Manichaeism before the Manichaeans, and its Revival in Christianity

An elaborate ornamental woodcut headpiece. At the center is a cartouche containing a bird perched on a branch, surmounted by a crown. The central element is surrounded by symmetrical scrollwork, foliage, and fruit (including pomegranates). Two smaller birds are perched on the outer edges of the decorative design.

original: "I. N. J." — abbreviation for "In Nomine Jesu," a common pious invocation at the start of scholarly works in the early modern period.

It is well known to everyone, and has been proven by more than one example, that the extent of errors is so vast that they occupy the minds of all and force them, as it were, under their own laws. Even the pagans gentiles: a term used here to refer to non-Christian classical thinkers, such as the Greeks and Romans could not be brought to deny this; indeed, they erred more excusably because they proved themselves to be more open and ready witnesses and critics of their own mistakes. Regarding this matter, the work of THOMAS GATAKER A 17th-century English scholar known for his commentary on Marcus Aurelius. deserves to be read on Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Book V, § 22 and Book II, § 1; as does the work of TOBIAS PFANNER in his System of Gentile Theology, Chapter IX, § 7.

Hence, even those who labor with the greatest mental effort to repel errors are not themselves immune from the danger of erring. This was demonstrated not only by FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE LE VAYER A French skeptic philosopher. and others in the Rustic Hexameron original: "Hexaëmero Rustico" — a work discussing various scholarly errors and perspectives, page 18 and following, where he brought to light the "hallucinations" allucinationibus: in this context, it refers to intellectual lapses, oversights, or errors in judgment made by even the most brilliant scholars of the most excellent men. Furthermore, proof is provided by the examples of those who have corrected their own errors. A bountiful harvest of such examples, from both ancient and more recent times, has been provided to the Most Reverend CASPAR NEUMANN, my Patron and Teacher—