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Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi

University Of Religions And Denominations, Manichaean Studies, Faculty Member

University Of Religions And Denominations, Religious studies, Faculty Member

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Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi earned his PhD at the Freie Universität Berlin, and now teach at the University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran. He studies on Manichaeism, esp. on the Manichaean Middle Iranian texts discovered in Turfan, China.
Phone: +98 912 703 68 91 ([email protected])

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Books by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi

[In Persian] Cover of the book Manichaean Angels, M. Shokri-Foumeshi, URD Press 2024.

[Contents & Preface] Manichaean Angels: A Study on Angelology and Related Concepts in Manichaeism, URD Press, 2024.

[COVER, Trnsl into Persian with Iraj Jamshidi] M. Tardieu, Manichaeism, Qom, URD Press 2022.

[Ed. in Persian] Hans Jonas, THE GNOSTIC RELIGION. The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity, 3rd Ed., Beacon Press 2001. Translated into Persian by Mashaallah Kouchaki Meybodi and Hamid Hashemi Kohandani, ed. by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Qom, URD Press 2019.

[In Persian] Cover of the BIBLIOGRAPHIA MANICHAICA SELECTA. Selected Works for Manichaean Studies 2018.

[In Persian] BIBLIOGRAPHIA MANICHAICA SELECTA. Selected Works for Manichaean Studies, ed. by Akram Dejhoost-Gank, Tehran, Tahuri Publishers, 2018.

Tehran, Tahuri, 2018

Contents Preface Abbreviations PART ONE: NON-MANICHAEAN SOURCES Chapter One. Syriac, Greek ... more Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
PART ONE: NON-MANICHAEAN SOURCES
Chapter One. Syriac, Greek and Latin
Chapter Two. Zoroastrian Middle Persian (Pahlavi)
Chapter Three. Arabic and New (Classical) Persian
Chapter Four. Gnostic Studies
PART TWO: MANICHAEAN SOURCES
Chapter One. General Studies
Chapter Two. Paper Collections
2-1. Conferences
2-2. Symposiums
2-3. Festschrifts
2-4. Other Collections
Chapter Three. Texts
3-1. Non-Iranian
3-1-1. Syriac
3-1-2. Greek
3-1-3. Coptic
3-1-4. Old Turkish
3-1-5. Chinese
3-2. Iranian
3-2-1. Turfan-Texts
3-2-1-1. Editing Various Manuscript Fragments in One Work
3-2-1-2. Mani’s Works and Related Documents
3-2-1-2-1. The Book of Giants and Book of Enoch
3-2-1-2-2. Šābuhragān
3-2-1-2-3. Mani’s Gospel, Hymns of Gospel, Synaxeis
3-2-1-2-4. Ārdahang
3-2-1-3. Other Texts
3-2-1-3-1. Mahrnāmag
3-2-1-3-2. Angad Rōšnān and Huyadagmān
3-2-1-3-3. Crucifixion Hymns
3-2-1-3-4. Cantillated Texts
3-2-1-3-5. Old Glossaries
3-2-1-3-6. Cosmological and Eschatological Texts, Heaven, Hell, Mourning for the Dead
3-2-1-3-7. Sermon of the Soul
3-2-1-3-8. Tales and Parables
3-2-1-3-9. Missionaries and Conversion
3-2-1-3-10. New Classical Persian Texts
3-2-2. Shiraz-Fragment
Chapter Four. Historical, Religious and Mythical Characters
4-1. Historical Persons
4-1-1. Mani
4-1-2. Adda
4-1-3. Sisin and Šād-Ohrmezd
4-2. Religious and Mythical Characters
4-2-1. Divinities
4-2-1-1. Gods and Goddesses in General
4-2-1-2. The Father of Greatness
4-2-1-3. The First Man
4-2-1-4. The Living Spirit
4-2-1-5. The Friend of the Lights
4-2-1-6. The Third Messenger
4-2-1-7. The Maiden of Light and Daenā
4-2-1-8. Manohmed rōšn
4-2-1-9. The Living Self
4-2-2. Angles
4-2-2-1. The Twin
4-2-2-2. Angles and Magic Texts
4-2-3. Trinity: The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost
4-2-4. Mythical Character of Eva
Chapter Five. Influences
5-1. Buddha and Buddhist Influences
5-2. Zoroaster and Zoroastrian Influences
5-3. Christ and Christian Influences
Chapter Six. Some Other Monographs
6-1. Student Works and Dissertations
6-1-1. MA
6-1-2. PhD
6-2. Books, Papers and Websites
6-2-1. History of Studies
6-2-2. Historical Backgrounds and Situations
6-2-3. Catalogues
6-2-4. Etymology, Studies on Words and Dictionaries
6-2-4-1. Development of Words, Termini Technici and Concepts
6-2-4-2. Modern Dictionaries
6-2-5. Script and Calligraphy
6-2-6. Art (Architecture, Illustrations and Other Arts)
6-2-7. Facsimile and Photo Editions
6-2-8. Bibliographies

Appendix: Mandaic Studies
Indices
A. Persian
A-1. General
A-2. Papers
A-3. Books
A-4. Student Works and Dissertations
A-5-1. MA
A-5-2. PhD
A-6. Authors, Editors, Translators
A-7. Places
B. Non-Persian
B-1. Persons
B-2. Papers
B-3. Books
B-4. Signatures

[Trnsl. into Persian] P. Masson-Oursel; Louise Morin, INDIAN MYTHOLOGY, in: New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, F. Guirand et al., with an Introduction by R. Graves, Yugoslavia, 1987, pp. 324-379 (trnsl. into Persian by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and Akram Dejhoost-Dank, Qom, URD Press 2018).

Indian mythology is an inextricable jungle of luxuriant growths. When you enter it you lose the l... more Indian mythology is an inextricable jungle of luxuriant growths. When you enter it you lose the light of day and all clear sense of direction. In a brief exposition one cannot aviod over-simplification. But at least one can point out how, in the most favourable circumstances, paths may be traced leading to a methodical exploration of this vast domain.
At every period the area including the two river basins - Indus and Ganges - and the plateau of the Deccan, contained a mixture of races devoid of unity but including every stage of civilisation, from the very primitive to the highly evolved. The Aryan invaders from the northwest settled at first in the Punjab (upper valley of the Indus and its tributaries) between 3000 and 1500 B.C., and must even then have come into contact with dark-skinned Dravidians of a rather advanced culture which may have been related to that of the Chaldeans (if we may judge from the excavations at Harappa), and with much 'wilder' tribes speaking Munda idioms, whose affinities were with the Negroids of Indo-China and Australia. A great peculiarity of India is that everything endures while everything changes, so that even today these three elements exist side by side, at once distinct and yet intermingled in an infinite number of amalgams, which moreover contain a certain number of Mongolian elements.
Thus, at the - theoretical - starting point of Indian mythology one must insist on the different factors, Munda, Dravidian and Aryan. But the first two have left no direct traces in very early times: they only appear through the medium of Brahmanic literature - the literature of the Aryans of India. The protohistoric expression of this literature exists in the Vedas and nowadays they are more and more recognised as possessing an 'Indian' and not merely 'Aryan' character. Moreover, the mixture of Aryan and non-Aryan myths which for a long time out of sheer prejudice was rated as 'late' and called 'Hinduism' dates from the earliest ages of 'Indianity', which includes the period of the Vedas.

کتابی که پیش رو دارید بخشی از دانشنامة مشهور اساطیر لاروس است؛ دانشنامه‌ای به‌روزشده که جنبه‌های گوناگون اساطیر ملل مختلف جهان، از ابتدایی تا پیشرفته، در آن بازتاب یافته است. زمانی، بخش‌های گوناگون این دانشنامة سترگ، به پیشنهاد زنده‌یاد مهرداد بهار، به چند مترجم سپرده شد تا با ترجمة آن‌ها به پارسی، فارسی‌زبان نیز بتوانند از این مجموعة عظیم بهره ببرند. اساطیر بین‌النهرین و اساطیر یونان و اساطیر مصر را ابوالقاسم اسماعیل‌پور و اساطیر روم و سِلت را محمد شکری فومشی ترجمه کرده‌اند و اکنون، شناخت‌نامة اسطوره‌های هندی در اختیار علاقه‌مندان قرار می‌گیرد.
نویسندگان این اثر، همانند سایر نویسندگان مجموعه، محتوا را کاملاً هدفمند برگزیده‌اند و به‌ طور نظام‌مند به تألیف آن همّت گماشته‌اند. ایشان کوشیده‌اند در این کتابِ نسبتاً کوچک از اسطوره‌های مهم هندی شرحی زیبا و توصیفی عالمانه به دست دهند. بیشتر این اسطوره‌ها هنوز زنده‌اند و در زندگیِ روزمرة هندی‌ها نقش ایفا می‌کنند؛ چنان که گویی اهمیتشان در اندیشة مؤمنان آن هرگز کم‌رنگ نخواهد شد.
هدف این کتاب چنان نیست که ژرف‌نگری آن فقط به کار متخصصان آید. کتاب به نحوی به رشتة تحریر درآمده که همگان بتوانند به درک درستی از اساطیر هند دست یازند. ازین‌رو، برای مترجمان جای بسی خوش‌وقتی است که با ترجمة آن به قند پارسی این «کتاب علمی برای همه» را در اختیار فارسی زبانان قرار می‌دهند.
اما این مقدمة کوتاه را بدون قدردانی ویژه از دکتر محمد روحانی و آنگاه دکتر مهدی لکزایی، هر دو عضو هیئت علمی دانشگاه ادیان و مذاهب، نباید به پایان ببریم که نه تنها در ضبط صحیحِ اعلام و اسامی خاص، که با مطالعة سراسر کتاب و یادداشت‌های عالمانة فراوان یاور بزرگ مترجمان بودند. کوشش‌های عالمانة آنان چنان تأثیری در کل اثر داشت که چنانچه اثر حاضر پیش‌تر منتشر می‌شد، چنان پیراسته از سهویات نبود که شایستة مخاطبان فرهیخته است. امیدواریم خوانندگان فاضل از رویکرد مترجمان در نوع ضبط شمار بسیار اندکی از اعلام مهربانانه درگذرند که مجبور شدند به دلیل شهرت آن اسامی از ضبط واقعیِ آنها صرف‌نظر کنند و صورت‌های مرسوم و جاافتاده را بپذیرند.
از این‌که می‌بینیم از این پس علاقه‌مندان به ادیان شرق و دانش‌پژوهان و دانشجویان هندشناسی می‌توانند از خواندن کتابی کوچک و خوب بهره ببرند خرسندیم.

[Ed. in Persian] MYTH OF FOUNDATIONS. FESTSCHRIFT FOR A. ESMAILPOUR, ed. by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, with cooperation of S. Nouruzi and M. Mohammadi, Tehran, Cheshme Books, 2017, 422 pp.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Meysam Mohammadi, and Samiranik Norouzi

[Trnsl. into Persian] P. O. SKJÆRVØ, Iranian Elements in Manicheism. A Comparative Contrastive Approach. Irano-Manichaica I, Tehran, Tahuri Books, 2017. (NEW EDITION)

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and P. Oktor Skjaervo

[In Persian] A Manual of Turfan Manichaean Manuscript Fragments: A Methodology for Edition and Reconstruction, Tehran: Miras-e Maktoob, 2017.

Manichaeism and Middle Iranian languages including Middle Persian, Parthian, and Sogdian have lon... more Manichaeism and Middle Iranian languages including Middle Persian, Parthian, and Sogdian have long been taught in various universities around the world. Manicheans availed themselves of these languages – along with non-Iranian languages including Coptic, Greek, and Chinese – to create their religious and non-religious texts. Just as the study of such texts must form an essential part of research on Middle Iranian literature and the historical development of the Persian language, the study of authentic and original Manichaean sources are, undoubtedly, essential for a new and deeper understanding of the religion that Mani founded in the 3rd century AD during the Sassanid king Shapur I’s reign.
As many of Manichaean texts in the Manichaean script which are already published mostly need re-edition, and as many of Turfan Manichaean manuscript fragments are yet to be published, I decided to prepare a brief manual for the students, researchers, and those interested in the Manichaean literature and manuscripts. The manual is intended as an introduction to Manichaean texts to enable the reader to read and reconstruct such original texts independently. The manual is mainly intended as an introduction to the methods, fundamentals and principles of reading and reconstructing the Iranian texts which are written in Manichaean script found in Turfan.
The Manichaean fragments included in the manual are all written in Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and Manichaean New/Classical Persian, though other fragments in Old Turkish/ Uigurish, a page from a Bactrian manuscript, and two small fragments in Kuchean have also been available. The latter texts, however, were not included in the manual because the Bactrian fragment was not suitable for teaching, and Turkish and Kuchean do not belong to the Iranian languages.
As far as I know, this brief manual is the first of its kind in Persian or Western languages, but as I have taught the main topics of the manual in different academic centers repeatedly, the experience proved that it should not be limited just to the methodology of edition and reconstruction. Accordingly, there is also discussion of the New Persian manuscript fragments and scribal traditions which were current until early Islamic period in Manichaean secretariats. The Islamic manuscript and scribal traditions have, undoubtedly, been influenced by the Manichaean scribal traditions. Therefore, familiarity with Manichaean tradition will certainly help to solve some of the problems encountered in manuscript tradition in the Islamic Period.
I have adopted a step-by-step method of explicating the basic points in a concise and accessible manner while avoiding unnecessary details. As the correct understanding of the issues discussed here is, I believe, only possible through the examination of authentic and original pieces of texts, and not through computerized versions, I have as far as possible reproduced illustrations of the Manichaean fragments under study. The illustrations signed MIK III belong to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Berlin) taken from Zsuzanna Gulácsi, Manichaean Art in Berlin Collections, Tornhout, Brepols, 2011. Here I would like to thank the Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Orientabteilung, for the publication permission of all the photos having M-signatures preserved in the above-mentioned center.
I hope this brief manual, which is the first of its kind in Persian or other languages on Turfan Manichaean manuscript fragments, will be a step forward, however small, in Manichaean researches.

[Ed. in Persian] B. GHARIB, Old and Middle Iranian Studies. Selected Papers II, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Tahuri Publishers, 2007.

[Ed. in Persian] B. GHARIB, Sogdian Studies. Selected Papers I, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Tahuri Publishers, 2007.

[Ed. in Persian] RANJ O GANJ. Papers in Honour of Professor Z. ZARSHENAS, ed. by V. Naddaf, F. Goshtasb, M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2013.

[Trnsl. into Persian] F. Guirand ; A. Pier and P. Corcoran, Roman and Celtic Mythology, trnsl. into Persian, Tehran: Karavan Publishers, 2006, Third Edition, Tehran, Ghatreh Publishers, 2010.

[In Persian] Shapur I, Third Edition, Tehran, Madreseh Publishers, 2002.

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 3

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 2- parts 1 and 2

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 1

Cover, MANI’S LIVING GOSPEL AND THE EWANGELYŌNĪG HYMNS. Edition, Reconstruction and Commentary with a Codicological and Textological Approach Based on Manichaean Turfan Fragments in the Berlin Collection, Institut für Iranistik, Freie Universität Berlin 2014 [Publ. Qom: URD, 2015].

This doctoral thesis with the title “Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns: Edition, Re... more This doctoral thesis with the title “Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns: Edition, Reconstruction and Commentary with a Codicological and Textological Approach Based on Manichaean Turfan Fragments in the Berlin Collection” deals with the fragments of Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns (The hymns of the Gospel) discovered in the Turfan Oasis in the early 20th century, preserved in the Berlin Turfan Collection. 25 fragments have been studied in this work. Some of these fragments have already been published by other scholars, but only the work presented here aims at finalizing the work begun by others, as I was able to identify new fragments and with their help, was able to complete the fragments available. The combination of the new fragment M5439 with the previously published M17, the former
completing the latter, proved to be one of the most important examples for my research on the Middle Persian version of Mani’s Gospel. I was able to reconstruct and conclusively join two of the already published fragments of the Ewangelyōnīg hymns with the help of two new fragments. I have also attempted in the scope of this work, to present an identification of several other fragments that were probably part of Mani’s Gospel. To accomplish this, I have analyzed all the Gnostic-Christian and Iranian sources in depth, and contrasted
them with the Manichaean documents, both Iranian and non-Iranian. Thus I was able to present new suggestions and was likewise able to prove or disprove prior assumptions made by others about Mani’s Gospel. To ensure a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns, I have added a few
explanatory chapters and paragraphs to this dissertation that mainly deal with the inner and outer structure of the Gospel and serve, as I hope, in establishing a comprehensive relation between the Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns. Further research on the Manichaean sources, e.g. the Greek version of the Gospel and the Coptic Synaxeis on the one hand, and the Greek anti-Manichaean sources and accounts by Muslim writers on the other hand, served to deepen our understanding of the content of the Gospel greatly. By incorporating a study of these sources into this dissertation, I was able to close some of those gaps that impeded our understanding of the Gospel. Some important questions pertaining to the alphabetic structure of the chapters of the Gospel and the abecedarian order of the Parthian (Ewangelyōnīg) hymns, I was able to answer in
this work. For some hapax legomena I was able to present a reasonable etymology in this dissertation. This doctoral thesis was not only designed to enlarge our understanding of the Turfan texts by presenting the new texts and reconstructions, moreover the new proposed codicological and textological
approaches applied to the texts may serve to facilitate or at least simplify further research in this field.

Papers by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi

Religious Classes of the Druze as Manifestations of the Two Manichean Classes طبقات دینی دروزیان، نمودی از طبقات دوگانه مانوی

by abbas masiha and Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi

دروزیان یکی از شاخه‌های منشعب از اسماعیلیه فاطمی در اوایل قرن پنجم هجری هستند. برخی آموزه‌های اعت... more دروزیان یکی از شاخه‌های منشعب از اسماعیلیه فاطمی در اوایل قرن پنجم هجری هستند. برخی آموزه‌های اعتقادی این گرایش اسماعیلی ضمن متفاوت‌بودن با اندیشه‌های اسلامی و شیعی، شباهت معناداری با آموزه‌های دین مانوی دارد؛ چنان‌که به نظر می‌رسد آموزه‌های کلامی آنها از باورهای این کیش ایرانی متأثر بوده است. تحقیقات نشان می‌دهد تقسیم جامعۀ دروزی به دو طبقه جهال و عقال و جامعه مانوی با طبقات دوگانۀ نیوشایان و برگزیدگان از یک‌سو و شباهت وظایف و خویش‌کاری آنان با یکدیگر از سوی دیگر قابل مقایسه است. بنابراین هدف مقالۀ حاضر در درجۀ اول بررسی وجوه تشابه میان طبقات دو جامعه دروزی و مانوی و آن‌گاه تحقیق در باب عوامل و اسباب زمینه‌ساز تأثیرات احتمالی است. روش بررسی در این مقاله به گونه مطالعه تاریخی ـ تطبیقی است. نتیجۀ نوشتۀ حاضر، مطابق یافته‌های متشابه و قراین تأثیرپذیری، تقویت احتمال وام‌گیری ساختاریِ جامعه دروزیه از نظام طبقات اجتماعی مانویت را گزارش می‌دهد
The Druze is a branch of Fatimid Ismailism that emerged in the early fifth century AH. While certain beliefs of this Ismaili sect differ from Islamic and Shiite doctrines, they bear a significant resemblance to Manichean beliefs, suggesting possible influence from this Iranian religion. Research indicates that the division of the Druze community into the ignorant and the wise is reminiscent of the Manichean division of society into catechumens (hearers or auditors) and the elect, and their duties (khīshkārī) also exhibit similarities. This article primarily explores the similarities between the two classes of the Druze and Manichean communities, and then delves into the factors that may have contributed to these influences. The research method used in this article is historical-comparative. In conclusion, based on the comparable findings and evidence of influence, it is likely that the Druze community borrowed its social structure from the Manichean system of social classes..

[In Persian] Cover of the book Manichaean Angels, M. Shokri-Foumeshi, URD Press 2024.

[Contents & Preface] Manichaean Angels: A Study on Angelology and Related Concepts in Manichaeism, URD Press, 2024.

[COVER, Trnsl into Persian with Iraj Jamshidi] M. Tardieu, Manichaeism, Qom, URD Press 2022.

[Ed. in Persian] Hans Jonas, THE GNOSTIC RELIGION. The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity, 3rd Ed., Beacon Press 2001. Translated into Persian by Mashaallah Kouchaki Meybodi and Hamid Hashemi Kohandani, ed. by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Qom, URD Press 2019.

[In Persian] Cover of the BIBLIOGRAPHIA MANICHAICA SELECTA. Selected Works for Manichaean Studies 2018.

[In Persian] BIBLIOGRAPHIA MANICHAICA SELECTA. Selected Works for Manichaean Studies, ed. by Akram Dejhoost-Gank, Tehran, Tahuri Publishers, 2018.

Tehran, Tahuri, 2018

Contents Preface Abbreviations PART ONE: NON-MANICHAEAN SOURCES Chapter One. Syriac, Greek ... more Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
PART ONE: NON-MANICHAEAN SOURCES
Chapter One. Syriac, Greek and Latin
Chapter Two. Zoroastrian Middle Persian (Pahlavi)
Chapter Three. Arabic and New (Classical) Persian
Chapter Four. Gnostic Studies
PART TWO: MANICHAEAN SOURCES
Chapter One. General Studies
Chapter Two. Paper Collections
2-1. Conferences
2-2. Symposiums
2-3. Festschrifts
2-4. Other Collections
Chapter Three. Texts
3-1. Non-Iranian
3-1-1. Syriac
3-1-2. Greek
3-1-3. Coptic
3-1-4. Old Turkish
3-1-5. Chinese
3-2. Iranian
3-2-1. Turfan-Texts
3-2-1-1. Editing Various Manuscript Fragments in One Work
3-2-1-2. Mani’s Works and Related Documents
3-2-1-2-1. The Book of Giants and Book of Enoch
3-2-1-2-2. Šābuhragān
3-2-1-2-3. Mani’s Gospel, Hymns of Gospel, Synaxeis
3-2-1-2-4. Ārdahang
3-2-1-3. Other Texts
3-2-1-3-1. Mahrnāmag
3-2-1-3-2. Angad Rōšnān and Huyadagmān
3-2-1-3-3. Crucifixion Hymns
3-2-1-3-4. Cantillated Texts
3-2-1-3-5. Old Glossaries
3-2-1-3-6. Cosmological and Eschatological Texts, Heaven, Hell, Mourning for the Dead
3-2-1-3-7. Sermon of the Soul
3-2-1-3-8. Tales and Parables
3-2-1-3-9. Missionaries and Conversion
3-2-1-3-10. New Classical Persian Texts
3-2-2. Shiraz-Fragment
Chapter Four. Historical, Religious and Mythical Characters
4-1. Historical Persons
4-1-1. Mani
4-1-2. Adda
4-1-3. Sisin and Šād-Ohrmezd
4-2. Religious and Mythical Characters
4-2-1. Divinities
4-2-1-1. Gods and Goddesses in General
4-2-1-2. The Father of Greatness
4-2-1-3. The First Man
4-2-1-4. The Living Spirit
4-2-1-5. The Friend of the Lights
4-2-1-6. The Third Messenger
4-2-1-7. The Maiden of Light and Daenā
4-2-1-8. Manohmed rōšn
4-2-1-9. The Living Self
4-2-2. Angles
4-2-2-1. The Twin
4-2-2-2. Angles and Magic Texts
4-2-3. Trinity: The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost
4-2-4. Mythical Character of Eva
Chapter Five. Influences
5-1. Buddha and Buddhist Influences
5-2. Zoroaster and Zoroastrian Influences
5-3. Christ and Christian Influences
Chapter Six. Some Other Monographs
6-1. Student Works and Dissertations
6-1-1. MA
6-1-2. PhD
6-2. Books, Papers and Websites
6-2-1. History of Studies
6-2-2. Historical Backgrounds and Situations
6-2-3. Catalogues
6-2-4. Etymology, Studies on Words and Dictionaries
6-2-4-1. Development of Words, Termini Technici and Concepts
6-2-4-2. Modern Dictionaries
6-2-5. Script and Calligraphy
6-2-6. Art (Architecture, Illustrations and Other Arts)
6-2-7. Facsimile and Photo Editions
6-2-8. Bibliographies

Appendix: Mandaic Studies
Indices
A. Persian
A-1. General
A-2. Papers
A-3. Books
A-4. Student Works and Dissertations
A-5-1. MA
A-5-2. PhD
A-6. Authors, Editors, Translators
A-7. Places
B. Non-Persian
B-1. Persons
B-2. Papers
B-3. Books
B-4. Signatures

[Trnsl. into Persian] P. Masson-Oursel; Louise Morin, INDIAN MYTHOLOGY, in: New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, F. Guirand et al., with an Introduction by R. Graves, Yugoslavia, 1987, pp. 324-379 (trnsl. into Persian by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and Akram Dejhoost-Dank, Qom, URD Press 2018).

Indian mythology is an inextricable jungle of luxuriant growths. When you enter it you lose the l... more Indian mythology is an inextricable jungle of luxuriant growths. When you enter it you lose the light of day and all clear sense of direction. In a brief exposition one cannot aviod over-simplification. But at least one can point out how, in the most favourable circumstances, paths may be traced leading to a methodical exploration of this vast domain.
At every period the area including the two river basins - Indus and Ganges - and the plateau of the Deccan, contained a mixture of races devoid of unity but including every stage of civilisation, from the very primitive to the highly evolved. The Aryan invaders from the northwest settled at first in the Punjab (upper valley of the Indus and its tributaries) between 3000 and 1500 B.C., and must even then have come into contact with dark-skinned Dravidians of a rather advanced culture which may have been related to that of the Chaldeans (if we may judge from the excavations at Harappa), and with much 'wilder' tribes speaking Munda idioms, whose affinities were with the Negroids of Indo-China and Australia. A great peculiarity of India is that everything endures while everything changes, so that even today these three elements exist side by side, at once distinct and yet intermingled in an infinite number of amalgams, which moreover contain a certain number of Mongolian elements.
Thus, at the - theoretical - starting point of Indian mythology one must insist on the different factors, Munda, Dravidian and Aryan. But the first two have left no direct traces in very early times: they only appear through the medium of Brahmanic literature - the literature of the Aryans of India. The protohistoric expression of this literature exists in the Vedas and nowadays they are more and more recognised as possessing an 'Indian' and not merely 'Aryan' character. Moreover, the mixture of Aryan and non-Aryan myths which for a long time out of sheer prejudice was rated as 'late' and called 'Hinduism' dates from the earliest ages of 'Indianity', which includes the period of the Vedas.

کتابی که پیش رو دارید بخشی از دانشنامة مشهور اساطیر لاروس است؛ دانشنامه‌ای به‌روزشده که جنبه‌های گوناگون اساطیر ملل مختلف جهان، از ابتدایی تا پیشرفته، در آن بازتاب یافته است. زمانی، بخش‌های گوناگون این دانشنامة سترگ، به پیشنهاد زنده‌یاد مهرداد بهار، به چند مترجم سپرده شد تا با ترجمة آن‌ها به پارسی، فارسی‌زبان نیز بتوانند از این مجموعة عظیم بهره ببرند. اساطیر بین‌النهرین و اساطیر یونان و اساطیر مصر را ابوالقاسم اسماعیل‌پور و اساطیر روم و سِلت را محمد شکری فومشی ترجمه کرده‌اند و اکنون، شناخت‌نامة اسطوره‌های هندی در اختیار علاقه‌مندان قرار می‌گیرد.
نویسندگان این اثر، همانند سایر نویسندگان مجموعه، محتوا را کاملاً هدفمند برگزیده‌اند و به‌ طور نظام‌مند به تألیف آن همّت گماشته‌اند. ایشان کوشیده‌اند در این کتابِ نسبتاً کوچک از اسطوره‌های مهم هندی شرحی زیبا و توصیفی عالمانه به دست دهند. بیشتر این اسطوره‌ها هنوز زنده‌اند و در زندگیِ روزمرة هندی‌ها نقش ایفا می‌کنند؛ چنان که گویی اهمیتشان در اندیشة مؤمنان آن هرگز کم‌رنگ نخواهد شد.
هدف این کتاب چنان نیست که ژرف‌نگری آن فقط به کار متخصصان آید. کتاب به نحوی به رشتة تحریر درآمده که همگان بتوانند به درک درستی از اساطیر هند دست یازند. ازین‌رو، برای مترجمان جای بسی خوش‌وقتی است که با ترجمة آن به قند پارسی این «کتاب علمی برای همه» را در اختیار فارسی زبانان قرار می‌دهند.
اما این مقدمة کوتاه را بدون قدردانی ویژه از دکتر محمد روحانی و آنگاه دکتر مهدی لکزایی، هر دو عضو هیئت علمی دانشگاه ادیان و مذاهب، نباید به پایان ببریم که نه تنها در ضبط صحیحِ اعلام و اسامی خاص، که با مطالعة سراسر کتاب و یادداشت‌های عالمانة فراوان یاور بزرگ مترجمان بودند. کوشش‌های عالمانة آنان چنان تأثیری در کل اثر داشت که چنانچه اثر حاضر پیش‌تر منتشر می‌شد، چنان پیراسته از سهویات نبود که شایستة مخاطبان فرهیخته است. امیدواریم خوانندگان فاضل از رویکرد مترجمان در نوع ضبط شمار بسیار اندکی از اعلام مهربانانه درگذرند که مجبور شدند به دلیل شهرت آن اسامی از ضبط واقعیِ آنها صرف‌نظر کنند و صورت‌های مرسوم و جاافتاده را بپذیرند.
از این‌که می‌بینیم از این پس علاقه‌مندان به ادیان شرق و دانش‌پژوهان و دانشجویان هندشناسی می‌توانند از خواندن کتابی کوچک و خوب بهره ببرند خرسندیم.

[Ed. in Persian] MYTH OF FOUNDATIONS. FESTSCHRIFT FOR A. ESMAILPOUR, ed. by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, with cooperation of S. Nouruzi and M. Mohammadi, Tehran, Cheshme Books, 2017, 422 pp.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Meysam Mohammadi, and Samiranik Norouzi

[Trnsl. into Persian] P. O. SKJÆRVØ, Iranian Elements in Manicheism. A Comparative Contrastive Approach. Irano-Manichaica I, Tehran, Tahuri Books, 2017. (NEW EDITION)

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and P. Oktor Skjaervo

[In Persian] A Manual of Turfan Manichaean Manuscript Fragments: A Methodology for Edition and Reconstruction, Tehran: Miras-e Maktoob, 2017.

Manichaeism and Middle Iranian languages including Middle Persian, Parthian, and Sogdian have lon... more Manichaeism and Middle Iranian languages including Middle Persian, Parthian, and Sogdian have long been taught in various universities around the world. Manicheans availed themselves of these languages – along with non-Iranian languages including Coptic, Greek, and Chinese – to create their religious and non-religious texts. Just as the study of such texts must form an essential part of research on Middle Iranian literature and the historical development of the Persian language, the study of authentic and original Manichaean sources are, undoubtedly, essential for a new and deeper understanding of the religion that Mani founded in the 3rd century AD during the Sassanid king Shapur I’s reign.
As many of Manichaean texts in the Manichaean script which are already published mostly need re-edition, and as many of Turfan Manichaean manuscript fragments are yet to be published, I decided to prepare a brief manual for the students, researchers, and those interested in the Manichaean literature and manuscripts. The manual is intended as an introduction to Manichaean texts to enable the reader to read and reconstruct such original texts independently. The manual is mainly intended as an introduction to the methods, fundamentals and principles of reading and reconstructing the Iranian texts which are written in Manichaean script found in Turfan.
The Manichaean fragments included in the manual are all written in Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and Manichaean New/Classical Persian, though other fragments in Old Turkish/ Uigurish, a page from a Bactrian manuscript, and two small fragments in Kuchean have also been available. The latter texts, however, were not included in the manual because the Bactrian fragment was not suitable for teaching, and Turkish and Kuchean do not belong to the Iranian languages.
As far as I know, this brief manual is the first of its kind in Persian or Western languages, but as I have taught the main topics of the manual in different academic centers repeatedly, the experience proved that it should not be limited just to the methodology of edition and reconstruction. Accordingly, there is also discussion of the New Persian manuscript fragments and scribal traditions which were current until early Islamic period in Manichaean secretariats. The Islamic manuscript and scribal traditions have, undoubtedly, been influenced by the Manichaean scribal traditions. Therefore, familiarity with Manichaean tradition will certainly help to solve some of the problems encountered in manuscript tradition in the Islamic Period.
I have adopted a step-by-step method of explicating the basic points in a concise and accessible manner while avoiding unnecessary details. As the correct understanding of the issues discussed here is, I believe, only possible through the examination of authentic and original pieces of texts, and not through computerized versions, I have as far as possible reproduced illustrations of the Manichaean fragments under study. The illustrations signed MIK III belong to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Berlin) taken from Zsuzanna Gulácsi, Manichaean Art in Berlin Collections, Tornhout, Brepols, 2011. Here I would like to thank the Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Orientabteilung, for the publication permission of all the photos having M-signatures preserved in the above-mentioned center.
I hope this brief manual, which is the first of its kind in Persian or other languages on Turfan Manichaean manuscript fragments, will be a step forward, however small, in Manichaean researches.

[Ed. in Persian] B. GHARIB, Old and Middle Iranian Studies. Selected Papers II, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Tahuri Publishers, 2007.

[Ed. in Persian] B. GHARIB, Sogdian Studies. Selected Papers I, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Tahuri Publishers, 2007.

[Ed. in Persian] RANJ O GANJ. Papers in Honour of Professor Z. ZARSHENAS, ed. by V. Naddaf, F. Goshtasb, M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2013.

[Trnsl. into Persian] F. Guirand ; A. Pier and P. Corcoran, Roman and Celtic Mythology, trnsl. into Persian, Tehran: Karavan Publishers, 2006, Third Edition, Tehran, Ghatreh Publishers, 2010.

[In Persian] Shapur I, Third Edition, Tehran, Madreseh Publishers, 2002.

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 3

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 2- parts 1 and 2

[Ed. in Persian] A. BARZEGAR, History of Tabaristan, ed. by M. Shokri-Foumeshi, Tehran: Rasanesh Publishers, 2001, contents, vol. 1

Cover, MANI’S LIVING GOSPEL AND THE EWANGELYŌNĪG HYMNS. Edition, Reconstruction and Commentary with a Codicological and Textological Approach Based on Manichaean Turfan Fragments in the Berlin Collection, Institut für Iranistik, Freie Universität Berlin 2014 [Publ. Qom: URD, 2015].

This doctoral thesis with the title “Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns: Edition, Re... more This doctoral thesis with the title “Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns: Edition, Reconstruction and Commentary with a Codicological and Textological Approach Based on Manichaean Turfan Fragments in the Berlin Collection” deals with the fragments of Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns (The hymns of the Gospel) discovered in the Turfan Oasis in the early 20th century, preserved in the Berlin Turfan Collection. 25 fragments have been studied in this work. Some of these fragments have already been published by other scholars, but only the work presented here aims at finalizing the work begun by others, as I was able to identify new fragments and with their help, was able to complete the fragments available. The combination of the new fragment M5439 with the previously published M17, the former
completing the latter, proved to be one of the most important examples for my research on the Middle Persian version of Mani’s Gospel. I was able to reconstruct and conclusively join two of the already published fragments of the Ewangelyōnīg hymns with the help of two new fragments. I have also attempted in the scope of this work, to present an identification of several other fragments that were probably part of Mani’s Gospel. To accomplish this, I have analyzed all the Gnostic-Christian and Iranian sources in depth, and contrasted
them with the Manichaean documents, both Iranian and non-Iranian. Thus I was able to present new suggestions and was likewise able to prove or disprove prior assumptions made by others about Mani’s Gospel. To ensure a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns, I have added a few
explanatory chapters and paragraphs to this dissertation that mainly deal with the inner and outer structure of the Gospel and serve, as I hope, in establishing a comprehensive relation between the Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns. Further research on the Manichaean sources, e.g. the Greek version of the Gospel and the Coptic Synaxeis on the one hand, and the Greek anti-Manichaean sources and accounts by Muslim writers on the other hand, served to deepen our understanding of the content of the Gospel greatly. By incorporating a study of these sources into this dissertation, I was able to close some of those gaps that impeded our understanding of the Gospel. Some important questions pertaining to the alphabetic structure of the chapters of the Gospel and the abecedarian order of the Parthian (Ewangelyōnīg) hymns, I was able to answer in
this work. For some hapax legomena I was able to present a reasonable etymology in this dissertation. This doctoral thesis was not only designed to enlarge our understanding of the Turfan texts by presenting the new texts and reconstructions, moreover the new proposed codicological and textological
approaches applied to the texts may serve to facilitate or at least simplify further research in this field.

Religious Classes of the Druze as Manifestations of the Two Manichean Classes طبقات دینی دروزیان، نمودی از طبقات دوگانه مانوی

by abbas masiha and Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi

دروزیان یکی از شاخه‌های منشعب از اسماعیلیه فاطمی در اوایل قرن پنجم هجری هستند. برخی آموزه‌های اعت... more دروزیان یکی از شاخه‌های منشعب از اسماعیلیه فاطمی در اوایل قرن پنجم هجری هستند. برخی آموزه‌های اعتقادی این گرایش اسماعیلی ضمن متفاوت‌بودن با اندیشه‌های اسلامی و شیعی، شباهت معناداری با آموزه‌های دین مانوی دارد؛ چنان‌که به نظر می‌رسد آموزه‌های کلامی آنها از باورهای این کیش ایرانی متأثر بوده است. تحقیقات نشان می‌دهد تقسیم جامعۀ دروزی به دو طبقه جهال و عقال و جامعه مانوی با طبقات دوگانۀ نیوشایان و برگزیدگان از یک‌سو و شباهت وظایف و خویش‌کاری آنان با یکدیگر از سوی دیگر قابل مقایسه است. بنابراین هدف مقالۀ حاضر در درجۀ اول بررسی وجوه تشابه میان طبقات دو جامعه دروزی و مانوی و آن‌گاه تحقیق در باب عوامل و اسباب زمینه‌ساز تأثیرات احتمالی است. روش بررسی در این مقاله به گونه مطالعه تاریخی ـ تطبیقی است. نتیجۀ نوشتۀ حاضر، مطابق یافته‌های متشابه و قراین تأثیرپذیری، تقویت احتمال وام‌گیری ساختاریِ جامعه دروزیه از نظام طبقات اجتماعی مانویت را گزارش می‌دهد
The Druze is a branch of Fatimid Ismailism that emerged in the early fifth century AH. While certain beliefs of this Ismaili sect differ from Islamic and Shiite doctrines, they bear a significant resemblance to Manichean beliefs, suggesting possible influence from this Iranian religion. Research indicates that the division of the Druze community into the ignorant and the wise is reminiscent of the Manichean division of society into catechumens (hearers or auditors) and the elect, and their duties (khīshkārī) also exhibit similarities. This article primarily explores the similarities between the two classes of the Druze and Manichean communities, and then delves into the factors that may have contributed to these influences. The research method used in this article is historical-comparative. In conclusion, based on the comparable findings and evidence of influence, it is likely that the Druze community borrowed its social structure from the Manichean system of social classes..

[In Persian] "Angelical Concepts and Keywords: A Textual Approach to the Meaning and Usage of Some Termini Tecnichi in Manichaean Angelology", in: Language Studies, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies (IHCS) Biannual Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, Spring and Summer 2023, 123-142.

Based on Manichean Middle Iranian texts and with a textological approach, the present article tri... more Based on Manichean Middle Iranian texts and with a textological approach, the present article tries to define the meaning and usage of some termini tecnichi in Manichean angelology, especially the words “angel” (frystg, fryštg) and “apostle, messenger” (frystg, fryštg). The use of a word for two meanings and/ or two concepts in the Manichaica was a result of the redefinition that each of the different Manichaean communities presented of the two concepts “angel” and “apostle, messenger”. The article shows that the Iranian term frys/štg has been redefined and expanded in meaning in Manichaean literature; A redefinition that could create an angel from an apostle/ a messenger and a king from the angel. Here, we also examined the termini tecnichi, God, Son of the God, and showed in what contexts these terms appear and what examples they refer to. Our study shows that all these were used not only for angels and historical characters (like Mani and Manichaean leaders as well as previous apostles), but also included the gods of Manichaean Pantheon such as “Third Messenger”.

[In Persian] "Babylonian Demons and Aramaic Giants in Manichaeism: A Textual Approach to Some Demonic Characters in Liturgical and Magical Middle Iranian Texts", in: Journal of Ancient Culture and Languages, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2023 [2024], pp. 1-19.

The present article deals with identifying the identity and function of the divine Powers and cha... more The present article deals with identifying the identity and function of the divine Powers and characters in Manichaeism, which come from the Babylonian and Aramaic origins, and tries to recognize them in their interaction with pagan and Jewish mythologies. Here, we have also addressed both the demonic concepts and figures, including ʾʾtʾlyʾ, ʿydrʾ, ʾtnbyš, hwbʾbyš, Wzbyš, ʾwhyʾ, and Lwyʾtyn, as well as the groups of Giants, including ʿyrʾn (watchers), Nephilim, and the Fallen angels, to show how Manichaean demonology was depended to the Aramaic traditions, especially to the Book of Enoch and the Jewish Book of Giants. In this study, we will not only rerecognize the Manichaean archangels, namely Rwpʾyl, Myxʾyl, Gbrʾyl, and Srʾyl, but we will also deal with their role with the leadership of the Rex honoris, the second son of the Living Spirit, against the giants who fled to earth based on the Manichaean creation story. The article shows that the reconstruction of Mani's Book of Giants is highly dependent on angelological study.

[In Persian] Reward of Good Deeds and Angels of Gifts at the Gate of Paradise: A Textological Approach to the Angels of the Spirit of the Pious in Manichaeism, Religious Studies 10 (19), 2022, pp. 124-149.

In the present article, based on the original Manichaean documents such as Middle Persian, Parthi... more In the present article, based on the original Manichaean documents such as Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and Coptic writings, as well as a non-Manichaean source i.e. Ibn al-Nadim's al-Fehrest, I will try to identify the reward for the good deeds of a pious human being after death and the angels who come to visit him with a few gifts in order to accompany him to the Light Paradise, along with a beautiful and fragrant virgin who appears to the believer before being judged and is, in fact, the beautiful image and shape of his good thoughts, words, and deeds. This textological study shows that, among the various rewards mentioned in various Manichaean and non-Manichaean sources, three rewards of garment, garland, and diadem are part of the original Manichaean eschatological system and other rewards are either equivalent to these three gifts or subsequent additions. As the present article argues, in Manichaeism not only the concept of the Virgin of Good Deeds is based on the Zoroastrian concept of "Daena", but also the concept of the Manichaean reward-giver angels is rooted in the Indo-Iranian traditions.

[Trnsl. into Persian] M. Macuch, Function of Temporary Marriage ..., Trnsl. with Fatemeh Shokri-Foumeshi & Maryam Ahmadpour, in Haft Asman, vol. 23, no. 81, 2022, pp. 5-28.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and Fatemeh Shokri-Foumeshi

With E. Morano and N. Sims-Williams, “The 'Seven Efficacious Jewels': The Manichaean scriptures in an unpublished Sogdian text”, in: The Reward of the Righteous. Festschrift in Honour of Almut Hintze, ed. by A. Cantera, M. Macuch, and N. Sims-Williams, Wiesbaden, IRANICA 30, 2022, pp. 361-369.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi and Enrico Morano

Mani’s Living Gospel: A New Approach to the Arabic and Classical New Persian Testimonia

In order to reconstruct the contents of the most famous work of Mani, Living Gospel (written orig... more In order to reconstruct the contents of the most famous work of Mani, Living Gospel (written originally in Syriac), we have to use the Arabic and Classical New Persian texts containing accounts and even indirect quotations of this book. One of the most remarkable points in these accounts is that they clearly show that an important part of the Living Gospel contains the Manichaean “Myth of the Creation,” the topic which is usually supposed to have no relation with Mani’s Gospel. The Coptic Manichaean Synaxeis also supports the hypothesis that there were thematically some basic similarities between the Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg hymns. According to the Arabic and Classical New Persian sources, some of the more important subject matters of Mani’s Gospel were the Land of the Light and of the Darkness, the Mixture and process of the liberatio of the Aeons. These are some of the themes in Mani’s Gospel that can also be seen in the Ewangelyōnīg hymns. In this article, some of the p...

I Am Alfa and Omega A Jewish-Christian Schema in the Manichaean Context Based on the Middle Iranian Documents in the Turfan Collection

Religious Inquiries, 2018

This paper will give an in-depth discussion of Jesus' expression " I am Alpha and Omega ... more This paper will give an in-depth discussion of Jesus' expression " I am Alpha and Omega " (Apocalypse of John = Revelation 1.8) and its influence on the Manichaean writings, on the one hand, and the reason for the division of Mani's Living Gospel into twenty-two chapters, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Manichaean alphabet, on the other. The paper has explored all the related Jewish, Christian, and Manichaean texts available and strived to find out more about the reason for, and the origin of, this particular division. The deep connection between the word (or letters) and creation in Manichaean as well as in Jewish and Christian traditions seems to play an important role in this regard. The paper will answer many different, previously unanswered, questions and eventually propose a plausible resolution.).-I would like to thank Prof. Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst for his kind suggestions and constructive advice. I also would like to reserve a special wor...

[In Persian] “Persian Manichaica as a Probable Source for the Shāhnāmeh Studies: An Introduction to the Texts and Revision of the Characters”, CHAMEH 15: Special Issue in Honour of JALAL KHALEGHI MOTLAGH, 2020, pp. 140-153.

[In Chinese] 馬小鶴 [Ma Xiaohe] & 邵符默 [Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi] “xwdʾwn (呼大渾) 及其同源詞綜考” [On xwdʾwn (呼大渾) and its Cognates], in 《敦煌學》[Dunhuang Studies], vol. 36, 2020b, pp. 329-346.

Dunhuang Studies , 2020

Sogdian xwṯyn means “lady, mistress, queen”; Bactrian χοδδηο, Persian xidēv, Sogdian xyδyw, xwtʾw... more Sogdian xwṯyn means “lady, mistress, queen”; Bactrian χοδδηο, Persian xidēv, Sogdian xyδyw, xwtʾw, Parthian xwd’wn, and Middle Persian xwd’wn mean “lord, sovereign, king, god”; they are all cognates in the Iranian languages, have a common etymological origin, similar meanings and sounds. Ottoman Turkish ḫediv, Arabic xidīw, French khedive, and English khedive also have similar meanings (“viceroy”) and sounds, but they are not cognates. They are loanwords derived from Persian. Chinese hudahun 呼大渾 or 乎大渾 is transliteration of Middle Persian xwd’wn and is also some kind of loanword from Middle Persian. The Manicheans during Tang Dynasty (618-907) should know the meaning of this word when they transliterated it. But this word only appears in the Chinese Manichaean manuscripts in Fujian and is not widespread.

[In Chinese] 馬小鶴 [Ma Xiaohe] & 邵符默 [Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi]: "阿訶鄰都思源流考" [ARHANT IN MANICHAEISM], in: 《西域文史》[Literature and History of the Western Regions], vol. 14, 2020a, pp. 183-194.

Literature and History of the Western Regions, 2020

Buddhist Skt. arhant has spread through Manichaean texts in two alternative ways: First, Skt. arh... more Buddhist Skt. arhant has spread through Manichaean texts in two alternative ways: First, Skt. arhant became aurentēs in Coptic texts. Aurentēs is found in Middle Persian ʾhryndws [ahrendus], which is rendered 阿訶隣都思 [Ɂɑ-xɑ-li̭ěn-tuo-si] into Chinese and Ạhrinṭws into Turkish as names for protectors of a doctrine or prophet. Second, in the area under great Buddhist influence, Skt. arhant was transliterated as 羅漢 [lɑ-xɑn], arhant, or rhnd in Chinese, Turkish, and Sogdian Manichaean texts, respectively.

[In Persian] “Mary Magdalene and Women’s Tendency to Manichaeism: Some Mythical and Historical Parameters”, Iran Namag 4 (3-4 Fall/Winter), 2019, pp. 65-74.

[In Persian] “Manichaean Female Auditi and Electi: Some Documents on the Hierarchical Structure, Religious Duties, and Mission”, in: GHALAM-YAARAAN. The Special Issue in Memory of SEYYED HASSAN TAGHIZADEH, Tehran 2019, pp. 61-66.

[In Persian] “An Aesopian Legend in a Parthian Manichaean Fragment from Turfan Collection”, with D. Khazaie and S. Taheri, in: A. Esmailpour (ed.), Shokūh-e Bāstānī-ye Irān, Tehran, 2018, pp. 195-212.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Davood Khazaie, and Sepide Taheri

Most of the Greek stories of Aesop (6-7 B.C.), whose name reminds us of the adages and ethical fa... more Most of the Greek stories of Aesop (6-7 B.C.), whose name reminds us of the adages and ethical fables and is recognized as the father of fable in the West, are about what happens to animals. In fact, the main characters of his fables and parables are animals. In the East some of the Aesopian fables are reflected in the Middle Iranian and Old Turkish versions. One of the Aesopian fables can be found in a Manichaean manuscript fragment found in Turfan (an oasis in Xinjiang, China). In this paper, we will compare a Manichaean Parthian parable with six fables as follows: Greek fable “Father and his sons” attributed to Aesop, Greek story “Father’s Admonition” by Babrios, Greek tale of Scythian “Scilurus and his Seventy Sons” narrated by Plutarch, Greek version of Sphendoplokos cited by Porphyrogennetos, Slavic parable “three wands of the king Svatopluk”, and the fable written in one of the most important Persian sources of the Mongol period, Tārīx-e Jahāngūšāi by Jūweinī. This fable having an international development is one of the most popular fables for Iranians up to now.

[In Persian] “Manichaeism at the Crossroads of Religions and the Religious Conflicts of the Manichaeans with Other Religions in Turfan”, in: Iranian Civilization Book. Second Proceedings of the Faza Scientific and Cultural Instutute, Tehran: Faza, 2018, pp. 479-505.

[Rev. in Persian] “On the Rostrum of the Light Teachings. Review of M. Ghanei & H. Mashayekh's Persian Translation of the Coptic Manichaean Kephalaia I, Translated in German by H. J. Polotsky–A. Böhlig 1934-1966”, in: Jahane Ketab 349-351, 2018, pp. 10-14.

“I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA. A Jewish-Christian Schema in the Manichaean Context Based on the Middle Iranian Documents in the Turfan Collection”, in: Religious Inquiries 13, 2018, pp. 35-54.

In this study, we have seen that the Apocalypse of John, the only book of the New Testament divid... more In this study, we have seen that the Apocalypse of John, the only book of the New Testament divided into twenty-two chapters containing the statement (Rev. 1:13) “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in a book,” and the corresponding passage in the Book of Henoch, speaking of twenty-two letters that created “both the spiritual and the material worlds,” have played a role for Mani, as the expression of Jesus is reflected in a Manichaean document as the ʾʾlyf nxwyn ʾwd tʾ ʿstwmyn “the first aleph and the last tau.” It is very likely that this actually happened, in particular, because both works are apocalyptic (this is of importance to me, because the theme could be compared to the apocalypse of Zarathushtra, of Vištaspa, and of Kerdir in Iran) and strongly related to astronomy. We should also keep in mind that Bardaiṣān (Bardesanes), from whom Mani has immensely borrowed, was an astrologer as well as a theologian. The influence of the sixth book of the Jewish Memar Midrash, which is in fact a midrash of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, was probably well known to Mani. Some Manichaean documents show that the creation of divinities and the spiritual world in Manichaeism as a continuation of the old Jewish and Christian concept (which continued in Islam too) has been accomplished by “voice” and “word.” In fact, the idea of “cosmic potency of the letters and word” is obviously attested in the Turfan Manichaean texts concerning the Manichaean myth of the creation of the world. Here, we have tried to show that “the number 22,” related to Christ’s acts mentioned in the Greek Mysteria Litterarum, has also a parallel in a Manichaean text. My studies on this subject also conclude that the origin of the division of Mani’s Gospel into twenty-two mēmrē should be searched for in Babylon itself. This type of division of the Gospel, wherever they may come from, was so attractive to the greatest enemy of Manichaeism, Augustine, that he wrote his De Civitate Dei (The City of God) with twenty-two books to be (as said by Böhlig) “a consciously (introduced) counterpart” of the Manichaean Gospel.

[In Persian] “Creation of the World with the Divine Word. A Textological Approach to a Quranic Concept Based upon Some Jewish, Christian and Manichaean Documents”, COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE QUR'AN AND SCRIPTURES 1/1, 2018, pp. 133-153.

The present paper focuses on the concept of the miraculous power of the divine word in the creati... more The present paper focuses on the concept of the miraculous power of the divine word in the creation of the world. This old concept, a part of which is illustrated in the various religious systems in the pre-Islamic Near East is the same supernatural power of the creation that is shown in the Quran with the passage kun fa-yakūn “be! And it is!” as well as in the Jewish literature, esp. in the Hebrew Book of Enoch with the cosmic power of the twenty-two characters of the alphabet. Christian Texts, and specifically the Revelation of John, show it in the form of a passage quoted by Jesus Christ. This study, which is methodologically based upon the diachronic and synchronic approaches, shows some rational structural links between Mani’s thinking and the Jewish as well as Christian thoughts on one side and the Quranic passage kun fa-yakūn on the other. The Quranic expression in this form has certainly no model in the previous systems, though the prototype of the concept of the God’s creation with His word can be found in the Babylonian, Jewish, Christian, and Manichaean literatures. The Quran is the Word of the God, and the God has undoubtedly expressed it with the cultural language of the world that it has been recognized and experienced throughout history. The Quran did not learn any of its teachings with the concepts that mankind has not had any form of it in his historical mind or was not familiar with it in any way.

[In Persian] “A Preliminary Plan for Writing History of Manichaean Literature: Reevaluation of Some Aspects”, in: Myth of Foundations. Festschrift for A. Esmailpour, ed. by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, with cooperation of S. Nouruzi and M. Mohammadi, Tehran, Cheshme Books, 2017, pp. 78-97.

“Identification of a Small Fragment of Manis Living Gospel (Turfan Collection, Berlin, M5439)”, BSOAS 80, 3, 2017, pp. 473-483.

BSOAS, 2017

Heretofore three fragments of Maniʼs Living Gospel – the most important work of Mani – have been ... more Heretofore three fragments of Maniʼs Living Gospel – the most important work of Mani – have been recognized in Middle Persian and in Manichaean script: M17, M172/I/ and M644. This article, with a codicological and textual approach, shows that M17 and the new fragment M5439 are two separate pieces of a single manuscript page. The verso-side of M5439 has a new text. Now, after the identification and reading of this damaged fragment, we are able to correct the previous reconstructions and comment on a few Middle Persian words. The text contains a part of the exordium and of the chapter ˈalephˈ of the Living Gospel.

Manichaean Cantillated Hymns: A Textological Approach to Turfan Manuscript Fragments in the Berlin Collection, in: Cultural and Religious Exchanges in the Iranian Plateau, Shiraz University, 15.-16. June 2019.

[In Persian] Jewish Christian Heritage in Manichaeism

[In Persian] An Aesopian Legend in a Parthian Manichaean Fragment from Turfan Collection, in: The First Biennial Conference on Ancient Iranian Languages and Culture, Shahid Beheshti University Tehran, 21-22 May 2017.

by Mohammad Shokri-Foumeshi, Sepide Taheri, and Davood Khazaie

An Aesopian Legend in a Parthian Manichaean Fragment from Turfan Collection A Textological Revisi... more An Aesopian Legend in a Parthian Manichaean Fragment from Turfan Collection
A Textological Revisiting in Comparison with other Greek, Slavic and Persian Versions

Abstract: Most of the Greek stories of Aesop (6-7 B.C.), whose name reminds us of the adages and ethical fables and is recognized as the father of fable in the West, are about what happens to animals. In fact, the main characters of his fables and parables are animals. In the East some of the Aesopian fables are reflected in the Middle Iranian and Old Turkish versions. One of the Aesopian fables can be found in a Manichaean manuscript fragment found in Turfan (an oasis in Xinjiang, China). In this paper, we will compare a Manichaean Parthian parable with six fables as follows: Greek fable “Father and his sons” attributed to Aesop, Greek story “Father’s Admonition” by Babrios, Greek tale of Scythian “Scilurus and his Seventy Sons” narrated by Plutarch, Greek version of Sphendoplokos cited by Porphyrogennetos, Slavic parable “three wands of the king Svatopluk”, and the fable written in one of the most important Persian sources of the Mongol period, Tārīx-e Jahāngūšāi by Jūweinī. This fable having an international development is one of the most popular fables for Iranians up to now.

[In Persian] “On the Rostrum of the Light Teachings. Review of M. Ghanei & H. Mashayekh's Persian Translation of the Coptic Manichaean Kephalaia I, Translated in German by H. J. Polotsky–A. Böhlig 1934-1966”, in: Jahane Ketab 349-351, 2018, pp. 10-14.

[In Persian] Review of A. Esmailpour and M. Bahar, Manichaean Literature, Tehran: Karnameh 2014.

Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies, Call for Papers

URD, 2024

Ancient Iranian Studies (AIS) is a blind peer-reviewed quarterly journal that focuses on the pre-... more Ancient Iranian Studies (AIS) is a blind peer-reviewed quarterly journal that focuses on the pre-Islamic Iran and publishes papers on different fields of ancient Iranian studies, with the topics as follows:

Ancient Iranian religions and religious thoughts and schools, such as Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Mithraism, Zurvanism, Mazdakism, along with the pre-Achaemenid religions such as Elamite religious beliefs.
History of civilizations and cultures of the ancient Iranian milieu, and the nexus of cultures, communities, and historico-religious phenomena in Greater Iran and other kinds of relations.
Ancient Iranian languages and literature.
Art in ancient Iran.
Researches on archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics.
Iranian heritage in Early Islamic Iran and other parts of the world.
Comparative studies.
Reviews of new prominent books of the field.
AIS tries to provide the necessary platform for publishing and disseminating the original and new achievements of researchers. It also contains reviews of recent books of importance to ancient Iranian studies.

Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies

Ancient Iranian Studies (AIS) is a blind peer-reviewed quarterly journal that focuses on the pre-... more Ancient Iranian Studies (AIS) is a blind peer-reviewed quarterly journal that focuses on the pre-Islamic Iran and publishes papers on different fields of ancient Iranian studies, with the topics as follows:

Ancient Iranian religions and religious thoughts and schools, such as Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Mithraism, Zurvanism, Mazdakism, along with the pre-Achaemenid religions such as Elamite religious beliefs.
History of civilizations and cultures of the ancient Iranian milieu, and the nexus of cultures, communities, and historico-religious phenomena in Greater Iran and other kinds of relations.
Ancient Iranian languages and literature.
Art in ancient Iran.
Researches on archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics.
Iranian heritage in Early Islamic Iran and other parts of the world.
Comparative studies.
Reviews of new prominent books of the field.
AIS tries to provide the necessary platform for publishing and disseminating the original and new achievements of researchers. It also contains reviews of recent books of importance to ancient Iranian studies.