Mani and Augustine: collected essays on Mani, Manichaeism and Augustine gathers in one volume contributions on Manichaean scholarship made by the internationally renowned scholar Johannes van Oort. The first part of the book focuses on the Babylonian prophet Mani (216-277) who styled himself an ‘apostle of Jesus Christ’, on Jewish elements in Manichaeism and on ‘human semen eucharist’, eschatology and imagery of Christ as ‘God’s Right Hand’. The second part of the book concentrates on the question to what extent the former ‘auditor’ Augustine became acquainted with Mani’s gnostic world religion and his canonical writings, and explores to what extent Manichaeism had a lasting impact on the most influential church father of the West.
Johannes van Oort, em. professor Utrecht University and Radboud University Nijmegen, is a research professor at the University of Pretoria. He published over 25 books and numerous articles, mainly on Augustine and Manichaeism, incl. Augustine and Manichaean Christianity (Brill, 2013).
"the volume consistently and convincingly presents key issues [...] the most comprehensive volume dedicated to Augustine and Manichaeism to date.[...] those who appreciate the work of an established expert in Latin Manichaeism can enjoy the profound and detailed studies offered in Mani and Augustine [...] To aid the reader's navigation extensive indices
added ....
cannot be praised too highly." - Aäron Vanspauwen, in:
Augustiniana71 (2022)
"Die nun erschienene Sammlung gruppiert zu den zwei Bereichen „Manichaeism“ und „Augustine and Manichaeism“ stellt ein wertvolles Instrument für die einschlägige Forschung bereit. [...] Der renommierte Verfasser und der nicht minder renommierte Verlag Brill haben dafür gesorgt, dass der neue Sammelband sorgfältig verfasst, lektoriert und erschlossen – wir finden ausführliche Verzeichnisse und Register – sowie hochwertig produziert und gebunden wurde: zu Freude und Gewinn für jeden Lesenden und zu Nutzen und Zierde einer jeden geisteswissenschaftlichen Bibliothek." - Christof Müller, Würzburg [
full review]
List of AbbreviationsIntroduction
Part 1 Mani and Manichaeism
1 Mani and Manichaeism 2 The Paraclete Mani as the Apostle of Jesus Christ and the Origins of a New Christian Church 3 Jewish Elements in the Cologne Mani Codex 4 The Platonist Philosopher Alexander of Lycopolis on Manichaeism 5 Human Semen Eucharist among the Manichaeans? The Testimony of Augustine Reconsidered in Context 6 Another Case of Human Semen Eucharist among the Manichaeans? Notes on the ‘Ceremony of the Fig’ in Cyril of Jerusalem’s CatechesisVI 7 Manichaean Imagery of Christ as God’s Right Hand 8 Manichaean Eschatology 9 On the Huguenot Isaac de Beausobre (1659–1738), Founding Father of Manichaean Studies: A Würdigung
Part 2 Augustine and Manichaeism
10 Augustine and Manichaeism: An Introductory Overview 11 Manichaean Christians in Augustine’s Life and Work 12 Augustine and the Manichaeans: Their Church, Books, and Impact 13 Heeding and Hiding Their Particular Knowledge? An Analysis of Augustine’s Dispute with Fortunatus 14 Augustine’s Praise (or: On the First Sentences of the Confessions) 15 Young Augustine’s Knowledge of Manichaeism: An Analysis of the Confessions and Some Other Relevant Texts 16 Augustine’s Criticism of Manichaeism: The Case of Confessions 3,10 and Its Implications 17 ‘Misisti manum tuam ex alto’: Manichaean Imagery of Christ as God’s Hand in Augustine’s Confessions? 18 God, Memory and Beauty: A ‘Manichaean’ Analysis of Augustine’s Confessions, Book 10,1–38 19 Sin and Concupiscence in Augustine’s Confessions: An Analytical Overview of the Relevant Texts and Some Conclusions 20 Secundini Manichaei Epistula: Roman Manichaean ‘Biblical’ Argument in the Age of Augustine 21 Manichaeism in Augustine’s Sermons: The Case of sermo 182 22 Reminiscenses of Manichaeism in Augustine’s City of God 23 Mani and Manichaeism in Augustine’s De haeresibus: An Analysis of haer. 46,1 24 Was Julian Right? A Re-evaluation of Augustine’s and Mani’s Doctrines of Sexual Concupiscence and the Transmission of Sin 25 Augustine on Sexual Concupiscence and Original Sin 26 Manichaean Women in Augustine’s Life and Works 27 Manichaean Women in a Pseudo-Augustinian Testimony: An Analysis of the North African Testimonium de Manichaeis sectatoribus
Part 3 Mani, Manichaeism and Augustine in Reviews
A Reviews on ‘Mani and Manichaeism’ 28 New Directions in Manichaean Research: An Introduction to Manichaica Selecta 29 Studia Manichaica 30 Manichaeism in the Later Roman Empire and Medieval China 31 The Argumentation in the Greek-Christian Antimanichaica 32 Fragments of Mani’s Šābuhragān 33 Jewish Lore in Manichaean Cosmogony 34 The Manichaean ‘Psalms of the Wanderers’ 35 Manichaeism in Mesopotamia and the Roman East 36 The Speech of the Living Soul 37 Uygur Manichaean Texts and Sogdian Texts from Turfan 38 Mani’s Psalms 39 Christian and Manichaean Remains from Quanzhou 40 The Role of Women in Manichaeism 41 The Manichaean Codices of Medinet Madi
B Reviews on ‘Augustine and Manichaeism’ 42 Augustine’s Manichaean Dilemma in Context 43 Once Again: Augustine’s Manichaean Dilemma 44 De moribus ecclesiae catholicae et de moribus Manichaeorum 45 De utilitate credendi 46 De Genesi contra Manichaeos
Indices
All interested in historical, cultural, theological and philosophical questions.