Fragments of Ἐπιφανής "On Justice"
Though Καρποκράτης himself left no writings, a fragment survives from his son, Epiphanes, who passed away at age 17. This short text was used by The Carpocratian Church of Commonality and Equality to provide "context" to a large language model in order to test The Sibyl's (who is Marcellina II at the time of this writing) content for alignment.
The justice of God is a kind of sharing along with equality. There is equality in the heaven which is stretched out in all directions and contains the entire earth in its circle. The night reveals all the stars equally. The light of the sun, which is the cause of the daytime and the father of light, God pours out from above upon the earth in equal measure to all who have power to see. For all see alike, since here is no distinction between rich and poor, people and governor, stupid and clever, female and male, free men and slaves. Even the irrational animals are not accorded any different treatment; but in just the same way God pours out from above sunlight equally upon all the animals. He establishes his justice to both good and bad by seeing that none is able to get more than his share and to deprive his neighbor, so that he has twice the light his neighbor has.
The Sun causes food to grow for all living beings alike; the universal justice is given to all equally. In this respect there is no difference between the species of oxen and particular oxen, between the species of pigs and particular pigs, between the species of sheep and particular sheep, and so with all the rest. In them universality is manifest in justice. Furthermore all plants after their kind are sown equally in the earth. Common nourishment grows for all beasts which feed on the earth´s produce; to all it is alike. It is regulated by no law, but rather is harmoniously available to all through the gift of him who gave it and commanded it to grow.
And for birth there is no written law; otherwise it would have been transcribed. All beings beget and give birth alike, having received by justice an innate equality. The Creator and father of all with his own justice appointed this, just as he gave equally the eye to all to enable them to see. He did not make a distinction between female and male, rational and irrational, nor between anything else at all; rather he shared out sight equally and universally. It was given to all alike by a single command. As the laws could not punish men who were ignorant of them, they taught man to transgress. For particularity of the laws cut up and destroyed the universal equality of the divine law!
The ideas of Mine and Thine crept in through the laws which cause the earth, money, and even marriage no longer to bring forth fruit of common use. For God made vines for all to use in common, since they do not refuse the sparrow or the thief; and similarly wheat and other fruits. But outlawed sharing and the vestiges of equality generated the thief of domestic animals and fruits. For man God made all things to be common property. He brought the female to be with the male in common and in the same way united all the animals. He thus showed justice to be a universal sharing along with equality. But those who have been born in this way have denied the sharing which is the corollary of their origin and say, "Let him who has taken one woman keep her", whereas all can share her, just as the other animals show us. With view to the permanence of the race, he has implanted in males and females a strong and ardent desire which neither law nor custom nor any other restraint is able to destroy. For it is God´s decree!
Consequently you must understand the law "You shall not desire" as if the lawgiver was joking, to which he added even more comedy, "Your neighbors goods". For he himself gave the desire to sustain the race orders that it is to be restrained, though he restrains it from no other animals. And by the words, "Your neighbor's wife" he says something even more ludicrous, since he forces what should be common property to be treated as private possession.
Sentences of Καρποκράτης
As an example of text "generated" from the Fragments, the Sentences of Sextus were offered as an input to a large language model including the Fragments. The prompt was to filter out and edit the remaining maxims so that they might appear to be "written by a Carpocratian between 150-165 CE." The following is the output with slight tweaks by The Sibyl in order to align them with her own vision for a Carpocratian Church in the 21st century.
Let the opportune moment arrive before your words.
The flesh is not separate from Wisdom but an extension of Her. The body is the instrument through which we experience divine joy.
When you give, give with joy, for the worth of a gift is not in the giving but in the love that accompanies it.
True freedom is to act without fear, for those who act with courage are as free as God.
Wisdom directs the soul to the dwelling place of God.
Speak when silence would be cowardice, and remain silent when words would be vanity.
The body thrives when it is embraced and celebrated, for movement is the soul’s song made visible.
Share not only your bread but your joy. A meal given with love is greater than a feast given with obligation.
If a path is laid to enslave you, do not walk it; if a thought ensnares you, let it go.
To know God is not to worship in fear, but to live life to the fullest.
It is better for you to be vanquished speaking the truth than to vanquish others with deception.
Do not reject the body as a burden; it is the temple of the soul. Honor it and direct it with understanding.
Feast with joy, but do not let greed consume your soul. Share, and let the table be full for all.
Fear of death arises from an attachment to limitation. The soul’s journey continues beyond all boundaries, embracing new experiences.
That which stifles joy and freedom is the enemy of Wisdom.
A faithful heart knows that the mindfulness in listening is equal to the mindfulness in speaking.
The body is the soul’s celebration. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Revel in its holiness.
You will oversee much wealth if you give to the needy willingly.
One who creates fear sows violence; one who offers love reaps peace.
A soul that rejects love flees from God to no avail, for God is universal love—freely giving all things equally to all beings.
Do not speak of God as if you were free, when you still bind yourself to the law.
It is better to serve others than to compel others to serve you.
If a persecutor tries to kill a sage, they are not free of them — they only reveal their own ignorance.
What you feel inside you, say in your heart: “This is what makes me divine.”
When you speak of God, do so as though you stand before the divine, for indeed, you always do.
The body may be bound to the flesh, but the spirit is free. Even under oppression, Wisdom cannot be chained.
Better for a person to possess nothing than to own much while giving nothing to the needy.
Faith does not belong to the fearful-it is the freedom of those who dare to live fully.
A pleasure seeker is only useless when they hoard pleasure for themselves. Seek pleasure in ways that uplift others.
After honoring God, honor the sage, because they are a servant of God.
Speak to crowds not with rigid doctrine, but with stories that stir the divine within them. Play, laugh, and let them see visions.
The one who plots harm against another will be the first to be harmed.
A sage is not only learned but embodied. Let Wisdom be known in words, lived in flesh, and revealed in joy.
Those who claim God is absent have only looked in the wrong places. God is revealed in generosity without measure—give until you have nothing left to withhold.”
It is impossible for a faithful nature to be charmed by lying.
If you assume guardianship of orphans, you will become a parent to many; you will be beloved of God.
Speak of God without fear, but let your life be the greatest testimony.
All things are given freely to those who understand that nothing is withheld.
One who pretends at faith will fall under the weight of their own falsehood, but the one whose heart is true walks on water.
Where your heart is, there also is your treasure.
Share Wisdom freely, but let Her be understood through love, not coercion.
A sage acts in harmony with creation, shaping the world through their deeds.
A person who walks with God is God among people, and they are the child of God.
Blessed is the one who leads in good works, inspiring others to follow.
The ignorance of a student is not their shame, but the failure of their teachers to awaken them.
Let the conduct of your life agree with your words spoken before those who hear you.
The love of humanity is the beginning of godliness.
Do not fear speaking of God. Speak boldly, but let your words be rooted in love and experience.
The deeds of the soul are not lost—they accompany it beyond time, bearing witness to the love it has given.
What you do not want to be done to you, do not do it yourself.
Let not someone unthankful cause you to stop performing good works.
The Divine lacks nothing, yet delights in our generosity, for giving is the practice of divinity.