真正的圣诞老人是谁【真实的圣诞老人】
时间：2018-12-27 03:36:11 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
Every December, Christian clergy(神职人员) and scholars from around the world journey to the country of Turkey, in Asia, to honor St. Nicholas, the real-life person who inspired the legend of Santa Claus.
During the fourth century A.D., St. Nicholas was bishop (主教) of Myra, an ancient city along the Mediterranean Sea(地中海). Few details about his life are certain, but it was his reputation for good deeds that inspired the character of Santa Claus.
Born into a wealthy family in the ancient southern seaport city of Patara where Turkey is now located, Nicholas became an orphan at a young age,the heir to a large inheritance1. He vowed2 to devote his wealth to charitable (慈善的) causes and soon developed a reputation for generosity(慷慨，大方) and kindness.
Legendhasitthatwhen Nicholas heard of a distinguished3 citizen of Patara who was unable to find dowries (嫁妆) for his three daughters, he secretly gave the family three bags of gold--enough for each daughter to marry.This event supposedly linked St.Nicholas to the later custom of giving gifts at Christmas.
History indicates that Nicholas heavily influenced the early Christian church. Upon returning from a trip to Jerusalem,Nicholas decided not to return to his hometown of Patara but to live in the town of Myra,an important center of the Christian faith about 47 miles to the east.
According to legend,Nicholas arrived in Myra when the local clergy was getting ready to select a new bishop to succeed the one who had just died. Not sure of whom they should appoint,they prayed for guidance and were directed to choose the first man who entered the church the next day.Nicholas, being the first to arrive at the church,became that man.
The icon(肖像，画像) we know today as Santa Claus sprouted4 from these tales,which spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.However,it was Clement C. Moore, an American professor of divinity (大学神学系), who received the credit for developing the modern concept of Santa Claus in the 1823 poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas."
The poem provided the inspiration for the first portrait of Santa Claus,painted by newspaper artist Thomas Nast in 1870. Nast"s picture transformed St. Nicholaspermanentlyintotheroundandrosy- checked character we all know and love.
Experts believe that Nicholas died in Myra on December 6 at age 65.After his death,the church elevateds Nicholas to sainthood(圣徒身份), and he was buried in a graveyard just outside of Myra. Years lat- er, a chapel(小教堂) was built over his tomb.
每年十二月，基督教的牧师和学者从世界各地聚集到亚洲的土耳其，纪念圣尼古拉――启发圣诞老人这一传说产生的真实人物。
公元4世纪，圣尼古拉是米拉城(地中海沿岸的一座古代城市)的主教。关于他生平的细节鲜为人知，但他做善事的名声激发了圣诞老人这一形象的产生。
尼古拉出生于古代南部海港城市帕塔拉(今土耳其境内)一个富有的家庭，他很小就成了孤儿，继承了一大笔遗产。他发誓要把他的财富用于慈善事业，很快就因为慷慨和善良而远近闻名。
传说中，当尼古拉听说城里一位有名望的市民无法给自己的3个女儿置办嫁妆，就悄悄地给了那个家庭3袋金币，足够每个女儿出嫁。据推测，这个与圣尼古拉有关的事件后来发展成圣诞节送礼物的习俗。
历史表明，尼古拉对早期基督教的教堂有很大影响。在一次去耶路撒冷的旅行回来后，尼古拉决定不再回他的家乡帕塔拉，而是在米拉城定居，那儿是一个重要的基督教信仰中心，位于帕塔拉东面约47英里。
根据传说，尼古拉到米拉城的时候，当地牧师正在选举新主教，接任刚刚去世的前任。他们不能确定该委任谁，就祈祷并希望得到指引，他们被告知要选第二天第一个进教堂的人。尼古拉正好就是第一个到达教堂的人，于是他成了主教。
今天我们所知道的圣诞老人形象源于这些故事，它们在中世纪传遍了欧洲。尽管如此，是美国神学教授克莱门特・C・摩尔于 1823年创作的一首名为《拜访圣尼古拉》的诗歌，进一步形成了现代圣诞老人的形象，他因此得到人们的赞扬。
1870年，这首诗给了一位报纸艺术家托马斯・纳斯特灵感，他画出了圣诞老人的第一幅肖像。纳斯特的画使圣尼古拉永久性地成为今天家喻户晓并深受喜爱的形象，他有着玫瑰红色双颊的圆脸。
专家认为，圣尼古拉于12月6日65岁时死于米拉城。他死后，教堂提升他为圣徒，他被埋葬在米拉城外不远处的一个墓地。几年后，他的坟墓上建起了一个小礼拜堂。
注释：
1．inheritance n. 继承物，遗产
2．vow vt．立誓要做(或给予、遵守)
3．distinguished a.卓著的，著名的
4．sprout vi.(种子、植物)发芽，抽芽。这里比喻“源于…”
5．elevatevt．提升…的职位
