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org/wiki/Nicolaism
Cocceius (Cogitat. in Rev. ii. 6) has the credit of being the first to suggest this identification of the
Nicolaitans with the followers of Balaam. He has been followed by the elder Vitringa (Dissert. de
Argum. Epist. Petri poster. in Hase's Thesaurus, ii. 987), Hengstenberg (in loc.), Stier (Words of
the Risen Lord, p. 125 Eng. transl.), and others. Lightfoot (Hor. Heb., in Act. Apost. vi. 5) suggests
another and more startling paronomasia. The word, in his view, was chosen, as identical in sound
with , Nicolah, "let us eat", and as thus marking out the special characteristic of the sect.