Manichaean scripture

The Manichaean religion has nine main books as part of its scripture: seven of them are the Seven Treatises, which were written by Mani himself in the Syriac language, one is the Shabuhragan, written by Mani in Middle Persian, and the last one is the Arzhang, a collection of illustrations created by Mani.

There is also a secondary literature called the Kephalaia, which gives comments and explanations on the scripture, but it is not considered part of the main scripture itself.

## Seven Treatises

The Seven Treatises are seven important books in Manichaeism. They were written by the founder of the religion, Mani, and are considered to be the holy scriptures of Manichaeism.

Mani wanted to make a new religion that would bring everyone together. He thought that other religions were not good enough because they only worked when the person who started the religion was still alive. After that person died, the religion became broken into different parts and people did not follow it the same way. Mani believed that his new religion, Manichaeism, was better because it would be popular in every country and every language. He also thought that it would last forever because it had important books and leaders who would keep it strong.
The Manichaean Compendium refers to the Seven Treatises as ships, saying, "Create seven of them for sailing."

Unfortunately, none of the Seven Treatises have been found in their complete form. Parts of the scriptures have been found in different languages such as Coptic, Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Uighur and others, but more research is needed to determine which treatise each fragment belongs to.

### Name comparison

|English Name|"Keflea" 148; "Sermon 25"|Hymn 46-47; 139-40|Keflea 5|Sermons 94|Transliteration of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism Methods"|Paraphrase of "A Brief Introduction to Maniguang Buddhism"|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Gospel of Mani|Euaggelion|Euaggelion|Euaggelion|Euaggelion|大应轮部（希腊文：evangelion）|彻尽万法根源智经|
|_Treasure of Life_|Thēsauros|Thēsauros|Thēsauros|Thēsauros|寻提贺部（粟特文：smṭyh'）|净命宝藏经|
|The Epistles|Epistolaue|Epistolaue|Epistolaue|Epistolaue|泥万部（中古波斯文：dēwān）|律藏经/药藏经|
|The Book of Mysteries|mMustērion|mMustērion|pTa tōn mustērion|mMustērion|阿罗瓒部（中古波斯文：razan）|秘密法藏经|
|_Pragmateia_|Pragmateia|Pragmateia|Pragmateia|Pragmateia|钵迦摩帝夜部（希臘文：pragmateia）|证明过去教经|
|_The Book of Giants_|nGigas|nCalashire|graphē ntlaice nnParthos|Graphe  ntlaice nnParthos|俱缓部（中古波斯文：kawan）|大力士经|
|Psalms and Prayers|mPsalmos + nShlel|nShlel + 2Psalmos|mPsalmos  + nShlel|nShlel|阿拂胤部（中古波斯文：āfrīn）|赞愿经|

## Shabuhragan

The Shabuhragan is a special book in Manichaeism that was written by the founder, Mani. It was made for King Shapur I of Persia and was written in Middle Persian. The book explains Mani's religion, which combined ideas from [Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism. This is the only book that Mani wrote in Middle Persian, instead of Syriac. The book is listed as one of the seven important books of Manichaeism in Arabic history, but it is not one of the seven listed in the Manichaean religion itself.

The word "Shabuhragan" means "book of Shapur" and the Chinese call it "two sutras." In the book, Mani says that his religion is better and continues the wisdom of other religions. He also says that he is the "Sealed Prophet," chosen by God to bring his teachings to the world. Mani wrote that the apostles of God have been bringing wisdom to the world for many generations and that he is the latest apostle, after Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus Christ.

## Book of Pictures

The Book of Pictures is an important book in Manichaeism that shows the idea of light and dark. Mani made the book himself to help people who couldn't read understand his religion. He believed that his religion was better than other religions because it had a book with pictures to explain it, unlike other religions that only had written teachings. The Book of Pictures was second only in importance to the Seven Treatises in Manichaeism. In the Parthian language, the book is called "Ādrhang."

## Related pages

- Mani (prophet)
- Manichaeism