From Pastor Nicholas to Santa Claus
Santa Claus is everywhere around Christmas. But did you know that there was a real Saint Nicholas? He was the pastor of a local church that was likely founded by the Apostle Paul on one of his early missionary journeys.
Most of the information we have about Nicholas of Myra comes from a history of his life written 500 years after his death.[i] However, this history claims to be based upon much earlier sources that are now lost. We do know that there were churches built in the 5th and 6th centuries in Myra and Constantinople that were dedicated to him. So he certainly was a true historical figure.
Here is what we know, and what we think we know about him.
He was born in the biblical city of Pamphylia and tradition says that his birthdate was March 15, 270 AD. He died in Myra on December 6, 343. He lived before the Catholic Church as we know it today. Those were the days when the word saint described all believers, not just those venerated by the Catholic Church. He was born to Christian parents who were also wealthy Greeks. Nicholas’ parents died when he was young, and he spent much of his early life traveling and giving away his inherited wealth.
His uncle was the Bishop (Pastor) of the Church at Myra and ordained Nicholas into the gospel ministry. Later, after the uncle’s death, Nicholas became the pastor of the same church his uncle had led. By the time Nicholas pastored this church, it had been established for over 200 years, dating back to the missionary journeys of Paul. The Bible records Paul’s brief stop in the city on his journey to Rome (Acts 27:5).
Nicholas pastored the congregation in Myra during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian and was imprisoned and tortured for his faith. Historians claim he was released from prison and torture when Constantine was proclaimed Emperor in 306 AD[ii].
Three key stories are told about Pastor Nicholas of Myra that influenced how the legend of Santa Claus developed.
Generous giver.
Nicholas sought to give away his parent’s wealth after they died. A Christian family had experienced hard times and as a result, the father did not have money to pay the dowry for his three daughters to be married. The prospects for a poor unmarried woman in those days were dire. They were not employable and without family to care for them often ended up as prostitutes. Nicholas heard of the situation and approached the family’s home at night. He threw a bag of gold coins through the window—enough for the dowry of one daughter. The father, overjoyed then arranged for the marriage of his oldest daughter. After the oldest daughter was married, Nicholas did the same for the second daughter. After the second daughter was married, the father waited at night to see if he could catch a glimpse of this anonymous benefactor. He did catch Nicholas in the act of delivering a third bag of gold coins and thanked him, but Nicholas told him never to reveal who had given the gifts.
It is easy to see the connection between the late-night gift-giving of Nicholas and the Santa Claus story.
Man of prayer.
In another incident, Nicholas was credited with saving a ship and her crew from destruction in a storm by commanding the storm to be still—or praying for the storm to be quieted.
This resulted in Catholic sailors and fishermen claiming Nicholas as their patron saint. Dutch sailors and former sea-goers, which included nearly every adult male in the country, on December 6 every year, would travel from their inland homes to the seaports to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. On their way home, they would buy small gifts for their children and when given the men would say that the gifts were from St. Nicholas. Under Catholicism, Nicholas became the patron saint of sailors and children.
Champion for justice.
Nicholas was considered a bold and forceful pastor. In one incident, he is reported to have interrupted the execution of two men, by grabbing the arm of the executioner and publicly denouncing a juror who had taken a bribe.
Defender of the Faith.
Some of the lists of attendees at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD include Bishop Nicholas of Myra. He reportedly was a staunch defender of trinitarianism and an opponent of Arianism. We have no surviving writings of Nicholas of Myrna, but no doubt his heritage continues today through the spiritual influence he had in a lifetime of faithful ministry.
What we should remember about Nicholas of Myrna.
Other stories about Nicholas were made up or embellished over time. We do know that he was NOT an elf or fat guy, wearing a red suit, living at the North Pole. “Saint” Nicholas was a faithful pastor of an early church who had a sacrificial and generous spirit, suffered bravely for the cause of Christ, was a remarkable prayer warrior, and contended for the faith against the false teachings of his day. He was like many remarkable Christians who are serving the Lord today. One day, I hope to meet Nicholas of Myra in heaven and learn about his story directly from him.
Catch the audio version of this article here: From Pastor Nicholas to Santa Claus
[i]Introduction to Michael the Archimandrite’s Life of Saint Nicholas Archived 3 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
[ii] Blacker, Jean; Burgess, Glyn S.; Ogden, Amy V. (2013), “The Life of St Nicholas: Introduction”, Wace: The Hagiographical Works: The Conception Nostre Dame and the Lives of St Margaret and St Nicholas, Leiden, The Netherlands and Boston, Massachusetts: Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-24768-0
I understand the modern version of Santa was invented as part of a marketing effort by the Coca-Cola company.