The Cosmic Polity of Ancient Manichaeism

In considering Mani's Epistles, the Cologne Mani Codex, the Kephalaia of the Teacher, and the Chapter of the Wisdom of My Lord Mani, this article proposes that third- and fourth-century formative Manichaeism maps on to the development of a cosmic polity. Choreographed ritual activity around shared mythological narratives, articulated by personal revelations, connected humans (the Elect and the Hearers) and metahumans (unseen, otherworldly entities) in a larger, exemplary Manichaean community. Reconceptualisations of the enchanted universe construed as an immanentist cosmic polity (Sahlins 2022) and of emerging spiritual paths in conjunction with revelatory events (Taves 2016) substantiate the methodological novelty of this analysis.