The Story of St. Nick

Most people are aware that the origin of Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, but many aren’t completely aware of who he was and what he represents. So I wanted to share that with you.
Saint Nicholas was a very real person who was born as the only child to wealthy parents around 270 AD in what is now Turkey. Upon the death of his parents while he was yet relatively young, he inherited a rather large sum of money. It is said that he was already a religious boy and that soon after the death of his parents, he dedicated his life to serving Jesus Christ.
He became very well known for his love of children and generosity to the poor. His method of giving was generally more in the form of throwing a bag of money into a window, or putting gold coins in the stockings of the needy as they hung out to dry.
There are many legends that go with the type of person St. Nicholas was. One of the better documented accounts of his generosity tells of a family who was starving with no money for food, much less money for a dowry so the father could marry off his three daughters. The father was considering sending at least the oldest out to earn money as a prostitute. When the young Nicholas heard of this, he went during the night to a window of the home and threw in a bag of gold coins. In the morning they found the gold; they now had money for food and dowry as well. The daughter kept her honor.
Because there were two other sisters, the young Nicholas threw in two more bags of coins on two other occasions. By the third time, the father wanted to know whom the benefactor was and watched until finally he caught the lad after he threw the third bag of money. It is reported that Nicholas was very upset that someone knew of his acts of charity and made the father promise not to tell anyone who had helped the family.
Eventually he became bishop of the church in Myra where he was known for more great acts of charity. One legend said that some children were captured by a group of pirates that threatened to take the children to be sold as slaves if some large amount of money was not given to them. This bishop is said to have gotten the money himself and given it to the pirates to save the children.
During this period of history, Christians were still being persecuted by the Romans with their infamous cruelties including throwing them to the lions, etc. Although the worst persecution of the Christians had just taken place about 250 AD under the reign of Decius Trajan, there had been relative peace in the later part of the century. But in 303 AD, the last of the great Roman persecutions began. The Roman Emperor Diocletian was persuaded again to suppress the Christian religion. Those who would not give up following the Lord, Jesus Christ, and turn over their sacred books would be either killed or put in prison. Those who went to prison were cruelly tortured.
According to Elder B.H. Roberts in Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, page 128: "The constancy of all the Christians, no, not even that of all their bishops and clergy, was equal to this trial, and many voluntarily surrendered the sacred writings in their possession to save themselves from punishment and death." During this period, charges were made up that allowed the government to throw all Bishops and ministers in prison. An edict authorized the officials to use severe torture to force these church leaders to make sacrifices to the pagan gods. The hope was that if the leaders could be defeated, and forced to give worship to other gods, their people would follow. Many great men suffered and died in defense of their faith in Christ. St. Nicholas was among these bishops.
This part of St. Nicholas is not legend; it is part of history. While he lived in a world where apostasy from Christianity was all around him, he stood for what he believed. St. Nicholas was one of the few who survived Diocletian’s torture chambers. This is where he gained his title Saint; for those who did survive were called "saint" by the people in honor of their great devotion to Jesus Christ.
St. Nicholas was freed when the new Emperor Constantine came to power. It is said that as he reentered Myra, the people flocked around him in his honor. He may have been beaten and tortured, but he was not broken. He went on to serve the people for many more years giving service and adding to the legends of his great goodness. To me, this is a story of a man who did his best to serve his god and apply the principles taught by Jesus Christ. It is one that is worthy of being past down to our children.
Debra Coe - 26 Dec 1998