St. Nicholas

Today is the feast day of Nicholas of Myra, the fourth century Christian bishop whose saintly devotion to the poor is remembered today as Santa Claus, the saint of retail shopping. A little known story of Nicholas reports that he punched the heretical Arius in the face at the Council of Nicaea, reportedly over comments Arius made regarding the mother of Jesus. Another little know fact is that Nicholas was believed to be the father of a gnostic heresy, and his hedonistic followers the Nicholaites were condemned by church fathers. Later, Nicholas was miraculously exonerated of heresy and became one of Christianity's most popular saints. Something to remember when you read the inevitable whining about the "real" Saint Nicholas this year.

Today is also the birthday of noted occultist and novelist Dion Fortune.