The Fundamental Epistle or Letter of Foundation ( la, Epistola Fundamenti) was one of the sacred writings of the
Manichaean religion, written by the founder
Mani (c. 210–276 CE), originally in
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
. According to religious scholar Timothy Pettipiece, "the exact nature of this writing's relationship with the
Manichaean canon remains ambiguous".
Since none of the original Syriac writings of Manichaeism remain, only translations of small sections of this book, made by either Manichaeans or anti-Manichaeans, are extant. One of the most well-known references to this book is found in the writings of
Saint Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
(354–430 CE), who, before converting to Christianity, was a Manichaean "hearer" for a number of years. In two of his anti-Manichaean books, he quotes a few paragraphs of the Fundamental Epistle.
References
External links
Augustine's writings in LatinAugustine's anti-Manichaean writings in English* E. Feldmann, Die “Epistula Fundamenti” der nordafrikanischen Manichäer. Versuch einer Rekonstruktion, Altenberge, 1987. (English: The "Fundamental Epistle" of the North-African Manichaeans - an attempt at its reconstruction)
3rd-century books
Lost books
Manichaean texts
Texts in Syriac
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