Borborita: another way to salvation
(Acts of the Apostles 16: 31)
“The works of the flesh are known; they are the essence: adultery, fornication, uncleanness ... heresy ... those who do this do not inherit the kingdom of God "
(Galileans 5: 20).
On the pages of VO we now and then encounter something stories about the Old Believers, who were almost a stronghold of statehood and justice in Russia, then with fabrications about the millions of Slavic pagans killed at baptism (I wonder if who counted them and how the census of those killed were carried out?), that is, questions of religion and visitors, and authors The articles on the site are very interesting. Why is it so clear. On planet Earth (as it happened!) People have no other purpose than to multiply and die. And the first brings us pleasure, but the second is suffering. Naturally, I would like to see the first one more, but the second one so that it is not at all. And it is here that religion offers us the way of salvation, that is, faith in the immortality of the soul and its salvation if a person believes in all this and becomes a follower of one of the religions. However, there were always people who were looking for special, “more faithful” ways to salvation, different from those officially accepted and approved by the church. They were considered heretics and persecuted, but they also sought salvation, albeit in their own way. And there were a lot of such heresies, but perhaps the most unusual among them was the Borborite heresy.

Hagia Sophia in Kiev, where among other saints is Epiphanius of Cyprus (310 - 403)
However, they were called differently in different places: stratiotics, zakheyami, fivionita, barbelite, and also coddians and borborites. And the last two names are truly “speaking”. The first were the people with whom no one would want to sit at the table while eating, and the second is translated simply as “dung beetles”). But the name - the name. But what was the essence of this teaching? Well, first of all, it was also ... Christianity, since the Borborites believed in Christ. And yet they were cursed by the church as heretics. Why and why the official church did not please them?
Reporter Epiphanius
Unfortunately, the only source that reports in more or less detail about these ancient mystics who had long since sunk into oblivion from the distant past is the work of a certain Epiphanius of Cyprus, known in the 4th century for his accusations of heretics. So the borborites (although it would be more accurate to call them barbelites) also got from him “nuts”. Moreover, it is interesting that Epiphanius himself was a Phoenician by birth, and initially converted to Judaism, and only then converted to the Christian faith. As befits any neophyte who believes, he tried to get rid of his inheritance as soon as possible and went in search of the truth - that is, he began to wander in Egypt and Palestine and communicate with people who, in turn, were engaged in exactly the same search, considering his work as godly by deed.
In his travels around the world, he met the Barnoite Gnostics. And not just met, but entered into a theological dispute with them. However, with their statements, and most importantly, their deeds, they put his soul into such embarrassment that later becoming the Bishop of Salamis, that is, 30 years later, he still could not forget about meeting with them. By this time, Epiphanius in his writings had already condemned more than one sect of heretics, he was almost killed by the Pagan Parsis, preaching to the Arabian Bedouins, he also almost died, but only these harmless and slightly mocking Gnostics who gave him bed and food, for some reason then I did not forgive later.
And for their exposure, he picked up the most cruel and poisonous words, which of the mouth of the bishop, it seems, do not expect to hear. He wrote an essay "Panarion" (translated from the Greek as "a casket with medicines") and denounced several dozens of various heretical teachings, both Christian and even pre-Christian. And in the same place got the barbelites. Obviously, in his youth he wanted faith, which would be based not only on faith itself, but also on knowledge, and when offered this knowledge to him, he did not understand anything about him. And he, obviously, was very much frightened by their rites, and not only was he frightened. He considered that he had fallen into temptation and committed sin. And this horror in the soul before the deed (or not the one that was committed, but it had a strong effect on him!) Remained in his soul until old age, although all this had a rather small relation to the teachings of barbelites ...

Epiphanius of Cyprus in St. Sophia.
Rituals dangerous for the salvation of the soul
Judging by the description of Epiphania, it’s impossible to invent anything more repulsive than these people. Their wives were common, but they were hospitable. And as soon as their guest stepped over the threshold, the master-barberite shook his hand, “with tickling,” that is, he gave a secret sign. If he also answered him with “tickling”, then this meant that he was his, and if not, then the owners immediately understood that there was someone else in front of them. The guests were seated at the table and treated to excellent food, including wine and meat dishes, “although they themselves were poor.” Apparently, Epiphanius himself once fell for delicious food. In any case, he stayed with the Barberites and later was able to describe their customs and customs, as well as the religious beliefs that they, to a stranger, for some reason revealed to them!
According to his description, instead of killing the flesh, the barbelites opposite, anointed their bodies with oils, kept clean, followed their nails and hair, and also dressed up in beautiful clothes. They did not recognize any posts, but they liked to eat well at all times. On the days of church holidays, they ate meals together, that is, they recognized holidays.
But after the meal was completed, all those present were indulged in carnal sin, which was an act of sacral significance for Barberites, as the men pulled their seed to the back of the hand, raised their hands to heaven and said: “We bring You this offering — the body of Christ ". Then, "this" under a common prayer, everyone ate together. Well, instead of the “blood of Christ,” well, yes, of course, they took menstrual blood. According to Epiphanius, the Barberites attributed this strange ritual to the fact that, they say, the tree of life gives twelve fruits every year, which means there is a connection between this ritual and ancient pagan rituals for the victims of the seed gods of fertility and ... the well-known female monthly cycle.
The children that appeared as a result of these copulations were aborted and intended for ... a sacrificial meal for the Easter holiday - they were prepared together with various other meat products along with greens and spices and ate for the glory of Christ ... The ritual is, of course, completely wild, not true whether, however, he is no wilder than depriving a virginity with a stone idol or sacrificing his firstborn to the god Baal. However, the Bible explicitly states that Onan poured the seed on the ground and God killed him for it, and here people are doing even worse than this ... Truly they are the greatest sinners!
Epiphany, most likely, also had the opportunity to participate in one of these orgies ... Otherwise, he would not try to justify himself by referring to youth, inexperience, and hiding behind the corruption of manners ... And besides, he strongly criticized those women who tried to seduce him then. At the same time, he proudly declared that, although these barbelitki were very seductive and beautiful, he withstood them! Resisted, yes, but then, apparently, secretly still regretted that I did not try this. He also reproached the Barbelites for the fact that they opposed procreation by all means (not for ritual purposes), and that the shepherds sinned them with sodomy and onanism.

Epiphanius of Cyprus on a fresco in the monastery of Grazannik in Kosovo.
Teaching on the number eight
According to Epiphanius, the Barbelites attributed both Testaments to the fundamental texts of their teachings, and also The Questions of Mary, The Apocalypse of Adam, The Book of Set, The Book of Noria, and the Gospel of Eve. But Epiphany’s special indignation was caused by the Questions of Mary, where the apocryphal text of the Sermon on the Mount was used, in which there was a narration about the intercourse of Christ with a woman.
The world, as Barberites believed, consisted of eight (not three, not seven, but for some reason eight!) Spheres or heavens. The first heaven belonged to Prince Iao, on the second was Sakpas, the third was set by Seth, on the fourth heaven - David, on the fifth - Eloi, the sixth was given to Yaldabota, the seventh - Savaof, and also the Father of All, the God of the Father, and ... another Christ, whom Mary did not bear. He was only "shown by her." Here is how!
In addition, the barbelites claimed that Jesus never died on the cross and was not a creature in the flesh, but appeared in the world in the form of a ghost. The soul of the deceased can pass all this series of different heavens, but only if it will have a certain knowledge. Well, if not, then one of the rulers of the material world will captivate her and bring her back to life on earth, but no longer in the form of a man, but an animal. Only initiates can avoid this pitiful fate, for which all the above-described rites are needed and, moreover, they should be performed at least 760 times. In this case, the soul will reach the eighth sky and will be in the possession of mother Barbelo.
It is interesting that Barbelo had another name - Tetragrammaton: which meant water, air, fire and earth (matter). Well, and Barbelo herself was considered by the Gnostics-Barberites as the universal mother and vital force, which they identified with the first-fire logos, the cosmic “breath” and the holy spirit. That is, they connected the Greek philosophers with the cult of nature, added ancient Egyptian mysticism, Christian myths and got ... what they got!
According to their text “Pistis Sophia,” when the spirit enters the substance of Barbelo, the archons (chiefs) of the seven aeons (or special divine emanations) “reconcile themselves with the secret of light” and thus Christ is born. At the same time, the truth and the world are kissing each other. Depicted Barbelo in the form of a cross. But it was a cross that had nothing to do with the cross of Golgotha. Here the cross was a symbol of birth, and not an instrument of execution. And not just a birth, but a birth in the spirit. That is, one should continue oneself not in the flesh, but in the spirit. Otherwise you will not be saved!
Of course, a lot of what Epiphanius wrote can be considered both as slander and as an insult to the Barbelites who seduced him. He apparently simply did not understand much in their teachings. However, he was not the only one who treated them negatively. The Gnostic Ophites, too, for example, called the Barbelite doctrine disgusting (and it is clear why, in fact, they were engaged in the most real mass murder) and unworthy, and argued that the Higher Forces would not in any way reveal their secrets to anyone who does not swallow every month blood and semen. That is, both the Ophites and the Barbelites, although they read the same books, were equally eager for knowledge, and were mystics, but the first was the disgusting method chosen by the second for perpetual rebirth, that is, eating bodily eruptions to become like a ghostly Christ! At the same time, they urged people to avoid ignorance and fornication, because otherwise they would not see any secrets of light and not hear divine revelations.
However, it is rather difficult to explain a doctrine, of which so little is left, practically nothing, except perhaps for very brief comments of the Ophites, and the angry denunciations of Epiphanius. Moreover, two very beautiful and completely sexual-minded texts are attributed to the barbelites - “Trimorph Protenonia” - a mystical cosmogonic text, and “Apocrypha from John”.
In the “Apocrypha of John,” the mysteries are revealed that were revealed to the apostle John Jesus, to whom he appeared after his Resurrection. If these texts belong to the Barbelites, then it turns out that they are completely unrelated to their sacred sexual rites, or these rites should be considered in some other way, but as ... incomprehensible. But as all this was in reality, so far, there is no way to say anything because of the scarcity of facts. Well, the Barberite heresy itself has remained in the history of religion, as one of many "ways of salvation."
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