Nicodemus

... was one of seventy members of the Ruling Council of Jerusalem, or the Sanhedrin, being of the sect of the Pharisees. To his credit, he sought out Jesus by night and received instructions regarding the necessity of being spiritually reborn in order to enter God's Kingdom. He sought also to defend Christ's ministry before the Council (John 7:45-52), and assisted Joseph of Arimathea, also a member of the Ruling Council, in the burial of Christ's body in Joseph's tomb. (John 19:38-42)