What religious doctrine was founded by Mani. Manichaeism

MANICHAEISM

MANICHAEISM

religious-philosophical doctrine that arose in 3 V. on Bl. East and spread in 3-11 centuries from North Africa to China. In late Rome. empire and Byzantium was subjected to fierce persecution by the state and orthodox Christianity. On Wednesday. and Center. Asia found more favorable soil and in 8-9 centuries became state religion of the Uyghurs.

Founder M. - Persian Mani (216 - between 274 and 277), originally from Babylonia, considered Zoroaster, Buddha and Christ his forerunners. The teaching of M. is characterized by dualism and unfolds in the system of “three times.” “First” - two original, eternal and opposing principles: good and evil, light and darkness (or matter), separated from each other. Spatially it occupies the north, east and, evilly, the south. Each of these primordial substances has five emanations, or hypostases (“dwellings”, “zones”). “Second time” - a mixture of two principles: evil (matter) invades the kingdom of light. The good father, the lord of light, gives birth to the mother of life, and she, in turn, gives birth to the first man who enters into struggle with his sons (“archons”) darkness, is defeated and captured. To save him, the good father gives birth to a living spirit, which, having defeated the archons, creates to purify the light absorbed by them. All the feelings. there is, as it were, a gradation of two substances mixed in different proportions. The sun and moon are the catalysts of the deities. light: during its waxing, the moon receives the souls of the dead, and during its waning, it sends them to the sun, which sends them further to God. At the end of the process of purifying light from mixing with matter, the “third time” will come - time will end. the triumph of good over evil; remnants of matter devoid of deities. light, will die in a universal fire.

We present to our readers new information from the history of the emergence of Manichaeism and the main provisions of Mani’s version of the origin of the world, set out in detail in his book “Kefalaya” (“Chapters”), recently published in the series “Monuments of Eastern Literature.” Its appearance in bookstores in the city shows the relevance of exposing the false prophet today. The Manichaean heresy arose much earlier than its prophet was born; it distorted and replaced the basic concepts of the Zoroastrian religion. The Bundahishnya, a Pahlavi text expounding the lost Avestan Damdad-nask, one of the 21st books of the Avesta, describes the creation of the world (both visible and invisible) by the Creator God Ahura Mazda, while the evil spirit Angra Manyu did not participate in the creation of the world, but invaded it, destroying good creations and creating only devas and demons. According to Mani, Ahura Mazda created only the world of ideas, and Angra Manyu - the entire visible world as the complete embodiment of evil, which contradicted the basic idea of ​​Zoroastrianism [Z].

About the origin of Mani and his “mission”

Manichaeism as a religious movement arose in the 3rd century. n. e. and was named after its founder Mani, who believed that initially there was one single religion, but then it was distorted by various “heretical interpretations”, this is how Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity came about, which were respectively headed by Zarathushtra, Buddha and Christ. After them, supposedly, the need arose to unite all existing religions, to synthesize them, for which purpose he, Mani, was sent to Earth with a mission. However, claiming to be a world religion, the Manichaean teaching became one of the most tenacious and insidious heresies that spread throughout the world.
Mani's worldview was greatly influenced by his childhood upbringing, which he spent in the Judeo-Christian community. It is believed that Mani was born on April 14, 216 AD. e. in Babylonia, during the fall of the Arsacid dynasty and the accession in 227 of Artashir I, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty. Mani's mother belonged to the ancient Armenian family of Kamsarids. The father was a Zoroastrian, but shortly before the birth of his son he changed his faith and joined the Judeo-Christian community near the city of Mesena. Members of this community led an ascetic lifestyle, did not drink wine, were vegetarians, purified their food with the blessing of water, and adhered to daily ritual ablutions, for which they were called “washers” (translated from Arabic). Other names are “Elhasaites” (named after religious figure Elhasaya) and "Baptists" (Greek). The Judeo-Christian literature available in the community played a significant role in the formation of the personality of the future “reformer”.
It is believed that when Mani was 12 (or 13) years old, the first insight descended on him. A “divine double” appeared to him and called on him to “carry the true, original, universal religion into the world, proclaiming it to all countries and peoples.” And when Mani was 24 years old, he delivered his first sermon to the community, declaring that “all flesh is unclean, and therefore, washing does not cleanse the body.” The leadership of the community greeted the speeches of the future false prophet with hostility. The “Cologne Codex” that has come down to us reports that the presbyters, angry at the attacks on the way of life of the community, beat Mani and pulled him by the hair. After this, he left the community with his father and two young men, who later became his students, and went upstream the Tigris and Euphrates, to the country of Seleucia - Ctesiphon. From there he moved north (to the cities of Gunozak, Henriks and Könen), and then to Armenia and Iveria.
This is how Mani began his missionary work. He led the itinerant life of a traveling preacher and stayed primarily in Judeo-Christian communities. His sermons were not successful everywhere, and triumphs were often interspersed with complete failures, but, nevertheless, he gained new students and wrote his books. At this time, he sent the first mission, led by his father Pathik, to the Roman Empire, and he himself went to preach in India. On his way back, he visited the kingdoms of Turan and Mukran (modern Baluchistan) and converted the ruler of Turan to Manichaeism.
By the beginning of 243, Mani had achieved the favor of the Shahanshah of Iran, Shapur I, and for 10 years, taking advantage of his patronage, he actively preached his teachings throughout Iran.. In the period from 242 to 253. he wrote the only book in Persian, “Shapurakan,” which outlined the foundations of the Manichaean religion and contained some biographical data. Then Mani and his teachings began to be persecuted by both Zoroastrians and Christians. After breaking up with Shapur, Mani was forced to flee Iran. For a long time he was in disgrace, but that did not stop him. He continues his "mission" despite the revelations and persecution of him by the head of the Zoroastrian spiritual authority, the high priest Kirder.
After the death of Shapur I, his successor Hormizd treated Mani very favorably, so Mani was able to set off on his new journey - across Assyria. But this time too, fortune did not favor the “messiah” for long. A year into Hormizd's reign, after his unexpected death, Bahram I, a zealous Zoroastrian, ascended the throne and severely limited Mani's sphere of influence. By order of Bahram I, of course, not without the participation of Kirder, the false prophet was imprisoned and, after 26 days of imprisonment, died there. There are several versions regarding the circumstances of his death. According to one of them, Mani died after he was shackled hand and foot and put in stocks around his neck. According to other sources, Mani was executed - his head was cut off and hanged on the gates of Belabad, then his body was mourned and washed by his disciples, and his things - two books and a staff - were sent to believers. Some researchers claim that Mani was flayed before his death, others that he was crucified. Only the Manichaean texts speak of Mani's death in prison, while the Greek, Syriac and Arabic texts report his execution by order of the king. It can be assumed that the first version is most likely correct, since the Manichaeans had no point in keeping silent about the martyrdom of their teacher. However, Mani's death in prison allowed his disciples and fans to make him a hero who suffered for his beliefs, which gave impetus to the spread of a new wave of Manichaeism throughout the world.
The date of Mani's death is determined differently in different sources: March 274 - February 277, i.e. he lived for about 60 years. During this time, his heretical teaching took root not only in Asia, but also in Europe and Africa.
Before his death, Mani managed to give his last orders; he installed Sisinnius at the head of his church, who ruled after him for 10 years. Later, another disciple of Mani, Innai, became the head of Manichaeism. It is reported that he cured the king of an incurable illness, which earned him favor, thus the Manichaeans received a temporary respite.
Some researchers, citing the “Acts of Archelaus,” suggest that Mani was a “freedman of a widow” (formerly a harlot) and became a preacher, inheriting books of heretical content from two preachers who wanted to fly into the heavens, but could not and crashed. Mani (sometimes called Manes, but his real name was Kurbik) remade the “Sayings of Christ” and declared himself an “apostle of Christ,” spreading his heresy everywhere. His communities were popularly called "widow's sects." However, convincing evidence of these facts from Mani’s activities has not survived.
The peak of the spread of Manichaeism in the West dates back to the 4th century. At this time, Manichaean communities existed in North Africa, throughout Asia Minor, Greece, Illyria, Italy, Gaul and Spain.
In Egypt, the first Manichaeans were Pappos (disciple of Mani) and Thomas (author of a number of psalms). From the beginning of the 4th century. The Manichaeans became very active in the cities of Lycopolis (modern Asyut) and Hypsela. The head of the Egyptian communities was Aortonius. In the 5th century Manichaeism in Egypt faded away, and members of the Manichaean communities converted to orthodox Christianity.
In the V-VI centuries. There was a split in the Manichaean church, but despite this, it continued to exist throughout the reign of the Sassanids, with its center in Babylonia. From the 6th century Manichaeism in Europe began to decline due to repression.
By the end of the 8th century. Manichaean communities remained only in North Africa and the east of the Sasanian Empire. Manichaeism lasted the longest in Central Asia, where it was led by Mar Ammo, who knew the Parthian language well. In the VP-VIII centuries. With the conquest of East Turkestan by China, Sogdian merchants brought Manichaeism to China. In 763, the head of the Uighur state, Begyu Khan, was converted to Manichaeism, and by the khan's decree, Manichaeism was declared the official religion of the Uighur steppe empire, where it existed until the conquest by the Kirghiz (until 840). In the 10th century the center of Manichaeism moved to Samarkand.
From the middle of the 9th century. Anti-Manichaean persecution began in China. An imperial decree of 1120 states the destruction of Manichaean temples. In East Turkestan, Manichaeism continued to exist until the 13th century, and in China until the 14th century, after which the Manichaean communities in China adapted and became Buddhist or Taoist. Two Manichaean books were even included in the Taoist canon.
According to evidence, the Manichaean community consisted of 5 ranks: teachers, bishops, presbyters, elect and listeners (ordinary believers). The chosen ones could be both men and women, but they lived in separate monasteries, took a vow of celibacy, had no property and could not engage in worldly affairs (agriculture, crafts, trade). Manichaeism thus distorted the life-affirming basis of Zoroastrianism, because according to Zoroastrian customs, every healthy person had to marry, have a family and offspring. Sacred professions such as blacksmith, tiller, and artisan were especially revered.
Members of the Manichaean community prayed, observed fasts, and copied books. Both elders and elect could be preachers. There were Manichaean temples or houses of worship where believers gathered to listen to sermons and pray. The Manichaean canon consisted of 7 books written in Aramaic.
At the beginning of the 20th century. During archaeological excavations in East Turkestan (now the territory of China), many manuscripts were discovered in Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Uighur and Chinese, which include fragments from Manichaean texts. These manuscripts date back to the 8th century, i.e. the rise of Central Asian Manichaeism.
In 1928, the German scientist K. Schmidt accidentally acquired in Palestine a handwritten book "Kefalaya" ("Chapters"), written in Coptic, which indicates its origin from Upper Egypt. Schmidt found that residents of a village near the city of Asyut sold the papyrus to traders. The book was later acquired by the Berlin Museum. The papyrus dates back to the 4th century, i.e. at most 100 years separate him from Mani’s life.
The Kephalaya manuscript is one of the most ancient Manichaean texts. It includes 122 chapters, which set out Manichaean views on the creation of the world and its further development, as well as the basic commandments for the Manichaean “righteous”. The presentation is conducted on behalf of the Apostle, to whom the disciples ask questions. Mani himself acts as the Apostle - “the only, truest prophet.”

The main provisions of the Manichaean treatise "Kefalaya"
and their difference from Zoroastrian teachings

World creation

Claiming to be the prophet of world religion, Mani skillfully combined in his teaching the basic principles of various religions: for example, from Zoroastrianism he took the concepts of good and evil and distorted them; from Buddhism - the law of reincarnation; from Christianity - the need for repentance and from Babylonian astrology - the structure of the celestial sphere. The fusion of various religious trends was polished by him with virtuoso skill. The characteristic features of this heretical teaching can be traced in the book “Kefalaya” that has come down to us. From page to page, the author persistently pursues his main idea - the mixing of Light and darkness. Good and evil as the principle of the structure of our world.
According to Mani, initially there were two equal forces in the Universe - Light and darkness. They were located, without touching, vertically to each other: Light - in height, and darkness - in the abyss. The creations of Light were spiritual and immaterial. These included the worlds of gods and angels. The basis of darkness was Matter (sometimes it is called sin or the thought of death). All her creations were aggressive, ugly and mortal. Then the insurmountable border between Light and darkness was violated due to the fact that the darkness was “jealous” of the Light and decided to capture it:
"Darkness waged a struggle with the Light, wanting to reign over an entity that did not belong to him; he divided the Light. Due to such great necessity, strength came out from the Father of Greatness, i.e. the First Man, he put on the whole armor of Light, humbled the entire enemy and crucified him in the five elements of light, they are the whole weapon of Light, remained in the abyss, mixed with the five elements of darkness." So Mani crucified darkness into the five light elements, and mixed Light with the elements of darkness. As a result of the mixture, our world arose, in which Matter grew its fruits. Those who did not mature and were thrown to Earth, the so-called “miscarriages,” became the progenitors of Adam and Eve, from whom other people descended. At the same time, man became an instrument of mixing Good and Evil.
According to the Zoroastrian myth, set out in the Bundahishn, Hormazd was supreme in his omniscience and kindness, and dwelt forever in the Infinite Light. Ahriman, slow in understanding, whose will was directed towards destruction, was plunged into Endless Darkness. Between them there was a Void called Vayu, but at this border the Infinite Light and the Infinite Darkness were finite. Ahriman, rising from the depths of darkness, went to the border and saw the light of Hormazd, who in his omniscience knew that Ahriman would attack his world. and offered him a treaty for nine thousand years, setting a time for battle. By limiting the period, Hormazd was sure that in this way he would make Ahriman powerless. He said the prayer “Akhunvar” and showed the Spirit of Destruction his final victory, his powerlessness, the destruction of demons, and resurrection. The Last Body and the liberation of the world from evil forever and ever. Hearing the prayer, Ahriman fell into darkness for three thousand years, and only after that he entered the world of Hormazd. desecrating his good creations, including the first man Gayomart, from whose seed people arose. Ahriman found himself trapped in the material world until the end of time [Z]. It is obvious that Mani used Zoroastrian myths as the basis for his theory of the creation of the world, distorting their deep meaning.
Mani correlates the soul with Light, and the body with darkness, i.e. the body allegedly captured the soul and draws it “to evil deeds, to all sins of passion, to idolatry, to false teachings of error, to the humiliation of slavery, and it constantly serves things that are transitory, serves beasts, unclean and dirty, which are ugly in appearance and appearance. She clothed herself in delusion and oblivion, forgot her essence, race and root, not knowing the darkness of prayer and calls to Him, became hostile to her heavenly Father, despised and turned away from herself, she is evil, loved Darkness and does not want to turn to her own Light." . Thus, Mani’s soul is defiled and completely subordinated to the body, to sin.
Zoroastrians believed that the soul and body are one, and treated the body as a “temple of the spirit.” Man by nature is a spiritual entity, his soul and body were created by Hormazd, the soul - Fravashi - preexists the body. At the beginning of creation, Hormazd convened a council with the Fravash of all people, and he knew that if they agreed to descend to Earth to fight evil, this would ensure his victory over Ahriman [Z].
At the head of the material world, Mani places the “five-faced man,” whose image he describes as follows:
"There are five likenesses in his body... the head of a lion, which arose from the world of Fire. His wings and shoulders are the likeness of an eagle, in the likeness of the sons of the Wind; his arms and shoulders are demonic, in the likeness of the sons of the world of Smoke; his torso is an image dragon, in the likeness of the world of Darkness. Its tail is the image of a fish, belonging to the world
sons of Water... He understands the language of his powers, although his heart is hidden from them... He masters the spells and signs of his magic; his body is so strong that no horns, teeth and claws of his powers can pierce him, no body of iron or copper can do anything to him, and it is impossible to destroy him, for he is made and created from the hard-hearted judgment of Matter, the mother of demons and devils ".

In the picture, the winged god Aion - Zervan with a lion's head,
a human body and a snake standing on the World Ball.

Mani probably invented this ominous image by analogy with the appearance attributed to the Zoroastrian Zervan, depicted as mythical creature with the head of a lion, the wings of an eagle and the body of a man entwined with a snake. He symbolized power in Heaven and on Earth, possessed the wisdom of a snake, the strength of a lion, and the accuracy and swiftness of an eagle. He was in everything and beyond everything. Zervan is the original point of the Universe, and only he is given the opportunity to create worlds. It includes the concept of Time, Space and world evolution. He, Zervan, according to Zoroastrian legends, produced two brothers who were supposed to create two worlds - visible and invisible, but one of them, Angra Manyo, as a result of his doubts, did not participate in creation, so Ahura Mazda took upon himself the task of creation two worlds. The Bundahishn describes that Ahura Mazda created the material world as a weapon against the Spirit of destruction. Thus, both worlds - visible and invisible - belong to the Creator God Ahura Mazda, and evil in the material world is present temporarily and will be defeated. Man is called upon, by his choice of Light and Good, to help Ahura Mazda cleanse the world of darkness and evil [Z].
For Mani, only the world of ideas belongs to the forces of Light, while darkness owns the entire material world, i.e. Good and evil are opposed, thus his views do not correspond to the Zoroastrian idea of ​​the world as the good creation of Ohrmazd, which was distorted by Ahriman. In Zoroastrianism, the second principle is not opposed to the first, but is considered as its distortion, i.e. Zoroastrianism - monotheistic religion, and Manichaeism recognizes both God and the devil. In Manichaeism, the human body serves the devil, while in Zoroastrianism immortal soul man is united with his body into a single harmonious whole, which will be restored in the final Resurrection.
In every conclusion of Mani, the concepts of Light and darkness are mixed, Light is almost always defiled by darkness or is in its power, and the light soul is in the power of the “dark” body. The Manichean doctrine is regarded in Zoroastrianism as a heresy; it serves as fertile ground for the emergence of various forms of asceticism and mysticism.

The structure of the celestial sphere

The Apostle, also known as Mani, told his disciples that the 12 signs of the Zodiac, the servants of matter, and the 5 stars are “enemies and adversaries of each other, they rob and kill each other through the action of the great Master who created all the worlds... They originated from the five worlds Darkness, associated with the sphere”... They are “evil not in the sphere, but in themselves, for they create all kinds of evil and villainy in the world - both in wood and in flesh.”
In Zoroastrian astrology, the 12 signs of the Zodiac are considered as the number of law for the Earth, they carry a manifestation of God's grace and love that every person can come into contact with. The planets, like all the creations of Ohrmazd, were desecrated by Ahriman, therefore they are dual in nature, their cycles are distorted compared to the original ones, and because of them people fall into the traps of Ahriman, succumbing to temptations.
In the chapter “About the body - that it is structured in the likeness of the world”, Mani correlates various parts of the body with the elements and signs of the Zodiac, his liver is like the “Crossing of Fire”, and “the flesh is the crossing of Darkness”, the sign of Leo is the stomach, the sign of Virgo is heart. And here Mani distorts the Zoroastrian astrological tradition, in which the signs of the Zodiac are projected onto the human body, starting with the head, which belongs to the sign of Aries, and the sign of Leo is projected on the heart area, the sign of Virgo is associated with the intestines.
Diseases in a person, according to Mani, arise as a result of clashes in his body between the dominant archons (dark entities): “Eight hundred and forty myriads dominate in the human body, when they collide with each other, ... they destroy each other.”
The Zoroastrian tradition recommends that a person refrain from committing sins, then his body will be healthy. Zoroastrian morality is expressed in three words - humat, hukht and huvarst - good thoughts, good words and good deeds, and the greatest of them is good deeds [Z].

Mani's views on the development of the world and man's place in it

According to the Manichaean commandments, man true faith should not delay the stay of life on Earth in order to save his Soul and ascend to the Light after death. Matter fights for the human soul and strives to keep it in darkness. For this purpose, 12 spirits of delusion descend from the signs of the Zodiac and settle in the souls of people. If a person does not overcome delusions, his soul does not ascend after death, but is reborn again, but in a different body. And notorious sinners go to fiery Gehenna, where they will remain until the end of the world.
Throughout history, the Light is freed from confusion and ascends upward, and the remaining Light in the souls of people is constantly fragmented, because the human race is multiplying, and the Light is becoming less and less. Before the end of the world there will be so little of it left that the sinners will prevail over the righteous. Then the “Thought of Life” will gather the remaining Light together and make from it the “Last Statue”, which will ascend upward. After this, Fire will be sent to destroy the material world. The deities will judge the people. The souls of sinners - men and women - will be separated and can never be reunited. According to Mani, the main task for a true righteous person is to leave this world as quickly as possible. This means you cannot engage in sexual relations and participate in childbirth. It is also a sin to care about material prosperity. Mani believed that the main lever for the development and prosperity of the material world is envy. It is she who moves people, pushes them to unseemly acts, and slows down their departure from this world.
In fact, Manichaean envy replaces the creative power of the Creator. From the point of view of Zoroastrian ethics, caring for material well-being- one of the main tasks of a righteous person. The Zoroastrians’ attitude towards life is such that they consider it a Divine gift and try to live with dignity. Asceticism is not encouraged in Zoroastrianism. According to Pahlavi texts, the first duty of a Zoroastrian is to profess the Religion, the second duty is to marry and continue his earthly lineage. Living in harmony with good deeds, without participating in sin, a righteous person contributes to the cleansing of the world from filth [3].
Manichaeism sees only sin in the relationship between a man and a woman. One of the principles of the Manichaean heresy is the humiliation of what is good from the point of view of a reasonable person, and the exaltation of what is bad. So. for example, in the chapter “About a Man Ugly in Body and Beautiful in His Soul,” the false prophet compares “a bald, lopsided, twisted man at the waist, but impeccable in his righteousness” with “a strong sword, corroded by time,” he likens his soul to a pearl, and his saint the church is the collector of these pearls.” “Human flesh,” he writes, “is like foam and shells.”
The praise of inferiority contradicts the Zoroastrian attitude towards the human body, which is the true mirror of his inner essence, and the signs and marks on the body (signatures) allowed the Zoroastrian to correctly understand his own spiritual shortcomings in order to correct them. Zoroastrians did not trust a person with signs of antiquity on his body, because... he is more susceptible to temptation and may go astray. Such a person could not be placed at the head of a religious community, since by making mistakes himself, he could lead many people astray.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Mani himself had a very unsightly appearance. He was red-haired, limped and had one eye squinted. All these differences are considered signs of anti-heredity in Zoroastrianism: red hair is a sign of internal aggression, lameness speaks of bad heredity, and squint warns of permissiveness. All these qualities are manifested in Mani, they come through in his smoothly camouflaged phrases, very heartfelt, but also very dangerous.
Trying to create a universal religion, the clever schemer Mani shuffled many concepts like cards, and, using colorful, emotional language, attached new labels to old common truths.
Mani’s reasoning about wisdom, which is more important to him, is also alarming. when it is “on the lips”, and not just in the heart of a person, for wisdom, in his opinion, is “like a baby in a mother’s womb” and, if it is hidden in the heart, then it is like a felled tree in which the inner light is contained. To see the fire, you need to light the tree.
However, we know very well that you can say a lot of “sophisticated” words, but inside yourself cherish serpentine thoughts. If you think about Mani’s comparison, it becomes clear what the “true prophet” calls for. In Zoroastrianism, the tree personifies the clan, the connection with the Fravash, the ancestors. And it turns out, according to Mani, in order to show wisdom in the heart, you need to burn a tree, which means destroy the human race, and then see what comes of it. Thus, Mani misleads a person, imposing vicious actions on him, disorienting him.
The image of a tree producing fruit depending on its environment runs throughout the book. Mani gives the example of a date palm that grew in a bad place and did not bear fruit, while another on fertile soil bore wonderful fruit. Let us now remember on what basis Mani himself spent his childhood, how he opposed his teachers.
His conclusion about the forgiveness of sins does not inspire confidence either. Mani believed that it was possible to sin; after repentance, 4/5 of the sins were forgiven, and only one-fifth had to be paid for. He writes: “Every person, if he accepted hope and faith, separated light from darkness, understood the secrets of the living Soul,... and asks for absolution from the Mind of light - know: all the first sins that he committed from the day he was born , until the day when he accepted the hope of God and turned his heart away from all false teachers and the fruits of error, are completely released to him, and it is not for them that he will be asked from now on, and he does not receive recompense for them." But if he sins again, then all his sins, previous and future, will be credited to him: he will receive reward for all this, for “God gives repentance and remission of sins for folly.” And whoever persists in sin will be thrown into Gehenna and go to destruction."
Mani believed that evil in the world is necessary in order for good to be better manifested; only through evil can goodness be most fully realized. From the Zoroastrian point of view, good is inherent in this world, and evil is only its distortion. In Zoroastrianism, it is believed that ignorance of the laws does not exempt one from responsibility, and that a person will have to pay for everything he has done after death, when impartial judges weigh his good and evil deeds on the Chinvat Bridge. If good deeds outweigh the soul, then the soul is allowed to cross the bridge and enter Heaven. If the evil deeds in his life outweigh, then the bridge becomes narrow and the soul falls into hell. Therefore, it is important for a Zoroastrian not to participate in evil deeds, and not to sin and then repent. This enhances the significance of the manifestation of free will, the choice of a person in each of his incarnations.
One of the characteristic qualities of a false prophet is his desire for self-aggrandizement. This quality is evident in Mani, who imagines himself to be the “world messiah.” In the chapter “About Lord Mani, how he reigned,” he calls himself “our Lord and Bright Lamp.” However, despite this, he understands perfectly well that the people reject him as a particle alien to themselves. Summing up the deplorable result of his activity, he writes: “I, Mani the only one, came into the world to preach the Word of God and fulfill His good will here given to me. And so - I, Mani the only one, was not allowed to speak freely in the world to preach , to gain liberation and fulfill the good will given to me, but I fulfilled the will of the Sacrament, which I preached in living truth. For the world loves Darkness (and hates) Light, because its deeds are evil; and I came to fulfill the will of Light and spread the truth everywhere, as I was commanded. And so - the world oppresses me in its hatred, slanderes me in its false teachings, they do not give me a place in it to speak, although I am the only Mani."
Zoroastrians refer to Mani as “one of the forerunners of the Antichrist” and use Manichaean postulates as a universal criterion for evaluating a particular teaching by comparing their main provisions. Mani's treatise on the creation of the world - "Kefalaya" - is the most striking example of religious heresies of the outgoing era of Pisces.

Followers of Mani - who are they?

The false teaching of Mani turned out to be very tenacious, it has existed for about two thousand years and still finds its followers today. Among them were the Mazdaks (late 5th - early 6th centuries) in the Sasanian state. The leader of this movement was Mazdak-Bambad. Many of his ideas were borrowed from Manichaeism; the Mazdaks were also characterized by pessimism and asceticism. However, they advocated an active position in reorganizing the existing world. The concepts of good and evil were replaced by revolutionary terms such as “social justice” and “human inequality.” Mazdak called for the violent destruction of social and property inequality, demanded community of property (including women), and equal use of it. All this was called "brotherly love." Mazdak was supported not only by peasants and artisans, but also by wealthier sections of the population. Just as Mani gained the favor of Shapur, Mazdak also came under the wing of those in power. With the coming to power of Khosrow "Anoshirvan", who resolutely defended Zoroastrianism as the state religion, the Mazdakist movement was suppressed, and Mazdak himself was executed (according to one version, he was buried in the sand with his head down, feet up), but his influence continued to be felt in various sects, that arose during the adoption of Islam.
The Manichaeans deeply influenced Islamic mystics and left their mark on Christianity. During the Middle Ages, Manichaeism lost its name, but did not lose its essence; some of its provisions are still found in many teachings.
Considering matter to be the product of the devil. Mani openly called for the destruction of the material world, for the mortification of his flesh. There are known cases of mass suicide among followers of Manichaeism. Manichaeans of this type include non-traditional cults of our time, for example, the notorious Buddhist movement represented by Aum Shinrikyo Doctrine of Truth Aum, which has the largest representation in Russia. Its leader, the blind preacher Shoko Asahara, a Japanese entrepreneur, was under investigation on suspicion of preparing mass murders using poison gas specially manufactured by the organization. The totalitarian nature of this sect, the idea of ​​killing to escape from this world, exerting a heavy suppressive effect on people - all these are responses from the history of the beginning of our millennium.
Another example of Mani's followers is the Moonite organization "Church of Unification", whose founder is Sang Myung Moon, who was twice convicted. In 1954 in South Korea Moon proclaimed a new religion. According to his teachings, God is one for all nations and religions, and the time has come to create a universal, united church. Moon declared himself the prophet and messiah of the new century. The Moonies call their leader "reverend" and "divine." There is even a cult of Moon. The “United Church” has turned into the most powerful and richest financial empire. Strengthening her influence, she is involved in charity work. Its adherents claim that their community is like an extended family. They live in communities, conduct propaganda among the younger generation, and marriages within the community are very common. Moonies donate money and property to the community. The individual in the Moonite community is completely controlled.
However, not only these organizations are currently affected by the virus of Manichaeism. Many religious movements and occult movements are of a similar nature. Using very specious slogans, they try to lead people astray and impose on them a false prism of perception of the world. They pose a particular danger to young people who do not have sufficient experience and knowledge. You should always remember that a beautiful bait can hide behind itself an ominous funnel, where those who are too gullible can easily lose their freedom.
For anyone modern man, who has at least general concepts about astrology and celestial mechanics, the Manichaean camouflage is clearly visible in the picture of the structure of the world recreated by Mani, he exposes himself. Only a blind man could fail to see the absurdity of his system. However, despite this, the “word of Mani” did not die. His books are published. Mani has many followers, but they do not directly talk about their spiritual relationship with him. Different masks, different faces, but the essence is the same - it is not the truth that drives them, but lies and selfish goals. Since they are conductors of the dark world, it feeds them with its destructive energy.
Like an octopus, Manichaeism penetrated deep into history, enveloping the minds of gullible souls, changing and hiding its true essence. Mani's followers modern world adapt, justifying their philosophical and socio-political views, but almost all new reformers have to use his techniques. You can be protected from them and resist them only with extensive knowledge, persistent moral strength and strong faith.

Literature
1. Van der Waerden B. Awakening science. The birth of astronomy. M.: Nauka, 1991.
2. Globa P.P. Living fire. M.-L., 1996. 302 p.
3. Zener R.C. The teaching of magicians. M., 1993. 96 p.
4. Kefalaya ("Heads"). M.: Eastern literature, 1998.512p.
5. Kulakov A.E. Religions of the world. M., 1996. 350 p.

Content:

→Manichaeism

Among the heretical teachings hostile to Christianity and those close to it, it is necessary to point out Manichaeism. Its founder Persian Mani(216-276), who traveled extensively throughout Iran, Central Asia and India and was executed by the Shah of Persia, relied on religious ideas Zoroastrianism and, in all likelihood, was influenced by Gnosticism.

It was in Manichaeism that the original Zoroastrian dualism of light and darkness, good and evil brought to its extreme and, one might say, classical form. In Gnosticism, this opposition, already transformed as the opposition of spirit and matter, was ultimately raised to a single spiritual principle in the form "pleroma". IN philosophical teaching contemporary of Mani Dam matter was understood as darkness, whose existence is due to the absence of the light of divine unity. In Manichaeism, matter, which was also identified with darkness, acted as a principle, as eternal and indestructible as light. These two principles - the divine and the devilish - are in constant and irreconcilable struggle with each other.

The main ethical and social conclusion drawn by Mani from this idea was a statement hostile to Christianity about the indestructibility of evil in the world around us. It can be considered that this extremely pessimistic view reflected the mentality of the lower classes, their dissatisfaction with the exploitative order, which seemed to them something eternal and insurmountable. However, Manichaeism also offered way to overcome the world of evil First of all, in an ethical way. Manichaean dualism also extended to man, whose soul was as divided as everything else in the world. Basically, this is a dark principle, but it also contains particles of light, which man must save from the power of matter. This salvation is possible under conditions of the strictest asceticism: abstinence from meat and some types of plant foods, complete celibacy, avoiding contact with “perishable” things.

But it is even more important to note that, based on Manichaeism, in the III-IV centuries. There have been major movements in Iran, Egypt and Syria aimed at against social evil, especially against wealth inequality. Sometimes these movements were led by Manichaean preachers. They arose as a result of discontent among the lower strata of the population caused by the strengthening of state and developing feudal exploitation, and were often directed against the state church, which sanctified this exploitation (in the eastern half of the Roman Empire, the main opponent of Manichaeism became Christian church).

In the spirit of Gnosticism Mani denied the humanity of Christ and considered him because he was supposedly historical figure, false teacher. He considered only himself to be the true comforter (paraclete), the messenger of the kingdom of light.

The Manichaean communities were a fairly coherent church organization, whose influence in the East extended all the way to China. In the Roman Empire, the Christian Church declared the teachings of the Manichaeans to be heresy.

References:

1. Sokolov V.V. Medieval philosophy: Textbook. manual for philosophers fak. and departments of the university. - M.: Higher. school, 1979. - 448 p.

AND Marcionites, had many followers in the East, Africa and Italy, being subjected to equally severe persecution from pagans and Christians. The founder of Manichaeism was Mani(216 – 273 or 276), magician expelled during Sassanids from Persia, a very talented man, a scientist, who traveled a lot. He decided to transform all the religions he had become acquainted with and combine them into one. He told Christians that he was the “Comforter”, the Paraclete, about whom Christ spoke. Rejected by Christians, Mani returned to Persia and gained great respect from the king and the people. But the Zoroastrian priests (magicians) rejected him. The founder of Manichaeism fought with them (at times successfully) and finally, after a solemn dispute with them under Shah Bahram I, he was declared a false teacher and crucified on the cross. They flayed him, stuffed him with straw, and hung him on the gates of the Persian capital as a terrifying example to his followers. Manichaeism was a mixture of Persian religion with Christian gnosis and its main idea was the idea of ​​​​two opposing principles, good and evil, fighting each other in nature and in the human soul.

Execution of Mani. Miniature from the manuscript"Shahname" by Ferdowsi , XIV century

According to the teachings of the Manichaeans, from eternity there have been two principles, independent of each other, hostile to one another: God in the kingdom of light and the Demon in the kingdom of darkness. But in the kingdom of darkness there was never peace and harmony. The evil forces constantly waged an evil struggle among themselves, and finally, in their anxious movements, they reached the border of their kingdom and saw the kingdom of light in all its splendor. Having ceased hostility among themselves, they united to fight against the kingdom of light. To combat them, Manichaeism teaches, God created the first man from eternal light and gave him five pure elements: light, fire, air, water, earth. He was defeated, and although he himself was saved, part of his light was carried away by the forces of evil into the kingdom of darkness. In order for this light to get rid of captivity, God, through the “Mother of Life,” created the visible universe, in which the light stolen by darkness constitutes the life principle, the soul of the universe and awaits deliverance from captivity.

To accomplish this deliverance, two new light beings emerged from God: Christ and the Holy Spirit. Christ or Mithras, according to the Manichaeans, lives on the sun and the moon, and the Holy Spirit lives in the ether, spreading over the universe. They attract to themselves the forces of light immersed in the material world and raise them back to the kingdom of eternal light. In order to retain the forces of light contained in matter, the demons created a new being - the current man, in the image of the first. According to Manichaean teaching, the great struggle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness is repeated in the human heart, so that both opposing kingdoms are united in man. The human soul is free and in its essence belongs to the kingdom of light. But the temptations of matter and the seduction of the Demon keep her in the shackles of darkness. Thus, in paganism and Judaism, the “son of eternal light” was bound by the bonds of matter, was “Jesus the Suffering.”

In order for the work of deliverance to be accomplished faster, Christ, sitting on the throne on the right side of the bright god, left his heavenly throne and appeared on earth, clothed with the ghost of a body. His suffering and death on the cross, says Manichaeism, were only apparent. It was a symbol of the suffering in which there is light, spread throughout nature, bound by the bonds of matter. It is spread everywhere in nature, but especially in the plant kingdom, and suffers everywhere. Christ, with his teaching, began the deliverance of light, attracting it to himself, so that the salvation of the world really comes from the cross, shining with light - in this, according to Manichaeism, Christians are right. But the apostles understood the teaching of Christ in their Jewish sense, and they presented it unsatisfactorily. Therefore, to complete the victory of light, Mani appeared - the “Comforter” promised by Christ himself. The pure truth is set forth only in the Manichaean books. At the end of existence visible universe the light will be completely freed from the kingdom of darkness, and then the evil forces will again be at enmity with each other.

Adherents of Manichaeism were divided into two classes of people: only the “elect” or “perfect” knew the secret meaning of the teaching and were obliged to observe the strictest abstinence: they did not marry, did not eat meat, did not drink wine. Another class among the Manichaeans was made up of “listeners” (catechumens), who continued to lead an ordinary lifestyle and, through the intercession of the “perfect,” received forgiveness for their sinful material pursuits and pleasures. As a reward for the prayers of the “perfect” ones, they gave them offerings, mainly consisting of olives; these fruits, which produce oil that is used for lighting, were considered light fruits and constituted the main food of the Manichaean clergy. Matter, according to the teachings of the Manichaeans, is the container of evil; Therefore, they considered it insufficient for a person to have dominion over his body, and considered it necessary to mortify the flesh. The most important commandments of Manichaean morality were feats of asceticism. They celebrated Sunday with fasting. The day of Mani's death was their main holiday and was called the holiday of the department (Bema).

The doctrine of reconciliation, the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, which constituted the essence of Manichaeism, attracted minds to it for two centuries. Persecuted with equal hatred by Christians and magicians, Manichaeism itself perished near the borders of Christian Byzantium in the 6th century. But soon it became state religion powerful Uyghur Khaganate in Central Asia. In Europe, modified ideas of Manichaeism were revived Bogomils, Cathars and other extreme sects of the Middle Ages. Extreme religious fanaticism, the desire to divide the church into an autocratic aristocracy of “leaders” and a dumb, submissive herd of believers were two features that sharply separated the Manichaeans from Christianity, and a fundamental reason for the hostility of the latter to the former.

MANICHAEISM, a religion that arose in Babylonia in the middle of the 3rd century, as one of the many sects united under the name Gnostic ( cm. GNOSTICISM). From its inception and throughout the 4th century. Manichaeism spread deep into Central Asia (as far as Chinese Turkestan) and established itself in many cultural centers of the West, in Rome and especially in Carthage. In Carthage, Augustine joined the sect and remained in it for ten years preceding his conversion to Christianity. Manichaeism retained many adherents in the East for a number of centuries, even under Muslim rulers, but it was finally eradicated in the 13th century. as a result of the Mongol conquests.

In the Byzantine Empire and in the West, Manichaeism as an independent religion was eradicated much earlier as a result of severe persecution and was preserved - under different names- only in the form of secret communities, which later supported new heretical movements that penetrated Europe from the East in the 11th and 12th centuries. For a long time, we knew about Manichaeism only from non-Manichaean sources - Syrian, Muslim and Christian (among the latter, the most important are Augustine’s works on polemics with the Manichaeans), but at the end of the 19th century. fragments of Manichaean writings were discovered in Chinese Turkestan. Found approx. 1930 in El Fayum (Egypt), papyri containing a Coptic translation of the works of Mani and his first students made it possible to clarify the details of the life of the founder of Manichaeism and the essence of his teaching.

Mani (Manes) began his preaching ca. 240 AD in Ctesiphon, the capital of the rulers of the Sassanid dynasty. Initially, Shapur I, the king of Persia, patronized his religious activities, but later Mani fell victim to the Zoroastrian priests, who, jealous of his fame, executed him c. 270. The religion of Mani was based on the idea of ​​​​the dualism of good and evil, which caused the emergence of the world and will remain the main active forces in this world until its end. Although he, like other prophets and religious teachers of the 3rd century, claimed to use reason to achieve religious truth (gnosis), in reality his teaching was a kind of popular religious cosmogony based on myth. According to his version of this myth, there was an eternal conflict between the princes of light (God and the divine messenger of light) and the demons of darkness (the devil, personifying matter, and his messengers, the archons), whose domains were initially separated from each other, but were later mixed as a result of the event , which in the Manichaean doctrine is called “demonic seduction.” Particles of the divine substance, light, were stolen by demons and used by the prince of darkness to create the earth with the sky and all the animal and plant organisms and inanimate entities that fill it.

However, Adam and his descendants received a divine call to release the particles of light contained within themselves, and thereby contribute to the process of releasing the light substance imprisoned in visible space and returning it to the kingdom of light. Manichaeism considers the development of nature, which must end with the final absorption of darkness by light, as part spiritual development a person whose goal is to free himself from the evil brought by Eve, another creation of the devil. The answer to the question about the reasons for the existence of evil in the world, together with a revelation indicating a means for defeating evil, are the most important elements of Mani’s teachings. As for the revelation a person receives about his own true nature and his role in the destinies of the universe, here Mani acknowledges the merits of such religious teachers as Buddha, Zoroaster and, above all, Jesus Christ in the implementation of this revelation. Jesus in Manichaeism acts as a messenger of light; in importance in bringing the final victory of light closer, he is surpassed only by Mani himself, the last of the great prophets. There is no doubt that Mani, who in his letters called himself “an apostle of Jesus,” viewed Christianity as most important source religious inspiration and saw in it the justification of his mission to save the world.

As a community, Manichaeism adopted many organizational features common to a number of religious movements in the Middle East. Although adherents of Manichaeism pledged to avoid magic and idolatry, to participate in the activities of the sect, and to live by general principles of abstinence, there was a sharp division between ordinary believers, called “hearers,” and “elect.” The “chosen ones” led the most severe ascetic life, since it was believed that verbosity and excesses in food, like all worldly affairs and desires in general, came from Satan. Although there was a certain hierarchy among the “elect”, the institution of priesthood never arose in Manichaeism.