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Nicodemus
NICODE'MUS (nik-o-de'mus; Gk. "victor over the people").
His family is unknown, though some recognize him as Nicodemus Ben Gorion, the
brother of Josephus the historian. This Nicodemus was a member of the
Sanhedrin and was counted one of the three richest men of
Jerusalem. But it was said that he afterward became poor, and his daughter was seen
gathering barleycorn for food from under the horses' feet. Some have conjectured
that this was the result of the persecutions he received for having become a
Christian.
Christian tradition has it that Nicodemus was baptized by
Peter and
John, suffered persecution from hostile Jews, lost his membership in the
Sanhedrin, and was forced to leave Jerusalem because of his Christian faith. Further
mention is made of him in The Gospel of Nicodemus, an apocryphal narrative of the
crucifixion and
resurrection of
Christ.