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Figure Three: Nicholas: The Young Bishop Of Myra

Promoter of Justice

Father Nicholas served the Church in Patara for several years and then moved to Myra which was a larger seaport town with a Cathedral. After a few years Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra. Right about this time Diocletian’s great persecution of the Christians was beginning. Many of the Christian farmers and merchants were put in prison. Bishop Nicholas was also put in prison and suffered but was not martyred. Many of the Churches were destroyed and all the Holy Books burned.

When the persecution ended Nicholas was released from prison and began working very hard to get his diocese back together. He convinced captains of merchant ships to share some of their sacks of grain with the poor people of Myra. He offered sacks of grain for seeds to the farmers. At first the ships captains didn’t want to give up any of their cargo of grain for fear they would be punished when they reached Constantinople. But Bishop Nicholas convinced them they would not get in trouble for sharing the grain and he offered to pray for a safe journey for them. Legend tells us that none of the grain was missed when the ships arrived in Constantinople. Bishop Nicholas promoted justice for all and worked at carrying it out.

The third figure in The Legend of Saint Nicholas Limited Edition Collector Series depicts Bishop Nicholas with several sacks of grain as he promotes justice for the merchants and farmers.