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5 pages/≈1375 words
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History
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Origin, Theology, and Spread of Manichaeism and Impact on the Holy Roman Empire

Essay Instructions:

you should write a 4-5 page paper on one of the following topics.
1.Briefly, what do we know about the Minoan civilization? In what ways does it seem to have been similar to and different from that of the Greeks?
2.Describe the life and career of Cleopatra. What can we learn from this about the situation in Egypt and the nature of the Roman Empire in the first century BCE?
3.What was Manichaeism and what role did it play in the late Roman Empire?
4.Describe the impact of the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain both on Spain itself and on other areas around the Mediterranean.
5.What was the political, military, and economic situation in England at the accession of Alfred the Great? How did he rebuild Anglo-Saxon power?
6.Describe the life and works of Ana Comnena. What can we learn from her about Byzantine imperial families and the role(s) of women therein?
7.What were the origins and aims of the Spanish Armada of 1588? What impact did its failure have on European politics and religion?
8.Briefly describe the history of the Ursuline Order of nuns up to about 1700.
You should do some research to find answers to these questions! You can find books about almost all of them in the library, and articles in the library databases (though many of those will be too specialized to be of much use). The "Further Readings" section in the textbook (pp. A6-A21.) also has some useful ideas. The easiest thing, though, is to look these subjects up in specialized reference works (historians call them "tertiary sources"). I'm attaching a list of some of the most useful ones, but you can also consult with the library reference staff: this is what they're there for! A couple of warnings: Wikipedia can be very useful for this assignment, but it doesn't count as one of your sources. And two reference works that come up frequently in online searches, the Catholic Encyclopedia and and Encyclopedia Britannica, are of uneven quality and should be avoided for this assignment.
In the end, you should have at least two different sources, listed in a bibliography. Honestly, though, three is better.
chose one topic that you want to do, thank you

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Manichaeism: its origin and impact on the Holy Roman Empire
Manichaeism was an ancient religion established in the third century A.D. by a Persian and Iranian prophet named Mani. Though considered a heresy of Christianity, this gnostic religion was based on the belief of the existence of two opposite concepts side by side in this world. According to its teachings, the cosmos is a battle place of the force of light or excellent and dark or evil. Although Manichaeism originated in Mesopotamia, its teaching inspired people throughout the region, soon even when Mani was alive. Later on, it gained unprecedented success in Roman Empire and consequently suffered lethal persecution from Christians that eventually wiped it out by the end of the sixth century (Lieu 7). Since Manichaeism left deep impressions on the Holy Roman Empire, this essay aims to assess the extent of its various effects on the Empire.
First and foremost, the spread of Manichaeism in the Empire or the invasion of this new belief received a general perception of a foreign religion since it originated in Persia: a territory hostile to Christianity. As a result, Emperor Diocletian gave this religion an ethnic dimension in the third century by terming it as "Persian" (Coyle 219). This ethnic perception greatly spurred the feeling of animosity and hatred towards this new "Persian religion"; consequently, Romans perceived this belief as a social and ethnic threat to the fabric of Roman society. For the same reason, Emperor Constantin I conducted a thorough investigation against the religion. Then Valentinian I attempted to make specific legislation against this social threat declaring this new group as "infamous and ignominious, separated from the human community” (Coyle 226). Later on, Valentinian II and Constantine I also formulated some laws that were directed to declare followers of Manichaeism as infamous individuals guilty of “unspecified criminal acts” (Coyle 226). This initial response of the Roman emperors towards Manichaeism indicates they initially deemed this new faith as a threat to the social and ethnic fabric of the Christian society.
Furthermore, legislations of the early Roman emperors also stopped Manicheans from using other contrived names to conceal their identity. Persians and Romans shared a long history of confrontation; for instance, in most of the first century A.D., Persian regions, including Armenia and upper parts of Euphrates, remained engaged in war with the Roman Empire (Lieu 3). For the same reason, Romans initially considered Manicheans as ethnic rivals. Instead of focusing on the theological aspects of this new sect, they attempted to suppress these people to avert any invasion of a race socially and culturally different and hostile to the Christian society. This reaction was milder than the later reactions and strategies that Romans adopted to stop the spread of Manichaeism.
The teachings, doctrines, and principles of Manichaeism had a significant role in spreading this religion in the Roman Empire. Manichaeism was based on such theology and ideas that greatly admired several Christians; for instance, Manichean ideas of the duality of good and evil greatly influenced Augustine o...
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