Prolegomena to a History of Islamicate Manichaeism, John Reeves

John C. Reeves [+–]

University of North Carolina

John C. Reeves, Blumenthal Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, specializes in the study of the history of religions of the Near East in late antiquity and the medieval era. He is the author of Jewish Lore in Manichaean Cosmogony (HUC Press, 1992), Heralds of That Good Realm (Brill, 1996), and Trajectories in Near Eastern Apocalyptic (Society of Biblical Literature, 2005); editor of Tracing the Threads (Scholars Press, 1994) and Bible and Qur’ān (Society of Biblical Literature, 2003); and has published numerous articles exploring aspects of the literary and historical relationships among the varieties of indigenous, Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Gnostic and Muslim communities.

NEW IN PAPERBACK EDITION PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2013

Prolegomena to a History of Islamicate Manichaeism provides an annotated anthology of primary sources highlighting Manichaeism, a dualist religion emerging in Mesopotamia in the third century and which spread rapidly throughout the Roman and Sasanian empires until it was violently suppressed by both polities. It nevertheless continued to flourish – largely clandestinely – in the Near East, Central Asia, and China until it finally disappeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century. This book translates and assesses the importance of a number of Arabic, Persian, Syriac, and even Hebrew language testimonies for a better understanding of the cultural importance of what many scholars characterize as the first ‘world religion’.

Series: Comparative Islamic Studies

Prelims

Preface [+–] 1 – 2

NEW IN PAPERBACK EDITION PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2013 Prolegomena to a History of Islamicate Manichaeism provides an annotated anthology of primary sources highlighting Manichaeism, a dualist religion emerging in Mesopotamia in the third century and which spread rapidly throughout the Roman and Sasanian empires until it was violently suppressed by both polities. It nevertheless continued to flourish – largely clandestinely – in the Near East, Central Asia, and China until it finally disappeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century. This book translates and assesses the importance of a number of Arabic, Persian, Syriac, and even Hebrew language testimonies for a better understanding of the cultural importance of what many scholars characterize as the first ‘world religion’.

Abbreviations and Conventions [+–] 3 – 6

Introduction [+–] 7 – 20

Introduction to the subject

Biographical Testimonia about Mani [+–] 21 – 84

Our intention in this chapter is not to produce indubitable certitude by resolving these various issues, but is simply to present the relevant data that is contributed by Islamicate sources to the delineation of Mani’s life and career in order that present and future researchers might enjoy an unimpeded recourse to the broadest range of relevant material. The chapter sub-divides into three sections: (1) a series of brief chronological and synchronic notices pertaining to Mani’s floruit culled from Syriac and Arabic sources; (2) an assemblage of materials for the recovery of what possibly are authentic biographical trajectories, largely recognizable from the evidence contributed by newly discovered sources like the Cologne Mani Codex, but often blended with brief accounts or traditions which betray a dependence upon the hagiographic portrayals surviving in Coptic and Middle Iranian Manichaean works; and (3) a presentation of the polemical themes deriving from the Acta Archelai and its satellites.

Fragments of Manichaean Scripture: A Classified Collection of Islamicate Testimonia [+–] 85 – 132

The present chapter initially gives the most important Islamicate catalogs of Manichaean titles, followed by a seriatim assemblage of citations from and testimonia about certain named Manichaean books. Those entries in the catalogs that provide some indication of the contents of named works are reprised under their appropriate rubric.

Testimonia about Manichaean Teachings [+–] 133 – 224

The present chapter subdivides the most important Islamicate testimonia into groupings bearing the religious labels Jewish, Mandaean, Christian, Zoroastrian, and Muslim, wherein the entries under each heading exhibit a roughly chronological arrangement.

‘Historical’ Testimonia about Manichaeism and Manichaeans [+–] 225 – 282

This chapter assembles and catalogs a number of testimonia which bear witness to the contestable vitality of Manichaeism as a religious identity in the Islamicate world.

Chronological Arrangement of Authorities

Chronological Arrangement of Authorities [+–] 283 – 286

Chronological Arrangement of Authorities

Bibliography

Bibliography [+–] 287 – 316

Bibliography

Indices

Index of Citations of Primary Sources [+–] 317 – 325

index

Index of Ancient and Medieval Authors, Tradents, and Personages [+–] 326 – 328

index

Index of Scriptural and Parascriptural Characters [+–] 329 – 329

index

Index of Manichaeans and of Individuals Suspected or Accused of Zandaqa [+–] 330 – 330

index

Index of Modern Authors [+–] 331 – 331

index

Reviews

Reeves is a superb scholar who has meticulously researched the literature relevant to this project. His extensive learning is manifest throughout. Nothing like this anthology exists in English for the Islamicate testimonia on Manichaeism, and therefore it fills an extremely important gap.
Michael A. Williams, Professor of Comparative Religion and Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

At long last, after waiting three decades, we now have a work in English on the history of the religion of the Mani based on the rich original sources in Arabic by a scholar who is eminently qualified to undertake the task. This work is likely to remain a standard in its field for a long time to come.
Journal of Semitic Studies, 2013

An important source book.
Vigiliae Christianae

These Prolegomena build strong foundations for the future work that will take decades; John C. Reeves made a great service to the scholars by assembling and annotating the scattered sources under one roof.
Islam

.

Books and Journals in Humanities, Social Science and Performing Arts

Prolegomena to a History of Islamicate Manichaeism

John C. Reeves [+–]

University of North Carolina

Table of Contents

Reviews

Related Interest

Related Interest

Search Equinox

Subjects