Baptist History by Baptists 1d: The episcopal "Doctrine of the Nicolatians", "to conquer the people"

Early in New Testament history,
Satan led some away from that Truth.

Diotrephes is an example given in 3rd John 9;

"I wrote unto the church:
but Diotrephes,
who loveth to have the preeminence among them,
receiveth us not."


We read in Revelation 2:15,

"So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolatians, which thing I hate."

Without being positive what this doctrine was,

I think the meaning lies in the name.


It comes from two Greek words.


The first is nikaw, which means "to conquer."

The second is laos which means "people."

So then it means

"to conquer the people or laity".


Thus we have a ruling clergy.

Thus developed an episcopal church government
in place of a congregational one.

"What kind of government is this?

"Episcopacy, Episcopal."

These terms are derived
from the Greek 'episcopos,' meaning 'bishop.'

...

They refer accordingly to that system of 'church' government

in which the principal officer is the bishop."

Big Preachers - Big "Churches".
...

Thus, some bishops with big egos
began to feel more importance attached to them then to others.

Their strong personalities helped them "climb the ladder."


Bishops of the larger city churches became known as Metropolitans.

They began to preside over the smaller country churches.

The development of this kind of "church" government

was gradual.

...

The result is what we see in Roman Catholicism
in the past and today.

I will quote from the Lutheran historian, Mosheim,
who is known as the father of modern church history:

(Note: long quote and big in importance).

"Let none, however, confound the bishops
of this primitive and golden period of the church
with those of whom we read in the following ages;
for though they were both distinguished
by the same name, yet they differed in many respects.

A bishop during the first and second century
was a person who had the care of one Christian assembly,
which, at that time was, generally speaking,
small enough to be contained in a private house.

In this assembly, he acted, not so much with the authority of a master,
as with the zeal and diligence of a faithful servant.

He instructed the people, performed several parts of divine worship,
attended the sick, and inspected the circumstances
and supplies of the poor.

He charged, indeed, the presbyters
with the performance of those duties and services,
which the multiplicity of his engagements
rendered it impossible for him to fulfill;

but he had not the power to decide
or enact anything

without the consent of the presbyters
and people;

and though the episcopal office was both laborious
and singularly dangerous, yet its revenues were extremely small,
since these newly invented FALSE 'churches' of SATAN
had no certain income, but depended on the gifts or oblations of the multitude,
which were, no doubt, inconsiderable, and were moreover to be divided
among the bishops, presbyters, deacons and poor.
...
The power and jurisdiction of the bishops
were not long confined to these narrow limits,
but were soon extended by the following means.
...
The bishops, who lived in the cities,
had, either by their own ministry, or that of their presbyters,
erected newly invented FALSE 'churches' of SATAN
in the neighboring towns and villages.
...
These newly invented FALSE 'churches' of SATAN
continuing under the inspection and ministry of the bishops,
by whose labors and counsels they had been engaged
to embrace the Gospel,
grew imperceptibly into ecclesiastical provinces,
which the Greeks afterward called dioceses.


But as the bishop of the city could not extend his labors
and inspection to all those newly invented FALSE 'churches' of SATAN
in the country and in the villages,
he appointed certain suffragans or deputies
to govern and to instruct these new societies;
and they were distinguished by the title chorepiscopi, i.e. country bishops.

This order held the middle rank between bishops and presbyters.

AND IS NOT BIBLICAL, ORGANIZATIONALLY.

Why?

In The Biblical 'assembly' of Scripturally Baptised Believers

EVERY bishop during the first and second century
had NO power to decide or enact anything

without the consent of the presbyters and people;


These newly invented FALSE 'churches' of SATAN
gave 'authority' to the 'bishops', over the people.

The episcopal "Doctrine of the Nicolatians", "to conquer the people"

We read in Revelation 2:15,

"So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolatians, which thing I hate."

Without being positive what this doctrine was,

I think the meaning lies in the name.


It comes from two Greek words.


The first is nikaw, which means "to conquer."

The second is laos which means "people."

So then it means

"to conquer the people or laity".


Thus we have a ruling clergy.

Thus developed an episcopal church government
in place of a congregational one.


Satan is perverting The Divine Organization and Organism
that Jesus Founded and Organized, during His Earthly Ministry.


The churches that Jesus Built and Continued to Build and Edify
have continued on Earth, since The Time in The New Testament
WHEN Jesus Orgiginated her.

The churches of The Lord Jesus Christ, on Earth today,
HAVE DIVINE ORIGIN.

What does JESUS Say about Satan's perversion
of His Divine Organization, He Called, "My church"?

"So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolatians, which thing I hate."