[imardmd1]

I did not equate them.

Don't tell me you were not trying. Nor did I say there was a Nicolaus in the the Ephesus or Pergamos synagogueic gatherings. That original question was rhetorical in nature, so you can let that rest for a while.

It is true that there were nicolaitan priestmakes in Pergamos by John's last years, and Jesus wanted them flushed out. They persistently wanted to bring the Jewish priest system to Gentile churches. They finally began to get a foothold in Antioch, when Simon Peter was there. Apoparently he was not moved to stamp them out, but encouraged them, for which he was disciplined, but not thoroughly enough. Circular argument not borne out by the scriptures or tradition

Don't accuse me of circular argumentation when you stand up to your chin in it for your hypotheses.

Deacons are not a class of priests. The scriptural type/analogy/model would be more like:
Israel => Levites => Cohenim (Priests)
with the deacons being more like Levites to assist the priests

Aside from this inaccuracy (Jewish priests by the law are descendants of Aaron, not merely Levites), but that has no meaning because the Jerusalem had no priestly government, and the Jewish system is dead, gone, as far as real Christ followers are concerned. The Apostles were not priests. And that is the point I am making. They were commissioned and engaged to enlist disciples and make every one a disciple-maker just like themselves--no more, and no less.

[af_vet_1981]

Don't tell me you were not trying. Nor did I say there was a Nicolaus in the the Ephesus ...

I was not trying to equate them. I was summarizing what the scripture said. Both of those heresies were present at Pergamos and condemned.

However, you did write this in post 709, asking what Nicolaus was doing (in) Ephesus. Neither I nor the scriptures mentioned him or those who held his doctrine being in Ephesus as an apparent rhetorical question. It seems to me like a very obvious error, and should read Pergamos instead of Ephesus in your post.

4/21/2017, 7:36:06 PM · 709 of 783
imardmd1 to af_vet_1981
"So what is this presumed Nicolaus doing at Ephesus, anyway? Duh."

[af_vet_1981]

Aside from this inaccuracy (Jewish priests by the law are descendants of Aaron, not merely Levites)

What inaccuracy ? I did not write what you wrote.
I wrote Cohenim (Priests).
I wrote that there was a model where:
Israel => Levites => Priests.
Priests belong the tribe of Levi.
The tribe of Levi belongs to Israel.

Using that type,paradigm or model for Catholics, Catholic deacons would be more like Levites than Cohenim (priests) because Catholic deacons assist Catholic priests in some similarity to how Levites assisted the Cohenim (priests).