. Nikolaos’ generosity and compassion. The most popular story is about a man with three daughters couldn’t come up with dowries for them. In those days, no doweries meant the girls were doomed to be sold into slavery. Yet, mysteriously, on three different nights, bags of gold were thrown into the man’s house through an open window thereby saving the girls from a desperate fate. Nikolaos denied any involvement, but everyone knew he was the gift-giver. Today, oranges represent the bags of gold and are often found in more traditional Christmas decor.

Then there was the time, after his death, when the town of Myra (his hometown in Turkey) was celebrating his saint day and Arab pirates from Crete appeared. They sacked the Church of St. Nicholas (the spelling of his name changed). The pirates stole a young boy name Basilios and made him a slave. Basilios became the cup bearer for the emir but was always afraid and lonely since he couldn’t speak the language. The next year, on the feast of St. Nicholas, Basilios’ parents were praying for Basilios’ safety despite not knowing if he was even alive. Meanwhile Basilios, who was far away, serving the emir, was suddenly whisked away by the spirit of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas blessed Basilios and told him not to be afraid and brought him back to his parents in Myra. His parents were overjoyed and shared the story with everyone who would listen. This is one of many stories where St. Nicholas protected children. He was also known for helping people during pandemics and for saving travelers from roadside villains, both during his life and afterwards.

Today, there are almost a thousand churches throughout the world named for St. Nicholas, and his tomb in Myra is a hugely popular pilgrimage site for people of all religions. Stories of his generosity and love of children abound and it’s no wonder that Santa Claus (the dutch name for St. Nicholas) is now the patron saint of gift-giving and compassion during this time of year. But, despite his role as Santa Claus, I love the fact that beneath the red suit and the jolly laugh is a hardcore MMA fighter willing to go to the mat to protect the God he loved.

In some parts of the world, children leave their shoes out on the night of December 6 and St. Nicholas (who rides a donkey) fills them with candy and oranges. And because St. Nicholas loves adults as well, he may leave them some Bischopswijn aka Dutch Mulled Wine. This is the Dutch version of gluhwein that is served in the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. I’ve adapted a recipe that a friend of mine gave me years ago while living in Amsterdam. Because it is the season of giving, and in honor of St. Nicholas, I’ve included the recipe below. I hope you all have a wonderful St. Nicholas Day!

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