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See also: First Epistle to the Corinthians and Second Epistle to the Corinthians
The Third Epistle to the Corinthians is a text alleging to have been written by Paul of Tarsus. It is generally considered to have been a fake, and was not considered canonical in the fourth century AD, becoming part of the New Testament apocrypha.
The text seeks to correct misunderstandings that occurred with prior letters to the Corinthians. In particular it seeks to correct the misinterpretation of flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God as implying that the resurrection of the dead was not physical.
Gnostics were known for quoting this part of 1 Corinthians, infuriating Christians such as Irenaeus who wished to claim that the dead were physically, rather than spiritually, resurrected. Irenaeus remarked All heretics always quote this passage. It is thought that the argument of the Gnostics won so much ground that other Christians felt the need to forge 3 Corinthians to counter them (such forgery having allegedly also happened elsewhere to counter other gnostic claims, for example 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus).
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