, ▁accused ▁Bog om ils ▁and ▁E uch ites ▁of ▁org i astic ▁practices ▁such ▁as ▁inc est ▁and ▁hom osex ual ity . ▁Furthermore , ▁he ▁argued ▁that ▁children ▁born ▁from ▁these ▁prom is cu ous ▁activities ▁were ▁brought ▁before ▁a ▁Sat an ic ▁assembly ▁after ▁eight ▁days , ▁offered ▁up ▁to ▁Sat an ▁and ▁then ▁can n ib al ist ically ▁e aten . ▁This ▁can n ib al istic ▁act ▁was ▁supposed ly ▁a ▁par ody ▁of ▁bapt ism . ▁Similar ▁accus ations ▁have ▁a ▁long ▁history , ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁deb ated ▁between ▁histor ians ▁if ▁they ▁are ▁truth ful ▁of ▁any ▁degree . ▁E uth ym ios ▁Z ig aben os ▁is ▁another ▁source ▁for ▁these ▁accus ations . ▁The ▁idea ▁of ▁these ▁un hol y ▁acts ▁can ▁be ▁track ed ▁back ▁to ▁alleg ed ▁practices ▁of ▁certain ▁G nost ic ▁sect s . ▁A ▁similar ▁literary ▁tradition ▁regarding ▁her es ies ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁brought ▁into ▁existence ▁already ▁during ▁reign ▁of ▁Sele uc id ▁r uler ▁Ant io chus ▁IV ▁E pi phan es . ▁ ▁Modern ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁question ed , ▁though , ▁whether ▁a ▁coh er ent ▁her et ical ▁movement ▁existed ▁behind ▁these ▁condem n ations , ▁and ▁has ▁emphas ised ▁instead ▁the ▁fr iction ▁in ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Church ▁caused ▁by ▁Mess al ian ism ' s ▁' asc et ical ▁practices ▁and ▁imag istic ▁language ▁far ▁more ▁characteristic ▁of ▁Sy ri ac ▁Christian ity ▁than ▁of ▁the ▁imperial ▁Church ▁cent red