The Real St. Nicholas- Blessed Feast!

[WanderedHome]

S Prazdnikom! Blessed Feast!

(If you know it in other languages, feel free to reply!)

**Sorry if you're seeing this twice. I wanted to post it in a different forum, but forgot you can't delete a thread.

Today, in the Orthodox Church (new calendar) we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I just returned from the Divine Liturgy and it was beautiful, as always!
I just thought I would share the joy!

Many know him through the meme that was going around years ago as the guy who "gives presents to children and punches heretics." But he was known for so much more!

Yes, he was a great defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Nicea I, where Arius was preaching heretical theology about the nature of Jesus Christ.

Many also know he also was from a wealthy family and often gave away his wealth to help poor people by putting bags of gold coins (not chocolate candy kind) in people's shoes in the middle of the night. He even gave a large dowry to a poor man so he could marry his daughter off (that's just how things worked back then).

He was also known for defending the innocent and protecting them from being unjustly executed, as in the 2nd picture below.

 

[ArmyMatt]

blessed Feast!

 

[Anhelyna]

Sadly we could not have DL today - but we will tomorrow - and also our Christmas Fayre

Тропар св. Миколаєві, Пра́вилом ві́ри і о́бразом ла́гідности, учи́телем повзде́ржности яви́ла тебе́ твоє́му ста́ду всіх рече́й і́стина. Ра́ди цьо́го придба́в ти смире́нням висо́ке, убо́гістю – бага́те, о́тче,священнонача́ль-нику Микола́ю. Моли́ Христа́ Бо́га, щоб спасли́ся ду́ші на́ші.

 

[straykat]

He was also known for defending the innocent and protecting them from being unjustly executed, as in the 2nd picture below.

View attachment 267896 View attachment 267897

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know about his history with executions. But not surprised, of course.

 

[WanderedHome]

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know about his history with executions. But not surprised, of course.

Don't ever be ashamed to not know, only be ashamed to refuse to believe.

 

[AMM]

Didn’t know that last part either! Thanks for sharing!

 

[JohnTh]

Yes, he was a great defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Nicea I, where Arius was preaching heretical theology about the nature of Jesus Christ.

Take care with this.
While we are sure - and is expected, of course - that Saint Nicholas was against Arius and Sabelius, most probably he wasn't at the 1st Council of Nicaea and almost sure he didn't slapped Arius.

Unfortunately we have almost no historical information at all about any Saint Nicholas of Myra – our information is entirely based on Saint’s Lives of him, of which the earliest are 9th century, and the latest are modern compilations based on medieval collections. All these Lives are really closer to folk-tales than to history, and they reflect the accumulations of popular legends. Some of them do have Nicholas attending the Council of Nicaea; but they do not contain the story of Nicholas slapping Arius.

The story of Saint Nicholas slapping Arius at the Council of Nicaea actually didn't appear in any hagiography about Saint Nicholas until a 14th Century (ca. 1370) account written by the Venetian Bishop Petrus de Natalibus recorded it in his hagiographical book "Catalogus sanctorum et gestorum eorum ex diversis voluminibus collectus" interestingly, he makes no mention of it being Arius and just "an Arian". It pops up again about 200 years later in Saint Damaskinos the Studite's hagiography of Saint Nicholas where he mentions the appearance of the Lord and the Theotokos in defense of Saint Nicholas' actions.

The earliest extant records of Saint Nicholas' life all do not mention him slapping Arius, nor even his attendance at the Council of Nicaea (his name also does not appear on early recorded lists of attendees). The only mention of Arius in early accounts of Saint Nicholas' life merely mention Saint Nicholas as opposing the heresies of Arius and Sebellius. One such account comes from Saint Andrew of Crete's Oration 18, written in the early 8th Century. Likewise the account of Michael the Archimandrite (ca. 9th Century) makes similar mention. Both lack any mention of his attendance at Nicaea, and therefore also no mention of him slapping Arius.

Our own hymnography also lacks any mention of this event; only mentioning Saint Nicholas' opposition to heresy and Arius once on his feast day, and this being in the Vespers Aposticha. Notably as well, the hymnography makes no mention of his attendance at the council of Nicaea. Much of his hymnography (especially the Canon) was likely written around the 8th & 9th Centuries; roughly contemporary with the accounts written by Saint Andrew of Crete & Michael the Archimandrite.

It is also interesting to note that the stories of Saint Nicholas slapping Arius come a full 500-600 years after the earliest hagiographic and hymnographic accounts of his life; as well as more 1,000 years after he lived. The story is not found in any text before the late 14th century, and even that one mentions only “a certain Arian”. In the next two centuries the legend mutates into Nicholas slapping Arius; and is then disseminated in works of popular fiction, and by the paintings of icons. It has no historical basis whatever, even if we have writings as early as 9th Century.

 

[WanderedHome]

Take care with this.
While we are sure - and is expected, of course - that Saint Nicholas was against Arius and Sabelius, most probably he wasn't at the 1st Council of Nicaea and almost sure he didn't slapped Arius.

Thank you for the comments. I knew there were some who questioned the legend, but I have not looked into it much. I was just referring to the popular meme. I figured something happened, whether it was Arius or someone else, since the iconography shows him receiving the Gospel Book and Epitrachelion back. I never imagined him as striking anyone in a fit of rage, but more of a bold effort to "snap him out of it". Regardless, my intent was to draw attention more to the good things he did that are also part of the legend.