NIGER.— See Symeon (Simeon) called Niqee.
NIGHT.— See Day and Night, Time.
NOAH (Nue). — A number of didactic references to Noah are found in the Epistles. (1) He appears in the roll of ' the elders,' or men of O'f times, who had witness borne to them on account of their faith
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(He 11-). ' By faitli Xniili, lieiii^' divinely instnieteil (X/";Ma'''i''''fis) concerninj; tliinys not yet seen, with reverential eare {cvXa^tjOel!} pre|>areil an ark to save his household' (v.'). By his faith (Si' tJs, which cannot refer to ' ark ') he virtually condemned [KaTiKpifev) the careless world, for his belief in the Divine warninj; threw other men's lack of faith into strong relief, and his godly life demonstrated what theirs ought to have been and failed to be. He thus became 'heir of the righteousness which is according to, or in consequence of, faith ' {riis Kara wliTTiv StKaiocri'i'rii, a |ihrase which is tlioroughly Pauline in significance tliough not quite in diction). Philo (cited by H. Alford, The Greek: Testament'', iv. [1875] 213) notes that Noah is ' the first in the holy scriptures who is expressly called righteous' (SiKdios) ; but, while the patriarch is so designated at the very beginning of his history (Gn 6' ; cf. Wis 10''), the idea of the writer of Hebrews is rather that he became {iyivero) righteous by giving due heed to the Divine warning and building the ark in faith.
(2) I Peter (3-°) allegorizes, in the Alexandrian manner, the story of ' the days of Noah, in which tlie ark was being prepared, wherein eight souls were saved through water' (oiecui8i)aav bC CSaros). Here 'through' may conceivably be instrumental, suggesting merely that the water bore up the ark and so saved its inmates ; but this exegesis gives the imagination no striking symbol, or type, of that deliverance by baptism (immersion) to which allusion is made in the following verse. ' Through ' is therefore rather to be taken as local, Noah and his family being conceived as escaping, when the flood has already begun, through the water into the safety of the ark. Tliough this conception is not based upon the narrative in Genesis, it is attested in tlie Rabbinical literature (F. Spitta, Christi Predifjt an die Geister, IgOO, p. 51).
(3) 2 Peter (2'') says that God spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness (SiKuoavv-q^ KTipvKa). This designation suggests another addi- tion to the sacred narrative, a haggCida to which there are many Rabbinical allusions, e.g. Bereshith Rabba, xxx. 6. Josephus (Ant. I. iii. 1) refers to this tradition: 'But Noah was very uneasy at what they [his contemporaries] did ; and, being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change their disposition and their actions for the better ' ; and Clement (ad Cor, vii. 6, ix. 4), ' Noah preached repentance, and as many as hearkened unto him were saved'; 'Noah, having been found faithful, preaclied, by his ministry, regeneration unto the world.' Cf. Theoph. Antioch. ad Auto- lycum, iii. !9, 129 ; Visio Pavli, 1. 1, and other passages collected in Spitta's Der ziveite Brief des Petrus und der Brief des Judas, 18S5, p. 146. The Christian Sibyllines give a complete Sermon of Noah's (Sib. Orae. i. 128 ff.).
James Strahan. NOBLE. — Two Greek words are thus translated intheAV. (l)€i>7ei'^s, 'well-born,' 'of noble birth,' and secondarily, as the natural outcome of that privileged condition, ' of noble mind or spirit,' is used in its primary sense in 1 Co P', ' not many noble.' The negative phrase is not to be taken as if it meant ' none ' (see J. Orr, Neglected Factors in the Study of the Early Progress of Christian ity, 1899, p. 99 tf. ). In its secondary sense, it is applied to the Jews of Beroea, who were 'nobler,' i.e. of a better and more generous spirit, than those of Thessalonica ' in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily whether these things were so' (Ac 17"). The use of the comparative does not imply that the Jews of Thessalonica had any nobility of spirit. (2) KpirMTos, 'most mighty,' or, as a title of honour,
' most noble or excellent,' is used by Claudius Lysias in his letter to Felix (23-"") ; by Tertullus in addressing Felix (24^); and bv St. Paul in addressing Festus (26-"). The KV in all three instances translates it ' most excellent.' It was a title usually given to magi-strates, and was re- garded as a high compliment. An a])pellation of Achilles was updnaTOi EWiivuv (Soph. Pliil. 3).
John Reid. NOON.— See Time.
NOVICE.— The word occurs in the NT oidy in 1 Ti 3" as a translation of vei^t'Tos. A bisho|i is to be 'not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.' The word literally means 'newly planted,' and describes one recently converted to Christianity. It accords with the Pauline metaphor of 'planted' (a6iJL(pvToi, Ho 6") as indicating the Christian relation to Christ. The earlier Greek interpreters explained 'neophyte' or ' novice ' as ' newly baptized' ( CE, art. ' Neophyte '), as it was the custom to baptize converts immedi- ately after conversion. In later times, wlien con- verts were subjected to a period of instruction and probation, the term was still applied to them, though the more common designation was ' cat- echumens.' Still later, the word was restricted to those who were on probation for entrance into some monastic or Church Order. The term of novitiate was usually not less than a year, and no one could be received on probation under the age of puberty. The word was used in connexion with the Eleu- sinian mysteries (M'Clintock-Strong, Cyclopedia, art. 'Neophyte'), and among the Romans for 'a newly acquired slave ' (CE, art. ' Novice ' ; see also Deis-smann, Bible Studies, Eng. tr., 1901, p. 220 f.).