During the Roman emperor Diocletian’s bloody persecution of Christians in 303, Nicholas was imprisoned. However, when Constantine the Great became emperor in 306, he legalized Christianity and made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. Nicholas was freed.

公元303年，罗马皇帝戴克里先血腥迫害基督徒期间，尼古拉被捕入狱。然而，公元306年君士坦丁大帝登基称帝，他使基督教合法化，并使之成为罗马帝国的国教。尼古拉也获释放。

(短文节选,本篇始于：圣诞老人，报上名来)