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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I always found it fascinating that the Council of Bari (1098) was held around the tomb of St. Nick. That must have such a subtle jibe at the Greeks -- chastising them for their trinitarian theology while showing them who had their patron saint as well. Urban II was no fool... Jim > Nicholas (Santa Claus) (d. c. 350) Good St. Nick was > probably born at Patara in Lycia (Asia Minor). He became > bishop of Myra, where he was soon famous for his piety and > miracles. He was imprisoned during Diocletian's > persecution, attended the council of Nicaea, and died at > Myra. Legend goes on to make him much more interesting > than these bare facts, telling how he provided dowries for > three poor girls (whose father intended to put them to > work as prostitutes) by throwing bags of gold into their > house, saved three innocent men from an unjust death > sentence, resurected three "pickled boys" (who had been > murdered and put in brine), etc.---he seems to have been > extremely trinitarian in his thinking. N's relics were > brought to Bari in 1087, where his shrine became one of > the great pilgrimage centers of the Middle Ages. He is the > patron of storm-tossed sailors (he miraculously saved some > mariners from a storm---I wouldn't be surprised if there > were three of them) and of children. This year's saint > book adds that the modern figure of Santa Claus is really > non-Christian and is based on the god Thor. (Any > comment?) Nick is also the patron saint of Greece, Apulia > , Sicily, Lorraine, and Russia. > ------------- James Ginther Assoc. Professor of Medieval Theology & Director of Graduate Studies Dept of Theological Studies St Louis University email: [log in to unmask] ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html