NICETA DI REMESIANA. — So called from the city east of Nisch in Serbia. Bishop and friend of Paolino di Nola (v. Fabre, St Paulin de Nole et l'amitié chrétienne, Parigi 1949, p. 221 ff). Author of ecclesiastical hymns, he was interested in ecclesiastical chant.
Of his principal work, consisting of six little booklets of “instructions” (ad competentes), only I. V De symbolo has been preserved in its entirety (ed. Burn, V. BIBLICA., p. 38 ff.), important for the history of the interpretation of the Creed (v. F. Kattenbusch, Das apostolische Symbol, Lipsia 1894–1900, V. index). Of Book I, “qualiter se debeant habere competentes” (Burn, p. 6 ff.), there exist three fragments; of Book II, “de fide unicae maiestatis” (Burn, p. 10 ff.), two long fragments (a polemic against Arians and Macedonians). Of Book IV, “adversus genethliologiam,” and of Book VI, “de agni paschalis victimi,” not even fragments have survived. Gennadius (De viris illustribus, 22) praises the author’s “simplex et nitidus sermo.” In addition, two sermons, “de vigiliis servorum dei” and “de psalmodiae bono,” and the short treatise “de diversis appellationibus [Christi]” are to be attributed to N. Gennadius knew N.’s “Ad lapsam virginem.” Many identify it with the pseudo(?) Ambrosian writing De lapsu virginis consecratae (PL 16, 367–84, and the edition by I. Cazzaniga, Incerti auctoris, De lapsu Susannae [de lapsu virginis consecratae], Torino 1948). The attribution to N. of the hymn Te Deum laudamus (the hypothesis of G. Morin and Burn) does not seem justified.
(phot. Enc. Cutt.)