Appian Way Press

Anti-Manichaean Writings: Writings in connection with the Manichaean Controversy

by Saint Augustine

These writings arise from Augustine’s long and personal involvement with Manichaeism, a movement he followed for years before his conversion to Catholic Christianity. As a result, his critique is shaped not only by formal theological argument, but also by an intimate knowledge of the system’s internal logic, moral claims, and intellectual appeal. Across these treatises, Augustine confronts the Manichaean vision of the world as a conflict between coeternal principles of light and darkness. He defends the unity and goodness of the Creator, the integrity of the material world, and the coherence of the biblical account of creation, while developing a sustained reflection on the nature of evil, human will, and moral responsibility.