Manichaean Psalm Book

Manichaean Psalter
Information
Religion	Manichaeism
Language	Coptic [1]
Period	late 3rd century, [2] the mid-4th century [3] [1]

The Manichaean Psalm Book or Manichaean Psalter is a Manichaean text written in Coptic. ^[1] It is believed to have been compiled in the late 3rd century ^[2] or the mid-4th century. ^{[3] [1]} Excavated in 1929 as part of the Medinet Madi library, the Psalm Book is believed to contain remnants of some of the earliest extant Manichaean literature. ^[4]

History

The Psalm Book was discovered at Medinet Madi in Egypt. ^[5] Like other works discovered at this site, it was written in a Coptic dialect typical of the Lycopolis region. ^[6] After its discovery, it was edited and published by Charles Allberry in 1938–9 from manuscripts in the Chester Beatty collection ^[7] and in the Prussian Academy of Sciences.^{[ citation needed ]}

Contents

It contains references to Old Testament apocrypha ^[5] and references the Acts of Thomas , the Acts of John , and other Acts of the Apostles approvingly. ^[8] It refers to some events believed to be derived from the Acts of Andrew . ^[9] One of the psalms draws a line of tradition from Adam through Seth and Enoch to Mani. ^[5] One author has described one of the hymns as containing a "deep love of Jesus". ^[3]

Citations

1. Barnstone & Meyer 2009, p. 530.
2. Klauck 2008, p. 16.
3. MacNeil 1988, p. 97.
4. Stroumsa 2015, p. 92.
5. Richter, Horton & Ohlhafer 2015, p. 75.
6. Corrigan & Rasimus 2013, p. 276.
7. Theodor Harmsen (27 October 2005) Mani and Manichaeism in the BPH, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica/J. R. Ritman Library
8. Klauck 2008, p. 16,114.
9. Elliott 1993, p. 231.

References

• Barnstone, W.; Meyer, M. (2009). The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition. Shambhala. ISBN   978-0-8348-2414-0.
• Corrigan, K.; Rasimus, T. (2013). Gnosticism, Platonism and the Late Ancient World: Essays in Honour of John D. Turner. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies. Brill. ISBN   978-90-04-25476-3.
• Elliott, J.K. (1993). The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-152032-7.
• Klauck, H.J. (2008). The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction. Baylor University Press. ISBN   978-1-60258-159-3.
• MacNeil, B. (1988). One City, One Bishop?: Ecclesiological Reflections on the Eastern Catholic Churches (The Placid Lectures 1987). Placid lecture series. Dharmaram Publications; published for Centre for Indian and Inter-religious Studies, Rome.
• Richter, S.G.; Horton, C.; Ohlhafer, K. (2015). Mani in Dublin: Selected Papers from the Seventh International Conference of the International Association of Manichaean Studies in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, 8â€"12 September 2009. Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies. Brill. ISBN   978-90-04-28912-3.
• Stroumsa, G.G. (2015). The Making of the Abrahamic Religions in Late Antiquity. Oxford Studies in the Abrahamic Religions. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-105912-4.