Terebinthus (also
Terebinthus of Turbo ) was the supposed pupil of
ScythianusScythianus was a supposed Alexandrian religious teacher who visited India around 50 CE. He is mentioned by several Christian writers and anti-Manichaean polemicists of the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, including Cyril of Jerusalem, Hippolytus and Epiphanius, and is first mentioned in the...
, during the 1st-2nd century CE, according to the writings of Christian writer and anti-Manichaean polemicist
Cyril of JerusalemCyril of Jerusalem was a distinguished theologian of the early Church . He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion...
, and is mentioned earlier in the anonymously written, critical biography of Mani known as
Acta Archelai.
Terebinthus may have presented himself as a "Buddha" ("He called himself Buddas") when travelling in Persia.
According to Cyril's anti-Manichaean works and in other Orthodox polemic, Terebinthus went to
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
and
JudaeaJudaea can refer to:* The land of Judea and previous Kingdom of Judah * The Roman province historians refer to as Iudaea province...
("becoming known and condemned" there), and ultimately settled in
BabylonBabylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
.
Terebinthus (also
Terebinthus of Turbo ) was the supposed pupil of
ScythianusScythianus was a supposed Alexandrian religious teacher who visited India around 50 CE. He is mentioned by several Christian writers and anti-Manichaean polemicists of the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, including Cyril of Jerusalem, Hippolytus and Epiphanius, and is first mentioned in the...
, during the 1st-2nd century CE, according to the writings of Christian writer and anti-Manichaean polemicist
Cyril of JerusalemCyril of Jerusalem was a distinguished theologian of the early Church . He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion...
, and is mentioned earlier in the anonymously written, critical biography of Mani known as
Acta Archelai.
Terebinthus may have presented himself as a "Buddha" ("He called himself Buddas") when travelling in Persia.
According to Cyril's anti-Manichaean works and in other Orthodox polemic, Terebinthus went to
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
and
JudaeaJudaea can refer to:* The land of Judea and previous Kingdom of Judah * The Roman province historians refer to as Iudaea province...
("becoming known and condemned" there), and ultimately settled in
BabylonBabylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
. He is also said to have brought with him the books of Scythianus, which he presented upon his death to his lodger, a widow with a slave named Cubricus, who later changed his name to
ManiMani was the founder of Manichaeism, an ancient gnostic religion that was once widespread but is now extinct. Mani was born of Iranian parentage in Assuristan, located in modern-day Iraq, which was a part of the Persian Empire during Mani's life. Mani may have been of Persian parentage...
(from "Manes" in Persian, meaning "discourse"). Mani allegedly studied the books, which thereby become the source of Manichean doctrine.
This story can be found also in Acta Archelai (4th c. CE), an anti-manichean scripture written in Syriac, which is ascribed to Hegemonios.
Later the same is mentioned in
Lexicon SuidaeThe Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly wrongfully attributed to an author called Suidas. The text belongs to the Byzantine Empire and was written in Greek...
(10th c. CE) in an article dedicated to Mani. According to the Lexicon, the names of the books were: Mysterium, Evangelium, Thesaurum and Capitum (meaning "Mystery", "Gospel", "Treasury", and "
BookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
of Chapters" respectively).
The connection between Mani and
BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is regarded by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c...
is also mentioned in a letter of Marius Victorius (4th c. AD )
Ad Justinum Manichaeum.