Saint Nicholas vs. Arias Artwork

Saint Nicholas vs. Arias Artwork. As the legend goes, Bishop Nicholas was present at the Church’s First Ecumenical Council at Constantine’s summer palace in Nicea in 325 often referred to as the Council of Nicea. Hundreds of Bishops gathered there to refute the false views of Arius and Arianism which denied Christ’s deity. At one point while Arius was addressing the council, Nicholas’s rage got the better of him—he stood up, crossed the floor, and promptly punched Arius in the face.

He eventually repented and was restored to the church. Over the course of his entire life he was known for being extremely generous. He was especially generous to children, regularly giving them gifts. The year of Bishop Nicholas’s death is uncertain, but the month is firmly believed to be December. As the story of his generosity spread, the stories of his life grew.

As his legend moved northward, the story takes an even more interesting turn. In Germany, the tradition arose of giving gifts to each other in the name of Saint Nicholas. So, too, in the Netherlands. The Dutch word for him became Sinterklaas. The German word eventually became Santa Claus. These celebrations of gift-giving occurred on December 6, the anniversary of his death.

Even Martin Luther would come to play a role in the legend. Luther wanted a Protestant alternative to the Roman Catholic practice of celebrating the Feast of Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus). Instead of giving gifts in the name of Santa Claus on December 6, Luther started the tradition of giving gifts in the name of the Christ child, Christkindl, on Christmas Eve.

Christmas evolved from the word Christ Mass, the celebration of the incarnation of Christ, fixed by tradition as being on December 25. The word Luther coined, Christkindl, also evolved over the centuries. It would become Santa Claus’ other name, Kris Kringle. This effort of Luther’s to move away from the Santa Claus tradition inadvertently veered right toward it.

Src: Ligonier

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