Kellis Literary Texts

Volume 2 completes the account of the literary texts primarily deriving from the Manichaean community in ancient Kellis. House 3 and surrounding domestic buildings have yielded up important texts which reflect the faith and practice of lay followers of the Manichaean religion. Of particular import are the substantial and previously unknown parts of Manis own Epistles. These show an authentic Christian voice, and may begin to solve the single greatest difficulty in Manichaean studies the loss of the scriptures. These texts provide us with a great opportunity to examine the context of belief as it was lived out in a fourth-century provincial village, along with its social and economic frameworks. Other notable texts include the Prayer of the Emanations, a Manichaean composition in Greek which makes no attempt to hide its polytheistic message.