A Nicodemite () is a person suspected of publicly misrepresenting their religious faith to conceal their true beliefs. The term is sometimes defined as referring to a Protestant Christian who lived in a Roman Catholic country and escaped persecution by concealing their Protestantism. The word is normally a

term of disparagement A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

. Introduced into 16th-century religious discourse, it persisted in use into the 18th century and beyond. Originally employed mostly by Protestants, it was usually applied to persons of publicly conservative religious position and practice who were thought to be secretly humanistic or reformed. Friedrich Heer in his book ''The Medieval World'' (1961; English translation published in 1962) refers to the 12th-century circle at Chartres as past masters of nicodemism, which he describes as "dangerous thoughts, dangerous allusions to topical ecclesiastical and political affairs, and above all to ideas hard or impossible to reconcile with the dogma of the Church or the maxims of the prevailing theology". In England during the 17th and 18th centuries the term was often applied to those suspected of secret

Socinian Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...

, Arianist, or proto-Deist beliefs.

Origin

Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 181

The term was apparently introduced by John Calvin (1509–1564) in 1544 in his ''Excuse à messieurs les Nicodemites''. Since the French

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

had increased its prosecution of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

with the

Edict of Fontainebleau (1540) The Edict of Fontainebleau was issued June 1, 1540 by French King Francis I at his Palace of Fontainebleau. It occurred after the " Affair of the Placards" turned Francis I's policy from one of tolerance to persecution of Protestantism. The edict ...

, it had become increasingly dangerous to profess dissident belief publicly, and refuge was being sought in emulating

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodemu ...

. In the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

John 3:1-2
there appears the character Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ...

. Although outwardly remaining a pious

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

, he comes to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

secretly by night to receive instruction. Although he was eventually made a saint, his dual allegiance was somewhat suspect.

Notable suspected Nicodemites

Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 – 18 September 1556) was an English nobleman during the rule of the Tudor dynasty. Born into a family with close royal connections, he was at various times considered a possible match for the ...

(c.1527–1556),

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

of Mary I of England *

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry ...

(1489–1556), first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury under

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

* Michelangelo (1475–1564), who sculpted a portrait of himself as Nicodemus in his Florentine Pietà *

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

(1643–1727), eminent scientist and theologian * Reginald Cardinal Pole (1500–1558), last

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Archbishop of CanterburyOverell 2008, p. 7.

References

Bibliography

* Ginzburg, Carlo "Il nicodemismo. Simulazione e dissimulazione religiosa nell'Europa del Cinquecento", Einaudi, Torino 1970 * Eire, Carlos M. N. "Prelude to Sedition: Calvin's Attack on Nicodemism and Religious Compromise". ''Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte'' 76:120-45. * Eire, Carlos M. N. "Calvin and Nicodemism: A Reappraisal". ''Sixteenth Century Journal'' X:1, 1979. * Livingstone, E. A. "Nicodemism". In ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000. Entry availabl
here
* Overell, M. Anne ''Italian Reform and English Reformations, c.1535–c.1585''. The Open University, UK. 2008
Excerpt available online.
* Overell, Anne. "A Nicodemite in England and Italy: Edward Courtenay, 1548-46". In ''John Foxe at Home and Abroad''. D. M. Loades, ed. Ashgate Publishing, Farnham, Surrey, UK, 2004. * Pettegree, Andrew. "Nicodemism and the English Reformation" in ''Marian Protestantism: Six Studies'', St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History. Aldershot, 1996, pp. 86–117. * Shrimplin-Evangelidis, Valerie. ''Michelangelo and Nicodemism: The Florentine Pietà.'' College Art Association, 1989. * Snobelen, Stephen D. "Isaac Newton, heretic: the strategies of a Nicodemite." ''The British Journal for the History of Science'', 32:4:381-419. Cambridge University Press, 1999. * Anderson Magalhães, ''All’ombra dell’eresia: Bernardo Tasso e le donne della Bibbia in Francia e in Italia'', in ''Le donne della Bibbia, la Bibbia delle donne. Teatro, letteratura e vita'', Atti del XV Convegno Internazionale di Studio organizzato dal Gruppo di Studio sul Cinquecento francese, Verona, 16-19 ottobre 2009, a cura di R. Gorris Camos, Fasano, Schena, 2012, pp. 159–218. {{Intermediates between Catholicism and Protestantism Christian terminology Protestant Reformation Anti-Catholic slurs

Origin

Notable suspected Nicodemites

See also

References

Bibliography