Biblical Argument in Manichaean Missionary Practice: The Case of Adimantus and Augustine
The use and appreciation of Scripture by the Manichaeans is a field of research with many unanswered questions. This study offers an investigation into the role of the Bible in the writings of the important Manichaean missionary Addas Adimantus (flor. ca. 250 CE), one of Mani's first disciples. A major part of the book is dedicated to the reconstruction of the contents of his Disputationes, in which writing Adimantus attempted to demonstrate that the Old and New Testaments are absolutely...
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This book offers a reconstruction and analysis in context of the Disputationes, a treatise of Mani’s missionary Adimantus. In it, Adimantus, like Marcion, placed parts of the Old and New Testament opposite each other.
Preface ix\ List of abbreviations xi\ Chapter 1 Introduction 1\ 1 Augustine, Manichaeism and Holy Scripture 1\ 2 Purpose 4\ 3 Outline of the study 5\ 4 Relevance 10\ Chapter 2 Adimantus: a Manichaean missionary 11\ A Adimanrus identity 11\ 1 Augustine on Adimantus 11\ 2 The argument from the Greek Abjuration Formulae 12\ 3 The different regions of Adimanrus' activity 16\ 4 The relationship between the names Adimanrus' and Addas 19\ 5 Adimanrus = Pappos? 21\ B Adimanrus' biography 23\ 1 Adimanrus' background 23\ 2 Adimanrus as a member of Mani's church 25\ 3 Adimanrus' missionary journeys 27\ 4 Mani's missionary precepts and Adimantus 40\ 5 Adimanrus' missionary activities 45\ C Provisional conclusions 47\ Chapter 3 Adimanrus' Disputationes: a reconstruction 49\ A Introduction 49\ B Augustine's acquaintance with the Disputationes 51\ 1 The years of Augustine's priesthood 51\ 2 The Manichaean years 54\ C Disputationes refuted in Contra Adimantum 62\ 1 The structure of Contra Adimantum 62\ 2 Double answers 67\ 3 (Parts of) sermons in Contra Adimantum 69\ 4 Contra Adimantum: preliminary conclusion 70\ 5 Adimanrus' Disputationes in Contra Adimantum 71\ D Disputationes disproved in sermons 75\ 1 Introduction 75\ 2 Sermons discussing disputations also refuted in Contra Actimantum 77\ 3 Sermons discussing disputations not mentioned in Contra Adimantum 83\ E The Disputationes in other works of Augustine 95\ 1 Introduction 95\ 2 Contra Faustum 96\ 3 De Genesi adversus Manichaeos 102\ 4 De Genesi ad litteram libri duodecim 104\ E Adimantus' Disputationes: a reconstruction of its contents 104\ Chapter 4 Analysis of the Disputationes: its method, contents, and purposes 123\ A Introduction 123\ B Bible texts 125\ 1 Method and limitations 125\ 2 The Old Testament quotations 126\ 3 The New Testament quotations 131\ C Exegetical methods of the Disputationes 138\ 1 The methodological application of 'antitheses' 138\ 2 The literal sense 144\ 3 Did Adimantus ignore the context? 145\ D Contents of the Disputationes 150\ 1 Subjects of the Disputationes 150\ 2 Arguments quoted in full 160\ E Evaluation 167\ 1 The form of the Disputationes 167\ 2 The target group of the Disputationes 168\ 3 The relevance of the 01d Testament to Adimantus 168\ 4 The importance attached to the New Testament 174\ Chapter 5 The literary context of the Disputationes 177\ A Introduction 177\ 1 Relevance 177\ 2 Method 179\ 3 The Contra Faustum and the Capitula 181\ B Writings against the superstitio of the Jews 184\ C Writings against the deceit of the 'semi-christiani' 194\ 1 Faustus introduction to his Capitula 194\ 2 Adimantus' fame as 'Paraclete' 195\ 3 Adimantus' criticism of Christ's genealogies 196\ 4 Adimantus' criticism of positive references to the Hebrew Bible 197\ 5 Concluding remarks 198\ D Other works 200\ 1 The Modion 200\ 2 Adimantus on the Manichaean myth 203\ 3 The Kephalaia 208\ E Evaluation 211\ Chapter 6 Conclusions and suggestions for further research 215\ Bibliography 221\ Indices 233\ 1 Index of persons 233\ 2 Index of Bible texts 236
