Monday, December 22, 2025

It is the 22nd of December 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Just three days until Christmas- this week we’ve got some fun shows- as usual, we will look to the mailbag that has been bursting at the seams- a few more shows to pick up some of the miscellany.

Today’s question comes from Jacob in Manteca, California- you know, the one-time pumpkin capital of the world. A dairy town, “Manteca” means butter or lard. Jacob asked about one of the ubiquitous Facebook memes that shows up around this time of year. He sent a picture of one old-timey bishop punching another with the caption “Good ole St Nicholas was jolly, but Arius was a naughty heretic! St. Nick knew who was good and bad, so it did not go well! Perhaps giving Arius a lump of coal would have been preferable!”

The story- taken more seriously than it should be is that Nicholas of Myra was at the council of Nicaea, that foundational meeting 1700 years ago that established the full humanity and divinity of Jesus. Arius, the oft misunderstood fella, but also a heretic, claimed that Jesus was created, not coequal with the Father. And so the story developed that the baby-faced Nicholas of Myra confronted that dastardly heel Arius, slapped him, and put him in his place.

The story continues! According to one Medieval version of the story, Nicholas was imprisoned for losing his temper, but in the middle of the night was visited by Jesus and Mary, who gave him back his pallium (the Bishop’s vestment) and loosed his chains. When the jailer sees this in the morning, he tells Constantine who has Nicholas released, and the council sides with him against Arius.

1. Yes, St. Nicholas is one of the characters behind the modern Santa Claus- but just one- our modern Santa is more Father Christmas, meets the elven character from “the Night Before Christmas’ meets a jolly fellow invented by Coca Cola almost 100 years ago. But the Christmas meme persists- Santa punching Arius.

Here’s the problem- Nicholas of Myra, whose dates make it possible that he was at Nicaea, probably wasn’t there. None of the contemporary records has him there. It’s only some 500 years later that some, writing about Nick, place him there. And it’s only some 500 years after that that we start to read about him being confrontational. But even there, it is with an Arian and not Arius himself. Others have pointed out that the language of his “slapping” Arius or the Arian could be read as merely “confronting”. But the iconography developed pretty quickly- and so we do have very old-looking images of the supposed event, giving it some historical weight.

My favorite meme of the event-that-likely-did n’t-happen is of an icon of St. Nicholas that reads “I’ve come to give out presents and punch people” followed by “and I’m all out of presents”- and if you understand that reference, we should be friends.

The popularity of St. Nicholas- such that he would be inserted into Nicaea- is a good case study in how some saints become universal. It seems that the stories were especially resonant- helping the poor and children, and as the protector of sailors- in the Mediterranean, this is no small job. And the stories of his relics being stolen and recovered during the Crusades helped expand his legend with the people and places to which the Crusaders took these stories back. His feast day in December was one more factor in the development of Santa Claus (Santa Claus coming from the Dutch name for St. Nick- Sinterklaas).

Thanks, Jacob, and sorry to burst the memes- but St. Nicholas did likely confess the Nicene Creed as he remained in good standing in the church as a bishop until his death in 343.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and one of my favorite Advent readings- Mary’s Song from Luke 1:

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.


From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

    holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

    from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

    but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

    but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

    remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

    just as he promised our ancestors.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 22nd of December 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who will still share the Santa meme: “He knows whose been naughty at Nicaea.” he is Christopher Gillespie 

The show is written and read by a man who recommends the new version of Little St. Nick on Bryan Adams' Christmas album- I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.