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~ "The Treasure of Life" ~ 
Manichaean Thesaurusby Mar Mani

 ("His water-pot is the Thesaurus, the treasure of life. In it there is hot water: there is some cold water also mixed with it. - Mani Bema Psalm)

The Manichaean text of this title (Ginza dHiya) may have been used in the creation or naming of the main Mandaean text called the Great Treasure (Ginza Raba). Certainly much Manichaean material went into the Mandaean texts compiled by Zazai about the time of Mani's death, circa 172 AD. The Treasure of the Life was also called the Thesaurus. It had at least 7 chapters. Innai wrote a commentary on it and Epiphanius speaks of a Little Treasure while Cyril, Nilus and Heraclion speak of "The Treasures".

This "Book of Vivification" deals with the  fate of Catechumens and a detailed account of the myth of man. There was also a summary called the "Little Treasury"."The Treasure of Life dealt with, among other subjects, the condition of the dwellers in the Realm of Light, the so-called "Seduction of the Archons." This work consisted of seven books and dealt with anthropology, psychology and a detailed interpretation of man as microcosm."One of these dealt with refuting the Marcionite doctrine of a third intermediary principle according to Mas'udi. Here is a short quote from its seventh chapter:

Book of  Thesaurus

First Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Second Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Third Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Fourth Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Fifth Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Sixth Book of  Thesaurus:Lost
Seventh Book of  Thesaurus: "Then the blessed Father, who has bright ships, little apartments, dwelling-places, or magnitudes, according to his in dwelling clemency, brings the help by which he is drawn out and liberated from the impious bonds, straits, and torments of his vital substance. And so by his own invisible nod he transforms those powers of his, which are held in this most brilliant ship, and makes them to bring forth adverse powers, which have been arranged in the various tracts of the heavens. Since these consist of both sexes, male and female, he orders the afore said powers to bring forth partly in the form of beardless youths, for the adverse race of females, partly in the form of bright maidens, for the contrary race of males: knowing that all these hostile powers on account of the deadly and most foul lust innate in them, are very easily taken captive, delivered up to these most beautiful forms which appear, and in this manner they are dissolved. But you may know that this same blessed Father of ours is identical with his powers, which for a necessary reason he transforms into the undefiled likeness of youths and maidens. But these he uses as his own arms, and through them he accomplishes his will. But there are bright ships full of these divine powers, which are stationed after the likeness of marriage over against the infernal races, and who with alacrity and ease effect at the very moment what they have planned. Therefore, when reason demands that these same holy powers should appear to males, straightway also they show by their dress the likeness of most beautiful maidens. Again when females are to be dealt with, putting aside the forms of maidens, they show the forms of beardless youths. But by this handsome appearance of theirs, ardor and lust increase, and in this way the chain of their worst thoughts is loosed, and the living soul which was held by their members, relaxed by this occasion escapes, and is mingled with its own most pure air; when the souls thoroughly cleansed ascend to the bright ships, which have been prepared for conveying them and for ferrying them over to their own country. But that which still bears the stains of the adverse race, descends little by little through billows and fires, and is mingled with trees and other plants and with all seeds, and is plunged into divers fires. And in what manner the figures of youths and maidens from that great and most glorious ship appear to the contrary powers which live in the heavens and have a fiery nature; and from that handsome appearance, par of the life which is held in their members having been released is conducted away through fires into the earth: in the same manner also, that most high power, which dwells in the ship of vital waters appears in the likeness of youths and holy maidens to those powers whose nature is cold and moist, and which are arranged in the heavens. And indeed to those that are females, among these the form of youths appears, but to the males, the form of maidens. By his changing and diversity of divine and most beautiful persons, the princes male and female of the moist and cold race are loosed, and what is vital in them escapes; but whatever should remain, having been relaxed, is conducted into the earth through cold, and is mingled with all the races of darkness" -  from: DE NATURA BONI CONTRA MANICHAEOS  c. A.D. 405.

(continued?) Lost

(Other Book of  Thesaurus?:  If there were other books, they are now Lost )