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BUT amidst the good wheat, tares are accustomed to spring up; for
envy loves to plot insidiously against the good. Hence it was that a
little while before the time of Constantine, a species of heathenish
Christianity made its appearance together with that which was real;
just as false prophets sprang up among the true, and false apostles
among the true apostles. For at that time a dogma of Empedocles, the
heathen philosopher, by means of Manichaeus, assumed the form of
Christian doctrine. Eusebius Pamphilus has indeed mentioned this
person in the seventh book of his Ecclesiastical History, but has not
entered into minute details concerning him. Wherefore, I deem it
incumbent on me to supply some particulars which he has left unnoticed:
thus it will be known who this Manichaeus was, whence he came, and
what was the nature of his presumptuous daring.
A Saracen named Scythian married a captive from the Upper Thebes.
On her account he dwelt in Egypt, and having versed himself in the
learning of the Egyptians, he subtly introduced the theory of
Empedocles and Pythagoras among the doctrines of the Christian
faith. Asserting that there were two natures, a good. and an evil
one, he termed, as Empedocles had done, the latter Discord, and
the former Friendship. Of this Scythian, Buddas, who had been
previously called Terebinthus, became a disciple; and he having
proceeded to Babylon, which the Persians inhabit, made many
extravagant statements respecting himself, declaring that he was born
of a virgin, and brought up in the mountains. The same man afterwards
composed four books, one he entitled The Mysteries, another The
Gospel, a third The Treasure, and the fourth Heads
[Summaries]; but pretending to perform some mystic rites, he was
hurled down a precipice by a spirit, and so perished. A certain woman
at whose house he had lodged buried him, and taking possession of his
property, bought a boy about seven years old whose name was Cubricus:
this lad she enfranchised, and having given him a liberal education,
she soon after died, leaving him all that belonged to Terebinthus,
including the books he had written on the principles inculcated by
Scythian. Cubricus, the freedman, taking these things with him and
having withdrawn into the regions of Persia, changed his name,
calling himself Manes; and disseminated the books of Buddas or
Terebinthus among his deluded followers as his own. Now the contents
of these treatises apparently agree with Christianity in expression,
but are pagan in sentiment: for Manichaeus being an atheist, incited
his disciples to acknowledge a plurality of gods, and taught them to
worship the sun. He also introduced the doctrine of Fate, denying
human free-will; and affirmed a transmutation of bodies, clearly
following the opinions of Empedocles, Pythagoras, and the
Egyptians. He denied that Christ existed in the flesh, asserting
that he was an apparition; and rejected moreover the law and the
prophets, calling himself the 'Comforter,' -- all of which dogmas
are totally at variance with the orthodox faith of the church. In his
epistles he even dared to call himself an apostle; but for a pretension
so unfounded he brought upon himself merited retribution in the
following manner. The son of the Persian monarch having been attacked
with disease, his father became anxious for his recovery, and left no
means untried in order to effect it; and as he had heard of the
wonder-working of Manichaeus, and thinking that these miracles were
real, he sent for him as an apostle, trusting that through him his son
might be restored. He accordingly presented himself at court, and
with his assumed manner undertook the treatment of the young prince.
But the king seeing that the child died in his hands shut up the
deceiver in prison, with the intention of putting him to death.
However, he contrived to escape, and fled into Mesopotamia; but the
king of Persia having discovered that he was dwelling there, caused
him to be brought thence by force, and after having rayed him alive,
he stuffed his skin with chaff, and suspended it in front of the gate
of the city. These things we state not having manufactured them
ourselves, but collected from a book entitled The disputation of
Archelaus bishop of Caschara (one of the cities of Mesopotamia).
For Archelaus himself states that he disputed with Manichaeus face to
face, and mentions the circumstances connected with his life to which
we have now alluded. Envy thus delights, as we before remarked, to
be insidiously at work in the midst of a prosperous condition of
affairs. But for what reason the goodness of God permits this to be
done, whether he wishes thereby to bring into activity the excellence
of the principles of the church, and to utterly break down the
self-importance which is wont to unite itself with faith; or for what
other cause, is, at the same time, a difficult question, and not
relevant to the present discussion. For our object is neither to
examine the soundness of doctrinal views, nor to analyze the mysterious
reasons for the providences and judgments of God; but to detail as
faithfully as possible the history of transactions which have taken
place in the churches. The way in which the superstition of the
Manichaeans sprang up a little before the time of Constantine has been
thus described; now let us return to the times and events which are the
proper subjects of this history.
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