An Analysis of Manichaeism as the First Ideological Challenge During the Sasanian Dynasty

With the establishment of the Sasanian empire, Ardashir became the heir to the feudal and lenient legacy of the Parthians. He sought to establish political and religious centralism under his reign. At the same time, Manichaeism, much like the other existing religion in Iran, brought together pieces of the other religions and presented its
teachings and tenets in any possible form. However, this religion presented severe ideological problems for the newly-established Sasanian empire, since it could undermine the religious and political centralism that the Sasanians desired, hence the first major ideological challenge. The present research seeks to answer the following
question: What could justify the lenient behavior toward Manichaeism despite Shapur’s intention to officialize Mazdayasna? Since the Sasanians initially focused on unifying their entire territory, they showed more leniency and tolerance towards the Manicheans. However, against this backdrop, the research hypothesizes that Mani’s ideas gradually became an ideological threat to the Sasanians’ desired political and religious centralism. The Sasanians familiarized themselves with the Manichean discourse through meticulous analysis and then sought to dismantle it. This research resorts to description and analysis of the available related information. It seeks to answer the research question and confirm the hypothesis.