Mani the Prophet Who Challenged Empires From Rome to China

Before Zoroastrianism became the state religion of the Sassanian Empire under Kartir, a different faith nearly won Persia. This episode follows Mani, the third-century prophet who wove together elements of Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism into a dualistic religion that spread from the Mediterranean to the Silk Road. We explore Mani's early life in Babylonian Mesopotamia, his claim to be the final seal of the prophets, and his mission under Shapur I. We detail Mani's own writings—a scripture of stunning beauty—and the rapid expansion of Manichaeism through merchants and missionaries. We then explain the falling-out with Kartir and Bahram I, Mani's imprisonment and death in Gundeshapur, and the brutal persecution that followed. The episode covers Manichaeism's survival as a persecuted underground faith, its influence on Augustine, the medieval Paulicians, and the Uyghur Khaganate as a state religion. We address the contested sources: the Cologne Mani Codex and the Greek Mani Codex, and the deliberate destruction of Manichaean texts by Zoroastrian and Christian authorities. A story of a prophet, a world religion, and the empires that tried to erase it. #Mani #Manichaeism #SassanianEmpire #ShapurI #Kartir #Gundeshapur #Zoroastrianism #CologneManiCodex #SilkRoad #UyghurKhaganate #BahramI #Ctesiphon #ThirdCentury #WorldReligion #History #FexingoHistory #ReligiousPersecution #Dualism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo