Manichean Writings

Saint Aurelius Augustine is very familiar with Mani's teachings. Augustine was a Manichean for much of his life. Mani was a Middle Eastern religious man arriving about 200 years after Jesus. Mani preached a heterodox philosophy combining various ideas from Near East faiths, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. Mani wrote that the material world is a dark prison created by an evil god and that human souls are divine and are actually light-beings created by a good God whose kingdom is Heaven. Mani says he is God's prophet and wants to help you. Mani wrote that our souls suffer because of ignorance and materialism and need God's salvation and God's knowledge to return back to Heaven. Mani's religion accounts for Jesus Christ, Yahweh, and Zoroastrianism in very different ways. Mani proposes non-attachment to life on Earth and says that ordinary life is sinful. In his autobiographical Confessions, Augustine details how Roman Manichaeism severely impacted his learning and influenced many decisions along the way as he matured in life. Almost all of Mani's original writings are lost, but ordinary life can still feel like a prison with plenty of sin to go around. You can learn about Manichaeism, and how Augustine corrected it to true Christian teachings, by reading this book. Augustine provides detailed answers to Mani's faith and faith-type questions. The heart of a Saint is in these pages with a passion to save souls. This book has been carefully and lovingly edited by Alan Lewis Silva.