Manichaeism

A strange thought struck me this week while reading Frances Wood’s The Silk Road.  It seems to me like Manichaeism is almost a perfect example of the Silk Road.  Originating around the beginning of the 3rd century CE Manichaesim was a dualistic religion.  Mani, the founding father, preached about the fight between light and darkness, good and evil.  Although his ideas were powerful and influential, they were not entirely new.

That last statement isn’t exactly fair, or true, unless further discussed.  Mani admittedly brought together aspects of early Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, however,  the resulting doctrine of Faith was altogether unique.  It is for this reason that I think that Manichaeism lends itself to be an example or symbol for the Silk Road.

The borrowing and blending of styles is a classic motif for Silk Road art, religion, architecture ect.  Similarly, early Islam was also much influenced by its Jewish and Christian cousins.  Manichaeism differs in the fact that it does not claim a monotheistic belief.  It relies more heavily upon the Buddhist teachings.   There is even a small excerpt from our text which explains how there is one temple where people go and worship Buddha.  It appears, however, that the temple is  NOT decorated with images of Buddha but images of the Prophet Mani instead.

Manichaeism reached its peak between the 3rd and 7th centuries CE and has since reduced dramatically.  This may or may not have to do with the strict vow abstinence for the elite.   Im not too convinced that would be enough to stop what was once the most widely spread world religion.  I lean more towards the fact that they were strict vegetarians.

‘Neither have I cast it into the oven, another hath brough me this and I have eaten it without guilt’

(Unfortunately for me, this brings to mind a scene from Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.  There is a blind date scene where Hugh’s date cannot eat fruits or vegetables that have been forcibly removed from the earth, only those that have ‘died’ and fallen.  She was not Manichaen, and there was not a second date)

I don’t think that this is an exact representation of Manichaeism, but the suggestion that the one who takes and cooks the vegetables is therefore  guilty, is implied.

Much of what we read this week also discussed the Sogdians.  They too traveled all over the Silk Road.  They were known for their trade, respected in office and eventually their language became that of the Silk Road.  I purpose that these two stories parallel each other, in the sence that both the Sogdains and the Manichaens saw success and growth as the result of the Silk Road and its  many facets.

Anyways, that is what I found interesting this week

Below you should see a small map depicting the spread of Manichaeism

huh?

Ok, so it’s time to start blog number two and Im being a little tardy.

To start off, this week we were asked to read ‘ Selections from the Han Narrative Histories’ and see if they correspond what we consider historical writing and if these two things go together.  I have to admit I’ve never given much thought to what I consider historical writing.  Is it something that just drolls on or is it meant to engage a reader.  Does it require arguments and explanations…or can it just list off endless facts.

I think it would be nice if it engages the reader and developed it thoughts, but to be honest I don’t think either is a technical requirement when it comes to the definition of ‘historical writing’.  Now, I don’t want to imply that I found the Han Narrative Histories dull and exact.  Im just trying to work out what Im supposed to be dissecting in this blog.

All in all I would definitely argue that what I read this week fell into the genre of Historical Writing.  I enjoyed reading excerpts from old letters and writings.  Quotes from people dead over a thousand years, learning of their superstitions, beliefs and hardships.  However, at times I also became quite lost.  Names of cities and Emperors that I can hardly wrap my mind around let alone my tongue.  There could be an Emperor from one region whose life span  overlapped two Emperors from another region, who may have overlapped  two more each somewhere else, and BAM I right back to where I started.  Sitting at a computer with countless tabs opened up on the internet trying to wiki this person and that, maps from my text book on the bed beside me.

I would say that I feel much more comfortable talking about chpt 4 from Frances Wood’s The Silk Road.   All the myths, wars and beliefs that surrounded the beautiful unearthly horses is what really interested me.  Wars were fought, and people killed over these horses.  Was it because they would give advantage in battle?  Was it because they were so surreal that they sweated blood and were somehow related to dragons? Or did the Emperors really believe that these horses would carry them into the land of Immortals?  All of these things seem so fantastic and surreal.  However, the repercussions were real.  People died.  Is this the stuff that makes up the history of the world?  Most likely.  No one can really deny that their history is so much more advanced than everyone elses.  It should be interesting though, to see the role that beliefs rather than facts played a role in that making of the history of the silk road.  After all, is that not what Religion is, a belief system.  This description of the horses is but a small example of the significance beliefs really do play.  Whether it is positive or negative isn’t for me or this course to decide.