3.29.1
ΧΧIX. Ἐπὶ τούτων δῆτα καὶ ἡ λεγομένη τῶν ικολαϊτῶν αἵρεσις ἐπὶ σμικρότατον συνέστη χρόνον, ἦς δὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀποκάλυψις μνημονεύει· οὗτοι Νικόλαον ἕνα τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Στέφανον διακόνων πρὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἐνδεῶν θεραπείᾳ προκεχειρισμένων ηὔχουν. ὅ γε μὴν Ἀλεξανδρεὺς Κλήμης ἐν τρίτῳ Στρωματεῖ ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ κατὰ λέξιν ἱστορεῖ·
XXIX. At this time, too, there existed for a short time the heresy of the Nicolaitans, of which the Revelation of John also makes mention. These claimed Nicolas, one of the deacons in the company of Stephen who were appointed by the Apostles for the service of the poor. Clement of Alexandria, in the third book of the Stromata, gives the following account of him: “He had, they say, a beautiful wife; but after the ascension of the Saviour he was accused of jealousy by the apostles, and brought her forward and commanded her to be mated to anyone who wished. They say that this action was in consequence of the injunction ‘it is necessary to abuse the flesh,’ and that by following up what had been done and said with simplicity and without perversion those who follow his heresy lead a life of unrestrained license. But I have learned that Nicolas had nothing to do with any other woman beside her whom he married, and that of his children the daughters reached old age as virgins, and that the son remained uncorrupted. Since this is the case it is clear that the exposure of the wife of whom he was jealous in the midst of the disciples was the abandonment of passion, and that teaching the abuse of the flesh was continence from the pleasures which he had sought. For I think that according to the command of the Saviour he did not wish to serve two masters — pleasure and the Lord. They also say that this was the teaching of Matthias, to slight the flesh and abuse it, yielding nothing to it for pleasure, but to make the soul grow through faith and knowledge.” Let this suffice concerning the attempts made during this period to triumph against the truth, which were, nevertheless, extinguished for ever more quickly than it takes to tell.