Manichaeism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Manichaeism is a dualistic philosophy dividing the world between good and evil, or regarding matter as intrinsically evil and mind as intrinsically good.
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Theology
The most striking principle of Manichaean theology is its dualism. Mani postulated two natures that existed from the beginning: light and darkness. The realm of light lived in peace, while the realm of darkness was in constant conflict with itself. The universe is the temporary result of an attack from the realm of darkness on the realm of light, and was created by the Living Spirit, an emanation of the light realm, out of the mixture of light and darkness.
A key belief in Manichaeism is that there is no omnipotent good power. This claim addresses a theoretical part of the problem of evil by denying the infinite perfection of God and postulating the two equal and opposite powers mentioned previously. The human person is seen as a battleground for these powers: the good part is the soul (which is composed of light) and the bad part is the body (composed of dark earth). The soul defines the person and is incorruptible, but it is under the domination of a foreign power, which addressed the practical part of The Problem of Evil. Humans are said to be able to be saved from this power (matter) if they come to know who they are and identify themselves with their soul.
See also
Manichaean Figures
- Mani (prophet)
- Mar Ammo (third century)
- Mar Zaku (third century)
- Pattig (third century)
- Faustus of Mileve (fourth century)
- Agapius (Manichaean) (fourth or fifth centuries)
- Abū Hilāl al-Dayhūri (eighth century)
Gnostic and early Christian
Persian
Other