作者: Stephen Nichols 翻譯: Maria Marta
今天發現聖誕老人（Saint Nicholas）（劇透提醒）竟然是一個真實的人, 可能會令許多人詫異。聖誕老人不是留著白色胡子，身穿紅色棉衣，頭戴紅色聖誕帽子，坐著雪橇上的人嗎？
不完全是的，但他可能真的留著胡子，頭戴帽子，出們遠行時坐著馬拉車, 而不是駕著馴鹿拉的雪橇。聖尼古拉斯是聖誕老人傳說背後的真人, 是第四世紀米拉城（Myra）的主教。他帶的帽子是主教的主教冠。
尼古拉斯出生在今天土耳其境內一個頗富裕的家庭。尼古拉斯自幼失去雙親，他把自己的一生和財富都奉獻給基督教教堂。他很早就被任命為米拉城的主教，米拉城位於今天土耳其的南部海岸。
當時正是基督徒受迫害的時期。羅馬皇帝戴克裏先（Diocletian），於284年至305年在位, 他憎恨基督徒, 把他們抓進，塞滿羅馬的監獄。主教尼古拉斯在監獄中度過了第四世紀開頭的幾年，飽受常規的毆打。隨後的十年，君士坦丁立令使基督教成為羅馬帝國的合法宗教，尼古拉斯被釋放。
325年在尼西亞, 主教尼古拉斯出席在君士坦丁夏宮舉行的第一次基督教大公會議。參加會議數的百名主教, 駁斥阿裏烏斯（Arius）, 亞歷山大長老的錯誤觀點。阿裏烏斯否認基督的神性。跟據尼古拉斯的一些傳記作者描述，當時阿裏烏斯正在會議上發言，尼古拉斯怒火沖冠, 不能自制, 他站起來，穿過地板沖向阿裏烏斯，迅雷不及掩耳一拳打在阿裏烏斯的臉上。
因為毆打罪，尼古拉斯重回監獄。主教們慎重考慮他的命運。尼古拉斯心裏悔恨, 懇求寬恕。大公會議之後，君士坦丁寬大赦免, 恢覆尼古拉斯的主教職位。
尼古拉斯在他的職位上勤勤懇懇，努力事奉。縱觀尼古拉斯的畢生歷程，他以慷慨大方而著稱。尤其在對待孩子方面，他定期慷贈禮物給他們。米拉城是一個繁忙的港口城市，來往進出的船舶和海員絡繹不絕。船舶駛出米拉港口, 滿載需求的禮品和貨物, 全部都是尼古拉斯提供和包裝的。尼古拉斯的禮物運往地中海世界各地。水手們帶著尼古拉斯主教的慷慨故事, 前往世界各地。
主教尼古拉斯的死亡年份不確定，但月份被確認為十二月份。因為他慷慨贈送故事的流傳，他的生平故事越傳越廣。他成為一個家喻戶曉的人物。在第六世紀，君士坦丁堡的一間教堂以他的名字命名, 專門紀念他。在中世紀，除了基督和馬利亞之外, 描繪尼古拉斯形象的畫作比任何人都多。尼古拉斯不再是主教尼古拉斯，現在他變成聖誕老人，紀念他的節日是12月6日。
圍繞尼古拉斯有許多傳說, 其中一個是關於他贈送嫁妝給年輕的窮女孩，使她們能結成婚。為了反映這個傳說，他背著裝滿金幣的袋子的形像開始出現。
當他的傳說向北方流傳時，故事甚至發生了更有趣的轉變。在德國，出現以聖尼古拉斯名義彼此互贈禮物的傳統。在荷蘭是也是如此。尼古拉斯的荷蘭語演變成聖誕老人（Sinterklass）。尼古拉斯的德語最後演變成聖誕老人（Santa Claus）。禮物贈送的慶祝活動在12月6日, 尼古拉斯的逝世周年紀念日舉行。一金幣的禮物極其珍貴，顯示出天大的恩惠。
甚至路得亦在傳說裡面扮演著一個角色。路得希望另一種新教選擇,取代羅馬天主教慶祝聖誕老人（Santa Claus）盛宴的慣例。路得創立在聖誕前夕以嬰孩基督（Christkindl，德文）名義送禮物的傳統, 取代了以聖誕老人名義送禮物的慣例。也許在這一點上，我們有理由解釋, 為什麽各地的新教孩子被允許在聖誕前夜至少可以打開一份禮物。
路得喜愛聖誕節。他希望聖誕節成為圍繞伯利恒童女馬利亞生子這份最高禮物而展開的送禮物慶祝活動。正如他在1530年的講道中說，「躺在馬利亞膝上的是我們的救主，感謝上帝，祂愛你，賜給你一位救主。」
聖誕節從基督彌撒（Christ Mass）一詞演變而來，傳統上基督道成肉身的慶祝固定在12月25日。路得杜撰的「嬰孩基督」（Christkindl）一字也發展了好幾個世紀。它變成聖誕老人（Santa Claus）的另一個名字，聖誕老人（Kris Kringle）。路得脫離聖誕老人傳統的努力不經意間扭轉方向, 使這傳統朝著正確的方向發展。
因此我們有了聖誕老人的故事。有趣的是，聖尼古拉斯和他的傳奇開始於早期教會。在中世紀根據各地的喜好, 被編織成故事，這些故事甚至出現在宗教改革時期。直到今天這些故事仍然是我們生活的一部份。
尼克勞斯（Stephen J. Nichols）博士是Reformation Bible College的校長，也是Ligonier Ministries的教務主任，並主播5 Minutes in Church History節目。
Saint Nicholas and the Origins
of Santa Claus
FROM
Stephen Nichols
It
might surprise many today to find out that Saint Nicholas (spoiler alert) is a
real person after all. Is he the white-bearded man with a red suit, a cap, and
a sleigh?
Not
quite, but he probably was bearded, did wear a hat, and did travel in
horse-drawn, not reindeer-drawn, transportation. The legend behind Santa Claus
is Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra. His hat was the bishop’s
mitre.
Nicholas
was born in modern day Turkey to a rather wealthy family. Losing his parents at
a young age, Nicholas dedicated both his fortune and his life to the Christian
church. Very quickly he was appointed the bishop of Myra, on the southern coast
of modern day Turkey.
These
were days of persecution for Christians. Roman Emperor Diocletian, who reigned
from 284–305, hated Christians and stuffed Roman jails full of them. Bishop
Nicholas spent the first few years of the fourth century in jail and faced
routine beatings. In the next decade, Constantine legalized Christianity and
Nicholas was set free.
As
the legend goes, Bishop Nicholas was present at the Church’s First Ecumenical
Council at Constantine’s summer palace in Nicea in 325. Hundreds of Bishops
gathered there to refute the false views of Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria.
Arius denied Christ’s deity. At one point while Arius was addressing the
council, Nicholas’s rage got the better of him. According to some of his
biographers, Nicholas stood up, crossed the floor to Arius, and promptly
punched him in the face.
For
the assault, Nicholas found himself back in jail again. The bishops deliberated
his fate. Nicholas was repentant and sought forgiveness. After the Council,
Constantine granted clemency and restored Bishop Nicholas to his post.
And
at his post Bishop Nicholas diligently served. Over the course of his entire
life he was known for being extremely generous. He was especially generous to
children, regularly giving them gifts. Myra was a busy port city with ships and
sailors coming and going. The ships went out of Myra’s port loaded with gifts
and goods for the needy, all provided and packed on by Bishop Nicholas. His
gifts went all around the Mediterranean world. As sailors went around the
world, they took with them the stories of the generosity of Bishop Nicholas.
The
year of Bishop Nicholas’s death is uncertain, but the month is firmly believed
to be December. As the story of his generosity spread, the stories of his life
grew and grew. He was becoming legendary. In the sixth century, a church was
dedicated to him and named for him in Constantinople. His image was depicted
more in the Middle Ages than any other except those of Christ and of Mary. No
longer Bishop Nicholas, now he became Saint Nicholas, and his Feast Day would
be December 6.
One
of the legends around Nicholas concerned his giving dowries to young poor girls
so they would be able to marry. To reflect that legend, images of him carrying
bags bulging with gold coins began to appear.
As
his legend moved northward, the story takes an even more interesting turn. In
Germany, the tradition arose of giving gifts to each other in the name of Saint
Nicholas. So, too, in the Netherlands. The Dutch word for him became
Sinterklaas. The German word eventually became Santa Claus. These celebrations
of gift-giving occurred on December 6, the anniversary of his death. The gift
of a gold coin was highly prized and showed great favor.
Even
Martin Luther would come to play a role in the legend. Luther wanted a Protestant
alternative to the Roman Catholic practice of celebrating the Feast of Saint
Nicholas (Santa Claus). Instead of giving gifts in the name of Santa Claus on
December 6, Luther started the tradition of giving gifts in the name of the
Christ child, Christkindl, on Christmas Eve. Perhaps in this we have an
argument for Protestant kids everywhere as to why they should be allowed to
open at least one present on Christmas Eve.
Luther
loved Christmas. He wanted it to be a celebration of giving around the supreme
gift of the babe born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. As he preached in 1530,
“He who lies in the virgin’s lap is our Savior … give thanks to God, who so
loved you that he gave you a Savior.”
Christmas
evolved from the word Christ Mass, the celebration of the incarnation of
Christ, fixed by tradition as being on December 25. The word Luther coined,
Christkindl, also evolved over the centuries. It would become Santa Claus’
other name, Kris Kringle. This effort of Luther’s to move away from the Santa
Claus tradition inadvertently veered right toward it.
So we
have the story of Santa Claus. Interestingly enough, Saint Nicholas and his
legend began in the early church. The stories wove their way through the Middle
Ages, and they even made an appearance at the Reformation. Those stories still
live with us today.
Dr.
Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic
officer for Ligonier Ministries, and teaches on the podcast 5 Minutes in Church
History.
