The Bible and Beyond Podcast Episode
Was Ancient Manichaeism Christian?
An Interview with Dr. Jason BeDuhn
Dr. Jason BeDuhn with a digital image of a page from the Chester Beatty Kephalaia, a late 4th/early 5th century Coptic Manichaean text.
Dr. Jason BeDuhn, an expert on Manichaeism, takes us into the ancient world where Mani was a leader of early Jesus followers in the East, before the fourth century Council of Nicea. He paints an intriguing picture of Mani’s interpretation of Jesus’s teachings and how Christianity might have been different if he hadn’t lost the competition with other leaders from the West. Mani’s followers saw his willingness to sacrifice for others parallel to Jesus’s martyrdom.
Dr. Jason BeDuhn is a professor of Comparative Study of Religions and Asian Studies at Northern Arizona University and chairs the university’s Liberal Studies Committee. He is editor of the Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies with Brill Publishers, and he co-chairs Westar Institute’s Christianity Seminar. BeDuhn is a Guggenheim Fellow and National Humanities Center Fellow. He won the “Best First Book” award for his book, The Manichaean Body published in 2000, and more recently he authored The First New Testament: Marcion’s Scriptural Canon (2013).
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So very very interesting! I rather like the way Mani was thinking
Yes! I loved learning more about Manichaeism and Mani. Thank you, Jason, for sharing your expertise. Could you or someone else in the group recommend a particular book on Manichaeism? Would love to learn more…
Fascinating interview! Thank you, Shirley and Jason.
Hi Cathryn, There are a couple of introductory books on Manichaeism that are good on facts, even though they struggle to capture the spirit of the religion: Michel Tardieu, Manichaeism (University of Illinois Press, 2008); Nicholas Baker-Brian, Manichaeism (T&T Clark, 2011). Also a good study of a central topic related to my discussion with Shirley: Majella Franzmann, Jesus in the Manichaean Writings (T&T Clark, 2003). You could also pick through my Academia.edu webpage for things of interest. Enjoy!
Thank you, Jason, not only for the very helpful podcast interview, but guiding us to some interesting resources to follow up.
For readers of these comments, here is a little more information on these resources from Jason:
Majella Franzmann, Jesus in the Manichaean Writings (T&T Clark, 2003). $388
Michel Tardieu, Manichaeism, (University of Illinois, 2009). $40
Nicholas Baker-Brian, Manichaeism: An Ancient Faith Rediscovered, (T&T Clark, 2011). $32
If you have an account with academia.edu, you can find Jason’s many articles. One that I find most helpful and in line with his discussion in this podcast is this one:
BeDuhn, Jason (2005) “The Leap of the Soul in Manichaeism” from a conference in Napoli (2001) “Il Manicheismo: Nuove Prospettive Delia Richerca.” You can look up his name and this article on academia.edu. Or, if you prefer, here is the link on academia.edu:
https://www.academia.edu/34854104/The_Leap_of_the_Soul_in_Manichaeism
Thank you Jason and Shirley for the helpful follow-up!