This scripture is transliterated in Chinese as "阿罗瓒部" (Āluózànbù) in Yilue, transliterated from the Middle Persian "rãzãn", meaning "Secret" (Secrets).
[2] It may take the form of a "treatise de anima" based around the nature of the soul, or otherwise as an exegetical work[3] In the Manichaean canon, the Pragmateia, the Book of Mysteries, and the Book of Giants are grouped together.
It makes extensive use of Christian apocryphal traditions and was written in opposition to a similar book written by Bardaisan, as a rebuttal to his take on the mysteries.
[4] No preserved fragments of this scripture have been found, and there is limited knowledge of its contents.
Ibn al-Nadim lists the titles of the eighteen chapters of this scripture in his "Description of the Group of Books.