Philetus

Philetus appears once in scripture, named alongside Hymenaeus as a teacher whose word spreads like a wasting wound and whose error has unsettled the faith of others.

Named with Hymenaeus

The warning is given to Timothy in tight clinical language: "and their word will eat as does a gangrene: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some" (2Ti 2:17-18). The image is medical — gangrene that eats; the doctrinal content is named — the resurrection has already happened; and the effect is named — the faith of some is overthrown. Philetus is otherwise unspoken-of in the text.