Manichaeism, once the state religion of Persia and long a vigorous
contender for converts throughout the ancient Near East, is best
remembered for the simplicity of its teachings about divine power.
For Manicheans, the universe was ruled by a Lord of Light and a
Lord of Darkness, who fought continuously for supremacy. All that
was good was a gift from the Lord of Light, and all that was evil
was an affliction visited by the Lord of Darkness. This dualism
extended to cosmogony and ethics, splitting the universe into a
spiritual realm that acted on the goodness of the human soul and a
material realm that abetted the evil of the human body. These stark
oppositions mask a remarkable degree of doctrinal and liturgical
complexity, the details of which have been obscured by centuries of
suppression and persecution, first by the Christian church, then by
Islam.
One of the world's foremost experts on ancient religions, Michel
Tardieu examines the fragmentary sources that have come down to us,
pieces together the life and teachings of the prophet Mani (the
itinerant Persian preacher and founder of this long lost faith),
illuminates Manichaeism's ecclesiastical hierarchy and distinctive
moral code, and investigates its ideas about the pre-life and
afterlife. "Manichaeism" provides a brilliantly compact survey of
what was once one of the world's great faiths, and then became one
of its great heresies, surviving now only as a shadowy presence
haunting the religions that superseded it.
General
Imprint: |
University of Illinois Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
February 2009 |
First published: |
February 2009 |
Authors: |
Michel Tardieu
|
Translators: |
Malcolm DeBevoise
|
Dimensions: |
218 x 149 x 17mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
113 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-252-03278-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-252-03278-0 |
Barcode: |
9780252032783 |
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