The Manichaean Body. In Discipline and Ritual

BeDuhn J.D.



Extinct since the 14th century, the ancient religion knowna as Manichaeism once extended from western Europe to China. No religious group posed as serious a threat to emerging Christianity as the Manichaeans, whose very name became a generic term for heretic. Scholars have previously emphasized the Manichaeans’ beliefs and myths. The author of this work shifts the focus to the Manichaeans themselves asking how members of this once-flourishing religious community practiced their beliefs on a day-to-day basis.