_Mani's Writings._--Mani himself composed a large number of works and epistles, which were in great part still known to the Mahommedan historians, but are now mostly lost. The later heads of the Manichaean churches also wrote religious treatises, so that the ancient Manichaean literature must have been very extensive. According to the _Fihrist_, Mani made use of the Persian and Syriac languages; but, like the Oriental Marcionites before him, he invented an alphabet of his own, which the _Fihrist_ has handed down to us. In this alphabet the sacred books of the Manichaeans were written, even at a later period. The _Fihrist_ reckons seven principal works of Mani, six being in the Syriac and one in the Persian language; regarding some of these we also have information in Epiphanius, Augustine, Titus of Bostra, and Photius, as well as in the formula of abjuration (Cotelerius, _PP. Apost. Opp._ i. 543) and in the _Acta Archelai_. They are (1) _The Book of Secrets_ (see _Acta Archel._), containing discussions bearing on the Christian sects spread throughout the East, especially the Marcionites and Bardesanites, and dealing also with their conception of the Old and New Testaments; (2) _The Book of the Giants_ (Demons?); (3) _The Book of Precepts for Hearers_ (probably identical with the _Epistola Fundamenti_ of Augustine and with the _Book of Chapters_ of Epiphanius and the _Acta Archelai_; this was the most widely spread and most popular Manichaean work, having been translated into Greek and Latin; it contained a short summary of all the doctrines of fundamental authority); (4) _The Book Shahpurakan_ (Flügel was unable to explain this name; according to Kessler it signifies "epistle to King Shapur"; the treatise was of an eschatological character); (5) _The Book of Quickening_ (Kessler identifies this work with the "Thesaurus [vitae]" of the _Acta Archelai_, Epiphanius, Photius and Augustine, and if this be correct it also must have been in use among the Latin Manichaeans); (6) _The Book [Greek: pragmateia]_ (of unknown contents); (7) a book in the Persian language, the title of which is not given in our present text of the _Fihrist_, but which is in all probability identical with the "holy gospel" of the Manichaeans (mentioned in the _Acta Archel._ and many other authorities). It was this work which the Manichaeans set up in opposition to the Gospels. Besides these principal works, Mani also wrote a large number of smaller treatises and epistles. The practice of writing epistles was continued by his successors. These Manichaean dissertations also became known in the Graeco-Roman Empire, and existed in collections.[1] There also existed a Manichaean book of memorabilia, and of prayers, in Greek, as well as many others,[2] all of which were destroyed by the Christian bishops acting in conjunction with the authorities. A Manichaean epistle, addressed to one Marcellus, has, however, been preserved for us in the _Acta Archelai_.[3]