Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/August 3

Nicodemus (/nɪkəˈdiːməs/; Ancient Greek: Νικόδημος, romanized: 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. Like Lazarus, Nicodemus is not mentioned in the synoptic Gospels, but only by John, who devotes more than half of Chapter 3 of his gospel and a few verses of Chapter 7 to Nicodemus, and last mentions him in Chapter 19.

Both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church traditions consider Nicodemus to have secretly been a disciple of Jesus on the basis of 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 called "defender of Jesus". (Full article...)
Attributes: Pharisee
Patronage: Curiosity
See also: Abāmūn of Tarnūt