World Religions: Manichaeism

The International Association of Manichaean Studies (IAMS) is a scholary, non-profit association formed in 1989 to encourage and promote research on Manichaeism in all its many aspects and its relationship with other religious and philosophical currents

As classical Gnosticism was waning, another Gnostic movement developed under the inspiration of the Prophet Mani. The Manichaean movement became a true world religion, spreading to Europe, Central Asia and China; it survived as a living religion in the Orient up until the present century. Though once anathematized and little understood, the discovery of several ancient documents during the last century, including large collections of Manichaean texts in Central Asia, has stimulated a new study and understanding of one of Gnosticism's most important representatives.

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