MF CASR Lunch with Håkon F. Teigen

"The "Other" Church: Manichaeism and late antique religiosity"

In Mesopotamia, in the third century CE, there emerged a new religion that would confound, infuriate, and attract people across the Eurasian continent. Today it is often named Manichaeism after its founder, an ascetic visionary called Mani or Manichaios, ‘Apostle of Jesus Christ’. Mani preached an ongoing cosmic war between Light and Darkness and a strict ascetical regime and distinctive lifestyle, drawing on Indian and Persian as well as Judeo-Christian traditions.



The present talk surveys some new discoveries and publications of the last few decades pertaining to Manichaeism, with a particular emphasis on material from fourth- to fifth-century Egypt. It aims to show that these sources necessitate a re-evaluation of Manichaeism and its role in the late antique world.

Please join us in person at the MF Library, or watch on Zoom: https://mf-no.zoom.us/j/64105595003?pwd=S0JpdTIyT1dBcjRwTjg2YzVxdmVRQT09

Zoom Meeting ID: 641 0559 5003

Passcode: MFCASR