Manicheism is an extreme form of dualistic Gnosticism named for its Persian founder Mani (215-276 AD). It is gnostic because it promises salvation through the attainment of special knowledge of spiritual truths. It is dualistic because it argues that the foundation of the universe is the opposition of two principles, good and evil, each equal in relative power. It is not uncommon for extreme dualism in fundamentalist Christianity to be labeled as a form of modern Manicheism.
According to Manicheism, in the beginning there were two realities, in perfect and complete balance with one another, entirely separate but forming the same cosmos. The first realm was a realm of matter and chaos. It lay toward the south, extending infinitely from east to west. Here there was constant war under a shroud of darkness. Within this darkness grew five trees representing five worlds and the five kinds of demons that lived there. These worlds were made of smoke, fire, storm, mud, and darkness. Over each world ruled a powerful demon known as an Archon. Over the entire realm of darkness there sat one ruler and overlord, known as the Prince of Darkness.
To the north of the realm of darkness lay the second kingdom, the realm of light and spirit. Just as the realm of darkness was a realm of war, so the realm of light was a realm of peace. Over this reality ruled the Father of light who had five special attributes opposite to the five worlds in the realm of darkness. Throughout the realm of light, there were angels and heavenly creatures known as Aions. There are twelve Aions of importance who rule over the four partitions of the realm.
During a battle in the realm of darkness, the Prince of Darkness one day approached the border of the realm of light. Glimpsing its splendor and beauty, the Prince was determined to take it for his own. He gathered his forces for war and invaded the neighboring realm. The Father of Majesty turned himself into a trinity: Spirit, Mother, and First-man. First-man, with his five sons (Clear Air, Refreshing Wind, Bright Light, Life-Giving Waters, and Warming Fire) who comprised his soul and armor, hurled himself into the demonic horde. Though he fought valiantly, he was overcome. His armor of light was devoured by the demons, and he was left without reason or sanity on the battlefield. After a while, the armor affected the demons of matter, and they became dependent on the light.
Eventually the First-Man recovered his reason and prayed seven times to the Father of Majesty. A second creation was made, the Friend of the Light, and this Friend of the Light formed the Great Ban. The Great Ban in turn emanated the Spirit of Life. Thus a second trinity came into existence. As in the first trinity, it is the third person that does the actual work, the Spirit of Life. Like the First-Man he emanated five personalities: from his intelligence the Ornament of Splendour (Sefath Ziva, Splenditenens, or Phegotatochos in Greek and Latin), from his reason the Great King of Honor, from his thought Adamas, Light, from his self reflection the King of Glory, and from his will the Supporter (Sabhla, Atlas, or Omothoros in Greek and Latin).
These five descended to the realm of Darkness, found the First-Man in his degradation, and rescued him by the word of their power. The Spirit then attacked the demons, killing many of them. The light of the armor of the First man was still trapped in their lifeless bodies however. So, the Spirit set about creating what we know as the world from the bodies of the demons. Some of the Archons were flayed and brought to the Mother of Life who spread out their skins to form twelve heavens. Their corpses were flung over the realm of Darkness and eight worlds were created, their bones forming the mountain ranges. The Spirit of Life forced the sons of Darkness to surrender some of the light, which they had absorbed from the five elements, and from this he created the sun and the moon and the stars. This creation would allow the light to be removed and returned to the realm of light.
The Prince of Darkness was not about to lose the light after he had obtained it however, and he corrupted the Spirit’s creation by causing the cycle of reincarnation. Naimrael, a female, and Ashaklun, a male devil, brought forth two children, Adam and Eve. As long as the humans lived, their light particles could not be recovered, as they would be continuously trapped in the human bodies.
In some of the earliest Gnostic texts (the Nag Hammadi codices- 3rd or 4th century AD), the Archons were primordial celestial deities, predating the Judeo-Christian god. Matter and the physical body are considered intrinsically evil as they derive from the bodies of the dead forces of evil (the Archons). As a result of its captivity in the prison or matter, the soul is overwhelmed by ignorance and forgets its true origin. Reincarnation occurs until the soul is released from its earthly sufferings. Under the censorship of the early Christian fathers, such variations of faith were banned from the general public.
According to the Papyri Graecae Magicae, there are five archons: Uriel, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Shamuil. It is interesting to note that the majority of these are also named as Arch-angels in other texts. In the Ophitic Gnostic system, there are seven: Jaldabaoth, Jao, Sabaoth, Adonaios, Astanphaios, Ailoaios, and Oraios. In other lists, Katspiel, Erathaol, Domiel, and others are mentioned.