5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 20 pagesAbout this book
What does a faith sound like when its believers, rather than its enemies, tell its story?
Manichaean Homilies gathers sermons composed by followers of Mani, not by the prophet himself. These preachers remember his life, teaching and death, and speak of a universe divided between Light and Darkness. Their words bring you inside a community that understands spiritual life as a struggle with cosmic stakes.
The collection includes the Homily on the Crucifixion, which recounts Mani’s suffering and death, and the Homily on the Great War, which explores conflict and the promised release of Light. Preserved in a damaged Coptic manuscript, these fragmentary sermons offer laments, visions and teachings rather than a continuous story.
What you’ll discover
- Light against Darkness Explore how believers understand the soul through a cosmic struggle between two opposing natures.
- Mani remembered by followers Encounter a community’s account of its founder’s imprisonment, suffering and death in Persian custody.
- The Great War Follow a sermon that connects cosmic conflict with the believer’s place within it.
- A community with rules Discover the Elect and the Hearers, and the strict demands placed on the Elect.
- Believers speak for themselves Read teachings from within a faith long known chiefly through the writings of its opponents.
Who will love it
For readers curious about early Christianity, Gnosticism and the religions of the ancient Near East, and anyone who wants to explore Manichaeism through its believers’ sermons on light, darkness and spiritual warfare.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Manuscripts recovered from several places
- Mani, a prophet raised in Babylonia
- Two natures and the return of light
- The sermons connect cosmic conflict and everyday faith
- A church of the Elect and the Hearers
- Why the Homilies stand outside the Bibles
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 5 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 20 pages: USD 5.95 when you start free, USD 5.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 28 pages: USD 6.95 when you start free, USD 6.95 on its own.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Manichaean Homilies
by Attributed to the prophet Mani
Mani’s followers preach of light trapped in matter and the cosmic struggle to free it.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Manichaean Homilies is a book of sermons from the church founded by the prophet Mani, who lived in the third century in the Persian empire. It survives in manuscripts from several places and in several languages.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Manuscripts recovered from several places
The Homilies draw on manuscripts from several places. Among the discoveries described in the book is a collection of Coptic texts found at Medinet Madi in Egypt in the late 1920s. The books were written in Coptic, the last stage of the Egyptian language, which Christians in Egypt used for their own scriptures. The Homilies were edited by the scholar Hans Jakob Polotsky in the 1930s.
The volume includes Coptic sources from Egypt alongside texts in Middle Persian, Parthian and Sogdian. That detail matters. It shows that Manichaeism had put down roots in the Nile valley, far from Mani's homeland in Babylonia.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 5 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
- Paperback
- Light and easy to carry. A real book for the bedside table and the beach.
- Large print paperback
- Bigger, clearer type. Easy on the eyes for long evenings and for reading aloud.
See the type size
Pick a size and read a line at that size. Hold your phone at reading distance.
Mani’s followers preach of light trapped in matter and the cosmic struggle to free it.
Shown close to the printed size on most screens.
Details
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 20 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 28 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Thu 12 Nov to Wed 18 Novto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Mani. Manichaean Homilies. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-homilies.
Mani. (2026). Manichaean homilies. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-homilies
Mani. Manichaean Homilies. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-homilies.
@book{mani2026manichaean,
author = {Mani},
title = {Manichaean Homilies},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-manichaean-homilies}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Manichaean Homilies
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 5.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 5.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What are the Manichaean Homilies?
The sermons offer teaching and guidance to their congregations in the voice of the pulpit.
Did Mani write the Manichaean Homilies?
No. Scholars understand the sermons as the work of his followers, who preached to Manichaean communities. The Coptic text is probably translated from an earlier Syriac or Aramaic original.
Who was Mani?
Mani was a prophet born in Babylonia in the third century. He taught that he was the last of a line of messengers that included Buddha, Zoroaster and Jesus. He died in Persian custody in the 270s.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
