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77ic' Manichees. Sect. IV. 371
account in his book Of Heresies is, ' they*^ sny that Christ
' came to save souls, not bodies.' Says Fortunatiis, ' We''
' believe that Christ came to deliver the soul from death,
' and bring- it tack to eternal glory, and restore it to the
' Father.' Again, says the same Manichee, ' mo'' believe
' that our Saviour Christ came from heaven to fulfil the will
'of the Father: whose will is, that he should deliver our
' souls from the enmity by slaying- it.'
Their notion about matter led them into this opinion : and
they argued
"^
from several texts of scripture, particularly
from 1 Cor. xv. 50; "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God."
They allowed a resurrection of the soul now ; wlien,^'
being- enlightened by the gospel, ft purified itself from
carnal affections. And they might speak of the resurrection
or'^ ascent of the soul, when it should return to God; but
they absolutely denied the resurrection of bodies.
Souls, when they have finished their purification here,
return to the world of light, whence they came. But,
which is somewhat strange, they pass by the way of the
moon and the sun ; which' by the Manichees were considered
as ships or vessels of passage, by which souls return, and
are conveyed to heaven.
According- to them, the increase of the moon is caused
by souls, or parts of light, ascending- thither from the earth ;
and its decrease by the departure of souls, M'hich are thence
transmitted to the sun. This appears absurd, and might be
= eumque Christum novissimis temporibus venisse ad animas, non
ad corpora liberanda. Aug. de H. c. 46.
•• ut eandem de morte liberaret, et perduceret earn ad aeternam gloriam,
et restitueret Patri. Fortunat. Disp. i. n. 11.
* Quemadmodum et Salvatorera Christum credimus de coelo venisse, voluntatem
Patris complere. Quae vokintas Patris h?ec erat, animas nostras de
eadem inimicitia hberare, interfecta eadem inimicitia. Fortun. Disp. i. n. 17.
Vid. et Disp. 2. n. 24.
^ Vid. Epiph. Haer. 6. c. 86, 87. et Aug. contr. Adim. c. 12. n. 4.et contr.
Faust. 1. xi. c. 3.
8 qui dicitis nunc ese resurrectionem tantummodo animarum, per
praedicationem veritatis : corporum autcm, quam prasdicavenmt apostoli,
futuram negetis. Aug. contr. Faust. 1. 4. c. 2.
^ Vid. Fortunat. Disp. i. n. 7. ii. n. .33.
' Quicquid vero undique purgatur luminis, per quasdam naves, quas esse
lunam et solem volunt, regno Dei, tanquam propriis sedibus reddi. Aug. de
Haer. c. 46. sub in.— quod dehra imperitia Manichaei opinantes, repleri earn
dicunt, sicut repletur navis, ex fugativa Dei parte.—Hmc ergo impleri lunam
dicunt, cum eadem pars Dei magnis laboribus ob inquinamento purgatur, de
toto mundo—fugiens, redditur Deo—repleri vero per mensem dimidium, et
alio dimidio in solem refund), velut in aliam navem. Aug. Epist. 55. [al. 1 1 9.]
cap. 4. n. 7.
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