Who is Saint Nicholas? During Christmas Season we are happy to meet Saint Nicholas. We could see him anywhere. In our home, mall, street and even in a small crowded place or in a busy marketplace. Children are happy to see him and be with him. They'll find a lot of fun with him especially his smile and the gifts he gives to them.
In the real sense, we do not know him exactly who he is. We are just admiring him in honor of his name which has been a long Christmas tradition to those who believes in Christianity. Christians revered and glorifies his name. Other Christians even call upon his name for protection and churches were built in his honor.
History reveals that there's not much we really know about Nicholas. Only that he was one of the popular Saints in the Greek and Latin churches but history document failed to attest his existence. He was known as the bishop of Myra, near modern Finike, Turkey sometime in the 300's.
He was born to a wealthy family where his deceased parents inherited him a considerable sum of money but kept none of it. The famous story about his life was he threw bags of gold through the window of three girls who forced to live in prostitution. Others said that he resurrected before the three girls after these girls were beheaded by an innkeeper.
He performed some miracles during his childhood until he was chosen by the people of Myra to become their new bishop and continued preaching but it wasn't long before when Diocletian and Maximian persecuted Christians and imprisoned their bishops. He was imprisoned but was released when Constantine became an emperor.
He continued preaching in which to some it was a threat to them particularly Arianism. Other biographers claim that Nicholas attacked the heresy of Arius in a much more personal way, traveled the Council of Nicea and slapped the face of Arius which rude behavior made the other bishops in Nicea relieved him as a bishop.
Such legend of Nicholas became questionable but his story never ends even during the reign of Justinian. The emperor even dedicated a church to him in Constantinople and nearly 400 churches were dedicated in his honor in England alone during the Middle Ages.
In Germanic countries, it became hard to tell where the legend of Nicholas began. It probably tied by the gold-giving story thus, people began giving presents in his name on his feast day but when Reformation came along, all his following disappeared to Protestant countries except Holland, where his legends continued as Sinterklass. Over the years, that became re-pronounced as Kriss Kringle and is now considered another name of Santa Claus.
This is the story of Nicholas also known as Santa Claus!
In the real sense, we do not know him exactly who he is. We are just admiring him in honor of his name which has been a long Christmas tradition to those who believes in Christianity. Christians revered and glorifies his name. Other Christians even call upon his name for protection and churches were built in his honor.
History reveals that there's not much we really know about Nicholas. Only that he was one of the popular Saints in the Greek and Latin churches but history document failed to attest his existence. He was known as the bishop of Myra, near modern Finike, Turkey sometime in the 300's.
He was born to a wealthy family where his deceased parents inherited him a considerable sum of money but kept none of it. The famous story about his life was he threw bags of gold through the window of three girls who forced to live in prostitution. Others said that he resurrected before the three girls after these girls were beheaded by an innkeeper.
He performed some miracles during his childhood until he was chosen by the people of Myra to become their new bishop and continued preaching but it wasn't long before when Diocletian and Maximian persecuted Christians and imprisoned their bishops. He was imprisoned but was released when Constantine became an emperor.
He continued preaching in which to some it was a threat to them particularly Arianism. Other biographers claim that Nicholas attacked the heresy of Arius in a much more personal way, traveled the Council of Nicea and slapped the face of Arius which rude behavior made the other bishops in Nicea relieved him as a bishop.
Such legend of Nicholas became questionable but his story never ends even during the reign of Justinian. The emperor even dedicated a church to him in Constantinople and nearly 400 churches were dedicated in his honor in England alone during the Middle Ages.
In Germanic countries, it became hard to tell where the legend of Nicholas began. It probably tied by the gold-giving story thus, people began giving presents in his name on his feast day but when Reformation came along, all his following disappeared to Protestant countries except Holland, where his legends continued as Sinterklass. Over the years, that became re-pronounced as Kriss Kringle and is now considered another name of Santa Claus.
This is the story of Nicholas also known as Santa Claus!
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