Manichaeism

Manichaeism or Manicheism - pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, MA-ni-kee-izm, IPA: /'mæ nɪ kiː ,ɪzm/ - is the system of religious beliefs taught by the Persian prophet Mani (c216-276CE) - pronounced with a long 'a', MAH-ni IPA: /'mɑː nɪ/. An adherent of Manichaeism is called a Manichee - pronounced MA-ni-kee, IPA: /'mæ nɪ kiː/.

Manichaeism is an eclectic system of beliefs combining elements from Zoroastrianism (the official religion of the Persian state into which Mani was born), Christianity, Buddhism, and Gnosticism. Like Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism, it is a 'dualist' system, holding that the universe is a theatre of war between two opposed forces or principles, the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness; that this conflict between Good and Evil is a fundamental fact of human life; and that it is the duty of the individual human being to ensure in his or her own life the triumph of Good over Evil.

Mani himself incurred the hatred of the Zoroastrian hierarchy, was imprisoned, and crucified, but his system of religious beliefs, though regarded as heretical by both Zoroastrianism and Christianity, spread from Persia eastwards as far as India and China and westwards as far as France and Spain. In particular, many Christians in North Africa had Manichaean sympathies, and St. Augustine of Hippo as a young man was a Manichee for nine years before his conversion to orthodox Christianity.

The adjective 'Manichaean' is nowadays sometimes used, without specific reference to the system of beliefs taught by Mani, to characterise any outlook or attitude which views a situation as involving a fundamental conflict between good and evil - usually with the implicit criticism that this Manichaean view is an oversimplification of the situation.