摩尼教之宗教色彩述论

Religious Characters of Manichaeism

摩尼教以明显融合各大宗教文化而著称于世,这一特征生动地展示了古代欧亚大陆上宗教和文化的深入交流。首先,摩尼教的某些基本教义和主要神魔名号显然借鉴自琐罗亚斯德教。其次,早期的摩尼教具有深厚的基督教色彩,摩尼公然声称自己是天主派来凡世的圣灵,并将耶稣设为本教的重要神灵。再次,摩尼教东传中亚和中国之后,融入了大量佛教元素,以至被中原朝廷指责为“妄称佛教,诳惑黎元”。自宋以降,摩尼教(或明教)盛行于中国东南沿海地区后,则混合了许多道教和民间信仰因素,甚至几乎失去其本来面目。

Manichaeism was renowned for the fusion of different religious cultures. This perfectly embodied the religio- cultural interchanges in the ancient Eurasia. First,some basic Manichaean doctrines were apparently from Zoroastrianism. Second,Manichaeism was deeply influenced by Christianity. Third,Manichaeism in the Central Asia and China incorporated many Buddhist elements. Last but not least,the Manichaean teaching in China’s southeast coast was inspired by Daoism and popular religions.