Nicodemus | |
|---|---|
 Nicodemus helping to take down Jesus' body from the cross (The Deposition, by Michelangelo) | |
| Defender of Jesus | |
| Born | Galilee |
| Died | Judea |
| Venerated in | |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | Various (see § Veneration): 3rd Sunday of Pascha, 2 August, 3 August, 31 August |
| Attributes | Pharisee |
| Patronage | |
Nicodemus (/nɪkəˈdiːməs/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Νικόδημος, translit. Nikódēmos; Imperial Aramaic: 𐡍𐡒𐡃𐡉𐡌𐡅𐡍, romanized: Naqdīmūn; Hebrew: נַקְדִּימוֹן, romanized: Naqdīmōn) is a New Testament figure venerated as a saint in a number of Christian traditions. He is depicted as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin who is drawn to hear Jesus's teachings. As is the case with Lazarus, Nicodemus is not mentioned in the synoptic Gospels, and is mentioned only by John,[3] who devotes more than half of Chapter 3 of his gospel and a few verses of Chapter 7 to Nicodemus, and lastly mentions him in Chapter 19.
Nicodemus is considered by both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church traditions to have secretly been a disciple of Jesus on the basis of the narrative in John 19; there is no explicit mention of his discipleship in the Gospel of John. Owing to his insistence on a hearing for Jesus according to Jewish law, Nicodemus is sometimes referred to as "defender of Jesus".[4]
Some scholars have identified the Nicodemus of the New Testament with a 1st-century historic Nicodemus ben Gurion, while others consider the dates and the seeming age discrepancy between the two figures make this unlikely. An apocryphal work under his name – the Gospel of Nicodemus – was produced in the mid-4th century, and is mostly a reworking of the earlier Acts of Pilate, which recounts the Harrowing of Hell.[5]
- ^
- Moore, Russell (3 January 2023). "Read Like Nicodemus". Christianity Today.
- "A Curious Man (John 3:1-17)". Christian Century. 14 May 1997. p. 475 – via Religion Online.
- ^ "Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus". Franciscan Media. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
driscoll CEwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^
- Pancaro, Severino (1972). "The Metamorphosis of a Legal Principle in the Fourth Gospel. A Closer Look at Jn 7,51". Biblica. 53 (3): 340–361. ISSN 0006-0887. JSTOR 42610052.
- Pilch, John J. (14 March 2021). "The world's darkness — Historical Cultural Context: Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B". Sunday SLU Liturgy. Saint Louis University.
- ^ Reid, George J. (1907). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company. p. 111.