The ''Pragmateia'' ( el, Πραγματεία, lit=Treatise; zh, t=證明過去教經, s=证明过去教经, first=t, p=Zhèngmíng guòqù jiào jīng, l=Proof of the Past Teachings), is one of the seven major books of the prophet
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 ...
, written and regarded as part of the major canon of
Manichaeism
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 Empire, Parthian ...
.
The text is now lost and its exact contents are currently unknown. According to historical records and fragments found in
Turfan, the text was likely focused on
human history
Human history, also called world history, is the narrative of humanity's past. It is understood and studied through anthropology, archaeology, genetics, and linguistics. Since the invention of writing, human history has been studied throug ...
. The text is also mentioned in accounts of the
Monijiao branch of Manichaeism (including its religious and political movement known as the
White Lotus Society
The White Lotus () is a syncretic religious and political movement which forecasts the imminent advent of the "King of Light" (), i.e., the future Buddha Maitreya. As White Lotus sects developed, they appealed to many Han Chinese who found sola ...
) from the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
.
References
Manichaean texts
Texts in Syriac
3rd-century books
Lost religious texts
{{Manichaeism-stub