Manichaeism

Manichaeism was a major religion founded or at least promoted by the Iranian prophet Mani (or Manes) in the Sasanian Empire in the third century. Manichaeism appears to have taught an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness.

In its day, Manichaeism was one of the most popular Religions of the ancient world Most of what we know about the philosophies and religion of Manichaeism has come from its critics. It appears to be a synthesis of the Zoroastrian dualism between light and dark and Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics and what some people call superficial elements of Christianity; spread widely in the Roman Empire but had largely died out by 1000 AD.

Gautama Buddha taught mostly in northeastern India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries before Christ. Gautama as a primary figure in Buddhism was sharing a message a social reformer rather than a divine messenger or founder of religion. Most of what was written about him was produced 400 years after the death of Buddha.

Everything we label religion may often only contain superficial elements of the founders teachings. The Christianity of Constantine did not conform to every word and Doctrine of Jesus and most modern Christianity today traces its roots back to many of the practices of the Church of Constantine rather that what Christ commanded and the Apostles did through their daily ministration of Pure Religion.

Eusebius commented concerning the error of the Manichees:

• — In the mean time, also, that madman Manes, (Mani is of Persian or Semitic origin) as he was called, well agreeing with his name, for his demoniacal heresy, armed himself by the perversion of his reason, and at the instruction of Satan, to the destruction of many. He was a barbarian in his life, both in speech and conduct, but in his nature as one possessed and insane. Accordingly, he attempted to form himself into a Christ, and then also proclaimed himself to be the very paraclete and the Holy Spirit, and with all this was greatly puffed up with his madness. Then, as if he were Christ, he selected twelve disciples, the partners of his new religion, and after patching together false and ungodly doctrines, collected from a thousand heresies long since extinct, he swept them off like a deadly poison, from Persia, upon this part of the world. Hence the impious name of the Manichaeans spreading among many, even to the present day. Such then was the occasion of this knowledge, as it was falsely called, that sprouted up in these times.