Mani ( April 14, 216 in Mardin, Ctesiphon , Parthian Empire - 273 or 276 , Gundeshapur , Sassanian Empire ) - a spiritual teacher, founder of Manichaeism , an outstanding ancient Persian artist and poet. The real name is Suraik, son of Phataka ( ancient Greek Πατέκιος ). Christian writers have preserved his own name, in a distorted form, Kurbik, but he is known by his honorary nickname: Mani ( ancient Greek Μανης ), meaning "spirit" or "mind."
Mani | |
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Date of Birth | |
Place of Birth | Ctesiphon , Parthia (now Iraq ) |
Date of death | or |
Place of death | Gundeshapur , Sasanian Empire (now Iran ) |
A country | |
Occupation | , , , |
Content
Biography
Origin
Mani’s father was a Parthian prince of Arshakid origin named Patick, who lived in Hamadan , the capital of Medes ; mother, Mariam, came from the Armenian princely house Kamsarakanov . Like many in that era, Father Mani was fascinated by the search for religious truth. Mani was born on April 14, 216 in the Babylon region in the town of Mardin, near Ctesiphon , and was raised by his father in his faith. Judging by Arab sources, the Mani family belonged to the “wash” movement (this is confirmed by the Cologne Code of Mani ), but it is difficult to establish today what part of the “washing” - the Mandaeans or Elkasait .
Childhood
When Mani turned 12, he was granted the first revelation. “The King of Light Paradise” informed Mani with the message “Leave that community! You do not belong to her followers. Your job is to straighten customs and curb pleasure. However, because of your small years, the time has not come yet for you to speak openly ” [2] . From this moment on, Mani comes out against his father's will, and breaks with his parents. Obeying the order of the Heavenly Messenger, Manya is in seclusion. Perhaps during this period he studied various religious literature. Finally, Mani receives a long-awaited order from above to openly deliver his message. According to “ Fikhrist ” in 240/241, an angel appeared to him, informing him that the time had come to speak openly and loudly state his teaching. Following the instructions of the angel, Mani communicates the revelation to his father and converts his family into a new faith.
Start preaching
However, he initially began to preach not in Mesopotamia , but in India. Most likely, these were the far eastern outskirts of Iran , which merged with northwestern India, in which Buddhism flourished at that time. Meeting with this world religion made a deep impression on Mani; This was reflected in the fact that Mani adopted some principles of community organization and methods for preaching his teachings. Mani’s activities in India lasted just over a year, after which he boarded a ship and returned to the Persida province. From there he went to the province of Mesena ( Mayshan ). The ruler of Mayshan was the brother of the Sassanian king Shapur Mihrshah, the worst enemy of the teachings of Mani. The Prophet came to Mihrshah for a feast in the garden, and revealed a miracle from which Mihrshah lost consciousness, and having come to himself he recognized the correctness of the teachings of Mani. After this appeal, Mani went to preach in Babylonia, then in Media and Parthia .
At the court of Shapur
During his stay in the capital, Ctesiphone , Mani managed to establish contact with Tsar Shapur and obtain from him three audiences in a row that were arranged by the Tsar’s other brother, Peroz, who had been converted to the new faith. Mani was already known enough in the Sasanian kingdom to be accepted at such a high level. At the first audience, Mani appeared, accompanied by his father and students Simeon and Zakko, presented his book and preached to Shapur (Manichaean sources say that the preaching made a deep impression on Shapur). Perhaps a trusting relationship was established between them, since Shapur allowed Mani to preach throughout the kingdom, and even accepted him as his retinue, in which Mani accompanied Shapur on his campaigns to the west.
In the same retinue was rival Mani and his future enemy, Cartir , who dreamed of restoring the old Zoroastrian religion throughout the kingdom, strongly pressed from the times of the Hellenistic era. Apparently, at that time, King Shapur did not decide which religion to choose as the state religion — Zoroastrianism or Manichaeism. Mani was supported by the king’s two brothers converted to his faith, but it is not known who of the king’s entourage supported Cartier. All 30 years of Shapur's reign between the two rival religions existed a balanced balance, however, it can be assumed that the king’s personal sympathies were on Mani’s side.
At about this time, the beginning of the process of mixing the Iranian priestly groups, and bringing them to a single doctrine - magicians with a center in Shiza ( Midia Atropatena ) and Herbadas in Persia (Fars). The result was the emergence of this Zoroastrian community and the creation of canonical literature - " Apastak " and " Avesta ". Mages held a leading position, and later, during the reign of the Sassanian dynasty, as members of the Inquisition Court, they fiercely persecuted Christians, Manichaeans, Buddhists, and other religious minorities. In short, Zoroastrianism consolidated in the middle of the 3rd century to repel the Manichaea. This in turn led to even greater ingenuity of Mani and his like-minded people: they preach in the west and east, and undertake missionary journeys to various parts of the empire.
One of his students, Addai, preached and founded the Manichaean community even in Egypt. But things were especially successful in the east of the empire and in Mesopotamia, where 100 years later they still remembered the Manichaean sermons of the disciples of Mani Addai and Ozeos. A visual representation of Mani is given by the Christian “ Acts of Archelaus ”: Mani appeared in front of people in wide flowing pants, painted in yellow-green and green, in a sky-blue raincoat and with a long stick of ebony in hand (such was the traditional clothing of the priests of Mithra ). Probably, there was a connection between Mani and the religion of Mithra, although in the letter he calls himself "Mani, the apostle of Jesus Christ."
Opala and death
In the middle of April 273, King Shapur died, and his son Hormizd I inherited the throne. Mani immediately paid him a visit. Like his father, the new king favored Mani and renewed the protection letter issued by his father. However, Hormizd reigned for no more than a year - he died at the very moment when Mani was in Babylonia. Ormizda was succeeded by his brother Bahram I. Mani preached on the banks of the Tigris , intending to go to the Kushan kingdom , but Bahram forbade him to do so. Then Bahram summoned Mani to his residence Betladbad.
There is no doubt that behind this challenge stood Karthyr , who under Bahram was someone like the minister responsible for religion and ideology. Coptic sources report that magicians made a complaint about Mani (“Mani taught against our law”), and she went up the bureaucratic ladder to the king. During the audience, which was more like an interrogation, Bahram did not listen to Mani’s arguments, called him a worthless man who “doesn’t lead to war and doesn’t hunt,” cannot heal, and doesn’t know about drugs. The stormy interrogation ended with Mani reminding the king about the blessings that Shapur and Hormizd had done for him, and in conclusion said: “Do what you want with me!”.
Then the king ordered the imprisonment of Mani. Three chains were put on his hands, three pairs of shackles on his legs, and one chain was hung around his neck. Then the chains were sealed, and they took him to prison. In this position, Mani stayed from January 19 to February 14, 276 . During these 26 days, Mani, according to the ancient Eastern custom, was allowed to see his students and talk with them. He felt that his end was nearing, and therefore gave his close disciples the necessary instructions. They were later reported to the church by Mar Ammo, who was present there.
In the end, the forces of 60-year-old Mani were exhausted, and he died from exhaustion. According to other versions, Mani was either crucified or he was skinned alive. News of his death quickly spread through Betlabad. Many people flocked to the city and gathered in crowds. The king gave the order to pierce the body of Mani with a burning torch to verify his death. After that, the dead body was cut into pieces, and the severed head was placed above the city gates of Betlabad. The earthly remains were later buried by loyal disciples at Ctesiphon.
Mani as an artist
Muslim tradition considers Mani the founding father of Persian painting , an inimitable and unsurpassed artist. Indeed, Mani was an aesthetically developed person. He loved music and painting, and valued them so highly that his followers, as Augustine relates, elevated music to a divine source. Nevertheless, the success of Mani as an artist played the greatest role for the descendants. Mani attached to help missionaries sent to them, both scribes and artists. In his own words, the pictures that decorated his writings were supposed to complement the training for educated people, and reinforce the revelation for the uneducated. Probably he took it from the Mandeans, whose manuscripts were decorated with drawings.
Today, the style of illustrations of his manuscripts cannot be determined. It is quite likely that there are legends about this, that Mani created not only book drawings, but also large pieces on the boards, which caused delight among the public. He was also credited with the invention of the first Persian frescoes, which later spread to Central Asia, and one Turkic source reports that in the place of Chigil there was a Manichaean sanctuary, which Mani adorned with paintings. Eastern Muslim tradition praises Mani as an artist, and Muslim authors vied with him to pay tribute to him, as a magnificent master who worked miracles in art. For example, Abul Maali in his famous history of religions writes: “This man was a master in the art of painting ... As they say, he painted on a piece of white silk a flourish in such a way that it was possible to stretch this piece of silk fabric by threads, and this flourish would remain invisible ".
Explanations for illustrations
- Wall painting from the city of Hoto ( Kucha ) with the image of Mani and his followers. The city was founded in the III century Mani, it was the eastern outpost of Manichaeism with a strong Manichaean community. Then among the inhabitants appeared Nestorians , and from the VIII century Buddhists . However, the Manichaeans lived there until the XIV century . The mural depicts the high priest in a characteristic headdress and with a halo. Since the Mani among the Uighurs was revered as "God-Sun-Moon", no one doubts that it is he who is depicted on the fresco. True, it does not look like an Iranian, but a native of East Asia, and the fresco was created five or six centuries after the death of Mani.
- Execution Mani. Thumbnail from “ Shahnama ” by Demott. The name Mani appears in the epos "Shahnameh", but the historical events in it are changed according to the laws of the genre, for the sake of drama. Therefore, Mani dies here not in prison, but skin is removed from him, which hangs on a tree while the body of the prophet lies nearby. It is noteworthy that in the Roman sources reported similar information about the execution of the emperor Valerian, captured by Shapur I.
- Mani presents a drawing to Bahram Guru. One of the many legends about Bahram Gora tells how the king fell in love with a portrait of a Chinese beauty, written for him by the artist Mani. In reality, Mani was not a contemporary of Bahram Gur ( Varakhran V ), but of his eponymous ancestor Varakhran I , who put the prophet in prison, where he died. However, the Eastern tradition of exalting Mani as an artist created such a beautiful legend.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Yarshater E. Encyclopædia Iranica - Columbia University , 1982. - ISBN 978-1-56859-050-9
- ↑ Quote from Geo Wiendgren's book Mani and Manichaeism, St. Petersburg. Eurasia. 2001.
Literature
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