The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra

243 Pages·2012·9.09 MB·English

by  Adam C. English

The Saint Who Would Be
Santa Claus
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The Saint Who Would Be
Santa Claus
The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra
Adam C. English
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS
© 2012 by Baylor University Press
Waco, Texas 76798-7363
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor
University Press.
Cover Design by Nicole Weaver, Zeal Design
Cover image courtesy of the St. Nicholas Center,
www.stnicholascenter.org
Book Design by Diane Smith
eISBN: 978-1-60258-636-9 (e-PDF)
This E-book was converted from the original source file by a third-
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contact Baylor University Press, One Bear Place, #97363, Waco,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
English, Adam C., 1974–
The saint who would be Santa Claus : the true life and trials of
Nicholas of Myra / Adam C. English.
242 p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 225) and index.
ISBN 978-1-60258-634-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Nicholas, Saint, Bp. of Myra. 2. Santa Claus. I. Title.
BR1720.N46E54 2012
270.2092—dc23
[B]
2012003693
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper with a
minimum of 30% pcw recycled content.
To my siblings, Christine and David,
with whom I share so many Christmas memories
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 Finding St. Nicholas 1
(cid:31)
vii
2 Out of a Dying World Comes a Light 19
3 Three Gifts and One Election 55
4 The Work of Victory 97
5 Riots, Beheadings, and Other Near Misfortunes 131
6 Death Is Only the Beginning 165
Notes 193
Recommended Reading 225
Index 227
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List of Illustrations
1 Icon from the Monastery of St. Catherine,
Mount Sinai, Egypt 7
2 A statue of Artemis of Ephesus 22
(cid:31)
3 The world of Nicholas 26 ix
4 Nicholas saves Adeodatus, painted on a bottle of
myrrh 52
5 The Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist
and St. Nicholas of Bari by Raphael 76
6 Local pawn shop sign showing the three spheres
of St. Nicholas 77
7 Large head of Constantine in Rome, formerly part
of a larger statue 99
8 Russian statue of St. Nicholas with sword
and church 145
9 Tomb of St. Nicholas, Basilica di San Nicola,
Bari, Italy 185
10 Russian statue in Demre, Turkey 189
11 American Santa Claus, Demre, Turkey 189
12 Turkish statue in Demre, Turkey 190