Manichaeism was a false religious system that began in the third century. It was founded by Mani (216-217 A.D.), who was born in Ctesiphon, Mesopotamia. It proposed dualism and taught that nature consists of good and bad, light and dark.  It is theistic in that it teaches god’s existence (but not the God of the Bible) and that an evil power, the devil, equally opposes god.  It borrowed from Christian themes and terminology but combined them with other concepts out of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.  It was a popular religious movement for centuries. “At its height, the religion claimed followers from North Africa to China.”¹https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Manichaeism

“Manichaean theology may be described as a consistent Gnostic dualism. It posits two opposing forces in the universe, which were originally separate and totally antagonistic to one another both essentially and existentially. Mani called these two governing principles God and Hyle (matter) and thought them to be expressed in the universe by darkness and light.  The boundaries between the realms of darkness and light were breached, however, with the result that the whole world, including all humanity, became filled with a mingling of the two principles.”
Bromiley, Geoffrey W., ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988

Doctrines of Manichaeism

1. Two Principles – In the past, there existed two principles, one that was good and another that was bad.
2. Good Principle – Exists within the Kingdom of Light with a fourfold majesty: divinity, light, power, and goodness.
3. Good Principle – Surrounded by “at least 156 peace-loving hypostases: twelve Aeons (in three groups of four each) and 144 Aeons of Aeons. The Kingdom of Light is constructed of five elements (stoicheia: air, wind, light, water, and fire) and contains five peaceful “dwellings” (intelligence, knowledge, reason, thought, and deliberation).” ²Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, John David Pleins, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
4. Evil Principle – “inhabitants of the Kingdom of Darkness are ruled by five evil archons (demon, lion, eagle, fish, and dragon) who are in constant opposition to each other and who, collectively, make up the hellish Prince of Darkness. They are sexually preoccupied, controlled by unreined passions, and dwell in an ominous netherworld of smoke, fire, wind, water, and darkness. The two kingdoms are completely distinct yet eternally coexistent.”³Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, John David Pleins, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

More on Manichaeism

Manichaeists were divided into two classes, the elect, and the hearers. The “elect” were monks and nuns. The “hearers” supported the elect.  They advocated peace and purity and separated themselves from worldly activities, including sexual immorality and meat consumption.

There’s a great deal of literature that has survived the Manichaeism movement, including theological writings and Psalms.

Conclusion on Manichaeism

Manichaeism was a non-Christian false religious system that blended Gnostic principles with Christian themes.  Its dualistic theological premise is not only unbiblical but illogical. Cross-examination of such a theological premise could easily undermine the idea that a dualistic system of equal power can eternally exist. How then can universals be grounded in a dualistic world with opposing powerful beings/concepts?

It is beyond the scope of this article to get into those problems, but the fact is, it violates biblical theology and is therefore false.