Manichaeism

Manichaeism is a religion , now defunct, whose founder was the Persian Mani ⁱⁿ the third century.

It is a syncretism of Zoroastrianism , from Buddhism and Christianity , the latter fought vehemently.

By derivation and simplification of the term, are now called Manichean thought or action without nuance, even simplistic, where good and evil are clearly defined and separated.

Summary 1 Foundations 1.1 The creation of the world 1.2 Two separate worlds 1.3 The man is double 1.4 The Good and evil 2 The complete philosophy 3 The life of Manichaean 4 Rules 5 Rites 6 The Manichaeism in history 6.1 Manichaeism in China 7 myth 8 Miscellaneous 8.1 Augustinian Critique of Manichaeism 9 Notes and references 10 Appendices 10.1 Related Articles 2.10 External Links 10.3 Bibliography

Foundations

The creation of the world

It tells how one day, the spirits of darkness wanted to storm the kingdom of light. They succeeded in effect until the border of this kingdom Nitescence (luminous, radiant) and wanted to conquer. But they could do nothing against the kingdom of light given its suprasensibilit. The spirits of the kingdom of light then took some of their own kingdom and mingled with the material realm of darkness.

With this mixture of one part of the kingdom of light with the kingdom of darkness, there was, say, somehow in the kingdom of darkness as a starter, a sort of substance causing fermentation, which plunged the kingdom of darkness in a chaotic whirling dance by which he received a new element, namely death - falling for the man with a kind of transubstantiation.

This happens so much so that the kingdom of darkness will burn itself constantly and thus carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction - or the man, a transmutation of light passing through the formidable coruscations death.

The thought that resides deep in this story is that the kingdom of darkness must be overcome by the kingdom of light, not by punishment but by kindness, love, not by opposing evil or the combatant but mingling with him to redeem the evil as such.

Two different worlds

A foundation of Manichaeism is to separate the world into two:

• On the one hand the kingdom of light, the Kingdom of the Divine Life.

and

• The other the kingdom of darkness, the realm of matter, the realm of "dead".

In the kingdom of light is expressed in terms of eternity.

In the kingdom of darkness is expressed in terms of space and time.

The man is twofold

According to Manichaeism, light and darkness coexist without meddling. But following a catastrophic event, the darkness invaded the light. Of this conflict is born of man (natural), its spirit belongs the kingdom of light and his body belongs to the kingdom of darkness - which can transform not died in destructive process but in the process of elevation Supreme, liberation of the mind.

According to Manichaeism, the natural man is twofold. It includes:

• a spirit belonging to the kingdom of light - is the immortal part of man
• a body belonging to the kingdom of darkness - is the mortal part of man

Good and evil

According to Manichaeism, although associated to the kingdom of light, while evil is associated with the kingdom of darkness.

Note: This is the origin of the phrase "a thought or a Manichean vision" in the sense that good and evil are clearly separated.

This struggle between good and evil is a cornerstone of Manichaeism.

To the mind of man can, once dead, free from the cycle of incarnations, and then comes to join the kingdom of light, it must be detached from everything that is material in his lifetime.

According to Manichaeism, physical death has two sides, just as Jesus says in Mark's Gospel ch 8 verse 35: "For whosoever will save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the good news will save it. " The man who remains committed to his material life, does not allow his mind to leave the realm of "dead" while the man who will give his material life to the spirit in him by the way of the Gospel for this one, the spirit in him returning to the realm of the Divine Life.

The complete philosophy

The essence of the Manichaean philosophy is based on two concepts dogmatic : the division into three stages and two entities. These theories are derived from myth invented by Mani.

First, the division into two entities. On the one hand, Mani place Darkness, ruled by Satan or "the Prince of Darkness" and the other, the Light, governed by God. This concept obviously applies drastic if the world of ideas. Indeed, in the Manichean law, there is no gray area, an act is good or bad, simply.

Then, the division into three stages. It is intimately linked with the previous one.

In place of the first time, the earlier time. It is characterized by the absolute division of the world and not mixed between the Darkness and the Light. The latter seem almost unaware of their mutual existence. Since the Dark (or Light for that matter) can not be destroyed, the prior is considered a perfect state of the world.

In place of the second stage, the median time or date. This begins with the creation of mankind (see creation myth ). It is characterized by a volatile mixture of Darkness and Light.

In place of the third stage, the subsequent time. It is in all respects identical to the earlier time: the human soul (from the primordial essence of man) based in the Kingdom of Light in a huge "carma" of light representing the primordial man.

These divisions of the world have the effect that the Manichean constantly trying to achieve an ideal: it must restore the division between Darkness and Light. According to the myth, the human soul is made of light and his body of Darkness. The relationship with God will find very intimate one with Satan too, unfortunately. The believer puts into context the prime ideal Manichean in this: It should separate his mind from his body, maximize the expansion of that and reduce that of the latter. To do this, follow specific rules minimizing any form of materialism and sensuality in her life. It will also consider the matter as something bad but do not destroy, since it contains the light in the case of living things and contain the weapons of the primordial man in the case of non-living things like water, the air etc..

If the Manichean causes a rift between mind and body, he hopes to enter the kingdom of Light and its blend with other light particle into a huge "karma" (Mani was strongly influenced by different religions to his own background as Buddhism ). Otherwise, he will be reborn in another body and will continue its path until the separation is done.

The life of Manichaean

Two groups of Manichaean existed:

• politicians: who spent their time preaching, practicing celibacy and were vegetarians. After their death, politicians were sure to reach the kingdom of light;
• listeners: they were elected to serve, could marry (but they were discouraged from having children) and practiced fasting every week. After their deaths, the auditors hoped to be reincarnated as elected officials.

For the kingdom of light triumphs over darkness, requires all elected officials and auditors reach the kingdom of light. In reality, this is not really a triumph that Manichaean seek, but a return to its original state, the separation of good and evil. Because according to Manichaeism, it is impossible to triumph over evil because evil is indestructible. The only way to be totally in the realm of light is darkness to flee.

Rules

The basic principles are to refute the Manichaean pleasure of the flesh, not to kill and not to blaspheme. The Manichaean have no permission, except to observe the rites and rules imposed on them. As can be seen, the rules of this religion are both simple and rigorous.

Classes of listeners live if the "Ten Commandments" of Mani. These commands affect both social and religious life of Manichaean. For cons, the lifestyle of the two classes is different. They must pray four times a day, for each of the four positions of the sun, fast and contribute to charity is about one seventh of his possessions. The Manichaean must also be careful not to talk about the temptations they are strictly taboo. Through these prohibitions, the auditor will aim to achieve a status that makes him perfect in his reincarnation. It will then be elected.

The rules of the Chosen, much more stringent, are divided mainly into three buckets: either "one of the hand, mouth and breast." The "hand seal" is restricting actions can break the life such as hunting and war. The "seal of the mouth" is the discipline of speech and of the diet. It comes down to the grass. The "seal breast" is the sexual abstinence of the Chosen. The purpose thereof is to embody perfection in order to set an example for religious lower classes. This perfection is the final stage of accessing "Carma" the kingdom of Light.

In Manichaean, a child is born or elected auditor. It is not possible to become over the years. The choice is made with respect to their ancestors and families. The only way to change class, by religion, is to be reincarnated as elected in the next life.

The rewards of religious life in this religion are in fact the rise in the hierarchy. By cons, go to elected auditor can not be done otherwise than reincarnating. Penances, unlike the rewards are loss of rank or privilege in the hierarchy Manichean.

As can be seen, the relationship of the Manichean with God (the Light) is done through prayer and a view of holiness. To do this, Manichaean simply must follow the rules to the letter.

Rites

The Manichaean belief in the light, the image of God and his servants. These entities are both very close to their body and away from their reality. Indeed, the Manichean say that the Light is trapped in them, but can not represent it. Prayer is one of the best ways to access the Manichean Light.

Daily prayer is practiced individually while the confession was held before the elect. Apparently, no object is necessary for the observance. The Elect will let their hair grow, wear white, transcribe and study the writings of Mani, sing hymns seven per day, teach, to isolate the full moon and pray seven times a day and during most of night. Most elected officials are also nomads.

The auditors, meanwhile, memorize the writings of Mani, when they can sing, pray four times a day and fast the week to prepare for confession on Monday. In fact, a confession takes place every Monday, while another larger takes place at the end of the month. During this period, the Manichean ask the general pardon. Also, a few times during the year, auditors are required to dispose of their property by offering to the Church. This practice is called charity. The Elect, having taken a vow of poverty, systematically get rid of their property.

The rites are basically positive with the exception of the celebration of Bema or the New Year celebrated in Manichaean in summer (the Day of Mani). Indeed, fasting almost the whole of one month (26 days) and apply the above deficiency of certain nutrients and the Elected Auditors already restricted by poor eating habits in protein.

With regard to the symbols, Manichaeism do has very little. This deficiency is partly based on the fact that the ten commandments clearly states that the Manichean representation of God is forbidden. Nevertheless, four known and obvious symbols of all are part of Manichaeism. The first two symbols are those of Light and Darkness represented by contrasting shades of black and white. The third is the cross of Jesus Christ, borrowed from Christianity. Nevertheless, it has not exactly the same meaning. It means the incarnation of Jesus in human form to make the connection between man and God. Christ's suffering seems to be considered the result of an illusion in Manichaean. The fourth is the serpent, representing the flesh, evil thing.

Manichaeism in history

Manichaeism was founded by Mani , during the ^third century.

With the protection of the emperor of Persia Shapur ^I. Mani Manichaeism could preach throughout the Middle East. His religion spread later through the North Africa and Europe until Gaul and across the Asia up to China , where it was called the " Buddha of Light. "

Painter high quality and his disciples and successors of the most skilful, Mani created a tradition of illustrating manuscripts religious, which may well have had its share in the birth of the Persian miniature.

Manichaeism was introduced into the Roman Empire , including Egypt and Roman Africa , and was the subject of a decree of persecution in 297, because of its novelty, as opposed to the traditional Roman religion, and its Persian origin so from enemies of the Romans. The decrees of religious tolerance of 311 and 313 ( Edict of Milan ), mainly laid to stop the persecution against Christians, put an end to this period of persecution.

The Uighurs qaghanate of the Orkhon (744-840), protectors of China of Tang in the wake of the rebellion of An Lushan which ended in 762 , converted to Manichaeism in the example of their qaghan Bogue and their religion flourished in what is the Mongolian modern and Tarim Basin until the late ^first millennium.

Until the ^twentieth century , Manichaeism was a religion known mainly through the writings of his opponents (like St. Augustine). But the discovery of several manuscripts in Algeria and China allowed a better understanding of this religion.

Manichaeism in China

Founding Myth

This myth is that of creation, the telling of the birth of man and matter. This is a cosmogonic myth with pre-existing substrate. Indeed, the creation of the world lies not only in the action of a god above but also the secondary characters.

The myth begins in the earlier period of time (see philosophy). Light (the kingdom of God) and Dark Matter or (kingdom of the Prince of Darkness) are separated. Result of chaos in the batch material, a portion of the latter is close enough in the realm of Light to see the brilliance. Immediately, the subject wishes to enter. God then instructs the primordial man - created by the Mother of Life, itself derived from the bosom of God to protect his kingdom of darkness. To help man in his task, God provides five powerful auxiliaries: fire, water, wind, light and matter (earth).

Despite all the efforts of Light, Darkness prevails on the original man. They say they are five rulers who faced man, probably due to the fact that it has five arms. Matter (Darkness) grabbed the man and then closes in on itself. Desperate, the man who uses God sends to help the Spirit of life. The latter tries to bring the man to the kingdom of light through the sun, moon, plants reaching for the sky, etc.. Before the operation ended, the Prince of Darkness in order to unite two demons and so form an infringement of the primordial man to lock up every last shred of light not drawn by the Spirit of life. Man is created and his body is ill, his spirit is good.

Miscellaneous

Manichaeism spread from the ^third century , totally peaceful, from Africa to China, the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. Still, he left very few traces: except by its detractors (persecution of Rome from 297 to 313).

Augustine studied rhetoric which initially follows the teachings of Manichaeism for a few years, then abandons that teaching. He was appointed professor of rhetoric at Milan, before converting to Christianity. He criticized so fiercely Manichaeism.

Rudolf Steiner also speaks of Mani or Manes or a large insider whose main task is to transform evil into good.

Augustinian Critique of Manichaeism

For Augustine, Manichaeism is directly derived from Gnosticism. There is nothing really new in the Manichaean sect. Augustine was a Manichean period of his life, so he knows quite well the doctrine of Mani, with different stories and writings that are perhaps not all survive.

In addition, Gnosticism is directly related to the pagan religions and mystery cults.

The critic says that the Manichaean Augustine are forced to worship to Baal, who represents the evil that is to say Satan.

Augustine says hence the supremacy of the triune God against Satan. Because in the Bible it says that Jesus is infinitely stronger than Satan and that nothing will prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ.

A brief philosophical critique of Manichaeism is rich in Augustine's Confessions, Book VII, Chapter 3. The argument against the Manichaean is:

The Manichaean pose two opposing substances, Good and Evil, and make them fight each other. But if God is incorruptible (the metaphysical sense of the word, pure mixture, and incapable of being mixed with another substance), Evil has no way to fight it. So either the Manichean design that God is imperfect (which goes against the definition of God) or God is incorruptible for Manichaean, but he then committed himself won a battle against evil in advance. God is the author of an unprovoked attack is as unacceptable as its imperfection. The conclusion is that Manichaeism is unfit to give a good conception of God.

This argument was echoed by Augustine Nebridius.

References