Biblical Nations - Nicolaitans

Nicolaitans

Key Scripture: Revelation 2:6,15

Figures: none

This week we delve into the final book of the Bible to uncover something about a mysterious group that is mentioned twice.  There has been much discussion about their identity during the 2,000 years since the apocalyptic conclusion to Scripture was penned.  The name of the Nicolaitans jumps off the page, and while there may be some question as to who they really were there is certainly no mystery about how they are viewed.  Although likely not an ethnic or geographic people, they are a group that figures prominently in the story of the end times.  Hopefully we can learn something about them by investigating what has been written about them, both in the Bible as well as in historical texts.

As Revelation just begins to get underway, the writer is instructed to write letters to a series of churches in Asia Minor.  The words that the Apostle John records are jarring to the reader, as this self-proclaimed disciple "whom Jesus loved" who penned the famous words of John 3:16 about the love of Christ now indicates that Jesus has said that there is something that He hates.  That "something" is the works of the Nicolaitans.  But who exactly were they and what did they believe?  The first church to have received a letter is Ephesus, and they are commended for also hating the works of this group but no more detail is provided.  The Nicolaitans are brought up once again in the third letter, this time to the church in Pergamum who has some that embrace their teachings.  Referencing a character named Balaam from Israel's time of wandering before the death of Moses, Jesus has John point out the sins of eating food sacrificed to idols and of sexual immorality - two things expressly forbidden by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.  This mirrors the warnings of 2 Peter 2, written by another disciple from Jesus' innermost circle, about those within the community of believers that boasted about their immorality and lured others with an empty promise of freedom that instead led to bondage and suffering.

There is some disagreement about where the Nicolaitans originated, with a number of early church leaders suggesting they were followers of one of the original seven deacons, Nicolaus of Antioch.  Second century Greek bishop Irenaeus believed that Polycarp, a follower of John and bishop of Smyrna, knew of Nicolaus as having fallen into apostasy by practicing and teaching complete indulgence to the desires of the flesh.  According to their story, at some point Nicolaus had brought his beautiful wife, of whom he was accused to have been quite jealous, into a meeting of disciples and renounced his passion by offering her as a wife to any man who wished.  He supposedly argued that if a spirit was good, having been guaranteed grace and forgiveness, then the acts of the body did not matter.  Such a belief could have been considered an early form of Gnosticism, a system deemed heretical that focused on spiritual enlightenment over the authority of existing teachings and institutions.  His opinions were echoed over the following 200 years by such influential leaders as Hippolytus, Epiphanius, and Jerome.  Others, however, defended the reputation and character of Nicolaus as inconsistent with that type of teaching.  Clement of Alexandria, a contemporary of Irenaeus, argued that the original deacon was a pure man that simply had his teachings about chastity perverted by those seeking an excuse for their licentiousness.  Eusebius of Caesarea, considered to be the father of Christian history, agreed with Clement's view and criticized the false teachers for using the name of an established leader to legitimize their position.

After the two specific references to the Nicolaitans, a third church letter mentions a similar sinful teaching without naming the particular group.  Writing to Thyatira, John speaks of Jezebel (who seems to be a real person but likely not her real name) who also entices others to idolatry and immorality.  This woman, who claimed to be a prophetess, draws a strong rebuke and is threatened with severe punishment alongside her unrepentant followers.  It is telling that the final book of the Bible points backwards through time to reference Old Testament villains like Balaam and Jezebel, as if to show that the evils we face are not new inventions.  The sins of the Nicolaitans were considered common practice in the Roman society, meaning their teachings were likely appealing to would-be believers that figured to face significant loss by accepting a change in lifestyle.  Although the Nicolaitans no longer exist in the 21st century as an identifiable group, the temptation to compromise God's commands with either cultural norms or physical desires persists.  It is a scheme that has been used against God's people since the earliest times, and apparently one that Jesus is comfortable letting everyone know that He hates.