The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Religion
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Iran -- Religion; Religions
[376] Vitruvius (who lived shortly before J. C.) says (I.
iv. Præf.): Thales Milesius omnium rerum principium Aquam
est professus, Heraclitus Ignem, Magorum sacerdotes, Aquam
et Ignem. As to the earth proceeding from the frigidity of
water, we read in Macrobius (In Somno Scip. I. 1) what
follows: “Terra est sicca et frigida: aqua vero frigida et
humecta est; hæc duo elementa, licet sibi et per siccum
humectumque contraria sint, per frigidum tamen commune
junguntur.”――A. T.
[377] Bahzad was a celebrated painter.
[378] In the Desátír (English transl., pp. 188, 1889) it is
stated that Mani came into Iran during the reign of
Ardeshir, and made himself notorious by curious paintings
and a new doctrine which he exhibited: he permitted the
killing of harmless animals, and forbade all intercourse
with women. After a controversy upon these two points with
the king Shapur, he was driven out of the court, and then
lapidated and torn to pieces by the people of the town.
According to Sharistani, Mani was the son of Fáten or Fater;
according to Mohammed Ben Ishak, his father was Fettak Ben
Ebi Berdsâm. He was born about the year 240 of our era, but
his birthplace is differently stated to have been in Persia,
in Babylonia, in Nishapúr, in Khorossan. He is reputed as a
learned man, as will be shewn in a subsequent note. He
appeared at the court of king Shápur, the son of Ardeshir
Babegan, but inhabited chiefly Turkistan. As a painter, he
exhibited a set of pictures, called تنگ, _artang_; or رژنگ,
_arzhank_; or ارچنگ مانی, _archang Máni_, which he said he
had brought from heaven, where he pretended to have dwelt,
whilst in reality he was concealed in a cavern during one
year. The baron Hammer Purgstal suggests that the _artang_
might have been a banner or ensign, upon which astronomical
or cabalistical figures were represented, and which the
Mongols and Buddhists used to call _Máni_ (see Jahrb. der
Lit., for April, May, June, 1840, p. 28). Máni was besides a
skilful musician, and inventor of a musical instrument,
called _âúd_ by the Arabs, _chelys_ by the Greeks. He was
put to death by order of king Bahram, the son of Hormuz,
about the year 278; by some authors his life and death are
placed later.――See about Máni, _Hyde_, pp. 282, 290, and
_Beausobre_, _Histoire critique de Manichée_.――A. T.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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