Enemy of the Gods - Introduction

Most people think of Saint Nicholas as a fanciful creature of Christmas who secretly arrives to bring happiness to children, but you may not have known that the jolly old elf was inspired by a real man who lived at the beginning of the fourth century AD, Nicholas of Myra. The stories of Nicholas didn’t get put into writing until several centuries after his death, so the tales have grown with time and taken on some outlandish details. Some versions of stories about Nicholas include him resurrecting a decapitated donkey or sailing from a shipwreck in his hat. Nonetheless, he was a real man who left a real impression that lasts to this day.

Nicholas lived in a turbulent time when the the Roman Empire teetered on the verge of crumbling, and rival Caesars battled for control. A man of wealth, he’s most known for giving gifts in secret to those in need. And while it wasn’t unusual for a wealthy Roman to give gifts to the poor, he gave, not in the name of some Roman god, but in the name of Christ—this, at a time when followers of Christ were being killed. Emperor Diocletian declared an all-out war on Christianity, hoping to stamp it out once and for all, using any means possible, including torture and death. Nicholas survived this time in prison and then took his place as a leader of the church as it came out from under oppression. He led it through this troubled transition from an outlawed religion to the dominant faith of the empire. What follows is an attempt to represent Nicholas and his time, to capture the essence of his legend while remaining true to the facts of history. I hope you enjoy it.