Narcissus

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

(Ναρκίσσος, a common Latin name)

In  Romans 16:11 St. Paul salutes ‘them of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord’ (τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Ναρκίσσου τοὺς ὄντας ἐν κυρίῳ), i.e. the Christians in his familia or establishment of freedmen and slaves (perhaps known as Narcissiani, for which the Greek phrase would be equivalent). J. B. Lightfoot (Philippians4, 1878, p. 175) thinks that the Narcissus referred to was the powerful freedman of that name, whose wealth was proverbial (Juv. Sat. xiv. 329), whose influence was very great in the intrigues of the reign of Claudius, and who had been put to death by Agrippina shortly after the accession of Nero (Tac. Ann. xiii. 1; Dio Cass. lx. 34), in a.d. 54. It was customary in such cases for the household to become the property of the Emperor while it retained the name of its old master (cf. probably ‘the household of Aristobulus’ [q.v.[Note: .v. quod vide, which see.]], whose Christian members are saluted in v. 10). If Romans 16 be an integral part of Romans, and therefore directed to Rome, this may indeed be the household referred to; for although there may have been other establishments whose master’s name was Narcissus, this must have been the most famous. If so, some three years had elapsed since it had passed into the hands of Nero. For the occurrence of the name Narcissus on inscriptions see Sanday-Headlam, International Critical Commentary, ‘Romans’4, 1900, p. 425 f. The Christians in the household would naturally form one of the distinct communities of which the Church at Rome was apparently made up (cf. v. 10 and the phrases in vv. 5, 15). ‘The master was not a Christian, and therefore it was not his whole household, but in each case an indefinite number of his servants who had been converted. Plainly therefore the conversion of one of them had at once created a centre for the diffusion of the gospel. We have here at any rate a proof, not only that the closer social connections in general contributed to the spread of the truth, but that the servile class were especially susceptible’ (C. von Weizsäcker, Apostolic Age, Eng. translation, i. 2 [1897] 397). As the salutation to these Christians is preceded by a greeting to ‘Herodion my kinsman,’ it is conjectured that Herodion was a member of the household of Narcissus and the nucleus of the community or church. Some scholars think that the mention of this household is conclusive in favour of the Roman destination of Romans 16, but to others, in view of the strong probability that the chapter belong to a letter to the Church at Ephesus, it seems quite reasonable to suppose that there was a ‘household of Narcissus’ known to St. Paul in that city.

T. B. Allworthy.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

NARCISSUS. St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (ch.   Romans 16:11 ) salutes, among others, ‘them that he of the household of Narcissus that are in the Lord.’ The name was not uncommon, but many have identified the person mentioned here with the secretary of the Emperor Claudius, who was put to death by Agrippina in the first year of Nero’s reign, about three years before this Epistle was written. According to the custom of those times, the household of the freedman of Claudius would pass into the possession of Nero, retaining the name of their deceased owner. It will be noted that the salutation is not addressed to Narcissus himself, but to the members of his household.

Morley Stevenson.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) A beautiful youth fabled to have been enamored of his own image as seen in a fountain, and to have been changed into the flower called Narcissus.

(2): ( n.) A genus of endogenous bulbous plants with handsome flowers, having a cup-shaped crown within the six-lobed perianth, and comprising the daffodils and jonquils of several kinds.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Narcis'sus. (Stupidity). A dweller at Rome,  Romans 16:11, some members of whose household were known us Christians to St. Paul. Some have assumed the identity of this Narcissus, with the secretary of the emperor Claudius; but this is quite uncertain.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A Roman, many of whose household Paul salutes as Christians,  Romans 16:11 . Two men of this name are mentioned in Roman histories of that time; one, executed three or four years before Paul wrote, was a favorite of the emperor Claudius; the other, of Nero his successor.

King James Dictionary

NARCISSUS, n. In botany, the daffodil, a genus of plants of several species. They are of the bulbous rooted tribe, perennial in root, but with annual leaves and flower stalks.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

In the Greek, the word means surprise. He is spoken of  Romans 16:11.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

 Romans 16:11. A house holder at Rome, of whose family some were known to Paul as being Christians.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A resident at Rome to whose household Paul sent his salutations.  Romans 16:11 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Romans 16:11

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

nar - sis´us ( Ναρκίσσος , Narkı́ssos ): In   Romans 16:11 Paul sends greetings to "them of the household of Narcissus, that are in the Lord." "The last words may suggest that, though only the Christians in this household have a greeting sent to them, there were other members of it with whom the church had relations" (Denney).

Narcissus is a common name, especially among freedmen and slaves. But, as in the case of Aristobulus, some famous person of this name must be meant. Conybeare and Howson mention two, one the wellknown favorite of Claudius, the other a favorite of Nero. The latter, who was put to death by Galba (Dio Cass. lxiv. 3), they think to be the Narcissus meant here ( Paul , chapter xix). On the other hand, Bishop Lightfoot ( Phil , 175) holds that "the powerful freedman Narcissus, whose wealth was proverbial (Juv. Sat . xiv. 329), whose influence with Claudius was unbounded, and who bore a chief part in the intrigues of this reign, alone satisfies this condition." Shortly after the accession of Nero, he had been put to death by Agrippina (Tac. Ann. xiii. 1;. Dio Cass. lx.34) in 54 AD. As this occurred three or four years before the Epistle to the Romans was written, some think another Narcissus is meant. However, as was usual in such cases, his property would be confiscated, and his slaves, becoming the property of the emperor, would swell "Caesar's household" as Narcissiani.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Gr. Νάρκισσος , a well-known flower, comp. Νάρκη ), a Roman, among whose kinsmen (so Auth. Vers. in marg. renders Τοὺς Ἐκ Τοῦ Ναρκίσσου , text has "household") or friends were Christians, whom Paul salutes ( Romans 16:11). A.D. 55. Neander (Pfianz. 1:384) supposes him to be the same with Narcissus, freedman and private secretary of the emperor Claudius (Pliny ''H. N 33: 47; Sueton. Claud. 38), who exercised unbounded influence over that emperor, but was put to death on the accession of Nero, A.D. 54 (Tacitus, Annal. 13:1, 57, 65; Dio Cass. 60:34). But this is inconsistent with the probable date of the Epistle. "Dio Cassius (64:3) mentions another Narcissus, who probably was living in Rome at that time; he attained to some notoriety as an associate of Nero, and was put to an ignominious death with Helius, Patrobius, Locusta, and others, on the accession of Galba, A.D. 68. His name, however (see Reimar's note, ad loc.), was at that time too common in Rome to give any probability to the guess that he was the Narcissus mentioned by St. Paul. A late and improbable tradition (Pseudo-Hippolytus) makes Narcissus one of the seventy disciples, and bishop of Athens."

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

A self-satisfied youth who disdained the addresses of Echo, in consequence of which she pined away and died, and who, by way of penalty, was doomed to fall in love with his own image, which he kept beholding in the mirror of a fountain till he too pined away and died, his corpse being metamorphosed into the flower that bears his name.