Niketas 23 was a deacon; in 787 he represented the see of Halikarnassos at the Second Council of Nikaia (the Seventh Ecumenical Council) and is attested at the first, second, fourth and seventh sessions, on 24 September, 26 September, 1 October and 13 October 787: Mansi XII 998-XIII 486. In the list of those present at the first session he is styled Νικήτα τοποτηρητοῦ Αλικαρνασσοῦ: Mansi XII 998; at the second session he is styled Νικήτας διάκονος ἐκ προσώπου Αλικαρνασσοῦ: Mansi XII 1110; at the fourth session he is styled Νικήτας διάκονος καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θρόνου Αλικαρνασσοῦ: Mansi XIII 148; at the seventh session he is styled Νικήτα διακόνου καὶ ἐκ προσώπου Αλικαρνασσου: Mansi XIII 372. No breathings are given for the name of the see in any of these quotations from the text. At the second session Niketas 23 supported the traditional veneration of icons as described in statements from pope Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1) and condemned iconoclasts: Mansi XII 1110. At the fourth session he subscribed the statements read out from the Fathers in support of the veneration of icons: Mansi XIII 148. At the seventh session he subscribed the statement of the faith adopted by the Council; in the Greek text his entry has been confused with that of Maurianos 5 who represented Keramos and Paulos 28 bishop of Akmoneia: Mansi XIII 393 (it reads: Νικήτας ἀνάξιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ὑποψήφιος Κεράμου ὁμοίως. Μαυριανὸς ἀνάξιος ἐπίσκοπος πόλεως Ἀκμονείας ὁμοίως). The Latin version, at XIII 394, reads: "Niceta indignus episcopus et electus Halicarnassi similiter. Maurianus indignus presbyter et electus Cerami similiter". The entry for Paulos has disappeared from both Greek and Latin texts (it is restored in the Latin). Clearly the entry for Maurianos 5 has been conflated with that for Paulos 28, and information relevant to Maurianos 5 has been transferred to that for Niketas 23. The Latin text correctly restores the sees but probably nothing else. As Niketas 23 was a deacon and Maurianos 5 apparently a priest, the latter is the more likely to have been a bishop-elect (ὑποψήφιος). The text of the Greek could therefore be restored: Νικήτας ἀνάξιος διάκονος καὶ ἐκ προσώπου Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ ὁμοίως. Μαυριανὸς ἀνάξιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ὑποψήφιος Κεράμου ὁμοίως. Παῦλος ἀνάξιος ἐπίσκοπος πόλεως Ἀκμονείας ὁμοίως.

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