“The doctrines of Valentinus are described fully by Irenæus (I. cap. i.) from whom S. Cyril takes this account.  Valentinus, and Basilides, and Bardesanes, and Harmonious, and those of their company admit Christ’s conception and birth of the Virgin, but say that God the Word received no addition from the Virgin, but made a sort of passage through her, as through a tube, and made use of a phantom in appearing to men.”  (Theodoret, Epist. 145.)