Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

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Secret Alias
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Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

Just trying to understand the form Νικολαϊτῶν that appears in our earliest source. Νικολαΐδης is the male patronymic Νῑκολᾱΐς the female equivalent. I can't help shake the impression that the form that appears in Revelation is related to the so-called 'daughters of Nicolaus.' Maybe I am wrong. But the genitive plural is Νῑκολᾱΐδων.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

Actually the genitive for both the masculine (Νικολαΐδης) and feminine (Νικολαΐς) patronymic is the same = Νῑκολᾱΐδων. I see from the Deipnosophistarum and its repeated use of the Peripathetic philosopher Nicolaus that the genitive of Νῑκόλᾱος is Νικολαων https://books.google.com/books?id=YsVCA ... us&f=false I really don't know how Νικολαϊτῶν was constructed. Any thoughts? It would seem it is Νικολαϊτ + ῶν. But how and why? What does it mean?
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

Everyone supposes that Νικολαϊτῶν goes back to an original form Νικολαϊτης. But what is the evidence for this? I see in a longer (and much later version) of Ignatius's Epistle to the Philadelphians we see a reference to "oίoς ο ψευδώνυμος Νικολαϊτης." This seems to go back to the Apostolic Constitutions:
But when we went forth among the Gentiles to preach the word of life, then the devil wrought in the people to send after us false apostles to the corrupting of the word; and they sent forth one Cleobius, and joined him with Simon, and these became disciples to one Dositheus, whom they despising, put him down from the principality. Afterwards also others were the authors of absurd doctrines: Cerinthus, and Marcus, and Menander, and Basilides, and Saturnilus. Of these some own the doctrine of many gods, some only of three, but contrary to each other, without beginning, and ever with one another, and some of an infinite number of them, and those unknown ones also. And some reject marriage; and their doctrine is, that it is not the appointment of God; and others abhor some kinds of food: some are impudent in uncleanness, such as those who are falsely called Nicolaitans. And Simon meeting me Peter, first at Cæsarea Stratonis (where the faithful Cornelius, a Gentile, believed on the Lord Jesus by me), endeavoured to pervert the word of God; there being with me the holy children, Zacchæus, who was once a publican, and Barnabas; and Nicetas and Aquila, brethren of Clement the bishop and citizen of Rome, who was the disciple of Paul, our fellow-apostle and fellow-helper in the Gospel. I thrice discoursed before them with him concerning the true Prophet, and concerning the monarchy of God; and when I had overcome him by the power of the Lord, and had put him to silence, I drove him away into Italy.
Interesting though, is the fact that the POV here assumes that Nicolaus was not a heretic per se (much like Clement of Alexandria). There is a heretical group already at the time of Peter who 'falsely call themselves' of Nicolaus.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

And then we're back to -ίτης which means 'belonging to.' But this suffix rarely (I can't find one example) is associated with a person or is used with the name of a sect. From the Wikipedia page "words suffixed with ites" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category ... E%B7%CF%82 The most natural explanation of the name 'Nicolaites' would be residents of a city named Nicolaus.

Α
Ἀβδηρίτης
Ἀμφιπολίτης
Ἀναιίτης
Ἀρεοπαγίτης
ἀρχιμανδρίτης
ἀψινθίτης
Β
Βοσπορίτης
Δ
Δεκαπολίτης
διλοχίτης
Ε
Ἐφραιμίτης
Ἐφραϊμίτης
Ι
Ἰσραηλίτης
Κ
κεδρίτης
Κωνσταντινουπολίτης
Λ
Λευίτης
Ο
Ὀασῖται
ὁπλίτης
Σ
Σαμαρίτης
Σαχαλῖται
στοιχαδίτης
στυλίτης
σωρίτης
Τ
Τεσσαρεσκαιδεκατῖται
Ω
Ὠρείτης
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

If I was a betting person I would wager that this terminology the makes most sense as one of countless examples of Greek appropriations of Latin terminology. Think of all the Greek identifications of heretical groups using Latin case endings. Nicolaitae is Latin. Like Marcionitae and of course Marcionitis, Haereticis, Tatianitis, Encratitis and Nicolaitis.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

The one name that bucks the trend is 'Marcionite.' The most common Greek is Μαρκιωνισταὶ (Martyrdom of Polycarp 22.2-3 Moscow (m), Origen Comm. Psalms, Athanasius Epistula ad Alelphium, Athanasius Orationes contra Arianos, John Chrysostom In epistulam ad Ephesios (homiliae 124), Epiphanius Panarion etc.) but consistently uses ἀπὸ Μαρκίωνος (Clement of Alexandria Stromat. 2.8, 3.3 (x4), 3.4, 7.17, cf. Origen 2.27, Comm Rom 4:23 - 25).
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
lsayre
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by lsayre »

I'm intrigued, but is there a conclusion to be reached here? The very best works I have read generally begin with a statement of their conclusion, and then proceed to systematically evaluate the consistency of a series of premises as evidence by which to proclaim a potential probability of likelihood for the validity of said conclusion (or alternately, begin with a conclusion, and then present premises as evidence through which to refute a conclusions validity). You however very often seem to present us with an almost endless series of premises upon premises, and then generally tend to drift off onto another subject altogether without first reaching and presenting to us a conclusion. You yourself may have reached a conclusion, but you tend to leave us dangling with respect to it. Very confusing.
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

I never start with a conclusion. My suspicion is that this hybrid "Latinized Greek" is indicative of a writer from southern Gaul or somewhere else where this phenomenon existed https://books.google.com/books?id=BSpfT ... ct&f=false
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
lsayre
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by lsayre »

Is this part of an overall suspicion that Christianity as it has devolved and filtered down to us today is due at its root to the consolidating work (for lack of better terminology) of Irenaeus?

And if so, why would you not be so bold as to classify this as a conclusion?
Secret Alias
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Re: Νικόλαος, Νῑκολᾱΐς, Νικολαϊτῶν

Post by Secret Alias »

It's based on a number of odd patterns in Mark, other canonical texts and early Patristic texts.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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