Mani-Apostle of Jesus Christ

[Bruce Michael]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Sounds like avoiding the issue to me ... the point is about fabricating references ... if no direct reference is given, I will, as anyone would, assume sloppy scholarship, and in this case, where only TS sources offer such a quote, I will assume its most likely a fabrication.

To disprove me ... show the reference

Thomas

Dear Thomas,
History is the grand illusion. I did give the reference- click on the links in my post.

Would you dispose folk to impositions of placing authority before truth?

Your Friend,
Br.Bruce

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Bruce Michael

I did give the reference - click on the links in my post.

The links refers to an author ... not the quote supposedly from Jerome.

Thomas

[Bruce Michael]

Originally Posted by Bruce Michael
[URL="http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/noncanon/gospels/psudomat.htm"

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew[/url]





-Br.Bruce

It was on this one.

[Thomas]

OK.

Now we have a link to a document which was, according to the link provided, probably written after what we have as the canonical Matthew, and is a variation of it.

The site also points out that Jerome was wrong in assuming this was the 'original' Gospel of Matthew, the lost logia document mentioned by Papias.

This brings us back to my original point — a quote, attributed to Jerome, which has yet to be identified, and which I cannot find in the usual libraries of his works. It is the veracity of this quote that I question:

'Writing to the Bishops Chromatius and Heliodorus, he complains [Jerome] that "a difficult work is enjoined, since this translation has been commanded me by your Felicities, which St. Matthew himself, the Apostle and Evangelist, DID NOT WISH TO BE OPENLY WRITTEN. For if it had not been SECRET, he (Matthew) would have added to the evangel that which he gave forth was his; but he made up this book sealed up in the Hebrew characters, which he put forth even in such a way that the book, written in Hebrew letters and by the hand of himself, might be possessed by the men most religious, who also, in the course of time, received it from those who preceded them. But this very book they never gave to any one to be transcribed, and its text they related some one way and some another."
Isis Unveiled by H. P. Blavatsky, vol 2, ch 4

If you can provide me with the text wherein Jerome says the above, I'll be happy.

Thomas

[Bruce Michael]

>If you can provide me with the text wherein Jerome says the above, I'll be >happy.

Well I always would want you to be happy- but I can't guarantee it.

The quote is on the same webpage at the top of the Gospel. It is a different translation however:

An arduous task is enjoined upon me, since what your Blessedness has commanded me, the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew himself did not write for the purpose of publishing. For if he had not done it somewhat secretly, he would have added it also to his Gospel which he published. But he composed this book in Hebrew; and so little did he publish it, that at this day the book written in Hebrew by his own hand is in the possession of very religious men, to whom in successive periods of time it has been handed down by those that were before them. And this book they never at any time gave to any one to translate.

-Br.Bruce

[Thomas]

Ah, thanks Bruce, tracked it now.

Here's some more info for you:

Gospel of St. Matthew
This is a Latin composition of the fourth or fifth century. It pretends to have been written by St. Matthew and translated by St. Jerome. Pseudo-Matthew is in large part parallel to the "Protoevangelium Jacobi", being based on the latter or its sources...

... It differs in some particulars always in the direction of the more marvellous ... A narrative of the flight into Egypt is adorned with poetic wonders. The dragons, lions, and other wild beasts of the desert adore the infant Jesus. At His word the palm-trees bow their heads that the Holy Family may pluck their fruit. The idols of Egypt are shattered when the Divine Child enters the land. The "Gospel of the Nativity of Mary" is a recast of the Pseudo-Matthew, but reaches only to the birth of Jesus. It is extant in a Latin manuscript of the tenth century."

The Protoevangelium Jacobi, or Infancy Gospel of James
It purports to have been written by "James the brother of the Lord", i.e. the Apostle James the Less. It is based on the canonical Gospels which it expands with legendary and imaginative elements, which are sometimes puerile or fantastic ... Critics find that the "Protoevangelium" is a composite into which two or three documents enter. It wasknown to Origen under the name of the "Book of James". There are signs in St. Justin's works that he was acquainted with it, or at least with a parallel tradition. The work, therefore, has been ascribed to the second century. Portions of it show a familiarity with Jewish customs, and critics have surmised that the groundwork was composed by a Jewish-Christian. The "Protoevangelium" exists in ancient Greek and Syriac recensions. There are also Armenian and Latin translations.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Apocrypha

Thomas

[Bruce Michael]

"In his lecture on 'Manicheism', Rudolf Steiner particularly singles
out that soul quality which in the German language is referred to as 'Milde' [kindness, gentleness] as the most effective moral instrument to enable the followers of Manes to wage the battle with the evil in earthly evolution."

-Walter Stein

This is the battle where kindness is the "sword". You've all heard the expression "to kill with kindness"!

From The Book of Kells, circa 800

Matthew 10:34b should read “I came not to send peace, but the sword”. However rather than “gladius” which means “sword”, Kells has “gaudius” meaning “joy”. Rendering the verse: “I came not [only] to send peace, but joy”.

More on kindness from the Brothers:

"When one is in the attitude of kindness, there does not even need to
be a physical act for such kindness to take effect on all concerned.
It is the inner expression of kindness that will touch a man and give
to the world firstly, before the outer expression. Life requires that
certain functions are performed, functions on many levels of being,
that require that we accept into ourselves, translate and transmute,
transform or oppose. Aside from the functions of existence, we may
impart some of the heavenly qualities that are given to us, that
sustain our being truly.

"Such qualities are there for every man, and are fixed in a far
deeper reality than our grappling with the functions of existence.
One such quality is of kindness."

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

I forgot to mention that the Mormons also have the water communion in their Church. That is the same as the Manicheans- particulary if you recognise the divine nature of the water. It is well known also, that the Temple ceremonies were influenced by Freemasonry.

There is a large Manichean website founded by an ex Mormon- or so I read. You'll observe that his teachings are not so close to the LDS Church today.

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

Hi Fellow Travelers,
As I was thumbing through Trevor Ravenscroft's "The Spear of Destiny" I noticed the many references to "Parsifal". (For latecomers: we have already established the Manichean roots of Parsifal, he being the reincarnated Mani.)

In Ravenscroft's "The Spear of Destiny" we first read about Walter Stein's discovery that the characters in Parsifal are based on historical personages. In fact Ravenscroft makes the sensational claim that Adolf Hitler himself indicated to Stein that this was so.

It is curious that black magicians would be so interested in Parsifal. They, however, ignore the author's advice and investigate matters using the nefarious "ABCs of black magic".

Another connection mentioned in the above book, is that Kundry/Condrie is the reincarnated Herodias.

Mani is considered by Dr. Steiner to be one the highest of Christian initiates.

Mani initiated Christian Rosencreutz (the great Master of our age) in 1459.

"The highest knowledge is that we know nothing."

-Brother Christian Rosycross, Knight of the Golden Stone. Anno 1459.

This initiation (about the true understanding of the nature of evil) "Knight of the Golden Stone" and all that it entails will have to remain completely hidden from the majority for a long time to come".

-Steiner, Correspondence and documents

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

Could this be the original Manichean Cross?:


"Those who advocate using the crucifix in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church instead of the Mar Thoma Cross claim that the Mar Thoma Cross is actually the "Manichean Cross," a symbol of Manicheanism..."

The cross has a dove above it representing the Holy Spirit. The lotus below is meant to represent the Father. The lotus in the East also represents the flowering of great beauty from the sludge and slime.
Perhaps here, another symbol of the good overcoming evil.

The following is about the fuss this cross has caused in the Mar
Thoma Church:
War of the priests

"The warring factions in the Church could be described as the
traditionalists and the reformists. The traditionalists maintain that
the Syro-Malabar Church is a daughter-Church of the Chaldean Church
with headquarters in Baghdad. They are for the adoption of the whole
East Syrian (Chaldean) liturgy said to be prevalent in the Church in
Kerala from the fifth century to the 16th century when the Latin
Church established its sway with the advent of the Portuguese.

"According to the reformists, the traditionalists are for the removal
of the crucifix and abolition of prayers like Rosary and Way of the
Cross among other things and for the introduction of `Chaldean
vestiges' like the Persian Cross, sanctuary veil and `Bema,' (a
separate table to be placed in the front or in the middle of the
aisle).

``The crucifix has disappeared from many convents which easily
succumbed to the Chaldean propaganda,'' says noted religious scholar
Prof. Scaria Zacharia. The crucifix, a matter of great religious and
emotional attachment is being replaced by what is called the `Mar
Thoma Cross'. The reformists contend that this cross is the Manichean
Cross, a symbol of a heretic Church of a non-Catholic origin, which
has since become defunct."

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

The peacock was once a symbol of Lucifer, but here we find it
is also connected with the Manicheans:
Syrian Christians

"Incidentally it is worth mentioning that St.Thomas in Mylapore is
connected with a peacock and the Bleeding Cross itself shows carved
images of peacock. It was Mani and his disciples who knew the art of
transforming themselves into peacocks and fly in the air. Hence
Subhra-Mani (light- Mani) was always associated with a peacock .It
was Mani's chief disciple Ammon while attempting to fly as a peacock
was shot by an arrow by a hunter and he died. He was buried in
Mylapore, which in olden times was a trading centre known for export
of peacocks and peacock feathers. The Armenian merchants who used to
trade with Middle East countries were followers of Mani and had long
established trade connections with the Chettys in Tamil kingdoms,
like Chola, Chera and Pandy.Their head quarter was Kanchipuram; In
the 3rd centuryAD they had established a Church in Mylapore, which
was later destroyed due to persecution of Mani followers by Hindu and
Muslim Rulers. The Portuguese excavated this area in the 16th century
and hit history when they found remnants of an Armenian Church and a
cross. They proclaimed them as of St. Thomas origin though the
evidences unearthed clearly pointed towards Manachean origin. "

The Thomas Christians of India have long been connected with Mani it
seems. The peacock here represents the Redeemed Lucifer.

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

Hello Fellow Travellers,
One thing missed from my account is the tradition that Mani was an artist. The Manichean books are remarkable for their beauty:

Qoco

Strict asceticism was practiced by the more advanced members. But not among the "hearers". Look at the way Augustine behaved when he was a Manichean.

Thankfully, the days of asceticism are over.

Another misunderstanding is about the Eucharist. The Manicheans did practice a Eucharist- though it was not recognised by the Church. The Manichean Communion was a water only affair (bread too, of course) - as it was in the Mysteries of Mithra; and all the ancient mysteries for that matter.

These people were known as the Aquarii:
Aquarii - LoveToKnow 1911

The Ebionites also had this kind of Communion.

Mani's relationship to the sacred abultions started when his father was among the the Mughtasilah, a Jewish ascetic group - followers of John the Baptist.

Mani's father had taken the boy at the age of four to live among this group.

'Mughtasilah' means, 'Those Who Wash Themselves'. They were Mandaeans from "manda" meaning "secret knowledge."


-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

Hi Friends,
Truly everything about us and in us is the result of spirit (not energy). Spirit is intelligent; not just mindless energy.

More from Rudolf Steiner:

"Manichaeism recognised a reality in which sense and super-sense are
blended; for it the words and concepts "matter and "spirit" have as
yet no contrasting meaning."

"In defining it, it must be pointed out that the general outlook of this philosophy is more important than what can be described as its actual content. The first and most remarkable thing about it is that the division of human experience into a spiritual and a material side had no meaning for it. The words or ideas "spirit" and "matter" convey no distinction to it. It sees the spiritual in what appears to the senses as material, and when it speaks of the spiritual it does not rise above that which manifests itself to the senses.

When we look out into the Cosmos, we see the World Spirit at work:

"It is true to say of Manichaeism- much more so than the abstract and intellectual world of today can realise- that it actually saw spiritual phenomena, spiritual facts, in the stars and their courses, and that in the mystery of the Sun it saw a spiritual reality manifesting itself to us on earth. It conveys no meaning for Manichaeism to speak of matter and spirit separately, for to the Manichaean what is spiritual manifest itself in the form of matter, and that which appears as material is itself spiritual.

Therefore Manichaeism speaks quite naturally of astronomical things and world- phenomona in the same way that it would speak of moral phenomena or happenings within the evolution of the human race. Thus, the existence side by side of "light" and "darkness" which - imitating something from ancient Persia- it embodies in its philosophy is both a physical and a spiritual fact. In the same way Manichaeism speaks of the Sun in its movements in the heavens as related to the moral realities and impulses in the development of mankind. It sees the relation of this "spiritual physical" Sun to the signs of the Zodiac, as the relation of the Original Being, the source of the world's light, to the twelve Beings through whom he delegates his activities.

The Redemption of Thinking Rudolf Steiner.

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

I wanted to comment that the aim of living in the flow of life is also an aim of Zen. Even hardened forms like the koans are not really Zen in its purest form.

"The Manichaeans did not cultivate abstract ideas which divorced the world of thought from the world of reality. ...The basic principle of Manichaeism was to cultivate only those ideas which are consistent with reality. "

-Steiner

Zen also seeks for the essence and not get lost in details. This is esotericism.

-Br.Bruce

[Bruce Michael]

Dear Friends,
There is one indication of Dr. Steiner's that we haven't followed up on as yet.

I posted earlier on Parzifal as a Manichaean text- and there is more to be said on that. Another story we can have a look is that of Dr. Faustus. Steiner discusses the relationship between Faust and the earlier figure of Faustus the Manichaean- opponent of Augustine.

There are the very fine literary works by Marlowe and later, Goethe- Faust though, was an historical figure. (I have a lovely little article by Emil Bock on the historical figure of Dr. Faustus.)

In Faust we have the theme of Good & Evil and a struggling Promethean man. I'd like to take this up at a later date. Does the Manichaean doctrine appear in Faust?

-Br.Bruce