A member of various heretical or sectarian groups, particularly those who venerated Cain or were associated with gnostic movements in early Christian history.
From Cain plus the suffix '-ite' meaning 'member of a group or follower of'. Early Christian heresiologists used this term to describe fringe sects, some of whom allegedly inverted biblical morality by celebrating figures like Cain.
Early Christian scholars called their religious enemies 'Cainites' to suggest they worshipped evil itself—it's a powerful example of how naming something can be a weapon in religious debates.
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