Manichaean scripture includes nine main books: the Seven Treatises of Manichaeism, all personally written byMani inSyriac, theShabuhragan written by Mani inMiddle Persian, and theArzhang, a series of illustrations painted by Mani.
TheKephalaia are not scriptural but rather a secondary literature on Manichaeism commenting on the scripture.[1][2]
| Part of a series on |
| Manichaeism |
|---|
Prophets |
People |
Seven Treatises of Manichaeism, sometimes also referred to as the ManichaeanHeptateuch,[3] are seven scriptures personally written by the founder ofManichaeism,Mani.
Recognizing the shortcomings of the religions that preceded him, Mani was determined to create a world, unified religion. In Mani's view, the unity of religious thought in the past could only be achieved when the founders were alive. However, these founders did not write books themselves, and when they died, their disciples went their own way, leading their own religions into division and confusion. Mani said of Manichaeism "The religion I have chosen is ten times greater than any previous religion. First, unlike the previous religions, which were limited to one country and one language, my religion will be popular in every country, in all languages, and spread to the ends of the earth. Secondly, previous religions existed only when they had pure leaders, and once the leaders died, their religion immediately fell into chaos and their precepts and writings were neglected. But my religion, however, thanks to its living classics, its preachers, bishops, friars, and laymen, and thanks to its wisdom and writings, will endure to the end."[4]
In theManichaean Compendium these seven scriptures are compared to ships: Power, make seven of them for sailing."[14]
For various reasons, none of the seven scriptures have been found in their entirety. Existing fragments of scriptures in Coptic, Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Uighur and other languages have been discovered, but their specific ownership needs to be further studied.
| English name | "Keflea" 148; "Sermon 25" | Hymn 46-47; 139-40 | Keflea 5 | Sermons 94 | Transliteration of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism Methods" | Paraphrase of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel of Mani[15] | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | Euaggelion | 大应轮部（希腊文：evangelion） | 彻尽万法根源智经 |
| Treasure of Life[15] | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | Thēsauros | 寻提贺部（粟特文：smṭyh'） | 净命宝藏经 |
| The Epistles[15] | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | Epistolaue | 泥万部（中古波斯文：dēwān） | 律藏经/药藏经 |
| The Book of Mysteries[15] | mMustērion | mMustērion | pTa tōn mustērion | mMustērion | 阿罗瓒部（中古波斯文：razan） | 秘密法藏经 |
| Pragmateia[15] | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | Pragmateia | 钵迦摩帝夜部（希臘文：pragmateia） | 证明过去教经 |
| The Book of Giants[15] | nGigas | nCalashire | graphē ntlaice nnParthos | Graphe [ ntlaice nnParthos | 俱缓部（中古波斯文：kawan） | 大力士经 |
| Psalms and Prayers[15] | mPsalmos + nShlel | nShlel + 2Psalmos | mPsalmos + nShlel | nShlel | 阿拂胤部（中古波斯文：āfrīn） | 赞愿经 |
In the Christian literature[which?], there is another saying[where?] of the "Four Sutras of Manichae", which is not mentioned[by whom?] in the accounts of Manichaeism or other religions. There are many errors[clarification needed] and it is not enough[vague] to believe.[clarification needed] For exampleKephalaia is not scriptural but rather a literary genre[citation needed].[1][2]
| Possible identification | Hegemonius The Acts of Akilai (62.3)[16] | Epiphanius of Salamis "Panarion" (66.2. 9)[17] | Theodore Bar Konai "Skalia"[18] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Mysteries | Mysteria (Secret Sutra) | Musteria | Raze |
| Kephalaia | Capitula (Kephalaia) | Kephalaia | Rishe |
| Gospel of Mani | Euangelium (Gospel) | Euangelion | Ewangeliyun |
| Treasure of Life | Thesaurus (Treasure) | Thesauros | Simatha |
TheShabuhragan (Persian:شاپورگانShāpuragān), which means "[the] book ofShapur", was a sacred book of theManichaean religion, written by the founderMani (c. 210–276 CE) himself, originally inMiddle Persian, and dedicated toShapur I (c. 215–272 CE), the contemporary king of theSassanid Persian Empire. The book was designed to present to Shapur an outline of Mani's new religion, which united elements fromZoroastrianism,Christianity, andBuddhism[citation needed]. Original Middle Persian fragments were discovered atTurpan, and quotations were brought in Arabic byBiruni: It is the only work of Mani's not written in Syriac[19] This book is listed as one of theseven treatises of Manichaeism inArabic historical sources, but it is not among the seven treatises in the Manichaean account itself.[20]
TheMiddle Persian word for "Shabuhragan" is "dw bwn wzrg'y š'bwhrg'n", meaning "the two sutras dedicated toShabur "The Chinese translation is abbreviated as "two sutras". Mani wrote this book in Middle Persian and presented it to Shabur I, the king of Persia, as an outline of the teachings ofManichaeism. In this book, Mani described his religion as the perfection and continuation of other existing religions, and called himself the "Sealed Prophet": "Throughout the generations, the apostles of God have never ceased to bring wisdom and work here. Thus, they came in one age through the ApostleBuddha into the countries of India; in another, through the ApostleZoroaster into Persia; and in another, throughJesus Christ into the West. After that, in this last age, the revelation came, which was prophesied to come toBabylon through Myself,Mani, the apostle of the true God."[20]
The Book of Pictures is an atlas illustrating the dualism of light and dark in Manichaeism. It was drawn by Mani and used to explain the doctrine to illiterate people. At this point, Mani believes that his religion is superior to the previous ones: "Indeed, all the apostles, my brothers who came before me, did not write a book. Their wisdom is just like mine. They did not paint their wisdom in the pictures like me."[21] The importance of the Book of Pictures is second only to the Seven Treatises. In the Parthian language, this collection is also called "Ādrhang".[22][23]
