Nicolas

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Nicolas (lit. ‘conqueror of the people’). Among the Seven chosen in   Acts 6:1-15 to minister to the Hellenists or Greek-speaking Jews, was Nicolas, a ‘proselyte of Antioch.’ The remaining six, we infer, were of Jewish birth, for ‘ proselyte ’ is the emphatic word (  Acts 6:5 ). At a later age the Jews divided converts to Judaism into two classes, ‘proselytes of righteousness,’ who were circumcised and who kept the whole Law, and ‘proselytes of the gate,’ who had only a somewhat undefined connexion with Israel. It is probable that this difference in its essence also holds in Nt, where the latter class are called ‘ God-fearing ’ or ‘ devout ,’ a description which in Acts appears to be technical (so Lightfoot, Ramsay; this is disputed, however). If the view here stated be true, there were three stages in the advance towards the idea of a Catholic Church: (1) the admission of Nicolas, a full proselyte, to office in the Christian Church, followed by the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, also probably a full proselyte (  Acts 8:27 ); (2) the baptism of Cornelius, a ‘God-fearing’ proselyte, i.e . of the latter class; (3) the direct admission of heathen to the Church without their having had any connexion with Judaism.

Nicolas is not further mentioned in Nt, but Irenæus and Hippolytus assert that he was the founder of the Nicolaitans of  Revelation 2:6;   Revelation 2:15 (if indeed a real sect is there meant); and Lightfoot thinks that ‘there might well be a heresiarch among the Seven’ (  Galatians 6:1-18 , p. 297). It is, however, equally probable that this was only a vain claim of the late 2nd cent. sect of that name mentioned by Tertullian, for both heretics and orthodox of that and succeeding ages apocryphally claimed Apostolic authority for their opinions and writings; or it is not unlikely that the Nicolaitans of   Revelation 2:1-29 were so called because they exaggerated and distorted in an antinomian sense the doctrine of Nicolas, who probably preached the liberty of the gospel. Irenæus and Hippolytus are not likely to have known more about the matter than we do.

A. J. Maclean.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Nicolas, one of the Seven appointed to look after the ministration of alms to the Hellenist widows, is described in the Acts as a proselyte of Antioch ( Acts 6:5). He comes last in the list. This description of him is inserted because his admission to office in the Christian Church marks a step taken towards the extension of the Church to the Gentiles. As far as we know, no proselyte, i.e. convert to Judaism from the heathen world, had been given office in the Church, up to this point. A. Harnack (The Acts of the Apostles, Eng. translation, 1909, p. 172) quotes the description of him as a proselyte of Antioch as a proof that this section of the Acts was probably derived from an Antiochene source-surely a very uncertain inference. On his supposed connexion with the Nicolaitans of  Revelation 2:6;  Revelation 2:15 see articleNicolaitans.

W. A. Spooner.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Nic'olas. (victor of the people).  Acts 6:5. A native of Antioch. And a proselyte to the Jewish faith. When the church was still confined to Jerusalem, he became a convert, and being a man of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom, he was chosen by the whole multitude of the disciples, to be one of the first seven deacons, and was ordained by the apostles. There is no reason, except the simplicity of name, for identifying Nicolas, with the sect of Nicolaitans, which our Lord denounces, for the traditions on the subject are of no value.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Of the seven. Probably having no connection with the Nicolaitans, though Epiphanius (adv. Haer. i. 2, section 25) represents him as sinking into corrupt doctrine and practice. Clemens Alex. (Strom. iii. 4) says that Nicolas, when reproached by the apostles with jealousy, offered his wife to any to marry, but that Nicolas lived a pure life and used to quote Matthias' saying, "we ought to abuse (i.e. mortify) the flesh." No church honours Nicolas, but neither do they honor four others of the seven men. Confounders of Nicolas with the Nicolaitans probably originated these legends.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

One of the seven deacons. ( Acts 6:5) Some have supposed that he was the head and leader of the sect called the Nicolaitaines; but there are no authorities in Scripture for this. Our Lord saith, ( Revelation 2:6) that he hated the deeds of the Nicolaitaines, but he doth not say that Nicolas the deacon was the founder of that sect.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Nicolas (nĭk'o-las ), conqueror of the people. A Jewish proselyte of Antioch, who afterwards embraced Christianity, and was among the most zealous of the first Christians, so that he was chosen one of the seven to minister in the church at Jerusalem.  Acts 6:5.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A proselyte of Antioch, that is, one converted from paganism to the religion of the Jews. He afterwards embraced Christianity, and was among the most zealous of the first Christians; so that he was chosen one of the first seven deacons of the church at Jerusalem,  Acts 6:5 .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 6:5 Revelation 2:6 2:15

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven chosen to look after the poor saints at Jerusalem.  Acts 6:5 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 6:5

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Νικόλαος , conqueror of the people; comp. Nicodemus), a native of Antioch, and a proselyte to the Jewish faith, who, when the Church was still confined to Jerusalem, became a convert; and being a man of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom, he was chosen by the whole multitude of the disciples to be one of the first seven deacons, and he was ordained by the apostles ( Acts 6:5), A.D. 29. The name Balaam is perhaps (but see Gesenius, Thesaur. p. 210) capable of being interpreted as a Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Nicolas. Some commentators think that this is alluded to by John in  Revelation 2:14; and Vitringa (Obs, Sacr. 4:9) argues forcibly in support of this opinion. (See Balaam).

"A sect of Nicolaitans is mentioned in  Revelation 2:6;  Revelation 2:15; and it has been questioned whether this Nicolas was connected with them, and, if so, how closely. The Nicolaitans themselves, at least as early as the time of Irenaeus (Contr. Her. 1:26, § 3), seem to have claimed him as their founder. Epiphanius, an inaccurate writer, relates (Adv. Hear. 1:2, § 25, p. 76) some details of the life of Nicolas the deacon, and describes him as gradually sinking into the grossest impurity, and becoming the originator of the Nicolaitans and other immoral sects. Stephen Gobar (Photii Biblioth. § 232, p. 291, ed. 1824) states — and the statement is corroborated by the recently discovered Philosophumena, bk. vii, § 36) . — that Hippolytus agreed with Epiphanius in his unfavorable view of Nicolas. The same account was believed, at least to some extent, by Jerome (Ep. 147, vol. i, p. 1082, ed. Vallars, etc.) and other writers in the 4th century. But it is irreconcilable with the traditionary account of the character of Nicolas, given by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. iii 4, p. 187, Sylb. and apud Euseb. H. E. 3:29; see also Hammond, Annot. ol  Revelation 2:4), an earlier and more discriminating writer than Epiphanius. He states that Nicolas led a chaste life, and brought up his children in purity; that on a certain occasion, having been sharply reproved by the apostles as a jealous husband, he repelled the charge by offering to allow his wife to become the wife of any other person, and that he was in the habit of repeating a saying which is ascribed to the apostle Matthias also that it is our duty to fight against the flesh and to abuse (παραχρῆσθαι ) it.

His words were perversely interpreted by the Nicolaitans as an authority for their immoral practices. Theodoret (Haeret. ‘ab. 3:1), in his account of the sect, repeats the foregoing statement of Clement, and charges the Nicolaitans with false dealing in borrowing the name of the deacon. Ignatius, who was contemporary with Nicolas, is said by Stephen Gobar to have given the same account as Clement, Eusebius, and Theodoret, touching the personal claracter of Nicolas. Among modern critics Coteleriu:, in a note on Constit. Apost. 6:8, after reciting the various authorities, seems to lean towards the favorable view of the character of Nicolas. Professor Burton (Lectures on Ecclesiastical History, lect. 12, p. 364, ed. 1833) is of opinion that the origin of the term Nicolaitans is uncertain, and that ‘ though Nicolas the deacon has been mentioned as their founder, the evidence is extremely slight which would convict that person himself of any immoralities.' Tillemont (H. E. 2:47), possibly influenced by the fact that no honor is paid to the memory of Nicolas by any branch of the Church, allows perhaps too much weight to the testimony against him; rejects peremptorily Cassian's statement — to which Neander (Planting of the Church, bk. v, p. 390, ed. Bohn) gives his adhesion — that some other Nicolas was the founder of the sect; and concludes that if not the actual founder, he was so unfortunate as to give occasion to the formation of the sect by his indiscreet speaking. Grotius's view, as given in a note on  Revelation 2:6, is substantially the same as that of Tillemont." For monographs, see Volbeding, Index Programmatum, p. 46, 74, 77. (See Nicolaitans).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Nic´olas, a proselyte of Antioch, and one of the seven deacons . Nothing further known of him; but a large body of unsafe tradition has been connected with his name, under the supposition that he was the founder of the heresy of the Nicolaitanes, stigmatized in; [see [[Nicolaitanes].]]