Order of Nazorean Essenes

Welcome weary traveler exiled in these worlds of darkness. Be of good cheer for the teachings of Lord Mani are again spreading forth on the earth.

Mani - founder of Manichaeaism
Intro - to Manichaeanism
Beliefs - Teachings & Practices
Texts - Literary Remains
Timeline - Chronology
Offshoots - Branches & Hybrids
Enemies - Anti-Mani writings
Ruins - Temple Remains
Revival - Restoration
Diet - Veganism
Light Cross - Ecology
Mythos - Worldview

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Order of Nazorean Essenes

~ "Mani's Letters" ~

Manichaean Epistles by Mar Mani & Others

("The vestible of every cure is the Book of Letters. - Mani Bema Psalm MP46)

Includes the Fundamental Epistle and Two Sources. Al-Nadim, in his Fihrist, tells us that the titles of the 76 Epistles of Mani and of the Imams after Him contained the following sections, each prefaced witht eh word "Epistle of":

The Two Sources,Two Realms

The Great Ones Lost?

Of India, a long one Lost?

Wellbeing of Righteousness Lost?

The Jurisdiction of Justice, Lost?

Of Kaskar Lost?

Of Pattuq, a long one (Fundamental Epistle)

Of Armenia Lost?

To Amuliya the Unbeliever, Lost?

Of Ctesiphon, Lost?

The Note Lost?

The Ten Words Lost?

Of The Teacher Lost?

Social Relationships Lost?

Of Wahman Lost?

The Seal of the Mouth Lost?

Of Khabarhat Lost?

Consolation Lost?

Of Khabarhat, Lost?

(blank) Lost?

Of Umm Hushaym of Ctesiphon,

Of Yahya, Lost?

Breaking the Fast Lost?

Of Khabarhat, Lost?

(blank) Lost?

Of Ctesiphon To The Hearers Lost?

Of Fafi Lost?

Guidance, a short epistle Lost?

The Double Epistle of Sis Lost?

Of Babil, a long epistle Lost?

Of Sis and Futtaq Lost?

Forms Lost?

Garden [of Paradise] Lost?

Of Sis Lost?

Time Lost?

Of Sa'yus Lost?

The Tithe Lost?

Of Sis Lost?

Pledges Lost?

The Administrations Lost?

Of Aba the Pupil Lost?

Of Mani to al-Ruha (Eddessa) Lost?

Of Aba, Lost?

Love Lost?

Of Maysan (M731)

The Day Lost?

Of Aba Lost?

(blank) Lost?

Of Bahrana Lost?

The Terrors Lost?

Of Aba Lost?

Mention of the Good Lost?

Of Abd Yasu (Slave of Jesus) Lost?

The Seven Heavens Lost?

Of Bahrana Lost?

Social Relationships Lost?

Of Shathil and Salna Lost?

Of Aba Lost?

Alms Lost?

Of Hadana Lost?

The Pidgeon Lost?

Of Afquiriya Lost?

Time Lost?

Of Zaku Lost?

Time Lost?

Of Suhrab Lost?

The Tithe Lost?

Of Karkh and Ghurab Lost?

Of Suhrab Lost?

Persia Lost?

To Abu Ahya Lost?

Of Abu Yasum the geometrician Lost?

To Abu Ahya the Unbeliever Lost?

Baptism

Of Yahya Lost?

Money Lost?

Of Aqfid Lost?

The Four Tithes Lost?

Of Aqfid Lost?

The First People Lost?

Of Yanu about mention of the messages Lost?

Of Yuhannna About The Administration Of Charity Funds Lost?

Of The Hearers About Fasting and DecreingLost?

Of The Hearers About The Greatest FireLost?

Of Al-Ahwaz About Mention Of The KingdomLost?

Of The Hearers About The Interpretations of YazdanbakhtLost?

The First Epistle of Maynaq

Al-Farisiyah Lost?

The Second Epistle of Maynaq

The Tithes and Alms Lost?

Ardashir and Maynak Lost?

Of Salam and Ansira Lost?

Of Hatta Lost?

Khabarhat Lost?

The Kingdoms Lost?

To Abu Ahya Lost?

The Healthy and the Sick Lost?

Of Ardad Lost?

Beasts Lost?

Of Aja Lost?

Sandals Lost?

The Two Light Shining Cargoes Lost?

Of Mana Lost?

The Crucifixion Lost?

Of Mihr Lost?

The Hearer Lost?

Of Furuz and Rasin Lost?

Of Abd Yal About Safar Al-Asrar Lost?

Of Simeon and Zamin (Ramayn) Lost?

Of Abd Yal Clothing Lost?

VII. Berlin Papyrus Collection, P 15998, the Letters. This codex was also sold by the provincial dealer to Nahman, who sold it to Schmidt in 1931. There are 6 unpublished leaves that were returned from Leningrad to Berlin in 1958 and 3 unpublished leaves in the National Museum in Warsaw. There are also 15 leaves among those that lay half-conserved in the Ibscher home throughout the war that may belong to this codex. The book block did not return from Leningrad to Berlin in 1958. None of the leaves of this codex have been published."James ROBINSON: The Manichaean Codices of Medinat Madi (Terenouthis).

Mani's Fundamental Epistle - To Patak
- from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS c. A.D. 405.

"Manichaeus, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the providence of God the Father. These, are wholesome words from the perennial and living fountain; and whoever shall have heard them, and shall have first believed them, and then shall have observed the truths they set forth, shall never suffer death, but shall enjoy eternal life in glory. For he is to be judged truly blessed who has been instructed in this divine knowledge, by which he is made free and shall abide in everlasting life. May the peace, of the invisible God, and the knowledge of the truth, be with the holy and beloved brethren who both believe and also yield obedience to the divine precepts. May also the right hand of light protect you, and deliver you from every hostile assault, and from the snares of the world. Of that matter, beloved brother of Patticus, of which you told me, saying that you desired to know the manner of the birth of Adam and Eve, whether they were produced by a word or sprung from matter, I will answer you as is fit. For in various writings and narratives we find different assertions made and different descriptions given by many authors. Now the real truth on the subject is unknown to all peoples, even to those who have long and frequently treated of it. For had they arrived at a clear knowledge of the generation of Adam and Eve, they would not have remained liable to corruption and death. Necessarily, many things have to be said by way of preface, before a discovery of this mystery free from all uncertainty can be made. Accordingly, hear first, if you please, what happened before the constitution of the world, and how the battle was carried on, that you may be able to distinguish the nature of light from that of darkness. In the beginning, then, these two substances were divided. The empire of light was held by God the Father, who is perpetual in holy origin, magnificent in virtue, true in His very nature, ever rejoicing in His own eternity, possessing in Himself wisdom and the vital senses, by which He also includes the twelve members of His light, which are the plentiful resources of his kingdom. Also in each of His members are stored thousands of untold and priceless treasures. But the Father Himself, chief in praise, incomprehensible in greatness, has united to Himself happy and glorious worlds, incalculable in number and duration, along with which this holy and illustrious Father and Progenitor resides, no poverty or infirmity being admitted in His magnificent realms. And these matchless realms are so founded on the region of light and bliss, that no one can ever move or disturb them. In one direction on the border of this bright and holy land there was a land of darkness deep and vast in extent, where abode fiery bodies, destructive races. Here was boundless darkness, flowing from the same source in immeasurable abundance, with the productions properly belonging to it. Beyond this were muddy turbid waters with their inhabitants; and inside of them winds terrible and violent with their prince and their progenitors. Then again a fiery region of destruction, with its chiefs and peoples. And similarly inside of this a race full of smoke and gloom, where abode the dreadful prince and chief of all, having around him innumerable princes, himself the mind and source of them all. Such are the five natures of the pestiferous land. But, the orders of beings inhabiting those five natures were fierce and destructive."

In the epistle which they call Fundamental, Manichaeus wrote as follows respecting the way in which the Prince of Darkness, whom they represent as the father of the first man, spoke to the rest of his allied princes of darkness, and how he acted:

"Therefore with wicked inventions he said to those present: What does this huge light that is rising seem to you to be? See how the pole moves, how it shakes most of the powers. Wherefore it is right for me rather to ask you beforehand for whatever light you have in your powers: since thus I will form an image of that great one who has appeared in his glory, through which we may be able to rule, freed in some measure from the conversation of darkness. Hearing these things, and deliberating for a long time among themselves, they thought it most just to furnish what was demanded of them. For they did not have confidence in being able to retain the light that they had forever; hence they thought it better to offer it to their Prince, by no means without hope that in this way they would-rule. It must be considered therefore how they furnished the light that they had. For this also is scattered throughout all the divine scriptures and the heavenly secrets; but to the wise it is easy enough to know how it was given: for it is known immediately and openly by him who should truly and faithfully wish to consider. Since there was a promiscuous throng of those who had come together, females and males of course, he impelled them to copulate among themselves: in Which copulation the males emitted seed, the females were made pregnant. But the offspring were like those who had begotten them, the first obtaining as it were the largest portion of the parents' strength. Taking these as a special gift their Prince rejoiced. And just as even now we see take place, that the nature of evil taking thence strength forms the fashioner of bodies, so also the aforesaid Prince, taking the offspring of his companions, which had the senses of their parents, sagacity, light, procreated at the same time with themselves in the process of generation, devoured them; and very many powers having been taken from food of this kind, in which there was present not only fortitude, but much more astuteness and depraved sensibilities from the ferocious race of the progenitors, he called his own spouse to himself, springing from the same stock as himself, emitted, like the rest the abundance of evils that he had devoured, himself also adding something from his own thought and power, so that his disposition became the former and arranger of all the things that he had poured forth; whose consort received these things as soil cultivated in the best way is accustomed to receive seed. For in her were constructed and woven together the images of all heavenly and earthly powers, so that what was formed obtained the likeness, so to speak, of a full orb."- from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS c. A.D. 405.

Manichaeus, in his epistle of the Foundation, said: "But His most resplendent realms were so founded upon the shining and happy land, that they could never be either moved or shaken by any one;" - from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS c. A.D. 405.

"But the Father of the most blessed light, knowing that great ruin and desolation which would arise from the darkness, threaten his holy worlds, unless he should send in opposition a deity excellent and renowned, mighty in strength, by whom he might at the same time overcome and destroy the race of darkness, which having been extinguished, the inhabitants of light would enjoy perpetual rest."- from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS c. A.D. 405.

"they have suffered themselves to err from their former bright nature"- from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS c. A.D. 405.

"Those souls shall adhere to the things that they have loved, having been left in the same sphere of darkness, bringing this upon themselves by their own deserts."- from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS