Manichaeans and Gnostic philosophers · Lexicon

From the book

Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume I

Marsilio Ficino · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordThe two group-names occur in the dative after assentiendum: the reader is told not to assent to them.
In the Platonic TheologyFicino concludes the two-god argument by naming Manichaean and Gnostic philosophers as advocates of two divine sources, one of goods and one of evils.
In this editionThe translation preserves the scope “philosophers” and the claim that there are two gods.
A place to readThe named groups appear at the conclusion of the argument about rival wills

Meaning

The two group-names occur in the dative after assentiendum: the reader is told not to assent to them. Auctor means source or producer here. The opposed “supreme evil” is defined by privation of every good within the position Ficino attacks.

Use in the book

Ficino concludes the two-god argument by naming Manichaean and Gnostic philosophers as advocates of two divine sources, one of goods and one of evils. He then tests a wholly evil first principle. Since existence, life, knowledge, and activity are counted as goods, something lacking every good could not possess any of them. It would therefore lack the ability to function as a rival creator at all.

The entry records the polemical role of these names in Ficino’s exposition. The few lines do not establish a complete account of either historical tradition, nor do they show that every person called Gnostic held the same teaching. His generalized attribution and his inference from absolute privation should remain distinguishable.

Places to read

II.2.14The named groups appear at the conclusion of the argument about rival wills
II.2.15The proposed evil source loses action, knowledge, life, and being because all are goods

Translation in this edition

The translation preserves the scope “philosophers” and the claim that there are two gods. The continuation in II.2.15 begins “Of these,” so it must be read with the preceding unit rather than as a freestanding assertion of two gods.

auctor

auctor. Printed forms: auctor.

An originator or source. The hypothetical source of all evil is deprived of the very goods required to act as an originator. References: II.2.15. See Manichaeans and Gnostic philosophers.

Manichaei / Gnostici

Manichaei / Gnostici. Printed forms: Gnosticisque; Manichaeis.

The groups to whom Ficino attributes opposed good and evil divine principles. These are local polemical identifications, not comprehensive or independently verified definitions of the traditions. References: II.2.14. See Manichaeans and Gnostic philosophers.