Nereus (Hastings' Dictionary)

The name of a Roman Chris- tian, greeted, along with his sister and certain others, in Ro 16%. The form of expression, ‘ salute Philologus.and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints that are with them,’ suggests that these persons formed a small Christian community by themselves. The name is found in inscriptions of the imperial household (C/Z vi. 4344), and is well known in the legends of the Roman Church.

The Acts of Nereus and Achilleus which are of a late date and composite charac ter, call these saints the eunuch chamberlains of δ14 NERGAL NERO Domitilla, the virgin niece of Vespasian, and nar- rate how they persuaded their mistress to refuse to marry a son of the Consul, and to remain a virgin. Later, after other legends of the early Roman Church have been introduced, their death is de- scribed. These names are, however, older than the Acts.

One of the well-known inscriptions of Damasus describes them as two soldiers whose faith compelled them to desert their unchristian profession, and who had to pay the penalty with their lives. There are other archwological remains, and the Church of St. Nereus and Achilleus was very old, dating under the name of Fasciolae from the 4th cent. at least. The Acts state that Nereus and Achilleus were buried in the cemetery of St.

Domitilla in the Via Ardeatina, and probably the origin of the legend in the Acts is that these two names appeared somewhat conspicuously in the catacomb near the tomb of Domitilla, and suggested that they might be associated with her in history. The fact that Nereus is combined with Achilleus— a name which does not appear in the Epistle to the Romans—suggests that there was an independent archreologi source for the name, and that it belonged to the early history of the Roman Church. Lrrmrators.

—Acta Sanctorum, May, vol. iii. p. 4; Texte und Unterruchungen, xi. 2; Bull, Arch, Christ., 1874, p. 20, 1875, p. 8; Lightfoot, Clement, i. p. 51. A. C. HEADLAM. NERGAL (5m; B τὴν pene A om., Luc. τὸν Νιριγέλ, Nergel, 2K 17; Bab. Ne-uru-gal, ‘the lord of the great city’ of Hades) was worshipped at Cutha (now Tell Ibrahim) along with his wife Laz. He presided over the necropolis which lay in the desert near Cutha. In pre-Semitic times he was invoked as U-gur, ‘the taskmaster (?)

,’ and in later days was made a son of the Bel of Nippur, and identified with Lugal-banda, the god of the city of Marad. He was addressed as ‘the hero of the gods,’ ‘who marches in front of them’ to battle, and among his names (when identified with the planet Mars) are those of Allamu and Almnu. e Assyr. kings regarded him as the αἰτοῦ of hunting. See, further, Schrader, KAT? 282f. (COT i. 275f.]; Meyer, Gesch. i. 175 ff. ; Tiele, Gesch. 530. A. H. SAYCE.

NERGAL-SHAREZER (ryx7¢-$m3; B Nayapyac- vasép, SAQ Nacép, Q™ Νηρεὰ Σαρσάρ, Theod. Νηργὲλ Lapacdp, Nergelsereser, Bab. Nergal-sar-uzur, “Ὁ Nergal, defend the king’!)—In Jer 39° we read that after the capture of Jerusalem the chief Babylonians entered the city and sat in ‘the middle gate,’ among them being Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and that, subsequently, Nebuzar- adan the commander of the body-guard, Nebushas- ban the Rab-saris (Bab.

Rab-sa-risi, ‘chief of the sagt , and Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, re- eased Jeremiah from the prison into which he had been thrown. In v.* the text has fallen into confusion, and we ought to read ‘Samgar-nebo the Sar-sechim, Nebushasban the Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag.

’ Rab-mag is the Babylonian agen or ‘chief of the physicians,’ and it is hardly doubtful that the Nergal-sharezer who in Jeremiah occupies a place so near Nebu- chadrezzar is the Nergal-sharezer who subsequently became king of Babylonia, and is known to classical writers as Neriglissar. We learn from the inscrip- tions that he married a daughter of Nebuch., and his name appears in several contracts drawn up in the reign of Evil-Merodach the son and suc- cessor of Nebuch.

, more especially in relation to the purchase of house-property. In one of the contracts mention is made of Lis son Merodach- bal-uzur. Nergal-sharezer was the son of Bel- sum-iskun, to whom, in one of his son’s inscrip- tions, is erroneously given the title of ‘king.’ In B.c. 559 Evil-Merodach was murdered, and Nergal-sharezer seized the throne, which he held for nearly four years. He built a palace or the right bank of the Euphrates, and was succeeded in B.C.

556 by his son Labasi-Merodach (Laboroso- archod), who was murdered after a reign of nine months. ‘There are grounds for believing that Nergal-sharezer’s reign was troubled by invasion. Immediately after his accession he married his daughter to Nebo-sum-yukin the priest of Nebo at Borsippa, who may therefore have had much to do with placin im on the throne. See, further, Schrader, KAT? 416 [COT ii. τὴν Stade, Gesch. i. 646; Tiele, Gesch. 430. A. H. SAYCE.