In the Manichaean system the teaching of primary cosmic elements is developed by the dualistic way. There are 5 elements of light and 5 corresponding dark elements: air/smoke - wind/dark wind - light/darkness - water/dark water (or poison) - fi re/dark fi re. / Evidently the teaching is of Gnostic provenience, coming back to a Hellenistic philosophical system. But it is unclear, 1) why the Manichaean system differs the elements of air and wind, and 2) why the are elements light and darkness beside general principles of Light and Darkness, being basic for the whole Manichaean cosmos. The analysis of different sources, especially the study on the order of elements in the Manichaean pentad, the comparison with the Jewish and early Christian biblical exegesis, shows that this teaching comes back also to the interpretation of the fi rst verses of Genesis, where the wind (spirit), water, light and darkness are enumerated between the primary created elements of the world.