It is evident from the fathers, that the Nicola itans with whom they were acquainted were Gnostics ; since they impute to them the dis tinctive tenets and practices of the Gnostics. But in the short allusion in Rev. ii. 6, 15, there is no thing to identify the tenets or conduct alluded to with Gnosticism, even supposing that Gnosticism, properly so called, existed in the Apostolic age, which, to say the least, has not been proved to be the case. So that the conjecture mentioned by Mosheina, and which Tertullian appears to favour, may be regarded as probable, that the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation had erroneously been con founded with a party of Gnostics formed at a later period by one Nicolas.
The ingenious conjecture of Cocceius—which Vitringa, Michaelis, and others adopt—that by Nicolaitans (Rev. ii. 6, 15) the same class of per sons is intended whom St. Peter (2 Ep. ii. 15) describes as 4axoNoverjciaYres rq 63Q Top BaXacia, followers of the way of Balaan ; and that their name, Nicolaitans, is merely a Greek translation of their Hebrew designation, the noun Nuc6Xaos (from mace and Xa6s) being a literal version of ?l./;,
that is, by 38jz, is worthy of consideration. The custom of translating names, which prevailed so extensively in modern Europe, was undoubtedly practised also among the Jews, as the example in Acts ix. 36 (to which others might be added) shows. Accordingly, the Arabic version, pub lished by Erpenius, renders the words Ta gp-ra riav NuioXeriiip, the works of the Shuaibites, the Arabic Shuaib being apparently the name for Balaam. The only objection which occurs to us against this very ingenious and probable supposition, arises from the circumstance that, in the passage, Rev. ii. 14, 15, both 'they that hold the doctrine of Salaam.' and the Nicolaitans,' are specified, and are dis tinguished from each other : So hast thou also,' exas sat the Nicolaitans, as well as the Balaamites, mentioned in the previous verse. So that whatever general agreement there might be between those two classes of heretics—and their collocation in the passage before us seems to imply that there was such agreement—it appears equally evident that some distinction also must have sepa rated them the one from the other.—R. L.