Lives of Scripture

Nicolas was one of the seven men Acts 6 names as chosen by the Jerusalem church to administer the daily distribution of food after Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked (Acts 6:1-6). The apostles asked the congregation to select seven men "of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom," and the church chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas; the apostles prayed and laid hands on them (6:3-6). Scripture adds one detail found for none of the other six: Nicolas is called "a proselyte of Antioch" (6:5) -- meaning he was a Gentile who had first converted to Judaism before coming to faith in Christ, making him a notable early example of Gentile inclusion in the church even before Paul's missionary work formally opened that door. Later church tradition, from the second century onward, associated a "Nicolas" with the Nicolaitans, a group whose practices Christ condemns in Revelation 2:6 and 2:15 -- but this identification with the Nicolas of Acts 6 is not stated in Scripture and remains disputed among interpreters, some ancient and modern alike defending his character while later legend accuses him of moral compromise. Scripture itself records nothing beyond his selection as one of the seven trusted servants.