Mandaean Book of John

The Mandaean Book of John (Mandaic language Drāšā d-Yaḥyā; Hebrew script Modern Mandaic: דרשא דיחיא‎; Mandaic script: ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ) is a Mandaean holy book in Mandaic Aramaic which is believed by Mandeans to have been written by their prophet John the Baptist.[1]

Not to be confused with book 7 of the right-hand Ginza Rabba, also ascribed to John the Baptist by Mandaeans.
Mandaean Book of John
Drāšā d-Yaḥyā
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ReligionMandaeism
LanguageMandaic language
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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]

Contents

There are 76 chapters in the Mandaean Book of John. The contents are:[3][4]

  • Truth's Questions (1-2)
  • Yushamen (3-10)
  • The Good Shepherd (11-12)
  • The Creation (13 and 60)
  • Truth's Shem (14-17)
  • John-Johannes (18-33)
  • Miriai (34-35)
  • The Soul Fisher (36-39)
  • The Iron Shoe (40-41)
  • Admonitions from Manda d'Heyyi (42-47)
    • Mysteries (42)
    • Warnings (43-45)
    • Three Wishes (46)
    • Warnings (47)
  • Truth (48-51)
    • A Second Prayer (48)
    • The Plough (49)
    • Warnings (50)
    • The River Kšaš (51)
  • The Planets (52-56)
    • Yōrabba (52)
    • Sén (53)
    • The Alien Man in Jerusalem (54)
    • Hibil's Lament (55)
    • The Immaculate (56)
  • Life's Treasure (57-59)
  • The Creation (60-62)
  • The Aftermath (63-67)
  • Manda d'Heyyi's Visits (68-69)
  • Abator's Lament (70-72)
  • Three Laments (73-75)
  • Excellent Enosh in Jerusalem (76)


Many chapters begin with the formula:

Yahya teaches in the nights,
and Yuhana teaches in the evenings of the night.[3]

Translations

A German translation, Das Johannesbuch der Mandäer, was published by Mark Lidzbarski in 1905. Another German translation was published by Gabriele Mayer in 2021.[5]

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 Alsabti.[3] Another English translation was published by Carlos Gelbert in 2017.[4]

Manuscripts
See also: List of Mandaean scriptures

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

Buckley has also analyzed three manuscripts that are privately held by Mandaeans in the United States, including in Flushing (original manuscript), Niskayuna (photocopy of a manuscript), and San Diego (original manuscript).[6]

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. Jacobsen Buckley 2002, p. 8
  3. Haberl, Charles and McGrath, James (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
  4. The Teachings of the Mandaean John the Baptist. Translated by Gelbert, Carlos. Fairfield, NSW, Australia: Living Water Books. 2017. ISBN 9780958034678. OCLC 1000148487.
  5. 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.
  6. 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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