Mandaean Book of John
Drāšā ḏ-Yaḥyā
Information
ReligionMandaeism
LanguageMandaic language

The Mandaean Book of John (Classical Mandaic: ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ, romanized: Drāšā ḏ-Yaḥyā) is a Mandaean holy book in Mandaic Aramaic which Mandaeans attribute to their prophet John the Baptist.[1]

The book contains accounts of John's life and miracles, as well as a number of polemical conversations with Jesus and tractates where Anush Uthra (Enosh) performs miracles in the style of Jesus's deeds in Jerusalem.[2]

Translations

A German translation, Das Johannesbuch der Mandäer, was published by Mark Lidzbarski in 1905. Another German translation of chapters 18–33 (the "Yahya–Yuhana" chapters) was published by Gabriele Mayer in 2021.[3]

Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath published a full English translation of the Mandaean Book of John in 2020, which was printed alongside Mandaic text typesetted by Ardwan Al-Sabti.[4] Another English translation was published by Carlos Gelbert in 2017.[5]

Manuscripts

Archived manuscripts of the Mandaean Book of John known to Western scholars include:[6]

  • Three Bibliothèque nationale de France manuscripts, also known as the Code Sabéen Mss. 8-10
    • Paris Ms. A
    • Paris Ms. B
    • Paris Ms. C
  • Huntington MS 71 (abbreviated Hunt. 71, held in the Bodleian Library; Lidzbarski's D manuscript)
  • DC 30 (Manuscript 30 of E. S. Drower's collection, held in the Bodleian Library). Purchased by E. S. Drower from Shaikh Nejm (also spelled "Negm") and Shaikh Yahya in November 1937. Dates to 1166 A.H. (c. 1753 A.D.). Copied in Shushtar by Ram Yuhana, son of Ram, Dihdaria.

Several folia (pages) in two manuscripts held at the British Library contain parts of the Mandaean Book of John:[4]

  • Folia 76-98 of Add. 23,602a
  • Folia 99-101 of Add. 23,602a and 15-18 of Add. 23,602b

Buckley has also analyzed three manuscripts that are privately held by Mandaeans in the United States, including in Flushing (original manuscript belonging to Nasser Sobbi), Niskayuna (later moved to Colonie;[4] photocopy of a manuscript belonging to Dr. Sinan Abdullah from Ahvaz), and San Diego (original manuscript belonging to Lamea Abbas Amara).[6]

In the early 1900s, E. S. Drower had also transcribed the "Soul Fisher" chapters (36-39) from Sheikh Negm bar Zihrun.[4]

Contents

There are 76 chapters (or tractates) in the Mandaean Book of John. Chapter titles from Gelbert (2017) (based on the titles in Lidzbarski 1920) are given by default, with alternative titles from Häberl and McGrath (2020) given in square brackets. The contents are:[4][5]

  • Truth's Questions (1-2)
    • 1. Truth Stands by the Worlds' Entrance
    • 2. Truth Stands by the Worlds' Entrance
  • Yushamin (3-10)
    • 3. Splendor Has Come to Me in Plenty
    • 4. By My Own Authority
    • 5. As My Father Yushamin Plotted
    • 6. On the Day the Intellect Taught Yushamin
    • 7. When I, Yushamin, Thought
    • 8. A Voice Came to Me in the Jordan
    • 9. Whom Shall I Call, Who Would Answer Me
    • 10. I Said That I Would Be Great
  • The Good Shepherd (11-12)
    • 11. I Am a Shepherd Who Loves His Sheep
    • 12. An Excellency Calls from Beyond
  • The Creation (13 and 60)
  • Truth's Shem (Šum Kušṭa) (14-17)
    • 14. Truth's Shem Begins Teaching
    • 15. Truth's Shem Begins Teaching (cf. Psalms of Thomas 18)
    • 16. Truth's Shem Begins Teaching
    • 17. Truth's Shem Begins Teaching (cf. Psalms of Thomas 17)
  • John-Johannes (18-33)
    • 18. A Child was Transplanted from on High
    • 19. I Shine in the Name of My Father
    • 20. The Sun Sat in its Seclusion
    • 21. Did I Not Go Away Alone and Return?
    • 22. He Called Out a Proclamation to the World
    • 23. Beware for Me, My Brothers
    • 24. I Was in the House of My Seclusion
    • 25. Noble Men, Who Are Sleeping
    • 26. The Ages Took No Pleasure in Me
    • 27. Is There Anyone Greater Than I?
    • 28. Lofty Strongholds Will Fall
    • 29. I Shine Forth in My Father's Name
    • 30. Who Told Jesus?
    • 31. The Spheres and the Chariot Trembled
    • 32. The Spheres and the Chariot Trembled
    • 33. At My Voice, Spheres Shake
  • Miriai (34-35)
    • 34. I am Miriai, the Daughter of Babylon's Kings
    • 35. I am Miriai, a Vine
  • The Soul Fisher (36-39)
    • 36. A Fisher am I
    • 37. A Fisher Am I, of the Great Life
    • 38. The Fisher Put on Bright Garments
    • 39. It Is the Voice of the Pure Fisher
  • The Iron Shoe (40-41)
    • 40. An Excellency Preaches Forth from Beyond
    • 41. The Man Preaches from Beyond
  • Admonitions from Manda d-Hayyi (42-47)
    • 42. It is the Voice of Manda d-Hayyi
    • Warnings (43-45)
      • 43. It is the Voice of Manda d-Hayyi
      • 44. Life's Herald Calls Forth (also in Right Ginza 15.18 according to the numbering in Lidzbarski 1920)
      • 45. Life's Herald Calls Forth
    • Three Wishes (46) [From Light's Place, I Left] (also in Right Ginza 15.19 according to the numbering in Lidzbarski 1920)
    • Warnings (47) [From Light's Place, I Left] (cf. Psalms of Thomas 12)
  • Truth (48-51)
    • A Second Prayer (48) [Truth! I Testify to You] (also in Right Ginza 16.9)
    • The Plough (49) [Way Beyond, Beside the Barrier of Truth]
    • Warnings (50) [He Who Deals in Gifts and Rewards]
    • The River Kšaš (51) [Among Those Lying upon the Shore]
  • The Planets (52-56)
    • Yōrabba (52) [He Shook and Disturbed Yurba]
    • Sén [the Moon] (53) [When the Shining was Planted] (also in Right Ginza 15.4)
    • The Alien Man in Jerusalem (54) [I Did Not and Do Not Want]
    • Hibil's Lament (55) [How Can I Rejoice?]
    • The Immaculate (56) [Whoever Keeps Perfect Within It]
  • Life's Treasure (57-59)
  • The Creation (60-62)
    • 60. To You I Speak and Teach
    • 61. Who Will Come Forth, and Who Will Tell Me?
    • 62. When the Earth Did Not Yet Exist
  • The Aftermath (63-67)
    • 63. A Voice from on High Cried Out to Us
    • 64. I Have Come to This World
    • 65. In a Bright Cloud I Sit
    • 66. Way Out Beyond
    • 67. From Beyond, an Excellency Cries Out
  • Manda d-Hayyi's Visits (68-69)
    • 68. When Manda d-Hayyi Went
    • 69. The Light was Planted
  • Abatur's Lament (70-72)
    • 70. When the Scales Did Not Want
    • 71. When They Went Forth and Came to Abatur
    • 72. When He Came to Abatur
  • Three Laments (73-75)
    • 73. A White Eagle Am I
    • 74. Excellent Enosh Spoke
    • 75. Over Yonder, by the Seashore
  • Excellent Enosh in Jerusalem (76) [I Come with Sandals of Precious Stones]


Chapters 19–33 begin with the formula:

Yahya teaches in the nights,
and Yuhana [teaches] in the evenings of the night.[4]

In Mandaic:

Iahia dariš b-liluia
Iuhana b-ramšia ḏ-lilia[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002), The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people, Oxford University Press, p. 31, ISBN 978-0-19-515385-9
  2. ↑ Buckley 2002, p. 8
  3. 1 2 Mayer, Gabriele (2021). Im Namen des Großen Lebens: Johannes der Täufer im Johannesbuch der Mandäer (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-11599-5. OCLC 1263355310.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Haberl, Charles; McGrath, James (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
  5. 1 2 Gelbert, Carlos (2017). The Teachings of the Mandaean John the Baptist. Fairfield, NSW, Australia: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034678. OCLC 1000148487.
  6. 1 2 Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
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