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The Manichces. Sect. IV. 333
' as a chosen apostle of Jesus Christ. If you will receive
' my M'ords, you will obtain salvation : if uot, }ou Will be
' consumed by everlastino- fiie.'
Theodoret says that' JMani gave out he was the Christ,
and called himself the Holy Ghost.
And, as Jerom cxpresseth it, some" pretended that Mani
Mas the Comforter himself. And to the like purpose''
Rutinus.
It is not easy to conceive how any man should say all these
thing-s of himself; that lie is the Christ, and an apostle of
Christ, and the Holy Ghost himself. HoMever, to reconcile
these accounts, if possible, it may be observed, that perhaps
some of these writers use words in a different sense from
that in which they are now generally understood by us : and
when it is said that Mani pretended to be Christ, the meaningmay
be that he acted like Christ in choosing- for himself
twelve companions ; or, by Christ may be meant the Holy
Ghost, with whom Christ Mas anointed, and whom Mani
pretended to have received. So the Mord Christ is used
in some ancient' Mritings, particularly in'' The Acts of
Arclielaus.
As for his calling- himself the Comforter, or the Holy
Ghost, and an apostle of Christ, possibly the meaning- is,
that he said he had received the Holy Ghost, and was an
apostle of Christ, eminently furnished M'ith spiritual gifts.
That must be the highest pretension he made. This is
Augustine's sutnrnary account of the matter in his book Of
Heresies. ' They' say that Our Lord's promise of sending-
' the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, has been fullllled in their
' master Mani : and in his epistle he styles himself apostle
' of Jesus Christ, forasmuch as Christ had promised him,
' and in him had sent the Holy Ghost. Accordingly he had
' himself twelve disciples, in imitation of the number of the
^
(ToXfiriaev tavrov 6 TrajiiTOVripoc tcai Xfit^ov Trpoffayopsvacu, kcu
nvevfia ayiov ovofiacrai. Thdrt. H. F. 1. i. c. 26. p. 214.
B Sicut aliae haereses Paracletum in Montanum venisse contendunt, et Mani-
chaeum ipsum dicunt esse Paracletum. Ad Vigilant. T. 4. P. 2. p. 285. in.
'' Consilium namque vanitatis est, quod doctt ]Manichoeu> : primo, quod
seipsum Paracletum nominavit. Ruf. m Symb. ap. Hieron. T. v. p. 142.
' See Beaus. T. i. p. 115, and 255.
'' Hie est Christus Dei, qui descendit super eum, qui ex Maria est. Arch.
n. 50. p. 93. in. Vid. ib. n. 34. p. 59, 60.
' Promissionem Domini Jesu Chrisfi de Paracleto Spiritu Sancto in suo
haeresiarcha Manichaeo dicunt esse completam. Unde ?e in suis Uteris Jesu
Christi apostolum dicit, eo quod Jesus Christus se missurum esse promiserit,
atque in illo miserit Spiritum Sanctum. Propter quod etiam ipse Manichseus
discipulos habuit, ad instar apostolici numcri ; queni numerum Manicha?i
hodieque custodiunt. Aug. de Har. c. 46.