Saint Nicodemus of Athos was born on the island of Naxos in 1747 to a father called Anthony and a mother called Anastasia. His name in the world is Nicholas. Nicholas's father was important in those days, pious and devout. He cooperated with his wife Anastasia in raising their children to fear the Lord and to behave in accordance with the will of God. Nicholas (Saint Nicodemus) has a brother called Peter. He told us that he used to hold his hand and they would go together, accompanied by his family, to church.

In the church, the two brothers were helping the island priest with temple affairs during the Divine Mass, and at the same time they were helping with chanting, reading, and chanting. We have no information at all about his brother Peter. Did he die, or did he get married and move to another place? The only thing is that we heard about him briefly in one of Saint Nicodemus’s writings, without that enriching our information about Peter.

After the death of his father Anthony, Nicholas left the world and went to Mount Athos, where he became a monk with a new name, Nicodemus / Nicodemus. As for his mother, Anastasia, she went to a women’s monastery named after Saint John Chrysostom, located on one of the outskirts of the remote island of Naxon, where she became a nun bearing the name (Agathy, meaning righteous).

As soon as the traveler landed in Athos, he roamed the mountain and eventually settled in the Monastery of Saint Dionysius to begin his angelic life. It was only a short period of time until he advanced, shone with virtues, was distinguished by obedience, and was known for his love of heartfelt prayer. He was a man of prayer, speaking about it on all occasions. Anyone who reads his writings will notice that it is never devoid of eagerness and clear attention to the necessity and sweetness of prayer.

Saint Nicodemus was not an illiterate person, but rather he was a great intellectual and knowledgeable of the sciences of his time. He had a scientific mind and an insightful and creative thought. In addition, he had high morals that are rare among human beings.

Saint Nicodemus received his first education, since he opened to life, at the hands of his parish priest, Archimandrite Chrysanthus (Golden Flower), who was a professor at the school on the island of Naxos. When he was fifteen years old, his mother, Anastasia, sent him to the city of Izmir (Turkey), to a boarding school known as the “Evangelical School,” which was truly at a decent level among the schools of that time. Saint Nicodemus was particularly impressed by the able school director, Arotheus Bolsam. In that school, he met Nicholas (later Nicodemus), his study companion, Gregory VI, Patriarch of Constantinople. Nicholas was like a good, intelligent and diligent student. I love knowledge very much and devote myself to achieving it with all my might. He studied theology, literature and foreign languages. It is said that he also learned English. In short, he was a man of both wisdom and virtue. Then the director of the Izmir School asked him to prepare himself to succeed him in managing the school and its affairs, but Nicholas gently rejected his offer, as the fire of divine longing was raging within him, and his eyes were looking to Athos.

Young Nicholas had an indescribable longing for a life of prayer and serenity, and he desired with all his heart to devote his life to God. He loved the famous patristic saying: “Blessed is the life of the people of the wilderness, for they are always filled with divine love.”

Meanwhile, Nicholas was forced to return to the island of Naxos due to the outbreak of war between Russia and Turkey in the summer of 1770. He returned to his hometown of Naxos, and there Bishop Anthimos entrusted him with the task of managing the archbishopric office and made him his clerk and secretary. Nicholas carried out the tasks assigned to him with diligence, zeal and sincerity. During the five years he spent in the archbishopric office, he became close to the writings of the holy fathers and Orthodox ascetic texts, and his heart became inflamed again and the monastic vocation was stirred in him. Nicholas met Bishop Macarius, Metropolitan of Corinth, the holy man who opened Nicholas’ soul to the angelic life and its sweetness. As a result of his contact with this bishop, he strengthened his resolve to leave for Athos, so he bid farewell to his mother Anastasia, then carried his bag and headed to Sheikh (Starets) Celbistros for blessings, and he brought him some letters to the saints on Athos.

Nicholas arrived on Athos in 1775 when he was twenty-six years old. He visited the monastery of Saint Dionysius as a novice brother. Since his arrival, his name changed to Nicodimus, the name whose fame later spread throughout the horizons, due to his knowledge and the abundance and quality of his spiritual writings.

In the monastery, Nodim graduated in virtues, starting out as a reader, then a writer. The monk Nicodemus had a fluid pen, a sharp thought, and a bright spirituality. He wrote his first book and called it (Philokalia of the Hermit Fathers). After a short period, he wrote another book, which he called Sayings of the Elder Fathers, then he added a third book to it, which he called “Frequent Communion.” He sent all of these writings to Metropolitan Macarius of Corinth, who was on a visit to the Holy Mount (Athos) in order to seek spiritual respite and receive blessings from the holy fathers. As soon as Bishop Makarios received these writings and read them, Nicodem promised to print them upon his return.

Nicodemus was not only a man of pen and thought, but in addition to that, he was a man of love, struggle, prayer, and all the virtues. Because of his passion for the life of prayer, his intellectual talent, and his ability to write, he wrote a wonderful book that is truly considered a pearl and a pearl throughout the Orthodox world, which he called (The Confession). This book and other writings came from the writings of Saint Nicodemus, a saint, and fill a void for both lay people and confessors, especially since spiritual fatherhood is an essential pillar in the foundation of the Holy Orthodox Tradition. Then, after a while, Nicodemus wrote another book interpreting the letters of St. Paul, and another interpreting the Book of Psalms. Then he added another book, which he called (The Garden of Graces), in which he explained, at length, the nine valleys in the dawn prayer.

The life of extreme asceticism, the meager living, and the loneliness of close and distant enemies combined to destroy his health, and he became ill, but despite this, he continued to pray with unparalleled zeal. During his illness, he was able to write a new book called (Confession of Faith).

At the end of his life, and as the time of his death approached, his strength failed, the disease crept in, destroying his innocence, his hair became gray, his hearing became weak, and his resolve weakened, even though he was not yet sixty years old. It was not until a period of time passed that his right hand became paralyzed, and he realized that the end was imminent, and that departure was near. Spiritualists do not fear death, this dear guest, as it is their bridge to God. From the beginning of their life in the spirit, they live in anticipation of death, and their ascetic literature is full of mention of death. There is no spiritual life without the rule of death. For them, death is the basis of life. Thus Nicodemus asked to meet the spiritual father, and he got what he wanted. When he complied in the presence of this venerable sheikh lying on his deathbed, Nicodem began to reveal to him all the secrets of his heart, in a way that is rare among humans. On the thirteenth of July, his condition worsened, his health declined, his voice became weak, the light dimmed in his eyes, and he was struck by a tremor that appeared throughout his body. At that terrible moment, one of those present in the hermitage stood up and said: Are you calm, Father? The holy father’s answer was: How can I not be in calm (Hesy chia) when I have made Christ the center of my life, my entire life, and the goal of my existence? These were the last words spoken by this pure mouth. On the morning of the fourteenth of July, he left this mortal life for the upper world, after a life in the flesh that he lived devoid of the abundance of divine grace. Prayers were performed over his body and the monastery’s customs and traditions were dissolved. Then he was buried in the Skorti hermitage, with a solemn liturgical monastic ceremony. His head remains to this day in the place where he was buried. He died in the Lord on July 14, 1807.

Saint Nicodemus has a reputation that has spread across the borders of Athos and beyond. His name is hardly mentioned among theologians and monks unless someone speaks about the theology, biography, and holiness of Nicodemus. Some of them were translated into Russian, English, French, German, Italian, including Romanian and Turkish as well. In 1955, the Ecumenical Patriarchate declared him a saint, more than a century after his death. This saint remains to this day in the conscience of believers, especially lovers of Orthodox theology and spirituality. His life was a mirror that reflects paradise beauties and testifies with taste that the torments of earth are not compared to the joys of heaven. It is a contemporary face that has been scoured by divine grace, and the dust in it shines and becomes evident.

The church celebrates it on July 14.

His writings:

It is with great sadness that we say that a small part of his work has been lost. But fortunately, most of his writings are still preserved. Some of them are in print, others are under piles of dirt, and others were published in a wonderful appearance that testifies in form and content to the splendor of ascetic thought and spiritual literature. It remains to say that what has been printed so far is considered in itself a wonderful treasure, a unique heritage, and an unforgettable Orthodox Athonite masterpiece.

What are his works?

1. In interpretation:
   • Interpretation of the Book of Psalms (2 volumes - 1200 pages).
   • Interpretation of the Epistles of Saint Paul (three volumes, 1350 pages).
   •  University Theses (a book of 370 pages).
2. In canon law:
   • Interpretation of the laws found in the Bisalion (p. 789).
   • And the groan of confession (400 pages).
3. In rituals, morals, and behavior:
   • Philokalia of the Heraldic Fathers (5 vols.).
   • Sayings of the Elder Fathers (texts, biographies, fathers, and ascetics) and these fall into 5 huge volumes.
   • In Frequent Communion (288 pages).
   • In Spiritual Guidance, a 220-page book that deals with the subject of preserving the five spiritual senses.
   • A book about the righteous Malatheon the Confessor (225 pages).
   • An introduction to the writings of Saint Simeon the New Theologian, and an introduction to reading it. It is a large book (758 pages).
   • An introduction to Father Saint Gregory Palamas and all his writings (3 huge volumes), of which only the introduction has been preserved for us for a long time.
   • The book of the invisible war (276 pages).
   • Book of Ascetic Sports (608 pages). It earned him international fame in ascetic literature.
   • The truth of Jesus Christ, a unique pearl and a spiritual pearl (395 pages).
   • A book dealing with the lives of Saints Barsonovius and John, in which Saint Nicodemus addresses spiritual questions and outstanding church problems and responds to them with rare simplicity and depth. It is located in (855 pages)
4. In the lives of the saints:
   • A list of the biographies of a group of righteous and saints (one volume).
   • Contemporary Martyr Saints (1 volume).
   • Lives of the saints throughout the year (3 huge parts).
   • A book praising the personality of Saint John Chrysostom.
5. In liturgy:
   • Liturgical legal explanations about the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, are an explanation of all the church laws established by the councils about Mary, the Mother of God.
   • The book of theology.
   • A book of psalms for monastery prayers.
   • Garden of Bliss. It provides extensive explanations of the nine valleys. It is located in (357 pages)
   • The book of the Christian Feasts covers all of them with wonderful sequential explanations and is 1,500 pages spread over two volumes.
   • The book (The New Scale) is an extensive explanation of all the Anaphthmic pieces in the eighth tune (located in 390 pages).
6. In hymnography:
   • It is like 51 huge books in which it deals with interpretation and explanation of the dawn, sunset, and Parakalisi prayers.
7. Epistles messages:
   • Spiritual messages.
   • Messages serve as instructions.
   • Letters to loved ones outside the Holy Mountain. They number approximately 79 long letters, each of which is more than 60 pages.
8. In defense apologetics:
   • The Book of Confession of Faith (his own personal point of view).
9. In dreams:
10. Miscellaneous:
    1. A book entitled (What is the Shepherd’s Gospel?).
    2. Three huge articles on the nature of repentance.
    3. Great articles on what Orthodox lament is.
    4. An article on the evening prayer service.
    5. Various messages explaining liturgical stations.
    6. Letters in which he explains the meanings of the holidays during the Qandaq and Bayt pieces.

• Who wrote about Saint Nicodemus? and what did he say?:
  • Gerasimus macarinitis (miscellaneous).
  • Nicodemus Balnerdas (Miscellaneous).
  • Bishop Nefrokopios (Miscellaneous).
  • Studies carried out by the monk Theocletus of Dionysiati under the title (Saint Nicodemus) Publications, Al-Kawakib, Athens, 1959, in which the writer discusses all the works of Saint Nicodemus in general and detail.
  • A study conducted by Jacob Meliros under the title (Saint Nicodemus, the Athosian monk, and the outstanding historical person), Athens, April 1963.
  • A study prepared by Constantine Newlindis under the title (Saint Nicodemus, the Athos Theologian), Athens 1967.
  • A study compiled by Belalis under the title (Righteous Nicodemus of Athos), printed decorated with pictures and icons, Athens, June 1969.
  • A study by Kosti Srzelis (Nicodemus and the Patristic Library), printed twice from 1969 to 1974.

Quoted from the book Unseen Wars by Saint Nicodemus of Athos
Translated by Father Munif Homsi