Life of Mani continued

To continue a little more:

The Christian tradition runs that one Scythianus* or Skythianus, a Saracen who lived at the time of the Apostles, "introduced the doctrine of Empedocles and Pythagoras into Christianity." (Empedocles taught the doctrine of the four elements and ended his life by jumping into Mt. Etna.)

Scythianus had a disciple "Buddas, formerly named Terebinthus." Terebinthus is thought to be a corruption of "Tere Hintu" Buddha's title "Lord of the Hindus."

Buddas was said to have written four books: Of Mysteries, The Gospel, the Treasure and Heads.

When Buddas died after being hurled off a cliff by a demon while he was performing mystic rites, a woman at whose house he lodged took over his property. This woman later bought a slave boy aged seven, named Cubricus. The Parthian royal family of which Cubricus was related, was overthrown in 224, so this fits in fairly well time wise. Cubricus later of course, took the name of Mani or Manes.

Buddha had passed on years before, but the reference is probably to the absorption into Christianity of the spiritual treasures of Greece and Buddhism. The Buddha played an important part in the Christian Mystery. According to Rudolf Steiner, his Nirmanakaya was experienced by the Shepherds while watching their flocks by night.

Here is another view of the word "Terebinthus" from the Catholic encyclopedia:

"Through misunderstandings the Aramaic word for disciple (Tarbitha, stat abs. Tarbi), Greek and Latin sources speak of a certain Terebinthos, Terebinthus of Turbo, as a distinct person, whom they confound partially with Mani, partially with Patekios, and as they also forgot that Mani,
besides being Patekios' great disciple, was his bodily son, and that in consequence the Scythian teacher, Scythianus, is but Fatak Babak of Hamadam, the Scythian metropolis, their account of the first origins of Manichæism differs considerably from that given in Oriental sources."

From this we could assume that "Buddas Terebinthus" means disciple of Buddha.

*It is usual at one stage of initiation to take on the name of one's country - Scythia.