How Saint Nicholas Stopped the Execution of Innocent Men

[Dawn Marie]

How Saint Nicholas Stopped the Execution of Innocent Men

During the reign of Constantine one of his earliest known deeds, Stratelatis,is told. It dates to around 400 AD. There was a revolt in the city of Phrygia in Asia Minor which caused Emperor Constantine to send three legions commanded by three generals (named Nepotian, Ursus, and Herpylion) to put the rebellion down. To obtain food and supplies, they stopped at the port of Andriaki, near Myra. A riot broke out between the soldiers and the merchants. Saint Nicholas came to convince the generals to control their soldiers and restore peace. He invited the generals to dine with him and they started on their way back to Myra. On the way back he was brought the news that three innocent men were about to be executed by beheading. Nicholas ran to the place and found the three men with their faces covered, hands bound behind their backs, expecting death. The executioner's sword was up and ready to fall. At that moment, Nicholas, embodying the scripture, "The righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1) stepped between them and caught the sword with his bare hands, wrestled it away, and threw it to the ground. He then summoned the prefect who tried to pass the buck on to two other men named, Eudoxius and Simonides. Bishop Nicholas replied, "It is not Eudoxius and Simonides who did this, but silver and gold.", because it was known by Nicholas that he had taken a bribe of 200 pounds of silver to execute the innocents. The prefect repented on the spot and the three men were cleared.

The three generals continued on with their mission and restored order to Phrygia. When they returned to Constantinople they were greatly rewarded and were also greatly envied by their rival officers. The rival officers spread lies, claiming the three generals were actually part of a plot to animate the Emperor. These lies were believed and the three generals were scheduled to be executed.

The generals, remembering what they had seen done by Saint Nicholas for those other three innocent men, began asking for God that Saint Nicholas would also to come to their aid in this manner:

"Lord, God of our Father Nicholas, who saved the three men of Myra from an unjust death, come, Lord, and do not forget us who are in danger of our lives. Free us from the hands of our enemies. Do not delay, for we are condemned to die tomorrow."

That night as the Emperor slept he was given a dream of a man telling him to release the generals immediately because they were innocent. The emperor asked who the man was and he replied, "The Bishop Nicholas of Myra, a sinner; God has sent me to tell you to free these men without delay." The same dream was also given to the prefect. In the morning the Emperor and the prefect told each other each's dream. They then approached the accused and asked them is they knew anyone by the name of Nicholas. They were immediately uplifted in spirit and told the Emperor about Saint Nicholas and what he had done for the three innocents in Myra. Hearing their story, he released them, and commanded that they give gifts to Nicholas, which were from Constantine. They did as they were commanded and thanked Saint Nicholas for saving them, but Nicholas told them not to thank him, but God, the one who truly saved them from death.

[Cathleen]

[Cathleen]

http://www.barnhardt.biz/2014/12/06/starting-friday-off-right-3/

I don't always agree with Ann but sometimes she hits it right out of the park................

December 6th! The feast of St. Nicholas! The story of St. Nicholas can never be repeated too often:

Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas, who died on December 6, ARSH 343. Saint Nicholas is well-known by his Dutch moniker, ”Santa Claus”. Don’t be fooled by the crass, commercialized image. Saint Nicholas was a stone-cold butt-kicker for Christ and His Church.

Early in the Fourth Century, there was a terrible heresy in the Church put forth by a very persuasive man named Arius. Arius contended that Christ was not fully divine, but a creature, created by the Father. This heresy was threatening to schism the Church. (Back then everyone understood the truth that any schism whatsoever was totally and completely evil and thus unacceptable – the Church is ONE. Christ has ONE Bride, not a harem. There is ONE Truth. Not multiple “”truths””. As soon as you start saying that there are ”multiple truths”, what you have done is denied Truth Itself, of which there is only ONE.)

So, the First Council of Nicea was called in ARSH 325 to hash this out and put the Arian heresy down once and for all. Arius was at the Council, of course, and was called upon to defend his position on the inferiority of Christ. Being a bishop, Nikolaos of Myra (in present-day Turkey) was naturally in attendance. Arius’ nonsensical, destructive and insulting lying contentions about Our Lord became too much for Bishop Nikolaos, who stood up and proceeded to haul off and go all Manny Pacquiao on Arius with a left jab directly to Arius’ piehole. (See image above.)

Everyone was alarmed by Bishop Nikolaos’ righteous beatdown of Arius, and he was immediately summarily stripped of his episcopacy. In those days, the two things that designated a man a Christian bishop were a personal copy of the Gospels and a pallium, which is like a stole. Now you may taken aback by the “personal copy of the Gospels” thing. Well, of course! How could a bishop NOT have the Gospels? But you must remember that the printing press wasn’t invented until ARSH 1439. Before that, if you wanted a book, it had to be written out BY HAND. And what were you going to write on? Try vellum. Every piece of vellum had to be harvested from an animal and made. So you see, for a man to have a personal copy of any written text was a HUGE, and frankly EXPENSIVE, deal. So, poor Nikolaos was stripped of his Gospel and his pallium AND thrown in the hoosegow.

Now here is where it gets really good.

While Nikolaos was in the clink, he received a visit from both Our Lord and the Virgin Mary. Our Lord asked Nikolaos, “”Why are you here?”” And Nikolaos replied, “”Because I love You, my Lord and my God.”” At this, Jesus then presented Nikolaos with his copy of the Gospels, and Mary put his pallium back on him, thus restoring his rank as a bishop. When Nikolaos was discovered sitting calmly in his cell, still under guard, with his Gospel and his pallium, which the other bishops had locked away themselves far from Niklaos’ prison cell, Nikolaos was released, welcomed back by his brother bishops, and rejoined the Council. The heresy of Arianism was struck down once and for all, and the Nicene Creed (which we still recite at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today) was authored.

The anti-Arian part is this:

”. . . Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum,
(And [I believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ)

Filium Dei Unigenitum,
(the only begotten Son of God)

Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.
(And born of the Father, before all ages.)

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
(God of God: Light of Light)

Deum verum de Deo vero,
(true God of true God)

Genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri
(Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father)

Per quem omnia facta sunt.”
(by Whom all things were made.)

I post this because it speaks directly to our question of love and defense of Truth and defense of those we love. Arius was attacking Christ and His Church with his heresy just as viciously as if he had been leading an army – and Nikolaos stepped into the breach to defend his Beloved. PHYSICALLY. The reason Nikolaos stepped in was because Arius was attacking CHRIST, and His Bride, the Church, which is made up of Nikolaos’ fellow human beings – whose immortal souls were being put at risk by Arius. We are in no way taught by Christ to stand by and watch as our loved ones are attacked, either their bodies or their souls. The miracle in Nikolaos’ cell is proof of this. Nikolaos did the right thing by going all Pacquiao on Arius and dropping him on his heretical keister before God and everyone.

“”Why are you here?””

“”Because I love You, my Lord and my God.””

Go Santa.