THE EGYPTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF GNOSTIC THOUGHT

extending into Alexandria as Manichaean missionisers arrived in the train of the
successful Palmyrian invasion of Egypt in 270. 5
In assessing the transmission of Manichaeism into Egypt one is faced with two
complementary developments: firstly, the spread of a popular Manichaeism which
apparently enjoyed great success in Upper Egypt; secondly, the arrival of Manichaean
thought in the cities, most particularly Alexandria. One is perhaps best advised to
assume that both events occurred more or less simultaneously, for alongside the
extensive literary evidence of the Medinet Madi find in the Fayyum, there are
indications of major Manichaean successes in the various agora of Egyptian cities. In
this regard, the completely preserved polemic of Alexander of Lycopolis is an
extremely important source for Manichaeism in Egypt. Alexander, a non-Christian
Neoplatonic philosopher, was concerned that many of his fellow philosophers were
being swayed by Manichaean arguments, even to the extent of joining their ranks. 6
In
response to this, Alexander attempts a full philosophical refutation of their system.
The curtain of censure which was to later descend, beginning with
Diocletian’s edict against the Manichaeans on the 31st of March, 297, reached its
culmination a century later with the decree of Theodosius and the burning of the
libraries in Alexandria. It was to be the fate of the Manichaeans, as with the broader
array of Gnostic groups in Egypt, to have their teachers and writings driven
underground by an ascendant Roman/Christian hegemony, and their contribution to
religious thought eventually edited-out for posterity. Yet two fortunate circumstances,
both occurring within almost one decade of each other in the present century, have
opened up new possibilities for the understanding of dualist thought in specifically
Egyptian modes. The extensive Manichaean find at Medinet Madi has its exact
counterpart, in terms of its quality and bulk, in the Gnostic collection found in the
Gebel el Tarif, both written in Coptic. Both collections were hidden around 400 C.E.,
undoubtedly to protect them from the effects of persecution.
As it is the purpose of this thesis to demonstrate the Egyptian presence in
Gnostic thought, Manichaeism must also be included beneath the rubric of Gnosis in
Egypt. It shall be demonstrated in this chapter that a distinctly Egyptian variant is
evident even in the supposedly foreign mythological flora and fauna of Manichaeism.
Egyptian Gnosis here, as well as with the other groups examined in this thesis, is also
a legitimate Egyptological concern. 7
5
I am here following the analysis of Michel Tardieu, “Les Manichéens en Égypte,” BSFE 5
(June 1982): 5-17. Direct evidence for the conversion to Manichaeism of a close family
member of queen Zenobia prior to her invasion of Egypt is given in an extant Sogdian
fragment; reference is also made here to the Manichaean Electus Adda arriving “just as far
as Alexandria”.
6
“I, for one, do not wish to deny that these doctrines are capable of influencing the minds of
those who uncritically accept this theory, especially since deceitful expositions of this kind
were successful in making converts out of certain fellow-philosophers of mine.” van der
Horst and Mansfeld, An Alexandrian Platonist Against Dualism,58.
7
Tardieu, “Les Manichéens en Égypte,” 15: “As a religious concern, Manichaeism belongs to
the history of Egypt, as a linguistic concern it brings to Coptology an ensemble of material
of great coherence and richness not yet explored, as a codicological concern it is one of the
most beautiful chapters in the history of the book. Egyptology, likewise, cannot not be
conscious of it.”