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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 20 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 28 pagesAbout this book
What does hope sound like when a community believes its soul is light trapped in darkness?
The Manichaean Psalm-Book gathers hymns, prayers and psalms from followers of Mani, the founder of Manichaeism. Preserved in Coptic, these communal songs praise Jesus, Mani and the Light. They give voice to believers whose own writings are largely lost, letting you encounter their faith through devotion rather than the accounts of its opponents.
At their heart lies a struggle between Light and Darkness. According to Manichaean teaching, living light is trapped in the physical world, and the soul longs for release. Songs for worship, festivals and mourning turn this vast religious vision into intimate poetry: praise, anguish and the hope of returning to a divine home.
What you’ll discover
- Light against darkness Explore hymns shaped by the Manichaean belief in two eternal, opposing natures.
- The soul's longing Encounter poetry that gives the desire for spiritual freedom an urgent, personal voice.
- Praise for Jesus and Mani Discover how these songs honor Jesus and Mani as guides toward the soul's release.
- Songs for shared devotion Read prayers and psalms used in daily worship, festivals and rituals of mourning.
- A community speaks Hear believers express their own hopes through repeated praise and deeply felt appeals.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love ancient poetry, comparative religion, and the history of the Silk Road and late Rome, and for anyone curious about how people sang of the soul, exile and home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Mani gathers the world's faiths into one
- Two eternal realms stand at the start
- The Primal Man falls and the rescue begins
- Every person is both prisoner and prison
- Two tiers of believers sing different songs
- The Coptic collection and the empty throne
- Persecuted, buried and still singing
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Manichaean Psalm-Book
by Attributed to the prophet Mani
Hidden in Egyptian sand for centuries, hymns of Light and Darkness let a persecuted faith sing for itself.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEspañol
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In short
Picture a hall in the fourth century, lit by lamps. Men and women have gathered to sing hymns about a universe torn between Light and Darkness.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Mani gathers the world's faiths into one
The psalms rest on the life of one man. Mani is born in 216 in Babylonia, in a Jewish-Christian baptising sect called the Elchasaites. He is also a painter and a poet, and he will pass both gifts on to his church.
From childhood, Mani says, a divine being speaks to him. He calls this being his Twin, a heavenly counterpart. The Twin reveals the truths of the cosmos and commissions him to preach a new universal religion.
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Details
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- 20 pages · 6 × 9 in
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- 28 pages · 6 × 9 in
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Cite this edition
Mani. Manichaean Psalm-Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-psalm-book.
Mani. (2026). Manichaean psalm-book. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-psalm-book
Mani. Manichaean Psalm-Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-psalm-book.
@book{mani2026manichaean,
author = {Mani},
title = {Manichaean Psalm-Book},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-psalm-book}
}
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What is the Manichaean Psalm-Book?
It is a collection of hymns sung by Manichaeans, followers of the prophet Mani. The best-known version is in Coptic and was found in Egypt in 1929. It includes psalms of the Bema festival, psalms of Thomas and psalms of the wandering soul.
What did the Manichaeans believe about Light and Darkness?
They taught that two uncreated realms, Light and Darkness, existed from the start. Darkness invaded the Light, and particles of divine Light were imprisoned in matter. The universe, they held, was built to rescue that Light and return it home.
What is the Bema festival in the psalms?
The Bema was the most important yearly celebration of the Manichaeans. It remembered the death and ascension of Mani. A raised throne stood empty during the ceremony, standing for Mani's spiritual presence, while the community sang the Bema psalms around it.
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