Das syrische Perlenlied und die manichäische Redaktion: in Erinnerung an Wilhelm Boussets These (1917/1918)
A hundred years ago (1917/1918) Wilhelm Bousset broke new ground with the thesis that the Acts of Thomas showed traces of Manichaean editing, especially in the Hymn of the Pearl, perhaps the most famous and the most beautiful poem in the Syriac language. In this poem, according to Bousset, the stage...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2021
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
Year: 2021, Volume: 25, Issue: 3, Pages: 395-451 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mani 216-277
/ Acts of Thomas
/ Journalistic editing
/ Manichaeism
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| IxTheo Classification: | BF Gnosticism CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity KBL Near East and North Africa |
| Further subjects: | B
Manichaean editing
B Manichaean religion B original Manichaean literature (Cephalaia B Life of Mani B symbolism of the pearl B Cologne Mani Codex) B Homilies |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | A hundred years ago (1917/1918) Wilhelm Bousset broke new ground with the thesis that the Acts of Thomas showed traces of Manichaean editing, especially in the Hymn of the Pearl, perhaps the most famous and the most beautiful poem in the Syriac language. In this poem, according to Bousset, the stages in the life of the prince, the protagonist, strangely match the stages in the life of Mani, the founder of the Manichaean religion. The present article revisits this thesis, which enjoys as much interest as ever and is accepted by several well-known contemporary scholars. It takes account of older witnesses (such as the traditions of the early church) while introducing new arguments based on a consideration of original Manichaean literature and striking features of language and style. In a kind of panoramic view, it shows that the Hymn of the Pearl was indeed subjected to Manichaean editing: motives and themes from older traditions were adapted to refer to Mani and supplemented with new interpretive material. Taken together, the old and the new observations confirm Bousset's thesis that the son of the king in the Hymn of the Pearl was identified with Mani and that an editor (or a school of editors) reworked the poem to make it point to him. |
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| ISSN: | 1612-961X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zac-2021-0033 |