MANICHAEISM

In the third century CE, Mani, an inhabitant of the highly syncretistic region of Mesopotamia, claimed to receive heavenly revelations. These revelations he laid down in holy writings for his disciples, who were gathered in a ‘church' which eventually developed into a religion, Manichaeism, that came to be spread over a vast area reaching from the Mediterranean basin to China. Everywhere, the Manichaeans translated their texts into new languages, but the Manichaeans were hated for their syncretism and extreme asceticism and were severely persecuted by Roman, Persian, Arab, and Chinese authorities. Eventually, Manichaeism became extinct, only lingering on until the 17th century in Southern China, and Manichaean literature disappeared. Only citations and summaries of this literature were formerly known from the anti-heretical writings of Augustine, of Greek and Syriac Church Fathers like Titus of Bostra and Ephrem the Syrian, and of Persian, Arab and Chinese authors. However, the study..