Manichaeism facts for kids
Manichaeism (in Modern Persian [آیین مانی] Error: {{Lang}}: script: arab not supported for code: fa (help) Āyin e Māni) was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions. Originally it came from Sassanid Persia. Most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani (Syriac, ܡܐܢܝ, c. AD 210–276) have been lost, but many translations and fragmentary texts have survived. Manichaeism was big between the third and seventh centuries. At its height it was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as China and as far west as the Roman Empire. Manichaeism appears to have died out before the sixteenth century in southern China.
The original six sacred books of Manichaeism were written in Syriac Aramaic. They were soon translated into other languages to help spread the religion. As they spread to the east, the Manichaean writings passed through Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and ultimately Uyghur and Chinese translations. As they spread to the west, they were translated into Greek, Coptic, and Latin. The spread and success of Manichaeism were seen as a threat to other religions, and it was widely persecuted in Christian, Zoroastrian, and later, Islamic areas.
Images for kids
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Yuan Chinese silk painting Mani's Birth.
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Akshobhya in the Abhirati with the Cross of Light, a symbol of Manichaeism.
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Augustine of Hippo was once a Manichaean.
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Uyghur Manichaean clergymen, wall painting from the Khocho ruins, 10th/11th century CE. Located in the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Humboldt Forum, Berlin.
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Worship of the Tree of Life in the World of Light; a Manichaean picture from the Bezeklik Caves
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An image of the Buddha as one of the primary prophets on a Manichaean pictorial roll fragment from Chotscho, 10th century.
See also
In Spanish: Maniqueísmo para niños