BORBORIAN (BORBORITE). - Antinomian Gnostics; Epiphanius was the first to call them by this name, but they probably existed even earlier (cf. Clement of Alexandria, Strom., II, 20, and III, 4: PG 8, 1061, 1132-33). According to St. Epiphanius (Haereses, XXVI, 3: PG 41, 336), who knew them in Egypt, they take their name from βόρβορος (mud). Philastrius (Haereses, LXXIII: PL 12, 1186) believes that they actually besmeared themselves with mud. More correctly, St. Augustine (Haereses, VI: PL 52, 26) interprets the name in a metaphorical sense. In fact they professed doctrines and practiced rites of a revolting immorality. If they were not identical, they certainly differed little from other Gnostics of the time, such as the Coddians, the Naassenes, the Stratiotici, the Phibionites, etc. They interpreted Holy Scripture arbitrarily and moreover accepted the Gospel of Eve, the Apocalypse of Adam, the Gospel of Philip and other apocrypha.

They still existed in the 5th century, so much so that they were condemned together with other heretics by an imperial law of 428 (cf. Cod. Theod., XVI, v, 65).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: G. Barelle, s. v. in DThC, II, 1, coll. 1032-33; G. Bardy, s. v. in DHG, IX coll. 1178-79.

Ireneo Daniele

@incollection{ec2_borboriani_borboriti, author = {Daniele, Ireneo}, title = {Borboriani (Borboriti)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {1899--1900}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/borboriani-borboriti} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Borborian (Borborite)

About this entry