Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite (14 July)
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Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain was born on the Greek island of Naxos in the year 1748, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. At the age of twenty-six, he arrived on Mount Athos and was tonsured at Dionysiou Monastery with the name Νikόdēmos.
As his first obedience, Father Νikόdēmos served as the monastery’s secretary. Two years after entering Dionysiou monastery, the Metropolitan of Corinth, Saint Makarios Notaras (April 17), arrived there, and assigned the young monk to edit the manuscript of the Philokalia, which he had found in 1777 at Vatopedi Monastery. Editing this book was the beginning of many years of literary activity for Saint Νikόdēmos. The young man soon moved to Pantokrator Skete, where he was under obedience to Elder Arsenios of the Peloponnesos, under whose guidance he studied Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers.
In 1783 Saint Νikόdēmos was tonsured into the Great Schema, and spent the next six years in complete silence. On his next visit to Mount Athos, Saint Makarios gave Νikόdēmos the obedience of editing of the writings of Saint Symeon the New Theologian. This meant giving up his silence and occupying himself once more with literary work. From that time until his death, he continued to devote himself to such endeavors.
Not long before his repose, Father Νikόdēmos, worn out by his literary work and ascetical struggles, went to live at the Skete of the iconographers Hieromonks Stephen and Neophytos Skourtaios, who were brothers by birth. He asked them to help with the publication of his works, because he was hindered by his infirmity. Saint Νikόdēmos reposed peacefully on July 14, 1809.
According to the testimony of his contemporaries, Venerable Νikόdēmos was a simple man, without malice, unassuming, and distinguished by his profound concentration. He possessed remarkable mental abilities: he knew the Holy Scriptures by heart, remembering even the chapter, verse and page, and he was able to recite long passages from the writings of the Holy Fathers from memory.
The literary work of Saint Νikόdēmos was multi-faceted. He wrote a preface to the Philokalia, and brief Lives of the ascetics. Among the Saint’s ascetical works, his edition of Lorenzo Scupoli’s book, Unseen Warfare, is well known, and has been translated into Russian, English, and other languages. A remarkable work of the ascetic was his Manual of Confession (Venice, 1794, 1804, etc.), summarized in his treatise, “Three Discourses on Repentance.” His most edifying book, Christian Morality, was published in Venice in 1803.
The Saint also made great contributions by publishing liturgical books. Using materials from the manuscript collections of Mount Athos, he published sixty-two Canons to the Most Holy Theotokos under the title, New Theotokarion (Venice, 1796, 1849).
Saint Νikόdēmos prepared a new edition of the the Pedalion or Rudder, comprised of the canons of the Holy Apostles, those of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Synods, and of the Holy Fathers.
Saint Νikόdēmos had a particular love for hagiography, as attested by his work, New Eklogion (Venice, 1803), and his posthumous book, The New Synaxarion in three volumes (Venice, 1819). He completed a Modern Greek translation of a book by Saint Theophylact, the Archbishop of Bulgaria: Saint Paul’s Fourteen Epistles in three volumes. Saint Νikόdēmos also wrote An Interpretation of the Seven Catholic Epistles (also published at Venice in 1806 and 1819).
The exceedingly wise Νikόdēmos is also known as the author and interpreter of hymns. His Canon in honor of the “Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God (November 9) and his “Service and Encomium in Honor of the Fathers who Shone on the Holy Mountain of Athos” are used even beyond the Holy Mountain. Some of his other books include the Heortodromion, an interpretation of the Canons which are sung on Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Venice, 1836), and The New Ladder, an interpretation of the 75 Hymns of Degrees (Anabathmoi) of the liturgical book called the Oktoekhos (Constantinople, 1844).
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A full Service of Praise with Salutations were composed by Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis, Metropolitan Nikodemos Vallindras of Patras and Metropolitan Iakovos of Mythimna. The honorable skull of the Saint is kept today at the Sacred Monastery of Great Lavra. There are many and different icons of his in various monasteries, churches and houses. The oldest depiction of the Saint survives today as an etching from 1818. It was drawn in Venice and adorns many first editions of the works of the Saint. On this etching there is an iambic epigram, which is a poem of the “All Venerable and Most Wise of Sacred Teachers lord Joseph the Peloponnesian, Holy Archimandrite of the Sacred Royal and Majestic Monastery of Vatopaidi, ratifier of this present new Synaxaristes, which this lover of hard labor sent.” This is another confirmed testimony of the relationship of the Saint with Vatopaidi Monastery:
Nikodemos, the great boast
Of Orthodox and the wise of Mount Athos,
With this Book grant a goodly nature, beloved
Man of Naxos; praise to your good nature.
His works have known repeated editions and translations. His formal recognition and canonization took place in 1955. His memory is honored on the 14th of July.
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