niched facade and Corinthian pilasters (Porter, in Kit* to's Cyclop, s. v.).
Nephu'sim (Heb. Xephusim', CCIS?, so the marg. ; but the text has Xepkistm', C'^O'^EJ, expan- sions; Sept. "S Kpovcri fi v. r. Na^ftcraii'; Vulg. Xaphu- sim), the head of a family of '"Temple servants" who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii, 50). B.C. cir. 535. The i)arallel text (Neh. vii, 52) has (less correctly, it would seem) Nei'IIisiiesi.m (Heb. Xephis- hesim, C'^D'^'^S?, marg.; but text has Xephushesim' , D'^p w^S3 ; Sept. N£^w<T«r, v. r. 'S«pw<jami, 'Stipwoaitp, 'Se(pwaa(jiip ; Vulg. Xaphussim). See Nktiiim.m.
Nepindi. See Negombo.
Nepoiuuk, John. See John of Nei'omik.
Nepos, an Egyptian bishop, who fiourished in the first half of the 3d century, was a believer in Cliiliasra and in the literal interpretation of Scripture, and conse- quently an opponent of Origen's system. He wrote a work, '£/\i-y;^ot,- dWtjyopiaTwv, now lost, which was at the time considered by his party in Egypt as an in- controvertible argument in favor of Christ's earthly kingdom. This, like all similar works, was undoubtedly based on the Apocalypse, but we possess no particidars as to the manner in which he represented the millen- nium. Gennadius says that he separated the resurrec- tion of the just from that of the unjust, which is to occur only at the end of the millennium, accompanied by all the circumstances described in Itev. xx, jirobably be- cause he everywhere understood it in a literal sense. Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria complained that many neglected the Scriptures for this work of Nepos, in which they believed they discovered great secrets. He found himself even obliged, after the death of Nepos, to convene at Arsinoii an assembly of presbyters and teach- ers for the purpose of examining into the doctrines of the work. The meeting lasted three days, and ended in all renouncing the Chiliast doctrine. Still Dionysius, in view of the reputation of Nepos and of his work, thought it necessary to refute the doctrines therein con- tained, and he wrote for that purpose his Iltpi iizay- ye\iw7>, which, from its being a general refutation of Chiliasm, was by Jerome considered as directed against Irenajus, and by Theodoret as against Cerinthus. The fragments of tliis work contained in Eusebius are the sources of our knowledge concerning Nepos and his party.- It reproved the doctrine of Nepos in a very gentle maimer, and in nowise justifies the representa- tion that Nepos was formally condemned, as has been asserted in later times {Libtll. si/nod. in Mansi, Coll, cone, i, 1017). According to Fulgentius (in Pint. .\ lian. c. 2), who also considers Nepos a heretic, his party still counted adherents in the Oth century. See Euse- bius, I/ist. Eccles. vii, 24 sq. : Gennadius, De Dofjm. Ec- dcs. c. 55; Tillemont, Mem. iv, 261 sq. (ed. Venet.); Walsch, Ketzerhistor. vol. ii; Schupart, I)e chiliasmo XepotU (Giessen, 1724); Walsch, Eiuhitunr/ in die Re- lifjionstreitifjkeiten der luth, Kirche, ii, 559; Neander, Church Hist, i, G52; Guericke, -4 n«en< Church I/ist. p. 196. (J. N. P.)
Nepotism is a word invented in ecclesiastical lan- guage to express a peculiar characteristic of many high ecclesiastics in Koman Catholic countries, and more par- ticularly of popes, a propensity, namely, to aggraii<lize their family by exorbitant grants and favors conferred on members of it; literally on nephews (Latin rirpotes). ^lany of the highest and wealthiest families of the Ko- man nobility owe their elevation entirely to this species of patronage. Nepotism was first practiced, and that to a very considerable degree, by |>ope Nichol.is HI ((]. v.), towards tlie close of the 13th century ; rejjroach- fuUy he was called the patriarch of papal nepotism. In the 15th century it found most prominent practice un- der Sixtus IV (q, v.), and he may be saiil to have car- ried nepotism to its highest )>itch. and to have given rise to much scandal in the Koniisli Church. Alexander VI
NEPTUNALIA
949
NERD
(q. V.) is only second to the preceaing pope (see Butler, Eccles. /Hst.'u, 129, 132; Fisher, Hist, of (he Ref. p. 46). Alexander V had no relations on whom to lavish his friendship, but he found an opportunity to practice nep- otism towards the order to which be belonged prior to his elevation to the papacy. As early as the ItJth cen- tury strong eflTorts were made to stay this evil practice. Pope Pius IV and his successors labored for this end. But nepotism was not successfully circumscribed until the 17th century by popes Innocent XI and XII, the latter of whom subjected, by a bull under date of July 28, 1692, all cardinals to an oath against the practice of nepotism. See Leti, 11 Nepotisum ,li 1:,,ihii ( Amst. 1G67 ; in Latin, entitled Nepot. Rom. \ Siiittg. lOCO]); Ranke, Hist. of the Papacy; FfoulUcs. /)ir;.<;,,ii.< ,f Christendom, i, 5G1 ; Milman, n)sf. of Latin ( 'hri.<ti,ti,itii, vi, 141, 530; vii, 272, 302; viii, 171 ; Cartwiiglit, (In ]'<ipal Conclaves, p. 180-183; Wessenberg, Gesch. der Kirchenversamm- Imujen (see Index in vol. iv). (J. H. W.)
Neptunalia is the name of a festival anciently celebrated at Kome in honor of Neptune (q. v.) on the 23d of July. Little information is accessible as to the manner in which this festival was kept, but it would appear that huts were wont to be erected with the branches and foliage of trees, where people probably feasted and amused themselves in various ways.