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LEXICON N

 
 

Nazareth (נָצְרַת)

Hebrew. “Branch” or “shoot”. Name of a town in ancient Galilee, Israel, known in the Bible as the childhood home of Jesus and his family. It is mentioned primarily in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as the hometown of Mary and Joseph, and thus associated with Jesus’ early life. Nazareth was a small, relatively obscure village during the first century AD, and its mention in the Bible highlights its role as the setting for key events in the narrative of Jesus’ childhood, including the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will bear the Messiah. In broader terms, Nazareth often symbolizes humble origins, as seen in John 1:46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, reflecting contemporary perceptions of the village as insignificant or lowly. The Hebrew name derives from the root netser (נֵצֶר), meaning a sprout or offshoot, which carries messianic significance in the Hebrew Bible, as in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot (netser) will come up from the stump of Jesse”, often interpreted by Christians as a reference to Jesus. Figuratively, the name Nazareth may also symbolize the emergence of Christianity as a new “branch” from its Jewish roots.

Nicaea

An ancient city in Bithynia (modern-day İznik, Turkey), historically significant in Christianity as the site of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Convened by Emperor Constantine I, the council aimed to resolve disputes within the early Church, particularly the Arian controversy over the divinity of Jesus Christ. At Nicaea, bishops from across the Roman Empire formulated the original Nicene Creed, establishing that Jesus Christ is consubstantial or homoousios (ὁμοούσιος) with the Father, thereby affirming His full divinity. The council also addressed other issues such as the date of Easter and ecclesiastical discipline, setting a precedent for ecumenical councils in Christian history.

Nicene Creed

A statement of Christian faith originally formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and later expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, the Nicene Creed defines the core beliefs of Nicene Christianity. It affirms the Trinity, declaring that God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of one substance, i.e. homoousios (ὁμοούσιος), co-eternal, and co-equal. The creed also outlines beliefs regarding the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and future judgment of Jesus Christ, the Church, and the forgiveness of sins. Adopted as a standard of orthodoxy, it served to unify Christian doctrine and to counter heresies such as Arianism that denied the full divinity of Christ.

Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

A statement of Christian faith formulated initially in the Nicene Creed at the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and expanded at the First Council of Constantinople (381 AD). It affirms the doctrine of the Trinity, declaring the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as homoousios (ὁμοούσιος), i.e. one in essence, and articulates the full divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The creed was developed to combat theological disputes, particularly Arianism and Macedonianism, which denied the divinity of the Son and the Spirit, respectively. The expanded version of 381 AD affirmed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is worshipped and glorified alongside the Father and the Son. This creed remains a foundational text for both Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian liturgical traditions and serves as a central reference for orthodox Christian theology.

Nimrod (נִמְרוֹד)

Hebrew. “Rebel”. Name of a descendant of Cush, the son of Cham and great grandson of Noah. In the Table of Nations, he is represented as the founder of the Babylonian Empire, and as a mighty hunter (warrior) before the Lord. The name of Nimrod has not yet been discovered among those found in the cuneiform inscriptions, and the attempts made by Assyriologists to identify him with historical or legendary personages known to us through these sources rest on more or less plausible conjectures. Thus by some scholars he is identified with Gilgamesh, the hero of the Babylonian epic. The latter, whose name appears frequently in the inscriptions, and who is often represented in the act of strangling a lion, is described in the poem as a powerful prince who subdues the monster ox-faced man Eabani and makes him his companion, after which he triumphs over the tyrant Humbaba, and slays a monster sent against him by the deities, Amu and Ishtar. Like the Biblical Nimrod, he reigns over the city of Erech (Arach), but the texts fail to mention the other towns enumerated in Gen. 10:10, namely Babylon, Achad and Chalanne. Less plausibly, he is sometimes also identified with the Kassite king, Nazi-Murutas, or considered to be the same as Marduk, the great Babylonian deity. A great number of Oriental legends grew up around the scarce Biblical data concerning Nimrod. He is credited with having instigated the building of the tower of Babel and of being the author of Babylonian idolatry. Another legend is to the effect that Abraham having refused to worship the statue of Nimrod was cast into a fiery furnace. Also Nemrod.

Noah (נֹחַ)

Hebrew. Name of a central figure in the Bible, whose name derives from the Hebrew root nûaḥ (נוּחַ), meaning “rest, repose, or comfort”. In Genesis 5:29, his father Lamech interprets the name as a hope that Noah would bring relief (naḥam, “comfort”) from the curse on the ground. Noah is most prominently known as the righteous man chosen by God to survive the Flood (Genesis 6–9). He is described as “a just man, perfect in his generations” who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). According to the narrative, Noah built the Ark at God’s command to save his family and representatives of all animal species from the deluge. After the waters receded, he offered sacrifices, received God’s covenant sealed with the rainbow as a sign, and was granted permission for humanity to eat meat, with the prohibition against consuming blood. Noah is also portrayed as the ancestor of postdiluvian humanity through his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—whose descendants form the genealogical framework of nations in Genesis 10. Later passages describe Noah’s planting of a vineyard and the episode of his intoxication (Genesis 9:20–27), which leads to the cursing of Canaan, son of Ham. In Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, Noah is venerated as a prophet, patriarch, and moral exemplar, though interpretations of his character vary. Etymologically and theologically, Noah’s name in Hebrew conveys themes of rest, relief, and divine favour.

 

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