Manichaeism
(
Ascetic Gnostic Sects
)
- History
- Life of Mani
- Influences
- Spread
- Syncretism and translati..
- Persecution and suppress..
- Later movements associat..
- Teachings and beliefs
- The Manichaean Church
- Religious practices
- Primary sources
- Originally written in Sy..
- Originally written in Mi..
- Other books
- Non-Manichaean works pre..
- Later works
- Critical and polemic sou..
- Central Asian and Irania..
- Coptic primary sources
- Chinese primary sources
- Greek life of Mani, Colo..
- Figurative use
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Manichaeism (; in ; p=Móníjiào) is a former major World religions founded in the 3rd century CE by the Parthian EmpireYarshater, Ehsan The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 3 (2), The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983. prophet Mani (216–274 CE), in the Sasanian Empire.
Manichaeism taught an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing the struggle between a good spiritual world of light, and an evil material world of darkness. Through an ongoing process that takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light, whence it came. Mani's teaching was intended to "combine", succeed, and surpass the teachings of Platonism,
Manichaeism was quickly successful and spread far through Aramaic-speaking regions. It thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire.Andrew Welburn, Mani, the Angel and the Column of Glory: An Anthology of Manichaean Texts (Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1998), p. 68 Before the spread of Islam, it was briefly the main rival to early Christianity in the competition to replace classical polytheism. Under the Roman Dominate, Manichaeism was persecuted by the Roman state and was eventually stamped out in the Roman Empire.R. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times. SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37
Manichaeism survived longer in the east than it did in the west. The religion was present in West Asia into the Abbasid Caliphate period in the 10th century. It was also present in China despite increasingly strict proscriptions under the Tang dynasty and was the official religion of the Uyghur Khaganate until its collapse in 830. It experienced a resurgence under the Mongol Yuan dynasty during the 13th and 14th centuries but was subsequently banned by the Chinese emperors, and Manichaeism there became subsumed into Buddhism and Taoism. Some historic Manichaean sites still exist in China, including the temple of Cao'an in Jinjiang, Fujian, and the religion may have influenced later movements in Europe, including Paulicianism, Bogomilism, and Catharism.
While most of Manichaeism's original writings have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived.
An adherent of Manichaeism was called a Manichaean, Manichean, or Manichee.
History
Life of Mani
Mani composed seven works, six of which were written in the Aramaic Syriac language. The seventh, the Shabuhragan,Middle Persian Sources: D. N. MacKenzie, Mani's Šābuhragān, pt. 1 (text and translation), BSOAS 42/3, 1979, pp. 500–34, pt. 2 (glossary and plates), BSOAS 43/2, 1980, pp. 288–310. was written by Mani in Middle Persian and presented by him to Sasanian emperor Shapur I. Although there is no proof Shapur I was a Manichaean, he tolerated the spread of Manichaeism and refrained from persecuting it within his empire's boundaries.Welburn (1998), pp. 67–68
According to one tradition, Mani invented the unique version of the Syriac script known as the Manichaean alphabet that was used in all of the Manichaean works written within the Sasanian Empire, whether they were in Syriac or Middle Persian, as well as most of the works written within the Uyghur Khaganate. The primary language of Babylon (and the administrative and cultural language of the Empire) at that time was Middle Aramaic, which included three main dialects: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic (the language of the Babylonian Talmud), Mandaic language (the language of Mandaeism), and Syriac, which was the language of Mani as well as the Syriac Christians.
While Manichaeism was spreading, existing religions such as Zoroastrianism were still prevalent, and Christianity was gaining social and political influence. Although having fewer adherents, Manichaeism won the support of many high-ranking political figures. With the assistance of the Sasanian Empire, Mani began missionary expeditions. After failing to win the favour of the next generation of Persian royalty and incurring the disapproval of the Zoroastrian clergy, Mani is reported to have died in prison awaiting execution by the Persian emperor Bahram I. The date of his death is estimated at 276–277 CE.
Influences
Mani wore colorful clothing abnormal for the time that reminded some Romans of a stereotypical Persian magus or warlord, earning him ire from the Greco-Roman world because of it.
Mani taught how the soul of a righteous individual returns to Paradise upon dying, but "the soul of the person who persisted in things of the flesh – fornication, procreation, possessions, cultivation, harvesting, eating of meat, drinking of wine – is condemned to rebirth in a succession of bodies."
Mani began preaching at an early age and was possibly influenced by contemporary Babylonian-Aramaic movements such as Mandaeism, Aramaic translations of Jewish apocalyptic works similar to those found at Qumran (e.g., the Book of Enoch literature), and by the Syriac dualist-Gnostic writer Bardaisan (who lived a generation before Mani). With the discovery of the Mani-Codex, it also became clear that he was raised in the Jewish Christian sect of the Elcasaites and possibly influenced by their writings.
According to biographies preserved by ibn al-Nadim and the Persian polymath al-Biruni, Mani received a revelation as a youth from a spirit, whom he would later call his "Twin" ( , from which is also derived the Greek name of Thomas the Apostle, Didymus; the "twin"), Syzygos ( "spouse, partner", in the Cologne Mani-Codex), "Double," "Protective Angel," or "Divine Self." This spirit taught him wisdom that he then developed into a religion. It was his "Twin" who brought Mani to self-realization. Mani claimed to be the Paraclete of the Truth promised by Jesus in the New Testament.
Manichaeism's views on Jesus are described by historians:
Augustine of Hippo also noted that Mani declared himself to be an "apostle of Jesus Christ". Manichaean tradition is also noted to have claimed that Mani was the reincarnation of religious figures from previous eras such as the Buddha, Krishna, and Zoroaster in addition to Jesus himself.
Academics note that much of what is known about Manichaeism comes from later 10th- and 11th-century Muslims historians like al-Biruni and ibn al-Nadim in his al-Fihrist; the latter "ascribed to Mani the claim to be the Seal of the Prophets." However, given the Islamic milieu of Arabia and Persia at the time, it stands to reason that Manichaens would regularly assert in their evangelism that Mani, not Muhammad, was the "Seal of the Prophets". In reality, for Mani the metaphorical expression "Seal of Prophets" is not a reference to his finality in a long succession of prophets as it is used in Islam, but rather as final to his followers (who testify or attest to his message as a "seal").C. Colpe, "Das Siegel der Propheten: historische Beziehungen zwischen Judentum, Judenchristentum, Heidentum und frühem Islam", Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Theologie und Zeitgeschichte, 3 (Berlin: Institut Kirche und Judentum, 1990), 227–243.G. G. Stroumsa, The Making of the Abrahamic Religions in Late Antiquity, Oxford Studies in the Abrahamic Religions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), 68.
Other sources of Mani's scripture were the Aramaic originals of the Book of Enoch, 2 Enoch, and an otherwise unknown section of the Book of Enoch entitled The Book of Giants. Mani quoted the latter directly and expanded upon it, becoming one of the six original Syriac writings of the Manichaean Church. Besides short references by non-Manichaean authors through the centuries, no original sources of The Book of Giants (which is actually part six of the Book of Enoch) were available until the 20th century.
Scattered fragments of both the original Aramaic Book of Giants (which were analyzed and published by Józef Milik in 1976)J. T. Milik, ed. and trans., The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976. and the Manichaean version of the same name (analyzed and published by Walter Bruno Henning in 1943)In: Henning, W. B., The Book of Giants, BSOAS, Vol. XI, Part 1, 1943, pp. 52–74. were discovered along with the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judaean Desert in the 20th century and the Manichaean writings of the Uyghurs Manichaean kingdom in Turpan. Henning wrote in his analysis of them:
By comparing the cosmology of the books of Enoch to the Book of Giants, as well as the description of the Manichaean myth, scholars have observed that the Manichaean cosmology can be described as being based, in part, on the description of the cosmology developed in detail within the Enochic literature.Reeves, John C. Jewish Lore in Manichaean Cosmogony: Studies in the Book of Giants Traditions (1992) This literature describes the being that the prophets saw in their ascent to Heaven as a king who sits on a throne at the Seven heavens of the heavens. In the Manichaean description, this being, the "Great King of Honor", becomes a deity who guards the entrance to the World of Light placed at the seventh of ten heavens.See Henning, A Sogdian Fragment of the Manichaean Cosmogony, BSOAS, 1948 In the Aramaic Book of Enoch, the Qumran writings, overall, and in the original Syriac section of Manichaean scriptures quoted by Theodore bar Konai, he is called malkā rabbā d-iqārā ("the Great King of Honor").
Mani was also influenced by writings of the gnostic Bardaisan (154–222 CE), who, like Mani, wrote in Syriac and presented a dualistic interpretation of the world in terms of light and darkness in combination with elements from Christianity.
Mani was heavily inspired by Iranian Zoroastrian theology.
Noting Mani's travels to the Kushan Empire (several religious paintings in Bamyan are attributed to him) at the beginning of his proselytizing career, Richard Foltz postulates Buddhist influences in Manichaeism:
The Kushan Empire monk Lokakṣema began translating Pure Land Buddhist texts into Chinese in the century prior to Mani arriving there. The Chinese texts of Manichaeism are full of uniquely Buddhist terms taken directly from these Chinese Pure Land scriptures, including the term "pure land" (p=jìngtǔ) itself.Peter Bryder, The Chinese Transformation of Manichaeism: A Study of Chinese Manichaean Terminology, 1985. However, the central object of veneration in Pure Land Buddhism, Amitābha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, does not appear in Chinese Manichaeism and seems to have been replaced by another deity.
Spread
Roman Empire
Manichaean monasteries existed in Rome in 312 during the time of Pope Miltiades.
In 291, persecution arose in the Sasanian Empire with the murder of the apostle Sisin by Emperor Bahram II and the slaughter of many Manichaeans. Then, in 302, the first official reaction and legislation against Manichaeism from the Roman state was issued under Diocletian. In an official edict called the De Maleficiis et Manichaeis compiled in the Collatio Legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum and addressed to the proconsul of Africa, Diocletian wrote:
By 354, Hilary of Poitiers wrote that Manichaeism was a significant force in Roman Gaul. In 381, Christians requested Theodosius I to strip Manichaeans of their civil rights. Starting in 382, the emperor issued a series of edicts to suppress Manichaeism and punish its followers.Lieu, Samuel (1992) Manichaeism in the Later Roman Empire and Medieval China 2d edition, pp. 145–148
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) converted to Christianity from Manichaeism in the year 387. This was shortly after the Roman emperor Theodosius I issued a decree of death for all Manichaean monks in 382 and shortly before he declared Christianity the only legitimate religion for the Roman Empire in 391. Due to the heavy persecution, the religion almost disappeared from Western Europe in the fifth century and from the eastern portion of the empire in the sixth century.
According to his Confessions, after nine or ten years of adhering to the Manichaean faith as a member of the group of "hearers", Augustine of Hippo became a Christian and potent adversary of Manichaeism (which he expressed in writing against his Manichaean opponent Faustus of Mileve), seeing their beliefs that knowledge was the key to salvation as too passive and unable to affect any change in one's life.
Some modern scholars have suggested that Manichaean ways of thinking influenced the development of some of Augustine's ideas, such as the nature of good and evil, the idea of hell, the separation of groups into elect, hearers, and sinners, and the hostility to the flesh and sexual activity, and his dualistic theology.A. Adam, Das Fortwirken des Manichäismus bei Augustin. In: ZKG (69) 1958, S. 1–25.
Central Asia
South Siberia
China
After the Tang dynasty, some Manichaean groups participated in . Many rebel leaders used religion to mobilize followers. In Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty China, remnants of Manichaeism continued to leave a legacy contributing to sects such as the Red Turbans. During the Song dynasty, the Manichaeans were derogatorily referred by the Chinese as Chīcài shìmó (c=吃菜事魔, meaning that they "abstain from meat and worship demons").
An account in Fozu Tongji, an important historiography of Buddhism in China compiled by Buddhist scholars during 1258–1269, says that the Manichaeans worshipped the "White Buddha" and their leader wore a violet headgear, while the followers wore white costumes. Many Manichaeans took part in rebellions against the Song government and were eventually quelled. After that, all governments were suppressive against Manichaeism and its followers, and the religion was banned in Ming dynasty in 1370. While it had long been thought that Manichaeism arrived in China only at the end of the seventh century, a recent archaeological discovery demonstrated that it was already known there in the second half of the 6th century.Étienne de la Vaissière, "Mani en Chine au VIe siècle", Journal asiatique, 293–1 (2005): 357–378.
The nomadic Uyghur Khaganate lasted for less than a century (744–840) in the southern Siberian steppe, with the fortified city of Ordu-Baliq on the Upper Orkhon River as its capital.
Nonetheless, and despite the apparently willing conversion of the Uyghurs to Manichaeanism, traces and signs of the previous shamanistic practices persisted. For instance, in 765, only two years after the official conversion, during a military campaign in China, the Uyghur troops called forth magicians to perform a number of specific rituals. Manichaean Uyghurs continued to treat with great respect a sacred forest in Otuken. The conversion to Manichaeism led to an explosion of manuscript production in the Tarim Basin and Gansu (the region between the Tibetan and the Huangtu plateaus), which lasted well into the early 11th century. In 840, the Uyghur Khaganate collapsed under the attacks of the Yenisei Kyrgyz, and the new Uyghur state of Qocho was established with a capital in the city of Gaochang.
Al-Jahiz (776–868 or 869) believed that the peaceful lifestyle that Manicheism brought to the Uyghurs was responsible for their later lack of military skills and eventual decline. This, however, is contradicted by the political and military consequences of the conversion. After the migration of the Uyghurs to Turfan in the ninth century, the nobility maintained Manichaean beliefs for a while before converting to Buddhism. Traces of Manicheism among the Uyghurs in Turfan may be detected in fragments of Uyghur Manichaean manuscripts. In fact, Manicheism continued to rival the influence of Buddhism among the Uyghurs until the 13th century. The Mongols gave the final blow to the Manichaeism among the Uyghurs.
Tibet
Iran
Not only were the citizens of the Sasanian Empire intrigued by Manichaeism, but so was the ruler at the time of its introduction, Shapur I. As the Denkard reports, Sabuhr, the first King of Kings, was very well-known for gaining and seeking knowledge of any kind. Because of this, Mani knew that Sabuhr would lend an ear to his teachings and accept him. Mani had explicitly stated while introducing his teachings to Sabuhr, that his religion should be seen as a reform of Zoroaster ancient teachings. This was of great fascination to the king, for it perfectly fit Sabuhr's dream of creating a large empire that incorporated all people and their different creeds. Thus, Manichaeism became widespread and flourished throughout the Sasanian Empire for thirty years. An apologia for Manichaeism ascribed to ibn al-Muqaffa' defended its Phantasmagoria cosmogony and attacked the fideism of Islam and other monotheistic religions. The Manichaeans had sufficient structure to have a head of their community.
Tolerance toward Manichaeism decreased after the death of Sabuhr I. His son, Hormizd I, who became king, still allowed for Manichaeism in the empire, but he also greatly trusted the Zoroastrian priest, Kartir. After Ohrmazd's short reign, his oldest brother, Bahram I, became king. Wahram I held Kirdir in high esteem, and he also had many different religious ideals than Ohrmazd and his father, Sabuhr I. Due to the influence of Kirdir, Zoroastrianism was strengthened throughout the empire, which in turn caused Manichaeism to be diminished. Wahram sentenced Mani to prison, and he died there.
Arab world
During the early Abbasid period, the Manichaeans underwent persecution. The third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi, persecuted the Manichaeans, establishing an inquisition against dualists who, if found guilty of heresy, refused to renounce their beliefs, were executed. Their persecution was ended in the 780s by Harun al-Rashid.Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the fourth century, 1984, p. 425. During the reign of the Caliph al-Muqtadir, many Manichaeans fled from Mesopotamia to Greater Khorasan in fear of persecution, and the base of the religion was later shifted to Samarkand.
Bactria
Mar Ammo indeed did travel to the old Parthian lands of eastern Iran, which bordered Bactria. A translation of Persian texts states the following from the perspective of Mar Ammo: "They had arrived at the watch post of Kushān (Bactria), then the spirit of the border of the eastern province appeared in the shape of a girl, and he (the spirit) asked me 'Ammo what do you intend? From where have you come?' I said, 'I am a believer, a disciple of Mani, the Apostle.' That spirit said 'I do not receive you. Return from where you have come.'"
Despite the initial rejection Mar Ammo faced, the text records that Mani's spirit appeared to Mar Ammo and requested he persevere and read the chapter "The Collecting of the Gates" from The Treasure of the Living. Once he did so, the spirit returned, transformed, and said, "I am Bag Ard, the frontier guard of the Eastern Province. When I receive you, then the gate of the whole East will be opened in front of you." It seemed that this "border spirit" was a reference to the local Eastern Iranian goddess Ardoksho, who was prevalent in Bactria.'', from left to right: Mani, Zoroaster, Buddha and Jesus]]
Syncretism and translation
As the faith moved eastward and its scriptures were translated into Iranian languages, the names of the Manichaean deities were often transformed into the names of Zoroastrian . Thus, Abbā ḏəRabbūṯā ("The Father of Greatness"), the highest Manichaean deity of Light, in Middle Persian texts might either be translated literally as pīd ī wuzurgīh or substituted with the name of the deity Zurvan.
Similarly, the Manichaean primordial figure Nāšā Qaḏmāyā ("The Original Man") was rendered Ohrmazd Bay after the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda. This process continued in Manichaeism's meeting with Chinese Buddhism, during which, for example, the original Aramaic קריא (the "call" from the World of Light to those seeking rescue from the World of Darkness) is identified in the Chinese-language scriptures with Guanyin ( or Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit, literally, "watching/perceiving sounds of", the bodhisattva of Compassion).
Manichaeism influenced some early texts and traditions of proto-orthodox and other forms of early Christianity, as well as doing the same for branches of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Persecution and suppression
Theodosius I issued a death decree for all Manichaean monks in 382. The religion was vigorously attacked and persecuted by both the Christian Church and the Roman state, and the religion almost disappeared from western Europe in the fifth century and from the eastern portion of the empire in the sixth century.
In 732, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang banned any Chinese from converting to the religion, saying it was a heretic religion, confusing people by claiming to be Buddhism. However, the foreigners who followed the religion were allowed to practice it without punishment. After the fall of the Uyghur Khaganate in 840, which was the chief patron of Manichaeism (which was also the state religion of the Khaganate) in China, all Manichaean temples in China except in the two capitals and Taiyuan were closed down and never reopened since these temples were viewed as a symbol of foreign arrogance by the Chinese (see Cao'an). Even those that were allowed to remain open did not for long.
The Manichaean temples were attacked by Chinese people who burned the images and idols of these temples. Manichaean priests were ordered to wear hanfu instead of traditional clothing, viewed as un-Chinese. In 843, Emperor Wuzong of Tang gave the order to kill all Manichaean clerics as part of the Huichang persecution of Buddhism, and over half died. They were made to look like Buddhists by the authorities; their heads were shaved, they were made to dress like bhikkhu and then killed.
Many Manichaeans took part in rebellions against the Song dynasty. They were quelled by Song China and were suppressed and persecuted by all successive governments before the Mongol Yuan dynasty. In 1370, the religion was banned through an edict of the Ming dynasty, whose Hongwu Emperor had a personal dislike for the religion. Its core teaching influences many religious sects in China, including the White Lotus movement.
According to Wendy Doniger, Manichaeism may have continued to exist in the Xinjiang region until the Mongol conquest in the 13th century.
Manicheans also suffered persecution for some time under the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. In 780, the third Abbasid Caliph, al-Mahdi, started a campaign of inquisition against those who were "dualist heretics" or "Manichaeans" called the zindīq. He appointed a "master of the heretics" ( ṣāhib al-zanādiqa), an official whose task was to pursue and investigate suspected dualists, who the Caliph then examined. Those found guilty who refused to recant their beliefs were executed.
This persecution continued under his successor, Caliph al-Hadi, and continued for some time during the reign of Harun al-Rashid, who finally abolished it and ended it. During the reign of the 18th Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir, many Manichaeans fled from Mesopotamia to Greater Khorasan from fear of persecution by him and about 500 of them assembled in Samarkand. The base of the religion was later shifted to this city, which became their new Patriarchate.
Manichaean pamphlets were still in circulation in Greek in 9th-century Byzantine Empire Constantinople, as the patriarch Photios summarizes and discusses one that he has read by Agapius in his Bibliotheca.
Later movements associated with Manichaeism
Manichaeism could have influenced the Bogomils, Paulicians, and Cathars. However, these groups left few records, and the link between them and Manichaeans is tenuous. Regardless of its accuracy, the charge of Manichaeism was leveled at them by contemporary orthodox opponents, who often tried to make contemporary heresies conform to those combatted by the church fathers.
Whether the dualism of the Paulicians, Bogomils, and Cathars and their belief that the world was created by a Satanic demiurge was due to influence from Manichaeism is impossible to determine. The Cathars apparently adopted the Manichaean principles of church organization. Priscillian and his followers may also have been influenced by Manichaeism. The Manichaeans preserved many Christian works, such as the Acts of Thomas, that would otherwise have been lost.Runciman, Steven, The Medieval Manichee: a study of the Christian dualist heresy. Cambridge University Press, 1947.
Legacy in present-day
Some platforms on the internet and social media are trying to spread some of the teachings of Manichaeism. Some people are registered in these electronic sources, and some scholars and students in the field of religious studies and the arts continue to study Manichaeism.
In 2018, rituals were conducted for the Lin Deng 林瞪 (1003–1059), a Chinese Manichaean leader who lived during the Song dynasty in the three villages of Baiyang 柏洋村, Shangwan 上万村, and Tahou 塔后村 in Baiyang Township, Xiapu County, Fujian.
Teachings and beliefs
General
The human person is seen as a battleground for these powers: the soul defines the person but is influenced by light and dark. This contention plays out over the world and the human body—neither the Earth nor the flesh were seen as intrinsically evil but instead possessed both light and dark portions. Natural phenomena such as rain were seen as the physical manifestation of this spiritual contention. Therefore, the Manichaean view explained the existence of evil by positing a flawed creation in the formation of which God took no part and which constituted instead the product of a battle by the devil against God.
Cosmogony
From these and other sourcesThis is an example., it is possible to derive a near-complete description of the detailed Manichaean cosmogonyJonas, Hans The Gnostic Religion, 1958, Ch. 9: Creation, World History, Salvation According to Mani. (A complete list of Manichaean deities is outlined below). According to Mani,the unfolding of the universe took place in three phases:
- The First Creation
- Originally, good and evil existed in two completely separate realms: one, the World of Light (c=明界), ruled by the Father of Greatness together with his five Shekhinah (i.e., divine attributes of light), and the other, the World of Darkness, ruled by the King of Darkness. At a point in the distant past, the Kingdom of Darkness noticed the World of Light, coveted it, and attacked it. The Father of Greatness, in the first of three "calls" or "creations", called to the Mother of Life, who sent her son, Original Man (), to battle with the attacking powers of Darkness, which included the Demon of Greed.
- The Original Man was armed with five different shields of light (reflections of the five Shekhinas), which he lost to the forces of Darkness in the ensuing battle—described as a kind of "bait" to trick the forces of Darkness, who greedily consume as much light as they can. When the Original Man awakened, he was trapped among the forces of Darkness.
- The Second Creation
- The Father of Greatness then began the Second Creation. He called to the Living Spirit, who then called to his sons and the Original Man, after which Call became a Manichaean deity proper. An answer — Answer — became another Manichaean deity, then went out from the Original Man into the World of Light. The Mother of Life, the Living Spirit, and the latter's five sons began to create the universe from the bodies of the evil beings of the World of Darkness and the light they had swallowed. Ten heavens and eight earths were created, all consisting of various mixtures of the evil material beings from the World of Darkness and the swallowed light. The sun, moon, and stars were all created from light recovered from the World of Darkness. The waxing and waning of the moon are described as the "moon filling with light", which passed to the sun, then through the Milky Way, and eventually back to the World of Light.
- The Third Creation
- Great demons (called archons in bar-Konai's account) were hung over the heavens, and the Father of Greatness began the Third Creation. The light was recovered from the material bodies of the evil beings and demons by causing them to become sexually aroused in greed toward beautiful images of the beings of light, such as the Third Messenger and the Virgins of Light. However, as soon as the light was expelled from their bodies and fell to the earth (sometimes in the form of abortions: the source of fallen angel in the Manichaean myth), the evil beings continued to swallow up as much of it as they could to keep the light inside themselves. The evil beings swallowed vast quantities of light, copulated, and produced Adam and Eve. The Father of Greatness then sent Jesus the Splendour to awaken Adam and enlighten him to the true source of the light trapped in his material body. Adam and Eve, however, also copulated and produced more human beings, trapping the light in the bodies of humankind throughout human history. The appearance of the Prophet Mani was another attempt by the World of Light to reveal to humanity the true source of the spiritual light imprisoned within their material bodies.
Cosmology
Outline of the beings and events in the Manichaean mythology
The World of Light
- The Father of Greatness (Syriac: ܐܒܐ ܕܪܒܘܬܐ ; Middle Persian: pīd ī wuzurgīh, or the Zoroastrian deity Zurvan; Parthian: Pidar wuzurgift, Pidar roshn; l=Unsurpassed Divinity of Light or 薩緩 )
- His Four Faces (Greek: ὁ τετραπρόσωπος πατήρ τοῦ μεγέθους; l=Four Silent )
- Divinity (Middle Persian: Yazata; Parthian: bg'; c=清净)
- Light (Middle Persian and Parthian: rwšn; c=光明)
- Power (Middle Persian: zwr; Parthian: z'wr'; c=大力)
- Wisdom (Middle Persian: whyh; Parthian: jyryft; c=智慧)
- His Five Shekhinah (Syriac: ܚܡܫ ܫܟܝܢܬܗ khamesh shkhinatei; Chinese: ):Chart from: E. Waldschmidt and W. Lenz, Die Stellung Jesu im Manichäismus, Berlin, 1926, p 42.
| Syriac | hawnā | maddeā | reyānā | maḥšavṯɑ | tariṯā |
| Parthian | bām | manohmēd | uš | andēšišn | parmānag |
| Chinese | |||||
| Turkic | qut | ög | köngül | saqinç | tuimaq |
| Greek | νοῦς (Nous) | ἔννοια (Ennoia) | φρόνησις (Phronēsis) | ἐνθύμησις (Enthymēsis) | λογισμός (Logismos) |
| Latin | mens | sensus | prudentia | intellectus | cogitatio |
- The Great Spirit (Middle Persian: Waxsh zindag, Waxsh yozdahr; Latin: Spiritus Potens)
The first creation
- The Mother of Life ( imā dəḥayyē; ; l=Good Mother Buddha)
- The First Man ( Nāšā Qaḏmāyā; , the Zoroastrian god of light and goodness; Latin: Primus Homo)
- First Enthymesis (; l=First Understanding)
- His five Sons (the five Light Elements; ; ; c=五明子)
- Ether (; ; c=氣)
- Wind (Parthian and ; c=風)
- Light (Parthian and ; c=明)
- Water (Parthian and ; c=水)
- Fire (Parthian and ; c=火)
- His sixth Son, the Answer-God ( anyā; Parthian and ; c=勢至 Mahasthamaprapta "The Power of Wisdom", a Chinese bodhisattva). The answer sent by the First Man to the Call from the World of Light.
- The Living Self (Parthian and , grīw rōšn; l=Light Nature) The anima mundi made up of the five Light Elements, identical with the Suffering Jesus who is crucified in the world.
The second creation
- The Friend of the Lights ( ḥaviv nehirē; l=Enjoyer of Lights) Calls to:
- The Great Builder ( ban rabbā; l=Creator of Forms) In charge of creating the new world that will separate the darkness from the light. He calls to:
- The Living Spirit ( ruḥā ḥayyā; ; p=Jìnghuófēng; ; ). Acts as a demiurge, creating the structure of the material world.
- His five Sons ( ḥamšā benawhy; l=Five Valiant Sons)
- The Keeper of the Splendour ( ṣfat ziwā; ; l=Urger of Enlightenment). Holds up the ten heavens from above.
- The King of Glory ( mlex šuvḥā; ; c=地藏 Dìzàng "Earth Treasury", a Chinese bodhisattva).
- The Adamas of Light ( adamus nuhrā; ; p=Jiàngmó shǐ). Fights with and overcomes an evil being in the image of the King of Darkness.
- The Great King of Honour ( malkā rabbā dikkārā; Dead Sea Scrolls malka raba de-ikara; ; l=Ten Heavens Great King). A being that plays a central role in The Book of Enoch (originally written in Aramaic), as well as Mani's Syriac version of it, the Book of Giants. Sits in the Seven Heavens of the ten heavens (corresponding to the celestial spheres, the first seven of which house the classical planets) and guards the entrance to the world of light. In the Syriac Aramaic account, the guarded entrance is called maṭarta ( maṭarta).
- Atlas ( sebblā; ; p=Chíshìzhǔ). Supports the eight worlds from below.
- His sixth Son, the Call-God ( qaryā; ; c=觀音 Guanyin "watching/perceiving sounds of", the Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion). Sent from the Living Spirit to awaken the First Man from his battle with the forces of darkness.
The third creation
- The Third Messenger ( izgaddā; , ; tertius legatus)
- Jesus the Splendour ( Isho Ziwā; l=Jesus of Bright Light or 夷數精和 ). He was sent to awaken Adam and Eve to the source of the spiritual light trapped within their bodies.
- The Maiden of Light (Middle Persian and ; c=謹你嚧詵, a phonetic loan from Middle Persian)
- The Twelve Virgins of Light ( tratesrā btultē; ; l=Sun Palace Twelve Maidens of Transformation). Reflected in the twelve constellations of the Zodiac.
- The Column of Glory ( esṭun šuvḥā; ; p=Sūlù shāluóyí and 盧舍那, Lúshěnà, both phonetic from ). Souls' path to the World of Light corresponds to the Milky Way.
- The Great Nous
- His five Limbs (c=五體) (See "His Five Shekhinas" above.)
- Reason
- Mind
- Intelligence
- Thought
- Understanding
- The Just Judge (; l=Impartial King)
- The Last God
The World of Darkness
- The Prince of Darkness (Syriac: ܡܠܟ ܚܫܘܟܐ mlex ḥešoxā; Middle Persian: Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian supreme evil being)
- His five evil kingdoms Evil counterparts of the five elements of light, the lowest being the kingdom of Darkness.
- His son (Syriac: ܐܫܩܠܘܢ Ashaklun; Middle Persian: Az, from the Zoroastrian demon, Zahhak)
- His son's mate (Syriac: ܢܒܪܘܐܠ Nevro'el)
- Their offspring – Adam and Eve (Middle Persian: Keyumars and Murdiyanag)
- Giants (Fallen Angels, also Abortions): (Syriac: ܝܚܛܐ yaḥtē, "abortions" or "those that fell"; also: ܐܪܟܘܢܬܐ; Ἐγρήγοροι Egrēgoroi, "Giants"). Related to the story of the in the Book of Enoch (which Mani used extensively in The Book of Giants), and the נפילים nephilim described in Genesis (6:1–4).
The Manichaean Church
Organization
The terms for these divisions were already common since the days of early Christianity, however, it had a different meaning in Christianity. In Chinese writings, the Middle Persian and Parthian terms are transcribed phonetically (instead of being translated into Chinese).G. Haloun and W. B. Henning, The Compendium of the Doctrines and Styles of the Teaching of Mani, the Buddha of Light, Asia Major, 1952, pp. 184–212, p. 195. These were recorded by Augustine of Hippo.
- The Leader (Syriac: ; Parthian: yamag; p=yánmò), Mani's designated successor, seated as Patriarch at the head of the Church, originally in Ctesiphon, from the ninth century in Samarkand. Two notable leaders were Mār Sīsin (or Sisinnios), the first successor of Mani, and Abū Hilāl al-Dayhūri, an eighth-century leader.
- 12 Apostles (Latin: magistrī; Syriac: ; Middle Persian: možag; p=mùdū). Three of Mani's original apostles were Mār Pattī (Pattikios; Mani's father), Akouas and Mar Ammo.
- 72 (Latin: episcopī; Syriac: ; Middle Persian: aspasag, aftadan; p=sàbōsāi or p=fúduōdàn; see also: seventy disciples). One of Mani's original disciples who was specifically referred to as a bishop was Mār Addā.
- 360 (Latin: presbyterī; Syriac: ; Middle Persian: mahistan; p=mòxīxīdé)
- The general body of the Elect (Latin: ēlēctī; Syriac: ; Middle Persian: ardawan or dēnāwar; p=āluóhuǎn or p=diànnàwù)
- The Hearers (Latin: audītōrēs; Syriac: ; Middle Persian: niyoshagan; p=nòushāyàn)
Religious practices
Prayers
When Al-Nadim's account of daily prayers was the only detailed source available, there was a concern that Muslims only adopted these practices during the Abbasid Caliphate. However, it is clear that the Arabic text provided by Al-Nadim corresponds with the descriptions of Egyptian texts from the fourth century.Johannes van Oort Augustine and Manichaean Christianity: Selected Papers from the First South African Conference on Augustine of Hippo, University of Pretoria, 24–26 April 2012 BRILL, 01.08.2013 p. 74
Every prayer started with an ablution with water or, if water was not available, with other substances comparable to ablution in Islam,Charles George Herbermann The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, Band 9 Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1913 Digit. 16. Aug. 2006 p. 594 and consisted of several blessings to the apostles and spirits. The prayer consisted of prostrating oneself to the ground and rising again twelve times during every prayer.New Light on Manichaeism: Papers from the Sixth International Congress o p. 78 During the day, Manichaeans turned towards the Sun and during the night towards the Moon. If the Moon is not visible at night, they turned towards the north.
Evident from Faustus of Mileve, Celestial bodies are not the subject of worship themselves but are "ships" carrying the light particles of the world to the supreme god, who cannot be seen, since he exists beyond time and space, and also the dwelling places for Emanationism of the supreme deity, such as Jesus the Splendour.Johannes van Oort Augustine and Manichaean Christianity: Selected Papers from the First South African Conference on Augustine of Hippo, University of Pretoria, 24–26 April 2012 BRILL, 01.08.2013 p. 75 According to the writings of Augustine of Hippo, ten prayers were performed, the first devoted to the Father of Greatness, and the following to lesser deities, spirits, and angels and finally towards the elect, to be freed from rebirth and pain and to attain peace in the realm of light. Comparably, in the Uyghurs confession, four prayers are directed to the supreme God ( Äzrua), the God of the Sun and the Moon, and fivefold God and the buddhas.
Primary sources
The original six Syriac writings are not preserved, although their Syriac names have been. There are also fragments and quotations from them. A long quotation, preserved by the eighth-century Nestorianism author Theodore Bar Konai,Original Syriac in: Theodorus bar Konai, Liber Scholiorum, II, ed. A. Scher, Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium scrip. syri, 1912, pp. 311–8, ; English translation in: A.V.W. Jackson, Researches in Manichaeism, New York, 1932, pp. 222–54. shows that in the original Syriac Aramaic writings of Mani there was no influence of Iranian or Zoroastrianism terms. The terms for the Manichaean deities in the original Syriac writings are in Aramaic. The adaptation of Manichaeism to the Zoroastrian religion appears to have begun in Mani's lifetime however, with his writing of the Middle Persian Shabuhragan, his book dedicated to the Sasanian Empire, Shapur I.
In it, there are mentions of Zoroastrian divinities such as Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, and Āz. Manichaeism is often presented as a Persian religion, mostly due to the vast number of Middle Persian, Parthian, and Sogdian language (as well as Turkish) texts discovered by German researchers near Turpan in what is now Xinjiang, China, during the early 1900s. However, from the vantage point of its original Syriac descriptions (as quoted by Theodore Bar Khonai and outlined above), Manichaeism may be better described as a unique phenomenon of Aramaic Babylonia, occurring in proximity to two other new Aramaic religious phenomena, Talmudic Judaism and Mandaeism, which also appeared in Babylonia in roughly the third century.
The original, but now lost, six sacred books of Manichaeism were composed in Syriac language, and translated into other languages to help spread the religion. As they spread to the east, the Manichaean writings passed through Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian language, Tocharian, and ultimately Uyghur language and Chinese language translations. As they spread to the west, they were translated into Greek language, Coptic language, and Latin. Most Manichaean texts survived only as Coptic and Medieval Chinese translations of their original, lost versions.
Henning describes how this translation process evolved and influenced the Manichaeans of Central Asia:
Originally written in Syriac
- the Gospel of Mani (Syriac: ; "good news, gospel"). Quotations from the first chapter were brought in Arabic by ibn al-Nadim, who lived in Baghdad at a time when there were still Manichaeans living there, in his 938 book, the Fihrist, a catalog of all written books known to him.
- The Treasure of Life
- Pragmateia (Coptic: , pragmateia)
- Secrets
- The Book of Giants: Original fragments were discovered at Qumran (pre-Manichaean) and Turpan.
- Epistles: Augustine brings quotations, in Latin, from Mani's Fundamental Epistle in some of his anti-Manichaean works.
- Psalms and Prayers: A Coptic Manichaean Psalm Book, discovered in Egypt in the early 1900s, was edited and published by Charles Allberry from Manichaean manuscripts in the Chester Beatty collection and in the Berlin Academy, 1938–39.
Originally written in Middle Persian
- The Shabuhragan, dedicated to Shapur I: Original Middle Persian fragments were discovered at Turpan, quotations were brought in Arabic by al-Biruni.
Other books
- The Arzhang, the "Picture Book". In Iranian tradition, this was one of Mani's holy books that became remembered in later Persian history, and was also called Aržang, a Parthian word meaning "Worthy", and was beautified with paintings. Therefore, Iranians gave him the title of "The Painter".
- The Kephalaia of the Teacher (Κεφαλαια), "Discourses", found in Coptic translation.
- On the Origin of His Body, the title of the Cologne Mani-Codex, a Greek translation of an Aramaic book that describes the early life of Mani.
Non-Manichaean works preserved by the Manichaean Church
- Portions of the Book of Enoch literature such as the Book of Giants
- Literature relating to the apostle Thomas (who by tradition went to India, and was also venerated in Syria), such as portions of the Syriac The Acts of Thomas, and the Psalms of Thomas. The Gospel of Thomas was also attributed to Manichaeans by Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century Church Father. "Let none read the gospel according to Thomas, for it is the work, not of one of the twelve apostles, but of one of Mani's three wicked disciples."—Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechesis V (4th century)
- The legend of Barlaam and Josaphat passed from an Indian story about the Buddha, through a Manichaean version, before it transformed into the story of a Christian Saint in the west.
Later works
In addition to containing hymns attributed to Mani, it contains prayers attributed to Mani's earliest disciples, including Mār Zaku, Mār Ammo and Mār Sīsin. Another Chinese work is a complete translation of the Sermon of the Light Nous, presented as a discussion between Mani and his disciple Adda."The Traité is, despite its title (Moni jiao cao jing, lit. "fragmentary Mathews, Manichean scripture"), a long text in an excellent state of preservation, with only a few lines missing at the beginning. It was first fully published with a facsimile by Edouard Chavannes (q.v.) and Paul Pelliot in 1911 and is frequently known as Traité Pelliot. Their transcription (including typographical errors) was reproduced in the Chinese translation of the Buddhist Tripiṭaka (Taishō, no. 2141 B, LIV, pp. 1281a16-1286a29); that text was in turn reproduced with critical notes by Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer (1987b, pp. T. 81–86). A more accurate transcription was published by Chen Yuan in 1923 (pp. 531–44), and a new collation based on a reexamination of the original photographs of the manuscript has now been published by Lin Wu-shu (1987, pp. 217–29), with the photographs",
Critical and polemic sources
Patristic depictions of Mani and Manichaeism
Acta Archelai
In the time of the Apostles there lived a man named Scythianus, who is described as coming "from Scythia", and also as being "a Saracen by race" ("ex genere Saracenorum"). He settled in Egypt, where he became acquainted with "the wisdom of the Egyptians", and invented the religious system that was afterwards known as Manichaeism. Finally he emigrated to Palestine, and, when he died, his writings passed into the hands of his sole disciple, a certain Terebinthus. The latter betook himself to Babylonia, assumed the name of Budda, and endeavoured to propagate his master's teaching. But he, like Scythianus, gained only one disciple, who was an old woman. After a while he died, in consequence of a fall from the roof of a house, and the books that he had inherited from Scythianus became the property of the old woman, who, on her death, bequeathed them to a young man named Corbicius, who had been her slave. Corbicius thereupon changed his name to Manes, studied the writings of Scythianus, and began to teach the doctrines that they contained, with many additions of his own. He gained three disciples, named Thomas, Addas, and Hermas. About this time the son of the Persian king fell ill, and Manes undertook to cure him; the prince, however, died, whereupon Manes was thrown into prison. He succeeded in escaping, but eventually fell into the hands of the king, by whose order he was flayed, and his corpse was hung up at the city gate.
A. A. Bevan, who quoted this story, commented that it "has no claim to be considered historical".Bevan, A. A. (1930). "Manichaeism". Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Volume VIII. Ed. James Hastings. London.
View of Judaism in the Acta Archelai
Central Asian and Iranian primary sources
Perhaps the most comprehensive of these publications was Manichaeische Dogmatik aus chinesischen und iranischen Texten ( Manichaean Dogma from Chinese and Iranian texts), by Ernst Waldschmidt and Wolfgang Lentz, published in Berlin in 1933.Waldschmidt, E., and Lentz, W., Manichäische Dogmatik aus chinesischen und iranischen Texten (SPAW 1933, No. 13) More than any other research work published before or since, this work printed, and then discussed, the original key Manichaean texts in the original scripts, and consists chiefly of sections from Chinese texts, and Middle Persian and Parthian texts transcribed with the Hebrew alphabet. After the Nazi Party gained power in Germany, the Manichaean writings continued to be published during the 1930s, but the publishers no longer used Hebrew letters, instead transliterating the texts into Latin letters.
Coptic primary sources
Chinese primary sources
Greek life of Mani, Cologne codex
Figurative use
The term is frequently used by critics to describe the attitudes and foreign policies of the United States and its leaders.
Philosopher Frantz Fanon frequently invoked the concept of Manicheanism in his discussions of violence between colonizers and the colonized.
In My Secret History, author Paul Theroux's protagonist defines the word Manichaean for the protagonist's son as "seeing that good and evil are mingled." Before explaining the word to his son, the protagonist mentions Joseph Conrad short story "The Secret Sharer" at least twice in the book, the plot of which also examines the idea of the duality of good and evil.
See also
Notes
Works cited
-
Isaac Beausobre, de9780824035525, Garland Pub.. ISBN 9780824035525
-
(2025). 9780521568227, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521568227
- La Vaissière, Etienne de, "Mani en Chine au VIe siècle", Journal Asiatique, 293–1, 2005, p. 357–378.
Further reading
- Baker-Brian, Nicholas J. (2011). Manichaeism: An Ancient Faith Rediscovered. London and New York. T&T Clark.
- (Cahiers D'Orientalism XVI) 1988a
- (Cahiers D'Orientalism XVI) 1988b.
- Rene Grousset (1939), tr. Walford, Naomi (1970), The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers..
- (Original Manichaean manuscripts found since 1902 in China, Egypt, Turkestan to be seen in the Museum of Indian Art in Berlin.)
- Heinrichs, Albert; Ludwig Koenen, Ein griechischer Mani-Kodex, 1970 (ed.) Der Kölner Mani-Codex ( P. Colon. Inv. nr. 4780), 1975–1982.
- reprinted in two volumes bound as one
- Mani (216–276/7) and his 'biography': the Codex Manichaicus Coloniensis (CMC):
- Towers, Susanna (2019). Constructions of Gender in Late Antique Manichaean Cosmological Narrative. Brepols. Turnhout.
External links
Outside articles
- Catholic Encyclopedia – Manichæism public domain, published 1917.
- International Association of Manichaean Studies
- Manichaean and Christian Remains in Zayton (Quanzhou, South China)
- Religions of Iran: Manichaeism by I.J.S. Taraporewala
- 专题研究–摩尼教研究
- 《光明皇帝》明尊教背景书(1)
Manichaean sources in English translation
- A summary of the Manichaean creation myth
- Manichaean Writings
- Manicheism. Complete bibliography and selection of Manichaean source texts in PDF format:
- A thorough bibliography and outline of Manichaean Studies
- A number of key Manichaean texts in English translation
- The Book of the Giants by W.B. Henning, 1943
- Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies (NHMS) series from Brill Publishers (various volumes containing English translations of Manichaean texts)
Secondary Manichaean sources in English translation
Manichaean sources in their original languages
- Photos of the Entire Koeln Mani-Kodex (Greek).
- The Syriac Manichaean work quoted by Theodor bar Khonai
- Photos of the Original Middle Persian Manichaean Writings/Fragments Discovered at Turpan (The index of this German site can be searched for additional Manichaean material, including photos of the original Chinese Manichaean writings)
- "Sermon of the Soul", in Parthian and Sogdian
- Middle Persian and Parthian Texts
- D. N. MacKenzie, Mani's Šābuhragān, pt. 1 (text and translation), BSOAS 42/3, 1979, pp. 500–34, pt. 2 (glossary and plates), BSOAS 43/2, 1980, pp. 288–310 .
- Chinese Manichaean Scriptures: 摩尼教殘經一 ("Incomplete Sutra one of Manichaeism") & 摩尼光佛教法儀略 ("The Mani Bright Buddha teaching plan") & 下部讚 ("The Lower Part Praises")
Secondary Manichaean sources in their original languages
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