Christian Churches of God
No. 202z
Summary:
The Nicolaitans
(Edition 1.1 19970524-19970722)
Rev 2.6 condemns the doctrines of the Nicolaitans and in Rev 2:14,15 Christ states He
hates these doctrines. Who were they and what were their doctrines?
Christian Churches of God
PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright  1997 Wade Cox)
(Summary by Patti Gambier, ed. Wade Cox)
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Page 2
Summary: The Nicolaitans
The Nicolaitans
Revelation 2:6 - The Church at Ephesus
hates the doctrines of the Nicolaitans.
Revelation 2:14,15 – The Church at
Pergamos was guilty in that some of them
held the doctrines. Christ stated in both
cases He hated the doctrines.
The answer to who they are, and what are
the doctrines regarding the Nicolaitans is
found in a maze of history. Ignatius, a
disciple of John (30-107 CE) is credited
with the first mention of them.
He says: “Flee also the Nicolaitans, falsely
so-called, who are lovers of pleasure and
given to calumnious speeches” (ANF).
There are three points here: (1) The
Nicolaitans were incorrectly named – the
deductions made about them, as disciples of
Nicolas, one of the seven original deacons
of the Church, are false. (2) They are lovers
of pleasure as the end of all activity (a
Hedonist view). Also in an epistle to the
Philadelphians he says they see unlawful
union as a good thing. (3) They were given
to writing accusatory works.
They also had a problem with the
incarnation, in that the Word dwelt in the
human body as a soul (which Ignatius
denied) and so the Nicolaitans were the
precursors of the Trinitarians in this regard.
Irenaeus, next in line of succession, disciple
of Polycarp, writes of the Nicolaitans, but
seems to accept that the sect originated with
Nicolas – thus ignoring Ignatius.
John had to address the matter of the
incarnation to correct the doctrines
regarding the separation of the humanity
and divinity of Christ. This emanated from
the eastern Gnostics, from Simon Magus
and into the Nicolaitans. The Trinitarians
altered the text of 1John 4:1-3, but the
original text appears in Irenaeus, and is
confirmed by Socrates the Historian.
The other doctrine attacked the law
concerning love. So the elements of the
elevation and separation of Christ were
absorbed in the Trinity, and anti-nomianism
became the “grace eliminating law”
argument, promoted by mainstream
Christianity.
Clement, in his writings, saw the
Nicolaitans as misusing the teachings of
Nicolas, the deacon, and that they were
classed with the profligate sect of heretics.
The next time we see the doctrines of the
Nicolaitans is in writings attributed to
Tertullian, and he describes the most foul
behaviour of the sect, which is a
development of licentious Gnosticism. By
the fourth century this development is
attributed to Nicolas, one of the original
deacons (although denied by the early
disciples). John had to combat the heresies
that were entering the Churches, fostered by
Gnosticism.
Hippolytus also mentions the Nicolaitans.
From Clement of Alexandria we see that an
adage of the good man Nicolas was
perverted by the Nicolaitans, and was
misused by the Gnostic intruders into the
Church. By attacking the nature of God and
the Law, they regressed to sin (Rom. 1:132).
The Trinitarians have not adequately
expounded the grace/law doctrine because
of self-exposure. John had to write on the
nature of sin (1Jn. 3:4) and the doctrine of
anti-Christ in his epistle of love, in a
refutation of the Gnostic doctrines, later
called Nicolaitan, which first split the
Church.
Eusebius says the so-called sect of the
Nicolaitans lasted a very short lime. One
can only question that statement as Christ
asserts twice that it is a doctrine He hates,
therefore it must have had substance and
some footing. By the time Eusebius made
Summary: The Nicolaitans
Page 3
this statement, Gnosticism had syncretised
with the emerging Christianity, in the west.
century, or indeed, to the Churches of God
in these last days.
They worshipped the Mother Goddess and
as the Goddess of Heaven. This view
developed into Mariolatry. Later the
proponents of celibacy attacked the married
priests as immoral.
From the Gnostic system adopted, and from
the Phrygians, we are dealing with an entry
to heaven on death and no physical
resurrection, which is contrary to Scripture.
Easter has taken over the Passover system.
Christ as the risen Son (sun) replaced Attis.
The apostles were married men with
families and history refutes celibacy in the
elect apostles and elders. Judas, the brother
of Christ, was married and had sons. John
19:25 clearly states Mary, wife of Clopas
was the sister of Mariam, wrongly called
Mary (see also Miriam SGD 3137), the
mother of Messiah. The blood relatives of
Jesus Christ were called the “desposyni” –
Greek for “Belonging to the Lord”. Most
were martyred, or hounded to extinction by
the Catholic Church in Rome. (See Malachi
Martin, Decline and Fall of the Roman
Church, Secker and Warburg, London,
1981, p.42) By 318 CE the discrepancies
between the original Church of God and the
Roman model were glaring. From 318 CE
the Nicolaitans had emerged victorious over
the descendants of Messiah, and a new
system of government was inflicted on the
Church.
The
original
Church
was
forced
underground as the Paulicians and the
Vallenses etc. See the paper Role of the
Fourth Commandment in the History of the
Sabbath-keeping Churches of God (No.
170).
The Mystery Cults entered Rome ca. 64
BCE. The Mithras system and sun cults
were introduced to Rome, and later to
Christianity. The term “Father”, the Mother
Goddess, the god Attis, loved by the Mother
of the Gods, the decoration of the sacred
pine, and other attributes, doctrines and
practises from the Mystery Cults have been
grafted into mainstream Christianity, such
that this current Christianity bears no
resemblance to the Church of the first
Angels are regarded as a lower order of
elohim or theoi. The entire system replacing
true Christianity with the Mystery Cults is
not readily understood by the uninitiated.
The Nicolaitans did not die out, but were
rather absorbed.
The meaning of the name Nicolaitan is
derived from two words – (1) “nike”
meaning “conquest” or more particularly,
“personified victory”; (2) “laos” meaning
people – other people rather than one’s own
people).
Nike is a name used to define a concept of a
deity, which in itself can have many names
in Greek, Roman and Chaldean mythology.
Nike emerges as another name for Athene,
goddess of war, where Nike is goddess of
victory, and this combination had an altar
on the bastion south of the Acropolis – so
she was not a low-grade divinity.
The name, therefore, is a combination of
two words that convey the concept of the
victory over the people. This process
developed the division into discrete classes
and the terms ministry and laity were
derived.
The Sabbath-keeping churches from the
time of Christ and his immediate family in
the Church have not accepted such a
system.
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, therefore is
much more involved and longstanding than
we might have imagined.
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