The above image is Saint Nicholas of Myra Saves Three Innocents from Execution by the famed Ukrainian artist Ilya Repin. Another work by Ilya Repin is featured here.
Saint Nicholas a hero? Who knew?
The “Santa Claus” celebrated in Western pop culture is a myth that has been built up around a real historical figure, namely Saint Nikola of Myra, known and loved by the Serbs as Sveti Nikola.
Why are we telling children to wait for “Santa Claus” to arrive on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer, when the truth is far more inspiring?
Instead, we should be teaching children and adults to follow the real “Saint Nick” as a role model. Not only did the good Saint spend the entire fortune that he had inherited on helping the poor, but he also was a brave man who fearlessly fought for truth and justice.
From the website of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Des Moines, Iowa:
One story about Nicholas tells us that, while visiting a remote area, the saint received news that the ruler of Myra, Eustathius, had condemned three innocent men to death. Nicholas rushed home and arrived in time to physically intervene in the execution by grasping the executioner’s sword and throwing it to the ground. He ordered the condemned men freed from their bonds. Approximately 1500 years later, in the 19th century, a controversy arose over capital punishment in Russia. Russian artist Ilya Repin studied ancient icons of Nicholas grasping the blade with his bare hand and used the images to make his own painting (in a realistic style instead of an iconographic style) depicting the incident and making his own comment about the controversy through art.
Such was the reputation of the good Bishop of Myra that the executioners immediately set free the three condemned men. Later, when Eustathius had repented of his wrongdoing and had performed a suitable penance, Saint Nicholas forgave him.
Below is one of the traditional Russian icons of the type that Ilya Repin studied for his own art:
Patron Saint
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, of Greece, and of many other cities, regions, occupations, and circumstances of life. Most famously, he is the patron saint of children, of boatmen, watermen, mariners, and sailors, of travellers and pilgrims, and of students and scholars. He is also the patron saint of judges, of repentant thieves, and of those victimized by injustice.
Originally published on 1389 Blog.
Tags: Art, Greece, heroes, History, icons, Ilya Repin, Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Sveti Nikola
let me first say you will be
denounced for supporting the Serbs
Where Saint Nick was from is now occupied by Turkey.
So,he fought injustice and gave his wealth to the poor? He was a socialist just like Jesus!////
Very powerful art by Mr Repin.Has that Old World flavor and I bet these paintings are done on a huge scale.
no justice no peace!!!
vagabond trader wrote:
Its interesting to get the background on st. Nick. I can see why he’s the rep of Christmas. He fought injustices.
@ mawskrat:
Never stopped her before!
Hey! No gravatar update.
>:-/
THERE we go! (in last minute wrapping mode)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Goff Golli. Goff Golli said: RT @BlogmocracySaint Nicholas Fought Injustice http://goo.gl/fb/gNAsK #art #christianity #history #openthread #o… http://bit.ly/e3cCRR [...]
Jimmy McMillan, Rent Is Too Damn High candidate, plans to run for President of United States
“How much rent do you pay? Too damn much!” lol
Wow, St. Nick is even better then the myth!
Dang it’s quiet.
Ok I can take a hint! LOL!
See y’all later~ I leave you with the handy dandy NORAD Santa Tracker!. I hope all my Blogmocracy friends has a fantastic day!
@ m:
yo gotta a fav rap song?//
@ PaladinPhil:
Hey PaladinPhil! Bye PaladinPhil! Have a great day!
I know this is OT, but as a former airline employee, it’s one that’s dear to my heart. This pilot has put his career on the line in the interest of REAL airline security an he’s being treated like a ciminal.
It’s BULLSHIT. Thank you.
Pilot Exposes TSA Farce
IIRC, the saint has a much-visited tomb in Turkey. Always wanted to take the kids (back when they were young) there so I could tell them Santa Claus was dead and here’s his grave. That’s not nice, is it?
@ mawskrat:
Almost missed ya! At the moment I’m just wrapping to … the news! bleeeh! I gotta do better!
Fakestinian Santa
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index_files/santa-palestinian-sm.jpg
@ MacDuff:
>:-/
@ Mike C.:
>:-/
gaah!
Ok, later y’all!
@ m:
Hi m, bye m. See you around and have a very Merry Christmas.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
But I really hate this holiday.
Rodan wrote:
Shit I’m Jewish but I like it.
Russian lawmakers gave preliminary approval Friday to an arms agreement with the United States, but signaled they would slow progress on the so-called New START treaty to a crawl after it was rushed through Congress earlier this week with some 11th-hour arm-twisting by President Obama.
The treaty cleared an initial hurdle through Moscow’s lower house of parliament, but a senior lawmaker said the treaty won’t get full approval until at least next month.
Konstantin Kosachev, head of the State Duma’s foreign affairs committee, said that the treaty would need a total of three required readings before it can be fully ratified. He said full ratification could only happen next month “at the earliest.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/24/russia-puts-start-treaty-january-early-approval/#ixzz192dw6TOr
Hey how come the Ruskies are in no rush and we had to be?
the evolution of Chukkk
And here’s yet another parody: Jihad Bells!
mawskrat wrote:
No Islam, Know Peace!
Oh look—the Christmas bounty has been offered
Friday, December 24, 2010 (1:36 pm)
By Santosh Digal, Asia Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, PALISTAN – Muslims began protests Friday, December 24, against plans to change Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, after an Islamic leader offered nearly $6,000 for the killing of a Christian woman he accused of offending Islam.
Bloomberg is scum
E-Mails Show NYC Aid to Ground Zero Mosque
Macker wrote:
Sad but true. Oh and very funny
refugee000 wrote:
ONLY $6,000? Cheap bastards
Macker wrote:
the whole world will be for Alaah
and Islam the only accepted religion
on earth
/and you will like it
@ Nevergiveup:
Hey, that’s a lot of money in their part of the world.
@ mawskrat:
Lan Astaslem.
Go Saint Nick!
@ MacDuff:
Another arrogant gubberment bureaucracy.
You can tell how dumb I am by backing myself into the “have to spell bureaucracy” corner on Christmas Eve.
@ Rodan:
Yup, he was from Asia Minor.
Nevergiveup wrote:
Because the Russians are trying to act in the best interests of thier own country.
Prebanned wrote:
And Obama is acting in the best interests of the Russians also? what a coquensidink
Rodan wrote:
That’s just because You are hung over.
Haar haw haw.
Seriously Big Dawg, hang out with those you dearly love today.
Nevergiveup wrote:
Oh man, we need to do some video editing showing muslim clerics blaspheming (blasphemizing) izzlam!
Nevergiveup wrote:
Naw, Obama hates us, because we are so dad gum evil.
It gives me a warm feeling, having all this evil power.
Here I thought I had took over, dominating this thread, and by extension, 2.0
Then I see there is a new thread…..
@ refugee000:
lol,this one in Bethlehem gives me the horrors. Look at the dead eyes,like those puppets on those awful shows they brainwash the kids with.
Here is an idea about what is happening from a very high overview of the West versus the Savages. We have two-thousand years of historical progress to develop Western Civilization. Which reaches its pinnacle of expression in America. But you have the enemy within that repudiates God is the director of history, that He plans for the advancement of humanity, particularly in religious and political freedom, that all men may choose whom, or what, they may serve. That God may then choose, who He will be related to though eternity. He will not be related to the moral coward, nor to those that worshiped the image of the Beast (Human Government is always depicted as BEASTS in the Bible).
Thus this is the great sorting out over millennia that God has always sought. But it is not just a passive acceptance of God and His purposes, it is also the seeking to expand the boundaries of religious (spiritual) and political freedom. It is not good enough YOU have freedom, it must be advanced, usually by the shedding of Blood to others, even unworthy others (Remember what Christ was all about?).
So we now have the open advocation of darkness and evil by those that are darkened and evil in their own minds and hearts, no matter if educated at Harvard, or mayors of cities. And God will have others free even if it means provoking us that are quiescent in our happy state to war with the darkness. This trouble with Islam will not pass until the reprobate appeasers are silenced in shame, and we do go to war with Islam.
Or do you think God allowed us such an edge in weapons above these savages for naught? Or do you think God is a passive Miss America contestant wishing for skittle-pooping Unicorns? Or is he a person that will subject His very own son, the human image of His divine self to a horrible torture death to free others?
Humanity needs to get a real picture of who God is and how relentless He is toward that goal. Liberals will be swept away by Divine rage as the enemies of the freedom of others, not willing to sacrifice anything for others, what makes them worthy of eternal judgement is not just that resistance to loving others, but that they even hate those that would go to do this themselves, they not only will not go into the Kingdom of God, but they stab in the back those that try to unloose the chains on those that long for freedom but are enslaved by the masters of darkness.
To expand on what I am saying. We had a dress-rehearsal for my concept in WWII and the Cold War. The West was passive in the face of Hitler’s naked aggression. The liberals of that day, were once again the moral cowards insuring ultimately a greater war, because they refuse to face the enemy, they refuse to admit that evil is an existential reality.
Even when we went to war with Saddam the first time, it was a liberal in General’s clothing (Colin Powell) that insured we would not defeat Saddam that day, but must allow him to grow in power until thousands of Americans had to die to take him down 12 years later than what God had demanded.
And God brought back the son of the man that refused to do His will the first time, to complete the job. And now after 911, when God was giving us permission and cause to annihilate Islam from the face of the earth, and to free the people subjugated by these mad clerics, instead the evil among us made our Commander in Chief the enemy and allowed this evil to escape our wrath (His Wrath) and now just as in NOT fighting Hitler when they should have, we will pay dearly to defeat this implacable foe, who’s head was wounded with the sword, but now has miraculously by Satan been resurrected to fight us to nearly the destruction of the earth.
And to all the phony liberals claiming tolerance and love that exceeds God Himself, you fools, do you think it is from love that you refuse to fight to free the oppressed? No greater love has any man than a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan that bleeds his life into the ground to free some little boy sodomized by these sons of Satan, or little girls living in abject fear that they might have displeased some Islamic shithead, who will have them whipped to death for talking to the boy next door. Liberals deserve the Hell of fire to which they are assigned.