Feast: Aug 3

Member of the Sanhedrin in Israel during the life of Jesus. He was a secret disciple of Christ, meeting him by night to avoid the wrath of the other members of the Sanhedrin, and eventually spoke out to that body to remind them that Jesus had a right to a hearing. With Saint Joseph of Arimathea he prepared Jesus' body and placed him in the tomb. There was an apocryphal "gospel" that was purported to have been written by him; it is sometimes entitled the "Acts of Pilate". Tradition says he was a martyr.

Even before Jesus was tried, Saint John tells us that Nicodemus came to see Jesus, secretly and at night, to talk to him about what it means to see the kingdom of God John 3. On this occasion, Nicodemus partly confessed his belief in Jesus, saying: "We know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus tried to teach him about the Holy Spirit and baptism. Saint John even says that it was to Nicodemus that our Lord said, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Nicodemus spoke out on Jesus' behalf before the chief priests and the Pharisees, pointing out to them that the Law demanded the accused be given a hearing before judgment was passed John 7:50- 52.

Together with Saint Joseph of Arimathea, he had the privilege of laying Jesus' body in the tomb on Good Friday. He brought with him large quantities of costly myrrh and aloes to the tomb and with Joseph wrapped Jesus' body "with spices in linen cloth" John 19:39-42.