Sexual Sacramentalism
Epiphanius says the Borborites were inspired by Sethianism and had as a distinct feature of their rituals elements of sexual sacramentalism, including smearing of hands with menstrual blood and semen, and consumption of the same as a variant of eucharist. They were also said to extract fetuses from pregnant women and consume them, particularly if the women accidentally became pregnant during related sexual rituals.
Epiphanius claimed to have some first-hand knowledge of the sect, and to have run away from certain Gnostic women who reproached him thus:
| “ | We have not been able to save the young man, but rather, have abandoned him to the clutches of the ruler! | ” |
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—Epiphanius, Panarion, 26, 17.6 Epiphanius later reported the group to the bishops, resulting in the expulsion of around 80 people from the city of Alexandria. As all these tellings about the Borborites come from their opponents, it is unknown if they are true or exaggerated. Stephen Gero finds them plausible and connected with earlier Gnostic myths. Read more about this topic: Borborites | ||