The Manichean Compendium is a
Manichaean
Manichaeism (;
in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani (A ...
manuscript found in the
Mogao Cave
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu ...
. It is a manuscript expounding the doctrine of
Manicheaism. It was written in the reign of
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the ear ...
by the Persian missionary Fuduo in 731. It briefly summarizes the basic teachings and rituals of the religion, and is an introductory document for understanding Manichaeism.
Introduction
The manuscript is divided into two volumes. The first volume was discovered by Hungarian British archaeologist
Aurel Stein
Sir Marc Aurel Stein,
( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...
in 1907. It is now in London
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...
. It is glued on three pieces of paper. The length is about 150 cm. The writing department The height is about 21.4 cm. The second volume was acquired by French orientalist
Paul Pelliot
Paul Eugène Pelliot (28 May 187826 October 1945) was a French Sinologist and Orientalist best known for his explorations of Central Asia and his discovery of many important Chinese texts such as the Dunhuang manuscripts.
Early life and care ...
in 1908, now in the collection of Paris
French National Library, the entire volume is on one paper, length 52 cm, height 26.2 cm,
The writing part is about 21.4 cm high.
After investigating the content and historical background of "Yilue",
Lin Wushu believes that the manuscript is not a translation, but a doctrinal explanatory essay written directly in Chinese by Fengzhao. There are 6 chapters in the full text: "Tuohua Land Title Religion No. 1", "Shaping Apparatus No. 2", "Jingtu Apparatus No. 3", "Five Level Apparatus No. 4", "Temple Yuyi Apparatus No. 5", "Monk Ritual sixth". The first 4 chapters are written in the first volume, and the last 2 chapters are in the second volume. The seventh chapter has completely fallen off except for part of the title. The title may be "Four Laws and Seventh", so the content is unknown. The full text mainly introduces the founder (teacher)
Mani of the church, the church's scriptures, sect system, temple architecture, organizational structure and basic doctrines. Obviously, the author tried to give a comprehensive introduction to Manichaeism. Therefore, this manuscript is undoubtedly the most valuable original document for studying Manichaeism.
See also
*
Chinese Manichaean hymn scroll
References
External links
{{Manichaeism footer
Manichaean texts
Chinese Manichaeism