he would die before his time. For men, Simon and Cleobius, had come to Corinth who said: 'there is no resurrection of the flesh, but of the spirit, and that the body of man is not created by God nor the world, that God does not know the world, nor has Jesus Christ been crucified, but only in appearance, and that he was not born of Mary nor of the seed of David.' In a word, they proclaimed (?) many things in Corinth, deceiving [many others and deceiving] themselves. When therefore the Corinthians heard that Paul was at Philippi, they sent a letter to Paul to Macedonia by the hand of Threptus and Eutychus, the deacons. The letter however was of this nature."
[A. LETTER OF THE CORINTHIANS TO THE APOSTLE PAUL.]
I
1. Stephanus and his fellow-presbyters Daphnus and Eubulus and Theophilus and Zeno to Paul, the brother in the Lord—greeting!
2. Two individuals have come to Corinth, named Simon and Cleobius, who overthrow the faith of some through pernicious words.
3. These examine yourself.
4. For we never heard such things, neither from you, nor from the other apostles.
5. But we keep what we have received from thee and from the others.
6. Since the Lord has shown us mercy, that while you are still in the flesh we should hear this[1] from you once more.
7. Come to us.[2]
8. For we believe as it has been revealed to Thenœ that the Lord has delivered thee from the hands of the godless.
9. What they say and teach is as follows:
10. They assert that one must not appeal to the prophets,
11. And that God is not almighty,
12. There is no resurrection of the body,
13. Man has not been made by God,
