Father of Greatness
The Father of Greatness (Middle Aramaic transl. abbā ḏ-rabbūṯā; Chinese: 明尊; pinyin: Míngzūn; lit. 'Radiant Lord') is the eternal divine manifestation of good in Manichaeism, a four-fold deity, embracing divinity, light, power and goodness. His throne is surrounded by at least 156 peaceful entities: 12 aeons, aeons of the aeons, and angels.
| Father of Greatness | |
|---|---|
God of Light, King of Realm of Light | |
Father of Greatness sitting on a pedestal in the centre in the Realm of Light. Top section of the Manichaean Diagram of the Universe. | |
| Other names | Zurwān |
| Abode | Realm of Light |
| Symbol | Light |
| Offspring | Jesus the Splendour |
| Equivalents | |
| Zoroastrian equivalent | Zurvan |
| Gnostic equivalent | Monad |
| Mandaean equivalent | Hayyi Rabbi |
When the Prince of Darkness assaulted the Realm of Light, he invoked entities of light to ward off the invaders. These entities mingled with the demons and gave existence to the earthly beings, thus humans carry consubstantial light particles of the Father of Greatness, but are unaware of them until they awaken from their sleep by remembering their divine origin. The Father of Greatness responds by creating a series of entities to prepare a rescue for light particles.