Mar Sisin, the letter of the last thought (

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

: Mār Sîsin, ?–291/292), also known as Sisinnius (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Sisinnius), one of the twelve Apostles of the founder of

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...

. He was one of the most influential

Manichaeans Manichaeism (; in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani (AD ...

in the early church, as he served as a core figure of the early church and was the first Manichaean Archegos, the head of the Manichaean religion.

Mission

Mo Sixin was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Mani himself. When Mani was alive, he had a high status within Manichaeism. When Mani left

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

, he was responsible for the internal work of the church. He went to the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

and preached in Central Asia. Around 261-262, Mo Sixin went to Mary to inspect and was very satisfied with the missionary situation there. He sent someone to bring two holy books and to see

Mar Ammo Mar Ammo was a 3rd-century Manichean disciple of the prophet Mani. According to Manichaen tradition he spread Manichaeism eastward into Sogdiana during the time period when Mani was living. Mar Ammo is well known as the apostle of the east in Ma ...

who was preaching in Zamb. He copied these books in Mulu.

Leading the Church

In 273,

went to visit Mani in prison, and Mani delivered the "last letter" to Mohamo, explaining the affairs of the church. In 274, Mani was executed by

Bahram I Bahram I (also spelled Wahram I or Warahran I; pal, 𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭) was the fourth Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 271 to 274. He was the eldest son of Shapur I () and succeeded his brother Hormizd I (), who had reigned for a year ...

. In 276, Mo Sixin was appointed to become the first Archegos of the Manichean Babylonian Church. It is also said that Mo Sixin only became the Archegos five years after Mani's death. Mo Sixin served as the Archegos for ten years. Leading the Manichaeans to adhere to their beliefs, making

Ctesiphon Ctesiphon ( ; Middle Persian: 𐭲𐭩𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭭 ''tyspwn'' or ''tysfwn''; fa, تیسفون; grc-gre, Κτησιφῶν, ; syr, ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢThomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modi ...

the place where the Manichaean holy seat resides in Tin, and is unanimously recognized by all Manichaeans around the world. In 286, Bahram I set off a new wave of persecution of Manichaeans, Mo Sixin was martyred in this persecution. In the Dunhuang manuscript "

Chinese Manichaean hymn scroll The Chinese Manichaean hymn scroll is a scroll found by British archaeologist Aurel Stein in the Mogao Grottoes. It contains a series of hymns used in religious ceremonies. It is currently in the collection of the British Library, number S.2659 ...

", he left his absolute letter "Sigh of impermanence" to warn the faithful We should not be greedy for the material comforts of the world, and be obsessed with the physical body for the dark demon delusion. We should practice diligently before death, and ascend to

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

after death so that we can liberate ourselves and achieve enlightenment.

Remembrance

After Mo Sixin's death, Innaios, one of the Twelve Apostles, succeeded him as the Archegos. Thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Illinois, the persecution of Manichaeism has temporarily come to an end. In order to commemorate the sacrifice of Mosshin, the Manichaeism held a two-day

Fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

becomes one of the five times " double-day Fasts" every year.Lieu, Samuel N C. Manichaeism in the later Roman Empire and medieval China M Tubingen:J. C. B. Mohr,cl992.

References

{{Manichaeism footer Manichaeans Martyrs 290s deaths

Mission

Leading the Church

Remembrance

See also

References