The ''Pragmateia'' (; zh, t=證明過去教經, s=证明过去教经, first=t, p=Zhèngmíng guòqù jiào jīng, l=Proof of the Past Teachings), is one of the seven major books of the prophet

Mani Mani may refer to: People * Mani (name), (), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) ** Mani (prophet) (c. 216–274), a 3rd century Iranian prophet who founded Manichaeism ** Mani (musician) (born 1962), an English ...

, written and regarded as part of the major canon of

Manichaeism Manichaeism (; in ; ) is an endangered former major world religion currently only practiced in China around Cao'an,R. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''. SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 found ...

. The text is now lost and its exact contents are currently unknown. According to historical records and fragments found in

Turfan Turpan () or Turfan ( zh, s=吐鲁番) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. It has an area of and a population of 693,988 (2020). The historical center of the prefectural area has shifted ...

, the text was likely focused on

human history Human history or world history is the record of humankind from prehistory to the present. Early modern human, Modern humans evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago and initially lived as hunter-gatherers. They Early expansions of hominin ...

. The text is also mentioned in accounts of the Monijiao branch of Manichaeism (including its religious and political movement known as the White Lotus Society) from the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

References

Manichaean texts Texts in Syriac 3rd-century books Lost religious texts {{Manichaeism-stub