Introduction
Understanding Manichaeism
Mani presented himself as the last of a succession of messengers including Buddha, Zoroaster and Jesus. He proposed a universal revelation, written and illustrated, intended to transcend linguistic boundaries.
For a time, protected by the sassanide king Shapur I, Mani was then imprisoned and died around 276.
To be retained
Four essential principles
- Mani presented himself as the last of a succession of messengers including Buddha, Zoroaster and Jesus.
- For a time, protected by the sassanide king Shapur I, Mani was then imprisoned and died around 276.
- The cosmos is the result of the dramatic blend of two principles, Light and Darkness.
- manicheism was one of the great transcontinental religions of late antiquity.
Small timeline
A tradition shaped by history
Origins and training
For a time, protected by the sassanide king Shapur I, Mani was then imprisoned and died around 276.
Historical developments
His disciples deployed an exceptional missionary network.
Ritual life and teachings
The cosmos is the result of the dramatic blend of two principles, Light and Darkness.
Seed and rediscovery
Manicheism became the official religion of the Uighur Empire in the eighth century and remained in China for centuries, usually under pressure.
History and development
For a time, protected by the Sassanide king Shapur I, Mani was then imprisoned and died around 276. His disciples deployed an exceptional missionary network.
Manicheism became the official religion of the Uighur Empire in the eighth century and remained in China for centuries, usually under pressure. In the West, Augustin d'Hippone was listener before his conversion to Christianity.
Worldview, beliefs and practices
The cosmos is the result of the dramatic blend of two principles, Light and Darkness. Salvation consists in releasing captive light into matter.
The community distinguished the "Elects," who were subject to demanding discipline, and the "Hearers," who supported them. Prayers, fasts, confessions and ritual meals structured religious life.
Texts, symbols and transmission
Mani wrote several books, including the living Gospel and the illustrated Arzhang. Fragments in Coptic, Middle-Perse, Parthian, Sogdian, Uighur and Chinese were found.
Symbols: cross of light, tree of life, Sun and Moon as vehicles of light.
What research can and cannot say
Long known above all by its opponents, manicheism has been better understood since the discovery of manuscripts in Egypt and Central Asia. The common word "Manichean", synonymous with binary simplism, makes the complexity of its cosmology difficult.
References