'''Manichaeanism''' is a [[syncretistic]] religious belief established in the Third Century by [[Mani]].
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'''Manichaeanism''' is a [[syncretistic]] religious belief established in the Third Century by [[Mani]]. <ref>The religion combined elements of [[Christianity]], [[Gnosticism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Taoism]].</ref>
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Manichaeans were divided into two orders, the elect and the auditors. Although they faded out in Europe before the [[medieval era]], their movement gave rise to the [[Cathars]] and [[Albigensians]]