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3.2<br />
P.Y. Saeki believes that the writings <strong>of</strong> some Chinese philosophers include sayings<br />
borrowed from the Gospels.<br />
In addition to Syrian missionaries, Tokharian and Sogdian priests, natives <strong>of</strong><br />
Central <strong>Asia</strong>, as well as Sogdian merchants, played a prominent role in the spread <strong>of</strong><br />
Nestorianism in China.<br />
Passing from one country to another, persecuted by the followers <strong>of</strong> other<br />
religions, Nestorian Christians traversed the difficult Silk Road, all the way from<br />
distant Syria and Byzantium to Chang’an in China. Many <strong>of</strong> them became martyrs,<br />
but nothing could make them abandon their beliefs. They carried with them the<br />
Word <strong>of</strong> God to spread it in other lands.<br />
Manichaeism<br />
The Manichaeans, ‘tormented by the vicissitudes <strong>of</strong> fate’, ‘persecuted by <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
authorities’, ‘destroyed and despised…’ Authors, ancient and modern, have devoted<br />
many lines to writing about their history and the spiritual essence <strong>of</strong> their faith.<br />
However, most <strong>of</strong> these remain inaccessible to a wide range <strong>of</strong> readers.<br />
The Manichaeans made their mark not only on the cultural history <strong>of</strong> Central<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>, but actually all along the Silk Road. They set out from the cities <strong>of</strong> Iran, and<br />
eventually made their way as far as the steppes and deserts <strong>of</strong> Inner <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The basis <strong>of</strong> this ‘world religion’ founded by Mani is a dualistic concept <strong>of</strong> a world<br />
that consists <strong>of</strong> two opposing forces: Light and Darkness (good and evil, spirit and<br />
matter), locked in a continuous struggle with each other. The Manichaeans believed<br />
that before the creation <strong>of</strong> the Cosmos there were two eternally opposed natures<br />
or gods – the Father <strong>of</strong> Greatness, that is, the original Light itself, and the King <strong>of</strong><br />
Darkness. The First Man – Ohrmizd (Mid. Pers. ohrmizdbay) – had been sent to fight<br />
the God <strong>of</strong> Darkness. To help the First Man, the God <strong>of</strong> Light gave him five sacred<br />
elements (also called the Five Sons <strong>of</strong> the First Man): clean air or ether, a warm wind,<br />
light, water and purifying fire. The struggle ended in failure and the First Man asked<br />
God for help, so Ohrmizd was sent the Living Spirit. However, in spite <strong>of</strong> this, his<br />
soul remained in the grip <strong>of</strong> Darkness. According to the Manichaean doctrine, the<br />
soul, like the body, <strong>of</strong> every human being is also born <strong>of</strong> evil, and the only thing that<br />
is in man from the divine good is the ‘spark <strong>of</strong> godly light’. The task <strong>of</strong> every true<br />
Manichaean lies in its liberation, which can be achieved through moral perfection.<br />
For this reason, laymen or ‘Hearers’ were not to kill their own kind or animals, and<br />
had to abstain from eating meat. Further prohibitions were imposed on the so-called<br />
category <strong>of</strong> the ‘Elect’, who were forbidden to marry or even to harvest plants that<br />
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