The Bible and Beyond
The Bible and Beyond
Early Christian Texts
Ancient Manichaeism: An Example of the Christian Insider-Outsider Debate
28 minutes Posted Sep 7, 2022 at 5:26 am.
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Scholar Jae Han describes the ancient Manichaean Christian religion as an outsider in the minds of Roman western Christians because it originated in Persia. Manichaeans considered themselves Christian, but heresiologists called them “Manichaeans.” In the same vein, Manichaeans called Catholic Christians “Jews.” From a Western perspective, if any religion originated in the East, it can’t be truly Christian. It was unnatural for Westerners (Romans) to consider a religion Christian if it originated in the East.