Fundamental Epistle
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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.


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Augustine's writings in Latin

Augustine'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 {{Manichaeism-stub