The Gardens of Light

The Gardens of Light tells the life story of Mani, painter, doctor, and prophet born in Mesopotamia-modern day Iraq-in the early third century of the Christian era. He advocated "The Gospel of Light"-a religious system which was a mixture of Gnostic Christian beliefs, ancient Persian Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and some pagan elements. This came to be known as Manichaeism and attracted vast numbers of disciples. The mystic exercised a powerful attraction over his disciples-rulers and scholars,...