THE EGYPTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF GNOSTIC THOUGHT

There has also been a strong tendency in the broader field of Manichaean
Studies to regard all textual evidence for Manichaeism as a bounded extension from
the central complex of ideas which originated with Mani himself. However, Mani was
not directly involved in proselytising in Egypt and it is clear that the extensive
Manichaean Coptic texts which incorporate central Egyptian religious motifs were not
part of the Manichaean canon. This then points towards the existence of a distinctly
Egyptian Manichaean sect.
In the first instance I shall be concerned with establishing some aspects of
Manichaean thought which appear to be Egyptian. I shall also deal with Manichaeism
as philosophy and myth, the interaction of Manichaean thought with Alexandrian
Neoplatonism being of primary interest. Finally, I shall consider its affinities with
other known Gnostic groups in Egypt, in particular the group which used the Pistis
Sophia as part of their liturgy.
One must ask what attraction the foreign creed of Manichaeism possessed in
Roman times for the Egyptian peasant, priest, and philosopher. Arising from the fact
that Manichaeism apparently obtained large initial successes in Upper Egypt – surely
a conservative backwater as held up against liberal Alexandria – we must assume that
a radically new and exotic message, particularly as it was to be associated with Persia,
would have had little chance of acceptance in Egypt; rather, such an appeal would
have to contain much in the way of traditional form and substance for any chance at
dissemination, most especially in Egypt. This feature goes right to the heart of Mani’s
well-known proselytising methods and accounts for the extraordinary geographical
and cultural breadth that his religion achieved, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Mani
clearly tailored his message for the ears of its recipients, blending specific indigenous
elements upon his syncretistic palette, thus offering a way “in” for the local novitiate.
As time went on following Mani’s death, his missionisers would have felt even
further unencumbered in developing these local variants into a more localised
Manichaean expression, one which still, however, attempted to complement the
canonical doctrines of Mani. I propose to consider three specific Egyptian variants:
negative confessions, apocalypticism, and heliocentrism.
An important Egyptian aspect of Manichaean thought was the employment of
the so-called “negative confession”. These statements are neither confessions, nor
negative in the sense of admitting guilt; rather they are a declaration of innocence and
in Egyptian tradition this is customarily manifested in the context of the deceased
standing before judgement in the hereafter. The Manichaean Psalms depict the
righteous Elect declaring their pure state of being prior to the ascent of the soul. The
Manichaean’s extensive use of this literary form is quite clearly derived from the
Egyptian as it is not found anywhere else in the Manichaean canon. The Manichaean
Psalms to Jesus depict the righteous Elect declaring their pure state of being prior to
the ascent of the soul. Various examples follow with the Manichaean text given first,
followed by earlier Egyptian examples in italics:
I did not allow my enemies to put out my lamps (Psalms CCXLIII 50.7) 8
I have not served the Error...(CCLXVII 84.22) 9
8
Coptic transcription from C.R.C. Allberry, ed. and trans., A Manichaean Psalmbook, Part II:
Manichaean Manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Collection (Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer
Verlag, 1938), 50.
9
Coptic transcription from M.P., 84.