ITatalis, Caecilius, is the name of the person who maintains the cause of paganism in the dialogue of Minucius Felix entitled Octavius. See Minlcils. Various conjectures have been made as to who this Natalis was, but there are no sufficient data for decid- ing the question. — Smith, Diet. Greek and Roman Biog. and Mythol. ii, 1142.
Natalis, Michael, a Flemish engraver and stu- dent of sacred art, was born at Liege about 1589. After acquiring the elements of design under Joachim Sand- rart, he visited Antwerp, and studied engraving under Ciiarles Mallery. From thence he went to Rome, and adopted the style of Cornelius Bloemajrt, which he fol- lowed with some success. He engraved a number of plates after the great Italian masters; also a part of the plates in the (jiustiniani (jallerj-, in concert with Keg- nier Persyn, Theodore Matham, and others. On re- turning to Flanders he was invited to Paris, where he resided some time. His plates are executed with the graver in a free, open style, but are deticient in taste. His drawing is frequently incorrect, and the effect is usually cold and heavy, but his strokes are clear and regular, and he handled the burin with great facility. His portraits are his best productions. A list of his principal plates is given in Spooner's Biog. Hist, of the Fine A rts, ii, 009.
Natalitia, i. o. natal days of the saints. Tertul- lian and other ancient writers use the words natalitia and nala/es in speaking of martyrs, not meaning their natural birth, but their nativity to a glorious crown in the kingdom of heaven. See above, Natai, Days. In this sense, TertuUian says St. Paul was born again by a new nativity at IJome, because he suffered martyrdom there. He explains it on the ground that the death of a martyr is not properly a death, but an endless life ; for the sake of which all things arc to be endured, and death itself to be despised. See TertuUian, Be Co?: Mil. cap. 3 ; Oblationes pro defunctis, pro natalitiis, annua die facimus ; Cone. Laod. can. 51, Moprj'pcov ytviiXia; Amlirose, Horn. 70; Bingham, Antiquities of the Chris- tian Church, ii, 1101; Walcott, Sacred A rchaolorfy, s. v.
Natansohn, .Ioski'ii Saul, a rabbi of note, was born in the year 1H08. He received a strictly religious education in conformity with the traditions of his fam- ily, and even as a youtb showed great mental ability and rare diligence. When hardly nineteen years of age he composed, together with his brother-in-law, the deceased Marcus Wolf Ellinger, a learned work entitled fc^tj """^"iBp, novellas on the Talmudical treatise Baha Kama (Lembcrg, 1828), which at the time received the highest acknowledgment from rabbinical scholars. He finally entered the rabbinate, not for enjoyment, but rather to devote himself zealously to rabbinic studies. Indeed he spent his wliole life in the study of rabbinic lore, the fruit of which were several learned works, as o B'?3"'? r^^'^X"? (Wilna, 1839):— n-'-iaa "jl^. comments upon the Orach Cliajim (the Jewish ritual), in two
parts (Lemberg, 1832-37): — 0 U-TI r"nrn, critical notes on the Talmud, to be found in the edition of the Talmud (Slobuta, 1824-30 ; Vienna, 1832-46) :— Hirr^ Dsbx, comments upon Alfasi's Sefer ha-IIalachoth, j)ub- lished with Alfasi's work and commentaries (Presburg, 1830). When in the year 1840 religious disputes be- gan in the Jewish community of Lemberg, he sided with the conservatives, but when the strife became more intense and reckless, he withdrew from all par- ticipation in the matter, and devoted his time to study. From all parts of the world the most difficult questions were sent to him. Being considered the highest author- ity in ritual questions, his opinion was sought for from afar off. In the year 1858 Natansohn was ajipointed to the rabbiship of Lemberg, which position he lield until his death, March 3, 1875. See Flirst, Bibl. Jiid. iii, 23 sq. ; Jewish Messenger, New York, 1875. (B. P.) Nataph. See Stacte.
Natatorium (a sicimming-place), a term used by some writers when describing the baptistery. — Farrar, Eccles. JJict.; Bingham, Antiquities of the Christian Church, ii, 310.
Na'than (Heb. Nathan', "iW, given, i. e. by God; Sept. NaSdv, but in the later books 'Sa^av, and so Jo- sephus. Ant. vii, 3, 3; but Nnjava of the prophet, Ant. vii, 4, 4, etc.), the name of five or six men.
p.. The eleventh in descent from Judah, being the son of Attai and father of Zabad (1 C'hron. ii, 30). B.C. post 1012.
2. An eminent Hebrew prophet in the reigns of Da- vid and Solomon. If the expression " first and last," in 2 Chron. ix, 29, is to be taken literally, he must have lived late into the life of Solomon, in which case he must have been considerably yomiger than David. At any rate he seems to have been the younger of the two prophets who accompanied him, and may be considered as the latest direct representative of the schools of Sam- uel. A Jewish tradition mentioned by Jerome (Qu. Heb. on 1 Sam. xvii, 12) identifies him with the eighth son of Jesse (2 Sam. v, 14) ; but of this there is no prob- aLility. He first ajtpears in the consultation with Da- vid about the builiiing of the Tem|)le. B.C. cir. 10 13. He begins by advising it, and then, after a vision, with- draws his advice, on the ground that the time had not yet come (2 Sam. vii, 2, 3, 17). See Ewald, Isr. Gesch. ii, 592. He next comes forward as the reprover of Da- vid for the sin with Bathsheba; and his famous apo- logue on the rich man and the ewe lamb, which is the only direct example of his prophetic power, shows it ro have been of a very high order (2 Sam. xii, 1-12). B.C. 1035. There is an indistinct trace of his appearing also at the time of the plague which fell on Jerusalem in ac- cordance with the warning of Gad. "An angel," says Eupolemus (Euseb. Vrap. Ev. ix, 30), "pointed him to the place where the Temple was to be, but forbade liim to build it, as being stained with blood, and having fought many wars. His name was Dianathan." This was probably occasioned by some confusion of the Greek version, lia NoSai', with the parallel passage of 1 Chron. xxii, 8, where the blood-stained life of David is given as a reason against the building, but where Na- than is not named. B.C. cir. 1017. On the birth of Solomon he was either specially charged with giving him his name, Jedidah, or else witii his education, ac- cording as the words of 2 Sam. xii, 25. ''He s^nt [or "sent him"] by [or "into"] the hand of Nathan," are understood. B.C. cir. 1034. At any rate, in the last years of David, it is Nathan who, by taking the side of Solomon, turned the scale in his favor. He advised Bathsheba; he himself ventured to enter the royal pres- ence with a remonstrance against the king's apathy; and at David's reciuest he assisted in the inauguration of Solomon (1 Kings i, 8, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24, 32, 34, 38, 45). B.C. cir. 1015. His son Zabud occupied the post of " king's friend," perhaps succeeding Nathan (2 Sam.