Digging Deeper – Will the Real St. Nicholas Please Stand Up?
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:30-33 (ESV)
WILL THE REAL ST. NICHOLAS PLEASE STAND UP?
A few years ago, when my son was in first grade, I faced the age-old parenting dilemma: What do we do about Santa Claus? Using a little creative thinking, I decided I could have my cake and eat it too by teaching him about St. Nicholas, the fourth-century church figure who was indeed a historical person. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey) and is remembered in church history as a generous almsgiver and a staunch defender of orthodoxy.
In the early 300s A.D., a church leader in Alexandria named Arius began teaching that Jesus had not always existed but was a created being and of a different essence than the Father. This false view of Christ’s nature began to sweep the Mediterranean world, deceiving a great number of Christians. When Emperor Constantine rose to power, the heresy had spread so widely that he called an assembly of church leaders to reach a consensus on the matter. This meeting, known as the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., is widely recognized for 1) being the first “ecumenical” (representing the whole) council and 2) establishing the orthodox Christological position.
Lists of attendees show that St. Nicholas participated in the meeting, where—over the course of several months—the 200+ bishops debated the Arian controversy using the Scriptures. A medieval legend (which likely lacks historical accuracy) recounts Nicholas becoming so provoked upon hearing Arius argue that he crossed the room and slapped him, for which he was subsequently deposed by Constantine. When the council concluded in July of 325 A.D., Arius’ view was condemned, and one of the most famous creeds in all of Christian history was drafted: the Nicene Creed, which is still read in many churches today.
In this document, it is stated that Jesus is:
the Son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things came into being, things in heaven and things on earth, Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down, and became incarnate and became man, and suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead.
While creeds are man-made statements, this creed reflects the doctrine of the nature of Jesus as set forth in the Scriptures. As a participant in the Council of Nicaea and a defender of the orthodox position on Christ’s nature, we can appreciate Nicholas’s contribution to the treasury of thought on Christian belief and practice.
(*Needless to say, after my son disseminated this new knowledge about Santa Claus to his classmates, I received an email from his teacher.)
Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.