The Mandaean Book of John by No Contributor

The Mandaean Book of John by No Contributor

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.

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

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9783110486513
ISBN 10	3110486512
Title	The Mandaean Book of John
Author	Charles G Häberl
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	De Gruyter
Year published	2019-11-18
Number of pages	474
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.