SANTA WAS ORIGINALLY A CATHOLIC BISHOP

SANTA WAS ORIGINALLY A CATHOLIC BISHOP

By William Chalfant

Many do not realize it, but when they teach their children to visit “Santa Claus”, or to write letters to him, they are speaking of a “dead Catholic bishop”. To teach children to talk to someone who is dead is a sin forbidden in the Bible called NECROMANCY (“consulting with the dead”, see Deuteronomy 18.11).

The original St. Nicolas is described in the book, ST. NICHOLAS (Jeanne Ancelet-Hustache, New York: Macmillan, 1962). St. Nicholas was the Catholic bishop of Myra, and was one of the bishops at Nicea (325 AD), who drafted the Trinity dogma and saddled the world with this false teaching. He was noted for his generosity, and reputedly once had given away three bags of gold to a poor man’s children so that they would have dowry in order to marry.

Myra was a coastal town in the province of Lycia (southern Asia minor, present-day Turkey). It was here that the original St. Nicholas became famous among Catholics and was canonized later as a Catholic “saint”. His “feast day” (the day they celebrated him) was December 6.

In the middle ages, in northern France, the legend of St. Nicholas became connected with the Christmas celebration, and in the thirteenth century, spread throughout most of western Europe. In many towns, the boys associated with the St. Nicholas feast, were given gifts. Representations of St. Nicholas showed him carrying a rod to chastise those boys (and we assume girls) who were naughty and not nice. There was a dark counterpart to St. Nicholas, later called Black Peter, who represented the opposition of the devil.

During his feast in December, St. Nicholas would go at night from house to house (so they said), leaving gifts for those children who had been good during the year (or leaving a stick for those who had been bad). St. Nicholas put his presents in shoes, stockings, or little dresses, hung up to receive them.

In the mid-seventeenth century, among the Dutch, we see the use of the chimney by St. Nicholas (or “Santa Claus”, a shortened version of the name) in bringing gifts.

But with the Reformation movement, St. Nicholas underwent some transformations. The Catholic saint, Nicholas, was “repressed” and his dark companion remained in the customs. He wore a long dark beard and heavy boots. He assumed the nickname of the Catholic St. Nicholas, being called “Old Nick”. It was now “Old Nick” who was to either punish children for bad deeds or to give them gifts for good deeds.

THE MODERN SANTA CLAUS

The modern idea of Santa Claus as a chubby, bespectacled elf, dressed in red, took shape over the course of the 19th century.

The immediate forebear of the American Santa Claus was the Dutch “Sinter Klaas”. He was said to ride through the skies on a horse. He was accompanied by a black elf named Black Peter, whose job was to whip naughty children.

The Protestant Reformation had tried to replace the Catholic St. Nicholas with the “Christ child” as the gift giver. The term “Christkindl” evolved into the term “Kriss Kringle”, a nickname for Santa Claus today.

SANTA CLAUS IN AMERICA

Santa Claus was popularized in American in 1809 by the famous writer, Washington Irving, who introduced the Dutch Santa Claus, riding on a horse (still accompanied by Black Peter).

But the complete version of the modern American Santa Claus was brought by Clement Moore in 1823, with his well known poem, THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS). Moore’s poem included such details as Santa’s reindeer (which he named). Santa, an elf, laughs, winks, nods, and “lays his finger aside his nose” before ascending up the chimney.

Thomas Nast, the famous illustrator, in the period of the 1860’s through the 1880’s, in the Harper’s Magazine, added such details as Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, and Santa’s list of naughty and nice children throughout the world.

A human-sized version of Santa was introduced by the Coca Cola ads in the 1930’s. Only his toy-shop workers remained elves in that version.

Elves are mythological, supernatural creatures (particularly northern European). They are classified as “fairies” (diminutive supernatural creatures, generally in human form; e.g., brownies, gnomes, pixies, goblins, dwarfs, trolls, sprites, etc.). The reader is invited to consult such encyclopedias as Encarta, etc., for further information.

SUMMARY:

Obviously, the legend of Santa Claus is based on the mythological legends, which are basically “lies” or untruths. To tell children to consult or talk to the spirit of a dead man would be the sin of necromancy. To talk to supernatural creatures, who do not glorify or serve God is also very dangerous. Santa’s ability to know what children across the world are doing is an attribute that should belong only to the Lord.

If parents encourage their children to believe a lie that Santa exists and does the things the legends say he does, they risk damaging their children’s faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, children could reason that if Santa is a myth, then maybe Jesus is a myth. It is very dangerous to teach children a lie.

Everything about Santa Claus is a lie. The original St. Nicholas, if he indeed was at the Council of Nicea, and voted in favor of the Trinity, voted in favor of a lie. He then lived a lie.

Saying that Santa lives at the North Pole is a lie. That he flies through the sky in a sled pulled by flying reindeer is a lie. To say that Santa comes down a chimney to deliver gifts is a lie. That he is responsible for the gifts children receive at Christmas is a lie. That he has little elves working for him in a toy factory at the North Pole is a lie. To leave cookies and milk out for him as an offering is an affront to the Lord who should be the only One who receives offerings as God.

Revelation 22.15 says, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, AND WHOSOEVER LOVETH AND MAKETH A LIE”. Those who perpetuate and encourage the use of the Satan Claus myth are in bad company!

The legend of Santa Claus is not just an innocent little old myth to entertain and have fun with, but it is an attempt by Satan to divert worship away from God and deceive others, especially little children. I do not wish to be unkind about it, but I do not believe that it has any part in true Christianity.

-Bro William Chalfant