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The Real St. Nick
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
"A vast multitude was imprisoned in every place," wrote an eyewitness.
"The prisons -- prepared for murderers and robbers -- were filled with
bishops, priests, and deacons ... so there was no longer room for those
condemned of crimes."[1]
You'd hardly expect to find old St. Nick in jail. But St. Nicholas is
more than a children's Christmas legend. He was flesh and blood, a
prisoner for Christ, bishop of the Mediterranean city of Myra.
What do we know about the real St. Nicholas? He was born, ancient
biographers tell us, to wealthy parents in the city of Patara about 270
A.D. He was still young when his mother and father died and left him a
fortune.
As a teen-ager, Nicholas' humility was already evident. He had heard
about a family destitute and starving. The father had no money for food,
much less the dowry needed to marry off his three daughters. He was
ready to send his oldest girl into the streets to earn a living as a
prostitute.
Under the cover of night, Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins through the
window of their humble dwelling. In the morning the father discovered
the gold. How he rejoiced: his family was saved, his daughter's honor
preserved, and a dowry for her marriage secured. Some time after,
Nicholas secretly provided a dowry for the second daughter. Still later
for the third.
But on the third occasion, the girls' father stood watching. As soon as
the bag of gold thudded on the floor, he chased after the lad till he
caught him. Nicholas was mortified to be discovered in this act of
charity. He made the father promise not to tell anyone who had helped
his family. Then Nicholas forsook his wealth to answer a call to the
ministry.
At the nearby city of Myra a bishop supervised all the churches of the
region. When the bishop died, the bishops and ministers from other
cities and villages -- Nicholas among them -- gathered to choose a
successor.
Nicholas was in the habit of rising very early and going to the church
to pray. This morning an aged minister awaited him in the sanctuary.
"Who are you, my son?" he asked.
"Nicholas the sinner," the young minister replied. "And I am your
servant."
"Come with me," the old priest directed. Nicholas followed him to a room
where the bishops had assembled. The elderly minister addressed the
gathering. "I had a vision that the first one to enter the church in the
morning should be the new bishop of Myra. Here is that man: Nicholas."
Indeed they did choose him as bishop. Nicholas was destined to lead his
congregation through the worst tribulation in history.
In A.D. 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered a brutal persecution
of all Christians. Those suspected of following the Lord were ordered to
sacrifice to pagan gods. Nicholas and thousands of others refused.
Ministers, bishops, and lay people were dragged to prison. Savage
tortures were unleashed on Christians all over the empire. Believers
were fed to wild animals. Some were forced to fight gladiators for their
lives while bloodthirsty crowds screamed for their death. Women suffered
dehumanizing torment. Saints were beaten senseless, others set aflame
while still alive.
Yet persecution couldn't stamp out Christianity. Rather it spread. Third
Century leader Tertullian observed, "The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church."
Those who survived Diocletian's torture chambers were called "saints" or
"confessors" by the people, because they didn't forsake their confession
that Jesus Christ is Lord. Nicholas was one of these.
Finally, after years of imprisonment, the iron doors swung open and
Bishop Nicholas walked out, freed by decree of the new Emperor
Constantine. As he entered his city once more, his people flocked about
him. "Nicholas! Confessor!" they shouted. "Saint Nicholas has come
home."
The bishop was beaten but not broken. He served Christ's people in Myra
for another thirty years. Through the prayers of this tried and tested
soldier of faith, many found salvation and healing. Nicholas
participated in the famous Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. He died on
December 6, about 343, a living legend, beloved by his whole city.
St. Nick of yuletide fame still carries faint reminders of this ancient
man of God. The color of his outfit recollects the red of bishop's
robes. "Making a list, checking it twice," probably recalls the old
saint's lectures to children about good behavior. Gifts secretly brought
on Christmas eve bring to mind his humble generosity to the three
daughters.
Yet if he were alive today, this saint would humbly deflect attention
from himself. No fur-trimmed hat and coat, no reindeer and sleigh or
North Pole workshop. As he did in life centuries ago, Bishop Nicholas
would point people to his Master.
"I am Nicholas, a sinner," the old saint would say. "Nicholas, servant
of Christ Jesus."
[1] Eusebius, Church History, VIII, 6, 9.
NOTES: A great deal of legend has built up around St. Nicholas. The
author has carefully selected material which he deemed to be the most
credible accounts based on those found in Life of Nicholas by tenth
century biographer Symeon Logotheta the Metaphrast, quoted by Charles W.
Jones in Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a
Legend (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978).
About the author
Copyright © 1985-2006 Ralph F. Wilson.
pastor@joyfulheart.com All
rights reserved. JOYFUL HEART RENEWAL MINISTRIES
http://www.joyfulheart.com
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