#nicholas of bari

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT NICHOLAS The Bishop Known as Santa Claus Feast Day: December 6

"The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving by grace through faith, and this is not for ourselves."

If you believe in Santa when you are a kid a long time ago, you believe in Santa. But this bishop loves to give cheer to the kids and puts names onto the Nice List, we are talking about Nicholas of Myra, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker. Nicholas is considered primarily as the patron saint of children, Nicholas is also invoked by sailors, merchants, bakers, travelers and pawnbrokers, and with Saint Andrew is honored as the co-patron of Russia.

Nicholas was traditionally born on March 15, 270 AD in Patara, Roman Empire (modern-day Gelemiş, Kaş, Antalya, Turkey) to a weathy family of Greek Christians. His parents were named Epiphanius and Johanna, but, according to others, they were named Theophanes and Nonna. Nicholas's uncle was the bishop of the city of Myra, also in Lycia. Recognizing his nephew's calling, Nicholas's uncle ordained him as a priest. After visiting the Holy Land, Nicholas returned to Myra. The bishop of Myra, who had succeeded Nicholas's uncle, had recently died, and the priests in the city had decided that the first priest to enter the church that morning would be made bishop. He went to the church to pray and was therefore proclaimed the new bishop. He is said to have been imprisoned and tortured during the Great Persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, but was released under the orders of the Emperor Constantine the Great.

One of the earliest attested stories of Saint Nicholas is one in which he saves three innocent men from execution. According to Michael the Archimandrite, three innocent men were condemned to death by the governor Eustathius. As they were about to be executed, Nicholas appeared, pushed the executioner's sword to the ground, released them from their chains, and angrily chastised a juror who had accepted a bribe. Michael tells another story in which the consul Ablabius accepted a bribe to put three famous generals to death, in spite of their actual innocence. Nicholas appeared to Constantine and Ablabius in dreams, informing Constantine of the truth and frightening Ablabius into releasing the generals, for fear of Hell.

Nicholas is said to have attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, where he is said to have been a staunch opponent of Arianism and devoted supporter of Trinitarianism, and one of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed. His attendance at the Council of Nicaea is attested early by Theodore the Lector's list of attendees, which records him as the 151st attendee. However, he is conspicuously never mentioned by Athanasius of Alexandria, the foremost defender of Trinitarianism at the council, who knew all the notable bishops of the period, nor is he mentioned by the historian Eusebius, who was also present at the council. A later legend, first attested in the fourteenth century, over 1,000 years after Nicholas's death, holds that, during the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas lost his temper and slapped 'a certain Arian' across the face. On account of this, Constantine revoked Nicholas's miter and pallium. 

Later versions of the legend embellish it, making the heretic Arius himself and having Nicholas punch him rather than merely slapping him with his open hand. In these versions of the story, Nicholas is also imprisoned, but Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appear to him in his cell. He tells them he is imprisoned 'for loving you' and they free him from his chains and restore his vestments.

There were other reputed miracles associated with him, but there is one. Unable to support his three daughters, who could not find husbands because of their poverty, he was determined to give them over to prostitution. Then Nicholas, under the cover of darkness, took a bag of gold and threw it at the open window of their house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl, who was soon duly married. At intervals, Nicholas did the same second and the third daughter. At the last time, the father, who was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed him with gratitude.

Traditionally, Nicholas departed from the world on December 6, 343 AD in Myra, Roman Empire (modern-day Demre, Antalya, Turkey) at the age of 73. Ultimately, his kindness and generosity became known worldwide. His body was buried in the cathedral at Myra. It remained there until 1087, when seamen of Bari, an Italian coastal town, seized the relics of the saint and transferred them to their own city. Veneration for Nicholas had already spread throughout Europe as well as Asia, but this occurrence led to a renewal of devotion in the West. Countless miracles were attributed to the saint's intercession. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari; an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them.

In the 19th Century, some Dutch Protestants contracted his name into 'Santa Claus', and made him the jolly and popular bringer of Christmas gifts. His red suit trimmed with white fur originated in the bishop's miter and cape. His association with reindeer from the North Pole, and the climbing down of chimneys to leave presents under the Christmas tree, were popularized by some Americans writers. Santa Claus symbolizes the true meaning of Christmas, that of love and generosity for all the poor of the world. Many countries and locations honor St. Nicholas as patron: Greece, Russia, the Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Lorraine, and many cities in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Belgium.

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

Basilica di San Nicola, Bari

[postcard-from-the-past]

Medieval bull sculpture by the main door of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in the Old Town of Bari, Puglia region of Italy

Italian vintage postcard

[wandering-italy]

The Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, the final resting place of the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame.

March 9, 2024

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?

I don’t really know why Kamala Harris lost. The best explanation I’ve seen is that Harris ran into a buzzsaw of anti-incumbent post-pandemic disillusionment that has played out across the developed world. You can add more strategic or tactical explanations about her candidacy — the timing of Biden’s exit, specific themes she pursued — but I am not sure it overwhelms this. This sort of broad structural explanation is not terribly satisfying, especially if you are a pundit who is paid to have a take on what happened. And it turns out that the explanations for Harris losing correlate pretty well with the pundits’ pet peeves. And so, if you have been complaining about wokeness, or campus politics, for the past few years, it is obvious that this is at the heart of Trump’s win. [...]

Harris Did Not Run On Identity Politics

She did not open every event by introducing her pronouns, before swinging into a stump speech challenging the right of the state of Israel to exist, demanding trans athletes be allowed to compete, before concluding by calls to defund the police. According to Weiss, Stephens and Dowd, focusing on transgender issue was another bad strategic choice by Harris. And again, the evidence here is pretty thin. When asked, Harris offered some language about the dignity of trans people in her campaign, but made little in the way of firm commitments to support trans rights, and certainly did not make the case for putting trans athletes in sports. She did not “run” on these or other identity issues. You will never guess who did run on trans issues: Donald Trump. He attacked them in rallies, and in a series of ads. 

[...] Those on the left were left complaining or biting their tongue when Harris campaigned with Liz Cheney, took a centrist approach to immigration, or when the Democratic convention did not feature Palestinian voices critical of Israel. So how does Dowd, Weiss, Stephens et al confidently assert the identity politics claim? These takes exist because this is a lazy pre-existing narrative to be sold, not because of any actual analysis of the electorate. These are writers who for various reasons have committed to an anti-woke narrative. And once you have committed to that narrative, you are determined to force it into every story, no matter how misleading.

What is true: Trump, and the right, are very good at taking basic respect and empathy for other humans, and portraying that as dangerous: social justice, wokeness, diversity, equity and inclusion have all been converted into terms of mockery. Trump did not win because someone you were on a zoom call with used pronouns, or Latinx, or some college grad corrected you for using the word homeless. You might find all of those things annoying, but it’s not a reason to excuse truly radical politics in America. He especially did not win because Democratic politicians went all in on those themes, because they did not. It could be that Dems lost support because they did not throw vulnerable groups under the bus, but that is a different argument than claiming they campaigned on those topics.

Trump Did Run On Identity Politics

You know who did run on identity politics? The person who will be President next January.

As noted above, Trump directly attacked trans people. And an extensive list of other groups, most notably immigrants. He even opposed bipartisan legislation on immigration because doing so would have robbed his chief talking point on campaign trail. He used false claims to denigrate those groups as deviants and threats to Americans. This is identity politics. There are many more examples. Trump deliberately targeted disaffected young men. This has been celebrated as canny political strategizing, but not identity politics. He described cities in America as hellholes. He boasted of his beautiful white skin as he attacked Harris, whom he claimed had changed her racial identity. He promised to restore the names of Confederate leaders to US military bases. Trump appeals most directly to white Christian nationalists. His advocates last minute pleas to supporters identified by gender their most likely supporters.

[...]

The Media Refuses to Recognize the Right Engaging in Identity Politics

At this point, the term “identity politics” like the term “elites” does more to obfuscate to enlighten. I don’t know if Trump won *because* he engaged in identity politics, but it seems a far more plausible claim than the idea that Harris lost because she had done so. But we can’t have that discussion because the pundit class does not allow that Trump practiced identity politics.

To be sure, there are differences in types of identity politics. Identity politics is sometimes about establishing empathy and respect for less powerful groups, people who are different from you. This is the kind of identity politics that Harris was accused of engaging in. Identity politics is also about increasing the salience of shared group markers in order to celebrate that identity while also excluding and dehumanizing outgroups. This is the populist model of identity politics, which requires some outgroups to demonize, and which Trump engaged in repeatedly throughout his political career. He came to power surfing the tea-party claim that Obama was not one of us, not born in the United States. And he spent the last campaign complaining about immigrants “poisoning the blood of our country.” His efforts at expanding his appeal beyond white identity politics still evoked identity: he argued that immigrants were stealing “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” or that teachers would turn your kids trans.

The critique of identity politics of the left is that it is oppressive — you will be cancelled for using the wrong pronouns! But the groups involved are mostly just seeking individual rights, the provision of which does not meaningfully damage the rights of others. By contrast, the identity politics of the right explicitly centers on controlling the bodies and choices of others, and the thoughts and actions of those that disagree with them. They remove books from classroom, tell students what they can learn, deny women reproductive care, or block trans people from serving their country. Part of the appeal of Trump’s identity politics is the promise of control over others. In the aftermath of Trump’s victory, messaging celebrating the expected control over women exploded on social media.

Don Moynihan nails it on the hypocrisy of identity politics, in that Trump was the one who practiced identity politics and not Harris.

[gunhilde]

Norman carvings from the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, Bari

[hzaidan]

08 works, Today, August 21st, is the Forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's day, his story illustrated #233

Abel PannAbraham, Isaac, and JacobPastel on paper25 3/4 by 34 in. 65 by 86.5 cmPrivate collection Abraham is known as the patriarch of the Israelite people through Isaac, the son born to him and Sarah in their old age and the patriarch of Arabs through his son Ishmael, born to Abraham and Hagar-his wife Sarah’s Egyptian slave-girl… Please follow link for full post

[kacperabolik]

Saint Nicholas of Bari

20x30in. Acrylic, graphite, and ink on canvas

Kacper Abolik, 2023

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 6)

On December 6, the faithful commemorate a bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children.

Born on 15 March 270 in Lycia, in Asia Minor, St. Nicholas of Myra is more than just the inspiration for the modern day Santa.

His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

As a young man, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study in the school of the Desert Fathers.

On returning some years later, he was almost immediately ordained Bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern day Turkey.

The bishop was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution. He was only released when Constantine the Great came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

One of the most famous stories of the generosity of St. Nicholas was when he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man’s daughters, who otherwise would have been forced into prostitution.

The gold was said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

St. Nicholas is associated with Christmas because of the tradition that he had in giving secret gifts to children.

It was also conjectured that the saint, who was known to wear red robes and have a long white beard, was culturally converted into the large man with a reindeer-drawn sled full of toys because in German, his name is “San Nikolaus,” which almost sounds like “Santa Claus.”

In the East, he is known as St. Nicholas of Myra for the town in which he was bishop.

In the West, he is called St. Nicholas of Bari because, during the Muslim conquest of Turkey in 1087, his relics were taken to Bari by the Italians.

St Nicholas is the patron of children and sailors. His intercession is sought by the shipwrecked, by those in difficult economic circumstances, and for those affected by fires.

He died on 6 December 343. He was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic called manna formed in his grave.

This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas.

[blindsided-from-the-right]

After all, it rhymes with arsonists...

[centro-visa]

Bari Greece

[twobrothersatwork]

Bicci Di Lorenzo (Italian, 1373-1452) The Birth of St Nicholas Of Bari

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

Bari, Puglia

[sunlilys]

st. nicholas of bari, 12th century.

[hzaidan]

1 Religious Icon, Luca Signorelli's Saint Nicholas of Bari saving three knights, with footnotes #11

Luca SignorelliSaint Nicholas of Bari saving three knights from execution, Cortona circa 1450 – 1523Oil on panel10 5/8 by 8 3/4 in.; 27 by 22.2 cm.Private collection Sold for 176,400 USD in January 2022 The reign of Constantine The Great was not always stable. Borders had to be protected, laws enforced and if unrest broke out or even a sniff of conspiracy surfaced, Constantine also dealt with…

[livehorsesartpage]

The prompt is Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas is one of my favorite saints. There's something so special around his person that I can't explain. Maybe is all the legends that surround him, or the things he's patron of, like being patron of children. It moves me a lot how he was a saint dedicated to spread love and give to the poorest, who were his main preference. His will of iron in the times of Christian persecution. I prefer him a lot more than the distorted version they made of him later.

Made with pencil colors and markers at December 6 of 2022