Among the works of Mani may be reckoned four books, sometimes ascribed to Terebinthus and some- times to Scythianus, entitled the Mi/steries, the Chap- ters or Heads, the Gospel, and the Treasure. In the -Mjjsteries Mani endeavored to demonstrate the doctrine of two principles from the mixture of good and evil which is found in the world. He grounded his reasons on the argument that if there were one sole cause, sim- ple, perfect, and good in the highest degree, the whole, corresponding with the nature and will of that cause, would show simplicity, perfection, and goodness, and everything ^vould be immortal, holy, and happy like himself. The Chapters contained a summary of the chief articles of the Manichwan scheme. Of the Gos- pels nothing certain can be asserted. Beausobre, ap- parently without sufficient grounds, considers it as a collection of the meditations and pretended revelations of Mani. The Treasure, or Treasure of Life, may, per- haps, have derived its name from the words of Christ, wherein he compares his doctrine to a treasure hid in a field. jNIani also wrote other works and letters, and among them the Epistle of the Foundation, of which we
MANICH^ISM
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MANICHiEISM
have fragments still extant in St. Augustine, who under- toolv to refute it. His works appear to have been orig- inally written, some in Syriac, some in Persic. For his doctrine, etc., see MANiCH-^iiSM. (J. II. W.)
Manichaeism. As we liave seen in the life of Mani (ij. v.), the origin of Manichirism, as well as the history of its founder and propagator, is matter of ob- scure and confused tradition. Although it utterly dis- claimed being denominated Christian, it was reckoned among the heretical doctrines of the Church. It was intended, as we have alreadj' indicated in the sketch of Mani, to blend the chief doctrines of Parsism, or rather Magism, as reformed by Zoroaster, with a certain num- ber of Buddhistic views, under the outward garb of Bib- lical, more especially New-Testament history, which, ex- plained allegorically and symbolically, was made to rep- resent an entirely new religious system, and one wholly at variance with Christianity and its fundamental teach- ings (comp. Hardwick, Christ and other Masters, ii, 389 sq. ; and see the references there for Lassen and others).
JJoctrines, — Like Magism, Manichwism holds that there are two eternal principles from which all things jiroceed, the two everlasting kingdoms, bordering on each other — the kingdom of light under the dominion of God, and the kingdom of darkness under the daemon or hyle (v\i}). The Light, the Good, or God, and the Dark- ness, the Bad, JNIatter, or Archon, each inhabited a re- gion akin to their natures, and excluding each other to such a degree that the region of Darkness and its leader never knew of the existence of that of the Light. Twelve a;ons — corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve stages of the world — had sprung (emanated) from the Primeval Light; while "Dark- ness," tilled with the eternal fire, which burned but shone not, was peopled by " daemons,'' who were con- stantly fighting among themselves. In one of these contests, pressing towards the outer edge, as it were, of their region, they Ijecame aware of the neighboring re- gion, and forthwith united, attacked it, and succeeded in taking captive the Kay of Light that was sent against them at the head of the hosts of Light, and which was the embodiment of the Ideal or Primeval ~Slan (Christ"). A stronger a?on (the Holy Ghost) then hastened to the rescue, and redeemed the greater and better part of the captive Light (Jesus Impatibilis). The smaller and fainter portion, however (Jesus Passibilis), remain- ed in tlie hands of the powers of Darkness, and out of this they formed, after the ideal of The Man of Light, mortal man. But even the small fraction of light left in him (broken in two souls) would have prevailed against them had they not found means to further di- vide and subdivide it by the propagation of this man (Eve — Sin). Not yet satisfied, they still more dimmed it In- burying it under dark " forms of belief and faith, such as Paganism and Judaism." Once more, how- ever, the Original Light came to save the light buried in man — to deliver the captive souls of men from their corporeal prison. On this account there were created two sublime beings, Christ and the Holy Ghost. Christ was sent into the world clothed with the shadowy form of a human body, and not with the real substance, to teach mortals how to deliver the rational soul from the corrupt body, and to overcome the power of malignant matter. But again the daemons succeeded in defeating the schemes of the power of light. Obscuring men's minds, even those of the apostles, so that they could not fully understand Christ's object, his career of salvation was cut short by the dremons seducing man to crucify hirji. His sufferings and death were, naturally, only fictitious, since he could not in reality die; he only al- lowed liimself to become an example of endurance and passive pain for his own, the souls of liglit. But to carry out the intended salvation of men Christ, shf)rtly before his crucifixion, gave the promise recorded by John (xvi, 7-15), that he would send to his disciples the Comforter, " who would lead them into all truth." This promise, the Manichreans maintain, was fidtilled in the