A tightly woven network of leaders and lay followers kept Manichaean communities running like clockwork across three continents. At the very top sat the Archegos, typically based in Ctesiphon, who steered doctrine and diplomatic ties. Below that, regional bishops oversaw provinces from North Africa to Central Asia, adapting Persian-rooted traditions to local cultures.

Day-to-day life revolved around two main groups: • Elect (the “Chosen”): Celibate ascetics who embraced strict vegetarianism and obedience. They led ritual prayers, preserved sacred texts (many of which turned up in Turfan’s desert sands), and provided spiritual guidance.
• Hearers (the “Believers”): Lay followers who maintained families and livelihoods, offering food, clothing, and shelter to the Elect. In return, they received moral instruction and access to communal worship.

Between these poles were teachers and missionaries charged with translating sacred writings into Syriac, Coptic or Sogdian—efforts that echo today’s globalized faith translations. Assemblies met regularly in house-churches or public “Prayer Halls,” fostering a sense of fellowship not unlike modern interfaith dialogues at international conferences.

Local bishops played dual roles: pastoral care and administrative oversight. They collected alms, organized charitable relief during famines, and adjudicated disputes over ritual purity. A council of seven bishops formed the inner circle beneath the Archegos, setting policy on liturgical calendars and doctrinal disputes—much like the synods of other major religions.

This layered system held firm despite waves of persecution, whether under Roman edicts or later Islamic rulers. Today’s scholars at institutions like SOAS or the University of Freiburg pore over Manichaean letters for fresh insight into community life, proving that even vanished traditions have plenty to teach about governance, devotion and cultural exchange.