The term “Arkhegos” is a Greek word indicating “chief leader.” Duncan Greenlees, in his presentation of the Gospel of the Prophet Mani defines the term “arkhegos” as meaning “Leader”, “High Prelate” and compares it to the Arabic term “imam” and the Chinese term “fatchou”, the “King of Religion.”

His diocese was the world from Spain to China, where the Faith had penetrated; his work was to encourage amid persecution, to prevent corruption of the Teaching, to guard against falling away from the Founder’s lofty ideal of life. The first seven Leaders died as martyrs, and then some fixed place where the supreme authority could be found was needed, so their successors cam to reside at the capital Ctesiphon, and then at Baghdad – until they were forced by prudence to withdraw to the safer Samarqand, and finally, so it seems, to the Chinese borderlands.

Gospel of the Prophet Mani, Duncan Greenlees, 1956

In its original Manichaean usage, it referred to the earthly head of the Manichaean Faith appointed by Mar Mani as his successor. During the time of Mar Ammo, there were two such persons using this title, one in Babylon and the other in Turkistan due to geographical divide and persecution of the Faith.

In modern times the term is used exclusively of the earthly head of the Manichaean Faith in his role as “the voice of the Third Messenger”, indicating that when the Arkhegos speaks, it is to be viewed as if the Third Messenger (Izgadda) himself has spoken. The two are of one mind even if the two are physically separated by distance. As such, the Arkhegos is the earthly head of the Manichaean Faith.

The office of the Arkhegos is called the “Arkhegosate” and sometimes as the “Bitsultana.”

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