Manichaeism

Manichaeism is an Iranian Gnostic religion that was founded by the prophet Mani in the third century CE. Manichaeism was at its greatest prevalence from the third through the sixth centuries, although it remained active through at least the ninth century and at its peak was one of the most popular and influential religions in the ancient world. Although it began in the Persian Empire (modern Iran), the religion quickly spread from the Roman Empire all the way to China through the Silk Road trade route. Manichaeism was seen as a serious threat to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, and it was deliberately targeted by these religious traditions, its followers persecuted and its sacred texts destroyed. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that Manichaean texts began to be discovered buried in deserts and hidden in secret vaults.

Mani (216–276 CE) was born during the Sassanian period in the Persian Empire and raised in an ascetic Christian and Jewish environment. Mani came into contact with various other religions through his travels, including Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and incorporated aspects of these traditions into his teachings. He claimed to have received two revelations from a spirit he called the “Twin,” and after the second revelation took up the role of a prophet. Manichaeism presented itself as the complete vision of a variety of teachings that had only partially been revealed by figures such as Jesus and the Buddha. Because of this, the religion appealed to followers from many different religious backgrounds, who saw Mani's teachings as the culmination of their beliefs.

Manichaeism's complex ideology combined aspects of the dualistic creation myth of Zoroastrianism, another ancient Persian religion, and Gnosticism, a term used to describe a variety of religious systems that emphasized gnosis, or knowledge, as the key to salvation. The Manichaean creation myth saw the world as a struggle between the forces of good, found in the spiritual world of light, and the forces of evil, manifested in the physical, material world of darkness. Throughout history, this light is gradually freed from its imprisonment in the physical world and returned to the spirit world. Mani preached the virtues of knowledge, self-denial, vegetarianism, chastity, and fasting; Manichaean communities followed ascetic practices and were divided into the “elect,” male and female monks, and the “hearers,” the lay people who supported them.

Manichaeism was able to gain strength rapidly because it attracted a number of influential adherents, including members of the ruling house of Persia. However, its message proved to be too threatening, and it became the target of intense persecution, disappearing entirely in many places by the end of the sixth century, though it lasted longer in China and the Far East.