page_title: Father of Greatness
hierarchical_section_title: Father of Greatness
caption_attribution_description: English: Fragment of a Turpan Manichaean Illuminated Codex depicting a church ceremony; SMPK, Museum für Indische Kunst (Berlin), MIK III 4979 recto.
context_page_description: The Father of Greatness is the eternal divine manifestation of good in Manichaeism, and a four-fold deity, embracing divinity, light, power and goodness. His throne is surrounded by at least 156 peaceful entities: 12 aeons, aeons of the aeons and angels.
  When the Prince of Darkness assaulted the realm of light, he invoked entities of light to ward off the invaders. These entities mingled with the demons and gave existence to the earthly beings, thus humans carry consubstantial light particles of the Father of Greatness, but are unaware of them, until they awaken from their sleep by remembering their divine origin. The Father of Greatness responds by creating a series of entities to prepare a rescue for light particles.
context_section_description: The Father of Greatness (Syriac-Aramaic: Abba d'Rabbuta; Chinese: 明尊; pinyin: Míngzūn; Wade–Giles: Ming²-tsun¹; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗㄨㄣ; lit.: 'Radiant Lord') is the eternal divine manifestation of good in Manichaeism, and a four-fold deity, embracing divinity, light, power and goodness. His throne is surrounded by at least 156 peaceful entities: 12 aeons, aeons of the aeons and angels.
  When the Prince of Darkness assaulted the realm of light, he invoked entities of light to ward off the invaders. These entities mingled with the demons and gave existence to the earthly beings, thus humans carry consubstantial light particles of the Father of Greatness, but are unaware of them, until they awaken from their sleep by remembering their divine origin. The Father of Greatness responds by creating a series of entities to prepare a rescue for light particles.
caption: Under Central Asian influence, the "four-fold Father of Greatness" was split up (from left) into the Hindu deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva.[3] Leaf from a Manichaean book MIK III 4979, 8th–9th century, discovered in Karakhoja.
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