By Water & Blood

On Theodotus

Theodotus of Byzantium the cobbler also, holding the same opinions as this man, led another fraternity. The thrice-blessed Victor, bishop of the Romans, proclaimed him out, as one who tried to counterfeit the doctrines of the Church. Against their heresy the little Labyrinth was written, which some suppose to be a work of Origen, but the character refutes those who say so. Whether he or another wrote it, it narrates in it a story of this kind.

It said that a certain Natalius, who had been one of the noble confessors, was deceived by Asclepiades and another Theodotus, who belonged to the same heresy, so that for a wage he would preside over the fraternity, because of the distinction of his confession. They promised to provide him a hundred and fifty denarii each day. The physician of souls often exhorted him to be freed from the error, saying that he had contended not for these things but for the gospel doctrines. But when he did not yield, enslaved to the honor which he supposed he had as leader of the deceived, the Lord brought upon him harsh scourges through angels. Learning by experience what opposing God brings about, he came swiftly at dawn to the church; and rolling before the high priest, he begged that intercession be offered for him to the philanthropic Master. The bishop pitied him as he lamented and entreated, and stretched out a hand unto repentance.

Having said these things about him, the aforementioned writer added that those who composed the heresy dared to corrupt the divine Scripture, cutting some things away and adding others—saying that they were correcting what was not well, and showing themselves wiser than the all-holy Spirit. And he says that they did not even do this in agreement, but Theodotus one way, Asclepiades another, Hermophilus another, and Apollonides another; and that each of these also made further corrections of his own, so that there was great disagreement among the copies. Concerning these, then, this is what we have learned.