The "deeds of the Nicolaitans"

[Rahn]

Hi all,

Does anyone know/have an opinion on what the deeds of the Nicolaitans are (reference, Revelation 2.6)?

I figure if Jesus hates them, I best figure out what they are so I can hate them too

 

[DaveBj]

From Barnes’ Notes:

In regard to the opinions which they held, there is as little certainty. Irenaeus (Adv. Haeres. i., 26) says that their characteristic tenets were the lawfulness of promiscuous sexual intercourse with women, and of eating things offered to idols. Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. iii., 29) states substantially the same thing, and refers to a tradition respecting Nicolaus, that he had a beautiful wife, and was jealous of her, and being reproached with this, renounced all intercourse with her, and made use of an expression which was misunderstood, as implying that illicit pleasure was proper. Tertullian speaks of the Nicolaitanes as a branch of the Gnostic family, and as, in his time, extinct. Mosheim (De Rebus Christian Ante. Con. section 69) says that “the questions about the Nicolaitanes have difficulties which cannot be solved.” Neander (History of the Christian Religion, as translated by Torrey, vol. i, pp. 452,453) numbers them with Antinomians; though he expresses some doubt whether the actual existence of such a sect can be proved, and rather inclines to an opinion noticed above, that the name is symbolical, and that it is used in a mystical sense, according to the usual style of the Book of Revelation, to denote corrupters or seducers of the people, like Balaam. He supposes that the passage relates simply to a class of persons who were in the practice of seducing Christians to participate in the sacrificial feasts of the pagans, and in the excesses which attended them-just as the Jews were led astray of old by the Moabites, Num 25.

 

[Little_One0307]

From my commentary on the Bible

[Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, NT]

2:6 the Nicolatians: Early tradition links these heretics with Nicolaus, one of the seven decons ordained in Acts. 6:5. Whatever their background and orgin, the Nicolaitans are said to have had a dangerously casual attitude toward idolatry and sexual immorality. Their corruptive influence was already at work among believers in Pergamum see Rev 2:15

 

[Mintaka]

Nicolas the deacon had such a gorgeous wife that (the story says) lots of men were envious of his luck and were always making remarks about it. So he got sick of it, and said that if it was such a big deal, he’d give up his wife and anybody could have her. Which shut them up.

The problem is that this funny story, which apparently went around in the early Church the way stories do, was picked up by some heretical types. They said that the secret teaching of Nicolas the deacon was that everybody should stop being so selfish, pool their wives, and go at it like bunnies.

You can see where this would be popular with some, and fairly unpopular with Our Lord.

Another account of what the Nicolaitans believed just says that they were okay with folks eating idol-offered meat if they quit the Church and then joined up again, and regarded fornication as an itsy-bitsy sin that wouldn’t stop you going to Communion.

“But the works of the Nicolaitans were done by false and pestiferous men, under the name of servants of Nicolas. They made separate themselves for eating scraped-off meat – that is, meat for sacrifice; they would exorcise them so they could devour [the meat]. And whoever might have fornicated, they received them with the Peace on the eighth day.”

Another group seems to have claimed that the old Christian slogan that “It is our duty to fight against the flesh” meant that you should beat yourself up in an S&M way. (And it’s St. Clement of Alexandria who says this, and he was a good scholar with good research resources.)

Apparently another group said their “founder” had declared that if you didn’t fornicate every day, you were out of luck on the eternal life thing. This was a pretty late reference, so either the stories by people claiming to be in the sect or the stories about them were getting taller. Probably a lot of one and a little of the other. Probably different groups had different ideas of what was okay and what wasn’t, but they were all saying that what the Church taught wasn’t right.

So… don’t be like the Nicolaitans!

 

[Rahn]

Thanks heaps all!

 

[COPLAND_3]

Here is the footnote to my Study Bible on Revelation

**2:6 Nicolaites: **they made their appearance and lasted for a very short time. They boasted that the author of their sect was Nicolaus, one of the deacons who, with Stephen, were appointed by the apostles for the purpose of ministering to the poor Acts 6:5. St. Clement of Alexandria, in the third book of his Stromata, relates the following things concerning him. “They say that he had a beautiful wife, and after the ascension of the Saviour, being accused by the apostles of jealousy, he led her into their midst and gave permission to any one that wished to marry her. For they say that this was in accord with that saying of his, that one ought to abuse the flesh. And those that have followed his heresy, imitating blindly and foolishly that which was done and said, commit fornication without shame.” (Eusebius of Caesarea) And the Nicolaitans are reported to have put forth some fabulous and almost heathen statements concerning the beginning of the world, and not to have kept their food separate from things offered to idols. (St. Bede)

Here is the link ocsb.wetpaint.com/page/Revelation+2