Nicholas, a citizen of the city of Patara, derived his origin from rich and holy parents. His father was called Epiphanes, and his mother Joanna. Since his parents had begotten him in the first bloom of their youth, thereafter they led a celibate life. On the first day, while he was being bathed, he stood upright in the basin. Moreover, on Wednesdays and Fridays he would suck the breast only once. Having become a young man, shunning the wantonness of others, he rather frequented the thresholds of the churches, and whatever he could there understand of the Sacred Scripture, he retained by heart. When his parents had died, he began to consider how he might dispense so great an abundance of riches not for human praise, but for the glory of God.
Now a certain neighbor of his, quite noble, was compelled by want to prostitute his three daughters, so that he might be supported by the traffic of them. When the saint learned of this, he abhorred the crime, and at night secretly threw a mass of gold wrapped in a cloth through the window into the man's house, and secretly withdrew. Rising in the morning, the man found the mass of gold, and giving thanks to God, celebrated the marriage of his firstborn. Not long after, the servant of God performed a similar deed. When the man again found it, breaking forth also into immense praises, he resolved thenceforth to keep watch, that he might know who it was that had relieved his need.
After a few days, he threw a doubled mass of gold into the house; at the sound of it the man was roused, and pursued the fleeing Nicholas, addressing him with this cry: "Halt your step and do not withdraw yourself from my sight." And running up more swiftly, he recognized that this was Nicholas. Soon, prostrate on the ground, he wished to kiss his feet, which Nicholas refusing, demanded of him that he should not make him known as long as he lived. After this, when the bishop of the city of Myra had died, the bishops of that church assembled to provide for a bishop. Now there was present among them a certain bishop of great authority, on whose decision the verdict of all depended.
When therefore he had admonished all to persist in fastings and prayers, on that night he heard a voice saying to him that he should watch the doors of the church at the morning hour, and whomever he should see come first to the church—whose name also should be Nicholas—him he should consecrate as bishop. Revealing this therefore to the other bishops, he admonished them all to persist in prayers, while he himself kept watch before the doors. In a wondrous manner, at the morning hour, as if sent by God, Nicholas presented himself before all; and the bishop, seizing him, said to him: "What is your name?" He, as he was full of dove-like simplicity, with bowed head:
"Nicholas," he said, "the servant of your Holiness." Leading him into the church, though he greatly resisted, they placed him in the chair. He, however, pursued in all things the same humility and gravity of manners as before: he kept vigil in prayer, mortified his body, fled the company of women, was humble in looking up to all, effective in speaking, eager in exhorting, severe in reproving. It is also reported, as is read in a certain chronicle, that Nicholas was present at the Council of Nicaea. Now on a certain day, while some sailors were in peril, they prayed thus with tears: "Nicholas, servant of God, if the things we hear about you are true, let us now experience them." Soon someone appeared in his likeness, saying: "Behold, I am here.
For you have called me." And he began to help them with the yardarms and ropes and the other tackle of the ship, and at once the tempest ceased. But when they had come to his church, they recognized him without any pointing out, though they had never seen him before. Then they gave thanks to God and to him for their deliverance. He taught that this was to be attributed to the divine mercy and to their own faith, not to his merits. At a certain time a mighty famine struck the whole province of Saint Nicholas, so that food failed everyone. Now the man of God, hearing that ships laden with wheat had put in at the port, immediately went there, asking the sailors that they would at least, with a hundred measures from each ship, relieve those in peril of famine. They to him: "We dare not, father.
For it has been measured at Alexandria, and we must render it into the emperor's granaries." To them the Saint said: "Do now what I say, and I promise you, in the power of God, that you will suffer no diminution before the royal collector." When they had done this and had rendered to the emperor's ministers the same measure which they had received at Alexandria, they report the miracle and extol God with magnificent praise in His servant. The man of God then distributed the grain according to the need of each, so that miraculously, for two years, it not only sufficed for sustenance, but even abounded for the use of seed.
Now since that region had been enslaved to idols, the people had above all others worshiped the image of the wicked Diana, to such a degree that, until the time of the man of God, some peasants served that execrable religion and, under a certain tree consecrated to Diana, practiced certain rites of the heathen. And the man of God drove out the aforesaid rite from all the borders, and ordered that very tree to be cut down. Enraged at this against him, the ancient enemy prepared the oil of Medea, which by its nature burns in water and on stones, and transforming himself into the form of a religious woman, met certain men sailing to the man of God in a little boat, and addressed them thus: "I would rather come with you to the Saint of God, but I cannot.
Therefore I ask you to offer this oil at his church, and in memory of me to anoint with it the walls of his hall." And immediately she vanished. And behold, they saw another little boat with honorable persons, among whom was one most like Saint Nicholas, who thus said to them: "Alas, what did that woman say to you, or what did she bring?" But they narrated everything in order. To them he said: "This is the shameless Diana; and that you may prove me to speak the truth, cast that oil into the sea." When they cast it in, a huge fire was kindled in the sea, and against nature it was seen burning in the sea for a long while. Coming therefore to the servant of God, they said: "Truly you are he who appeared to us at sea and delivered us from the devil's snares." [. . .
] A certain man received a certain sum of money on loan from a Jew, swearing upon the altar of Saint Nicholas—since he could have no other surety—that he would repay it to him as quickly as he could. Now when that man kept the money for a long time, the Jew demanded it back, but the man affirmed that he had repaid it to him. He therefore drags him to judgment, and an oath is imposed on the debtor. The man had brought with him a hollowed staff, which he had filled with finely beaten gold, as if he needed its support. Wishing therefore to take the oath, he handed the staff to the Jew to keep. He swore that he had repaid even more than he owed. The oath being made, he reclaimed his staff, and the Jew, ignorant of the trick, gave it back to him.
But as he who had committed the fraud was returning, overcome by sleep at a certain crossroads, he collapsed, and a chariot coming with force killed him and broke the staff full of gold, and the gold poured out. Hearing this, the Jew came in haste at once, and when he had seen the deceit, and though it was suggested to him by many that he should take the gold, he utterly refused, unless he who had died should be restored to life by the merits of blessed Nicholas—asserting that, if this were done, he would receive baptism and would become a Christian. Immediately he who had died was raised, and the Jew was baptized in the name of Christ.
A certain Jew, seeing the virtuous power of blessed Nicholas in working miracles, ordered an image of him to be made for himself, and placed it in his house; to it, when he went somewhat further away, he would commend his goods with threats, saying these or similar words: "Behold, Nicholas, I commit all my goods to you to be guarded, and unless you guard all things well, I will exact vengeance on you with beatings and scourges." On a certain occasion therefore, while he was away, thieves came, seized everything, and left the image alone. The Jew, however, returning and seeing himself despoiled, addressed the image, using such or similar words: "Lord Nicholas, had I not placed you in my house to guard my goods from robbers?
'Why would you not do this, and why did you not stop the robbers! Therefore you shall receive dreadful torments and pay the penalty in place of the robbers. And so I will repay my loss in your torments, and cool my fury upon you with stripes and scourges.' So the Jew, taking the image, beat it cruelly and cruelly scourged it. A wholly marvelous and astonishing thing! While the thieves were dividing the goods they had stolen, the Saint of God appeared, as though he himself had received the blows, saying these or similar words: 'Why have I been so cruelly scourged for your sake! Why so cruelly beaten! Why have I suffered so many torments! Behold how my body is livid. Behold how it reddens with the shedding of blood. Go quickly and restore everything that you took.
Otherwise the wrath of Almighty God shall rage furiously against you, so that your crime will be made public in the open and each one of you will suffer hanging.' They said to him: 'Who are you, who speak such things to us!' And he replied: 'I am Nicholas, the servant of Jesus Christ, whom that Jew so cruelly scourged on account of his goods which you carried off.' Terrified, they went to the Jew, told him of the miracle, heard from him what he had done to the image, and restored everything. And so the robbers returned to the way of righteousness, and the Jew embraced the faith of the Savior. [. . .]