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Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis
Beyond Light and Darkness
Series: - Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies, Volume: 102
Author:
Published in Open Access with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Winner of the Manfred Lautenschläger Award!
Religion is never simply there. In Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis, Mattias Brand shows where and when ordinary individuals and families in Egypt practiced a Manichaean way of life. Rather than portraying this ancient religion as a well-structured, totalizing community, the fourth-century papyri sketch a dynamic image of lived religious practice, with all the contradictions, fuzzy boundaries, and limitations of everyday life. Following these microhistorical insights, this book demonstrates how family life, gift-giving, death rituals, communal gatherings, and book writing are connected to our larger academic debates about religious change in late antiquity.
Winner of the Manfred Lautenschläger Award!
Religion is never simply there. In Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis, Mattias Brand shows where and when ordinary individuals and families in Egypt practiced a Manichaean way of life. Rather than portraying this ancient religion as a well-structured, totalizing community, the fourth-century papyri sketch a dynamic image of lived religious practice, with all the contradictions, fuzzy boundaries, and limitations of everyday life. Following these microhistorical insights, this book demonstrates how family life, gift-giving, death rituals, communal gatherings, and book writing are connected to our larger academic debates about religious change in late antiquity.
Mattias Brand, Ph.D. (2019), Leiden University, is postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zürich. He has published on Manichaeism, ancient Christianity, and the study of religion. Currently, he is researching the transformation of religious practices within ancient and contemporary houses.
Mattias Brand has produced a well-conceived and nuanced study of Manichean life in late antique Kellis that usefully brings theoretical insights to bear on textual, material, and visual evidence. I would strongly recommend this book to any historian or student interested in Manichaeism or lived religion in late antiquity.
Joseph E. Sanzo, BMCR 2023
Joseph E. Sanzo, BMCR 2023
Acknowledgments
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations and Translations
Introduction Religion and Everyday Groupness
ââIntroduction
ââIntroducing Manichaeism
ââManichaeans and the Transformation of Religion in Late Antiquity
ââTheoretical Framework: Everyday Groupness
ââSources and the Structure of the Book
1 Makariosâs Family: Manichaeans at Home in the Oasis
ââKellis in the Dakhleh Oasis
ââLocating Makarios and Pamour: The Archaeological Context
ââMakarios and Maria
ââPamour and His Brothers
ââOther Clusters of Letters
ââIndications of Manichaeanness
ââConclusions
ââDocuments Associated with the Various Family Clusters
2 Pamourâs Connections: Religion beyond a Conflict Model
ââEgyptian Temple Religion
ââClassical Traditions from the Greek and Roman World
ââCelestial Power and Amulets
ââChristian Institutions and Repertoire
ââManichaeans and the Roman Administration
ââConclusions
3 Orionâs Language: Manichaean Self-Designation in the Kellis Papyri
ââPerforming Personal Letters
ââSelf-Designation in Documentary Papyri
ââExcursus: Coptic as a Community-Specific Language?
ââConclusions
ââAppendix: List of Self-Designators in the Personal Letters
4 Tehatâs Gifts: Everyday Community Boundaries
ââThe Manichaean Ideology of Giving
ââFive Types of Giving in the Kellis Letters
ââThe Agape, a Manichaean Ritual Meal?
ââConclusions
5 The Deaconâs Practice: Manichaean Gatherings with Prayer and Psalm Singing
ââManichaean Communal Gatherings
ââDid Makarios Go to Church? On the Location of Manichaean Gatherings
ââA Manichaean Monastery in the Oasis?
ââEvoking Groupness: Teaching and Emotional Arousal through Song
ââConclusions
6 Matthaiosâs Grief: Manichaean Death Rituals
ââDeath and the Deceased in Documentary Papyri
ââSongs and Prayers for the Deceased
ââChristian and Manichaean Funerary Meals
ââBurial Practices and Material Culture
ââConclusions
7 Isionâs Books: Scribal Culture and Access to Manichaean Texts
ââCopying and Circulating Books
ââThe Syriac Connection
ââMateriality: The Ude of the Codex and Wooden Tablets
ââIdentifying Manichaean Scribes
ââConclusions
Conclusion: Untidy History: Manichaeanness in Everyday Life
ââIntroduction
ââWhen Did Manichaeism Matter?
ââModeling Late Antique Religion
ââAbandoning Kellis
Appendix 1: Outline of Published Documents from Kellis
Appendix 2: Prosopography of Makariosâs and Pamourâs Relatives
Bibliography
Index of Sources
Index of Names
Subject Index
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations and Translations
Introduction Religion and Everyday Groupness
ââIntroduction
ââIntroducing Manichaeism
ââManichaeans and the Transformation of Religion in Late Antiquity
ââTheoretical Framework: Everyday Groupness
ââSources and the Structure of the Book
1 Makariosâs Family: Manichaeans at Home in the Oasis
ââKellis in the Dakhleh Oasis
ââLocating Makarios and Pamour: The Archaeological Context
ââMakarios and Maria
ââPamour and His Brothers
ââOther Clusters of Letters
ââIndications of Manichaeanness
ââConclusions
ââDocuments Associated with the Various Family Clusters
2 Pamourâs Connections: Religion beyond a Conflict Model
ââEgyptian Temple Religion
ââClassical Traditions from the Greek and Roman World
ââCelestial Power and Amulets
ââChristian Institutions and Repertoire
ââManichaeans and the Roman Administration
ââConclusions
3 Orionâs Language: Manichaean Self-Designation in the Kellis Papyri
ââPerforming Personal Letters
ââSelf-Designation in Documentary Papyri
ââExcursus: Coptic as a Community-Specific Language?
ââConclusions
ââAppendix: List of Self-Designators in the Personal Letters
4 Tehatâs Gifts: Everyday Community Boundaries
ââThe Manichaean Ideology of Giving
ââFive Types of Giving in the Kellis Letters
ââThe Agape, a Manichaean Ritual Meal?
ââConclusions
5 The Deaconâs Practice: Manichaean Gatherings with Prayer and Psalm Singing
ââManichaean Communal Gatherings
ââDid Makarios Go to Church? On the Location of Manichaean Gatherings
ââA Manichaean Monastery in the Oasis?
ââEvoking Groupness: Teaching and Emotional Arousal through Song
ââConclusions
6 Matthaiosâs Grief: Manichaean Death Rituals
ââDeath and the Deceased in Documentary Papyri
ââSongs and Prayers for the Deceased
ââChristian and Manichaean Funerary Meals
ââBurial Practices and Material Culture
ââConclusions
7 Isionâs Books: Scribal Culture and Access to Manichaean Texts
ââCopying and Circulating Books
ââThe Syriac Connection
ââMateriality: The Ude of the Codex and Wooden Tablets
ââIdentifying Manichaean Scribes
ââConclusions
Conclusion: Untidy History: Manichaeanness in Everyday Life
ââIntroduction
ââWhen Did Manichaeism Matter?
ââModeling Late Antique Religion
ââAbandoning Kellis
Appendix 1: Outline of Published Documents from Kellis
Appendix 2: Prosopography of Makariosâs and Pamourâs Relatives
Bibliography
Index of Sources
Index of Names
Subject Index
Scholars interested in Manichaean Studies, the History of religion, religious change in Late Antiquity, the art and archaeology of fourth-century Egypt, and the application of social-scientific theories to the ancient world.