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I do not remember exactly, but I think it was St. Cyprian who once advanced towards Bishop Arius, who was speaking, and knocked him down with a punch. You got it right: a Bishop went to another Bishop and knocked him down. Bam! “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, old style. I do not remember exactly who the man was. What I remember is that now one is a Saint, and the other a heretic. Mind, I do not doubt Arius would have never, ever knocked down the man with a punch. Heretics can be so frightfully nice,...

Arius, the Heretic Who Died of a Wretched Bowel Problem There heretic Arius is one of the most interesting characters on the stage of history. Every December I write a tribute post to Saint Nicholas about the tradition of Saint Nicholas h-slapping (heretic slapping) Arius at the Council of Nicea in AD 325. Joseph Reidy, professor of history at If you know of any 18 year olds looking for a traditional Catholic college, please send them our way.) As you know, Arius divided the Church and Empire of the fourth and fifth century by claiming that the Divine Logos, Jesus...

... It's hard for modern Christians to imagine how such public turmoil could be created by an argument between theologians—or how God could work through the messiness of human conflict to bring the church to an understanding of truth. To us, in retrospect, the Council of Nicaea is a veritable mountain in the landscape of the early church. For the protagonists themselves, it was more in the nature of an emergency meeting forced on hostile parties by imperial power and designed to stop an internal row. After the council, many of the same bishops who had signed its creed appeared...

The Real Saint Nicholas Jerry Falwell Thursday, Dec. 18, 2003 When Christmas displays are erected on public grounds across the nation, they typically must include a secular element in order to achieve legal requirements. In effect, a manger scene must include a depiction of Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer before it passes constitutional muster. While I believe this is a nonsensical requirement, it is where the seemingly unending ACLU lawsuits against public religious displays have brought us in terms of social policy. However, Christians can utilize this regulation to bring about a positive result. I encourage parents...