Nicolas

A proselyte + (to Judaism) of Antioch ; one of the seven men selected by the Christians of Jerusalem and appointed by the apostles to look after the ‘daily ministration’ to the poor (Ac 6°).t He is nowhere mentioned afterwards in the NT, and is first referred to elsewhere by Ireneus (adv. Her. i. 26), who states that the Nicolaitans of Rev 2 were his followers. Hippolytus (Ref. Her. vii.

24) declares more distinctly that Nicolas was a heretic, who ‘departed from correct doctrine’ and inculcated ‘indifference of life.’ Pseudo-Tertullian (adv. omn. Her. 3, probably of 3rd cent.) charges him still more strongly with immoral teaching. On the other hand, in the longer Greek recension of the lenatian Epistles, mention is twice made of those who are ‘falsely called Nicolaitans’ (Zrall. 11, Phil. 6; cf. Ap. Const. vi. 8); sug, Nicolaitans improperly claimed Nicolas as their founder.

Eusebius (ΠΕ iii. 29) refers to this pre- tension in a connexion which implies that he re- garded it as unfounded. Clement of Alexandria (Strom. iii. 4, quoted by Eus. l.c.) relates what would readily explain at once the claim of the Nicolaitans, the testimony of ‘Ignatius’ and Eusebius, and a probable misconception by Iren- eus, Hippolytus, and other subsequent writers.

Clement states that Nicolas had a beautiful wife, and that, on ‘ being reproached by the apostles for his jealousy, he conducted her into the midst of them, and gave her over (érérpeyev)’—i.e. pre- sumably, offered to do so—to any one who might wish to marry her.§ To this anecdote is appended a saying of Nicolas that ‘one ought to abuse’ or ‘use hardly (παραχρᾶσθαι) the flesh.

’ Clement is careful, however, to state his own interpretation of that phrase as signifying not indulgence in but abstinence from fleshly lusts ; and he adds that Nicolas himself lived a virtuous married life, and that his family also were chaste. The over-com- placency of Nicolas regarding his wife is scarcely credible, and is perhaps a misrepresentation of some protest of N. against an imputation of self- gesting that the *In the Acta Apost. Apoc. of pseudo-Abdias (embodied in Fabric. Cod.

Apoe. vol. i. p. 498 ff.), usually ascribed to the 6th cent., there is an account of another Nicolas, who after a life of Ts said to have been converted in old age by the Apostle Andrew; but, as he does not appear to have been a teacher, he could hardly have founded a sect. + It does not follow (though it may be the case) that Nicolas was the only one of the seven who was not a Jew by birth. The designation, ‘ proselyte of Antioch,’ may have been inserted owing to St.

Luke's personal acquaintance with Nicolas, both being natives (if Eus., HE iii. 4, can be trusted) of that city. 3 Epiph. (Heer. i. 20) and Ps.-Doroth. include N. among the ‘Seventy’ (Lk 10!); the latter adding that he became bishop of Samaria (see preceding article). § Epiph. (adv. Herr. i.

25), under the influence of monasticism, transfers to the Apostolic Age the later unscriptural disparage- ment of married life, and twists the record oP Gisnent into a story of how Nicolas, ‘following the counsels of perfection,’ separated from his wife, but, ‘ being unable to persevere in his resolution, returned to her in, as a dog to his vomit, and then justified his conduct by licentious principles, which sccasioned the foundation of the sect of the Nicolaitans,’ NICOPOLIS indulgence; but the term παραχρᾶσθαι may well have been employed by him (although not very happily, owing to the ambiguity) in the sense of mortifying the flesh through rigid abstinence, and yet have been taken up by others (inclined towards Antinomianism) in the Gnostic sense of mortifica- tion through inordinate gratification.

If, however, Nicolas became eventually a teacher of immoral heresy, the apostasy of the last-named among the Seven constitutes a striking parallel to that of the last-named among the Twelve. For the Literature see previous article. H. Cowan. NICOPOLIS (Νικόπολις) is mentioned by St. Paul in writing to Titus as a place at which he intended to spend the winter, Tit 3% Of the various cities named Nicopolis, it is nearly certain that Nicopolis in Epirus is meant.

That was a city on the promontory which shuts in the gulf cf Ambracia (now called Arta) on the north-west; facing the Nicopolitan promontory was that of Actium, shutting in the gulf on the south-west ; about half a mile of sea separates the two. In September B.c. 31 Augustus lay encamped on the northern promontory, and Antony on the southern, and the decisive battle was fought in the adjacent waters.

Augustus founded in honour of the victory a city on the spot where his land army had encamped on the night before the battle, and called his new foundation ‘the city of victory.

’ The site is now deserted; and the medieval city Prevesa has taken its place, about 5 miles south on the extreme southern point of the promontory, looking across to Actium, There was a temple of Apollo at Actium, overlooking the scene of the battle; and the sudden storm, which struck the faces of Antony’s sailors and contributed not a little to his defeat, was attributed to the direct intervention of the god on the side of his favoured Augustus.

Actium had been previously the more important site; but the victor now resolved to make a great city at Nicopolis. He concentrated there the population of many decaying Greek cities of Acarnania and A®tolia, gave the new cit; the rights and honours of a Roman colony, made it a leading member of the Amphictyonic Council, and instituted a quinquennial festival sacred to Apollo, with musical and athletic sports, and com- petition of ships and of chariots.

is festival was placed on the same rank as the four great Greek ames—the Olympian, Pythian, Isthmian, and Went aan’ and must have attracted crowds to the city every fourth year. The circumstances con- nected with the foundation and Sopling of Nico- polis are very fully discussed by Kuhn, Entstehung der Stadte der Alten. Nicopolis was thus the coast of Acarnania and Epirus, and was on that account selected by St.

Paul for a residence of some duration, in the course of which he hoped to evangelize the entire province of Epirus and Acar- nania: it is indeed not quite certain that that Pravences which existed in Trajan’s reign, had een constituted in St. Paul’s time ; but the proba- bility is that it had.

The selection of Nicopolis as a mission centre proves that the apostle had arranged a methodical scheme of work in order to fill up the gap in his evangelization of the empire: he had founded churches on the eastern or 2gean side of the Epirote-Macedonian penin- sula, but the western side was still a blank, and in this he now proposed to commence work. The circumstances in which St. Paul formed that resolution and communicated it to Titus can only be guessed at.

It is even uncertain whether he actually visited Nicopolis. According to the sub- eat centre for the west scription added to the letter, he wrote from Nico- polis to Titus; but that is alate and untrustworthy addition.

The most natural (in fact, almost neces- sary) interpretation is that he wrote from some other place ; he mentions his resolve to spend the winter ‘there,’ not ‘here,’ and the perfect tense κέκρικα Shows that he is wring, not from the point of view of the recipient of the letter, but simply as he thinks and feels. A journey, therefore, lay before him to Nicopolis.

daking this in conjunc- tion with the fact that some time later he, from Rome, wrote to Timothy and indicated that he had at no distant time passed through Miletus and Corinth (2 Ti 4), the conjecture is at least a tempting one that he had had in mind to go by Corinth to Nicopolis.

Moreover, as the words of 2Ti 4” would ἐτοῖν suggest that he had been arrested in Corinth, the probability is that he reached Nicopolis, and that he was arrested there while prosecuting his work, and sent to Rome to be tried there as a Roman citizen. The reference to Nicopolis and to the supposed journey are necessarily connected with the disputed uestion of the authenticity and trustworthiness of the Pastoral Epistles.

Those who deny that those Epistles can be accepted as a rational foundation on which to construct the history of St. Paul’s life, will of course take no account of Nicopolis. But those who accept them as recording trustworthy historical statements must date them some years after the first Roman captivity, and conclude that St. Paul was acquitted on his first trial.

Some of those even who deny the authenticity of the Pastoral Epistles, admit, like Harnack, that they contain historical information. ‘Then the earliest possible time when St. Paul could have been ar- rested for preaching Christianity would be after the outbreak of the Neronian persecution. The winter that he proposed to spend at Nicopolis, therefore, taust be that of 64-65, or 65-66, or 66-67. The later history of Nicopolis is short.

After falling into decay, it was restored by Julian about 362; and afterwards it was captured by the Goths and destroyed, but again was restored by Justinian, as Procopius, de Aedif. iv. 2, describes. It is men- tioned as the metropolis of Old Epirus by Hierocles about A.D. 530, oat retained that position in the ecclesiastical organization; but a late medisval list of cities that changed their names mentions Νικόπολις ἡ νῦν Πρέβεζα, implying that Prevesa had taken its place and dignity.

There are many remains of the ancient city, on which the guide- books of Murray, Baedeker, etc., ΕΝ be con- sulted. W. M. RAMSAY. NIGER (Νίγερ).,, Among the prophets and teachers that were at Antioch when Barnabas and Paul were sent out on their first missionary journey, was ‘Symeon, which is called Niger’ (Ac 13). Niger was probably the Gentile name which he h pee The name is found as a Roman cognomen, and a certain Niger of Persea is men- tioned in Jos. BJ τι. xix. 2.

Nothing further is known about the Niger of Ac 13', and there do not appear to be even any legends. A. C. HEADLAM. NIGHT (5:5, ποῦ [the ending » = being prob. radical and not 7 loc.—Oz/, Heb. Lex.), Aram. wid, vit). — Besides representing these propery equivalent Heb. and Gr. words, ‘night’ stands in AV once for Wn (‘darkness’), Job 26% (RV ‘darkness’); thrice for 4} (‘twilight’), Is δ᾽} (RV ‘night’), 915 59!

(RV *twilight’); and four times for 2 (‘evening’), Gn 497 (RV ‘even’), Lv 6° (RV ‘evening’), Job 74(RV ‘night’), Ps 30° (RV ‘night,’ RVm ‘even’), ay is tr? ‘night season,’ Fob 3017, and mid ‘night seasons,’ Ps 167. The Aram. m2 (‘to pass the night’) occurs Dn 6", and in NT we have μεσονύκτιον (‘midnight’), Mk 13%, Lk 11°, Ac 16% 207; διανυκτερεύειν (‘to con- NIGHT tinue all night’), Lk 613; νυχθήμερον (fa night and a day’), 2Co 11%.

RV omits ‘night’ on textual grounds from four passages where the word appears in AV, viz. Mt 27%, Mk 14”, Jn 7%, 2 P 39, The simple conception of night as the period of darkness alternating with daylight is embodied in the first creation narrative (Gn 1“ 5), which de- scribes how the darkness (η: Π) was divided by God from the light, and was called Night (75:4). ark- ness and night are similarly identified in Ps 104™, and night is a synonym for darkness in Am 5%, Mic 3°, Wis 17-® 14-21.

The regular succession of days and nights represents the permanent order of the universe (Gn 8“, Jer 33-5), As the daytime was assigned to the sun, so the night was assigned to the moon and the stars (Gn 13618 Ps 136%, Jer 31%). Night as a part of the creation is God’s (Ps 74'*), and bears witness to His glory (Ps 193). The following usages of ‘night’ in connexion with ‘day’ are noteworthy. (a) Time is measured in terms of both.

‘Thus we find ‘three days and three nights,’ 1S 30%, Jon 127, Mt 12%; ‘seven days and seven nights,’ Job 2%; ‘ forty days and forty nights,’ Gn 7* (the flood), Ex 24 ete, (Moses on Mt. Sinai), 1 K 195 (Elijah at Horeb), Mt 4? (Christ’s temptation). (5) ‘Day and night’ or ‘night and day’ expresses the continuousness of an action or condition either during a definite time (Ly 8%, Est 418, Ac 2051) or indefinitely, as of work (1 Th 2°, 2 Th 38); of grief and trouble (Ps 32! 423, Jer 9!

1417, La 218), of prayer (Ps 88', 2 Mac 13”, Lk ΟἿ᾽ 1 Th 3%, 1 Ti δ᾽, 2 Ti 1°); of meditation in the law (Jos 1%, Ps 1°); of God’s service (Jth 11”, Ac 267). In Rev 20! ‘day and night’ is followed by ‘for ever and ever.’ In Mk 4” ‘night and day’ has the special sense of ‘da after day,’ ‘as time goes on.’ (6) ‘All day and all night’ is used of circumstances that are exception- all, prolonged, as in Ex 10" (an east wind), Nu 11* (the gathering of quails), 1S 19% (Saul’s ecstasy), 28?

(Saul’s fast), 1 Mac 5” (the assault on Ephron). Night is the natural time for daily work to cease (Jn 9), and for rest and sleep (Sir 40°, 1 Th δ). Wakefulness at night is abnormal (Est 6°), and is usually due to sickness or to painful excite- ment (Job 7 4 3017, Ec 2° 8"). Itis at night that excessive grief finds vent (Ps 6° 305, La 13, To 10”).

On the other hand, not only do wild beasts roam at night (Ps 104”), but some men are called to night duties, as the priests in the temple (Ps 134"), the city watchmen (Is 915), shepherds (Lk 2°), fishermen (Lk 5°, Jn 215). The ἀπε δανα of the virtuous woman is shown by her working at night (Pr 313518), Night is also the season of dreams and divine communications. Dreams are called ‘visions of the night,’ and appear in Scripture not only as significant of the future (Gn 40° ete.)

, but also as direct means of divine revelation. God speaks in a dream by night to Abimelech (Gn 208), to Laban (Gn 31%), to οϊοιάνα (1 K 3°, 2Ch 17); and in visions of the night to Jacob (Gn 465), and to Paul (Ac 185).

Zechariah ‘saw by night’ the visions described in his prophecies (Zee 15), and ‘night visions’ are repeatedly mentioned as the means of divine revelation to Daniel (Dn 919 77 4), Apart from any special mention of dreams, God speaks at night to Abraham (Gn 26), to Balaam (Nu 22”), to Gideon (Jg 6%), to Samuel (1 S 3.5. 15* to Solomon (2 Ch 7"), to Paul (directly Ac 23 ᾿ and by an angel Ac 27%). The ‘ word of the Lord came by night to Nathan (2S 7, 1 Ch 17°).

The darkness of night is a hindrance to active movement, causing men to stumble (Is 59°, Jn 1119) and grope (Job δ᾽). On the other hand, it is favourable to secrecy. Hence night was chosen 550 NIGHT HAWK NILE for secret visits (1 S 28°, Jn 3? 19°") and treacheries (Jn 13”).

Daring exploits were carried out by night, such as Gideon’s destruction of the altar of Baal (Jg 6”), and his visit to the camp of Midian (Jg 7*); David's visit to the camp of Saul (1S 267) ; the rescue of Saul’s remains (1S 3113), Nehemiah’s survey of Jerusalem (Neh 2'-); the murder of Holotertied (Jth 13").

For the same reason in war night was a favourite time for ambushes (Jos 8°, Jg 9=* 16%, 2 K 6%), and surprises (Gn 14”, Jos 10, Jg 7°, 1S 14%, 2S 2% 17} 2 K 85, 2Ch 219, Jer 6°, 1 Mac 4: © 5% 12%- 2 13%, 2 Mac 87 12%). It was in the night that Sennacherib’s army was destroyed (2 K 19), and that panic fell on the Syrians (2 K 7"). Night was consequently a time a. re danger was to be apprehended (Ps 91°, Ca 3°), and when death and sudden destruction might come (Ex 1913.

Job 3435 36”, Hos 45, Lk 12” 17%).

Night was the safest time for flight and escape, as in the cases of Zedekiah at the wap te (2K 254, Jer 39* 527) ; Joseph and Mary (Mt 912); Paul at Damascus (Ac 935), at Thessalonica (Ac 17"), and at Jerusalem (Ac 23%), The great escape of Israel from Egypt was Seinen lire as having taken place by night (Ex 12%, Dt 161), and it was at night that the apostles were repeatedly delivered from prison (Ac 5” 12°), Night was the opportunity of the thief (Gn 31%, Job 24, Jer 499, Ob 5, 1 Th 52.

See also Mt 2818), The quietness of night made it a fitting time for prayer and communion with God (1S 15", Ps 167 178 22? 119%, Jth 67 1117, Lk 6). haa was the season of festive pleasure (Is 214), which might be innocent and holy (Job 35", Ps 428 77°, Is 30), or might degenerate into drunkenness and sensuality (Gn 198", Jg 19, Pr79, Is 54, 1 ΤῊ δ᾽). Besides darkness, the physical features of night include dew (Ca 5?) and frost (Gn 31”, Jer 36°).

It was at night that the manna fell in the wilder- ness (Nu 115). The night was divided into watches (Ps 90‘). Under the Jewish system followed in OT these were three in number. We have ‘the beginning of the watches’ (La 2"), ‘the middle watch’ (Jg 7), and ‘the morning watch’ (Ex 14%). In NT four maces of the night are distinguished, viz. evening, midnight, cock-crowing, and morning (Mk 1335).

These may be taken as corresponding to the four watches into which the night was divided by the Romans. Mention is made of the second and third watches (Lk 12%), and of the fourth watch (Mt 14”), _ Midnight is specified as the hour when certain impressive incidents, historical or parabolic, took place, such as the death of the Seber in Egypt (Ex 11* 12”); the earthquake at Philippi (Ac 16”) ; the summons to meet the bridegroom (Mt 25°, cf.

Mk 13%), _ Night is used as a figure for death, which ends life’s work (Jn 9), The present age, to be closed by the coming of Christ, is described as the night which precedes the day (Ro 13"). By another metaphor peut represents the sin and ignorance from which Christians have already escaped (1 Th 5°). One of the glories of the new Jerusalem will be the absence of night (Rev 9135 295), JAMES PATRICK.