I know in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand this is celebrated on 26 December, but I'm not referencing the Bank Holiday Act of 1871. I am thinking about good St. Nick of Myra whose feast is celebrated today.
We all know of St. Nicholas' generosity, goodwill, and godliness, but did you know he was also a boxer? A sort of combination of Joe Frazier and St. Francis?
Here is an interesting article with a bit more on St. Nicholas.
According to one version of his legend, after Nicholas punch/slapped the arch-heretic Arius at the Council of Nicea, he was duly stripped of his bishop's panoply and thrown in jail (you could not perform violence in front of the Emperor). That night, he was visited by an angel and his panoply was miraculously restored. In the morning, when Constantine came to visit, he found a fully dressed Nicholas waiting for him and this miracle helped convince the council to condemn Arianism.
Of course, that is all holy legend. Really, there is not much known about him other than that he was reverenced fairly soon after his death. Short articles on his life may be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia or in Christianity Today.
Now I am not one to promote or condone violence, but if you feel the urge to slap a heretic today, you might be following in the footsteps of a saint. :) (Tongue firmly planted in cheek).
Update: Found a website promoting an independent film on the life of St. Nicholas. It looks intriguing and I hope it can find distribution. You may track the movie here.
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