and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &C. 407 LUCIUS, a DISCIPLE WW E find, that Lucius of Cyrene, who is mentioned in the thirteenth chapter of the Ails, was one of the pro- phets of the Chriftian church at Antioch. Some take Lucius to have been one of and CHRISTIAN PROPHET. our Lord's feveoty difciples. 'Huard and Ado affect, that the apoftle ordained him firft bifhop of Cyrene. He is honoured on the fixth day of May, by the Latin church, NICOLAS, a DISCIPLE and DEACON: NICOLAS was aprofelyte at Antioch, j and there converted from the Pagan to the Jewifh religion ; but the time of his birth is uncertain. Afterwards he embraced Chriftianity, and was one of the molt zeal- ous and molt holy men amongft the heft Chriftians : fo that he was chofan for one of the feven first deacons of the church of Jerufalem. But he afterwards plunged himfelf into irregularities, and gave begin- nings to the feét of the Nicolaitans, to that of the Gnoftics, and to feveralothers; who, following the bent of their paffions, invent- ed a thoufand different forts ofcrimes and exceffcs. N I COD E MU S, an HEBREW CONVERT. THIS remarkable difciple ofourbleffed Saviour was á Jew by nation, and by feét a Pharifee. The gofpel calls him a ruler of the gems; and CHRIST gives him the name of amatter ofIfrael. When our Saviour began to manifeft himfelf by his miracles at Jerufalem, at the first paffover which he celebrated there after his baptifm, Nicodemus made no doubt but that he was the Meffiah, and came to him by night, that he might learn ofhim the way to fal- vation. Nicodemus, after this converfatión, be- came a difciple of JESUS CHRIST; and there is no doubt to be madebut he came to hear him, as often as our Saviour came to Jerufalem. It happened on a time, that the priefts and Pharifees had fens officers to feize JESUS, who returned to them, and made this report, that never man fpoke as he did. Afterwards, Nicodemus declared himfelf openly a difciple of JESUSCHRIST, when he came with Jofeph of Arimathea to pay the laft duties to the bodyofCHRIST crucified; which they took down from tbp crois, embalmed, and laid in the fepulchre prepared for his reception. When he died, Gamaliel buried him honourably near St. Stephen his body was difcovered in the year 415, together with thofe Of St. Stephen and Gamaliel; and the Latin church pays honour on the third ofAuguft to all the three. JOSEPH, an THIS Jofep' or Joies, was the fon of Mary Cleophas, brother to St. James the Lefs, and a near relation to the blef- fed JESUS, according to the flefh; being the fon of Mary, the holy virgin's filler, HEBREW DISCIPLE. and of Cleophas, whowas Jofeph's brother, or fon to Jofeph himfelf by his first wife, as feveral of the ancients fuppofe. We learn nothing particular in Scripture con- cerning Jofeph the brother of our Lord. JOSEPH,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=