# Acts of Archelaus

- Author: [Hegemonius](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/hegemonius/)
- Latin title: *Acta Archelai*
- Date: early to mid 4th century (disputed)
- Source: Charles Henry Beeson, ed., Hegemonius: Acta Archelai, GCS 16 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906) (Greek text: C. H. Beeson, Hegemonius: Acta Archelai, GCS 16 (Leipzig, 1906), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/
- Passages: 8

## Acts of Archelaus 5

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-5
- Source: Beeson, 5–8
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s letter to Marcellus attacks belief in one principle and in Christ’s birth from Mary.

### Greek text

Μανιχαῖος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἅγιοι καὶ παρθένοι, Μαρκέλλῳ τέκνῳ ἀγαπητῷ. χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ φωτὸς διατηρήσειέ σε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πονηροῦ καὶ τῶν συμπτωμάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ παγίδων τοῦ πονηροῦ. ἀμήν. Τὴν μὲν περὶ σὲ ἀγάπην μεγίστην οὖσαν αἰσθηθείς, λίαν ἐχάρην· τὴν δὲ πίστιν οὐκ οὖσαν κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ἠχθέσθην. ὅθεν πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους ἀποσταλεὶς φειδόμενός τε τῶν ἀπάτῃ καὶ πλάνῃ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδωκότων, ταῦτα τὰ γράμματα πρὸς σὲ ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην ἀποστεῖλαι. πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τῆς σεαυτοῦ ψυχῆς, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἅμα σοι τυγχανόντων, πρὸς τὸ <μὴ> ἀδιάκριτόν σε ἔχειν τὸν λογισμόν, ὡς οἱ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων καθηγεμόνες διδάσκουσι λέγοντες τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φέρεσθαι, καὶ μίαν ἀρχὴν εἰσηγούμενοι, οὐ διακρίνοντες οὐδὲ διαιροῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ σκότος καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ φαύλου καὶ τὸν ἔξωθεν ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔνδον, ὡς προείπομεν, ἀλλὰ κιρνῶντες καὶ ἐγκαταμιγνῦντες θάτερον θατέρῳ οὐ παύονται. σὺ δέ, ὦ τέκνον, μὴ ἶσα τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλογίστως καὶ ἁπλῶς ἀμφότερα, ὡς ἂν τύχοι, ἐνώσῃς, μηδὲ τῷ τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης θεῷ ἀνατίθεσο· ἀρχὴν γὰρ καὶ τέλος καὶ τὸν τούτων πατέρα τῶν κακῶν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀναφέρουσιν, ὦν τὸ τέλος κατάρας ἐγγύς. οὔτε γὰρ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις <ἐν> εὐαγγελίοις παρʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πιστεύουσιν, ὅτι οὐ δύναται δένδρον καλὸν καρποὺς κακοὺς ποιῆσαι, οὐδὲ μὴν δένδρον κακὸν καλοὺς καρποὺς ποιῆσαι. καὶ πῶς τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Σατανᾶ καὶ τῶν κακῶν αὐτοῦ πραγμάτων λέγειν τολμῶσι ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν θαυμάζειν μοι ἐπέρχεται. καὶ εἴθε μὲν ἄχρι τούτων ἔφθασεν αὐτῶν ἡ ματαιοπονία καὶ μὴ τὸν μονογενῆ τὸν ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τοῦ πατρὸς καταβάντα Χριστόν, Μαρίας τινὸς γυναικὸς ἔλεγον εἶναι υἱόν, ἐξ αἴματος καὶ σαρκὸς καὶ τῆς ἄλλης δυσωδίας τῶν γυναικῶν γεγεννῆσθαι. καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὰ πολλὰ διὰ τῆσδε τῆς ἐπιστολῆς γράφων εἰς μῆκος χρόνου διασύρω σου τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, οὐκ ἔχων τὰς φυσικὰς φράσεις, ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀρκεσθήσομαι. τὸ δʼ ὅλου γνώσῃ παρόντος μου πρὸς σέ, εἴγε τῆς σεαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ἔτι φείδῃ. οὐδὲ γὰρ βρόχον τινὶ ἐπιβάλλω, ὡς οἱ τῶν πολλῶν ἀφρονέστεροι ποιοῦσιν. νόει ἃ λέγω, τέκνον τιμιώτατε.

### English translation (Claude)

Manichaeus, apostle of Jesus Christ, and all the saints and virgins with me, to Marcellus, beloved son: grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ; and may the right hand of light preserve you from the present evil age and its mishaps and the snares of the evil one. Amen. I rejoiced greatly on perceiving your love, which is very great; but I was grieved that your faith is not according to right reason. Therefore, having been sent for the correction of the human race, and sparing those who have given themselves over to deceit and error, I thought it necessary to send you this letter: first for the salvation of your own soul, and then of those who are with you, so that you may not hold an undiscerning mind, as the leaders of the simpler sort teach, saying that good and evil come from the same source, and introducing one principle, neither distinguishing nor separating darkness from light, and the good from the evil and bad, and the outer man from the inner, as we said before, but never ceasing to blend and mix the one with the other. But you, my son, do not, like most men, unite both without reason and simply, as chance may have it, nor attribute them to the God of goodness. For they refer the beginning and end and the father of these evils to God, “whose end is near to a curse.” For they do not believe what was said in the Gospels by our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ himself, that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit. And I am amazed how they dare to say that God is the maker and creator of Satan and his evil works. And would that their vain labour had stopped there, and that they did not say that Christ, the only-begotten who came down from the bosom of the Father, is the son of a certain woman Mary, born of blood and flesh and the other foulness of women! And so as not to tax your patience at length by writing much in this letter, since I do not have natural eloquence, I shall be content with this. You will know the whole when I am present with you, if indeed you still care for your own salvation. For I do not cast a noose on anyone, as the more foolish of the many do. Understand what I say, most honoured son.

### Scripture references

- Gal 1:4: allusion, medium confidence
- Heb 6:8: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 7:18: allusion, high confidence
- John 1:18: allusion, medium confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.6 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 5 (Latin numbering); the Greek of the letter is also preserved by Epiphanius, Panarion 66.6. The letter presents Manichaean dualism and docetism; translated as written. “Whose end is near to a curse” echoes Heb 6:8.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 5 (Beeson, 5–8; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-5).

## Acts of Archelaus 6

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-6
- Source: Beeson, 8
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Marcellus replies, asking Mani to come and explain his letter.

### Greek text

(VII), Μάρκελλος, ἀνὴρ ἐπίσημος, Μανιχαίῳ τῷ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς δηλουμένῳ, χαίρειν. τὴν μὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ γραφεῖσαν ἐπιστολὴν προσηκάμην, τὸν δὲ Τύρβωνα προσεδεξάμην κατὰ φιλοφροσύνην ἐμήν, τῶν δὲ γραμμάτων τὸν νοῦν οὐδαμῶς ἔγνων, εἰ μὴ σὺ παραγενόμενος φράσῃς ἡμῖν καταλογάδην ἕκαστον, ὡς ὑπέσχου διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς. ἔρρωσθε.

### English translation (Claude)

Marcellus, a man of distinction, to Manichaeus, who is made known through the letter, greeting. I received the letter written by you, and I welcomed Turbo with my usual kindness; but I did not at all understand the meaning of the writing, unless you come and explain each point to us in plain prose, as you promised in the letter. Farewell.

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.7 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 6 (in Beeson’s Latin numbering chapter 6; the bracketed VII in the text is an alternative chapter number). Also in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.7.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 6 (Beeson, 8; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-6).

## Acts of Archelaus 7

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-7
- Source: Beeson, 8–13
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Turbo’s summary of Mani’s myth: two gods, the First Man, the creation of the world, the docetic Christ, and the ferrying of souls by sun and moon.

### Greek text

(XXV). Εἰ τὴν τοῦ Μάνη πίστιν θέλετε μαθεῖν, παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἀκούσατε συντόμως. οὗτος δύο σέβει θεοὺς ἀγεννήτους, αὐτοφυεῖς, ἀιδίους, ἕνα τῷ ἑνὶ ἀντικείμενον. καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀγαθόν, τὸν δὲ πονηρὸν εἰσηγεῖται, φῶς τῷ ἑνὶ ὄνομα θέμενος καὶ τῷ ἑτέρῳ σκότος· καὶ τοῦ μὲν φωτὸς εἶναι μέρος τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ψυχήν, τοῦ δὲ σκότους τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ τῆς ὕλης δημιούργημα. μῖξιν δὲ ἤτοι σύγκρασιν τοῦτον λέγει γεγονέναι τὸν τρόπον, ἀπεικάζων τοὺς δύο τῷδε τῷ παραδείγματι, καθάπερ δύο βασιλεῖς ἀντιμαχόμενοι ἀλλήλους, ὄντες ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος ἑκάστου τὰ ἴδια ἔχοντος. κατὰ δὲ σύστασιν τὸ σκότος ἐπελθὸν ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτοῦ προσεμαχήσατο τῷ φωτί. γνόντα δὲ τὸν ἀγαθὸν πατέρα τὸ σκότος ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ ἐπιδεδημηκός, προβάλλειν ἐξ αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, λεγομένην μητέρα τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ αὐτὴν προβεβληκέναι τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον τὰ πέντε στοιχεῖα. εἰσὶ δὲ ἄνεμος, φῶς, ὕδωρ, πῦρ καὶ ὕλη. καὶ ταῦτα ἐνδυσάμενον ὡς πρὸς κατασκευὴν πολέμου, κατελθεῖν κάτω καὶ πολεμῆσαι τῷ σκότει. οἱ δὲ τοῦ σκότους ἄρχοντες ἀντιπολεμοῦντες αὐτῷ ἔφαγον ἐκ τῆς πανοπλίας αὐτοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή. τότε δεινῶς ἐθλίβη ἐκεῖ κάτω ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους, καὶ εἰ μὴ εὐξαμένου εἰσήκουσεν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἑτέραν δύναμιν προβληθεῖσαν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, λεγομένην ζῶν πνεῦμα, καὶ εἰ μὴ κατελθὼν δέδωκεν αὐτῷ δεξιὰν καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν ἐκ τοῦ σκότους, πάλαι ἂν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος κατεχόμενος ἐκινδύνευσεν. ἔκτοτε οὖν κατ- έλειψε κάτω τὴν ψυχήν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Μανιχαῖοι ἐὰν συναντήσωσιν ἀλλήλοις, δεξιὰς διδόασιν ἑαυτοῖς σημείου χάριν, ὡς ἀπὸ σκότους σωθέντες· ἐν γὰρ τῷ σκότει πάσας τὰς αἱρέσεις εἶναι λέγει. VIII. Τότε <τὸ> ζῶν πνεῦμα ἔκτισε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ αὐτὸ ἑτέρας τρεῖς δυνάμεις, κατελθὸν ἀνήνεγκε τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐσταύρωσεν ἐν τῷ στερεώματι, ὅ ἐστιν αὐτῶν σῶμα ἡ σφαῖρα. (XXVI). Τότε πάλιν τὸ ζῶν πνεῦμα ἔκτισε τοὺς φωστῆρας, ἅ ἐστι τῆς ψυχῆς λείψανα, καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησε τὸ στερέωμα κυκλεῦσαι. καὶ πάλιν ἔκτισε τὴν γῆν εἰς εἴδη ὀκτώ. ὁ δὲ Ὠμοφόρος κάτω βαστάζει, καὶ ἐπὰν κάμῃ βαστάζων, τρέμει, καὶ σεισμοῦ αἴτιος γίνεται παρὰ τὸν ὡρισμένον καιρόν. τούτου ἕνεκα τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ ἀγαθὸς πατὴρ ἐκ τῶν κόλπων εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τῆς γῆς καὶ εἰς τὰ ταύτης μέρη, ὅπως αὐτῷ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπιτιμίαν δῷ. καὶ ὁσάκις ἂν σεισμὸς γένηται, ἢ τρέμει κάμνων ἢ ἀντιφέρει εἰς τὸν ἕτερον ὠμον. τότε τοίνυν καὶ ἡ ὕλη ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς ἔκτισε τὰ φυτά. καὶ συλωμένων αὐτῶν ἀπό τινων ἀρχόντων, ἐκάλεσε πάντας τοὺς τῶν ἀρχόντων πρωτίστους καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀνὰ μίαν δύναμιν καὶ κατεσκεύασε τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ τὴν ἰδέαν τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου ἐκείνου καὶ ἔδησε τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν αὐτῷ. αὕτη ἐστὶ τῆς συγκράσεως ἡ ὑπόθεσις. ὅτε δὲ εἶδεν ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ζῶν θλιβομένην τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ σώματι, εὔσπλαγχνος ὢν καὶ ἐλεήμων, ἔπεμψε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἠγαπημένον εἰς σωτηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς. διὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν πρόφασιν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ὠμοφόρου ἀπέστειλεν αὐτόν. καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ υἱὸς μετεσχημάτισεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἀνθρώπου εἶδος· καὶ ἐφαίνετο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὡς ἄνθρωπος, μὴ ὢν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὑπελάμβανον αὐτὸν γεγεννῆσθαι. ἐλθὼν οὖν ποιεῖται τὴν δημιουργίαν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ μηχανὴν συνεστήσατο ἔχουσαν δώδεκα κάδους, ἥ τις ὑπὸ τῆς σφαίρας στρεφομένην, ἀνιμᾶται τῶν θνησκόν- των τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ ταύτας ὁ μέγας φωστὴρ ταῖς ἀκτῖσι λαβὼν καθαρίζει καὶ μεταδίδωσι τῇ σελήνῃ, καὶ οὕτως πληροῦται τῆς σελήνης ὁ δίσκος, ὁ παρʼ ὑμῖν προσαγορευόμενος· πλοῖα γὰρ ἤτοι πορθμεῖα εἶναι λέγει τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας. εἶτα ἐὰν γεμισθῇ ἡ σελήνη, μεταπορθμεύει εἰς ἀπηλιώτην, καὶ οὕτως ἀπόκρουσιν ποιεῖται, τοῦ γόμου ἐλαφρυνομένη· καὶ οὕτω πληροῖ τὸ πορθμεῖον καὶ πάλιν ἀπογομοῖ ἀνιμωμένων ὑπὸ τῶν κάδων τῶν ψυχῶν, ἄχρις οὑ τὸ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ μέρος σώσει τῆς ψυχῆς. τῆς γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας πᾶσαν ψυχὴν καὶ πᾶν κινούμενον ζῶον μετέχειν λέγει. τῆς οὖν σελήνης μεταδιδούσης τὸν γόμον τῶν φαῶν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῦ πατρός, παραμένουσιν ἐν τῷ στύλῳ τῆς δόξης, ὃς καλεῖται ἀὴρ ὁ τέλειος. ὁ δὲ ἀὴρ οὗτος στύλος ἐστὶ φωτός. ἐπειδὴ γέμει ψυχῶν τῶν καθαριζομένων. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία, διʼ ἧς αἱ ψυχαὶ σώζονται.

### English translation (Claude)

If you wish to learn the faith of Mani, hear it from me briefly. He worships two gods, unbegotten, self-existent, eternal, one opposed to the other. He presents the one as good and the other as evil, giving the one the name Light and the other Darkness; and he says that the soul in men is part of the light, but the body and the fabric of matter part of the darkness. He says the mixing or blending came about in this way, likening the two to this example: like two kings fighting each other, enemies from the beginning, each holding his own territory in his part. At some juncture the darkness came out of its borders and attacked the light. When the good Father knew that the darkness had come into his land, he put forth from himself a power called the Mother of Life, and she put forth the First Man, the five elements: these are wind, light, water, fire, and matter. And he, putting these on as equipment for war, went down and fought the darkness. But the rulers of the darkness, fighting back, ate of his armour, which is the soul. Then the First Man was terribly afflicted down there by the darkness; and had not the Father heard his prayer and sent another power put forth by him, called the Living Spirit, and had it not come down and given him its right hand and brought him up out of the darkness, the First Man would long ago have been held fast and in danger. From then on, therefore, he left the soul below. And for this reason the Manichaeans, when they meet one another, give each other their right hands as a sign, as having been saved from darkness; for he says all the heresies are in the darkness. Then the Living Spirit created the world; and itself, having three other powers, went down, brought up the rulers, and crucified them in the firmament, which is their body, the sphere. Then again the Living Spirit created the luminaries, which are remnants of the soul, and so made the firmament revolve. And again he created the earth in eight forms. And the Omophorus carries it from below, and when he tires of carrying it, he trembles, and becomes the cause of earthquakes beyond the appointed time. For this reason the good Father sent his Son from his bosom into the heart of the earth and its parts, to give him fitting rebuke. And whenever an earthquake happens, either he trembles from fatigue, or shifts it to the other shoulder. Then too matter of itself created the plants; and when these were being plundered by some of the rulers, he called all the chief of the rulers and took from them one power each, and fashioned man after the form of that First Man, and bound the soul in him. This is the account of the mixture. And when the living Father saw the soul afflicted in the body, being compassionate and merciful, he sent his beloved Son for the salvation of the soul; for on this account, and on account of the Omophorus, he sent him. And the Son, coming, transformed himself into the form of a man; and he appeared to men as a man, though he was not a man, and men supposed that he had been born. Having come, then, he carries out his work for the salvation of souls, and set up a machine with twelve buckets, which, turned by the sphere, draws up the souls of the dying; and the great luminary takes these with its rays, purifies them, and passes them to the moon; and so the disc of the moon, as it is called among you, is filled. For he says the two luminaries are boats or ferries. Then when the moon is full, it ferries them across to the east, and so it makes a discharge, being lightened of its cargo; and so it fills the ferry and again unloads, as the souls are drawn up by the buckets, until it saves its own part of the soul. For he says every soul and every moving living creature shares in the substance of the good Father. When the moon, then, passes its cargo of lights to the aeons of the Father, they remain in the Pillar of Glory, which is called the Perfect Air. And this air is a pillar of light, since it is full of the souls being purified. This is the cause through which souls are saved.

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.25–26 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 7–8 (Greek preserved in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.25–26). The bracketed Roman numerals in the text (XXV, XXVI) and “VIII” are alternative chapter numbers. Manichaean doctrine is reported as Turbo states it. The digital text is damaged in places (e.g. “ζῶν νεῦμαι χοὶ” for “ζῶν πνεῦμα, καὶ”); translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 7 (Beeson, 8–13; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-7).

## Acts of Archelaus 9

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-9
- Source: Beeson, 13–15
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s myth of the alluring Virgin of Light as the cause of rain, plague, and death.

### Greek text

(XXVII). Ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐστὶ πάλιν αὕτη· παρθένος τις ὡραία κεκοσμημένη, πιθανὴ πάνυ, συλᾶν ἐπιχειρεῖ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι ὑπὸ τοῦ ζῶντος πνεύματος ἀνενεχθέντας καὶ σταυρωθέντας, φαινομένη δὲ τοῖς ἄρρεσι θήλεια εὔμορφος, ταῖς δὲ θηλείαις νεανίας εὐειδὴς καὶ ἐπιθυμητός· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄρχοντες, ὁπόταν ἴδωσιν αὐτὴν κεκαλλωπισμένην, οἰστροῦνται τῷ φίλτρῳ, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι αὐτὴν καταλαβεῖν, δεινῶς φλέγονται τῷ ἐρωτικῷ πόθῳ, τὸν νοῦν ἐξαρπασθέντες. ὅταν οὖν, τρεχόντων αὐτῶν, ἡ παρθένος ἄφαντος γένηται, τότε ὁ ἄρχων ὁ μέγας προβάλλει τὰς νεφέλας ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ὅπως σκοτίσῃ τῇ ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν κόσμον. καὶ οὕτως, ἐὰν θλιβῇ πάνυ, καθάπερ ἄνθρωπος ἰδρῶν ἀποκοπιοῦται. ὁ δὲ ἱδρὼς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βροχή. ὁμοῦ καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς ἄρχων ἐὰν συληθῇ ὑπὸ τῆς παρθένου, καταχέει λοιμὸν ἐφʼ ὅλης τῆς γῆς, ὅπως θανατώσῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. τὸ γὰρ σῶμα τοῦτο κόσμος καλεῖται πρὸς τὸν μέγαν κόσμον, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι πάντες ῥίζας ἔχουσι κάτω συνδεθείσας τοῖς ἄνω. ὁπόταν οὖν συληθῇ ὑπὸ τῆς παρθένου, τότε ἄρχεται κόπτειν τὰς ῥίζας τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ ὅταν κοπῶσιν αἱ ῥίζαι αὐτῶν, τότε ἄρχεται λοιμὸς γίνεσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ἀποθνήσκουσιν. ἐὰν δὲ τὰ ἄνω τῆς ῥίζης τόνω σαλεύσῃ, σεισμὸς γίγνεταί τε καὶ ἐπακολουθεῖ, συγκινουμένου μὲν τοῦ Ὠμοφόρου· αὕτη ἡ αἰτία τοῦ θανάτου.

### English translation (Claude)

The cause of men’s dying is again this. A virgin, beautifully adorned, very alluring, tries to plunder the rulers who were taken up and crucified in the firmament by the Living Spirit; appearing to the males as a beautiful female, and to the females as a handsome and desirable young man. And the rulers, when they see her adorned, are stung with love, and being unable to catch her, burn terribly with erotic longing, their minds carried away. When, then, as they run, the virgin vanishes, then the great ruler puts forth the clouds from himself, to darken the world with his anger. And so, if he is greatly afflicted, like a man he sweats and is exhausted; and his sweat is the rain. Likewise the harvest ruler, if plundered by the virgin, pours pestilence over the whole earth, to kill men. For this body is called a world in relation to the great world, and all men have roots below bound to those above. When, then, he is plundered by the virgin, he begins to cut the roots of men; and when their roots are cut, pestilence begins, and so they die. And if he shakes the upper parts of the root violently, an earthquake happens and follows, the Omophorus being moved with it. This is the cause of death.

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.27 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 9 (Greek in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.27). A gap marked “(??)” in the digital text is ignored. Manichaean doctrine reported as Turbo states it.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 9 (Beeson, 13–15; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-9).

## Acts of Archelaus 10

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-10
- Source: Beeson, 15–17
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s teaching on transmigration, the elect and catechumens, and the ban on work.

### Greek text

(XXVIII). Ἐρῶ δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ τοῦτο, πῶς μεταγγίζεται ἡ ψυχὴ εἰς πέντε σώματα. πρῶτον καθαρίζεται μικρόν τι ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, εἶτα μεταγγίζεται εἰς κυνὸς ἢ εἰς καμήλου ἢ εἰς ἑτέρου ζώου σῶμα. ἐὰν δὲ ᾖ πεφονευκυῖα ψυχή, εἰς κελεφῶν σώματα μεταφέρεται· ἐὰν δὲ θερίσασα εὑρεθῇ, εἰς μογγιλάλους. τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς ἐστι τὰ ὀνόματα ταῦτα, νοῦς, ἔννοια, φρόνησις, ἐνθύμησις, λογισμός. οἱ δὲ θερισταὶ ὅσοι θερίζουσιν ἐοίκασι τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῖς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς οὖσιν εἰς τὸ σκότος, ὅτε ἔφαγον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου πανοπλίας· διὸ ἀνάγκη αὐτοὺς μεταγγισθῆναι εἰς χόρτον ἢ εἰς φασήλια ἢ εἰς κριθὴν ἢ εἰς στάχυν ἢ εἰς λάχανα, ἵνα θερισθῶσι καὶ κοπῶσι· καὶ εἴ τις πάλιν ἐσθίει ἄρτον, ἀνάγκη καὶ αὐτὸν βρωθῆναι, ἄρτον γενόμενον. εἴ τις φονεύσει ὀρνίθιον, ὀρνίθιον ἔσται· εἴ τις φονεύσει μῦν, καὶ αὐτὸς μῦς ἔσται. εἴ τις πάλιν ἐστὶ πλούσιος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ σκηνώματος αὐτοῦ, ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν εἰς πτωχοῦ σῶμα μεταγγισθῆναι, ὥστε περιπατοῦντα αὐτὸν ἐπαιτῆσαι καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον. τοῦ δὲ σώματος τούτου ὄντος τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τῆς ὕλης, ἀνάγκη τὸν φυτεύοντα περσέαν διελθεῖν πολλὰ σώματα, ἕως ἂν καταβληθῇ ἡ περσέα ἐκείνη. εἰ δέ τις οἰκοδομεῖ ἑαυτῷ οἰκίαν, διασπαραχθήσεται εἰς τὰ ὅλα σώματα. εἴ τις λούεται, εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν πήσσει. καὶ εἴ τις οὐ δίδωσι τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ εὐσέβειαν, κολασθήσεται εἰς τὰς γεέννας, καὶ μετενσωματοῦται εἰς κατηχουμένων σώματα, ἕως οὗ δῷ εὐσεβείας πολλάς· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, εἴ τι κάλλιστον ἐν βρώμασι, τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς προσφέρουσι. καὶ ὅταν μέλλωσιν ἐσθίειν ἄρτον, προσεύχονται πρῶτον, οὕτω λέγοντες πρὸς τὸν ἄρτον, οὔτε σε ἐγὼ ἐθέρισα οὔτε ἤλεσα οὔτε ἔθλιψά σε οὔτε εἰς κλίβανον ἔβαλον· ἀλλὰ ἄλλος ἐποίησε ταῦτα καὶ ἤνεγκέ μοι· ἐγὼ ἀναιτίως ἔφαγον. καὶ ὅταν καθʼ ἑαυτὸν εἴπῃ ταῦτα, λέγει τῷ κατηχουμένῳ, ηὐξάμην ὑπὲρ σοῦ· καὶ οὕτως ἀφίσταται ἐκεῖνος. ὡς γὰρ εἶπον ὑμῖν πρὸ ὀλίγου, εἴ τις θερίζει, θερισθήσεται, οὕτως ἐὰν εἰς μηχανὴν σῖτον βάλλῃ, βληθήσεται καὶ αὐτός, ἢ φυράσας φυραθήσεται, ἢ ὀπτήσας ἄρτον ὀπτηθήσεται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπείρηται αὐτοῖς ἔργον ποιῆσαι. καὶ πάλιν εἰσὶν κόσμοι τινές, τῶν φωστήρων δυνόντων ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ κόσμου, ἐξ ὧν ἀνατέλλουσι. καὶ εἴ τις περιπατεῖ χαμαί, βλάπτει τὴν γῆν· καὶ ὁ κινῶν τὴν χεῖρα βλάπτει τὸν ἀέρα, ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἀὴρ ψυχή ἐστι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ζώων καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν. καὶ εἴ τις ἐν κόσμῳ ἐστίν, εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῆς ὕλης ἐστὶ καὶ σκότος ἐστί, καὶ αὐτὸ σκοτωθῆναι δεῖ.

### English translation (Claude)

I will tell you this too, how the soul is transferred into five bodies. First a little of it is purified; then it is transferred into the body of a dog or a camel or another animal. If the soul has committed murder, it is carried into the bodies of lepers; if it is found to have reaped, into stammerers. These are the names of the soul: mind, thought, prudence, reflection, reasoning. Reapers who reap are like the rulers who were from the beginning in the darkness, when they ate of the armour of the First Man; therefore they must be transferred into grass or beans or barley or ears of grain or vegetables, so that they may be reaped and cut. And again, if anyone eats bread, he too must be eaten, having become bread. If anyone kills a bird, he will be a bird; if anyone kills a mouse, he too will be a mouse. Again, if anyone is rich in this world, when he goes out of his tent he must be transferred into the body of a poor man, so as to go about begging, and after this go away into eternal punishment. And since this body belongs to the rulers and to matter, one who plants a persea tree must pass through many bodies until that persea is cut down. If anyone builds himself a house, he will be torn apart into all the bodies. If anyone bathes, he congeals his own soul in the water. And if anyone does not give alms to his elect, he will be punished in the hells and be re-embodied in the bodies of catechumens until he has given many alms; and for this reason they offer to the elect whatever is finest among foods. And when they are about to eat bread, they pray first, speaking thus to the bread: “I did not reap you, nor grind you, nor press you, nor put you into the oven; another did these things and brought you to me; I have eaten without guilt.” And when he has said this to himself, he says to the catechumen, “I have prayed for you,” and so that one departs. For, as I told you a little before, if anyone reaps he will be reaped; so if he puts grain into the mill he too will be put in, or if he kneads he will be kneaded, or if he bakes bread he will be baked; and for this reason they are forbidden to do work. And again there are certain worlds, when the luminaries set from this world, from which they rise. And if anyone walks on the ground, he harms the earth; and one who moves his hand harms the air, since the air is the soul of men and animals and birds and fishes and creeping things. And if anyone is in the world, I told you that this body is not God’s but belongs to matter and is darkness, and it must be darkened.

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.28 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 10 (Greek in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.28). Manichaean doctrine reported as Turbo states it. “Alms” renders εὐσέβεια, the Manichaean term for gifts of food to the elect. The digital text is damaged in places; translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 10 (Beeson, 15–17; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-10).

## Acts of Archelaus 11

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-11
- Source: Beeson, 18–19
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s teaching on paradise, the prophets, the elect’s anointing, and Sabaoth.

### Greek text

(XXIX). περὶ δὲ τοῦ παραδείσου ὃς καλεῖται κόσμος. ἔστι δὲ τὰ φυτὰ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐπιθυμίαι καὶ ἄλλαι ἀπάται διαφθείρουσαι τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκείνων. τὸ δὲ ἐν παραδείσῳ φυτὸν ἐξ οὗ γνωρίζουσι τὸ καλόν, αὐτός ἐστι ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἡ γνῶσις αὐτοῦ, ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. ὁ δὲ λαμβάνων διακρίνει τὸ καλὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρόν. ὁ μέντοι κόσμος οὐδʼ οὐτός ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἀπὸ μέρους τῆς ὕλης ἐπλάσθη, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἀφανίζεται. ὃ δὲ ἐσύλησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου αὐτό ἐστι τὸ γεμίζον τὴν σελήνην, τὸ καθαριζόμενον καθημερινὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου· καὶ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἡ ψυχὴ μὴ γνοῦσα τὴν ἀλήθειαν, παραδίδοται τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ὅπως δαμάσωσιν αὐτὴν ἐν ταῖς γεένναις τοῦ πυρός, καὶ μετὰ τὴν παίδευσιν μεταγγίζεται εἰς σώματα, ἵνα δαμασθῇ, καὶ οὕτω βάλλεται εἰς τὸ μέγα πῦρ ἄχρι τῆς συντελείας. (ΧΧΧ.) περὶ δὲ τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν προφητῶν οὕτως λέγει· πνεῦμα εἶναι ἀσεβείας ἤτοι ἀνομίας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἀνελθόντος. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πλανηθέντες οὐκ ἐλάλησαν, ἐτύφλωσεν γὰρ αὐτῶν ὁ ἄρχων τὴν διάνοιαν· καὶ εἴ τις ἀκολουθεῖ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν, ἀποθνήσκει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, δεδεμένος εἰς τὸν βῶλον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔμαθε τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ παρακλήτου. ἐνετείλατο δὲ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ μόνοις, οὐ πλέον ἑπτὰ οὖσι τὸν ἀριθμόν· ἐὰν παύσησθε ἐσθίοντες, εὔχεσθε καὶ βάλλετε ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔλαιον ἐξωρκισμένον ὀνόμασι πολλοῖς, πρὸς στηριγμὸν τῆς πίστεως ταύτης· τὰ δὲ ὀνόματά μοι οὐχ ἐφανερώθη μόνοι γὰρ οἱ ἑπτὰ τούτοις χρῶνται. καὶ πάλιν τὸ παρʼ ὑμῖν τίμιον καὶ μέγα ὄνομα Σαβαὼθ αὐτὸ εἶναι τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πατέρα τῆς ἐπιθυμίας· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἁπλάριοι προσκυνοῦσι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, θεὸν αὐτὴν ἡγούμενοι.

### English translation (Claude)

And about paradise, which is called the world: the plants in it are desires and other deceits that corrupt the reasonings of those men. And the plant in paradise from which they know the good is Jesus himself, the knowledge of him in the world; whoever takes it discerns good and evil. The world itself, however, is not God’s either, but was fashioned from a part of matter, and for this reason all things vanish. And what the rulers plundered from the First Man is what fills the moon, what is purified daily from the world. And if the soul goes out without knowing the truth, it is handed over to the demons, to tame it in the hells of fire, and after the discipline it is transferred into bodies to be tamed, and so is thrown into the great fire until the consummation. And of the prophets among you he says this: that they are a spirit of impiety, or lawlessness, of the darkness that came up from the beginning; and therefore, being led astray, they did not speak truly; for the ruler blinded their minds. And if anyone follows their words, he will die for ever, bound in the clod, because he did not learn the knowledge of the Paraclete. And he commanded his elect only, who are no more than seven in number: “When you stop eating, pray and put on your head oil exorcized with many names, for the support of this faith.” But the names were not revealed to me; for only the seven use them. And again, the name Sabaoth, honoured and great among you, he says is the nature of man and the father of desire; and for this reason simple people worship desire, thinking it a god.

### Scripture references

- Gen 2:9: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Cor 4:4: allusion, low confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.29–30 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 11 (Greek in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.29–30). Manichaean doctrine reported as Turbo states it; Mani rejects the Hebrew prophets. The digital text is damaged in places; translated by sense.
- The Greek says paradise “is called the world”; the Latin (and ANF) reads that it is not called the world.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 11 (Beeson, 18–19; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-11).

## Acts of Archelaus 12

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-12
- Source: Beeson, 19–21
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s teaching that Adam and Eve were made by evil rulers and that the God of Moses is the ruler of darkness.

### Greek text

Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πῶς ἐκτίσθη, λέγει οὕτως· ὅτι ὀ εἰπών, δεῦτε, καὶ ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατʼ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν, ἢ καθʼ ἣν εἴδομεν μορφήν, ἄρχων ἐστίν, ὁ εἰπὼν τοῖς ἑτέροις ἄρχουσιν ὅτι, δεῦτε, δότε μοι ἐκ τοῦ φωτὸς οὗ ἐλάβομεν, καὶ ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὴν ἡμῶν, τῶν ἀρχόντων, μορφήν, καθʼ ἣν εἴδομεν, ὅ ἐστι πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος· καὶ οὕτως ἔκτισε τὸν ἄνθρωπον. τὴν δὲ Εὕαν ὁμοίως ἔκτισαν, δόντες αὐτῇ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸ ἐξαπατῆσαι τὸν Ἀδάμ, καὶ διὰ τούτων γέγονεν ἡ πλάσις τοῦ κόσμου ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἄρχοντος δημιουργίας. (XXXI.) τὸν δὲ θεὸν μὴ ἔχειν μέρος μετʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κόσμου μηδὲ χαίρειν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς σεσυλῆσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ γενέσθαι αὐτῷ θλίψιν. τούτου χάριν πέμπει καὶ συλᾷ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καθʼ ἡμέραν διὰ τῶν φωστήρων τούτων, ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης, ὑφʼ ὧν ὅλος ὁ κόσμος καὶ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἁρπάζεται. τὸν δὲ λαλήσαντα μετὰ Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν ἱερέων τὸν ἄρχοντα λέγει εἶναι τοῦ σκότους, ὥστε ἕν εἰσι καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οἵ τε Χριστιανοὶ καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοί, τὸν αὐτὸν θεὸν σέβοντες· ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ ἐξαπατᾷ αὐτούς, οὐκ ὢν ἀληθείας θεός. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν ὅσοι ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνον ἐλπίζουσι τὸν θεὸν τὸν μετὰ Μωῦσέως λαλήσαντα καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἔχουσι δεθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν τῆς ἀληθείας· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν ἐλάλησε μετʼ αὐτῶν.

### English translation (Claude)

About Adam, how he was created, he says this: that the one who said, “Come, let us make man after our image and likeness,” or “after the form we saw,” is a ruler, who said to the other rulers, “Come, give me of the light we took, and let us make man after our form, that of the rulers, after the form we saw,” which is the First Man; and so he created man. And they created Eve likewise, giving her of their desire, to deceive Adam; and through these things the moulding of the world came about from the ruler’s workmanship. And God has no part with the world itself and does not rejoice in it, because from the beginning it was plundered by the rulers and affliction came upon him. For this reason he sends and plunders from them his soul every day through these luminaries, the sun and moon, by which the whole world and all creation are snatched away. And he says that the one who spoke with Moses and the Jews and the priests is the ruler of darkness, so that Christians and Jews and gentiles are one and the same, worshipping the same god; for he deceives them in his desires, not being the God of truth. Therefore all who hope in that god who spoke with Moses and the prophets must be bound with him, because they did not hope in the God of truth; for that one spoke with them according to their desires.

### Scripture references

- Gen 1:26: quotation, high confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.30–31 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 12 (Greek in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.30–31), interpreting Gen 1:26. Manichaean doctrine reported as Turbo states it.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 12 (Beeson, 19–21; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-12).

## Acts of Archelaus 13

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-13
- Source: Beeson, 21–22
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Mani’s teaching on the end of the world and the mission of his three disciples.

### Greek text

Μετὰ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα ἐπὶ τέλει λέγει καθὼς αὐτὸς ἔγραψεν ὁ πρεσβύτης· ὅταν προφάνῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰκόνα, τότε ὁ Ὠμοφόρος ἀφίησιν ἔξω τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὕτως ἀπολύεται τὸ μέγα πῦρ καὶ ὅλον ἀναλίσκει τὸν κόσμον· εἶτα πάλιν ἀφίησι τὸν βῶλον μετὰ τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος, ὅπως πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν δεθῶσιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. τότε δὲ ταῦτα γενήσεται, ὅταν ὁ ἀνδριὰς ἔλθῃ. αἱ δὲ προβολαὶ πᾶσαι, ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἐν τῷ μικρῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ οἱ δώδεκα κυβερνῆται, καὶ ἡ παρθένος τοῦ φωτός, καὶ ὁ πρεσβύτης ὁ τρίτος ὁ ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ πλοίῳ, καὶ τὸ ζῶν πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τοῦ μεγάλου πυρός, καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τοῦ ἀνέμου καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ τοῦ ἔσωθεν πυρὸς τοῦ ζῶντος πρὸς τὸν μικρὸν φωστῆρα οἰκοῦσιν, ἄχρις ἂν τὸ πῦρ καταναλώσῃ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον· ἐν ποσοῖς ποτε ἔτεσιν, ὧν οὐκ ἔμαθον τὴν ποσότητα. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποκατάστασις ἔσται τῶν δύο φύσεων καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες οἰκήσουσι τὰ κατώτερα μέρη ἑαυτῶν, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ τὰ ἀνώτερα, τὸ ἴδιον ἀπολαβών. ταύτην δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν διδασκαλίαν παρέδωκε τοῖς τρισὶν αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς, κελεύσας ἕκαστον εἰς κλίματα ὁδεύειν· καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀδδᾶς τὰ τῆς ἀνατολῆς μέρη ἔλαχεν, ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς τὴν Σύρων γῆν κεκλήρωται, Ἑρμείας δὲ ἄλλος τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον πορείαν ἐποιήσατο· καὶ μέχρι σήμερον ἐκεῖσε διατρίβουσι, τὴν τοῦ δόγματος ὑπόθεσιν στῆσαι θέλοντες.

### English translation (Claude)

After all this, at the end he says, as he himself wrote: when the elder shows forth his image, then the Omophorus lets the earth go, and so the great fire is released and consumes the whole world; then again he lets go the clod with the new age, so that all the souls of sinners may be bound for ever. And these things will happen when the Statue comes. And all the emanations, Jesus who is in the small ship, and the Mother of Life, and the twelve helmsmen, and the Virgin of Light, and the third elder who is in the great ship, and the Living Spirit, and the wall of the great fire, and the wall of wind and air and water and of the inner living fire, dwell at the lesser luminary, until the fire consumes the whole world, in some number of years, the amount of which I did not learn. And after this there will be a restoration of the two natures, and the rulers will dwell in their own lower parts, and the Father in the upper, having received back his own. All this teaching he handed down to his three disciples, ordering each to travel to a region; and Addas received the parts of the east, Thomas was allotted the land of the Syrians, and Hermeias, another, made the journey to Egypt; and to this day they stay there, wishing to establish the system of the doctrine.

### Extrabiblical texts

- Epiphanius, Pan. 66.31 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64): echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus 13 (Greek in Epiphanius, Panarion 66.31). Manichaean doctrine reported as Turbo states it. Several technical terms of Manichaean myth (Omophorus, Statue, helmsmen, elder) are kept. The digital text is damaged in places; translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Acta Archel. 13 (Beeson, 21–22; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hegemonius-acta-archelai/5/#p-13).