Kingdom Parables

e. Manicanism
THE KINGDOM PARABLES
Manicanism is cult generated by a man named Mani. Mani was born in
Babylon, near Selecucia-Ctesiphon on the Tigris, April 25th 216CE, to
pagan parents. A short time after he was born his father, Pattak,
became a member of an obscure monastic community. Mani grew up in
this community, more or less assuming the position of servant though
Mani`s father had a Persian royal family ancestry.
The Elchesaites , which it is speculated upon where the community that
adopted Mani into its fellowship, where strict ascetics, they forbade all
displays of art , no music where allowed, no drawings or paintings, no
laughter, they where extremely preoccupied with cleanliness and viewed
the world from which they willfully exiled themselves as very Hell. At
the age of 12, Mani received an Angel by the name of El Tawam , which
presented itself as his twin, this twin began to teach him about his origin,
about his task on this earth Mani began to paint decoratively and
became famous for his artistry. Mani revolted against the extreme
asceticism of his community and became a leader which took a group
out of this. Mani believed that he was the incarnation of the Paraclete -
the Comforter - the Holy spirit which Jesus promised.. He traveled to
the East, on ship and by foot to India, what is now Afghanistan, and to
China. It is this Gnosticized Christianity that came to be known as
Hinduism. He assimilated many of the local religions in true Gnostic
manner. He became known as Moni Jiao by the Taoists. Mani must have
appreciated the figures of Zoroaster and Buddha, since he names them
as examples of noble men of Light who transmitted the ways of
salvation to mankind. His influence in the East increased greatly after his
death reaching its peak just before the dawn of Islam and ending
somewhere near the 15th century. He was finally put to death by
Zoarastrian on March the 3rd 277. His followers fled to India and
China under persecution. In India some of them became Christians and
others got merged with the local Gnostics and helped to establish
Hinduism.
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