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Nahum, The book of
- (Hebrew: comfort). The Old Testament prophetic book
of three chapters containing the highly poetic “Oracle on Nineveh,”
written ca. 660 B.C. by an author who calls himself Elkosh, probably
a Judean. He takes the name of Nahum as witness to his attempt at
consoling the people in the face of Israel’s destruction and
humbling of Judah, as seen in the imprisonment of King Manasseh in
Assyria, which is likely soon to fall to Babylon.
Natural Family Planning
- The various methods that enable a married couple to know the
wife’s fertility. Natural family planning, which employs no
artificial contraceptives, is moral, safe, effective and contributes
to the increased communication between husband and wife; it is
advocated by the Church when there is a just reason for postponing a
pregnancy. It may also be used to help the wife conceive.
Nature - The essence of a being
considered as the principle of activity. Also the substance of a
thing as distinguished from its properties, considered as the source
of its operations. Nature is also definable in contrast to its
opposites from a variety of viewpoints. In contrast with God, it is
the created universe. In contrast with human activity, it is the
world considered prior to or independent of the changes produced by
human free will. In contrast to the life and operations of divine
grace, it is that to which a human person has claim, as creature, as
distinct from a share in God’s own life, which is the supernatural.
Nehemiah, The book of
- Historical book of the Old Testament that presents
the story of Nehemiah and his efforts to restore the Jews to their
homeland from their captivity in the East. Having the cup-bearer of
the Persian King Artaxerxes I (464-424 B.C.), Nehemiah obtained the
king’s permission to go and rebuild Jerusalem, with even the help of
a Persian subsidy; despite Samaritan opposition,
Jerusalem was rebuilt and fortified in 445 B.C. Nehemiah returned
in 432 B.C. to Jerusalem, where he enacted religious reforms,
including observation of the Sabbath and the prohibition of
intermarriage; these efforts at reform were carried on all the more
intensely by the priest Ezra, who succeeded him.
Nicene Creed - There are two
creeds that have the same name. The original Nicene Creed was issued
in A.D. 325 by the Council of Nicaea. It was composed by the Fathers
of the Council in their conflict with Arianism and contains the term
homoousios (consubstantial). It is comparatively short, ends
with the phrase, “and in the Holy Spirit,” and has attached to it
four anathemas against Arianism. The more common Nicene Creed is
more accurately the Nicene-Constantinople Creed. It came after the
first ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381), is the creed now
used in the liturgy, including the added phrases “and the Son,” and
“died,” and differs from the preceding in that it: 1. has more about
the person of Christ; 2. omits the phrase “from the substance of the
Father” after homoousios; 3. says more about the Holy Spirit;
4. adds the articles on the Church, baptism, the resurrection and
eternal life; and 5. contains no anathemas. The full text reads: “We
believe in one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
earth, of all things both visible and invisible. And in one Lord
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father
before all time; light from light, true God from true God; begotten,
not created, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things
were made. For the sake of us men and for our salvation, he came
down from heaven, was made flesh by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin
Mary, and became man; and he was crucified for our sake under
Pontius Pilate, suffered, died, and was buried. And on the third day
he arose according to the Scriptures, he ascended into heaven, sits
at the right hand of the Father, and is going to come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead. His reign will have no end. We
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life; he proceeds
from the Father and the Son, is adored and honored together with the
father and the Son; he spoke through the prophets. We believe in
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We profess one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins. We expect the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
Numbers, The book of -
Fourth book in the Old Testament Pentateuch; its name translates to
the Septuagint title for this book, arithmoi, so called for
the census and other enumerations that occur throughout the book,
although most of the book is devoted to legislation related to the
Covenant and historical narrative that recounts the rebellious
actions of God’s Chosen People in their failure to trust God, Moses
and the priests.
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