The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130
Nicolaus of Antioch
fl. c. 35 (death unrecorded) · Deacon of the Seven · Proselyte · Antioch → Jerusalem
The Apostolic Fathers
Who Nicolaus of Antioch was
The only one of the Seven whose origin Luke gives: “a proselyte of Antioch,” a Gentile come the whole way through Judaism into the church — the Gentile mission in one biography, before the Gentile mission. Because Revelation condemns “the deeds of the Nicolaitans,” some fathers (Irenaeus; Hippolytus) blamed the sect on him; Clement of Alexandria defended him, reporting his continence and his family’s, and judged the sectarians abusers of his name. The verdict of history: not proven — and his diaconate stands.
Whether the Seven held the diaconate proper is disputed. Neocaesarea and Roman practice read Acts 6 as instituting it; Chrysostom and the Quinisext Council of 692 held that their office was not the diaconate. The four members of the Seven whom this archive names “the Deacon” carry the evidence in full.
Common questions
When was Nicolaus active?
Nicolaus of Antioch is dated fl. c. 35 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Nicolaus in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Nicolaus?
Nicolaus of Antioch is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea and Epiphanius of Salamis. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Nicolaus from?
The archive associates Nicolaus of Antioch with Antioch, Jerusalem. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Nicolaus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Nicolaus of Antioch to 3 other figures, including Stephen the Protomartyr, Timon the Deacon and Evodius of Antioch. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Stromateis III.4
c. AD 200They say that this Nicolaus had a lovely wife… he brought her forward and said any one who wished might marry her — but Nicolaus, they add, never had relations with any woman but his wife. His children grew old in virginity.Clement of Alexandria · III.4 · source text
Ecclesiastical History III.29 (the Nicolaitans' claim, with Clement's defence)
c. AD 325They 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.Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History III.29 · source text
Panarion 25
c. AD 375Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Nicolaus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.