What Happened To St. Nicholas?
What happened to this beloved saint? Church history indicates that Nicholas was born into wealth and apparently gave his inheritance to the poor. He was elected bishop at age 30 and was listed as a participant in the Council of Nicea. When theological debate was not enough, Nicholas is said to have punched out the heretic Arianism was declared heresy at the Council of Nicaea’, ‘#792412’, ‘#FFFFCC’);” onmouseout=”toolTip();”>Arius, who argued that Jesus was not fully divine. Later, the bishop was imprisoned under the Emperor Diocletian and released under Constantine. He died on December 6,343. A famous tradition is captured in an icon called the Charity of St. Nicholas, which shows him visiting a poor family at night, carrying a bag of gold. The father could not provide dowries for his daughters, which meant they could not marry. Nicholas rescued them from slavery or prostitution by dropping gold coins through a window. The gifts fell into their stockings, which had been hung up to dry.
