Abelites
Also known as Abelonians or Abelians. Sect in North Africa, which claimed that Adam ‘s son, Abel , though married, observed continence because there is no mention of his children in Scripture. They condemned marriage, considering it a means of perpetuating original sin, but each couple adopted a boy and a girl who inherited the property of their foster-parents on condition of living together in like manner in mature life. They were probably the remnant of a Gnostic sect, tinged perhaps by Manichean influences.