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Mani
Mani
Patek, the father of Mani, was a native of Hamadan, ancient Ecbatana, and apparently belonged to the Arsacid princely family. He left Hamadan and settled in Babylonia, where Mani grew up among the Mandaeans, a Baptist sect of Gnostic tendencies. In 240-241 he felt called upon to proclaim openly his new religion and call people to the truth. His faith was a universal one. He believed that God had periodically revealed the truth through His chosen apostles, Zoroaster, Buddha, and Christ, and Mani considered himself the true prophet of his day for all humanity. His teachings were primarily based on an old Persian dualism pushed to the extreme. He envisaged two separate and independent principles, light and darkness (or spirit and matter). The creation of the world was the outcome of an invasion on the realm of light by the forces of darkness, as a result of which elements of light were devoured by demons of darkness. Man, animals, and plants were conceived by demons in a desperate attempt to retain the particles of light they had swallowed. The universe is a machinery set up by the deities of light to redeem the absorbed light and return it to its original abode. The light in man could be released, or his spirit saved, by a realization of his origin and of his place in the scheme of things through the teachings of an inspired leader. In practice, salvation can be achieved through abstinence, prayers, and worship. To attend to the business of the world would be to promote the scheme of the demons. A strongly moralistic religion, with marked ascetic tendencies, Manichaeism forbids its elite (from whom the clergy is drawn) to marry, engage in trade, slaughter animals, or cut plants. The commoners (hearers), however, are reluctantly allowed to do so. Mani's cosmology reveals syncretic elements with a strong Gnostic bias. Several cycles of gods are postulated as emanating from the Father of Greatness, the supreme Lord of Light. Mani seems to have begun his career by a journey to the easternmost provinces of Persia and Sind. He is reported to have attracted or converted Peroz and Mehrshah, two sons of Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty. Upon Ardashir's death in 241, Mani returned to western Persia, where he found favor with Ardashir's successor, Shahpur I, to whom he dedicated one of his books, Shapurgan. During Shahpur's reign Mani engaged in intense missionary activities. Eventually, however, the opposition of the Zoroastrian priesthood enlisted the support of Bahram I, who ordered Mani arrested and fettered. He died in prison a martyr. Mani left a number of books, treatises, and epistles, mostly in Syriac, among which were the Book of the Two Principles, The Book of Secrets, and The Living Gospel. Popular Persian beliefs regard him as an extraordinary painter and the author of Artang, a wonderfully illustrated work. Manichaean manuscripts were in fact written with calligraphic artistry and were often illustrated. Further ReadingSelections of Manichaean writings are in A. V. Williams Jackson, Researches in Manichaeism (1932); Charles Allberry, A Manichaean Psalm-book, Part II (1938); and Mary Boyce, The Manichaean Hymn-cycles in Parthian (1954). The latest work on Mani in English is George Widengren, Mani and Manichaeism, translated by Charles Kessler, in the "History of Religion" Series (1965). See also F. C. Burkitt, The Religion of the Manichees (1925). □ |
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"Mani." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mani." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404704164.html "Mani." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404704164.html |
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Mani
Mani (or Manes) and Manichaeism. There are contradictions among the sources, but it appears that Mani (c.216–76) was born near Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire, and began teaching in 240. Opposition from the Zoroastrians forced him into exile. He returned in 242, was at first supported and then attacked by Sapor I, and was finally put to death by being flayed alive.
Mani's system was a radical offshoot of the Gnostic traditions of E. Persia. It was based on a supposed primeval conflict between light and darkness. It taught that the object of the practice of religion was to release the particles of light which Satan had stolen from the world of Light and imprisoned in man's brain, and that Jesus, Buddha, the Prophets, and Mani had been sent to help in this task. To achieve this release, severe asceticism was practised. Within the sect there was hierarchy of grades professing different standards of austerity: the ‘Elect’ were supported by the ‘Hearers’ in their missionary endeavours and in an otherworldly state of perfection. The sect spread rapidly. It appears to have been established in Egypt before the end of the 3rd cent. and at Rome early in the 4th. In the later 4th cent. Manichaeans were numerous in Africa and for a time included St Augustine. It is disputed how far Manichaeism influenced the Albigensians, Bogomils, and Paulicians, but it is clear that it survived in Chinese Turkestan to the 10th cent. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ManiManichaeism.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ManiManichaeism.html |
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Mani
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mani." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mani." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Mani.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mani." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Mani.html |
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Maṇi
Maṇi (Skt.). Jewel in the shape of a tear-drop, powerful in removing the causes of sorrow or of evil.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Maṇi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Maṇi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Mai.html JOHN BOWKER. "Maṇi." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Mai.html |
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mani
mani (It., plural of mano). Hands.
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-mani.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "mani." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-mani.html |
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Mani
Mani : see Manichaeism . |
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"Mani." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mani." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Mani.html "Mani." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Mani.html |
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