Manichaeism

British  

/ ˈmænɪkiːˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the system of religious doctrines, including elements of Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism, etc, taught by the Persian prophet Mani about the 3rd century _ad . It was based on a supposed primordial conflict between light and darkness or goodness and evil

2. RC Church any similar heretical philosophy involving a radical dualism

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Other Word Forms

• Manichee
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of Manichaeism

C14: from Late Latin Manichaeus, from Late Greek Manikhaios of Mani

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Manichaeism

There’s an old religion called Manichaeism, which had this idea of basically light versus the dark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Manichaeism was the chief competitor of Catholic Christianity in Late Antiquity until the arrival of Islam.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

That was during the reign of Tengri Bögü Qaghan, a Uyghur monarch who converted to Manichaeism, a religion that views existence as an epic struggle between good and evil.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 13, 2023

And so the show’s refusal to give in to the Manichaeism that animates most fantasy stories is both refreshing and crushing.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2015

The debt of Manichaeism and various Gnostic sects is more certain and more considerable, but these communities have not endured and were regarded as heretical while they lasted.

From Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 1 by Sir Charles Eliot

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