Forerunners and rivals of Christianity

by Francis Legge

[1146]. Op. cit. Bk XX. c. 9.

[1147]. Cumont, Cosmog. Manich. App. 2, “L’Omophore.” He shows that this belief in an angel who supports the world on his shoulders goes back to the Assyrian cylinder-seals, where is found a world-bearing divinity in exactly the same pose as that reproduced in the Mithraic bas-reliefs.

[1148]. One of the silk banners obtained by the German expedition seems to have depicted this scene. See A. von Le Coq, Chotscho: Facsimile-Wiedergaben der Wichtigerer Funde der Ersten Kgl. Preuss. Expedition nach Turfan, Berlin, 1913, Bd 1, p. 1 and Pl. IV. 6.

[1149]. Augustine, c. Faust. Bk XX. c. 17. Is the prayer addressed to the First Man or to Splenditenens, whom St Augustine represents as mourning over the pollution of the Light?

[1150]. The praises in the text are all given by En Nadîm. See Flügel, op. cit. p. 96. Are “the two sciences” the Living Spirit and his Intelligence or Reason? If so the “Father of Majesty” probably means the Beatus Pater of note 2, p. [331] supra.

[1151]. The Mediaeval Inquisitors were in especial never tired of denouncing the immorality of the Manichaean Hearers. See H. C. Lea, History of the Inquisition, index.

[1152]. The original documents are described by Prof. A. von Le Coq in “Turkish Khuastuanift from Tun-huang,” J.R.A.S. 1911, pp. 277-279.

[1153]. There are many allusions in Manichaean literature to three worlds of light, which seem to be (1) the light inaccessible, or heaven of God; (2) the light intelligible, i.e. that can be comprehended by the mind only, which is inhabited by the First Man; and (3) the perceptible light, of which the Sun and Moon are the rulers. See especially Chavannes et Pelliot, op. cit. 1^ère ptie, pp. 564 and 586, and 2^me ptie, p. 102, n. 2. The Manichaeans’ addiction to the number five needs no insistence. Fifteen, i.e. 3 × 5, is therefore a number which came naturally to them.

[1154]. Shimnu seems to be the Buddhist word for “devil.” Cf. Neander, Ch. Hist. vol. II. p. 181. Prof. von Le Coq (J.R.A.S. 1911, p. 300) says it is of Soghdian origin. Chavannes et Pelliot, op. cit. 1^ère ptie, p. 523, n. 3, seek to show that it is the equivalent of Ahriman.

[1155]. On this word see p. [323] supra; cf. Chavannes et Pelliot, op. cit. 1^ère ptie, p. 542, n. 2, which seems to summarize all that there is to be said about it, and p. [342] infra.