J. Kevin Coyle: Title: "The role of women in the spread of Manichaeism."

The followers of Mani (216-276) regarded the religious movement he founded in the Persian Empire as Christianity’s most authentic expression. Certainly it presented a real challenge to Christianity in its various forms in the Roman Empire. Reaction was swift and hostile, one very possible reason being the higher profile Manichaeism afforded to women. These could be members of both classes of Manichaeans, Hearers and Elect and, in the latter case, were thus eligible to participate in the process of releasing the divine light-substance entrapped in matter, that is, in the redemptive process.

Many questions about the status of women in Manichaeism await scholarly consideration, because - surprisingly - so little attention has been given to any aspect of women in Manichaeism. Yet, with its beliefs and practices, the religion of Mani formed part of the socio-religious spectrum in which other Christianities also grew and which influenced choices for them all: what to emphasize, and how, and whether to respond to unacceptable notions and behaviour through rejection or modification. The workshop will address some of the gaps on our knowledge of women in Manichaeism by highlighting their participation in the spread of their movement, particularly in areas where other forms of Christianity were notably present.