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St. Nicodemus was born Nicholas Kallivourtzis c. 1749 in [[Metropolis of Paronaxia|Naxos, Greece]]. In 1775 he became a [[monk]] of [[Dionysiou Monastery (Athos)|Dionysiou]] on [[Mount Athos]]. He worked with In 1777, [[Saint]] [[Makarios Notaras of Corinth|Makarios of Corinth]] visited him and gave him three texts to compile edit and revise: the [[Philokalia]], a defining work on [[monastic]] spirituality, as well as ''On Frequent Holy Communion'' and the ''Evergetinos''. He also wrote original works such as ''Lives of the Saints''.  He was, however, influenced significantly by Roman Catholic spirituality, canon law, and theology. He translated and edited ''The Spiritual Combat'' (1589) by Lorenzo Scupoli, a Catholic priest of Venice, renaming it ''Unseen Warfare'', and the ''Spiritual Exercises'' of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. He made use of Roman canon law in ''The Rudder'', and held to the Anselmian view of the Atonment. There is an extant letter by St Nicodemus to Bishop Paisios of Stagai requesting an indulgence, and promising financial payment for it. Roman influence is also found in his manual on sacramental confession, the ''Exomologetarion''. The influence of Western pietistic moralism is perhaps seen best in his ''Chrestoethia of Christians'' (1803), in which he condemns musical instruments, dancing, (non-liturgical) singing, the telling of jokes, etc., and tells Christians that such conduct will lead not only to their own punishment, but to the death of their unborn children.