The Ancient Manichaean Religion
Details
EXISTENTIALIST MEETUP - Melbourne, Australia.
Our monthly online Meetup presentation on the History of Religion.
The presentations are followed by questions, comments and discussion.
All viewpoints welcome.
Early Religion: An Alternative History.
What do the historians and archaeologists think of the veracity of religious legends? Legends are an amalgamation of history and mythology. But how much of each?
"THE ANCIENT MANICHAEAN RELIGION."
In the Manichaean religion "Evil" had the overwhelming power. Nevertheless, Goodness was treasured by the Manichaeans as love, compassion, kindness and gentleness. Consequently, "power" itself was seen as evil.
Therefore the Manichaeans viewed the all-powerful gods (Almighty, Omnipotent) as the embodiment of Evil. No wonder the Empires hated them.
We will be investigating Prof. Hans Jonas' attempt to construct a consistent ongoing narrative of the Manichaean religion's intricate mythological story out of the diverse versions of this "heresy" which were presented in the anti-heretical writings of the Church Fathers, as well as in other sources.
Hans Jonas' book: "The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity".
David Miller will present the topic and lead the discussion.
See his introduction to the topic in the 'Comments' section, below.
Wikipedia's entry on Manichaeism
The Zoom link will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 896 3835 4064 - - Passcode: 249548
The Ancient Manichaean Religion