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to eat their food, but that foods were given separately to the defiled, and that no one could eat even bread with them because of the pollution; for this reason, their fellow-sojourners, considering them separated, nicknamed them Koddians. These same people in Egypt are called Stratiotici and Phibionites, as I have stated in part above; some call them Zacchaeans, and others Barbelites. However, I will not be able to pass over this, but am compelled to speak out. For since the holy Moses, being filled with the 1.280 holy spirit, writes that "if anyone sees a murder and does not report it, may such a one be accursed," I cannot pass over this great murder and this great murderous work without plainly declaring it. For by declaring this fall to the wise, like the "pit of destruction," I will instill fear and trembling so that the wise will not only flee, but also stone this crooked serpent and basilisk in the abyss, so that no one may dare even to approach. And let these few things, which have already been said about them, be set down in part. 4. But I will proceed into the house of the depth of their deadly narrative. For their evil teaching of pleasure is manifold among them, in that, first, they have their wives in common. And if any stranger of their doctrine should arrive, there is a sign among them from men to women and from women to men: when extending the hand, supposedly for a greeting, to produce a certain tickling touch underneath the palm, by which they indicate that the newcomer is of their religion. Thenceforth, having recognized one another, they immediately turn to feasting; and they serve lavish dishes of meat-eating and wine-drinking, even if they are poor. And after this, having banqueted and, so to speak, filled their veins with satiety, they are turned to frenzy. And the husband, withdrawing from his wife, says to his own wife, "Arise, make love with the brother." And the wretches, having had intercourse with one another—and, in truth, I am ashamed to say the shameful things practiced among them because, according to the holy apostle, the things done by them "it is a shame even to speak of," nevertheless I will not be ashamed to say 1.281 what they are not ashamed to do, so that in every way I might produce horror in those who hear the shameful deeds dared by them—for after having intercourse in the passion of fornication, in addition to this, raising their blasphemy to heaven, the woman and the man receive the emission from the male into their own hands and stand, having looked up to heaven, holding the impurity in their hands and supposedly pray, those called Stratiotici and Gnostics, offering that which is in their hands to the father by nature of all things, and they say, "We offer to you this gift, the body of Christ." And so they eat it, partaking of their own shamefulness, and say, "This is the body of Christ and this is the Pascha, through which our bodies suffer and are compelled to confess the passion of Christ." And likewise also that from the woman, when she happens to be in her flow of blood, they likewise take the menstrual blood of impurity gathered from her and eat it in common. And "This," they say, "is the blood of Christ." 5. Wherefore also, reading in the apocrypha that "I saw a tree bearing twelve fruits a year and he said to me, this is the tree of life," they allegorize it into the monthly female flow. But having intercourse with one another, they forbid procreation. For corruption among them is not pursued for the sake of procreating but for the sake of pleasure, the devil mocking such people and

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αὐτῶν ἐσθίειν, κατ' ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς μεμιαμμένοις δίδοσθαι τὰ βρώματα καὶ μή τινα δύνασθαι σὺν αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸν μολυσμὸν κἂν ἄρτον συνεσθίειν· διά τοι τοῦτο ἀφωρισμένους τούτους ἡγούμενοι οἱ συμμέτοικοι Κοδδιανοὺς ἐπωνόμασαν. οἱ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ Στρατιωτικοὶ καλοῦνται καὶ Φιβιωνῖται, ὡς ἄνω μοι ἐν μέρει λέλεκται· τινὲς δὲ αὐτοὺς Ζακχαίους καλοῦσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ Βαρβηλίτας. ὅμως οὐδὲ παρελθεῖν δυνήσομαι, ἀλλὰ ἀναγκάζομαι ἐξειπεῖν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Μωυσῆς ἀπὸ 1.280 πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐμφορούμενος γράφει ὅτι «ἐάν τις ἴδῃ φόνον καὶ μὴ ἀναγγείλῃ, ἐπικατάρατος ὁ τοιοῦτος εἴη», οὐ δύναμαι τοῦτον τὸν μέγαν φόνον καὶ τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην φονώδη ἐργασίαν παρελθεῖν καὶ οὐχὶ δηλῶν δηλῶσαι. δηλώσας γὰρ τάχα τοῖς συνετοῖς τὸ πτῶμα τοῦτο, ὥσπερ τὸ «φρέαρ τῆς ἀπωλείας», φόβον καὶ φρῖξιν ἐμποιήσω εἰς τὸ μὴ μόνον ἀποδρᾶναι τοὺς συνετούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταλιθάσαι τὸν ἐν τῷ βαράθρῳ τοῦτον σκολιὸν ὄφιν καὶ βασιλίσκον εἰς τὸ μηδὲ πλησιάσαι τινὰ τολμᾶν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἤδη περὶ αὐτῶν εἰρημένα ὀλίγα τινὰ ὄντα ἐν μέρει τετάχθω. 4. Παρελεύσομαι δὲ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βυθοῦ τῆς θανατώδους αὐτῶν διηγήσεως διάφορος γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡ τῆς ἡδονῆς αὐτῶν κακοδιδασκαλία, ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν κοινὰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ἔχουσι. καὶ εἴ τις ξένος παραγένοιτο τοῦ αὐτῶν δόγματος, σημεῖόν ἐστι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀνδρῶν πρὸς γυναῖκας καὶ γυναικῶν πρὸς ἄνδρας, ἐν τῷ ἐκτείνειν τὴν χεῖρα, δῆθεν εἰς ἀσπασμόν, ὑποκάτωθεν τῆς παλάμης ψηλάφησίν τινα γαργαλισμοῦ ἐμποιεῖν, διὰ τούτου ὑποφαίνοντες ὡς τῆς αὐτῶν θρῃσκείας ἐστὶν ὁ παραγενόμενος. ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν ἐπιγνόντες ἀλλήλους τρέπονται εὐθὺς εἰς ἑστίασιν· δαψιλῆ δὲ τὰ ἐδέσματα κρεοφαγίας καὶ οἰνοποσίας παρατιθέασι, κἄν τε πένητες εἶεν. ἐκ τούτου δὲ συμποσιάσαντες καὶ ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν τὰς φλέβας τοῦ κόρου ἐμπλήσαντες ἑαυτῶν εἰς οἶστρον τρέπονται. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ τῆς γυναικὸς ὑποχωρήσας φάσκει λέγων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ γυναικὶ ὅτι «ἀνάστα, ποίησον τὴν ἀγάπην μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ». οἱ δὲ τάλανες μιγέντες ἀλλήλοις καί, ὡς ἐπὶ ἀληθείας αἰσχύνομαι εἰπεῖν τὰ παρὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς αἰσχρὰ πραττόμενα ὅτι κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον τὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς γινόμενα «αἰσχρόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν», ὅμως οὐκ αἰσχυνθῶ λέγειν 1.281 ἃ αὐτοὶ ποιεῖν οὐκ αἰσχύνονται, ἵνα κατὰ πάντα τρόπον φρῖξιν ἐργάσωμαι τοῖς ἀκούουσι τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν τολμώμενα αἰσχρουργήματα -μετὰ γὰρ τὸ μιγῆναι πάθει πορνείας πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀνατείνοντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν βλασφημίαν εἰς οὐρανὸν δέχεται μὲν τὸ γύναιον καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν ῥύσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄρρενος εἰς ἰδίας αὐτῶν χεῖρας καὶ ἵστανται εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνανεύσαντες, ἐπὶ χεῖρας δὲ ἔχοντες τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ εὔχονται δῆθεν, οἱ μὲν Στρατιωτικοὶ καλούμενοι καὶ Γνωστικοί, τῷ πατρὶ φύσει τῶν ὅλων προσφέροντες αὐτὸ τὸ ἐπὶ ταῖς χερσί, καὶ λέγουσιν «ἀναφέρομέν σοι τοῦτο τὸ δῶρον, τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ». καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸ ἐσθίουσι μεταλαμβάνοντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἰσχρότητα καί φασι «τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ πάσχα, δι' ὃ πάσχει τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα καὶ ἀναγκάζεται ὁμολογεῖν τὸ πάθος τοῦ Χριστοῦ». ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικός, ὅταν γένηται αὐτὴν γενέσθαι ἐν ῥύσει τοῦ αἵματος, τὸ καταμήνιον συναχθὲν ἀπ' αὐτῆς αἷμα τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ὡσαύτως λαβόντες κοινῇ ἐσθίουσι. καὶ «τοῦτο, φασίν, ἐστὶ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ». 5. διὸ καὶ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἀναγινώσκοντες ὅτι «εἶδον δένδρον φέρον δώδεκα καρποὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ εἶπέν μοι τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς», αὐτοὶ ἀλληγοροῦσιν εἰς τὴν κατὰ μῆνα γινομένην γυναικείαν ῥύσιν. Μισγόμενοι δὲ μετ' ἀλλήλων τεκνοποιίαν ἀπαγορεύουσιν. οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸ τεκνοποιῆσαι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡ φθορὰ ἐσπούδασται ἀλλ' ἡδονῆς χάριν, τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμπαίζοντος τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ