Manichaean scripture includes nine main books: the Seven Treatises of Manichaeism, all personally written by Mani in Syriac, the Shabuhragan written by Mani in Middle Persian, and the Arzhang, a series of illustrations painted by Mani.
The Kephalaia are not scriptural but rather a secondary literature on Manichaeism commenting on the scripture. [1] [2]
Seven Treatises of Manichaeism, sometimes also referred to as the Manichaean Heptateuch, [3] are seven scriptures personally written by the founder of Manichaeism, Mani.
Recognizing the shortcomings of the religions that preceded him, Mani was determined to create a world, unified religion. In Mani's view, the unity of religious thought in the past could only be achieved when the founders were alive. However, these founders did not write books themselves, and when they died, their disciples went their own way, leading their own religions into division and confusion. Mani said of Manichaeism "The religion I have chosen is ten times greater than any previous religion. First, unlike the previous religions, which were limited to one country and one language, my religion will be popular in every country, in all languages, and spread to the ends of the earth. Secondly, previous religions existed only when they had pure leaders, and once the leaders died, their religion immediately fell into chaos and their precepts and writings were neglected. But my religion, however, thanks to its living classics, its preachers, bishops, friars, and laymen, and thanks to its wisdom and writings, will endure to the end." [4]
In the Manichaean Compendium these seven scriptures are compared to ships: Power, make seven of them for sailing." [14]
For various reasons, none of the seven scriptures have been found in their entirety. Existing fragments of scriptures in Coptic, Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Uighur and other languages have been discovered, but their specific ownership needs to be further studied.
| English Name | "Keflea" 148; "Sermon 25" | Hymn 46-47; 139-40 | Keflea 5 | Sermons 94 | Transliteration of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism Methods" | Paraphrase of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel of Mani [15] | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | 大应轮部（希腊文：evangelion） | 彻尽万法根源智经 |
| Treasure of Life [15] | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | 寻提贺部（粟特文：smṭyh'） | 净命宝藏经 |
| The Epistles [15] | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | 泥万部（中古波斯文：dēwān） | 律藏经/药藏经 |
| The Book of Mysteries [15] | mMustērion | mMustērion | pTa tōn mustērion | mMustērion | 阿罗瓒部（中古波斯文：razan） | 秘密法藏经 |
| Pragmateia [15] | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | 钵迦摩帝夜部（希臘文：pragmateia） | 证明过去教经 |
| The Book of Giants [15] | nGigas | nCalashire | graphē ntlaice nnParthos | Graphe [ ntlaice nnParthos | 俱缓部（中古波斯文：kawan） | 大力士经 |
| Psalms and Prayers [15] | mPsalmos + nShlel | nShlel + 2Psalmos | mPsalmos + nShlel | nShlel | 阿拂胤部（中古波斯文：āfrīn） | 赞愿经 |
In the Christian literature[ which? ], there is another saying[ where? ] of the "Four Sutras of Manichae", which is not mentioned[ by whom? ] in the accounts of Manichaeism or other religions. There are many errors[ clarification needed ] and it is not enough[ vague ] to believe.[ clarification needed ] For example Kephalaia is not scriptural but rather a literary genre[ citation needed ]. [1] [2]
| Possible identification | Hegemonius The Acts of Akilai (62.3) [16] | Epiphanius of Salamis "Panarion" (66.2. 9) [17] | Theodore Bar Konai "Skalia" [18] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Mysteries | Mysteria (Secret Sutra) | Musteria | Raze |
| Kephalaia | Capitula (Kephalaia) | Kephalaia | Rishe |
| Gospel of Mani | Euangelium (Gospel) | Euangelion | Ewangeliyun |
| Treasure of Life | Thesaurus (Treasure) | Thesauros | Simatha |
The Shabuhragan (Persian : شاپورگانShāpuragān), which means "[the] book of Shapur", was a sacred book of the Manichaean religion, written by the founder Mani (c. 210–276 CE) himself, originally in Middle Persian, and dedicated to Shapur I (c. 215–272 CE), the contemporary king of the Sassanid Persian Empire. The book was designed to present to Shapur an outline of Mani's new religion, which united elements from Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism [ citation needed ]. Original Middle Persian fragments were discovered at Turpan, and quotations were brought in Arabic by Biruni: It is the only work of Mani's not written in Syriac [19] This book is listed as one of the seven treatises of Manichaeism in Arabic historical sources, but it is not among the seven treatises in the Manichaean account itself. [20]
The Middle Persian word for "Shabuhragan" is "dw bwn wzrg'y š'bwhrg'n", meaning "the two sutras dedicated to Shabur "The Chinese translation is abbreviated as "two sutras". Mani wrote this book in Middle Persian and presented it to Shabur I, the king of Persia, as an outline of the teachings of Manichaeism. In this book, Mani described his religion as the perfection and continuation of other existing religions, and called himself the "Sealed Prophet": "Throughout the generations, the apostles of God have never ceased to bring wisdom and work here. Thus, they came in one age through the Apostle Buddha into the countries of India; in another, through the Apostle Zoroaster into Persia; and in another, through Jesus Christ into the West. After that, in this last age, the revelation came, which was prophesied to come to Babylon through Myself, Mani, the apostle of the true God." [20]
The Book of Pictures is an atlas illustrating the dualism of light and dark in Manichaeism. It was drawn by Mani and used to explain the doctrine to illiterate people. At this point, Mani believes that his religion is superior to the previous ones: "Indeed, all the apostles, my brothers who came before me, did not write a book. Their wisdom is just like mine. They did not paint their wisdom in the pictures like me." [21] The importance of the Book of Pictures is second only to the Seven Treatises. In the Parthian language, this collection is also called "Ādrhang". [22] [23]
Manichaeism is a Gnostic former major world religion, founded in the 3rd century CE by the Parthian prophet Mani, in the Sasanian Empire.
Mani was an Iranian prophet and the founder of Manichaeism, a religion most prevalent in late antiquity.
The Arzhang, also known as the Book of Pictures, was one of the holy books of Manichaeism. It was written and illustrated by its prophet, Mani, in Syriac, with later reproductions written in Sogdian. It was unique as a sacred text in that it contained numerous pictures designed to portray Manichaean cosmogony, which were regarded as integral to the text.
The Living Gospel was a 3rd-century gnostic gospel written by the Manichaean prophet Mani. It was originally written in Syriac and called the Evangelion, from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον and was one of the seven original scriptures of Manichaeism. A number of fragments are preserved in the Cologne Mani-Codex and on manuscript fragments found in Turfan beginning in 1904. Some Coptic manuscript fragments recovered at Fayyum appear to contain a sort of commentary or homily on the gospel.
Zandik is a Zoroastrian term conventionally interpreted as heretic in a narrow sense, or, in a wider sense, for a person with any belief or practice that ran contrary to Sassanid-mediated Zoroastrian orthodoxy.
The Shabuhragan, which means "dedicated to Šābuhr", also translated in Chinese as the Chinese: 二宗经; pinyin: Èrzōng jīng; lit. 'Text of Two principles' was a sacred book of Manichaeism, written by the founder Mani himself, originally in Middle Persian, and dedicated to Shapur I, the contemporary king of the Sasanian Empire. This book is listed as one of the seven treatises of Manichaeism in Arabic historical sources, but it is not among the seven treatises in the Manichaean account itself. The book was designed to present to Shapur an outline of Mani's new religion, which united elements from Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism.
Buddhologist Edward Conze (1966) has proposed that similarities existed between Buddhism and Gnosticism, a term deriving from the name Gnostics, which was given to a number of Christian sects. To the extent that Buddha taught the existence of evil inclinations that remain unconquered, or that require special spiritual knowledge to conquer, Buddhism has also qualified as Gnostic.
Mar Ammo was a 3rd-century Manichean disciple of the prophet Mani. According to Manichaen tradition he spread Manichaeism eastward into Sogdiana during the time period when Mani was living. Mar Ammo is well known as the apostle of the east in Manichean literature nevertheless his exact origins are unknown. His Syriac name may denote that he was Syrian in origin. However, a Parthian origin may also be seen and is mentioned by some scholars, especially due to his outstanding role in establishing the Parthian language as the official language of the eastern Manichean Church, later to be replaced by Sogdian in the sixth century. Furthermore, Mar Ammo is widely regarded as the composer of the Manichaean Parthian hymn-cycles.
Chinese Manichaeism, also known as Monijiao (Chinese: 摩尼教; pinyin: Móníjiào; Wade–Giles: Mo2-ni2 Chiao4; lit. 'religion of Moni') or Mingjiao (Chinese: 明教; pinyin: Míngjiào; Wade–Giles: Ming2-Chiao4; lit. 'religion of light or 'bright religion'), is the form of Manichaeism transmitted to and currently practiced in China. Chinese Manichaeism rose to prominence during the Tang dynasty and despite frequent persecutions, it has continued long after the other forms of Manichaeism were eradicated in the West. The most complete set of surviving Manichaean writings were written in Chinese sometime before the 9th century and were found in the Mogao Caves among the Dunhuang manuscripts.
The Pragmateia, is one of the seven major books of the prophet Mani, written and regarded as part of the major canon of Manichaeism.
The Epistles is one of the Seven Treatises of Manichaeism. It is derived from the Middle Ancient Persian dēwān, which means "Letter Collection". They have been long known among Manichaean scriptures They were originally written during the years of Mani’s public mission in the Sasanian Empire. They were collected together by his followers and became one of the canonical books of the Manichaean community It served a purpose of explaining the doctrine and arguing for the correctness of Manichaeism
The Book of Mysteries, also known as The Book of Secrets, is one of the Seven Scriptures of Manichaeism. This scripture is transliterated in Chinese as "阿罗瓒部" (Āluózànbù) in Yilue, transliterated from the Middle Persian "rãzãn", meaning "Secret" (Secrets).
Psalms and Prayers is one of the Seven Scriptures of Mani.
The Incomplete scripture of Manichaeism was discovered by British archaeologist Aurel Stein in Mogao Caves. The Tang Dynasty Manichean Dunhuang Manuscripts of Jingdong is one of the three Manichaeism Dunhuang Chinese Documents. They are now held in the collection of National Library of China, number BD00256.
In Manichaeism, Jesus is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha and Mani. He is also a "guiding deity" who greets the light bodies of the righteous after their deliverance.
Manichaean Temple Banner Number "MIK Ⅲ 6286" is a Manichaean monastery flag banner collected in Berlin Asian Art Museum, made in the 10th century AD. It was found in Xinjiang Gaochang by a German Turpan expedition team at the beginning of the 20th century. The flag streamer is 45.5 cm long and 16 cm wide, with painted portraits on both sides. It is a funeral streamer dedicated to the deceased Manichae believers.
The Manichaean stone sculptures of Shangwan Village refer to eight Ming-Qing slabs found in Shangwan Village, Xiapu County, Ningde City, Fujian Province in 2009. Numbers A1, A2, B, C1, C2, D1, D2, E, which have been verified by scholars as the relics of Manichaeism. These stone slabs were originally used to decorate the Three Buddha Pagodas and the Pangong Stone Pagoda. The inscriptions on the stone slabs indicate that the Three Buddhas Pagoda was built in the sixth year of Zhengde in the Ming dynasty. According to Huang Yizhao's Tahou Village Cultural Relics, the Three Buddhas Tower was originally three towers, one large and two small, which were later demolished during the Cultural Revolution.
Manichaeism has a rich tradition of visual art, starting with Mani himself writing the Book of Pictures.
In Manichaeism, Siddartha Gautama is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Zoroaster, Jesus and Mani. Mani believed that the teachings of Gautama Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus were incomplete, and that his revelations were for the entire world, calling his teachings the "Religion of Light".
In Manichaeism, Zarathustra is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Buddha, Jesus and Mani. Mani believed that the teachings of Gautama Buddha, Zarathustra, and Jesus were incomplete, and that his revelations were for the entire world, calling his teachings the "Religion of Light".
