import React, { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from “react”; import { BookOpen, Scroll, Sun, Moon, Feather, Library, Landmark, Mail, Calendar, Quote, Sparkles, ShieldCheck, FileText, ArrowUp } from “lucide-react”; // Single-file, responsive landing page for “The Manichaean Faith” // TailwindCSS preferred. Keep everything self-contained for easy export to any framework. // Scholarly tone; content is concise, historically grounded, and non-sectarian. const navItems = [ { id: “about”, label: “About” }, { id: “teachings”, label: “Teachings” }, { id: “scriptures”, label: “Primary Texts” }, { id: “history”, label: “History” }, { id: “resources”, label: “Resources” }, { id: “community”, label: “Community” }, { id: “contact”, label: “Contact” }, ]; const articles = [ { title: “Who Was Mani? Sources and Context”, abstract: “A concise profile of Mani (c. 216–276 CE), situating his movement within Late Antique Iran and the Near East, with attention to syncretic currents and imperial patronage.”, tags: [“Biography”, “Late Antiquity”], date: “2025-08-23”, }, { title: “Light and Mixture: A Primer on Manichaean Cosmology”, abstract: “Introducing the dual-aspect cosmology of Light and Darkness, the doctrine of mixture, and the ethical implications for daily practice.”, tags: [“Cosmology”, “Doctrine”], date: “2025-08-23”, }, { title: “Textual Witnesses: Kephalaia, Shabuhragan, and Beyond”, abstract: “Survey of key Manichaean texts across languages (Coptic, Middle Persian, Parthian, Syriac, Sogdian, Chinese) and what they reveal about transmission.”, tags: [“Texts”, “Philology”], date: “2025-08-23”, }, ]; export default function ManichaeanFaithSite() { const [dark, setDark] = useState(true); const [email, setEmail] = useState(“”); const [message, setMessage] = useState(“”); const [showToTop, setShowToTop] = useState(false); useEffect(() => { const root = document.documentElement; if (dark) root.classList.add(“dark”); else root.classList.remove(“dark”); }, [dark]); useEffect(() => { const onScroll = () => setShowToTop(window.scrollY > 600); window.addEventListener(“scroll”, onScroll); return () => window.removeEventListener(“scroll”, onScroll); }, []); const year = useMemo(() => new Date().getFullYear(), []); return (
{/* Top Banner */}
The Manichaean Faith
Library
{/* Hero */}
Scholarly, historically grounded, open to all

Light in Mixture, Wisdom in Practice

The Manichaean Faith explores the teachings of Mani (3rd c. CE) and the living study of Manichaean texts, history, and ethics. We present reliable introductions, primary sources, and contemporary reflections for seekers, students, and scholars alike.

“Wherever truth appears, there Light is gathered; wherever Light is gathered, there truth is discerned.”
{/* About */}

The Manichaean Faith is a non-sectarian initiative dedicated to the study and careful presentation of Manichaeism—an historically global tradition founded by Mani in the 3rd century CE. We provide accessible primers, curated bibliographies, and pathways to primary texts in translation. Our approach is scholarly and invitational: readers from any background may explore without prior expertise.

{/* Teachings */}
{/* Primary Texts */}
  • Kephalaia (Coptic collections of Mani’s teachings)
  • Shabuhragan (Middle Persian treatise dedicated to Shapur I)
  • Cologne Mani Codex (Greek biography fragments)
  • Hymns and Homilies (Coptic, Parthian, Sogdian), Chinese sutra-style texts
  • Greco-Roman and Islamic-era testimonies that preserve quotations and reports
{articles.map((a, i) => (
{a.date}

{a.title}

{a.abstract}

{a.tags.map((t) => ( {t} ))}
))}
{/* History */}

Originating in Sasanian Iran, Manichaeism spread along trade routes from Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire and across Central Asia to China. Surviving materials in multiple languages attest to its adaptability and intellectual breadth. Though often depicted through the lens of opponents, contemporary study increasingly privileges primary sources and material culture.

{/* Resources */}

Getting Started

A curated orientation: brief history, glossary, map, and a reading plan introducing major texts in translation.

Request the starter packet

Library & Bibliography

Annotated bibliographies and links to reputable editions, translations, and museum collections with Manichaean artefacts.

Ask for the latest bibliography
{/* Community */}

We host periodic reading circles and seminars online. Beginners are welcome. Join the mailing list below for invitations and occasional updates. We maintain a code of conduct centred on dignity, curiosity, and rigorous conversation.

{ e.preventDefault(); if (!email || !/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email)) { alert(“Please enter a valid email address.”); return; } alert(“Thanks! You are on the list.”); setEmail(“”); }} > setEmail(e.target.value)} placeholder=”Your email” className=”px-4 py-2 rounded-xl border border-zinc-300 dark:border-zinc-700 bg-white/70 dark:bg-zinc-900/70″ />
{/* Contact */}

Send a message or request a bibliography packet. We welcome collaboration with scholars, translators, and educators.

{ e.preventDefault(); if (!message.trim()) { alert(“Please enter a message.”); return; } alert(“Message received. We’ll be in touch.”); setMessage(“”); }} >