third century CE
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NOTE |
Below are some of the surviving fragments of the letters and books attributed to Mani that have fallen into the public domain. In addition to his material, a lengthy excerpt from Mani's Fundamental Epistle appears in Augustine's Against the Fundamental Epistle and On the Nature of Good, and fragments of Mani's Book of Giants survive. Beyond these, more recently discovered writings of Mani include the text of his Kephalaia and the Cologne Mani Codex, which purports to be Mani's autobiography. The critical texts and full English translations of these documents, however, are under copyright, so I have provided a small, representative sample quoted from Mani's Gospel that I have translated from the Codex. The texts below are the work of the translators so named; those fragments with no acknowledgement are my own.
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From Mani’s Šābuhragān
Al-Biruni, Chronology, p. 207 = Sachau p. 190; trans. Eduard Sachau
In the beginning of his book called Shâbûrkân, which he composed for Shâpûr b. Ardashir, he says: “Wisdom and deeds have always from time to time been brought to mankind by the messengers of God. So in one age they have been brought by the messenger, called Buddha, to India, in another by Zarâdusht to Persia, in another by Jesus to the West. Thereupon this revelation has come down, this prophecy in this last age through me, Mânî, the messenger of the God of truth to Babylonia.” In his gospel, which he arranged according to the twenty-two letters of the alphabet, he says that he is the Paraclete announced by Messiah, and that he is the seal of the prophets (i.e. the last of them).
In the beginning of his book called Shâbûrkân, which he composed for Shâpûr b. Ardashir, he says: “Wisdom and deeds have always from time to time been brought to mankind by the messengers of God. So in one age they have been brought by the messenger, called Buddha, to India, in another by Zarâdusht to Persia, in another by Jesus to the West. Thereupon this revelation has come down, this prophecy in this last age through me, Mânî, the messenger of the God of truth to Babylonia.” In his gospel, which he arranged according to the twenty-two letters of the alphabet, he says that he is the Paraclete announced by Messiah, and that he is the seal of the prophets (i.e. the last of them).
Muhammad al-Shahrastānī, The Book of Sects and Creeds, 1.2.2, after the German translation of Theodor Haarbrücker
The wise Mānī states in the first chapter of his book al-Jibilla and at the beginning of the Shābūhragan that nothing is hidden from the Lord of the Kingdom of Light in all his earth, that he is both external and internal, and that he only has an end where his earth ends in the earth of his enemy. He also says that the Lord of the Kingdom of Light is in the navel of his earth, and states that the eternal mixture is the mixture of heat and cold, of wetness and dryness, and that the resulting mixture is that of good and evil.
The wise Mānī states in the first chapter of his book al-Jibilla and at the beginning of the Shābūhragan that nothing is hidden from the Lord of the Kingdom of Light in all his earth, that he is both external and internal, and that he only has an end where his earth ends in the earth of his enemy. He also says that the Lord of the Kingdom of Light is in the navel of his earth, and states that the eternal mixture is the mixture of heat and cold, of wetness and dryness, and that the resulting mixture is that of good and evil.
Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā Ibn al-Murtaḍā, Kitāb al-Baḥr al-zahhār 1, after the German translation of Konrad Kessler
Mānī states in his Gospel and in the Shābūhragan that the King of the Light World dwells in the “navel” of his earth. He further states, in the section ’Alif of his Gospel and in the first part of the Shābūhragan, that he (the Light World God) is present throughout his earth (i.e., not just in its innermost being), both without and within; he has no boundary except at the side where his earth abuts that of his enemy.
Mānī states in his Gospel and in the Shābūhragan that the King of the Light World dwells in the “navel” of his earth. He further states, in the section ’Alif of his Gospel and in the first part of the Shābūhragan, that he (the Light World God) is present throughout his earth (i.e., not just in its innermost being), both without and within; he has no boundary except at the side where his earth abuts that of his enemy.
A. V. Williams Jackson, "The Manichaean Doctrine Concerning the Future Life," Journal of the American Oriental Society 50 (1930), 183-198.
(a copyright search did not uncover a copyright renewal as required by law)
To this important and earlier group of manuscript remnants from Mānī's Shābūhragan, written in Turfan Pahlavi, we may at once devote our attention. It occupies some fifteen pages in the edition of F. W. K. Müller, Handschriften-reste, 2. 11-25, and comprises a half-dozen apocalyptic Fragments. Two of these bear the heading ŠĀBŪHRAGAN, the title of Mani's well-known work, to which also the associated pieces must equally belong. Through traces of the red ink captions which in several instances had superimposed their letters upon the leaf opposite, Müller (p. 10) convincingly proved that four of these Fragments were to be arranged in the following order: M. 475, 477, 482, 472. He remained uncertain, however, regarding the position of the other two Fragments concerned, namely, M. 470, 473. This uncertainty may now be dispelled. The latter Fragment (473 a and b, in each case with recto and verso), judging from its contents, can be unhesitatingly placed at the head of the entire sixfold group, because its scenes form the prelude to the General Judgment, which these pieces describe. On the other hand, the Fragment which we have called the sixth, namely, M. 470 a, b, picturing the world-conflagration ('Great Fire'), the coming of the Gods and the sanctified to watch the spectacle, and the torments of the wicked burning in the Fire, must fittingly stand at the end of the whole group.
Although I have made a complete translation of the six Apocalyptic Fragments, with critical notes and explanations, for publication later, I can here give only a rendering of the first, and then an outline of the contents of the other five Fragments, with short renderings incidentally inserted. The sequence of events described in our sixfold group may at least be gathered from the following sketch, occasionally supplemented by references to non-Manichaean sources which have a direct bearing.
The Prelude to the Final Judgment. Coming of the 'God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom.'The first Fragment (M. 473 a and b = Mü. p. 22-25) pictures the coming of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' (Jesus as Primal Intelligence, as we shall see directly) to assume his rôle at the Judgment.
The piece itself consists of only two leaves, greatly broken at the bottom, so that a considerable portion of each of the four pages is lost. This loss complicates the interpretation and we can only infer from the general content, and from the way in which the succeeding pages begin, what may have been contained in the missing portions. A connecting link, moreover, between the parts of this twofold remnant and the two long Fragments (M. 475, 477 = Mü. p. 11-16) that come next in sequence and are preserved almost entire, is furnished by the fact that in these four the title 'God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom' (Xradēšahr Yazd), or simply the 'Realm of Wisdom' (Xradēšahr), is repeatedly applied to the looked-for divine being who is to appear at the end. As already intimated, there can be no doubt that it was Jesus whom Māni designated by this title.
Convincing proof of the correctness of this interpretation is given by the fact that among a list of Mani's writings about Jesus, as recorded in a TPhl. Fragment at Leningrad, although only the titles are given, is one (S. 1. 13, cf. Salemann, Man. Stud. 1, p. 32) designated as having dealt with the subject of 'The Coming of Jesus, the One Making-alive' āmadīšnih ig Yīšō Zindka[r]. Added support is lent by the fact that in our own group the next Fragment (M. 475), which Mānī took largely from St. Matthew, 25.31-46, is captioned [The Coming) of the Son of Men' (observe plural)=ʻi Mērdān Pūsar (i. e., Jesus). Not only that, but still further evidence is furnished by Fragment M. 482, which follows directly after the Fragment just cited and its immediate sequel (M. 477), likewise from Matthew, and which is assured by its caption to be a part of Mānī's Shābūhragan. This much-broken but important bit (M. 482 r. 1-9 = Mü. p. 16) seems to portray the sorrow felt by the sanctified because some of their own relatives were not saved, thus ending in a minor chord, and concludes the description of the Judgment section by adding, in red ink letters for the reader's guidance, the words: 'Completed is the Coming of the One who is Making-alive'-Hanzapt āmadīšnīy i Zīndk[ar] (М. 482 r. 10 = Mü. p. 16). This same epithet, 'the One Makingalive', i. e., Life-giver, Revivifier, is applied again elsewhere to Jesus (Yīšō Zindkar, 'Jesus the Life-giving', in M. 74 r. 14 = Mü. p. 75; and cf. Mari Zindag Yīšō', 'Lord, Living Jesus,' in M. 102 v. caption = Mü. p. 65). It is probable, moreover, as Dr. C. J. Ogden suggests to me, that Jesus is similarly alluded to by the adjective zindkar, ‘Life-giver, whose 'chosen one' is Mānī himself, in a quotation from Mānī's own Epistle to Hatā, M. 733. 14 (= Mü. p. 31 mid.). The quotation there reads: pad hān čīyd i Zindkar, 'through that chosen one (i. e. Mani) of the Life-giver (i. e. Jesus). For čīyd (čyyd), 'chosen, selected, compare čid būd hēm, 'I have been chosen,' M. 4, page 4, line 4= Mü. p. 54 top. While the adjective zindkar is used as an attribute of Mānī twice in a single hymn (M. 311 r. 5, v. 11 = Mü. p. 66-67), it is above all most fittingly applied in our present excerpt to Jesus as presiding over the final Judgment. We are, therefore, certainly entitled to accept the view that Jesus, according to Manī, is the God of the Realm of Wisdom whose advent is awaited as judge at the general assize. Cf. also Waldschmidt and Lentz, Die Stellung Jesu im Manichäismus, p. 21-22, and H. H. Schaeder, Studien (Iranische Lehren), p. 284-286. In connection, furthermore, with the Judgment we must always keep in mind that Mānī believed only in a spiritual resurrection (rīstāzēz), not in any resurrection of the body.
Events connected with the Coming. Portentous manifestations in the heavens herald the coming of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' who, in consequence of the troublous times, will bring knowledge down to the world before the final consummation of the Frashēgērd. Angels, dispatched at his bidding, will summon from east and west all mankind living. The wicked reject his message and by their false claims deceive some whose faith is weak. On the other hand, the five mighty guardians of the several heavens and earths, together with the righteous and even the humbled demons, will unite in paying him homage.
A literal translation of the first two very broken Fragments (M. 473 a and b = Mü. p. 22-25) follows, with my suggested restorations in square brackets and a few footnotes added.
(Portents foretokening the coming Judgment)
M. 473 a, recto 1-11. ‘[///////=Ūd andar, And in] the Moon and the Zodiacal Constellations and the Stars a great sign will become manifest. Afterwards the God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom, he who //// [=ast, is] the first, that male creature Primal Intelligence, [that] first Wisdom and Knowledge, ///// [=ʼāyād, will come]. And he, in consequence even (pas-āč) of the affliction upon affliction and [distress] upon distress,1 will send down (to the world) Wisdom and Knowledge, (namely), that doctrine, p///= pand?] and this ('ōē-č) t[eaching, 'ā///////= *'abdēsīšn?] which is the last, prior to the Frash[ēgērd, praš//////]. [Then /////=gahi] the Realm of Wisdom's [God ///=yazd] /////// (will appear).'
[Rest of the page is missing]
The missing portion probably described this advent of the God of the Realm of Wisdom, if we may judge from the way in which the next page begins.
(All Mankind summoned)
M. 473 a, verso 1-10. 'They (i. e. the Pious) will ////// [=namāž ba]rānd, pay [homage] and him/////////// [with joy they will receive. But (lit. 'and') the man who is a worker of Greed ('āzēgar) /////// [='abāg, along with] the evildoers and perverters (?) of men /////////(?) will become filled with remorse. And afterwards the God of the Realm of [Wisdom will send his Angels to the east and to the west. And they will go and ////// (will gather?) mankind, the ///// [El]ect(?) along with the Helpers (i. e. the Hearers). Also the Evildoers, with those of like malice, ///// // [=āyānd pēš, will come be] fore the Realm of Wisdom.'
[Rest of page, perhaps ten lines, is lost]
The lost part of the page may have given some details preceding the assembling, since the next opens with the arrogance and deception shown in a speech by the wicked.
(Arrogance of the Wicked prior to the Assembly)
473 b, recto, 1-11 (= Mü. p. 24) */////// [=The Wicked] will dash in 10 and they speak thus: "We, /////// [= pad pand, in doctrine] ar[e] the imitators (?Simulators)11 of the G(?)ods, /// [='ūd, and] in (pad) this doctrine which has been taught by us // [='ō, to] mankind, everyone ///// [will believe] and they will go on in the love of evil-doing." Moreover, the man of the Religion who may not (really) believe in his own (x[vēš]) Religion, he too will attach himself to the[m]. [And] at that time, when things i[n] the world will become thus, both on earth and in heaven, ////// (= the Pious) alike and 16 the [Simulators (?) 17 /////// (will be arraigned?).'
[Rest of the page is missing, perhaps a dozen lines. Cf. remarks at end of the preceding section].
Impressive incidents mark the reverse page (M. 473 b, verso = Mü. p. 23-24), which contains thirteen incomplete lines. The first two of these are almost hopelessly broken, but a few letters in the second line possibly allow the conjecture that 'there will be information (tidings) of a message '-['azd] 'ig p[adgām] 'ēst[ād]. A summary of the contents, followed by a translation of the text, may now be given.
(The mighty Shout-The Tidings received everywhere-Ноmаgе by all to the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom).
M. 473 b, verso, 1-13, Mü. p. 23-24. [(1)////////////////////] dh = 'ten' (2) ////////// (. information?) of the m[essage] there wi[ll] be. And a mighty shout //// [='až 'ōē by him] will be raised; the whole world will s[eparately receive the tidings. /////// (= Dūdī, Furthermore) those (?) Gods who are in the whole region of the [he]avens and the earths, (i. e., the Five Guardian Lords) Mānbēd, Visbēd, Zandbēd, Dahibēd, Pahragbēd, and are revilers of the Demons, will bestow a blessing upon that Realm of Wisdom, and the men /////// [='i dēnvarān, who are righteous] will become rulers in the realm. /////// [=('ūd har]v, Moreover, all] the Demons will go into his presence, /////// [=barānd, will pay homage, //////// (='ūd kūnānd, and will do] his command.'
[The rest of the page is missing].
The lost portion of this page probably contained further details about the assembling before the Judge, as may be inferred from the connected texts which follow, though only an outline of the contents of these can here be presented.
The lost portion of this page probably contained further details about the assembling before the Judge, as may be inferred from the connected texts which follow, though only an outline of the contents of these can here be presented.
The Righteous and the Wicked stand before the Judge. These two succeeding Fragments (M. 475, 477 = Mü. p. 11-16) are practically complete and comprise four full pages. Mānī has based them directly upon the Judgment scene in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 25. 31-46, the parallel passages to which in the other evangelists are also familiar to us. It is important to note, in passing, that quotations from this very chapter in Matthew are placed by St. Augustine on the lips of the Manichaean Faustus (Contra Faustum, 5. 3) when the Christian Bishop is confuting him as a heretic. It is likewise interesting to observe in the two Fragments under consideration how Manī, in adopting the Gospel narrative, also adapts by making additions or giving touches that were suitable to his own purpose. Some characteristic instances of this will be pointed out in the following outline of these two pieces, the translation of which, with annotations, is reserved for the book already mentioned.
Each of the four pages of M. 475, 477 bears a caption, running in sequence as follows: (1) ‘[Coming] of the Son of Men. (2) About the Judgment, (3) and the Separation. (4) The Two Great Principles.' These give a good idea of what is contained in the texts themselves, which may be summarized. as Splenditenens, Rex Honoris, Adamas Heros, Gloriosus Rex, Atlas, and by similar designations of their functions in other Manichaean sources (Greek, Arabic, Chinese).
The first page (M. 475 recto, lines 1-24 = Mü. p. 11-12), headed '[Coming] of the Son of Men' (sic, observe plural), refers to Jesus, who is spoken of in these particular sections as 'the God of the Realm of Wisdom,' as explained above. While the page under discussion has the spirit of the Gospel, it is a prefatory addition by Mānī and lends color to the narrative. The Righteous are here introduced as speaking apologetically and conscientiously to the God of the Realm of Wisdom (Jesus as Judge) thus: "[O] our Lord, if from thee we [have kept] covered (i. e. concealed) anything (ti[s]) and they ho(?)ld this /////// (against us?), we will, in thy presence, tell /////// [=ʻin harv] it all." [And un]to them the God of the Realm of Wisdom] will give answer thus: "Look upon me and be happy." Since he already knows whatever slight transgression may have been theirs and will receive his due consideration, he immediately reassures them by his blessing as he places them on the right side, joyously with divine sanctification, to await judgment. Upon the wicked, separated to the left as evil-doers, he forthwith utters an imprecation, and to rebuke their previous arrogance he sternly says: “Do not rise erect (i. e. bow humbly) /////// [=čē hān, because this] all will become clear ('ispēz). For/////// ['an dānēm (cf. Mü. p. 11 mid.), I know] the sin which [has been] done by you [and] the mighty suffering //// [which ye have caused?]; for that ye /// [will be punished?]' ".
[The latter part of this line and the whole of the last are undecipherable].
The second page (M. 475 verso, 1-24= Mü. p. 12-13) is captioned in continuation as ‘ABOUT THE JUDGMENT,' and follows rather closely the Gospel account of the righteous who have ministered unto the hungry and thirsty, the naked and sick, those in prison, and the stranger and 'wanderer' (?). A Manichaean touch is lent to the response of 'those who are the helpers of the Righteous, since they mention Mani's two arch-fiends Āz and Avarzōg, 'Greed and Concupiscence', in their answer to the Realm of Wisdom. O Lord, thou art a God and immortal, whom neither Greed nor Concupiscence vanquish, and who dost not become hungry and thirsty, and upon whom suffering and distress come not; when [was it that] we did this service?' The Lord's answer to them, 'That which ye have done,' etc. is continued at the top of the next page by the promise. "Unto you I will give the reward of Paradise (vahīštāv pādāsēn),” [and to them he will [giv]e great joy.'
This third page (M. 477 recto, 1-24 = Mü. p. 13-15), the opening lines of which have already been translated, is captioned 'AND THE SEPARATION' (lit. 'going apart'), 25 and proceeds with the charges against the Wicked, who have failed to do any of the deeds of mercy, each again enumerated, and with the Realm of Wisdom's bitter complaint against them.
The fourth page (M. 477 verso, lines 1-16 = Mü. p. 15-16) is headed 'THE TWO GREAT PRINCIPLES' of Light and Darkness, as typifying the fate good or evil. The first half of this page sums up the judgment pronounced against the wicked, whose doom is described in these words: '[Then he will place angels in charge over them, and they will take them in keeping and ca[st] then into Hell.'
(A line is here left free in the text, to indicate a slight change and short lapse of time).
The lower part of this fourth page (lines 9-16) carries the action farther, but is incomplete. It tells how more than a year, after the Judgment, is occupied by the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' in purifying his Kingdom because the arch-demons Āz and gaunt Avarzōg will each come, and they will 'increase (lit. 'pile up') suffering and distress, //////// [= misery?], famine and lamentation,' without cessation, while 'wind, water, and fire prevail (lit. 'run') in the world and ///// [=torrential ?] rain will rai[n].'
[The rest, perhaps seven lines, is wanting].
It is even possible that an entire leaf has been lost, depicting further scenes of suffering, from which the righteous however were exempt, since they are represented in the next Fragment as preparing to ascend heavenward.
This following Fragment, M. 482 recto and verso = Mü. p. 16-17, is captioned Shābūhragān, being therefore from Mani's noted work, but is in a very broken condition. I have been able to make out, however, that the first nine lines (M. 482 r. 1-9) describe how the Elect and Hearers, as they depart, will be grieved at finding that some of their own kin who had transgressed are doomed to suffer, while they themselves are happily sanctified. This strikes a note of parting sadness, since the next line (10), written in red ink as a finis to this portion, records that the account of 'THE COMING OF THE ONE MAKING-ALIVE IS COMPLETED.'
A space of four lines is then left vacant in the text to indicate that a further development of the subject is taken up, namely, 'THIS LEADING UP' (of the souls of light) as the red ink title of line 15 reads, and in the broken next two lines the name of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' is again mentioned, but the rest of the page is unfortunately missing.
The continuation of the account on the reverse side of this leaf from the Shābūhragan (M. 482 v. 1-17= Mü. p. 16-17) is captioned 'THE TWO PRINCIPLES OF', that is, of Light and Darkness, as involving Heaven and Hell. It is much broken in the first part, but I am inclined to believe that its opening alludes to changes that will take place on earth and in heaven prior to 'the time of the Frashēgērd.' 26 These vital changes, if my interpretation of the fragmentary lines 5-8 be right, will include a gradual disappearance of all life on earth: 'vegetal life (lit. 'tree') with the bird] that flies, also the creature that belongs in the water, and the [animals] that belong on the earth, will [disappear from the liv[ing] world.'
Immediately after this, as the text goes on practically unbroken for a half-dozen lines, there ensues a cessation of the functioning of the three great elemental forces, wind, water and fire, from beneath the lowest earth. Whereupon the 'Son of the Realm' (i. e. the great architect Ban) will make manifest the New Realm, as planned from the beginning, and show likewise the abode of the demons, while the just go in company to Paradise, and everything sublunary dissolves. Although the critical notes on this latter part of the page already summarized are kept for a later occasion, the following translation may help to make its contents more clear (Μ. 482 ν. 9-17).
'(Then, ////=gahi) the [W]ind, Water and Fire will pass away('abēsīhād) from /// [=hān, that] lowest earth upon which the Manbed (i. e. Augustine's Atlas) and the Wind-raising God (i. e. Gloriosus Rex) do stand. And the 'God, Son of the Realm' (i. e. the great architect Ban) will show the New Realm and the abode of the demons of ////// [Hell, dūšōx]. The deserv[ing] one will be accompanied [to Paradise and be received. Then ('ēg) be[low the station of] 28 the (M)oon God /////.'
[Rest of the page missing].
The lost lines, probably seven in number, must have outlined the beginning of the world-cataclysm as portrayed in the next Fragment, which carries forward the story with the words '(like) snow melts away.’ Many of the details are described also in the Manichaean accounts of the end of the world that have been translated by Arabic and Persian writers.
Scenes as the End approaches. Scenes of appalling grandeur, delineated in our fifth Fragment, M. 472 r. and v. (= Mü. p. 17-19), which is likewise taken from the Shābūḥragān, follow each other in rapid succession as the general cataclysm begins. The Manichaean text (M. 472 r. 2-8) describing the collapse of the ten heavens runs here as follows:
‘[///// ān /////// The (God)s will purify (it)?-read (yazd)ān (pahrēzānd)?]. When that light which is im[mortal] is (all) led up to the (G)ods, they then (s?) will bring together both the nombril (i. e. zenith of the sky) and the (lowest) heaven, for (lit. 'and') he (i. e. the Pahragbēd, Splenditenens, as custodian of the heavens) will seize the uppermost heaven, which matches (?) wholly with the lowest, and it will become loosened from (its) bond and arrangement (= vīnār-ī?š?n?, cf. Sm. p. 27).'
We may interrupt, for a moment, to insert parenthetically an illustrative quotation from the Arabic writer al-Murtadā (cf. Kessler, Mani, p. 348,353), who was well acquainted with Mānī's teachings, though living a thousand years after his time. The passage quoted records not only the idea of the cataclysm, but also that of the world-consuming Fire which Manī mentions in the very next Fragment (M. 470) as lasting '1468 years.' Al-Murtadā's brief descriptive paragraph (with which compare also earlier the Fihrist, ed. and tr. Flügel, p. 57-58, 90) is here rendered as follows:
'Thereupon, the Angel who has been placed in charge of the heaven lets go. Then the uppermost (parts) are overturned to the lowermost ones, and a Fire breaks out in these lowermost (parts) and continues burning until the portions of light that are in the World of Darkness, and which are knotted together with the portions of darkness, are liberated. Concerning the duration of this Conflagration they (the Manichaeans) differ; it is said by some that the duration is 1468 years, but by others it is said to be 1460 years'.
To resume our Manichaean Fragment. Directly after describing the collapse of the heavens into one, its text continues (lines 9-19) with the account of how 'the God Mihr (Envoy of Light, the Third Messenger) will thereupon //// [='āyād, come] from the chariot of the Sun to the combined region, and a shout will be raised,' as he is joined by the five powerful Gods as 'Helpers', those mighty guardians who have hitherto kept the world in order. No shout, however, will be raised by the now humbled demons Āz and Ahriman, or by the devils and enchantresses, since they all will be smitten and their dwelling place destroyed. The rest of this page, probably five lines, is missing, but little of importance appears to be lost as we may judge from the contents of the reverse page (M. 472 v. 1-13) which is headed, this time in black letters, as being 'About the Completion'. It recounts how the five powerful Gods, above mentioned, will lay aside their completed tasks and mount heavenward after the four upper earths have been laid down together, one above the other, over the four lower 'deposits' which form the abode of the demons.
The Closing Scenes. From out this cataclysm and chaos bursts forth that 'Great Fire, or world conflagration, to burn for '1468 years,' as described in the sixth and last Fragment, M. 470 r. and v. (= Mü. p. 19-22). Parts of Mānī's apocalyptic picture of these events receive illumination through passages also in the Muhammadan writers an-Nadīm, Shahrastānī and al-Murtadā (the latter quoted above), but still more through the Christian author of the Acta Archelai, and from some allusions in Alexander of Lycopolis and the Syrian bishop, St. Ephraim. But there is no space here to quote these latter authors.
In this connection, however, we may add that this all-consuming fire, in which the wicked suffer torment, serves also to purify that small element of light which may still have remained imprisoned in darkness. This residual mass, as will be shown elsewhere, is called by the Greek and Syriac writers bōlos, 'clod', and by the Latin and Arabic authors, 'horrible globe' and 'knotted mass' respectively. An allusion to this general concept is evidently contained in our very Fragment on the Great Fire (M. 470 r. 2-13). After mentioning the light and happiness of the Gods in contrast to the vanquished demons, it is expressly said in lines 7-13 that, 'that Divinity (i. e. light) which is in yonder Hell will be drawn out therefrom, will become pure and be led up to the Sun and the Moon, and it will become a God after the essence of Ohrmazd the Divinity (Primal Man); and from the Sun and the Moon they will lead it up together to Paradise.'
A striking Scene then follows. The rest of this page (M. 470 recto, 13-24), combined with the next (verso, 1-23) which is entitled 'ABOUT THE SOUL [S] /////// (in Hell?),' presents a striking scene. We have, moreover, a good paraphrase of its contents, after Mānī's own statements, in an-Nadīm's Fihrist (transl. Flügel, p. 101-102), besides having some general parallels in the Acta Archelai, 13. 1-3 (ed. Beeson, p. 21-22). It graphically pictures how the Gods that watch over the four quarters of heaven descend, each from his own station, to view the New Paradise and watch the amazing spectacle of the final conflagration. First to come is Ohrmizd the Divinity (Primal Man) from the northern region. From the east descends that second shining messenger, the 'God of the Realm of Light', who is called in another Fragment 'Friend of Light' as well as Narēsap ('Announcer to Men') and is termed, even more appropriately, the 'Bringer of Good Tidings', according to the Arabic paraphrase of this passage. From the south comes the 'God of the New Realm', that is, the great architect (Ban) who originally designed this ideal construction that is now to receive realization, while from the west appears the great sun-god Mihr (Mithra). These four take their stand above the New Paradise and look down into Hell.
Not only that, but as this page concludes and the next one begins, the righteous Elect in Paradise will likewise descend, coming as fellow-members to join the company of the Gods, and will take their places beside them above Hell, while standing to watch the Evildoers writhing, turning, and suffering torture in this fire which now eclipses even the light of the sun and the moon. These sinners in Hell, upon recognizing the sanctified, will beg to have a share in their good record and will implore them for release from the burning, but they receive only rebukes in return and are destined to remain in torment for all eternity. So much for their doom; and while the last few lines of this Turfan Pahlavi document are much broken, their general sense, as already given, is assured by the Arabic paraphrase in the Fihrist, as referred to above.
The Final Struggle and End of the Power of Darkness. We know from the Manichaean texts that Ahriman, Az (Greed) and the other demons are smitten, but we learn also from the Arabic authors that one last offensive is undertaken by them, headed by Hummāma, the female spirit of Darkness personified, in an attempt to combat the forces of light, but all is futile. An-Nadim in his Fihrist, quoting Mānī, recounts (cf. Flügel, p. 90):
'This conflagration, Mānī says, lasts for 1468 years; and when this occurrence comes to an end and Hummāma, Spirit of Darkness, observes the liberation of the Light and the ascent of the Angels, Hosts and Guardians, she becomes humbled. And when she watches the battle and sees how the Hosts beset her round about, she flees to the Grave that is prepared for her. Thereupon, he (i. e., its Builder) closes the Grave with a stone as big as the world, and imprisons her therein. Thus the Light becomes safe at last from the Darkness and from being harmed by it.'
St. Ephraim, less than a century after Mani's death, was equally acquainted with his teaching as to this grave and its fabulous stone (cf. tr. C. W. Mitchell, I. p. lxxiv). Hell with the lid on is a grandiose conception!
Conclusion. Thus amid scenes of conflagration and chaos, this visible world comes to an end. The Powers of Good are at last triumphant and the Kingdom of Light is established to eternity, while Evil and Darkness are relegated forever to the realm that gave them birth. The separation will be once more complete, with the universe restored to its pre-existing order. This is 'the Reestablishment of the Two Natures,' as the Manichaean Turbo quotes his master as saying. This ushers in the 'Third Time' with the Two Principles absolutely divided as in the beginning; its duration will be to eternity, lasting forever and forever.
(a copyright search did not uncover a copyright renewal as required by law)
To this important and earlier group of manuscript remnants from Mānī's Shābūhragan, written in Turfan Pahlavi, we may at once devote our attention. It occupies some fifteen pages in the edition of F. W. K. Müller, Handschriften-reste, 2. 11-25, and comprises a half-dozen apocalyptic Fragments. Two of these bear the heading ŠĀBŪHRAGAN, the title of Mani's well-known work, to which also the associated pieces must equally belong. Through traces of the red ink captions which in several instances had superimposed their letters upon the leaf opposite, Müller (p. 10) convincingly proved that four of these Fragments were to be arranged in the following order: M. 475, 477, 482, 472. He remained uncertain, however, regarding the position of the other two Fragments concerned, namely, M. 470, 473. This uncertainty may now be dispelled. The latter Fragment (473 a and b, in each case with recto and verso), judging from its contents, can be unhesitatingly placed at the head of the entire sixfold group, because its scenes form the prelude to the General Judgment, which these pieces describe. On the other hand, the Fragment which we have called the sixth, namely, M. 470 a, b, picturing the world-conflagration ('Great Fire'), the coming of the Gods and the sanctified to watch the spectacle, and the torments of the wicked burning in the Fire, must fittingly stand at the end of the whole group.
Although I have made a complete translation of the six Apocalyptic Fragments, with critical notes and explanations, for publication later, I can here give only a rendering of the first, and then an outline of the contents of the other five Fragments, with short renderings incidentally inserted. The sequence of events described in our sixfold group may at least be gathered from the following sketch, occasionally supplemented by references to non-Manichaean sources which have a direct bearing.
The Prelude to the Final Judgment. Coming of the 'God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom.'The first Fragment (M. 473 a and b = Mü. p. 22-25) pictures the coming of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' (Jesus as Primal Intelligence, as we shall see directly) to assume his rôle at the Judgment.
The piece itself consists of only two leaves, greatly broken at the bottom, so that a considerable portion of each of the four pages is lost. This loss complicates the interpretation and we can only infer from the general content, and from the way in which the succeeding pages begin, what may have been contained in the missing portions. A connecting link, moreover, between the parts of this twofold remnant and the two long Fragments (M. 475, 477 = Mü. p. 11-16) that come next in sequence and are preserved almost entire, is furnished by the fact that in these four the title 'God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom' (Xradēšahr Yazd), or simply the 'Realm of Wisdom' (Xradēšahr), is repeatedly applied to the looked-for divine being who is to appear at the end. As already intimated, there can be no doubt that it was Jesus whom Māni designated by this title.
Convincing proof of the correctness of this interpretation is given by the fact that among a list of Mani's writings about Jesus, as recorded in a TPhl. Fragment at Leningrad, although only the titles are given, is one (S. 1. 13, cf. Salemann, Man. Stud. 1, p. 32) designated as having dealt with the subject of 'The Coming of Jesus, the One Making-alive' āmadīšnih ig Yīšō Zindka[r]. Added support is lent by the fact that in our own group the next Fragment (M. 475), which Mānī took largely from St. Matthew, 25.31-46, is captioned [The Coming) of the Son of Men' (observe plural)=ʻi Mērdān Pūsar (i. e., Jesus). Not only that, but still further evidence is furnished by Fragment M. 482, which follows directly after the Fragment just cited and its immediate sequel (M. 477), likewise from Matthew, and which is assured by its caption to be a part of Mānī's Shābūhragan. This much-broken but important bit (M. 482 r. 1-9 = Mü. p. 16) seems to portray the sorrow felt by the sanctified because some of their own relatives were not saved, thus ending in a minor chord, and concludes the description of the Judgment section by adding, in red ink letters for the reader's guidance, the words: 'Completed is the Coming of the One who is Making-alive'-Hanzapt āmadīšnīy i Zīndk[ar] (М. 482 r. 10 = Mü. p. 16). This same epithet, 'the One Makingalive', i. e., Life-giver, Revivifier, is applied again elsewhere to Jesus (Yīšō Zindkar, 'Jesus the Life-giving', in M. 74 r. 14 = Mü. p. 75; and cf. Mari Zindag Yīšō', 'Lord, Living Jesus,' in M. 102 v. caption = Mü. p. 65). It is probable, moreover, as Dr. C. J. Ogden suggests to me, that Jesus is similarly alluded to by the adjective zindkar, ‘Life-giver, whose 'chosen one' is Mānī himself, in a quotation from Mānī's own Epistle to Hatā, M. 733. 14 (= Mü. p. 31 mid.). The quotation there reads: pad hān čīyd i Zindkar, 'through that chosen one (i. e. Mani) of the Life-giver (i. e. Jesus). For čīyd (čyyd), 'chosen, selected, compare čid būd hēm, 'I have been chosen,' M. 4, page 4, line 4= Mü. p. 54 top. While the adjective zindkar is used as an attribute of Mānī twice in a single hymn (M. 311 r. 5, v. 11 = Mü. p. 66-67), it is above all most fittingly applied in our present excerpt to Jesus as presiding over the final Judgment. We are, therefore, certainly entitled to accept the view that Jesus, according to Manī, is the God of the Realm of Wisdom whose advent is awaited as judge at the general assize. Cf. also Waldschmidt and Lentz, Die Stellung Jesu im Manichäismus, p. 21-22, and H. H. Schaeder, Studien (Iranische Lehren), p. 284-286. In connection, furthermore, with the Judgment we must always keep in mind that Mānī believed only in a spiritual resurrection (rīstāzēz), not in any resurrection of the body.
Events connected with the Coming. Portentous manifestations in the heavens herald the coming of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' who, in consequence of the troublous times, will bring knowledge down to the world before the final consummation of the Frashēgērd. Angels, dispatched at his bidding, will summon from east and west all mankind living. The wicked reject his message and by their false claims deceive some whose faith is weak. On the other hand, the five mighty guardians of the several heavens and earths, together with the righteous and even the humbled demons, will unite in paying him homage.
A literal translation of the first two very broken Fragments (M. 473 a and b = Mü. p. 22-25) follows, with my suggested restorations in square brackets and a few footnotes added.
(Portents foretokening the coming Judgment)
M. 473 a, recto 1-11. ‘[///////=Ūd andar, And in] the Moon and the Zodiacal Constellations and the Stars a great sign will become manifest. Afterwards the God of the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom, he who //// [=ast, is] the first, that male creature Primal Intelligence, [that] first Wisdom and Knowledge, ///// [=ʼāyād, will come]. And he, in consequence even (pas-āč) of the affliction upon affliction and [distress] upon distress,1 will send down (to the world) Wisdom and Knowledge, (namely), that doctrine, p///= pand?] and this ('ōē-č) t[eaching, 'ā///////= *'abdēsīšn?] which is the last, prior to the Frash[ēgērd, praš//////]. [Then /////=gahi] the Realm of Wisdom's [God ///=yazd] /////// (will appear).'
[Rest of the page is missing]
The missing portion probably described this advent of the God of the Realm of Wisdom, if we may judge from the way in which the next page begins.
(All Mankind summoned)
M. 473 a, verso 1-10. 'They (i. e. the Pious) will ////// [=namāž ba]rānd, pay [homage] and him/////////// [with joy they will receive. But (lit. 'and') the man who is a worker of Greed ('āzēgar) /////// [='abāg, along with] the evildoers and perverters (?) of men /////////(?) will become filled with remorse. And afterwards the God of the Realm of [Wisdom will send his Angels to the east and to the west. And they will go and ////// (will gather?) mankind, the ///// [El]ect(?) along with the Helpers (i. e. the Hearers). Also the Evildoers, with those of like malice, ///// // [=āyānd pēš, will come be] fore the Realm of Wisdom.'
[Rest of page, perhaps ten lines, is lost]
The lost part of the page may have given some details preceding the assembling, since the next opens with the arrogance and deception shown in a speech by the wicked.
(Arrogance of the Wicked prior to the Assembly)
473 b, recto, 1-11 (= Mü. p. 24) */////// [=The Wicked] will dash in 10 and they speak thus: "We, /////// [= pad pand, in doctrine] ar[e] the imitators (?Simulators)11 of the G(?)ods, /// [='ūd, and] in (pad) this doctrine which has been taught by us // [='ō, to] mankind, everyone ///// [will believe] and they will go on in the love of evil-doing." Moreover, the man of the Religion who may not (really) believe in his own (x[vēš]) Religion, he too will attach himself to the[m]. [And] at that time, when things i[n] the world will become thus, both on earth and in heaven, ////// (= the Pious) alike and 16 the [Simulators (?) 17 /////// (will be arraigned?).'
[Rest of the page is missing, perhaps a dozen lines. Cf. remarks at end of the preceding section].
Impressive incidents mark the reverse page (M. 473 b, verso = Mü. p. 23-24), which contains thirteen incomplete lines. The first two of these are almost hopelessly broken, but a few letters in the second line possibly allow the conjecture that 'there will be information (tidings) of a message '-['azd] 'ig p[adgām] 'ēst[ād]. A summary of the contents, followed by a translation of the text, may now be given.
(The mighty Shout-The Tidings received everywhere-Ноmаgе by all to the Realm (Aeon) of Wisdom).
M. 473 b, verso, 1-13, Mü. p. 23-24. [(1)////////////////////] dh = 'ten' (2) ////////// (. information?) of the m[essage] there wi[ll] be. And a mighty shout //// [='až 'ōē by him] will be raised; the whole world will s[eparately receive the tidings. /////// (= Dūdī, Furthermore) those (?) Gods who are in the whole region of the [he]avens and the earths, (i. e., the Five Guardian Lords) Mānbēd, Visbēd, Zandbēd, Dahibēd, Pahragbēd, and are revilers of the Demons, will bestow a blessing upon that Realm of Wisdom, and the men /////// [='i dēnvarān, who are righteous] will become rulers in the realm. /////// [=('ūd har]v, Moreover, all] the Demons will go into his presence, /////// [=barānd, will pay homage, //////// (='ūd kūnānd, and will do] his command.'
[The rest of the page is missing].
The lost portion of this page probably contained further details about the assembling before the Judge, as may be inferred from the connected texts which follow, though only an outline of the contents of these can here be presented.
The lost portion of this page probably contained further details about the assembling before the Judge, as may be inferred from the connected texts which follow, though only an outline of the contents of these can here be presented.
The Righteous and the Wicked stand before the Judge. These two succeeding Fragments (M. 475, 477 = Mü. p. 11-16) are practically complete and comprise four full pages. Mānī has based them directly upon the Judgment scene in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 25. 31-46, the parallel passages to which in the other evangelists are also familiar to us. It is important to note, in passing, that quotations from this very chapter in Matthew are placed by St. Augustine on the lips of the Manichaean Faustus (Contra Faustum, 5. 3) when the Christian Bishop is confuting him as a heretic. It is likewise interesting to observe in the two Fragments under consideration how Manī, in adopting the Gospel narrative, also adapts by making additions or giving touches that were suitable to his own purpose. Some characteristic instances of this will be pointed out in the following outline of these two pieces, the translation of which, with annotations, is reserved for the book already mentioned.
Each of the four pages of M. 475, 477 bears a caption, running in sequence as follows: (1) ‘[Coming] of the Son of Men. (2) About the Judgment, (3) and the Separation. (4) The Two Great Principles.' These give a good idea of what is contained in the texts themselves, which may be summarized. as Splenditenens, Rex Honoris, Adamas Heros, Gloriosus Rex, Atlas, and by similar designations of their functions in other Manichaean sources (Greek, Arabic, Chinese).
The first page (M. 475 recto, lines 1-24 = Mü. p. 11-12), headed '[Coming] of the Son of Men' (sic, observe plural), refers to Jesus, who is spoken of in these particular sections as 'the God of the Realm of Wisdom,' as explained above. While the page under discussion has the spirit of the Gospel, it is a prefatory addition by Mānī and lends color to the narrative. The Righteous are here introduced as speaking apologetically and conscientiously to the God of the Realm of Wisdom (Jesus as Judge) thus: "[O] our Lord, if from thee we [have kept] covered (i. e. concealed) anything (ti[s]) and they ho(?)ld this /////// (against us?), we will, in thy presence, tell /////// [=ʻin harv] it all." [And un]to them the God of the Realm of Wisdom] will give answer thus: "Look upon me and be happy." Since he already knows whatever slight transgression may have been theirs and will receive his due consideration, he immediately reassures them by his blessing as he places them on the right side, joyously with divine sanctification, to await judgment. Upon the wicked, separated to the left as evil-doers, he forthwith utters an imprecation, and to rebuke their previous arrogance he sternly says: “Do not rise erect (i. e. bow humbly) /////// [=čē hān, because this] all will become clear ('ispēz). For/////// ['an dānēm (cf. Mü. p. 11 mid.), I know] the sin which [has been] done by you [and] the mighty suffering //// [which ye have caused?]; for that ye /// [will be punished?]' ".
[The latter part of this line and the whole of the last are undecipherable].
The second page (M. 475 verso, 1-24= Mü. p. 12-13) is captioned in continuation as ‘ABOUT THE JUDGMENT,' and follows rather closely the Gospel account of the righteous who have ministered unto the hungry and thirsty, the naked and sick, those in prison, and the stranger and 'wanderer' (?). A Manichaean touch is lent to the response of 'those who are the helpers of the Righteous, since they mention Mani's two arch-fiends Āz and Avarzōg, 'Greed and Concupiscence', in their answer to the Realm of Wisdom. O Lord, thou art a God and immortal, whom neither Greed nor Concupiscence vanquish, and who dost not become hungry and thirsty, and upon whom suffering and distress come not; when [was it that] we did this service?' The Lord's answer to them, 'That which ye have done,' etc. is continued at the top of the next page by the promise. "Unto you I will give the reward of Paradise (vahīštāv pādāsēn),” [and to them he will [giv]e great joy.'
This third page (M. 477 recto, 1-24 = Mü. p. 13-15), the opening lines of which have already been translated, is captioned 'AND THE SEPARATION' (lit. 'going apart'), 25 and proceeds with the charges against the Wicked, who have failed to do any of the deeds of mercy, each again enumerated, and with the Realm of Wisdom's bitter complaint against them.
The fourth page (M. 477 verso, lines 1-16 = Mü. p. 15-16) is headed 'THE TWO GREAT PRINCIPLES' of Light and Darkness, as typifying the fate good or evil. The first half of this page sums up the judgment pronounced against the wicked, whose doom is described in these words: '[Then he will place angels in charge over them, and they will take them in keeping and ca[st] then into Hell.'
(A line is here left free in the text, to indicate a slight change and short lapse of time).
The lower part of this fourth page (lines 9-16) carries the action farther, but is incomplete. It tells how more than a year, after the Judgment, is occupied by the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' in purifying his Kingdom because the arch-demons Āz and gaunt Avarzōg will each come, and they will 'increase (lit. 'pile up') suffering and distress, //////// [= misery?], famine and lamentation,' without cessation, while 'wind, water, and fire prevail (lit. 'run') in the world and ///// [=torrential ?] rain will rai[n].'
[The rest, perhaps seven lines, is wanting].
It is even possible that an entire leaf has been lost, depicting further scenes of suffering, from which the righteous however were exempt, since they are represented in the next Fragment as preparing to ascend heavenward.
This following Fragment, M. 482 recto and verso = Mü. p. 16-17, is captioned Shābūhragān, being therefore from Mani's noted work, but is in a very broken condition. I have been able to make out, however, that the first nine lines (M. 482 r. 1-9) describe how the Elect and Hearers, as they depart, will be grieved at finding that some of their own kin who had transgressed are doomed to suffer, while they themselves are happily sanctified. This strikes a note of parting sadness, since the next line (10), written in red ink as a finis to this portion, records that the account of 'THE COMING OF THE ONE MAKING-ALIVE IS COMPLETED.'
A space of four lines is then left vacant in the text to indicate that a further development of the subject is taken up, namely, 'THIS LEADING UP' (of the souls of light) as the red ink title of line 15 reads, and in the broken next two lines the name of the 'God of the Realm of Wisdom' is again mentioned, but the rest of the page is unfortunately missing.
The continuation of the account on the reverse side of this leaf from the Shābūhragan (M. 482 v. 1-17= Mü. p. 16-17) is captioned 'THE TWO PRINCIPLES OF', that is, of Light and Darkness, as involving Heaven and Hell. It is much broken in the first part, but I am inclined to believe that its opening alludes to changes that will take place on earth and in heaven prior to 'the time of the Frashēgērd.' 26 These vital changes, if my interpretation of the fragmentary lines 5-8 be right, will include a gradual disappearance of all life on earth: 'vegetal life (lit. 'tree') with the bird] that flies, also the creature that belongs in the water, and the [animals] that belong on the earth, will [disappear from the liv[ing] world.'
Immediately after this, as the text goes on practically unbroken for a half-dozen lines, there ensues a cessation of the functioning of the three great elemental forces, wind, water and fire, from beneath the lowest earth. Whereupon the 'Son of the Realm' (i. e. the great architect Ban) will make manifest the New Realm, as planned from the beginning, and show likewise the abode of the demons, while the just go in company to Paradise, and everything sublunary dissolves. Although the critical notes on this latter part of the page already summarized are kept for a later occasion, the following translation may help to make its contents more clear (Μ. 482 ν. 9-17).
'(Then, ////=gahi) the [W]ind, Water and Fire will pass away('abēsīhād) from /// [=hān, that] lowest earth upon which the Manbed (i. e. Augustine's Atlas) and the Wind-raising God (i. e. Gloriosus Rex) do stand. And the 'God, Son of the Realm' (i. e. the great architect Ban) will show the New Realm and the abode of the demons of ////// [Hell, dūšōx]. The deserv[ing] one will be accompanied [to Paradise and be received. Then ('ēg) be[low the station of] 28 the (M)oon God /////.'
[Rest of the page missing].
The lost lines, probably seven in number, must have outlined the beginning of the world-cataclysm as portrayed in the next Fragment, which carries forward the story with the words '(like) snow melts away.’ Many of the details are described also in the Manichaean accounts of the end of the world that have been translated by Arabic and Persian writers.
Scenes as the End approaches. Scenes of appalling grandeur, delineated in our fifth Fragment, M. 472 r. and v. (= Mü. p. 17-19), which is likewise taken from the Shābūḥragān, follow each other in rapid succession as the general cataclysm begins. The Manichaean text (M. 472 r. 2-8) describing the collapse of the ten heavens runs here as follows:
‘[///// ān /////// The (God)s will purify (it)?-read (yazd)ān (pahrēzānd)?]. When that light which is im[mortal] is (all) led up to the (G)ods, they then (s?) will bring together both the nombril (i. e. zenith of the sky) and the (lowest) heaven, for (lit. 'and') he (i. e. the Pahragbēd, Splenditenens, as custodian of the heavens) will seize the uppermost heaven, which matches (?) wholly with the lowest, and it will become loosened from (its) bond and arrangement (= vīnār-ī?š?n?, cf. Sm. p. 27).'
We may interrupt, for a moment, to insert parenthetically an illustrative quotation from the Arabic writer al-Murtadā (cf. Kessler, Mani, p. 348,353), who was well acquainted with Mānī's teachings, though living a thousand years after his time. The passage quoted records not only the idea of the cataclysm, but also that of the world-consuming Fire which Manī mentions in the very next Fragment (M. 470) as lasting '1468 years.' Al-Murtadā's brief descriptive paragraph (with which compare also earlier the Fihrist, ed. and tr. Flügel, p. 57-58, 90) is here rendered as follows:
'Thereupon, the Angel who has been placed in charge of the heaven lets go. Then the uppermost (parts) are overturned to the lowermost ones, and a Fire breaks out in these lowermost (parts) and continues burning until the portions of light that are in the World of Darkness, and which are knotted together with the portions of darkness, are liberated. Concerning the duration of this Conflagration they (the Manichaeans) differ; it is said by some that the duration is 1468 years, but by others it is said to be 1460 years'.
To resume our Manichaean Fragment. Directly after describing the collapse of the heavens into one, its text continues (lines 9-19) with the account of how 'the God Mihr (Envoy of Light, the Third Messenger) will thereupon //// [='āyād, come] from the chariot of the Sun to the combined region, and a shout will be raised,' as he is joined by the five powerful Gods as 'Helpers', those mighty guardians who have hitherto kept the world in order. No shout, however, will be raised by the now humbled demons Āz and Ahriman, or by the devils and enchantresses, since they all will be smitten and their dwelling place destroyed. The rest of this page, probably five lines, is missing, but little of importance appears to be lost as we may judge from the contents of the reverse page (M. 472 v. 1-13) which is headed, this time in black letters, as being 'About the Completion'. It recounts how the five powerful Gods, above mentioned, will lay aside their completed tasks and mount heavenward after the four upper earths have been laid down together, one above the other, over the four lower 'deposits' which form the abode of the demons.
The Closing Scenes. From out this cataclysm and chaos bursts forth that 'Great Fire, or world conflagration, to burn for '1468 years,' as described in the sixth and last Fragment, M. 470 r. and v. (= Mü. p. 19-22). Parts of Mānī's apocalyptic picture of these events receive illumination through passages also in the Muhammadan writers an-Nadīm, Shahrastānī and al-Murtadā (the latter quoted above), but still more through the Christian author of the Acta Archelai, and from some allusions in Alexander of Lycopolis and the Syrian bishop, St. Ephraim. But there is no space here to quote these latter authors.
In this connection, however, we may add that this all-consuming fire, in which the wicked suffer torment, serves also to purify that small element of light which may still have remained imprisoned in darkness. This residual mass, as will be shown elsewhere, is called by the Greek and Syriac writers bōlos, 'clod', and by the Latin and Arabic authors, 'horrible globe' and 'knotted mass' respectively. An allusion to this general concept is evidently contained in our very Fragment on the Great Fire (M. 470 r. 2-13). After mentioning the light and happiness of the Gods in contrast to the vanquished demons, it is expressly said in lines 7-13 that, 'that Divinity (i. e. light) which is in yonder Hell will be drawn out therefrom, will become pure and be led up to the Sun and the Moon, and it will become a God after the essence of Ohrmazd the Divinity (Primal Man); and from the Sun and the Moon they will lead it up together to Paradise.'
A striking Scene then follows. The rest of this page (M. 470 recto, 13-24), combined with the next (verso, 1-23) which is entitled 'ABOUT THE SOUL [S] /////// (in Hell?),' presents a striking scene. We have, moreover, a good paraphrase of its contents, after Mānī's own statements, in an-Nadīm's Fihrist (transl. Flügel, p. 101-102), besides having some general parallels in the Acta Archelai, 13. 1-3 (ed. Beeson, p. 21-22). It graphically pictures how the Gods that watch over the four quarters of heaven descend, each from his own station, to view the New Paradise and watch the amazing spectacle of the final conflagration. First to come is Ohrmizd the Divinity (Primal Man) from the northern region. From the east descends that second shining messenger, the 'God of the Realm of Light', who is called in another Fragment 'Friend of Light' as well as Narēsap ('Announcer to Men') and is termed, even more appropriately, the 'Bringer of Good Tidings', according to the Arabic paraphrase of this passage. From the south comes the 'God of the New Realm', that is, the great architect (Ban) who originally designed this ideal construction that is now to receive realization, while from the west appears the great sun-god Mihr (Mithra). These four take their stand above the New Paradise and look down into Hell.
Not only that, but as this page concludes and the next one begins, the righteous Elect in Paradise will likewise descend, coming as fellow-members to join the company of the Gods, and will take their places beside them above Hell, while standing to watch the Evildoers writhing, turning, and suffering torture in this fire which now eclipses even the light of the sun and the moon. These sinners in Hell, upon recognizing the sanctified, will beg to have a share in their good record and will implore them for release from the burning, but they receive only rebukes in return and are destined to remain in torment for all eternity. So much for their doom; and while the last few lines of this Turfan Pahlavi document are much broken, their general sense, as already given, is assured by the Arabic paraphrase in the Fihrist, as referred to above.
The Final Struggle and End of the Power of Darkness. We know from the Manichaean texts that Ahriman, Az (Greed) and the other demons are smitten, but we learn also from the Arabic authors that one last offensive is undertaken by them, headed by Hummāma, the female spirit of Darkness personified, in an attempt to combat the forces of light, but all is futile. An-Nadim in his Fihrist, quoting Mānī, recounts (cf. Flügel, p. 90):
'This conflagration, Mānī says, lasts for 1468 years; and when this occurrence comes to an end and Hummāma, Spirit of Darkness, observes the liberation of the Light and the ascent of the Angels, Hosts and Guardians, she becomes humbled. And when she watches the battle and sees how the Hosts beset her round about, she flees to the Grave that is prepared for her. Thereupon, he (i. e., its Builder) closes the Grave with a stone as big as the world, and imprisons her therein. Thus the Light becomes safe at last from the Darkness and from being harmed by it.'
St. Ephraim, less than a century after Mani's death, was equally acquainted with his teaching as to this grave and its fabulous stone (cf. tr. C. W. Mitchell, I. p. lxxiv). Hell with the lid on is a grandiose conception!
Conclusion. Thus amid scenes of conflagration and chaos, this visible world comes to an end. The Powers of Good are at last triumphant and the Kingdom of Light is established to eternity, while Evil and Darkness are relegated forever to the realm that gave them birth. The separation will be once more complete, with the universe restored to its pre-existing order. This is 'the Reestablishment of the Two Natures,' as the Manichaean Turbo quotes his master as saying. This ushers in the 'Third Time' with the Two Principles absolutely divided as in the beginning; its duration will be to eternity, lasting forever and forever.
From Mani’s Treasure of Life (Book of Revival)
Al-Biruni, India ch. 3, p. 19 = Sachau i, p. 39; trans. Eduard Sachau
The Manichæans stand in a near relationship to the Christians. Mânî expresses himself in a similar way in the book called Kanz-al’iḥyâ (Thesaurus Vivificationis): “The resplendent hosts will be called young women and virgins, fathers and mothers, sons, brothers, and sisters, because such is the custom in the books of the prophets. In the country of joy there is neither male nor female, nor are there organs of generation. All are invested with living bodies. Since they have divine bodies, they do not differ from each other in weakness and force, in length and shortness, in figure and looks; they are like similar lamps, which are lighted by the same lamp, and which are nourished by the same material. The cause of this kind of name-giving arises, in the last instance, from the rivalry of the two realms in mixing up with each other. When the low dark realm rose from the abyss of chaos, and was seen by the high resplendent realm as consisting of pairs of male and female beings, the latter gave similar outward forms to its own children, who started to fight that other world, so that it placed in the fight one kind of beings opposite the same kind of the other world.”
The Manichæans stand in a near relationship to the Christians. Mânî expresses himself in a similar way in the book called Kanz-al’iḥyâ (Thesaurus Vivificationis): “The resplendent hosts will be called young women and virgins, fathers and mothers, sons, brothers, and sisters, because such is the custom in the books of the prophets. In the country of joy there is neither male nor female, nor are there organs of generation. All are invested with living bodies. Since they have divine bodies, they do not differ from each other in weakness and force, in length and shortness, in figure and looks; they are like similar lamps, which are lighted by the same lamp, and which are nourished by the same material. The cause of this kind of name-giving arises, in the last instance, from the rivalry of the two realms in mixing up with each other. When the low dark realm rose from the abyss of chaos, and was seen by the high resplendent realm as consisting of pairs of male and female beings, the latter gave similar outward forms to its own children, who started to fight that other world, so that it placed in the fight one kind of beings opposite the same kind of the other world.”
Mani, The Gospel
Cologne Mani Codex, 66-70
And again he said in the Gospel of his most holy hope: “I, Mānī, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, the Father of Truth, from whom I came, who lives and abides forever and ever, and is eternal, and is ever present, and abides after all. And all things that are and will be, were made through him and his power. For from him I was begotten, and I am from his will. And from him I have received all truths from beyond the veil, and I have received the divine power. And I have received all truths from him, and I am from his divine truth. [The divine truth which he revealed] I have seen, and I have declared it to my followers, and peace I have preached to the children of peace, hope I have proclaimed to the immortal race. The Elect I have chosen, and the way on high I have shown to them who ascend according to this truth. I have proclaimed hope and that revelation I have revealed. This immortal Gospel I have written, enthroning within it these eminent mysteries and revealing within it the greatest works, the highest and most glorious forms of the most powerful of works. These things which I have revealed, I showed [to those who live from] the truest vision which I have seen and the most glorious revelation revealed to me.”
And again he said, “All the secret things which my Father has given to me, which I have hidden and covered from the sects and the heathen, and from the nations, I have revealed to you according to the good pleasure of my most merciful Father. And if again he be pleased, I shall reveal them again to you. For this gift from the father, to me given, is great and rich. For, if all the people and the whole world obey it, I would be capable from possessing this advantage which our Father has given me, to make them become rich and make Wisdom sufficient for all the world.”
Again he said, “When my father was pleased and had showed me care and compassion, he sent forth my most unfailing Twin, forever the fruit of immortality, so that he might redeem and ransom me from the error of the followers of that Law. In coming to me, he provided me with the greatest hope, that of redemption, which is rooted in immortality, true instructions, and the laying on of hands from my Father. When he came to me, he preferred and chose me, and he separated me from the from the midst of that Law in which I grew up.”
And again he said in the Gospel of his most holy hope: “I, Mānī, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, the Father of Truth, from whom I came, who lives and abides forever and ever, and is eternal, and is ever present, and abides after all. And all things that are and will be, were made through him and his power. For from him I was begotten, and I am from his will. And from him I have received all truths from beyond the veil, and I have received the divine power. And I have received all truths from him, and I am from his divine truth. [The divine truth which he revealed] I have seen, and I have declared it to my followers, and peace I have preached to the children of peace, hope I have proclaimed to the immortal race. The Elect I have chosen, and the way on high I have shown to them who ascend according to this truth. I have proclaimed hope and that revelation I have revealed. This immortal Gospel I have written, enthroning within it these eminent mysteries and revealing within it the greatest works, the highest and most glorious forms of the most powerful of works. These things which I have revealed, I showed [to those who live from] the truest vision which I have seen and the most glorious revelation revealed to me.”
And again he said, “All the secret things which my Father has given to me, which I have hidden and covered from the sects and the heathen, and from the nations, I have revealed to you according to the good pleasure of my most merciful Father. And if again he be pleased, I shall reveal them again to you. For this gift from the father, to me given, is great and rich. For, if all the people and the whole world obey it, I would be capable from possessing this advantage which our Father has given me, to make them become rich and make Wisdom sufficient for all the world.”
Again he said, “When my father was pleased and had showed me care and compassion, he sent forth my most unfailing Twin, forever the fruit of immortality, so that he might redeem and ransom me from the error of the followers of that Law. In coming to me, he provided me with the greatest hope, that of redemption, which is rooted in immortality, true instructions, and the laying on of hands from my Father. When he came to me, he preferred and chose me, and he separated me from the from the midst of that Law in which I grew up.”
Cologne Mani Codex, 74-76
The Lord (Mānī) said: “When I was living among them [the Elkesaites], one day Sitaios, the elder of the council, the son of Gara, took hold of me by the hand, for the sake of his being with me, and as a beloved son. He took hold of me by the hand, for we had no other companion, and we went to dig up and see the treasures which he had hidden. He said to me, “These are all my treasures, and I have control over them. But from now on they are yours, for there is no one else I love like you, so these treasures I will give to you. When he had thus spoken, I said in my heart, “The most Blessed Father has preferred me and has given me a immortal treasure which cannot die. Whosoever should inherit it also will receive life everlasting from it.” Then I spoke to Sitaios the elder: “Where are the ancestors who have inherited who acquired these treasures before us, they who inherited them? Behold, for they have died and perished | and they did not retain them as their own, nor did they carry them off.”
He (Mānī) said to him: “‘What good do these treasures do me if they introduce errors and faults to all who have acquired them? For the treasure of God is the greatest and richest and will bring life to all who inherit it.’ Sitaios, seeing this did not convince [me] in my mind to [the acquisition] of the treasures that he shown me, he marveled at me.”
The Lord (Mānī) said: “When I was living among them [the Elkesaites], one day Sitaios, the elder of the council, the son of Gara, took hold of me by the hand, for the sake of his being with me, and as a beloved son. He took hold of me by the hand, for we had no other companion, and we went to dig up and see the treasures which he had hidden. He said to me, “These are all my treasures, and I have control over them. But from now on they are yours, for there is no one else I love like you, so these treasures I will give to you. When he had thus spoken, I said in my heart, “The most Blessed Father has preferred me and has given me a immortal treasure which cannot die. Whosoever should inherit it also will receive life everlasting from it.” Then I spoke to Sitaios the elder: “Where are the ancestors who have inherited who acquired these treasures before us, they who inherited them? Behold, for they have died and perished | and they did not retain them as their own, nor did they carry them off.”
He (Mānī) said to him: “‘What good do these treasures do me if they introduce errors and faults to all who have acquired them? For the treasure of God is the greatest and richest and will bring life to all who inherit it.’ Sitaios, seeing this did not convince [me] in my mind to [the acquisition] of the treasures that he shown me, he marveled at me.”
From Mani’s Book of Mysteries
Al-Biruni, India ch. 4, p. 24 = Sachau i, p. 48; trans. Eduard Sachau
“The Apostles asked Jesus about the life of inanimate nature, whereupon he said, ‘If that which is inanimate is separated from the living element which is commingled with it, and appears alone by itself, if is again inanimate and is not capable of living, whilst the living element which has left it, retaining its vital energy unimpaired, never dies.’”
“The Apostles asked Jesus about the life of inanimate nature, whereupon he said, ‘If that which is inanimate is separated from the living element which is commingled with it, and appears alone by itself, if is again inanimate and is not capable of living, whilst the living element which has left it, retaining its vital energy unimpaired, never dies.’”
Al-Biruni, India ch. 5, p. 26 = Sachau i, p. 54; trans. Eduard Sachau
When Mânî was banished from Êrânshahr, he went to India, learned metempsychosis from the Hindus, and transferred if into his own system. He says in the Book of Mysteries: “Since the Apostles knew that the souls are immortal, and that in their migrations they array themselves in every form, that they are shaped in every animal, and are cast in the mould of every figure, they asked Messiah what would be the end of those souls which did not receive the truth nor learn the origin of their existence. Whereupon he said, ‘Any weak soul which has not received all that belongs to her of truth perishes without any rest or bliss.’” By perishing Mânî means her being punished, not her total disappearance. For in another place he says: “The partisans of Bardesanes think that the living soul rises and is purified in the carcase, not knowing that the latter is the enemy of the soul, that the carcase prevents the soul from rising, that it is a prison, and a painful punishment to the soul. Ji this human figure were a real existence, its creator would not let if wear out and suffer injury, and would not have compelled it to reproduce itself by the sperma in the uterus.”
When Mânî was banished from Êrânshahr, he went to India, learned metempsychosis from the Hindus, and transferred if into his own system. He says in the Book of Mysteries: “Since the Apostles knew that the souls are immortal, and that in their migrations they array themselves in every form, that they are shaped in every animal, and are cast in the mould of every figure, they asked Messiah what would be the end of those souls which did not receive the truth nor learn the origin of their existence. Whereupon he said, ‘Any weak soul which has not received all that belongs to her of truth perishes without any rest or bliss.’” By perishing Mânî means her being punished, not her total disappearance. For in another place he says: “The partisans of Bardesanes think that the living soul rises and is purified in the carcase, not knowing that the latter is the enemy of the soul, that the carcase prevents the soul from rising, that it is a prison, and a painful punishment to the soul. Ji this human figure were a real existence, its creator would not let if wear out and suffer injury, and would not have compelled it to reproduce itself by the sperma in the uterus.”
Al-Biruni, India ch. 43, p. 191 = Sachau i, p. 381; trans. Eduard Sachau
These ideas have been adopted by Mânî, for he says: “Know ye that the affairs of the world have been changed and altered; also priesthood has been changed since the σφαῖραι of heaven, i.e. the spheres, have been changed, and the priest can no longer acquire such a knowledge of the stars in the circle of a sphere as their fathers were able to acquire, They lead mankind astray by fraud. What they prophesy may by chance happen, but frequently it does not happen.”
These ideas have been adopted by Mânî, for he says: “Know ye that the affairs of the world have been changed and altered; also priesthood has been changed since the σφαῖραι of heaven, i.e. the spheres, have been changed, and the priest can no longer acquire such a knowledge of the stars in the circle of a sphere as their fathers were able to acquire, They lead mankind astray by fraud. What they prophesy may by chance happen, but frequently it does not happen.”
Al-Biruni, India ch. 68, p. 253 = Sachau ii, p. 105; trans. Eduard Sachau
Mânî has come to a belief like this, after he had heard from the Hindus that there is a demon in the sea whose drawing breath and exhaling breath causes the flow and the ebb.
Mânî has come to a belief like this, after he had heard from the Hindus that there is a demon in the sea whose drawing breath and exhaling breath causes the flow and the ebb.
Al-Biruni, India ch. 73, p. 284 = Sachau ii, p. 169; trans. Eduard Sachau
“The other religious bodies blame us because we worship sun and moon, and represent them as an image. But they do not. know their real natures; they do not know that sun and moon are our path, the door whence we march forth into the world of our existence (into heaven), as this has been declared by Jesus.”
“The other religious bodies blame us because we worship sun and moon, and represent them as an image. But they do not. know their real natures; they do not know that sun and moon are our path, the door whence we march forth into the world of our existence (into heaven), as this has been declared by Jesus.”
Unidentified fragments of Mani’s Books
St. Ephrem the Syrian, Refutations of Mani, Marcion, and Bardaisan, Second Discourse, trans. C. W. Mitchell
"When the Primal Man," he says, "hunted the Sons of Darkness he flayed them, and made this sky from their skins, and out of their excrement he compacted the Earth, and some of their bones, too, he melted, and raised and piled up the mountains,"—we thank him that his falsehood is revealed— "since there is in them, a Mixture and a Mingling of the Light which was swallowed by them in the beginning."
"When the Primal Man," he says, "hunted the Sons of Darkness he flayed them, and made this sky from their skins, and out of their excrement he compacted the Earth, and some of their bones, too, he melted, and raised and piled up the mountains,"—we thank him that his falsehood is revealed— "since there is in them, a Mixture and a Mingling of the Light which was swallowed by them in the beginning."
St. Ephrem the Syrian, Refutations of Mani, Marcion, and Bardaisan, Second Discourse, trans. C. W. Mitchell
"Moreover," (he says) "he (i.e., Primal Man) made trees to be Furnaces." Yet they do not at all times separate fruit from the dust and their produce from the soil; and also cornfields (are said to be furnaces) ; and yet they do not continually draw up life from the earth. And if, as they teach, a Refining goes up from the offal of the Archons, then the greater part of that swallowed Light is going forth by means of the offal of the Archons who swallowed it. Such is the polluted teaching which refines the Parts of its God from the midst of offal!
"Moreover," (he says) "he (i.e., Primal Man) made trees to be Furnaces." Yet they do not at all times separate fruit from the dust and their produce from the soil; and also cornfields (are said to be furnaces) ; and yet they do not continually draw up life from the earth. And if, as they teach, a Refining goes up from the offal of the Archons, then the greater part of that swallowed Light is going forth by means of the offal of the Archons who swallowed it. Such is the polluted teaching which refines the Parts of its God from the midst of offal!
St. Ephrem the Syrian, Refutations of Mani, Marcion, and Bardaisan, Second Discourse, trans. C. W. Mitchell
If, moreover, as they say, "the Moon receives the Light which is refined, and during fifteen days draws it up and goes on emptying it out for another fifteen days," if she is filled very gradually till the time of full moon, it may well be because there are not sufficient Refiners to give the Light at once, but why, pray, is it that she empties the Light little by little ?
If, moreover, as they say, "the Moon receives the Light which is refined, and during fifteen days draws it up and goes on emptying it out for another fifteen days," if she is filled very gradually till the time of full moon, it may well be because there are not sufficient Refiners to give the Light at once, but why, pray, is it that she empties the Light little by little ?
Al-Murtada, cited in Kessler, Mani, trans. A. V. Williams Jackson
Thereupon, the Angel who has been placed in charge of the heaven lets go. Then the uppermost (parts) are overturned to the lowermost ones, and a Fire breaks out in these lowermost (parts) and continues burning until the portions of light that are in the World of Darkness, and which are knotted together with the portions of darkness, are liberated. Concerning the duration of this Conflagration they (the Manichaeans) differ; it is said by some that the duration is 1468 years, but by others it is said to be 1460 years.
Thereupon, the Angel who has been placed in charge of the heaven lets go. Then the uppermost (parts) are overturned to the lowermost ones, and a Fire breaks out in these lowermost (parts) and continues burning until the portions of light that are in the World of Darkness, and which are knotted together with the portions of darkness, are liberated. Concerning the duration of this Conflagration they (the Manichaeans) differ; it is said by some that the duration is 1468 years, but by others it is said to be 1460 years.
Mani’s Epistle to Marcellus
(Epiphanius, Panarion 66)
Manichaeus, Apostle of Jesus Christ, and all the Saints and Virgins who are with me, to Marcellus, my dear Son.
May Grace, Mercy, and Peace be given to you from God the Father, and from Our Lord Jesus Christ.
May also the Right Hand of the Light preserve you from this present and wicked age, from the ruin that awaits it, and from the snares of the Evil Spirit.
I have learned with much joy of your great Charity; but I was grieved at the same time to hear that your Faith is not in conformity with holy Doctrine. That is why, having been sent to reform the Human Race, and to deliver it from the Errors in which it is plunged, I believed I should write you this Letter, for your own salvation and for that of the persons belonging to you.
I would therefore like to deliver you from the Error, whose Masters are the Simple and the Ignorant. Since these men have no discernment, they teach that Good and Evil come from the same Cause, admit only a single Principle of all things, and make no difference between Light and Darkness, between the Inner Man and the Outer Man; on the contrary, they always confuse them.
Take great care, my dear Son, not to accept such confusion, so unreasonable and so injurious to the Goodness of God. For these people, who reject in God both the origin and the end of all evils, will soon perish by Divine vengeance, because they do not add to their faith this Truth: that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us in his Gospel, that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, nor a good tree bad fruit.
I confess that I cannot see, without extreme astonishment, that there are men capable of saying that God is the Creator of Satan, and the Author of evil deeds. May it please God! that, stopping their audacity there, they had not carried their rashness so far as to say that the Only-Begotten Son, who descended from the bosom of the Father, that Christ is the Son of a certain woman called Mary; that he was formed of the flesh and blood of that woman, and that he came into the World with all the impurities that accompany childbirth.
But enough of this. I do not wish to extend this Letter further, nor to abuse your patience. For besides, Nature has not given me the gift of Speech; I could instruct you in all these things when I am with you, if indeed you truly care for your salvation. As for me, I do not seek to embrace anyone, and I do not resemble in this respect a great number of the senseless. You understand well what I wish to say, my very venerable Son.”
May Grace, Mercy, and Peace be given to you from God the Father, and from Our Lord Jesus Christ.
May also the Right Hand of the Light preserve you from this present and wicked age, from the ruin that awaits it, and from the snares of the Evil Spirit.
I have learned with much joy of your great Charity; but I was grieved at the same time to hear that your Faith is not in conformity with holy Doctrine. That is why, having been sent to reform the Human Race, and to deliver it from the Errors in which it is plunged, I believed I should write you this Letter, for your own salvation and for that of the persons belonging to you.
I would therefore like to deliver you from the Error, whose Masters are the Simple and the Ignorant. Since these men have no discernment, they teach that Good and Evil come from the same Cause, admit only a single Principle of all things, and make no difference between Light and Darkness, between the Inner Man and the Outer Man; on the contrary, they always confuse them.
Take great care, my dear Son, not to accept such confusion, so unreasonable and so injurious to the Goodness of God. For these people, who reject in God both the origin and the end of all evils, will soon perish by Divine vengeance, because they do not add to their faith this Truth: that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us in his Gospel, that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, nor a good tree bad fruit.
I confess that I cannot see, without extreme astonishment, that there are men capable of saying that God is the Creator of Satan, and the Author of evil deeds. May it please God! that, stopping their audacity there, they had not carried their rashness so far as to say that the Only-Begotten Son, who descended from the bosom of the Father, that Christ is the Son of a certain woman called Mary; that he was formed of the flesh and blood of that woman, and that he came into the World with all the impurities that accompany childbirth.
But enough of this. I do not wish to extend this Letter further, nor to abuse your patience. For besides, Nature has not given me the gift of Speech; I could instruct you in all these things when I am with you, if indeed you truly care for your salvation. As for me, I do not seek to embrace anyone, and I do not resemble in this respect a great number of the senseless. You understand well what I wish to say, my very venerable Son.”
Fragments Printed by Fabricius (likely apocryphal)
(Bibliotecha Graeca, vol. 5, pp. 283-285)
From Mani’s Epistle to Zebenas.
The nature of the light is simple and true, and its operation is one. For the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. It did not touch the essence of flesh, but was shaded by the likeness and form of flesh, lest it be comprehended by the essence of flesh and suffer corruption, the darkness corrupting the operation of light. How then could it have suffered, since neither malice comprehended it, nor did the darkness obscure its operation?
From the same letter:
The simple nature does not die, and the shadow of flesh is not crucified. Therefore, the light has continually persevered in having one nature and one operation, suffering nothing from the shadow of the flesh, which by no means comprehends the nature it holds.
From Mani’s Epistle to Scythianus
(in others it is written: to Valentinus, who was Mani’s teacher):
The Son of Eternal Light manifested his own essence in the world, not having two natures, but one, both visible and invisible.
From the same, in the Epistle to Cudaros the Saracen
When the Jews once wished to attack Christ with stones, and were carrying out in fact their wicked boldness, the Son of Supreme Light clearly demonstrated his essence; and, passing through the midst of them, he was not seen. For the material form of flesh which he had shaped for himself was not truly visible and could by no means be touched, since matter has no communion with immateriality; although the form of flesh could be perceived by sight.
From his Epistle to Odan (or to Addas, or to Buddas?):
When the Galileans name two natures and affirm that they exist in Christ, we laugh at them; for they do not know that the nature of light cannot be mixed with matter, nor can one nature be joined to another, although it may appear so to be united. Moreover, the appellation “Christ” is so called improperly, since it signifies neither a species nor a nature. But the supreme Light, essentially inhering in its own essence, showed his body among material bodies, although he himself is the one universal nature.
The nature of the light is simple and true, and its operation is one. For the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. It did not touch the essence of flesh, but was shaded by the likeness and form of flesh, lest it be comprehended by the essence of flesh and suffer corruption, the darkness corrupting the operation of light. How then could it have suffered, since neither malice comprehended it, nor did the darkness obscure its operation?
From the same letter:
The simple nature does not die, and the shadow of flesh is not crucified. Therefore, the light has continually persevered in having one nature and one operation, suffering nothing from the shadow of the flesh, which by no means comprehends the nature it holds.
From Mani’s Epistle to Scythianus
(in others it is written: to Valentinus, who was Mani’s teacher):
The Son of Eternal Light manifested his own essence in the world, not having two natures, but one, both visible and invisible.
From the same, in the Epistle to Cudaros the Saracen
When the Jews once wished to attack Christ with stones, and were carrying out in fact their wicked boldness, the Son of Supreme Light clearly demonstrated his essence; and, passing through the midst of them, he was not seen. For the material form of flesh which he had shaped for himself was not truly visible and could by no means be touched, since matter has no communion with immateriality; although the form of flesh could be perceived by sight.
From his Epistle to Odan (or to Addas, or to Buddas?):
When the Galileans name two natures and affirm that they exist in Christ, we laugh at them; for they do not know that the nature of light cannot be mixed with matter, nor can one nature be joined to another, although it may appear so to be united. Moreover, the appellation “Christ” is so called improperly, since it signifies neither a species nor a nature. But the supreme Light, essentially inhering in its own essence, showed his body among material bodies, although he himself is the one universal nature.
Mani’s Epistle to Edessa
(Cologne Mani Codex 64-65)
The truth and the secrets of which I speak, and the laying on of hands which I possess, were not revealed to me by men, nor have I received this from fleshy creatures, not even from the words of the Scriptures. But when my most blessed Father, who hast called me to his grace, beheld me, since he did not wish that I nor the rest of those in this world should perish, compassion moved him, so that he might extend his blessing to those prepared to be chosen from among the sects. And then by his grace he separated me from the council of the many insensible to the truth. He revealed to me his secrets and those of his undefiled Father and of the whole cosmos. He explained to me how I was before the foundation of the world, and how the plans for all the works of both good and evil were laid, and how all of this was brought into being [to its] present limits and [times].
Mani’s Epistle to Menoch
(Julian of Eclanum, Ad Florum, in Augustine, Contra Iulianum 3.166, 172-187)
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The authenticity of Mani's epistle to Menoch was accepted until the middle 20th century, when scholars argued that it was a Christian forgery. However, Geoffrey Harrison and Jason BeDuhn argued for the authenticity of the letter in the late 1990s, identifying it with one of the two epistles to Maynaq (Nos. 60 and 61) listed among the contents of the collection of Mani's epistles in al-Nadim's Fihrist. Fragments of the letter were quoted by the Pelagian bishop Julian of Eclanum during his dispute with St. Augustine over doctrine, particularly regarding sexuality. Julian's book does not survive, but Augustine quoted extensively from it in his Contra Iulianum, from which I translate Julian's passage on Mani's letter to Menoch, omitting Augustine's comments and critiques. The passage opens with Julian explaining that after his previous works disputing Augustine's position, he received a copy of Mani's letter.
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166 But since after their publication, through your prayer, most blessed Father Florus, a letter of Manichaeus was found at Constantinople, and addressed to these parts; it is my work to insert some of it, so that all may understand from whence these arguments for translation descend. […]
172 “Mani, apostle of Jesus Christ, to the daughter of Menoch: Grace and salvation be granted to you from our God, who is truly the true God; and may He Himself enlighten your mind and reveal His justice to you, for you are the fruit of a divine lineage.”
And after a few words: “Through whom also you have been made splendid,” he says, “by recognizing what you once were, from what race of souls you have emanated—a race which is mingled with all bodies, and bound up with all flavors and various forms. For just as souls are begotten from souls, so the shaping of the body is digested from the nature of the body. What therefore is born of flesh is flesh, and what is of spirit is spirit; but by ‘spirit’ understand ‘soul’: soul from soul, flesh from flesh.”
173 You see clearly how Mani most emphatically affirms the transmission of souls, and by what testimony he uses to disparage the flesh—namely that saying which circulates among you: “What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
174 Therefore not only in speaking, but also by repeated insistence, he presses that it is a distinctive tenet of his teaching to believe in the transmission of souls. He even tries to prove it by the analogy of the generation of bodies: “Just as souls,” he says, “are begotten of souls, so the shaping of the body is digested from the nature of the body; and just as flesh comes from flesh, so soul comes from soul.” But let us move on to the rest: “Just as therefore God is the author of souls, so the devil is the author of bodies through lust; so that in the slaughterhouse of the devil, through the lust of woman, by which the devil makes his catch, not souls but bodies are ensnared.”
175 “Whether through sight, or through touch, or through hearing, or through smell, or through taste. Finally, remove the root of this evil stock, and immediately you will behold yourself as spiritual. For the root of all evils is concupiscence, says Scripture (1 Tim. 6:10). You see with what spirit, and for the sake of what doctrine, Manichaeus assails the concupiscence of the flesh—saying that this is the law of sin, which, if it were taken away from bodies, his daughter (to whom he writes) would at once perceive herself to have become spiritual. Let us hear with what sayings of the Apostle he tries to support this opinion: ‘For the flesh lusts against the spirit, because it is the daughter of concupiscence; and the spirit against the flesh, because it is the son of the soul’ (Gal. 5:17).”
176 You understand that the marrow of the Manichaean dogma, by which your faith grows, has been uncovered. But now he goes on to accuse us, that is, Catholics. “Therefore, see how foolish they are who say that this fiction was created by a good God, which they are certain is born from the spirit of concupiscence.”
177 "They have intercourse with unwilling souls, and carry on their lives in secret shame, at which time they hate the light, lest their works be made manifest. For the Apostle says, ‘It is not of the willing that this work may be understood’ (Rom. 9:16). For whether we do good, it is not of the flesh; for the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, etc.; or whether we do evil, it is not of the soul; for the fruit of the Spirit is peace, joy (Gal. 5:19, 22). Finally, the Apostle cries out to the Romans: ‘I do not do the good that I would; but I do the evil that I abhor’ (Rom. 7:19). You see the voice of the stubborn soul, defending the freedom of the soul against concupiscence. For it grieved that sin, that is, the devil, was working in it every concupiscence. The legal authority indicates its evil, since it reproaches all its uses, which the flesh admires and praises: for all the bitterness of concupiscence is sweet to the soul; by which the soul is nourished and urged to vigor. Finally, the mind of one who restrains itself from all use of concupiscence is vigilant, enriched, and grows, but through the use of concupiscence it is accustomed to decrease." Do you understand, or have we discovered too late from which you not only know, but also speak? For you embrace your master with such love that you follow not only his journeys, but also his footsteps: which you assert in all your writings, as do those books which you published in the name of Marcellinus, and these which you intended for Valerius testify, namely that this concupiscence of the flesh, which you also call shameful, is mixed into human bodies by the devil.
178 That this is the daughter of sin, and the mother of other sins, and that the apostle Paul complains of it, when he says, "I know that good does not dwell in my flesh;" and, "I do not do what I want to do; but what I hate, that I do" (Rom. 7:18, 15): which has always been so explained by Catholics that it is not referred to the infamy of nature, but to the envy of custom.
179 Yet you, by arguing and using the testimonies of the Scriptures, confirm that this concupiscence, which you call the law of sin, and that all the saints were both polluted and conquered.
180 What does Manichaeus say? “By the concupiscence of bodies the devil is the author: by this the devil takes possession of bodies, not souls. Remove,” he says, “the root of the evil stock, and you will become spiritual. Of this the apostle cries out to the Romans: I do not the good that I would, but the evil that I abhor” (Rom. 7:19). He also calls us fools who say that this figment of the body belongs to God, which we confess to have been generated by concupiscence. You see, then, how great is the concord between you and Manichaeus in our attack; you fight him with words, with his strong arguments: and you call us liars, who say that you were not only his disciple, as you yourself write, but also that you were. And yet in this he was more prudent, who, having believed that this concupiscence of the flesh was introduced by the devil, concluded that it must be confessed that whatever appeared to be uttered about diabolical concupiscence does not belong to the work of God.
181 But you are more dull, who, calling man the fruit of the devil's lust, yet ascribe him to the works of God; not as if good were made of evil, but evil and sprung from an evil root, yet having a good author, whom the devil may claim for himself the fruit of his root.
182 For by your words, the devil plucks all those born of lust, as if by right from his own tree. Therefore, you are equally blasphemous, like Manicheaus, who would vindicate the lust of the flesh as created by God.
183 Now, that of yours, which I discussed in a previous work (to Turbantius), where you say, "Sometimes lust does not act when the mind is willing, sometimes it acts when the mind is unwilling" (De Nuptiis et Concupiscentia, book 1, c. 7), and you accuse this pride of his, by which he is moved when the mind is unwilling: the Manichaeans, have explained it not only by the senses, but also by their eloquence. For when he had rebuked us for saying that men are made by God, whom we admit to being made by the pleasure of those who cohabit: "Fools," he said, "say that it was created by God, that they are certain that they are born of concupiscence, and they cohabit when the mind is unwilling."
184 But what you have stated, "The evil is concupiscence, which avoids sight everywhere, and seeks secrecy through shame" (Ibid., c. 8): so also Manichaeus says, "They act in secret, at which time they hate the light, so that their works may not be revealed."
185 “But as to what you say, ‘because he who lawfully makes use of concupiscence makes good use of an evil’ (ibid., book 2, ch. 21), and to lend more weight you recall the Apostle, who, you say, declared that there was no good dwelling in his flesh — and this ‘not-good,’ that is, the evil dwelling in the flesh of the Apostle, you want to be understood as concupiscence of the flesh: Manichaeus set it down in no other way than you. For after he had said, ‘lest their works be made manifest,’ he adds: ‘On account of this the Apostle,’ he says, ‘cries out to the Romans: The good which I will, I do not; but the evil I abhor, that I do. For he was grieving,’ he says, ‘because sin—that is, the devil—was working in him every concupiscence. The authority of the Law points out the evil of concupiscence, since it condemns every use of it, which the flesh admires and praises.’”
186 But what you thought was of great value in maintaining the distinction between you and Manichaeus, that you said that the nature was indeed good, but made only of the first men, but that all subsequent men were subverted by concupiscence: Manichaeus also argued thus: “It is worth noting,” he says, “that the first soul that flowed from the God of light, took this structure of the body, in order to rule it with its bridle. The commandment came, sin revived, which seemed captive: the devil found his joints, seduced the matter of concupiscence into it, and killed it through it. The law is indeed holy, but holy of the holy; and the commandment is both just and good; but of the just and good.” So also in that letter to Patrick, “as if he says of the first made flower of the substance better to those who follow.” Therefore it is not great, nor does it advance anything in your defense, that you thought it necessary to separate from the accusation of human nature Adam, about whose state we will discuss more fully shortly. Let it suffice to show here that nothing is found so crude in your senses that it is not already marred by the wanderings of the Manichaeans.
187 He (Mani) indeed persists in inveighing against us, and he adds: “But those who have dared to say that this concupiscence is good, against the evangelical and apostolic books which they idly read—you may see,” he says, “their saints now lying with their daughters, now carrying on with several concubines and wives. Nor do the Apostles see this: What fellowship has light with darkness? What agreement has a believer with an unbeliever, Christ with Belial? (2 Cor. 6:14–15). They err, shrouded in the cloud of concupiscence, so delighting in its poison that, captured by madness, when they practice it they think it granted them by God—as if they were ignorant that the Apostle said, ‘The things that are done by them in secret, it is shameful even to speak of’ (Eph. 5:12).”
You see plainly how he agitates the matter of shame, and thinks this weighs very heavily against us—that we dare not call it evil, and yet admit it is something veiled by modesty. Therefore, you (Julian) have woven no garment with which to cover the ugliness of your teaching, except the rags in which you were bred up, in the inheritance of your father and master.
He (Mani) therefore continues to rise up against us, and, making an apostrophe, says: “Come then, you defender of concupiscence, tell openly the fruits and works of it. Behold, I, against it, do not fear the light, which it dreads, which it hates. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be made manifest (John 3:20). Do you see that concupiscence is the origin of evil, by which wretched souls are enslaved to lust—not willingly, for this alone is what we do with an unwilling mind?”
From this, you too say: “For what is the reason,” you ask, “that lips, tongue, hands, the bendings of the back, the neck, and the sides, in order to be moved to their proper works, are subject to the command of the will; but when it comes to the begetting of children, the members created for this work do not obey, but wait until lust, as if by its own right, arouses them; and sometimes it does not act when the mind wills, and sometimes it acts even when the mind is unwilling?” (On Marriage and Concupiscence, book 1, n. 7).
You enumerated, in fact, all the functions of the members, and in praising them for serving the command of the will, you call the business of lust precisely that which alone we do with an unwilling mind. And what says Manichaeus? “Do you see,” he says, “that concupiscence is the origin of evil, by which wretched souls are enslaved to lust, not willingly—for this is the only thing we do with an unwilling mind?”
But let us see what else he adds: “Finally, every sin is outside the body, because it is an act: but he who commits fornication sins against his own body (1 Cor. 6:18). For every sin, before it is done, is not; and after it is done, only the memory of the act remains, not the very act itself. But the evil of concupiscence, because it is natural, exists even before the act; when it is acted upon, it increases; after the act, it is both seen and remains.”
Why then do you quarrel with us for calling you a Manichaean, when in his writings nothing else is found than what you yourself say, and in your writings nothing else is found than what he wishes to persuade?
Moreover, that saying which passes from mouth to mouth among the common people, yet was poured in by you, is also contained in the same epistle of Manichaeus; namely: “If sin is not natural, why are infants baptized, who plainly have done no evil of their own?” I said that this is carried on many lips because it is a very vulgar argument, easy even for the slowest minds to grasp. But you put your whole hope in it in your books.
And thus your teacher pursues the very same point in this way: “Those must be asked with these words: If every evil is actual, why does one receive purification by water before he has done any evil of his own? Or if he has not yet done evil and yet must be purified, it is permitted to show them that they are naturally the offshoot of an evil stock, those very ones whom their madness does not allow to understand either what they say or the things they affirm.” (Epistle of Manichaeus).
Do you hear how he insults us? He calls us madmen, not even understanding what we say or what we affirm, because we deny the offshoot of an evil stock, even though we baptize with purifying water those who have done no evil—that is, infants.
Many of his opinions have been set forth, of course; but had the title not indicated Menoch’s daughter and Mani, who names himself an apostle of Christ, one would absolutely have supposed you to be their author. Since therefore you say nothing other than what you learned from Mani’s teaching, do you think that in the judgment of Catholics you should be regarded otherwise than him, through whom you drank the sacraments of such dogmas?
172 “Mani, apostle of Jesus Christ, to the daughter of Menoch: Grace and salvation be granted to you from our God, who is truly the true God; and may He Himself enlighten your mind and reveal His justice to you, for you are the fruit of a divine lineage.”
And after a few words: “Through whom also you have been made splendid,” he says, “by recognizing what you once were, from what race of souls you have emanated—a race which is mingled with all bodies, and bound up with all flavors and various forms. For just as souls are begotten from souls, so the shaping of the body is digested from the nature of the body. What therefore is born of flesh is flesh, and what is of spirit is spirit; but by ‘spirit’ understand ‘soul’: soul from soul, flesh from flesh.”
173 You see clearly how Mani most emphatically affirms the transmission of souls, and by what testimony he uses to disparage the flesh—namely that saying which circulates among you: “What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
174 Therefore not only in speaking, but also by repeated insistence, he presses that it is a distinctive tenet of his teaching to believe in the transmission of souls. He even tries to prove it by the analogy of the generation of bodies: “Just as souls,” he says, “are begotten of souls, so the shaping of the body is digested from the nature of the body; and just as flesh comes from flesh, so soul comes from soul.” But let us move on to the rest: “Just as therefore God is the author of souls, so the devil is the author of bodies through lust; so that in the slaughterhouse of the devil, through the lust of woman, by which the devil makes his catch, not souls but bodies are ensnared.”
175 “Whether through sight, or through touch, or through hearing, or through smell, or through taste. Finally, remove the root of this evil stock, and immediately you will behold yourself as spiritual. For the root of all evils is concupiscence, says Scripture (1 Tim. 6:10). You see with what spirit, and for the sake of what doctrine, Manichaeus assails the concupiscence of the flesh—saying that this is the law of sin, which, if it were taken away from bodies, his daughter (to whom he writes) would at once perceive herself to have become spiritual. Let us hear with what sayings of the Apostle he tries to support this opinion: ‘For the flesh lusts against the spirit, because it is the daughter of concupiscence; and the spirit against the flesh, because it is the son of the soul’ (Gal. 5:17).”
176 You understand that the marrow of the Manichaean dogma, by which your faith grows, has been uncovered. But now he goes on to accuse us, that is, Catholics. “Therefore, see how foolish they are who say that this fiction was created by a good God, which they are certain is born from the spirit of concupiscence.”
177 "They have intercourse with unwilling souls, and carry on their lives in secret shame, at which time they hate the light, lest their works be made manifest. For the Apostle says, ‘It is not of the willing that this work may be understood’ (Rom. 9:16). For whether we do good, it is not of the flesh; for the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, etc.; or whether we do evil, it is not of the soul; for the fruit of the Spirit is peace, joy (Gal. 5:19, 22). Finally, the Apostle cries out to the Romans: ‘I do not do the good that I would; but I do the evil that I abhor’ (Rom. 7:19). You see the voice of the stubborn soul, defending the freedom of the soul against concupiscence. For it grieved that sin, that is, the devil, was working in it every concupiscence. The legal authority indicates its evil, since it reproaches all its uses, which the flesh admires and praises: for all the bitterness of concupiscence is sweet to the soul; by which the soul is nourished and urged to vigor. Finally, the mind of one who restrains itself from all use of concupiscence is vigilant, enriched, and grows, but through the use of concupiscence it is accustomed to decrease." Do you understand, or have we discovered too late from which you not only know, but also speak? For you embrace your master with such love that you follow not only his journeys, but also his footsteps: which you assert in all your writings, as do those books which you published in the name of Marcellinus, and these which you intended for Valerius testify, namely that this concupiscence of the flesh, which you also call shameful, is mixed into human bodies by the devil.
178 That this is the daughter of sin, and the mother of other sins, and that the apostle Paul complains of it, when he says, "I know that good does not dwell in my flesh;" and, "I do not do what I want to do; but what I hate, that I do" (Rom. 7:18, 15): which has always been so explained by Catholics that it is not referred to the infamy of nature, but to the envy of custom.
179 Yet you, by arguing and using the testimonies of the Scriptures, confirm that this concupiscence, which you call the law of sin, and that all the saints were both polluted and conquered.
180 What does Manichaeus say? “By the concupiscence of bodies the devil is the author: by this the devil takes possession of bodies, not souls. Remove,” he says, “the root of the evil stock, and you will become spiritual. Of this the apostle cries out to the Romans: I do not the good that I would, but the evil that I abhor” (Rom. 7:19). He also calls us fools who say that this figment of the body belongs to God, which we confess to have been generated by concupiscence. You see, then, how great is the concord between you and Manichaeus in our attack; you fight him with words, with his strong arguments: and you call us liars, who say that you were not only his disciple, as you yourself write, but also that you were. And yet in this he was more prudent, who, having believed that this concupiscence of the flesh was introduced by the devil, concluded that it must be confessed that whatever appeared to be uttered about diabolical concupiscence does not belong to the work of God.
181 But you are more dull, who, calling man the fruit of the devil's lust, yet ascribe him to the works of God; not as if good were made of evil, but evil and sprung from an evil root, yet having a good author, whom the devil may claim for himself the fruit of his root.
182 For by your words, the devil plucks all those born of lust, as if by right from his own tree. Therefore, you are equally blasphemous, like Manicheaus, who would vindicate the lust of the flesh as created by God.
183 Now, that of yours, which I discussed in a previous work (to Turbantius), where you say, "Sometimes lust does not act when the mind is willing, sometimes it acts when the mind is unwilling" (De Nuptiis et Concupiscentia, book 1, c. 7), and you accuse this pride of his, by which he is moved when the mind is unwilling: the Manichaeans, have explained it not only by the senses, but also by their eloquence. For when he had rebuked us for saying that men are made by God, whom we admit to being made by the pleasure of those who cohabit: "Fools," he said, "say that it was created by God, that they are certain that they are born of concupiscence, and they cohabit when the mind is unwilling."
184 But what you have stated, "The evil is concupiscence, which avoids sight everywhere, and seeks secrecy through shame" (Ibid., c. 8): so also Manichaeus says, "They act in secret, at which time they hate the light, so that their works may not be revealed."
185 “But as to what you say, ‘because he who lawfully makes use of concupiscence makes good use of an evil’ (ibid., book 2, ch. 21), and to lend more weight you recall the Apostle, who, you say, declared that there was no good dwelling in his flesh — and this ‘not-good,’ that is, the evil dwelling in the flesh of the Apostle, you want to be understood as concupiscence of the flesh: Manichaeus set it down in no other way than you. For after he had said, ‘lest their works be made manifest,’ he adds: ‘On account of this the Apostle,’ he says, ‘cries out to the Romans: The good which I will, I do not; but the evil I abhor, that I do. For he was grieving,’ he says, ‘because sin—that is, the devil—was working in him every concupiscence. The authority of the Law points out the evil of concupiscence, since it condemns every use of it, which the flesh admires and praises.’”
186 But what you thought was of great value in maintaining the distinction between you and Manichaeus, that you said that the nature was indeed good, but made only of the first men, but that all subsequent men were subverted by concupiscence: Manichaeus also argued thus: “It is worth noting,” he says, “that the first soul that flowed from the God of light, took this structure of the body, in order to rule it with its bridle. The commandment came, sin revived, which seemed captive: the devil found his joints, seduced the matter of concupiscence into it, and killed it through it. The law is indeed holy, but holy of the holy; and the commandment is both just and good; but of the just and good.” So also in that letter to Patrick, “as if he says of the first made flower of the substance better to those who follow.” Therefore it is not great, nor does it advance anything in your defense, that you thought it necessary to separate from the accusation of human nature Adam, about whose state we will discuss more fully shortly. Let it suffice to show here that nothing is found so crude in your senses that it is not already marred by the wanderings of the Manichaeans.
187 He (Mani) indeed persists in inveighing against us, and he adds: “But those who have dared to say that this concupiscence is good, against the evangelical and apostolic books which they idly read—you may see,” he says, “their saints now lying with their daughters, now carrying on with several concubines and wives. Nor do the Apostles see this: What fellowship has light with darkness? What agreement has a believer with an unbeliever, Christ with Belial? (2 Cor. 6:14–15). They err, shrouded in the cloud of concupiscence, so delighting in its poison that, captured by madness, when they practice it they think it granted them by God—as if they were ignorant that the Apostle said, ‘The things that are done by them in secret, it is shameful even to speak of’ (Eph. 5:12).”
You see plainly how he agitates the matter of shame, and thinks this weighs very heavily against us—that we dare not call it evil, and yet admit it is something veiled by modesty. Therefore, you (Julian) have woven no garment with which to cover the ugliness of your teaching, except the rags in which you were bred up, in the inheritance of your father and master.
He (Mani) therefore continues to rise up against us, and, making an apostrophe, says: “Come then, you defender of concupiscence, tell openly the fruits and works of it. Behold, I, against it, do not fear the light, which it dreads, which it hates. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be made manifest (John 3:20). Do you see that concupiscence is the origin of evil, by which wretched souls are enslaved to lust—not willingly, for this alone is what we do with an unwilling mind?”
From this, you too say: “For what is the reason,” you ask, “that lips, tongue, hands, the bendings of the back, the neck, and the sides, in order to be moved to their proper works, are subject to the command of the will; but when it comes to the begetting of children, the members created for this work do not obey, but wait until lust, as if by its own right, arouses them; and sometimes it does not act when the mind wills, and sometimes it acts even when the mind is unwilling?” (On Marriage and Concupiscence, book 1, n. 7).
You enumerated, in fact, all the functions of the members, and in praising them for serving the command of the will, you call the business of lust precisely that which alone we do with an unwilling mind. And what says Manichaeus? “Do you see,” he says, “that concupiscence is the origin of evil, by which wretched souls are enslaved to lust, not willingly—for this is the only thing we do with an unwilling mind?”
But let us see what else he adds: “Finally, every sin is outside the body, because it is an act: but he who commits fornication sins against his own body (1 Cor. 6:18). For every sin, before it is done, is not; and after it is done, only the memory of the act remains, not the very act itself. But the evil of concupiscence, because it is natural, exists even before the act; when it is acted upon, it increases; after the act, it is both seen and remains.”
Why then do you quarrel with us for calling you a Manichaean, when in his writings nothing else is found than what you yourself say, and in your writings nothing else is found than what he wishes to persuade?
Moreover, that saying which passes from mouth to mouth among the common people, yet was poured in by you, is also contained in the same epistle of Manichaeus; namely: “If sin is not natural, why are infants baptized, who plainly have done no evil of their own?” I said that this is carried on many lips because it is a very vulgar argument, easy even for the slowest minds to grasp. But you put your whole hope in it in your books.
And thus your teacher pursues the very same point in this way: “Those must be asked with these words: If every evil is actual, why does one receive purification by water before he has done any evil of his own? Or if he has not yet done evil and yet must be purified, it is permitted to show them that they are naturally the offshoot of an evil stock, those very ones whom their madness does not allow to understand either what they say or the things they affirm.” (Epistle of Manichaeus).
Do you hear how he insults us? He calls us madmen, not even understanding what we say or what we affirm, because we deny the offshoot of an evil stock, even though we baptize with purifying water those who have done no evil—that is, infants.
Many of his opinions have been set forth, of course; but had the title not indicated Menoch’s daughter and Mani, who names himself an apostle of Christ, one would absolutely have supposed you to be their author. Since therefore you say nothing other than what you learned from Mani’s teaching, do you think that in the judgment of Catholics you should be regarded otherwise than him, through whom you drank the sacraments of such dogmas?
Apocryphal Fragment
Turpan Fragment S. 9, b 33-d 33 = Salemann, Manichaica III, p. 8-14. (The Disciple requests Mānī), trans. A. V. Williams Jackson (apocryphal)
'"Tell me, O Ruler and Friend, disclose unto me, thou Son of the Most Glorious One, about the time of thy advent, when thou shalt come at the end. Tell thou Great Releaser, my Teacher, about that time and its signs." ... (In response Mānī says in part). "More than quick comes that time for the conflicts, the years with their troubles (lit. debts, obligations), when they run like water in the eyes! Near is it come to that time. Teach (therefore), worship and chant aloud!" (The reasons for the assured rejoicing are omitted here in the translation). The Ruler Mānī himself taught the signs of //// [=zamān, the time] supreme.'
'"Tell me, O Ruler and Friend, disclose unto me, thou Son of the Most Glorious One, about the time of thy advent, when thou shalt come at the end. Tell thou Great Releaser, my Teacher, about that time and its signs." ... (In response Mānī says in part). "More than quick comes that time for the conflicts, the years with their troubles (lit. debts, obligations), when they run like water in the eyes! Near is it come to that time. Teach (therefore), worship and chant aloud!" (The reasons for the assured rejoicing are omitted here in the translation). The Ruler Mānī himself taught the signs of //// [=zamān, the time] supreme.'
