Historical-Critical Dissertation on the Ancient and New Manichaeans

DISSERTATION ON THE ANCIENTS

...to be sacrificed This continues a thought from the previous page regarding ritual offerings., instituted for the sake of averting evil, and somber in nature. They say Oromazes A Greek rendering of Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian god of light and goodness. was born from the purest light, and Arimanius A Greek rendering of Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the spirit of darkness and destruction. from darkness. They say these two wage war against each other.

The Magi of the Persians were indeed Philosophers; the name "Wise Men" among them was a mark of virtue and praise. It signified the same thing as "Philosopher" among the Greeks and "Sage" among the Latins. These men taught that there are two principles: a good spirit and an evil spirit—Horomasdes and Arimanius—known also as Jupiter and Pluto.

III. Now indeed I turn back to the Persian Magi, among whom the title was an honor of virtue and praise; it signified the same thing as "Philosopher" among the Greeks and "Sage" among the Latins. These men taught that there are two principles: a good one, from which all good things proceed, and an evil one, from which all evil things originate. The good principle they called the Good Spirit original: "bonum dæmonem", as well as Jupiter and Horosmadem. Conversely, they called the evil principle the Evil Spirit, as well as Pluto and Arimanius.

So (1) Laertius Referring to Diogenes Laertius, a 3rd-century biographer of Greek philosophers. writes, citing the most reliable witnesses: Aristotle, Hermippus, Eudoxus, and Theopompus. Aristotle is the authority, he says, in his first book "On Philosophy," that the Magi are older than the Egyptians; and that according to them, there are two principles: a good spirit and an evil spirit. One of these is called Jupiter and Horomasdes, while the other is called Pluto and Arimanius. Hermippus also says this in his first book "On the Magi," as does Eudoxus in his "Travels," and Theopompus in the eighth book of his "Philippics."

Regarding their religion, divine worship, customs, morals, discipline, and way of life—since Mani The founder of Manichaeism, whose dualistic religion the author views as a corrupted version of these older Persian beliefs. transferred some of these into his own impious and ridiculous fable—it is pleasing to describe them here from the aforementioned (2) Laertius:

The Magi, he says, devote themselves to the worship of the Gods, offering prayers, vows, and sacrifices to them, as if they alone are heard by the divine. They discourse on the substance and generation of the Gods, whom they also believe to be earth, water, and fire. They condemn statues and icons original: "signa statutasque", and especially disapprove of the errors of those who say the Gods are male and female. They speak of Justice, and consider it wrong to bury the dead in fire (that is, to cremate dead bodies).

The religion, customs, and discipline of the Persian Magi.

(1) Laertius, On the Lives of the Philosophers, page 10.
(2) The same author, in the same place, pages 9 and 10.