Monastycyzm manichejski w Egipcie
Manicheism in the late Ancient Egypt

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to gather all the source evidence concerning the Ma­nichaean monasticism in Egypt. At the outset, ambiguous mentions are presented from Manichaean historical texts which originated in Central Asia. The bulk of the evidence comes, however, from the excavations carried out in the ancient town of Kellis in the Dakhla oasis of the Western Desert in Egypt. The article presents and comments on all the documents dealing with either the monastery of Mani or monks who can be linked to it. To determine the exact function of the monastery, the documentary evidence is scrutinized against Manichaean religious texts of Egyptian provenance. It concludes that the Manichaean monastery in Kellis most probably served as a space for liturgical assemblies of the Manichaean community, with some domestic and workshop spaces, but probably not arranged for the regular stay of the Manichaean elects.

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