Nicodemus
Member of the Sanhedrin, from the class of large landowners. He owns, among other properties, lands near Emmaus on the Plain and an estate in Ramah (Judea) north of Jerusalem, where the parents of Thomas the Apostle live. He is a friend of Lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea.
A member of high society, he has its prejudices:"I do not criticize the presence of ignorant people or tax collectors among the Disciples of the Christ, but I do not find it appropriate that among His own there be someone (Judas) who does not know if he is for Him or against Him, and who is like a chameleon that takes the color and appearance of what surrounds him."[1]He is the one who comes to find Jesus at night.[2] Jesus answers him:
“Yes, I declare to you, it is the truth: no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of Water and The Spirit”.He is part of the group of the "mighty" (with Lazarus, Chuza, and Joseph of Arimathea) that Jesus envisions to evangelize Judea among the powerful.[3] Connected to his colleague Joseph of Arimathea, he informs Jesus of what is planned against Him.[4] His prudence does not hide a certain courage.[5] He defends, like Joseph of Arimathea and Eleazar Ben Boethus, the Sanhedrist, justice at the trial of Eleazar son of Anna, a rapist and murderer.[6]
Good master, he is generous with the poor:
"This year, he made it known to us that everything is for us, because it is a year of Grace."Jesus later asks him:
- "What voice told you that it is a year of Grace, and not the coming year, for example?" - "...I do not know... I am not a prophet. But I am not dull, and to my intelligence was joined a light from Heaven. My Master... I wanted the poor to receive gifts from God, while God is still among the poor..."[7]
Character and Appearance[edit | edit source]
His prudence, undoubtedly linked to his role, increasingly gives way to a certain courage. At the height of the Temple hostility toward Jesus, he is seen publicly (and skillfully) taking his side.[8]
He is also seen evolving throughout the years of the Public Life by shedding his social prejudices and becoming more and more open to the faith in Jesus.
Apostolic Journey[edit | edit source]
Witness to the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension.
He evangelizes the surroundings of Jerusalem, especially Nob and Ramah (Judea), with the cooperation of other Apostles and Disciples.[9]
He publicly expresses his convictions by leaving the Sanhedrin at the trial of Jesus.[10]
With his friend Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus goes to Pilate to ask for the body of the Crucified[11], helps to unfasten His limbs and take Him down from the Cross.[12]
He helps carry Him to the new tomb offered by Joseph, cleans His body, and wraps Him in the strips and the Shroud (anointing).[13] He provides fifty kilograms of spices (aloes and myrrh) for the burial.[14]-[15]
He is present until the sealing of the tomb and the return to the Cenacle.[16]
At the Ascension, Jesus publicly honors his courage by calling him to His side with some other friends of the same caliber:"You, Lazarus, my friend. You, Joseph, and you, Nicodemus, were full of compassion for the Christ when that could have been a great danger."[17]
His Name[edit | edit source]
Nicodemus (Naqdimôn in Hebrew) means "Victory of the people" in Greek.
Where is he mentioned in the work?[edit | edit source]
EMV 85
EMV 113 EMV 114 EMV 116 EMV 135
EMV 281 EMV 282 EMV 283
EMV 334 EMV 364 EMV 365 EMV 376 EMV 378
EMV 404 EMV 407 EMV 489 EMV 491
EMV 505 EMV 509 EMV 511 EMV 538 EMV 541 EMV 542 EMV 545 EMV 546 EMV 548 EMV 549 EMV 550 EMV 560 EMV 566 EMV 581 EMV 584 EMV 585 EMV 588 EMV 589
EMV 604 EMV 609 EMV 610 EMV 611 EMV 623 EMV 631 EMV 635 EMV 638 EMV 641 EMV 644 EMV 645 EMV 646 EMV 648 EMV 649
More About This Character[edit | edit source]
Excerpts from the "Dictionary of Characters of the Salton Maria Valtorta Gospel" (Mgr René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise, Jean-François Lavère, Salvator Editions, 2012):Saint Nicodemus is celebrated on August 3.In the Gospel of Saint John, he is called "Doctor of Israel"[18], sometimes translated as "charged with teaching". In Maria Valtorta, Joseph of Arimathea echoes this title by presenting Nicodemus to Jesus as "chief of the Jews"[19]".
He is attributed an apocryphal gospel known as the Acts of Pilate. It notably recounts Christ’s descent into Hell. According to Mgr Gaume, this gospel had great influence in the Middle Ages: it was credited not as canonical but as an edifying work[20].
According to the Babylonian Talmud, Nicodemus was one of the three richest people in Jerusalem: "He could have fed all the people of Israel for ten days"[21]. Nicodemus (Naqdimon in Hebrew) was a nickname. His real name was Bonaï (or Nakkaï) ben Gorion and his illustrious family originated from Jericho[22].
According to Flavius Josephus, Joseph ben Gurion, his son, was chosen as one of the leaders of Jerusalem during the siege of the city by the Romans[23].
In Lucca, Tuscany, at Saint Martin’s Cathedral (The Duomo), the Holy Face (Volto Santo) is venerated; a relic different from the veil of Veronica (Nikka)[24]. This relic is in the form of a crucifix supposedly sculpted from memory by Nicodemus. The relic has been venerated for over 1,000 years, but it is believed the current representation is a 11th-century copy.
This tradition echoes a detail reported by Maria Valtorta: Nicodemus, breaking with the Old Covenant prohibitions on human representation, had made a statue of the crucified Christ in which he enclosed the shroud (veil of the Face). Thus he created the first crucifix in history. On this occasion, he gave to the Virgin Mary the shroud (cloth wrapping the body) he had collected with Joseph of Arimathea[25].
Nicodemus, on his deathbed, was said to have been hosted by Gamaliel[26] who buried him at Kaphar-Gamala (Beit Jimal) along with Stephen, the first martyr. His relics were reportedly found in 415.
Notes and References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ EMV 113
- ↑ John 3, 1-21
- ↑ EMV 116
- ↑ EMV 282
- ↑ John 7, 50-53
- ↑ EMV 376
- ↑ EMV 407
- ↑ EMV 491
- ↑ EMV 489
- ↑ EMV 604
- ↑ EMV 609.26-31
- ↑ EMV 609.32
- ↑ EMV 610.15
- ↑ EMV 609
- ↑ EMV 614.10
- ↑ EMV 611
- ↑ EMV 638.19
- ↑ See John 3:10.
- ↑ EMV 609.
- ↑ Mgr Gaume, Histoire du bon larron, 1893, page 13.
- ↑ Talmud, tractate Gitlin or Divorces, chapter V, § 56.
- ↑ Ib°, Bavli Ta'anit, 20a.
- ↑ Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 14, 37.
- ↑ Guérin, Holy Land, 1850, Volume 2, page 217.
- ↑ EMV 644.
- ↑ Johannes Sepp, Life of Jesus, Volume 1 chap. 3 page 141.