Philetus (biblical figure)

Philetus (fl. 50–65) was an early Christian mentioned by Paul, who warns Timothy against him as well as against his associate in error, Hymenaeus. The apostle speaks of Hymeneus and Philetus as instances of men who were doing most serious injury to the church by their teaching, and by what that teaching resulted in, both in faith and morals. The specific error of these men was that they denied that there would be any bodily resurrection. They treated all Scriptural references to such a state, as figurative or metaphorical. They spiritualized it absolutely, and held that the resurrection was a thing of the past. No resurrection was possible, so they taught, except from ignorance to knowledge, from sin to righteousness. There would be no day when the dead would hear the voice of Christ and come forth out of the grave. The Christian, knowing that Christ was raised from the dead, looked forward to the day when his body should be raised in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. But this faith was utterly denied by the teaching of Hymeneus and Philetus.

Philetus

Philetus may refer to:

Philetus (martyr)

Saint Philetus (d. 121), is along with Saints Lydia, Macedo(n), Theoprepius (Theoprepides), Amphilochius and Cronidas (Cronides), venerated as a Christian martyr.

According to the Roman Martyrology, they were martyred in Illyria during the reign of Hadrian. The Martyrology also states that Philetus was a senator, that Lydia was his wife, Macedo and Theoprepius their sons, Amphilochius a captain, and Cronidas a notary.

Their Acta are considered unreliable.

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