36

N AZ

N A Z

against tiie isle of Paros . The greatest part of the inhabitants areGreeks. Lon. 25. 51. E. Lat. 37. 8. IS.

NAXIVAN, NACSIVAN, or NACCIIIVAN, a town ofPersian Armenia, supposed to have been the ancient Artaxata, oneof the largest cities of the east. It is 90 miles S. E. of Erivan ,and 258 E. of Erzerum.

NAXKOW, a town of Denmark in the isle of Laland, 60 milesS. VV. of Copenhagen . Lon. 11. 31. E. Lat. 54. 52. N.

NAXOS, or NAXUS, in ancient geography, an island in thejEgean Sea, now called Naxia, formerly Strongyle, Dia, Diony-sias, Callipolis, and Little Sicily.

Naxus, or Naxos , the capital ot the above island now calledalso Naxia.

NAY RES, the nobility of the Malabar coast. They are reck-oned the oldesL nobility in the world ; for the most ancient writersmention them, and quote the law that permits the Nay re ladies tohave many husbands.

NAZAREAN, NAZARENE, or NAZARITE , has varioussignifications, as 1. One that is ot Nazareth , or a native of thiscity. 2. It was gi-en to Jesus Christ and his disciples, and iscommonly taken in a sense of derision and contempt, in suchauthors as have written against Christianity. 3. A sect of heretics.4. A man that has taken a vow to observe the rules of Nazarite-ship, either for his whole life, as Samson and John the Baptist ; oronly for a time, as those mentioned in Numbers vi. 18, 19,20.Amos ii. II, 12. 5. Lastly, Xazarite in some passages of scrip-

ture denotes a man of particular distinction and dignity in the courtof some prince, f. and II. the name Nazarene Belongs to JesusChrist , not only because of his having lived the greatest part of hislife at Nazareth , but also because the prophets had foretold thathe should be called a Nazarene. See Matt. ii. 23. We findno particular place in the prophets in which it is said expressly andsimply, that the Messiah should be called a Nazarene; and St.Mattfiew only quotes the prophets in general. Perhaps the name“i*TJ Nazir or Nazarite given to the patriarch Joseph, Gen. xlix.26. Dent, xx'xiii. 16. was a prophecy which was to be fulfilled inthe person of Jesus Christ , of whom Joseph was a figure. St. Je-rom was of opinion, that St. Matthew here alludes to that passageof Isaiah xi. 1. and lx. 21. “And there shall come forth a rodout of the stem of Jesse, and a branch (Heb. Nezer ) shall growout of his roots.” This branch or Nezer, and this rod, are cer-tainly intended to denote Jesus Christ , by the general consent ofall the fathers and interpreters.—III. The sect of Nazarenes wereChristians converted from Judaism , whose chief error consisted indefending the necessity or expediency of the works of the law,and who obstinately adhered to the practice of the Jewish cere-monies. The name, Nazarenes, at first had nothing odious in it,and it was often given to the first Christians . The fathers fre-quently mention (he gospel of the Nazarenes, which differs nothingfrom that of St. Matthew, which was either in Hebrew or Syriac ,for the use of the first converts; but was afterwards corrupted by theEbionites . These Nazarenes preserved this first gospel in its primi-tive puritv. Some of them were in existence in the time <*f St.Jeroro, w]io does not reproach them with any error. They werevery zealous observers of the law' of Moses , but held the traditionsof the Pharisees in very great contempt.—IV. Nazarite , whenused to signify a person under the ancient law, who made a vowof observing a more than ordinary degiee of purity, denotes a manor woman who engaged by a vow to abstain from wine and all in-toxicating Fquors, to let their hair grow without cutting or shaving,not to enter into any house that was pnlluted by having a deadcorpse in it, nor to be present at any funeral. When any one diedin their presence, they began again the whole ceremony of theirconsecration and Nazariteship. This ceremony generally lastedeight days, sometimes a month, and sometimes their whole lives.When the time of their Nazariteship was accomplished, the priestbrought the person to the door of tire temple, who there offered ahe-lamb for a burnt-offering, ashe-lamb for an expiatory sacrifice,and a ram for a peace-offering. They offered likewise loaves andcakes, with wine for the libations. After all this the priest or someo'her shaved the head of the Nazarite at the door of the tabernacle,and burnt his hair, throwing it upon the fire of the altar. Thentie priest put into the hand of the Nazarite the shoulder of the ramroasted, with a loaf and a cake, which the Nazarite returning intothe hands of the priest, he offered them, to the Lord, fitting them

I up in the presence of the Nazarite . And from this time he mightagain drink wine, his Nazariteship being accomplished. As tothose who were perpetual Nazarites, as were Samson and John theBaptist , it appears that they w’ere consecrated to their Nazariteshipby their parents, and continued all their fives in this state, withoutdrinking wine or cutting their hair. Those who made a vow ofNazariteship out of Palestine, and could not come to the templewhen their vow was expired, contented themselves with observingthe abstinence required by the law, and after that cutting theirhair in the place where tiiey were: as to the offerings and sacrificesprescribed by Moses , which were to lie offered at the temple bythemselves, or by others for them, they deferred this till they couldhave a convenient opportunity. Hence St. Paul being at Co-rinth, and having made the vow of a Nazarite , he had his hair cutoff at Cenchrea , and put off fulfilling the rest of his vow til! heshould arrive at Jerusalem , Acts xviii. 18. When a person foundthat he was not in a condition to make a vow of Nazariteship, orhad not leisure to perform the ceremonies belonging to it, be con-tented himself by contributing to the expence of the sacrifice andofferings of those who had made and fulfilled this vow ; and tintsbecame a partaker in the merit of such Nazariteship. When St.Paul came to Jerusalem , A. D. 58, the apostle St. James the Less,with tlie other brethren, said to him, Acts xxi. 23, 24, that to quietthe minds of the converted Jews , who had been informed that heeverywhere preaclu-d up the entire abolition of the law of Moses ,he ought to join himself to four of the faithful who had a vow ofNazariteship upon them, and contribute to the charge of the cere-mony at the shaving of their beads; by which the new convertswould perceive that lie continued to keep the law. V. The He-brew word Nazir, or Nazarite , which is made use of to express aman exalted to great dignity, as it is said of the patriarch Joseph,Gen. xlix. 26, and Deut. xxxiii. 16, “that he was separate fromhis brethren,” as it is in our translation; or as the Vutgate andothers understand the Hebrew, “ that lie was as a Nazarite amonghis brethren,” is variously understood. Some think that the He-brew word fTt Nazir in these places, signifies one who is crowned,chosen, separated, or distinguished: the word TT1 Nazir signifiesa crown. The LXX translate this word a chief or him that > shonoured. Calmet thinks that this was a term of dignity in tWcourts of eastern princes; and that at this day in the court of Per'sia the word Nazir signifies the superintendant general of the kiug’ shousehold, the chief officer of the crown, the high steward of 1>•**family, treasures, and revenues; and that in this sense Josepli ' rtlSthe Nazir of the court of Pharaoh . Le Glerc translates Nazir >prince, and calls Joseph “ the prince of his brethren,” in the t"'°places already quoted. Mr. Pool declares in favour of this k‘ sttranslation. See the works of Josephus, Chard.n , Chrysto. S f ‘Jerom, &c.

NAZAKETIL a little city of Judaea in the tribe of Zebu'un , ^Lower Galilee, W.|of Tabor, and E. of Ptolemais. Eusebius saY*it is fifteen miles from Legion towards the E. 'Phis city is inoc®celebrated in the scriptures, for having been the usual place of d 1 *residence of Jesus Christ for the first thirty years of his life. L 11 ^

11. 51. There he was brought up, lived in obedience to Joseph at^Marv, and thence was called a Nazarene. Lon. 35. 20. E.

32: 30. N.

Nazareth, a town of Pennsylvania, in Northampton counterten miles N. by E. of Bethlehem, and 63 N. by \V. of D 11 'ladelphia.

NAZE, or LINDESNESS, a cape on the S. coast of Nor«' ,a fjoining the main land by a very narrow rocky isthmus. Lon-”'

12. E. Lat. 58. 1. N.

Naze, or Nazf. Point, a head-land on the E. coast of Es s *j|S. of Harwich, and] sixty miles from the North Foreland,which it forms the mouth of,the Thames. . ,

NAZIM, the lord-lieutenant, viceroy or governor ofaprov' 1 ' 1 'in Himlostan ; the same as Lubalidor, or Nabob. .j,

N F.A, an isle between Lemnos and the Hellespont ; vvb 1rose during an earthquake. Pltn. ii. 87. , c

NE A DM ITTAS, in law, a writ directed to the bishop,suit of one flirt is patron of a church, where, on a square imp&c. depending, he is doubtful that the bishop will coliatehis d eor admit the other’s clerk, during the suit between them.

NEAGH, LOUGH. See Lougii-Neagh. ., e f

N EALF'.D, among seamen, is used w hen the sounding is