the interpretation of the Thyatiran passage in the light of secondary evidence. The statements of Irenaeus and others may only relate to later developments of Nicolaitan apologetic.75 We conclude that Nicolaitanism was an antinomian movement whose antecedents can be traced in the misrepresentation of Pauline liberty, and whose incidence may be connected with the special pressures of emperor worship and pagan society. The important ‘Balaam’ simile may point to a relationship with similar movements