Akouas (or Acuas) was an important figure in early
Manichaeism. He has been identified with another Manichaean figure from Iranian sources named Mar Zaku.
Identity
Akouas was an early disciple 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 ...
, and was sent by him to preach in the Western
Sassanid Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
.
Epiphanius of Salamis reported that Akouas was a military veteran ("veteranus"), leading
Samuel N. C. Lieu
Samuel N. C. Lieu (; b. 4 March 1950) is a historian of Manichaeism and Christianity in Central Asia and China.
Biography
Born in Hong Kong and educated at St. Paul's College, Lieu received a BA in Ancient and Medieval History from Emmanuel Col ...
to suggest he may have been a
Roman prisoner of war who discovered Manichaeism during his "enforced stay" in the Sassanid Empire.
[ Lieu, Samuel N.C. ''Manichaeism in the Later Roman Empire and Medieval China: a Historical Survey.'' Pages 68-69. Manchester University Press, 1985.]
Significance
Epiphanius of Salamis stated that Akouas was the first to bring Manichaeism to his hometown of
Eleutheropolis in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
. He stated that Manichaeans there were known as "Akouanitans" (or "Acuanites") due to his influence.
John of Damascus
John of Damascus ( ar, يوحنا الدمشقي, Yūḥanna ad-Dimashqī; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνός, Ioánnēs ho Damaskēnós, ; la, Ioannes Damascenus) or John Damascene was a Christian monk, priest, hymnographer, and a ...
later described Manichaeans as being referred to as "Aconites."
[Chase, Frederic H. (ed.) ''Saint John of Damascus: Writings''. Page 127. CUA Press, 2000.]
Epiphanius dates Akouas' preaching in Eleutheropolis to the reign of
Aurelian
Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...
(273-274). According to
Samuel N. C. Lieu
Samuel N. C. Lieu (; b. 4 March 1950) is a historian of Manichaeism and Christianity in Central Asia and China.
Biography
Born in Hong Kong and educated at St. Paul's College, Lieu received a BA in Ancient and Medieval History from Emmanuel Col ...
, this places Akouas "among Mani's second generation of disciples whom Mani sent to consolidate the work of Adda and
Patik" in Rome's eastern provinces.
See also
*
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 ...
References
{{Manichaeism footer
Manichaeism
3rd-century people