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But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaites, which I also hate.
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Flee also the impure Nicolaitanes, falsely so called, who are lovers of pleasure, and given to calumnious speeches. [Letter to the Trallians Chapter 11]
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St. Irenaeus of Lyons
The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, when they are represented as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Wherefore the Word has also spoken of them thus: "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate."[Against Heresies Book I.26]
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St. Clement of Alexandria
Similar, too, are those who claim to be followers of Nicolaus. They keep one of the man’s sayings, forcing its meaning: “One must misuse the flesh.” But this admirable man showed that we ought to curtail pleasures and desires and to use this discipline to weaken the impulses and onset of the flesh. Those who wallow in pleasure like goats are (you might say) violating the body and are plunged in the delights of passion. They do not realize that the body, whose nature is fleeting, falls into rags, while the soul is buried in a slough of vice, when they follow the instructions of pleasure rather than a man of apostolic faith. [Stromata 2.118.3-5]
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St. Hippolytus
But Nicolaus has been a cause of the wide-spread combination of wicked men. He, as one of the seven (that were chosen) for the diaconate, was appointed by the Apostles. (But Nicolaus) departed from correct doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifferency of both life and food. And when the disciples (of Nicolaus) continued to offer insult to the Holy Spirit, John reproved them in the Apocalypse as fornicators and eaters of things offered unto idols. [Refutation of All Heresies Book VII Chapter 24]
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Tertullian
A brother heretic emerged in Nicolaus. He was one of the seven deacons who were appointed in the Acts of the Apostles 6:1-5. He affirms that Darkness was seized with a concupiscence-and, indeed, a foul and obscene one-after Light: out of this permixture it is a shame to say what fetid and unclean (combinations arose). The rest (of his tenets), too, are obscene. For he tells of certain ions, sons of turpitude, and of conjunctions of execrable and obscene embraces and per-mixtures, and certain yet baser outcomes of these. He teaches that there were born, moreover, demons, and gods, and spirits seven, and other things sufficiently sacrilegious. Alike and foul, which we blush to recount, and at once pass them by. Enough it is for us that this heresy of the Nicolaitans has been condemned by the Apocalypse of the Lord with the weightiest authority attaching to a sentence, in saying "Because this thou holdest, thou hatest the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I too hate." [Appendix. Against All Heresies Book 1]
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St. Victorinus
This you have also, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes. But because you yourself hatest those who hold the doctrines of the Nicolaitanes, you expect praise. Moreover, to hate the works of the Nicolaitanes, which He Himself also hated, this tends to praise. But the works of the Nicolaitanes were in that time false and troublesome men, who, as ministers under the name of Nicolaus, had made for themselves a heresy, to the effect that what had been offered to idols might be exorcised and eaten, and that whoever should have committed fornication might receive peace on the eighth day. Therefore He extols those to whom He is writing; and to these men, being such and so great, He promised the tree of life, which is in the paradise of His God.
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Eusebius of Caesarea
At this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its appearance and lasted for a very short time. Mention is made of it in the Apocalypse of John. 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. 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. But I understand that Nicolaus had to do with no other woman than her to whom he was married, and that, so far as his children are concerned, his daughters continued in a state of virginity until old age, and his son remained uncorrupt. If this is so, when he brought his wife, whom he jealously loved, into the midst of the apostles, he was evidently renouncing his passion; and when he used the expression, 'to abuse the flesh,' he was inculcating self-control in the face of those pleasures that are eagerly pursued. For I suppose that, in accordance with the command of the Saviour, he did not wish to serve two masters, pleasure and the Lord. But they say that Matthias also taught in the same manner that we ought to fight against and abuse the flesh, and not give way to it for the sake of pleasure, but strengthen the soul by faith and knowledge." So much concerning those who then attempted to pervert the truth, but in less time than it has taken to tell it became entirely extinct. [Church History Book 3.28]
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Apringius of Beja
Of the Nicolaitan, it is interpreted as ‘a pouring out’ or ‘the folly of a fainting church.’ And this is rightly said of heretics who have been poured out from the container of the truth and have rumbled headlong into the mud of deceit. And, concerning this pouring out, it is said in the Law: “You are poured out as water; you will not rise up.(Gen. 49:4)” Clearly, the foolishness of a fainting church is the perverse teaching of the heretics, for they do not bring to the wound of the people, but they afflict upon the people the greatest of weaknesses, thinking foolish thoughts about God and being themselves fully taken over by ridiculous ideas. Concerning such persons it is said: “They have restored the sorrow of my people to dishonor, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace."
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St. Bede
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.
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St. Beatus of Liébana
Still there is another [part] that He praises; we speak of the Church built upon the Rock, of which He says, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaites, which I also hate.”
For “Nicolaite” is interpreted “spilling”, or the foolishness of the sluggish church, that is perceived (and not unmeritedly) to speak about heresy; the water-pot of truth is spilled into the filth of the lies that knocked it over. Of this spilling, it is written in the Law, “Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not.” [Gen. 49:4] It is clear here that the foolishness of the sluggish church of heretics is perverted dogma, because not for the people’s health do they induce a wound, but they afflict the common people with the greatest feebleness, perceiving foolishly about God and busying their thoughts with foolishness — of which it is written, “And they healed the contrition of my people disgracefully, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ and there was no peace.” [Jer. 6:14] Still, in what way can He hate the deeds of the Nicolaites, He Who is Love? That is, one abandons God. For the works of the Nicolaites are idolatry and fornication. They are from an apostle who was set up as a deacon with Stephen and the rest, who left his wife because of her beauty, and [said] whoever wanted her could take her. And that is turned to such a custom of shame, that couples are changed in turn. And to such people, what is shameful and impious was thought out and preached, so that a heresy-branch of new shoots — that is, untrained priests and Levites — was sprouted from this root; they whom the Apostle condemns; and he warns his disciple that such men should not approach the sacrifice, saying, “Impose not hands quickly upon any man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins.” [1 Tim. 5:22] And what is ‘to impose hands quickly’, if not to grant the sacerdotal honor before the age of maturity, before the time of trial, before earned by labor, before the experience of discipline? And likewise, what is it ‘to partake of other men’s sins’, if not to ordain such a foolish bishop, the sort who does not deserve to be ordained? For as the good from his own works provides fruit which protects the right in choosing a priest of judgment, so does he cause the most serious damage to himself, who puts up the kind of man that does not deserve to be a priest. Therefore, it is well said, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaites, which I also hate.” Here He publicly denies that they who please the Enemy are friends to God. _____________________________________________________________
St. John of Damascus
The Nicolaitans stem from Nicolaus, who was ordained to serve by the Apostles.(Acts 6:5) Because of jealousy for his own wife, he was motivated to teach his disciples the practice of immorality with others. He also introduced to the world the doctrine of Caulacau, Prunicus, and other barbaric names. [On Heresies 25]
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Nicholas of Lyra
But this thou hast Here the commendation is added as in the custom of the good Samaritan, who poured the gentile oil after the biting wine, when it is said, But this thou hast, Namely, is good and worthy of commendation. that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaites He does not say the Nicolaitans but, rather their deeds, because persons are esteemed because of love but their faults are hated. This Nicolas was in the primitive Church and had an especially beautiful wife, and it was said of him that he has zealous for her. To show the contrary he fell into a worse sin, according to the poet “He fell into Scylla wishing to avoid Charybdis.” He introduced his wife to other Christians saying erroneously that spouses should be shared as other things. It is said in The Historia Scholastica, Bk. 3, Chapter 19, and Clement of Alexandria teaches the same in Bk. 3 of The Stromateis that Nicolas himself lived a holy and chaste life, but others who were incontinent said this.
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Haydock Bible
The Nicolaites were an infamous sect, who disturbed the rising Church by the superstitions and all the impurities of paganism. See St. Augustine, de hæresib.
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