The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary

Published by De Gruyter 2020

The Mandaean Book of John

Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary

Edited by: Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110487862

Overview
Contents

About this book

Given the degree of popular fascination with Gnostic religions, it is surprising how few pay attention to the one such religion that has survived from antiquity until the present day: Mandaism. Mandaeans, who esteem John the Baptist as the most famous adherent to their religion, have in our time found themselves driven from their historic homelands by war and oppression. Today, they are a community in crisis, but they provide us with unparalleled access to a library of ancient Gnostic scriptures, as part of the living tradition that has sustained them across the centuries. Gnostic texts such as these have caught popular interest in recent times, as traditional assumptions about the original forms and cultural contexts of related religious traditions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, have been called into question. However, we can learn only so much from texts in isolation from their own contexts. Mandaean literature uniquely allows us not only to increase our knowledge about Gnosticism, and by extension all these other religions, but also to observe the relationship between Gnostic texts, rituals, beliefs, and living practices, both historically and in the present day.

Author / Editor information

Charles G. Häberl, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, U.S.A. and James F. McGrath, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.

Reviews

"To sum up, the impressive new edition of The Mandaean book of John is indeed a
welcome one. The editors have presented the scholarly community with an up-todate,
well-arranged, accurate edition accompanied by a fluent English translation
and enlightening commentary. Thanks to the great efforts of Charles G. Häberl
and James F. McGrath we now have an almost full picture of one of the most
important compositions of the Mandaean congregation." Ohad Abudraham in: Journal of Ecclesiastical History 2021

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Prefatory Remarks Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Introduction: The Gnostic Flip in the Mandaean Book of John April D. DeConick Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Edition and translation
Dedication Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	22
Texts 1- 39 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	22
Texts 39-76 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
Commentary
Dedication Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	339
Truth’s Questions (1–2) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	340
Yushamen (3–10) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	343
The Good Shepherd (11–12) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	348
The Creation (13 and 60) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	352
Truth’s Shem (14–17) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	353
John-Johannes (18–33) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	356
Meryey (34–35) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	384
The Soul Fisher (36–39) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	388
The Iron Shoe (40–41) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	396
Admonitions (42–47) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	398
Truth (48–51) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	403
The Planets (52–56) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	408
Life’s Treasure (57–59) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	416
The Creation (60–62) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	420
The Aftermath (63–67) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	424
Manda d’Heyyi’s Visits (68–69) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	429
Abator’s Lament (70–72) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	433
Three Laments (73–75) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	437
Excellent Ennosh in Jerusalem (76) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	441
Conclusions Charles G. Häberl Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	444
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	449
Indices Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	454

(Deutsch)

Languages: English, Multiple languages
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: All those interested in Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Religion, Middle Eastern Area Studies, Gnosticism, New Testament
Pages
- Front matter: 7
- Main content: 467
Keywords: Gnosticism; Mandaism; Aramaic; John the Baptist

eBook

Published: November 18, 2019
ISBN: 9783110487862

Hardcover

Published: November 18, 2019
ISBN: 9783110486513