An Allusion to Manichæism and Zoroastrianism in the Armenian Writer Eznig of Goghp

The writings of the Armenians in early times as dealing with the religion of the Parsis, as historically Persians, have an importance even though they are deeply tinged as Christians by a distinctly polemical tone. In this connection attention has often been called to the Armenian controversial tracts against the heresy of Mānī, or Manes, who was a Persian by blood but whose teachings in the third century of our era were as much abhorred by the Christians as by the Zoroastrians themselves. To both the followers of Zoroaster and the Christians, Mānī was the embodiment of evil through his teachings.