Mani was a prophet and the founder of a gnostic religion than became known as Manichaeism, a religion that was once widespread but it now extinct. He was born in around Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Assyria (modern-day Iraq).
He received visions at the ages of 12 and 24 telling him to leave his father's Jewish Christian sect and to teach the true message of Christ. From there he traveled to India and Afghanistan and may have been influenced by Buddhism. When he returned in 242 A.D. he became favoured by King Shapur, yet when Bahram succeeded to the throne everything changed, Bahram was a supporter of Zoroastrian movement and persecuted the Manichaeans, Mani was caught and put in prison and later crucified.
It is said that he wrote seven works, although none of these have survived in their complete form, they include the Mani-Codex and the Book of Giants. His teachings that have survived tell us that he believed that good and evil existed in a constant struggle. He believed that salvation was possible through education, self-denial, fasting and chastity. He claimed to be the last of the prophets, and followed the teachings of other prophets; Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Nikotheos, Zoroaster, Buddha and Jesus.
