In a previous publication, the well-known philologist Richard Reitzenstein claimed to have found proof of the old Iranian religious thought system in the fragments of Manichaean hymns. From Reitzenstein's perspective, this proved the influence of Persian religion not only on Manichaeism, but also on Christianity. In the present article, Isidor Scheftelowitz directly challenges not only Reitzenstein's conclusions, but his translation of the hymn fragments, his and his presuppositions that brought him to those conclusions. In response to Reitzenstein, Scheftelowitz presents a new translation of the hymn fragments and provides the text and translation of another hymn for comparison, and argues ultimately that there is no support for claiming an old Iranian influence on the Manichaean hymn fragments.--Cover p. [4]
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