Editor’s note: This article is part of a series answering religious questions. Each week, we will answer one submitted faith question. This week’s question was not submitted but was a timely divergence. To send a submission, visit timesfreepress.com/religionquestions or email wmassey@timesfreepress.com.
Question: Who was St. Nick? And, how did he become Santa Claus?
The answer to the question, in short, is he was an early Christian saint who became the popular Christmas icon because of public drunkenness.
St. Nicholas was born in the late third century, between 260 and 280 CE, in the East Medditerranean. Even though he was not a priest, he was elected bishop of Myra, in modern Turkey, and was known for being a strong defender of the Christian faith against Roman persecution. There is little that can be confirmed about his life, but St. Nicholas was known as a gift-giver who looked out for people in distress.
The most well-known story of his life involves St. Nicholas giving bags of gold to three young women who were going to become prostitutes because of their indebted father. The money was used for their dowries in marriage.