Mani was a Persian religious teacher and prophet, born in Mesopotamia, who became the founding figure and central authority of Manichaeism. From an early age he was said to receive revelations from a divine “Twin” or *Syzygos*, experiences that convinced him he had been called to a unique prophetic mission. He presented himself as the final prophet in a line that included Zoroaster, the Buddha, and Jesus, claiming to bring a universal and definitive revelation. In this way, his life and message were framed as the culmination and synthesis of earlier spiritual traditions rather than a mere break from them.

His role in shaping Manichaeism was comprehensive and deliberate. Mani personally composed the core Manichaean scriptures, writing and systematizing a strict dualistic cosmology centered on the eternal struggle between Light and Darkness. He organized a structured religious community with a clear hierarchy, distinguishing between the Elect and the Hearers, and he established patterns of teaching and discipline that defined Manichaean practice. Through extensive preaching and the dispatching of disciples along major trade routes, he oversaw the spread of this new faith across the Sasanian and Roman worlds and into various regions of Asia.

Mani’s synthesis drew together elements from Christianity, Gnostic currents, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism into a single, consciously universal religion. Within that synthesis, the path to liberation was portrayed as a journey of knowledge and discernment, guided by the recognition of the light imprisoned within the world of matter. His dualism was not merely a metaphysical scheme but a lens through which adherents interpreted their own inner conflicts and ethical choices. Even after his imprisonment and death in captivity, the religious movement he founded continued to carry his vision of a cosmic drama between Light and Darkness across cultures and centuries.