NOETUS

49

NIVABDUS, ST.

Cnreton, Smith, ami others, such as the FestalEpistles of Athanasius, the Thcophania ofEusebius, and the Ecclesiastical History of Johnbishop of Ephesus, throw much light oncent* iv.-vi. That of the Ephesian bishop isspecially valuable as treating history from thestandpoint of a Monophysite, for in general allthe writiugs of heretics, real or reputed, havebeen destroyed. Canon Cureton’s verdict uponthem is this:—“The contents of these MSS. aremost important. The copies of the Holy Scrip-tures are some of the oldest in existence, and thetranslations of the works of the great fathers ofthe church are most valuable. Moreover, thiscollection contains several really importantworks, of which the Greek copies have been longsince lost, and are now only known to us eitherby their titles, or by being short extracts pre-served by other writers. Besides, there aremany original works of Syriac authors.” Foran exhaustive account of the whole collection inits different aspects, its biblical, historical, philo-sophic, and scientific value, the handwriting ofthe MSS., the binding, and the very materialsthereof, the instruments used for writing, seethe preface prefixed to Wright’s Catalogue ofSyriac MSS. in Brit. Mus. The catalogue itself,which has been the work of many years, givesan analysis of each MS., and is the best substi-tute for those translations which may alter verymuch our views of early ecclesiastical history.Among them we may, in conclusion, notice thatDr. Wright has discovered a work often quotedin this Dictionary, viz. the most ancient Chris-tian martyrology. Its date Wright fixes for afew years prior to 412, some time at the closeof the 4th century. He published it in theJournal of Sac. Liter, t. viii. ed. Cowper, pp.45, 423, January, 1866. In addition to thearticles of Canon Cureton and Dr. Wright’s pre-face, already quoted, and to which this articleowes much, the reader may consult Cureton’sprefaces to the Syriac Gospels and to the FestalEpistles of St. Athanasius ; Hahn’s Fathers ofthe Desert , ed. Dalgairns ; and for an account ofthe present state of Nitria Sir Gardner Wilkin-son’s Modern Egypt and Thebes , t. i. pp. 382-399.

[G. T. S.]

NJYABDUS (Nivo), ST., 25th archbishopof Rheims, was a brother of St. Gondebertusthe martyr, and according to some of royalblood (see Boll. Acta SS. Sept. i. 268 for hisfamily). He had lived in the court of Austrasiabefore his accession to the episcopate (circ. A.D.650). The church of Rheims he found in animpoverished condition which he set himself toremedy. His influence at court enabled him toobtain various privileges, and by purchasinghere and exchanging there he extended andconsolidated the estates (cf. Flodoardus, Hist.Eccl. Bern. ii. 7, Migne, Pair. Lat. cxxxv. 107-8; Boll. ibid. p. 270). With the consent of thebishops assembled at a council of Nantes (circ.A.D. 658), he rebuilt the ruined monastery ofAltumvillare (Hautvilliers) on the Marne, nearEpernay, endowed it and granted it privileges,and made St. Bercharius abbat (see Gall. Christ.ix. 251, and Boll. p. 272 for this monastery ; andBoll. Acta SS. Oct. vii. 993, seqq. for Ber-charius). He also gave a church to the monas-tery of St. Basolus (Saint-Basle) at Verzy (seeCHRIST. BJOQR.—VOL. IV.

Gall. Christ ix. 195). After a long episcopate,extending apparently over a great part of thereigns of Clovis II., Clotaire III., and Childeric II.(A.D. 638-73), he died at Hautvilliers, and waseither buried there, according to his 9th centurybiographer, Almannus, (Boll. Acta SS. Sept. i.283), or carried to Rheims and buried in thechurch of St. Remigius according to Flodoard(ibid.). He is commemorated Sept. 1. For tliehistory of his relics see Boll. ibid. p. 276-7.

[S. A. B.]

NIZIER, ST. [Nicetius (4).]

NOBILIUS, a bishop to whom St, Augustinewrote, excusing himself on the score of healthand winter season from accepting an invitationto be present at the dedication of a new building,perhaps a church. (Aug. Ep. 269 al. 251.)

[H. W. P.]

NOCHAITAE, an heretical sect mentionedby Hippolytus, without explanation of theirtenets (Ref. viii. 20). [G. S.]

NOETUS, a native of Smyrna accordingto Hippolytus, but of Ephesus according toEpiphanius (II >er. 57), whose narrative is, how-ever, iu other respects wholly derived fromHippolytus; on this point, therefore, the tran-scriber probably made a mistake. He came fromAsia Minor at any rate, whence Praxeas, someyears before, had imported the same views ashe taught. Hippolytus traces the origin of thePatripassian heresy at Rome to Noetus, who, inhis opinion, derived it from the philosophy ofHeraclitus. Hippolytus expounds this at lengthin the Refutation , lib. ix. cap. 3-5, cf. x. 23.Noetus had a brother who assisted in his teach-ing, and whom he identified with Aaron, whileclaiming himself to be Moses. He came toRome, where he converted Epigonus and (Jleo-menes. He was summoned before the councilof Roman presbyters, and interrogated abouthis doctrines. He denied at first that he hadtaught that “ Christ was the Father, and thatthe Father was born and suffered and died,”but his adherents increasing in number, heacknowledged before the same council, whensummoned a second time, that he had taughtthe views attributed to him. “ The blessedpresbyters called him again before them andexamined him. But he stood out against them,saying, What evil am I doing in glorifying oneGod? And the presbyters replied to him, Wetoo know in truth one God, we know Christ, weknow that the Son suffered even as He suffered,and died even as He died, and rose again on thethird day, and is at the right hand of the Father,and cometh to judge the living and the dead$and these things which we have learned weallege.’ Then after examining him they expelledhim from the church. And he was carried tosuch a pitch of pride, that he established aschool.” Cf. Routh’s Re/iq. Sac. t. iv. 243—248.As to the date of Noetus, Hippolytus tells usu he lived not long ago,” in the opening words ofhis treatise against that heretic. Drs. Lipsiusand Salmon think that this very treatise wasused by Tertullian in his tract against Praxeas(Hippolytus Romanus in t. iii. p. 95 of thisdictionary) while Hilgenfeld and Harnack dateTertullian’s work between A.D. 206 and 210.

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