Die Argumentation in den griechischchristlichen Antimanichaica by Wolfgang Wassilios Klein

Review by: J. van Oort

Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Jun., 1993), pp. 201-203
Published by: BRILL
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 REVIEWS 201

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2312 GD Leiden, Haarlemmerstraat 106 J. C. M. VAN WINDEN

Wolfgang Wassilios Klein, Die Argumentation in den griechisch-

christlichen Antimanichaica (Studies in Oriental Religions, Vol. 19).
Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz, 1991. X-264 pp., DM 88,-.

This dissertation, prepared under the supervision of the well-known

Manichaeologist Hans-Joachim Klimkeit in Bonn, deals with an impor-
tant theme. Dr. Klein examines the argumentation in the Greek-
Christian Antimanichaica. To this end he investigates works of inter alia
Didymus of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Salamis, John of Damascus,
Serapion of Thmuis, Severus of Antioch, Titus of Bostra, and
Zacharias of Mytilene.
After the introductory chapter, the main purpose of which is to give
a survey of research to date and to word the status quaestionis, in
Chapter 2 the author identifies the relevant sources. In the following
three chapters he then gives a systematic appraisal of the reaction of the
Catholic Christian Church: her attack on Manichaean dualism, her
antagonism against other points of the Manichaean tradition (e.g.
Mani's life, the organization of the Manichaean Church, and the
Manichaean myth), and her apology for her own Christian tradition. In
the sixth chapter, Klein summarizes the most important results of his
investigation: the Catholic Christian Church had to find a
(philosophical) solution of the problems of dualism and theodicy; she
had to reformulate her doctrine of God, and, for instance, her
Christology; in her reaction against Manichaean criticism she stressed

Vigiliae Christianae 47 (1993)

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202 REVIEWS

the unityof the Old and New Testament;and, for example,in her anti-
Manichaeanantagonismshe defendedthe goodnessof the visiblecrea-
tion and of its Creator.The final chapteris an excursuson Theodoros
Abu Qurra(ca. 750-ca. 825), the Melchitebishop of Harran(or Char-
ran) whose writings are preservedin Arabic but who also wrote in
Greek,and who gives testimonyto the existenceof a Manichaeancon-
gregationin ninthcenturyHarranandeven of a Manichaeanmonastery
near that city.
Klein'sstudy fills a real gap and turnsout to be highlyimportantto
both Manichaeologistsand Patristic scholars. Nevertheless,there is
room for some critical remarksand further considerations.In com-
parisonwith precedingstudiesof the samegenrelikethat of PeterNagel
on Titus of Bostra (Die antimanichdischenSchriften des Titus von
Bostra, HabilitationsschriftHalle/Wittenberg1967),those of FranCois
Decreton Augustine(Aspectsdu Manicheismedans I'Afriqueromaine,
Paris 1970;L'Afrique manicheenne,IVe-Ve siecles, Paris 1978;both
worksfocus on the 'Antimanichaeana Augustiniana'),and also the one
of EdmundBeckon EphraemSyrus(EphramsPolemikgegenManiund
die Manichder [...], Louvain 1978), this investigation is rather
enumerativeand, especiallyfrom a doctrinalpoint of view, less pro-
found. As is rightlyand repeatedlyremarkedby the author(e.g. 16, 57,
127, 192, 231f.), the Fathersof the CatholicChristianChurchtime and
again consideredthe Manichaeansto be Christianhereticsand them-
selves as orthodox Christians(6po006oot,e.g. John of Damascus).
Throughouthis book, however,Kleininsistson his distinctionbetween
'Christians'and the 'Manichaeans'.Is it not high time, we may ask, in
view of such important discoverieslike that of the Cologne Mani-
Codex, and especiallyin view of the wordingof both CatholicChris-
tians and ManichaeanChristiansthemselves,to accept their own ter-
minology?If so, then phrasessuch as, for instance, 'zum Christentum
bekehrtenManichaer'(156) would have to be revised.With regardto
the sourcesselectedby Dr. Klein,it shouldbe remarkedthat in Chapter
2 he only gives an (alphabetical)enumerativecatalogueand that, in
accordance with this, in his systematic account he takes rather
indiscriminatelyhis materialfrom texts dating from the early fourth
centuryup to and even includingthose of NiketasChoniates(ca. 1155-
ca. 1215). In future research more must be said on their inter-
dependence.

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 REVIEWS 203

To whatextantfurtherresearchin this field is ableto improveon and

also to correctsome of Klein's findings, has meanwhilebeen demon-
stratedby the authorhimself. His rathercuriousstatementson the lack
of Coptic Antimanichaica(8-9) he now rebuts excellentlyin a well-
documented study on Schenute of Atripe ('Ein koptisches Anti-
manichaikon von Schenute von Atripe', Studia Manichaica, hrsg.
von G. Wielner und H.-J. Klimkeit,Wiesbaden1992, 367-379).Also
about Manichaeismin Georgianliteraturemore can be said than Klein
(10) deems possible: in the near future Tamila Mgaloblishviliof the
Institute of Manuscriptsof the GeorgianAcademy of Sciences will
publishon this.

NL-3703 AH Zeist, Van Renesselaan 24 J. VANOORT

GregoryE. Sterling,Historiographyand Self-Definition.Josephos,

Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography(Supplementsto Novum
Testamentum64), Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1992. XV + 500 pages. Dfl.
220,-.

This is the revised version of Sterling's dissertationat Graduate

Theological Union (directedby J.R. Donahue). It is an immensely
learnedbook that requiresfrom the readeran abilityto read not only
Englishbut also German,French, Greek, Latin, Hebrew,and Coptic,
becausethe text is interspersedwith many (sometimeslong) quotations
in these languages,especiallyin Greek,without accompanyingtransla-
tions. Thereis muchto be learnedfromthis well-documentedworkwith
its 1840 densely packed footnotes. Actually the book is about the
discoveryof a new literarygenre,called 'apologetichistoriography'.In
the introductory chapter ("Genre and Historiography", 1-19) S.
explains that his research arose out of dissatisfactionwith current
definitions of the genre of both Luke-Actsand Josephus'Ant. Jud.,
and he also dealswith somemethodologicalissues.Anticipatinghis con-
clusions he classifiesboth works as 'apologetichistoriography',which
he defines as "the story of a subgroupof people in an extensiveprose
narrativewrittenby a memberof the group who follows the group's
own traditionsbut hellenizesthem in an effort to establishthe identity
of the groupwithinthe settingof the largerworld" (17). Ch. 2 ("Greek
Ethnography", 20-54) is the first of four chapters which trace the
Vigiliae Christianae 47 (1993)

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