Gnostic John The Baptizer Selections From The Mandaean John Book

This is the extended and annotated edition including * an extensive annotation of almost 10.000 words about the history and basics of Gnosticism, written by Wilhelm Bousset * an interactive table-of-contents * perfect formatting for electronic reading devices The main materials contained in these pages will certainly be new for the vast majority of readers. Moreover the Mandæan narratives, legends and discourses are not only interesting because of their own distinctive matter and manner, but they are also arresting; for they raise a number of problems, some of which are far-reaching and one is fraught with implications of immense importance. The definite solutions of these problems, however, lie in the future, and the most important of them will perhaps never be reached; for, in the absence of straightforward historical information, general agreement on any subject that concerns Christian origins immediately or even indirectly is now well-nigh a psychological impossibility.

Chapters include: John the Baptist and Christian Origins; From the John-Book of the Mandæans (Introduction, The Gnostic John the Baptizer, The Story of the Breach with Judaism, Some Typical Extracts); The Slavonic Josepus' Account of the Baptist and Jesus; and, The Fourth Gospel Proem.

Gnostic John the Baptizer (Selections from the Mandaean John-Book), was written by English historian, writer, editor, translator and Theosophist G.R.S. Mead, and originally published in 1924.In this work, Mead turns his hand to illustrating the beliefs of the Mandaeans regarding John the Baptist, who are a small and little-known religious community living mainly in Iraq. The group are the last group of traditional Gnostics left in the world, and because of this, their beliefs present a fascinating study of living Gnosticism. Whilst not Christians per se, they trace their lineage back to John the Baptist, of the Christian tradition, and before, to be commonly known as the Nazoraeans, however, they hold themselves aside from both Christianity and Judaism, both of which they regard, in true Gnostic fashion, as perverted versions of the true faith.

Thank you for checking out this book by Theophania Publishing. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you soon. We have thousands of titles available, and we invite you to search for us by name, contact us via our website, or download our most recent catalogues. THE main materials contained in these pages will certainly be new for the vast majority of readers. Moreover the Mandaean narratives, legends and discourses are not only interesting because of their own distinctive matter and manner, but they are also arresting; for they raise a number of problems, some of which are far-reaching and one is fraught with implications of immense importance. The definite solutions of these problems, however, lie in the future, and the most important of them will perhaps never be reached; for, in the absence of straightforward historical information, general agreement on any subject that concerns Christian origins immediately or even indirectly is now well-nigh a psychological impossibility.

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.

Are there still Gnostics and can their roots be chased back to John the Baptist? Among the casualties of the western intervention in Iraq and the recent activities of ISIS are the Mandeans of Southern Iraq. These peace-loving people are now fleeing to the west . They are the last Gnostics, the only surviving remnant of the ancient sects who taught the direct knowledge of God, created their own gospels and myths and were persecuted as heretical by the church in the second and third centuries. The Mandeans place weekly river baptisms at the centre of their religious life and the primary exemplar of their religion is none other than John the Baptist. What is the real history of this mysterious and long lived sect? Can the Mandean peoples really be traced back to the first century? And who was John the Baptist? This book follows the history of the Mandeans from their present plight back through their earliest encounters with the West, their place in Islamic counties, their possible influence on the Templars, back to their origins as a first century baptismal sect connected to John the Baptist and beyond.