Mani, Manicheans

MANI, MANICHEANS. The Religion Characterized (§ 11. Origin of Man (§ 6).

Mani's Origin; Legendary Accretions (§ 2).
The End of the World (§ 7).

Mani's Life (§ 3). Two Classes of Manicheans (§ 8).

Manichean Cosmogony (§ 4).
Fasts, Feasts, and Prayer (§ 9).
Commingling of Light and Darkness (§ 5).
The Church (§ 10).

When Christianity had won its fight and been declared in the fourth century the State religion, its doctrines had been in conflict with many opposing forms of belief. But its doughtiest opponent was not the decrepit faith in the gods of Greece and Rome. A more dangerous foe was found in ancient philosophy, especially in its latest form of Neoplatonism, which strove for spiritual control of the world and combined the theoretical with the practical. The one lack of Neoplatonism was a per- teas as private tutor to two sons of the elector. On Thiersch's retirement Mangold chose the vacant department of New-Testament theology in place of ecclesiastical history. Having acquired a considerable reputation both as teacher and author, he received in 1863 s call to Vienna, from the Evangelical faculty of theology there, but at the same time, in spite of the intrigues of his adversaries, he was at last, by command of the elector, appointed regular professor of theology at Marburg. Here, besides his constant application to his specialty of Biblical instruction, and to his other university duties, including the rector's office, which he filled in 1869 1870, he took much interest in the Reformed congregation at Marburg and in the extraordinary Hessian Synod, in whose behalf he labored as a member of the Prussian House of Deputies. His call to Bonn in 1872 was due to the minister Falk. Here he labored indefatigably and successfully for over seventeen years, in the spirit of his chosen motto, "Speaking the truth in love." He was largely influenced by his teacher and veteran colleague, Ernst Henke, his memorial tribute to whom (Marburg, 1879) clearly reflects his own theological attitude. Although he fully understood honest orthodox zeal and was patient with ignorance, be had abundant occasion in Bonn for decided opposition to arbitrary traditionalism. However, be soon became one of the best loved teachers of the university, which in 1876-77 elected him rector.

Omitting his numerous minor works, of which a complete lief is given in the Protestarltische Ifirchen zeituny for 1890, no. 17, it is necessary to mention here the following larger books: Die Irrlehrer der Pastoralbriefe (Marburg, 1856); Der Rdmerbrief und die Anfarlge der römischen Gemeirlde (1866); and an independent work, not merely a recasting of the last-named work, Der RSmeriSriej und seine geschichtlichen Voratcasetzurlgen (1884). He was also widely known for his two greatly enlarged new editions of his predecessor Friedrich Bleek's Eirl leiturlg in das Neue Testament (Berlin, 1875; 1886). He left Bleek's text as it stood, but amplified it by excellent supplements, thereby prolonging the use fulness of Bleek's remarkable work by coordinating it with the progressive development of New-Testament scholarship.

A. Kamphausen.

Bibliography: Protestantieche Rirchenraituny, 1890, no. 17.

The Future Life (§ 11).

Mani's Attitude Toward the Bible (§ 12).
Manichean Literature (§ 13).
History of the Religion (§ 14).
Component Sources of the System (§ 15).

sonal center around which to gather its forces, for want of which, as contrasted with Christianity, it failed to attain popularity. Even more

><. The dangerous than this was a religion

Religion which, rising in the Orient, united in

Character- itself the charms of the new with the ized. allurements of the old as represented in the mysteries - which were so attractive to the peoples of that time. This was

Mithraiam, of which Reran once rightly remarked,

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"If the world had not become Christian in the fourth century, it would have become Mithraic." See Mithra, Mithraism. When this enemy had been conquered by the polemics of the Fathers, Babylonia, the cradle of Mithraism, sent a dreadworthy successor to the West, the religion of Mani, or Manicheism. Of Babylonian-Persian origin, the teaching of Mani found its way smoothed by its predecessor, Mithraism. Christianity fought its hardest battle with this new religion, which, though too far removed from Christianity to become a Christian sect, yet combined in itself all the elements which made Gnosticism, with its emphasis upon higher wisdom, so dangerous to Christianity. Manicheism had an existence of nearly a thousand years. It united to Ophitism, the oldest and purest form of Gnosticism, the best elements of the teachings of Marcion and Bardesanes, and so built up the most important of all Gnostic systems. Yet it had, at least as respects Christianity, all the advantages of independence; and it confidently claimed ability to supply a universal need. Its basis was pagan as contrasted with the Christian foundation of other forms of Gnosticism. Mani's object was to give to the Persians of Sassanian times a better religion than that of Zoroaster; he had not apostolic Christianity in view as an opponent. Hence he utilized the sources found in the metropolis of metropolises, Babylon, and built upon the foundations of religion laid there so many centuries earlier. That he later had regard to the Christianity of the West and to the Buddhism of the East is indeed not to be denied; but the influence of Christianity is small compared with the abounding paganism worked into his system. The elements, then, out of which Mani created the religion which he gave to his disciples to propagate, were the Babylonian-Aramaic beliefs of his time, with Parseeism controlling the theory, Buddhism influencing the ethics and life, Christianity furnishing holy names and external analogies, and Mandwism giving its "king of light." A great literature arose about this faith. Concerning the founder Christians and non-Christians wrote; Church Fathers and professional polemists as well as philosophers and historians who had no bias, litterateurs of the East and of the West were engaged in discussing it. Christian sources are in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and a few in Arabic; the nonChristian mainly in Arabic or Persian, and the latter, as belonging to the soil on which the religion grew and because of the natural sympathy and habits of writing of the East, are the most valuable as giving the purest forms of tradition.

The native name of the founder is Mani (Gk. Manes, Manichaios, Lat. Manes or Manichet;us), the etymology of which is doubtful. It is not of Persian but of Babylonian-Aramaic derivation, and is to be connected with the Mana so frequently occurring in Mandæan writings (see Mandæans).

2. Mani's The Acta Archelai gives the Origin; founder's original name as GSIrbicius,

Legendary changed later into Curbicus and Urbi-

Accretions. cus. Mani's father's name is given as Fatak (Patak), and his family is said to have been of distinguished Persian origin, to have emigrated from Ecbatana in Bactria and settled near Ctesiphon. Ibis mother is reputed to have belonged to the Arsacidae. Mani is said to have been born in the city of Mardinu in 215-216; he was crucified at Gundev Shapur in 276. A cycle of legend surrounds the circumstances of his birth. According to reports, his father took the boy under his especial care, removed him from his mother, and, in consequence of a change in his religious convictions, joined a South Babylonian sect, the Mu`tasilah, "baptizera," and took up his residence in the district of Mesene on the lower Tigris, where he gave his son instruction until his twelfth year, at which time Mani reached independent conclusions on the matter of religion. Reports indicate that Fatak was essentially a religious leader who used his son to further the diffusion of his teachings. The Acts Archehi mentions two supposed forerunners of Mani, Scythianus and Terebinthus. The former is reported to have been a "Saracen" merchant of Arabia who went to Egypt and absorbed all the wisdom of that land during a residence there, and through his disciple Terebinthua wrote a number of books. He then went to Judea to propagate his doctrines but was worsted in a disputation and lost his life. Terebinthua fled to Babylonia with his master's books and treasures, there took the name of Buddas (or Baiddas), engaged in a disputation with Persian priests of Mithra, but was worsted, gaining as convert only an old widow who fell heir to his books and treasures, and bought as a slave Curbicius (see above), who in turn came into possession of the treasures of Scythianus. But this whole story arises in a misconception. "Terebinthus," though it might be used as a proper name, means "pupil," and embodies also a development of the term rubbiya, having the same general meaning. Mani is spoken of as the disciple of his father, is identified with Terebinthus, and his father with Scythianus, as coming from the country of the Scythians, while the term "Saracen" (see above) is explicable from Fatak's settlement in Mesene (Characene). This explanation fits well with the varied sources drawn upon in the construction of the system. Allegorical reconstruction then accounts for the story of Scythianus and Terebinthus given above.

Manichean tradition places the first independent development in the religious life of Mani in his twelfth year. The traveled youth received then a revelation from the king of light through the angel Elta'um (" El [God] is allied," cf. the name of the Talmudic angel Tumiy'el, in which the elements are the same, only reversed in order) directing him to withdraw from the Mu'tasilah and

3. Mani's purify himself by ascetic practises. Life. The next twelve years were spent in preparation for his Work, espeeWly ;n the study of Babylonian religion; during this time he was in contact with the Christians of South Babylonia. Mani's first public appearance is set by a trustworthy Manichean source on the coronation day of Shapur L, Mar. 20, 242, and he is asserted to have begun his work as a religious teacher in his twenty-eighth year. While the occasion, the collection of a large concourse of people, was happily chosen, the disfavor of the king compelled

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Mani to leave the kingdom, and he is said to have lived abroad forty years, extending his travels to Khorassan, Bokhara, China, and India. The statement that Mani had as disciples Thomas, Addas, and Hermas, two of whom he sent to Syria and Egypt, is unhistorical. Bar Hebrrrus asserts that Mani chose twelve disciples. The early Manichean tradition knows only of a personal propaganda of Mani to the north and east of the Persian realm, in which he declared himself to be the last of a series of divinely sent ambassadors of the true God who had commissioned Zoroaster, Buddha, and Jesus. This conception is the same as appears in the Clementine literature, the "great prophet" of Elkesaite thought. Still, how little Mani intended to accept Jesus as a forerunner appears in the later Persian report that Mani's system made Jesus a devil. After long wandering, in which possibly Manichean communities were established in Turkestan and India, Mani returned to Persia, where his followers had increased. He attempted to win over the brother of Shapur, though political circumstances must have predisposed the king to reject overtures on account of dangers to the dynasty from the Persian priesthood; the teacher, however, appears personally to have impressed Shapur favorably. Freedom to practise their religion is said to have been granted his followers, though it appears that this favor was subsequently withdrawn, since Mani had twice to flee the realm. Concerning the remainder of-Mani's life little that is reliable has come down. His following increased at various points in the empire; and he is said to have enjoyed the favor of Hormisdas I., the successor of Shapur I., and to have received a city in Khuzistan as his residence. On the accession of Bahrain I. he was crucified and flayed, and his skin was stuffed with straw and nailed to the gate which long bore his name. A severe persecution of his followers began immediately after the death of the master. Of Mani's personal characteristics little is known, but the Fihrist says that he had a physical defect, a malformed leg. He had fine philosophical and linguistic endowments, profound religious knowledge, and a decided aptitude for literary work. His moral precepts make his character worthy of all honor.

As the basis for the study of the system of Mani the Acta Archelai and the reports of Augustine are no more employed, but rather the Kitab al-Fihrist and the reports of Theodore bar Choni, which depend upon early Manichean writings. The fundamental part in this system is the theory of the origin of the world, which is rooted in Persian dualism. The world began in a mixing of two opposing elements light and darkness, one essentially good, the other essentially evil. The original light was self-existent, and was called " the first 4. Mani- (or original) excellence," i.e., the chean source of the derived "excellences" Cosmogony. or eons, also "the king of the para dise of lights." This entirely spiritual existence consisted of five elements, eternal exist ences, which composed the body and soul of the divine being; the five corporeal elements were mildness, knowledge, understanding, secrecy, and dis. cernment; the five spiritual elements were love, faith, fidelity, generosity, and wisdom. The kingdom of light, coeternal with the king, included an ether of light and an earth of light; the ether was composed of the same material elements as the body of the king of light, while the earth had as its elements breath, wind, light, water, and fire. This earth of light was under the government of a special light-deity, who was surrounded by twelve excellences of like nature. It was a transcendental correlative of the present earth. From above and at the sides this light world was unbounded, but beneath it met the realm of darkness, which was without limits from below and at the sides. This darkness was also a personal being, who filled his world in a manner like that of the light-god, though he is never called "god" by Mani. The representation of darkness resembles that of the early Babylonian Tiamat, the personified chaos. Darkness was also constituted of five elements, cloud, burning, burning wind, air, and darkness, and the regions were divided as were those of light, while the description follows in part the exposition of the Mandæan lower regions (see Mandæans, § 5). The first step toward the commingling of the two elements and the forming of earth came about through the formation of Satan in the realm of darkness, who came into being out of the eternal elements of darkness. He is pictured with the head of a lion, the body of a dragon, the wings of a bird, the tail of a fish, and with four feet. He moved about in the darkness and discovered a gleam of light which appeared to him of the nature of a challenge and he moved to attack it. The king of light put forward the "original man" (primes homo) to meet the assault. Different accounts follow of the way the combat proceeded and of the combatants actually engaged; but the fight ended in victory over man, who was bound and surrounded by the elements of darkness. The king of light entered the conflict with other deities of light, rescued the original man, and put to flight the powers of darkness. Among the helping eons were " the friend of lights," " the spirit of life," and " gladness." Victory seems to have been gained in part by the mystic power of knowledge of the secret name of darkness, though the accounts vary in different authorities.