{"product_id":"the-prophet-of-light-adam-langweiler-9798274310604","title":"The Prophet of Light: The Rise and Disappearance of Manichaeism, the Forgotten World Religion","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA prophet executed. A global religion forgotten. A mystery rediscovered.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Prophet of Light: The Rise and Disappearance of Manichaeism, the Forgotten World Religion\u003c\/i\u003e, historian \u003cb\u003eAdam Langweiler\u003c\/b\u003e uncovers the extraordinary true story of \u003cb\u003eMani\u003c\/b\u003e, the 3rd-century Persian visionary whose universalist faith once stretched from North Africa to China-only to be hunted, outlawed, and almost completely erased.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor over a thousand years, Manichaeism was one of the most widespread and influential religions on Earth, rivaling early Christianity and Buddhism in reach, complexity, and ambition. Its followers included emperors, merchants, monks, and scholars. Its scriptures were translated into a dozen languages. Its art adorned temples from Egypt to Mongolia. And its final prophet, Mani, dared to weave together the wisdom of East and West into a single, borderless faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen it vanished.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on recent archaeological discoveries, long-lost manuscripts, Chinese imperial records, Roman edicts, and Middle Persian inscriptions, Langweiler reveals: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe dramatic life and imprisonment of Mani\u003c\/b\u003e, whose teachings threatened the power of empires.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow Manichaean missionaries crossed deserts, mountains, and imperial borders\u003c\/b\u003e, spreading the Religion of Light along the Silk Road.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy Rome, Persia, and later the Islamic world feared and suppressed the faith\u003c\/b\u003e with remarkable persistence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the religion survived for centuries in Egypt, Central Asia, and China\u003c\/b\u003e before dissolving into history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe astonishing modern rediscovery\u003c\/b\u003e of Manichaean texts and art buried in desert sands for a millennium.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe quiet but enduring legacy\u003c\/b\u003e of Mani's ideas in modern philosophy, politics, literature, and global religious thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eEpic in scope and grounded in rigorous scholarship, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophet of Light\u003c\/i\u003e is both a historical investigation and a meditation on the fragility of great ideas. It brings to life the rise and fall of a religion that once connected continents-only to be forgotten until our own time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfect for readers of Yuval Noah Harari, Tom Holland, Bart D. Ehrman, and Peter Frankopan\u003c\/b\u003e, this book illuminates one of the most remarkable stories in world history: \u003cbr\u003ehow a faith could spread across the known world-\u003cbr\u003eshape the cultures of three empires-\u003cbr\u003eand still disappear almost without a trace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA lost religion. A rediscovered past.\u003cbr\u003eA story that challenges everything we think we know about history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Adam Langweiler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798274310604\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/13\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 92\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.31lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.19d","brand":"Adam Langweiler","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48443052753151,"sku":"9798274310604","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_62ecce11-d2ef-4b21-8499-50679e0f7278.jpg?v=1777201535","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-prophet-of-light-adam-langweiler-9798274310604","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}