How A Boy Became A Legend
THE BEGINNINGS OF A SAINT
In the latter half of the third century and during the time of the Roman Empire, there was a city called Myra, a small port on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This area served as the backdrop for one of the most powerful ministries all time, and home to one of the most famous men who ever lived. However, few call him by his given name today.
Nicholas of Bari was born to a sea merchant and his wife, who were followers of Christ. The family was said to be of Greek origin and had first heard the Gospel from the apostles Paul, a Greek speaking Jew who was from Asia Minor, and Timothy during their travels to the area to spread the Gospel. The older brother of Nicholas' father became the bishop of Myra after Paul's preaching in the land.
The story of Jesus and His love toward others was shared often by the mother of young Nicholas. While still a small boy, Nicholas learned of love, miracles, healing and generosity through the examples of Jesus. This was the foundation of the faith of the man many would later proclaim as a saint. Most importantly, the boy’s hunger for knowledge about Christ and his faith grew while living a devoted life to God.
God blessed the famliy greatly. Nicholas’s father became extremely successful in the trade industry in the area we know today as Turkey. The Mediterranean Sea provided a direct conduit for sailors and their ships carrying goods from other countries willing to trade in Myra.
TRAGEDY TURNED TO GOOD
Nicholas became an orphan at around age nine years of age and inherited his parent’s immense fortune. Because of God's blessings, it was one of the world's largest fortunes in that day.
His uncle, the retired bishop, became his legal guardian and provided sound financial guidance for the boy. Using the massive resources to glorify God and not himself was the cornerstone. Giving and being a blessing to others was kept private, until one of his most famous incidents.
GIVING IN SECRET
Nicholas heard of a devout man who had once been wealthy but had experienced financial misfortune. His three daughters had reached the age to be married, but he had no finances for a dowry to offer prospective bridegrooms. Without a dowry, during this time, a woman was certain to be sold into slavery or prostitution.
Upon hearing of the situation, Nicholas came to the man’s home secretly in the dark of night where he tossed a bag of gold coins through an open window of the house. The dowry had been provided allowing the eldest daughter to marry. The father began to tell of the good news of some unknown person's generosity.
Soon afterward, another bag of gold mysteriously appeared in the middle of the night, allowing the second daughter’s marriage to be arranged. The father was quite anxious to discover the identity of the benefactor and caused the man to devise a plan to catch the individual in the act in the event of another incident.
When the time came, Nicholas returned to provide a gift for the third, and youngest, daughter where the father awaited. The man caught up with Nicholas and thanked him for his generosity and for saving his daughters. Nicholas urged the man to keep his identity a secret and to only glorify God for His generosity.
The word of the kindness of the young Nicholas and his philanthropy became widespread throughout the area. Soon the stories were shared with sailors visiting who came to trade along the coast and were retold as a source of entertainment.
PATHWAY TO PRIESTHOOD
Years later, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where Christianity began, Nicholas returned to his homeland. Unbeknownst to Nicholas, the local bishop of the church had died. The priests of the city had met, prayed, discussed, but could not agree on a choice for his replacement. The evening before Nicholas arrived, the eldest bishop heard God's voice telling him to watch the doors of the church the next morning before matins, the first prayer service of the day at daybreak. The bishop shared his experience with the others who then waited by the door.
Nicholas went to church to pray in the early hours of the morning and was stopped by the elder bishop and asked his name. He replied, “I am Nicholas”. It was then Nicholas was informed of what had been experienced by the older man and that he was to be made the new bishop.
Despite his protest of being too young, not being worthy of the position and too inexperienced, the bishops declared it to be God’s will and brought him into the church where he was consecrated as the Bishop of Myra. Nicholas made a vow to bring the Gospel of Christ to the citizens of his city, defend the faith and became well known for his passion for God, as well as his compassion for others.
As a young bishop, Nicholas expanded his giving of his personal vast resources to the poor and helpless and he became an advocate of those in need. His giving was always done in secret, as taught in Matthew 6:1-4 so as not to give glory to himself, but to God.
PERSECUTION
Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, like many, many other Christians, Nicholas was persecuted, imprisoned for his faith and spent years incarcerated until Constantine became the first Christian emperor. This would not be the only time Nicholas would be jailed.
In 325, Nicholas attended the First Council of Nicaea, was a firm supporter of Trinitarianism and was amongst those who signed the Nicene Creed. After angrily debating with another bishop, he became so enraged at the idea of Arianism, he walked across the room and struck him.
Since it was illegal for one bishop to strike another, Nicholas was thrown into jail where he prayed for guidance and forgiveness. Legend tells, on his first night back behind bars, Nicholas was rewarded by a visitation of Christ for his faith. The following morning, guards found Nicholas free from his chains and an unlocked cell door. They found him reading scripture and waiting for them to return. Word was then sent to the Emperor Constantine who wanted nothing to do with jailing Nicholas and ordered his immediate release.
STORIES & LEGENDS
The famed Saint Nicholas of Myra lived from March 15, 270 to December 6, 343 AD, but long before his death stories were already told of the man whom sailors referred to as their patron saint. As crews aboard merchant ships sailed from port to port and up rivers throughout Europe, the stories were retold about the wealthy man’s resounding faith, kindness and giving to the needy. They also shared of his journey to becoming a bishop and his recognizable appearance; a white bearded man of God who often wore a red robe to remind us of the covering of our sins by the blood shed for us by Jesus Christ.
This was only was the beginning of the story.
Read more below.
How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus
The stories of Nicholas of Myra were shared through the sailors from other countries. Germany, Austria, Holland, Spain, Italy and many other countries soon had heard of the kindness of this man many were calling Saint Nicholas.
Many were influenced to do acts of kindness for others in the same manner. A few of the countries began to include this secret gift-giving with some of their customs and traditions as part of the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas.
In the northern Scandinavian countries, because there is much snow, people traveled by sleds at the time, typically pulled by reindeer or horses. During their Christmas celebration, it became customary for a few men to wear a red robe as Nicholas did and ride through the town throwing out presents to children who lined the streets.
The people of Germany told stories of Nicholas, but they referred to him as Christkindl , meaning “Christ child”. They believed he was the reincarnation of the Messiah. In their traditions, evergreens were gathered to bring into their homes during the holiday representing everlasting life as they celebrated Christmas and Jesus. Stories of Nicholas and his love for Christ was incorporated into the festivities.
In Amsterdam, where people wore wooden shoes, heavy woolen stockings (socks) were required to protect their feet. At Christmas the telling of the stories of Saint Nicholas was popular, especially the most famous account of him tossing a bag of gold through an open window for a dowry. To make the story more relatable to children, the Dutch included that the gold landed in a stocking which was hung by the fireplace to dry after being washed. Due to the the dialect of that country, he was sometime called Sint-Nicolaas or Sinterklaas. It was immigrants of Holland who introduced the legend of St. Nicholas to a brand-new country.
In America during the late 1700’s, immigrants came from all around the world to live in the newly discovered land, and with them they brought their own customs and stories, especially, in the fastest growing city called New Amsterdam. Today the city is called New York.
This is where a man named Dr. Clement Clarke Moore heard the story of Nicholas for the first time. Dr. Moore was a writer, professor of Oriental and Greek literature, as well as Divinity and Biblical Learning.
His wife had asked him to find a turkey for their family and friends to be served on Christmas Day, and also a turkey for a needy family who lived nearby.
On his way out, Dr. Moore bumped into his Dutch handyman and gardener. When sharing of his intent to go shopping for his family and others, the gardener then shared the story of St. Nicholas, his faith, generosity, and impact on so many parts of the world. This gave Dr. Moore much to think about while riding in his sleigh on a snowy, winter’s day shopping trip.
On his return home that evening, Dr. Moore began to write a poem based on the story he’d heard earlier that day. Considering Dr. Moore had only a few clues as to the appearance of Nicholas, he decided to honor the teller of the story, the gardener. The physical description of Nicholas in the poem, was actually a Dutch gardener, a chubby little man with a long white beard and dimples.
The poem called, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was later published in a newspaper and became very popular. The poem was reprinted year after year in other newspapers before being printed as a story book and is quite often remembered it as the first line of the story, “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.
With the name of St. Nicholas being becoming popular across the new country, and many immigrants from around the world, the Dutch name, Sinterklaas, again was mispronounced and became Santa Claus.
Today movies are made, stories are written, and songs are sung about "Santa Claus". Through the years, Dr. Moore's poem inspired drawings based on his description, the drawings became artwork and the art has been used in advertising, television and billboards. The images we see have never been of the real Nicholas, but because of his faith, love for Jesus, and his actions, Nicholas continues to influence millions of people over centuries and still does today.
He is still known by many names around the world. He is called Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, Christkindl, Father Christmas, and Papa Noel, to name a few, but you know his real name… Nicholas.
