The Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics

This book brings together for the first time a complete introduction to Mandaeanism, a fascinating branch of Gnosticism that survives into modern times.

The first part of the book provides a historical and sociological introduction to Mandaeanism. Edmondo Lupieri begins by portraying the traditional way of life of the Mandaeans in Iraq and Iran and introduces readers to the world of Mandaean ideas and their literary production. He then reconstructs the history of the interaction between Mandaeanism and the Western world, beginning with Ricoldo di Montecroce, a thirteenth- century Italian monk who is the first known European to write about the Mandaeans, and continuing on to present scholarship. Lastly, Lupieri provides a critical analysis of Mandaean written and oral traditions concerning their origin, history, and self-understanding — including their view that they are the only ones on earth who possess the true and oldest faith.

The second part of the book is an anthology of translated Mandaean texts with notes. This gathering of writings presents the spiritual world of Mandaeanism with fragments of mythical-theological texts and pages of ethical and historical meditations. Special attention is given in the notes to the contraposition against other religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other minor groups) and to the ideas Mandaeans have of biblical and historical figures.

Expertly researched, engagingly written, and enhanced with pictures of Mandaean art, this volume will interest a wide range of readers.