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to set out on a journey to Jerusalem around the time of the apostles, supposedly to discourse there with those who preached about the monarchy of God and the creations of God. But the wretch, having gone up, began to dispute with the presbyters there, who were living according to the law of God given to Moses and by the prophetic teaching of each prophet, * saying: How can you say there is one God, the one who made both night and day, both flesh and soul, both dry and wet, both heaven and earth, both darkness and light? But they demonstrated clearly—for the truth is not hidden—, but the one who contradicted was not ashamed. And being able to accomplish nothing, he nevertheless was carried away by the shamelessness of his harshness. And as he was unable to achieve anything, but rather suffered defeat, he contrived through the magical books which he had—for he was also a sorcerer, having trafficked in the terrible and destructive things of sorcery from the wisdom of the Indians and Egyptians and of pagan myth— a certain phantasm; for having gone up onto a roof and practiced it, nevertheless being unable to do anything, but falling from the roof, he met the end of his life. And he had stayed there for a considerable number of years. And having one 3.20 disciple only with him, the aforementioned Terebinthus, to whom he entrusted his own things as to one most faithful and serving him with good will; who, when Scythianus died, tended to him most affectionately and after burying him, considered not returning to the woman, who had already been joined to Scythianus from prostitution or captivity, but runs away, taking everything that he had, both gold and silver and the other things, into the land of the Persians, changing his name, so that he would not be discovered, instead of Terebinthus, as has been indicated by me above, giving himself the name Buddha. This man in turn had an evil succession of inheritance: the four books of Scythianus and the practices of magic and charlatanry; for he also was most carefully educated in letters. And as he himself was discoursing in the land of the Persians, having been brought down to a certain old widow, and with the temple-wardens of Mithras and priests of the idol, after discussing with a certain pro3.21phet Parcus and Labdacus about the two principles, * and being unable even to discourse with the chief men of idolatry, but being brought into refutation by them and bearing away the shame, likewise thinking the same things as the aforementioned Scythianus, having gone up to the small roof, supposedly practicing some magic so that no one might contradict him, being cast down by an angel he fell, and thus he died on account of the magical operation which he wished to attempt. And the old woman, having laid out his body, came into possession of his money, and having no child nor any of her relations, she remained thus for a long time. Later she took on, having bought him, Cubricus, also known as Manes, for her service. And upon dying she left him the things of the evil inheritance, like venom left from an asp, for the corruption and destruction of many. 4. So Cubricus, who called himself Manes, dwelt among them and discoursed among them. And as no one was persuaded by him, but hearing 3.22 the teaching of Manichaeus they were all annoyed and found it strange because of its novelty and terrible myth-making and empty deceit, he, seeing the propositions of his evil contrivance overthrown, being foolish in his mind, devised a certain pretext for himself, through which he might establish his own creation of this terrible artifice. And when a rumor had spread that the son of the king of the Persians had fallen ill with some pain and was lying sick in the royal city of Persia—for Manes was not staying there, but somewhere else far from the king's—being blinded by his own wickedness and thinking that perhaps from the books he found of his own master Terebinthus, also called Buddha, the successor of Scythianus, he could work some cures on the son of the king, he departs from his own place and sets out

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στέλλεσθαι τὴν πορείαν ἐπὶ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα περὶ τοὺς χρόνους τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὡς δῆθεν ἐκεῖσε ποιούμενος τὸν λόγον πρὸς τοὺς τὰ περὶ μοναρχίας θεοῦ κηρύττοντας καὶ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κτισμάτων. ὁ δὲ τάλας ἀνελθὼν ἀντιβάλλειν ἤρξατο πρὸς τοὺς ἐκεῖσε πρεσβυτέρους, τοὺς κατὰ τὴν νομοθεσίαν θεοῦ τὴν τῷ Μωυσῇ δοθεῖσαν καὶ προφητικῇ ἑκάστου προφήτου διδασκαλίᾳ * βιοῦντας, ὅτι· πῶς φατε ἕνα θεόν, τὸν ποιήσαντα νύκτα τε καὶ ἡμέραν, σάρκα τε καὶ ψυχήν, ξηρόν τε καὶ ὑγρόν, οὐρανόν τε καὶ γῆν, σκότος τε καὶ φῶς; οἱ δὲ σαφῶς ἐδείκνυον οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια παρακέκρυπται, ὁ δὲ ἀντιλέγων οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο. μηδὲν δὲ δυνάμενος περαιῶσαι, ὅμως τῇ ἀναισχυντίᾳ τῆς χαλεπότητος ἐφέρετο. ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἴσχυσέ τι ἀνύσαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἧττον μᾶλλον ἀπηνέγκατο, ἐπετήδευσε δι' ὧν εἶχε μαγικῶν βιβλίων-καὶ γὰρ καὶ γόης ἦν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰνδῶν καὶ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ ἐθνομύθου σοφίας ἐμπορευσάμενος τὰ δεινὰ καὶ ὀλετήρια τῆς γοητείας- φαντασίαν τινά· ἐπὶ δώματος γὰρ ἀνελθὼν καὶ ἐπιτηδεύσας, ὅμως οὐδὲν ἰσχύσας, ἀλλὰ καταπεσὼν ἐκ τοῦ δώματος, τέλει τοῦ βίου ἐχρήσατο. ἦν δὲ διατρίψας ἐκεῖ ἱκανὰ ἔτη. μαθητὴν δὲ ἔχων ἕνα 3.20 μόνον μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν προειρημένον Τέρβινθον, ᾧ καὶ τὰ ἴδια ἐπίστευσεν ὡς πιστικωτάτῳ καὶ κατ' εὔνοιαν αὐτῷ ἐξυπηρετουμένῳ· ὃς τελευτήσαντος τοῦ Σκυθιανοῦ κηδεύει μὲν αὐτὸν φιλοφρονέστατα καὶ θάψας σκέπτεται μὴ πρὸς τὸ γύναιον ἀνακάμψαι, τὸ ἤδη ἀπὸ πορνείας ἤτοι αἰχμαλωσίας τῷ Σκυθιανῷ συνημμένον, ἀλλὰ ἀποδιδράσκει, λαβὼν πάντα ὅσαπερ εἶχε, χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, εἰς τὴν τῶν Περσῶν χώραν, ἀλλάξας ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα, ἵνα μὴ κατάφωρος γένηται, ἀντὶ Τερβίνθου, ὡς ἄνω μοι προδεδήλωται, Βουδδᾶ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιθέμενος ὄνομα. οὗτος δὲ πάλιν ἔσχε κακὴν διαδοχὴν κληρονομίας τὰ τέσσαρα βιβλία τοῦ Σκυθιανοῦ καὶ τὰ τῆς μαγείας καὶ τῆς μογγανείας ἐπιτηδεύματα· ἦν γὰρ καὶ οὗτος ἐν γράμμασιν ἐπιμελέστατα πεπαιδευμένος. ὡς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς διαλεγόμενος ἐν τῇ Περσῶν χώρᾳ, καταχθεὶς πρὸς γραῦν τινα χήραν, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Μίθρα νεωκόροις τε καὶ ἱερεῦσι τοῦ εἰδώλου, προ3.21 φήτῃ τινὶ Πάρκῳ καὶ Λαβδάκῳ συζητήσας περὶ τῶν δύο ἀρχῶν, * καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς μήτε κἂν πρὸς τοὺς τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας πρυτάνεις διαλεχθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐλέγχῳ καταστὰς παρ' αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ αἶσχος ἀπενεγκάμενος, ὡσαύτως τῷ προειρημένῳ Σκυθιανῷ τὰ ὅμοια φρονήσας, ἐπὶ τὸ δωμάτιον ἀνελθών, μαγεύειν τι δῆθεν πρὸς τὸ μή τινα αὐτῷ ἀντιλέγειν ἐπιτηδεύσας, ὑπὸ ἀγγέλου καταχθεὶς κατέπεσε, καὶ οὕτως τέθνηκε δι' ἣν ἠβούλετο ἐπιχειρῆσαι μαγικὴν ἐνέργειαν. ἡ δὲ γραῦς περιστείλασα τούτου τὸ σῶμα τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ ἐν καθέξει γεγένηται, καὶ μὴ ἔχουσα παῖδα μηδέ τινα τῶν διαφερόντων ἔμεινε πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ οὕτως. ὕστερον δὲ προσελάβετο πριαμένη τὸν Κούβρικον, τὸν καὶ Μάνην, ἑαυτῇ πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν. καὶ τελευτῶσα κατέλιπεν αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς κακῆς κληρονομίας, ὡς ἰὸν ἀπὸ ἀσπίδος καταλειφθέντα, εἰς πολλῶν φθορὰν καὶ ἀπώλειαν. 4. Πάλιν οὖν Κούβρικος ὁ ἑαυτὸν ἐπονομάσας Μάνην ἐν αὐτοῖς διῆγε καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς διελέγετο. καὶ ὡς οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ἐπείθετο, ἀλλὰ ἀκούοντες 3.22 Μανιχαίου διδασκαλίαν ἐδυσφόρουν μὲν καὶ ἐξενολεκτοῦντο πάντες ἐπὶ τῇ καινοτομίᾳ καὶ δεινῇ μυθοποιίᾳ καὶ κενῇ ἀπάτῃ, ὁ δὲ ὁρῶν τὰ ἴδια τῆς κακομηχανίας ἀνατρεπόμενα τῶν λόγων συνθήματα τὴν διάνοιαν κεπφωθεὶς ἐπενόει ἑαυτῷ πρόφασίν τινα, δι' ἧς τὸ ἴδιον πλάσμα τῆς δεινοποιήσεως ταύτης συστήσειε. καὶ φήμης διαδοθείσης ὡς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλέως ἀλγήματί τινι περιπέπτωκε καὶ κατέκειτο, ἐν τῇ βασιλευούσῃ Περσίδος πόλει-οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖσε ὁ Μάνης διέτριβεν, ἀλλὰ ἄλλῃ που ἀπὸ πόρρωθεν τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως-ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας κακίας τυφλώττων καὶ νομίσας μή πως ἀφ' ὧν εὗρε βιβλίων τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότου Τερβίνθου, τοῦ καὶ Βουδδᾶ, διαδόχου δὲ τοῦ Σκυθιανοῦ, δύναται τινὰ ἰάματα ἐνεργῆσα, εἰς τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως υἱόν, ἀπαίρει ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου τόπου καὶ ὁρμᾷ