The ''Manichaean Diagram of the Universe'' ( zh, t=摩尼教宇宙圖; ja, マニ教宇宙図) is a

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

silk painting Silk painting refers to paintings on silk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of an amazing ...

describing the

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

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 ...

, in other words, the structure of universe according to Manichaean vision. The painting in vivid colours on a silk cloth (originally measuring approximately 158 by 60 centimetres) survives in three parts, whose proper relation to one another and digital reconstruction (shown here) was published by

Zsuzsanna Gulácsi Zsuzsanna Gulácsi (Chinese name: ; Persian name: ; born on 10 April 1966) is a Hungarian-born American historian, art historian of pan-Asiatic religions. She is a professor of art history, Asian studies, and comparative religious studies at ...

. The painting was discovered by with his research team in 2010, and identified as a depiction of the cosmos according to the Manichaean religion. According to the team, this piece of art was probably produced by a painter from southern China (

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

province) around the period of Yuan dynasty, which ruled China from 1271 to 1368; and the only painting currently known that covers Manichaeism's cosmologic view in complete form. How and when it was transferred to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

is a mystery.

Description

Under the Manichaean view of the universe, the world is formed by ten layers of heaven and eight layers of the Earth. The separated top section depicts paradise, below it are the sun (right) and moon palaces, which are shown in two circles. Then the ten layers of heaven, where angels, demons and the twelve

zodiac signs In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

are included. Below the ten firmaments of heaven are the eight layers of the Earth, the

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...

is shown as a mushroom-shaped mountain on the ground where humans live; and hell is depicted in the lowermost part.

Analysis

After carefully studying the painting, and comparing it with the Manichaean materials found in

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

, the westernmost region of China, the members of Yoshida's research team concluded that the painting is Manichaean because it includes a priest wearing a white robe with red

piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accompan ...

that is characteristic of Manichaean priests. According to the art historian

, the white robed priest—the silhouette of whose face against the green

halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

—is a depiction 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 ...

. In 2009, Professor Yoshida raised an idea that this painting might constitute a Chinese version of Mani's '' Book of Pictures'', and subsequently by

Gábor Kósa Gábor Kósa (born 31 January 1971) is a Hungarian historian of religions, an associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities of the Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Chinese Studies. (Chinese name: Kāng Gāobǎo; Traditiona ...

. In her book ''Mani's Pictures: The Didactic Images of the Manichaeans from Sasanian Mesopotamia to Uygur Central Asia and Tang-Ming China'', the Hungarian-born American art historian

, who is also a specialist in

Manichaean art Manichaeism has a rich tradition of visual art, starting with Mani himself writing the Book of Pictures. One of Mani's primary beliefs was that the arts (namely painting, calligraphy, and music) were of the same esteem as the divine spirit (M ...

, explaining the possible relation between this painting and Mani's ''Book of Pictures''. She argues that this hanging scroll is not a canonical object in Manichaeism, because the canonical Manichaean images were only designed for picture books with documented heights ranging between 8 cm and 25 cm. After the introduction of hanging scrolls into Manichaean artistic production by the 10th century, it started to integrate a number of individual canonical images in one composite display. "The result was the emergence of modified canonical images. The ''Diagram of the Universe'' is an example of such a modified image." Gulácsi designed a visual syntax with

Jason BeDuhn Jason David BeDuhn (born 1963) is a historian of religion and culture, currently Professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University. Education BeDuhn holds a B.A. in Religious studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champai ...

to analyse the painting:

Gallery

File:Virgin of Light (Manichaean Cosmology).jpg, Detail: Virgin of Light. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 12).jpg, alt=The four prophets, from left to right: Mani, Zoroaster, Buddha and Jesus., The four prophets, from left to right:

Zarathustra Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label=Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is s ...

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

and

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. File:Cathayan Manichaean Cosmology - Heaven Scene.jpg, Detail: The sun (right) and moon palaces. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 8).jpg, Sun and moon palaces with the first firmament. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 2).jpg, The second to sixth firmaments. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 3).jpg, The sixth to tenth firmaments. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 9).jpg, The atmosphere where the judgement after death. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 13).jpg, Four salvation-seeking souls shown around the foot of Mount Meru. File:Manichaean Diagram of the Universe (Detail 6).jpg, The

or the phallos. File:Painting of Mani’s Birth.jpg, ''Mani's Birth'', a Yuan dynasty Manichaean painting designed in the same style as the ''Diagram''.

Excursus

Collection of Chinese Manichaean Hanging Scrolls

Eight silk hanging scrolls with Manichaean didactic images from southern China from between the 12th and the 15th centuries, which can be divided into four categories: ; Two single portraits (depicting Mani and Jesus) * Icon of Mani * '' Manichaean Painting of the Buddha Jesus'' ; One scroll depicting

Salvation Theory Soteriology (; el, σωτηρία ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religio ...

() * '' Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation'' ; Four scrolls depicting Prophetology () * Mani's Parents *

Birth of Mani ''The Birth of Mani'' is a 摩尼教, Manichean silk cloth color painting painted in the Fujian Province, Fujian Zhejiang area during the 元朝, Yuan period, depicting the founder of the sect Mani (prophet), Mani The scene of birth, a scholar w ...

* Episodes from Mani's Missionary Work * Mani's Community Established ; One scroll depicting

Cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

() * Manichaean Diagram of the Universe

References

External links