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Mandaeism – the Sole Extant Tradition of Sethian Gnosticism

Mandaeism – the Sole Extant Tradition of Sethian Gnosticism

ARAM, 22 (2010) 31-59. doi: 10.2143/ARAM.22.0.2131031

MANDAEISM – THE SOLE EXTANT TRADITION OF SETHIAN

Dr. MARK J. LOFTS (Perth – )

Working on the largely unpublished materials from the (NHL) through the 1960s Hans-Martin Schenke defined Sethian Gnos- ticism only on the basis of features found in the NHL texts. was all but ignored. Even with the publication of the complete NHL, Schenke’s passing comment and footnote on the defilement of baptismal water refers to a possible parallel to Mandaeism, but without calling attention to (Sitil) at all!1 Nevertheless Mandaeism too is unambiguously Sethian but its relation to the other forms of (i.e. Sethian Gnosticism generally) has not been specifically studied. This article details the evidence and the issues arising from this connection, emphasizing the astrological connection through Ophitic Gnosticism that elucidates hitherto obscure features of Sethian . Follow- ing the formal definition of Sethianism and categorization of Sethian texts, the overall absence of similarities between NHL and Mandaean Sethianism is contrasted with the abundant similarities among NHL Sethian texts. While that invokes the question of the time of origin of Sethianism, Gnosticism per se, and the subsequent ‘evolution’ into NHL, Mandaean and other forms, that question will be ignored in favor of establishing common fundamental Sethian teach- ings i.e. those shared by Mandaeism and NHL Sethianism. The need for detailed study of the Sethian question is all the more pressing due to further complexities arising in the 21st century! themselves, and laity, are now writing about their even while discovering the NHL for the first time! Furthermore, since 2006 this has been accentuated with the publication of the Tchacos Codex containing the (GJudas), this latter a clearly Sethian text, a status that might also apply to the Book of , an associated fragment from the codex. These works have significant implications for the evolution of Sethianism – notably the apparent absence of in Mandaean literature, already resolved by a Mandaean investigator, con- trasting with the claimed origin of the GJudas from a called the ‘’!

1 Schenke p. 606 n.44. Another study claimed that “Sitil… is always mentioned with Hibil and Anos.” (Klijn p. 107), obscuring Seth’s role by converting a general observation on formu- laic and introductory passages into an absolute rule. Contrast their strikingly different roles in book 1 of the Left Ginza (LG).

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Hence a wider perspective is adopted, based on the parallels uncovered between Mandaeism and the NHL. Highlighted are the Sethian Four Luminar- ies, perhaps the most elaborate of such parallels. Combined with Mandaean evidence, the identity of the hitherto unexplained ‘Samblo’ is revealed. Subse- quently outlined is the strange association between Mandaeism and Gnostic literature concerning the Apostle Thomas. From this arises the ‘Two Labyrinths’ Mystery, i.e. the significance and associations of the two famous labyrinths of the ancient world, in Crete and , with Mandaeism and Thomas Christian- ity respectively! So what does the labyrinth represent, both for Gnosticism and the ancient world generally? This perplexity is resolved by combining Man- daean and NHL evidence enabling key astrological features of Sethianism to be identified. This in turn allows for the astronomical identification of the ‘celestial’ or ‘upward-flowing’ Yardna (Jordan), so integral to Mandaean teach- ing and . The final conclusion reaffirms the essential identity between Sethian and Ophitic Gnosticism while suggesting potential divisions and polemic among the earliest Sethians.

1. DEFINITION AND SOURCES OF SETHIAN GNOSTICISM

For a text or a to qualify as Sethian Gnosticism, Seth, the son of as otherwise found in the Old Testament (OT) – i.e. not the Egyptian Set – must fulfil a soteriological role. He may be identifi- able with another one-and-only savior e.g. Christ, be himself the preem- inent or sole savior, or be a comparatively minor savior figure with a specific agenda. This last is closer to the Mandaean situation, where, despite his role as the most perfect ¨ Uthra, Sitil is largely overshadowed by Hibil and Anos.2 Seth may also share the soteriological role both with OT figures and/or other familiar from other religious traditions. described Seth as a man “of excellent character;” his children, while of “like character… were the inventors of that peculiar sort of which is concerned with the heavenly bodies and their order.”3 While astrology alone is not Gnosticism, the description of Ophitic ‘Serpent-worshipping’ Gnosticism by the Christian heresiologists, particularly and Hippolytus, has led to a consensus that if not identical, Sethian and Ophitic Gnosticism are overlapping systems of thought.

There are actually six but formally seven primary sources of Sethianism, i.e. Sethian Gnostics speaking or writing about their own teachings.

2 Buckley (1979) p. 186; also compare (2002) pp. 35-39. 3 Josephus, Antiquities 1:2:3.

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– Recovered Texts 1. Nag Hammadi Library (Sethian and non-Sethian material) 2. Tchacos Codex (…, GJudas, Book of Allogenes) 3. Berlin Gnostic Codex 8502 ( only) 4. Untitled Brucian Text (plus Sethian effect in Bruce & Askew Codices) 5. (retention of Seth and earlier Sethian conceptions) – Living Tradition(s) 6. Mandaeism (sole living tradition?) 7. [] Of the first five sources listed, the older material with little modification appears primarily in the first two, source three providing a variant version of the preeminent Sethian NHL text. From the next two sources, Schenke included only the Untitled Brucian Text as authentically Sethian but the associated materials, the Books of Jeu and Pistis , indicate a residual Sethian influ- ence on the utilizing these texts. This situation is paralleled in Man- ichaeism where Sethel maintains a soteriological role (I. Gardner, this issue). That, as claimed in the title, Mandaeism is the sole living Sethian tradi- tion, is belied even by Mandaean tradition, which instead asserts the existence of Mandaeans in Lebanon! While decidedly not Mandaean, the one other liv- ing religious tradition that could nevertheless be considered Sethian is that of the Druze, whose major homeland is Lebanon. While Druze scriptures remain obligatorily off-limits to all outsiders, internet websites claiming Druze origin assert a clearly soteriological role for Seth! In contrast the secondary sources of Sethianism are almost exclusively Chris- tian heresiologists – , Epiphanius, Origen, Theodor bar Koni, Pseudo- Tertullian and the sources recorded in . From such authors we can identify with certainty the names of at least 15 Sethian sects!4 Above all, the chapters of Hippolytus’ Elenchos allow us to ascertain the astrological features behind Mandaeism and Gnosticism generally.

2. SETHIAN TEXTS AND SECTS: HARD CORE AND RAGGEDY EDGES

The Sethian texts defined by Schenke and reaffirmed by John Turner5 are scattered throughout the 13 NHL codices, being absent only in the ‘hermetic’ codex VI, the Valentinism-dominated codex I and the fragmentary codex XII.

4 Apart from Sethians and per se, Sethianism embraces Barbeloites, Cainites, Basili- deans, Nicolaitans, Archontics, Melchizedekians, Priscillianists, Valesians and Audians. From Hippolytus we would add , Peratae, the Justinus-Baruch sect and that of Monoïmus. Bar Koni adds the Kantaeans and Dostaeans – overdone parodies of Mandaeism – along with the ‘Cainite’ Nirigians. 5 Schenke pp. 588-616; Turner pp. 55-86.

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The non-NHL work included, the Untitled Brucian Text, has explicit canonical Christian quotations revealing its later origin. All texts originally classified as Sethian have retained this classification into the 21st century, the preeminent work being the Apocryphon of John (AphJohn), named after the Evangelist, not the Baptist. The others are Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit (HBGIS – a.k.a. Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians), Reality of the Archons (RealArch), , Thought of , and three quite fragmentary texts, , and . Cutting across the Sethian classification is that extensive investigation of the NHL has revealed that these texts most likely derive from three separate ‘communities’ who pooled their resources. Each of these ‘communities’ (per- haps really an alliance of smaller but cooperative sects) included a copy of the preeminent Sethian NHL text, AphJohn. On the differing quality of the covers and the papyrus used the 13 codices divide crudely into products of the poor (IV, V, VIII & XII), the intermediate (I, VII & XI – but III anomalous) and the wealthy alliance (II, VI, IX, X & XIII) respectively. The poor and intermediate alliances share some other texts, whereas the wealthy alliance shares only Aph- John with the other two, despite codex VI including hermetic and even Platonic material otherwise known elsewhere! The two remaining Sethian texts, both copied by scribe C, the Three Steles of Seth and Allogenes the Stranger, are anomalous in their Sethian status; apart from codex III, these two are the only Sethian texts in the above strict ‘intermediate alliance’ of codices comprising I, VII & XI. Their status has not previously been queried – this arising only retrospectively from establishing the Sethian status of Mandaeism! Neverthe- less, Schenke too acknowledged that there were specific similarities between them.6 Michael Williams further determined that the order of the texts in each codex is reminiscent of the OT but more the New Testament (NT). That is, gospels and genesis tracts first, explanations, testimonies and epistles next, and ‘ascent’ literature in the form of and heavenly visions placed last.7 With this is mind, we can consider the first two texts in the three codices bear- ing AphJohn – which in all three is always the first text. In both the poor and wider intermediate codices (IV & III respectively) the next text is HBGIS; this text also notable for a passing reference to James the Great from Christian literature.8 In the case of the ‘wealthy’ Codex II however, the second text, replacing HBGIS, is the famous (GTh). This is relevant because the Naassenes utilized both GTh and a text called the ‘Gospel of the

6 Schenke pp. 601-602. Codex classification from both M. Williams and Robinson (NHL pp. 14-15). 7 Williams pp. 235-255; strict intermediate codices I, VII & XI are his group A (p. 243). 8 NHL III,2 64,13; IV,2 75,28. ‘James the Great’ is normally applied to the brother of John the Evangelist.

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Egyptians.’ The general consensus is that this latter work is the NHL work of that name, i.e. HBGIS. Quite apart from its elaborate explanation of the bap- tism , HBGIS demonstrates the closest connections to Mandaeism! The absence of a living Sethian tradition utilized to investigate ancient Sethianism has led to a scholarly consensus based only upon the heresiologists and the recovered texts. In itself this situation was positive since it enabled researchers to concentrate on the written evidence without Mandaeism or other would-be Sethian notions biasing the interpretations in any way. On a wider perspective however, an unconscious bias appears. For example, Irenaeus describes what we know to be Sethianism as ‘Barbelognosis.’ Named after a prominent character in Sethian NHL texts, the term is used as a synonym for ‘Sethianism’ and ‘Ophitism.’ The recent publication of GJudas would even tend to entrench this usage. A particular Sethian feature not highlighted by Schenke is that Sethianism, even more than other Gnosticism, derides and its scriptures, evidenced in part by the ‘inversion’ of good and evil OT characters – usually rewritten into new situations to demonstrate the inversion, a ‘paradoxical anti-Judaism.’ While RealArch is the best known example due to its ‘inverted’ rewriting of the temptation of Adam & , the classic example would be the virtuous ‘virgin’ realm of Sodom and Gomorrah, as found in HBGIS.9 This feature so characteristic of NHL Sethianism contrasts strikingly with , even though hermetic texts dominate NHL codex VI. Mandaeism too, as much as NHL Sethianism, illustrates paradoxical anti-Judaism but rather than the ‘intel- lectually abstract’ inversion of good & evil Jewish characters as in NHL Sethi- anism, Mandaeism tends more to attack specific Jewish practices (or alleged practices) or descends into outright abuse!10 Nevertheless, such polemic only occurs in exoteric portions of Mandaean scripture.11 This situation is partly obscured in the NHL since some of the most vehe- mently anti-Jewish statements are found in texts allied to the Sethian texts but not formally classified among them. This is particularly the case with the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, a work also fully Christian, and the Para- phrase of , which teaches that Sodom was, for a while, a place of refuge against the forces of Darkness!12 Other such ‘allied to Sethian’ NHL texts (though without any exaggerated anti-Jewish content) include On the Origin of

9 NHL III,2 56,6-13. 10 E.g. Johannesbuch §35 p. 129,12-14. See too Gelbert who details the extensive polemic while revealing the opposite situation between Mandaeans & Jews in the 20th century as minorities under Islamic rule. 11 Apart from many (most?) incantation texts, the exoteric Mandaean canon comprises the Ginza, Qolasta (including the Wedding of Sislam-Rba, Drower, 1950), Johannesbuch, and Sfar Malwasia. 12 NHL VII,2 62,28-31; VII,1 28,34-29,33. Note again the associated codices I, VII & XI.

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the World, Hypsiphrone, and, according to some authors, the , Thunder—Perfect Mind and Eugnostos the Blessed.13 Hence the works named in this paragraph will be labeled ‘Seth-related Texts’ – a raggedy inclu- sive collection of works without specific mutual relationships but with some sort of general, vague, unspecified or alleged connection to NHL Sethian material.

3. THE FEW SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MANDAEAN AND OTHER SETHIANISM

The lack of similarity between Mandaeism and NHL Sethianism is in the details, e.g. the names, more than in the features and thought patterns charac- teristic of Gnosticism generally – the latter shown in Rudolph’s pioneering investigation.14 Apart from the prime importance of for both, the lack of detailed connections may explain why the question was not investigated earlier. A common origin is clear but the problem lies in elucidating the spe- cific features of the common ‘Ursethian’ tradition. As shown above, , the prominent usually female component of the triple godhead in NHL Sethi- anism, is entirely absent in Mandaeism. The vast number of names usually found in Sethian NHL texts, including those of the ‘powers’ (AphJohn long version) governing the formation of vari- ous parts of the body, are not recognizably reproduced in Mandaeism. Yet the Paraphrase of Shem, a ‘Seth-related’ NHL text, shows a similar though less extreme lack of names shared with the NHL Sethian texts proper, even with the Sethian text found with it in codex VII, The Three Steles of Seth! When comparing these texts with Mandaean scriptures, the result shows the severe difficulties arising from the NHL classifications. While Sitil and other Sethian features are found in numerous Mandaean canonical texts they are certainly not found in all such texts – Sitil usually being displaced by Hibil Ziwa, Manda d-Haye or Anos. That is, if Mandaeism were extinct and its texts nevertheless discovered in a generally fragmentary condition and ambiguous contexts, one would tend to classify the texts along NHL lines – some Sethian, some not – without the slightest realization that all the texts were actually part of one integrated tradition! So in regard to the Mandaean situation, presumably the Paraphrase of Shem and the Three Steles of Seth, along with the other mainly Christian in the same codex or copied by one scribe, were all ‘tolerable’ texts. That is, even if not highly regarded, each text was acceptable

13 Eugnostos’ Sethian status was asserted by Parrott (NHL p. 221), that of Thunder by Bentley Layton (Robinson 2007 p. 215), both claims denied by others. The James reference in HBGIS is apparently why the Apocryphon of James was sometimes labeled Sethian. 14 Rudolph (1975); however, denying the existence of self-labeled ‘Sethian communities’ he implicitly denied Sethianism itself (ROG pp. 577-578)!

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for the threatened community or alliance (here codices I, VII & XI) that decreed its preservation! Indeed, as already indicated by Barbelo, the similarities between NHL texts and Mandaeism are decidedly fewer than between the NHL and either GJudas or even – though it is harder to tell with the latter due to the very varied ‘Christianization’ of NHL texts. Nevertheless non-Christian NHL Sethian texts merely tend to be indifferently non-Christian (e.g. Thought of Norea) rather than, like Mandaeism, avowedly and aggressively anti-Christian (e.g. the three curses on Jesus in the Wedding Songs15)! For this reason, the characters and similarities shared by NHL Sethianism, Mandaeism and Christianity alike will be downplayed in the interests of highlighting specific similarities between Mandaeism and NHL Sethianism.

3.1 The Positive Features are Significant:

Particularly in the Right Ginza (RG), Mandaeans are portrayed as won over to or reaffirmed in their by contact with the ‘stranger’ or ‘Alien Man’, the messenger from the Kingdom of Light, usually identified as Manda d-Haye or Hibil Ziwa. The ‘Alien Man’, so called because he and his Gnostic message are so foreign to the physical world of common experience, goes under his Greek name – Allogenes – in NHL and Tchacos texts, but his message is essentially the same. As a personage shared with Christianity, is here set aside (so see J. Hart, this issue). However in the Seth-related Christian work, The Second Treatise of the Great Seth, he is discarded along with OT characters from any meaningful involvement in the Gnostic Christian tradition!16 Far more difficult to set aside are the one (or two) female Mandaean characters otherwise identifiable as ‘Mary’ – Miryai and Mariam, the latter name used only in the context of ‘Mary mother of Jesus.’17 In at least two situations Miryai is associated with someone called Yaqif i.e. Jacob, who plays a role both as her disciple and a Jewish priest in transition to Mandaeism!18 This personage is definitely not the OT Jacob either since the latter is identified otherwise as a ‘pillar’ of the antipathetic Jewish community.19 So is the Mandaean Yaqif identifiable with a James (Jacob) from the NT? This may be so but is beyond the remit of this article. Rather, the task here is to identify a Sethian James – preferably with a ‘Mary’ to secure the identification

15 Qolasta hymns ##215-217 – translated only in Drower (1950) pp. 64-65; not in the CPM. 16 NHL VII,2 63,31-35. 17 E.g. RG XVIII p. 410,32. See also Buckley (1993b) and Bergman pp. 78-87. 18 Johannesbuch §22 p. 87,17-88,3; §54 p. 192,9-12. RG XV:11 pp. 336,35-344,7; full Eng- lish translation of latter in Gelbert pp. 244-252. 19 RG XV:11 p. 343,13.

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with Yaqif, the Mandaean ‘James.’ Most prominent would be the Naassenes, where Jesus’ brother James passes on secret teachings to a Mariamne,20 pre- sumably identical with the Ophitic female figure Mariamme mentioned by Origen or even her ‘alter ego’ in the who travels with various apostles to preach against the Ophites!21 In the NHL however, the names ‘Mariam’ and perhaps ‘Mary’22 occur respectively in the First and Second Apocalypses of James – but neither of these are classed as Sethian or even Seth-related! The identification of ‘Mary’ in the Second Apocalypse is uncer- tain but the non-Sethian status of the First Apocalypse of James is now in question given that the Tchacos Codex has revealed another copy of this work, accompanied once again by Sethian material, i.e. GJudas. Nevertheless we await publication of the complete codex. Yet the Mandaean-Sethian question even extends to the other non-Sethian Tchacos text, the Epistle of Peter to Philip, which, in the NHL, shares codex VIII with the fragmentary Sethian Zostrianos. Apart from another allusion to Philip, the Sethian issue is revealed by the epistle’s connection to the Pseudo- , which in turn, though clearly Ebionitic, exhibits features reminiscent of Mandaeism. Not merely the exaltation of a James (though only to give way to Peter) but the witnessing of ritual procedures,23 the use of living water for baptism and the Elkasaite connection24 reveal Mandaean-like features. These features nevertheless contrast with the decidedly hostile portrayal of John the Baptist in the Pseudoclementines.

3.2 Syzygy ‘Doublets’ and Reduplicated Names

Returning to simpler Gnostic observations, the existence of many ‘doublets’ of names in Mandaean texts referring to two beings (e.g. Tar & Tarwan, Adatan & Yadatan, Hannel & Hananel etc.) reveals probable Gnostic syzygies. Alterna- tively, the name of a single being can itself be ‘doubled’ with the reduplicated name usually revealing variation (e.g. Yofin-Yofafin, Zartai-Zartanai, Pilpin- Pipin etc.). Examples of ‘doublet’ syzygies are remote in Sethian NHL texts

20 The editors of the ANF (V p. 48 n.6) imply that this character was male! 21 Contra Celsum V:62. Acts of Philip 94-148, translated selections only: M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1953) pp. 439-453; full French translation in Acta Philippi, eds. François Bovon, Bertrand Bouvier & Frédéric Amsler, Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium (1999). 22 NHL V,3 40,26; V,4 44,22 but note the priest’s name at 44,16! See also Bergman esp. pp. 86-87. 23 Clementine Homilies: Adjuration 2 & 4. See also Hippolytus IX:10; Epiphanius I:19:6,5. Compare the witnesses in Qolasta hymn #21. 24 Living water baptism in Clementine Homilies XI:27; Recognitions III:67. Epiphanius (I:19:5,5) claimed that four sects were ‘bewitched’ by Elxai (Elkasai): Ossaeans, Nasaraeans, and Nazoraeans. So were all five ‘bewitched’ by Sethian-Ophitic teachings too?

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(e.g. Astaphaios & Astraphaio and Archendekta & Archentechtha in AphJohn). In other NHL texts what might be construed as doublets are actually triplets (e.g. Saphaia & Saphaina from the ‘raggedy’ Paraphrase of Shem, and Michar & Micheus from HBGIS, the third member being Sophia and Mnesinous respectively). Far more relevant to Mandaeism are the alternative names applied to ’s wife who is also Eve’s daughter – i.e. Norea and Orea in RealArch! Norea is a good albeit conflicted figure, calling for help from the holy ones. Orea however represents her evil alter ego, burning down Noah’s first attempt at constructing the ark – an obvious parallel to the ever ambiguous Ruha.25 Redu- plication of a name for a single being in the NHL is uncommon, being essen- tially restricted to HBGIS – highlighting the Mandaean connection. Most prominent are the reduplicated appellations prefixed to Seth himself but there is also Domedon Doxomedon,26 the first emanation of the supreme triple deity (Autogenes being the Father among these three27). In other situations and NHL texts, the name Doxomedon alone occurs.28 Nevertheless there is also the longest name in the NHL, its three words apparently including a reduplication – Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus. Present not only in HBGIS, it is found both in Zostrianos and the text usually consid- ered to contain the oldest Sethian material, the Apocalypse of Adam. However, the name ‘Yesseus’ is clearly a variant of i.e. Jesus, especially given that Epiphanius frankly conceded that the earliest Christians were called ‘Yes- seans’ (Jesseans).29 So given that the first name implies Jesus, who or what is Yessedekeus? The word ‘Mazareus’ can most easily be explained as the Hebrew ‘Mazzaroth’ with a Greek ending (for grammatical purposes) – the word referring to the 12 signs of the Zodiac. Likewise, the word Yessedekeus has a Greek ending, and derives from Hebrew. The underlying Hebrew words however are ‘Yo’, ‘Yu’ or ‘Ye’, an epithet for the divine, and ‘zedek’ or ‘zaddiq’, meaning ‘righteous’ and from which we get the word ‘Sadducee.’ These two words are found together in Mandaeism too, but as the word ‘Yozataq’ (Jozataq in Lidzbarski) with the same meaning, the epithet nor- mally being applied to Manda d-Haye.30 However, Manda d-Haye is never to be identified with the Zodiac or any part thereof!

25 NHL II,4 92,32-93,2; 92,14-18. Buckley (1982 & 2002); Ruha is the Mandaean homo- logue of the Gnostic Sophia. 26 NHL III,2 62,2-4 65,9; IV,2 59,19-21. Domedon Doxomedon III,2 41,14, 43,8; IV,2 51,2-3. 27 NHL III,2 40,16-41,12; instead Robinson (1978 p. 645) describes Autogenes as the Son in this trinity but there is no insoluble paradox since the Father is “he who begets himself and he who comes forth from himself and the alien one [Allogenes], the uninterpretable power of the ineffable Father.” (IV,2 50,17-23). 28 Notably NHL IV,2 53,5 where III,2 has both names. See Böhlig & Wisse p. 65 and pp. 7-17. 29 Epiphanius I:29:4,9-5,4; but he (mistakenly?) identifies ’s Therapeutae as Yesseans! 30 Johannesbuch p. xxv; RG X p. 241,21-22; Qolasta #8 etc.

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4. NEWER COMPLICATIONS INVOLVING THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS

Quite apart from the other issues over the Tchacos Codex, the Gospel of Judas (GJudas) itself reveals unlikely connections with Mandaean characters and conceptions. Two very important ones will be discussed here. The first concerns the supreme deity – or a male avatar thereof, not a – appear- ing as a male child. The second concerns the good or evil status of Seth’s brothers. For Mandaeans (Hibil) is a savior figure more exalted than Seth, mainly because Hibil is involved in actual combat. In contrast Cain is an exalted figure for the Cainite Gnostics, said to be the sect that wrote GJudas!

A well known scene in Mandaeism occurs where Yahya-Yuhana (John the Baptist) is to baptize Manda d-Haye – the latter appears as a small boy!31 Another mighty Mandaean figure who nevertheless more commonly appears as a boy is the enigmatic and little discussed Lihdaia Zadiqa, the ‘Holy Unique One’, to whom the term ‘great’ (Rba) is usually added. He is notable for his parthogenetic capacity, the ability to generate a son, i.e. another Holy Unique One, via the mediation of the “excellent sons of the First Life’ upon the Piri- awis-Yardna.32 Hence the Holy Unique One – at least in conjunction with ‘heavenly water’ – possesses a ‘self-generating’ capacity in the manner of the ‘Self-generating One’, i.e. Autogenes, in NHL texts. The ‘junior’ Great Holy Unique One is even described by the First Life as having departed in order to guide other Lightworlds that are not developing adequately!33 The Sethian connection to this situation is clearest in the GJudas, where “often [Jesus] did not appear to his disciples as himself, but he was found among them as a child.”34 Hence, what appears as gratuitous personal abuse of in the Pseu- doclementines seems rather to be a parody on actual Gnostic teachings!35 While GJudas extols Seth,36 Cain goes unmentioned by name. However, those who want to ‘raise Cain’ over this have already been preempted by a lay Mandaean writer, Carlos Gelbert, who in 2005 answered the reciprocal situa- tion – the fate of Cain in Mandaeism. In The Mandaeans and the Jews, a text

31 RG V:4 pp. 191,32-193,25. 32 RG IX:2 pp. 235,29-236,14. Piriawis-Yardna is the ‘spiritual Jordan’. However, for Man- daeans the latter word is an incorrect rendition of ‘Yardna’ (see Nasoraia Brikha, this issue). 33 RG IX:2 p. 237,35-38: “Er [Lihdaia-Zadiqa] ging zu den anderen Lichtwelten, die hervor- gerufen, aber nicht gut hergerichtet sind. Sie schickten ihn hin und verpflichteten ihn über sie, daß er sie gut herrichte.” In fact, the ‘junior’ Holy Unique One may be identical with the ‘ideal candidate’ Sislam-Rba since the latter’s father is also the Holy Unique One (Drower, Alf Trisar Suialia Vb:322-323). 34 GJudas 33,18-22 (Kasser et al. p. 20); see also note 27. 35 Clementine Homilies II:26; Recognitions II:15. 36 GJudas 49,6 (Kasser et al. p. 35) There may even be a second Seth, a demonic Seth in GJudas 52,5-6 (ibid. p. 38) but Robinson (2007, pp. 215-216) disputes this reconstruction.

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dedicated to investigating the extensive connections between the two , with new material notably on the origin of Abathur, he claimed that Cain was ‘revived’ or ‘reincarnated’ as a being in the Kingdom of Darkness and that this person was female!37 However, this bizarre assertion, a ‘resurrection- with-sex-change’ guaranteed to receive unwarranted attention, was not, in this writer’s opinion, justifiable from the evidence supplied!38 The presence and ‘good’ status of Cain in GJudas may nevertheless be inferred from the NHL – from AphJohn and, once again, HBGIS. The higher rulers of the underworld – variously given as Yaldabaoth in AphJohn or Sakla & Nebruel in HBGIS, generate 12 helpers, or demons. These angelic/ demonic helpers are to rule over Hades or in part over the heavens, being divided into five and seven. Only the group of five are listed in GJudas. The remaining seven however include Cain (also listed as Kainan) in both AphJohn and HBGIS, where along with the other six, usually but not always including Abel among them, he rules over the heavens in AphJohn but over Hades in HBGIS!39 The implication is that in GJudas the absence of Cain among these appointed rulers indicates that he is not subordinate to nor created by demiur- gic or evil rulers so by default he is good; he is one of the agents of the Realm of Light. The implicitly ‘good’ status of Cain in GJudas is even suggested by the fact that Cain is identified with the sun in both AphJohn and HBGIS. While in Gnos- ticism generally the sun is one of the ‘evil seven’ created by demiurgic power, the sun is also recognized for its life-giving properties. The longest Mandaean crea- tion text emphasizes the issue by invoking both the Harranian and Jewish ‘sun ’, Samis and Yurba (Jorabba i.e. Jehovah)40 respectively. As part of his violent attack upon Ruha and the seven, Manda d-Haye describes his actions thus: Samis – I grasped at his secret things and made him like a woman. Yurba – I made him like a woman because he had slept with Ruha.41

37 Gelbert pp. 138-139. 38 On a personal note; I did not criticize Carlos Gelbert’s claim at publication – but in retrospect certain points need clarification. Being reliant upon me for numerous unusual references – as I upon him for various texts here quoted – at the time of publication I had been able to provide him with neither the NHL nor Drower’s Secret Adam! Nor had I discussed the impending publication of the Tchacos Codex in any detail, since I then thought, on the basis of available evidence, that the Sethian status of the Cainites was far from certain. However in 2005 I was unable to criticize his claim anyway, since, still learning German, I had only just begun to translate into English the German-only translations of the Mandaean canon. Only a week before GJudas appeared in print did I finally reach the decisive passage quoted here! 39 NHL II,1 10,28-11,7; IV,1 26:19; III,2 58,1-22; IV,2 70,1-5. GJudas 52,5-14 (Kasser et al. p. 38). 40 See Johannesbuch pp. xxii,28-xxiii,12; Lupieri p. 262. Note that Iao = Jeu, Iao Rba = Jehovah. 41 RG III p. 132,12-15. Ruha is the mother of the seven planets – including the sun!

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What more decisive proof could there be that the sun’s goodness is its female characteristic – and that in Mandaeism the clearly evil Cain has indeed been ‘resurrected’ in the Underworld as a woman! Or is ‘she’ really a drag-queen?

5. THE FOUR LUMINARIES

The great divergence of Mandaeism from NHL Sethianism is clear, but there is one major, distinctive and much elaborated Sethian feature common to both: the Four Luminaries. Given the absence of Barbelo in Mandaeism, despite the fact that it was Irenaeus who described these Four Luminaries to his baffled readers in the first place, we now break sharply from Barbelognosis!42 Three Sethian NHL texts that mention Barbelo do not mention the Four Lumi- naries, including Allogenes the Stranger and Three Steles of Seth. In the former the four are implicit through mention of Youel; in the latter, the obsessive emphasis on ‘three’ may have obscured reference to ‘four’ (although three luminaries rather than four are a common feature in other Sethian texts)!43 The remaining fragmentary Sethian text, Marsanes, does not contain an unambigu- ous reference to the Four Luminaries but its Sethian status is assured by the Untitled Brucian Text which mentions both Marsanes’ heavenly journey and the Four Luminaries.44

In the NHL the four can appear in two ways – as an undifferentiated col- lectively acting group of four ‘equals’, or as a hierarchy of four.45 The Thought of Norea demonstrates the former, AphJohn the latter.46 Both such patterns are found in Mandaeism, though here the ‘four’ have differentiated into two very separate series, one an obscure relatively undifferentiated collective, the other a well known Mandaean hierarchy! Hence the undifferentiated collective is easier to recognize as akin to the four in the NHL, and, as the four appear this way in the Left Ginza (LG), this form may be of greater age.

In book 1 part 1 of this work, Adam does not want to die, and so manages instead to get Sitil (Seth) to die in his place! Thus in Mandaean soteriology Sitil becomes the first human being to die and return to the Kingdom of Light, emphasizing the primal role of Seth in this oldest of Mandaean texts.47 In part 2

42 In contrast to Kasser et al. pp. 140-143. Rudolph (p. 199) notes the four only in passing. 43 Here one suggests significant differences between codices I, VII & XI and the NHL generally! 44 MacDermot Untitled Brucian Text 7 p. 235,14-15 (Marsanes); 20 p. 264,4-6 (Luminaries). 45 This is not to deny that their presence can readily be inferred if even only one member is present, indicated by its distinctive name e.g. RealArch, NHL II,4 93,7-94,3. 46 NHL IX,2 28,24-30; II,1 8,33-9,24. 47 That is: the oldest text according to the colophons. Many incantation texts, as demon- strated by Drower, definitely contain much older material. The problem there however is that

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however the Messenger from the Great Life will not be dissuaded by Adam’s pleas to remain on earth. Now too this Messenger has some helpers, hence he can reassure Adam about his coming death and ascent: “O, Adam! That stinking body you inhabit – how it pains and grips you! Raise your eyes, Adam, and behold the cloud of light approaching you; four men, sons of Light are leading it in. The cloud approaching and descending has come from thousands upon thousands of miles away. Wrapped together within it lie garments of radiance, pure turbans of Light and spectacular garlands wide and endless.”48

We find elsewhere that these otherwise undifferentiated ‘four lights’ or ‘four ¨Uthras’ actually have names, though these are sometimes feminine – and vary as shown in the tables below. As for the Mandaean ‘hierarchical four’ these are the familiar four ‘grades’ of life. The First Life is distinct from the rest as it is represented by perfect Lightworld beings like the Great Life, Mara d-Rabuta (Lord of Greatness) and Manda d-Haye. The Second, Third and Fourth Lives in contrast are imperfect, exemplified by the three demiurgic figures in descending order, Yusamin, Abathur and Ptahil respectively. Table 1 shows the familiar ‘First Series’ of Four Lights in the NHL, high- lighting a major spelling difference in the first luminary. The fifth light attached to the First Series, Youel (= Iouel) is found in numerous NHL texts, Youel alone characteristic of Allogenes the Stranger. Yet the lesser known and usually fragmented Second Series first highlighted by Schenke is more intriguing and especially relevant for Mandaeism. Once again, HBGIS alone of the Sethian NHL texts provides the names for all eight. As with the First Series names the presence of even a single Second Series name can indicate Sethianism – but in the case of ubiquitous names like Gamaliel and Gabriel this is only the case if they are uncovered in a relevant context, i.e. associated in some recognizable ‘four light’ structure. For example, Gabriel is found in the Koran and the Gospel of Luke but the contexts there exclude Sethian categorization!

Table 1: The Four Luminaries in NHL Sethianism – plus 5th light.

SERIES 1st Light 2nd Light 3rd Light 4th Light 5th Light First [H]Armozel Oroaiel Daviethe Youel Second Gamaliel Gabriel Samblo Abrasax or (in context) (in context)

those texts are not unambiguously Gnostic but rather seem to be interpreted or modified retro- spectively according to Gnostic conceptions (see E. Hunter, this issue). 48 LG I:2 pp. 435,10-16. The word ‘men’ (Männer) in Lidzbarski’s text asserts the four lights’ masculinity.

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The meanings of three of the names in the Second Series are well known: Gamaliel – benefit of ; Gabriel – man of God. In the case of Abrasax, along with its variant spelling, Greek gematria, i.e. giving a numerical value to each Greek letter, assigns a numerical value of 365 to the word. Being the whole number value closest to the number of days in the year, the astrological significance is obvious. This may explain the frequency of this name on Gnos- tic jewelry and its use by the Gnostic heretic , whose Sethian status is thereby confirmed. Conversely, Samblo has remained unexplained. In contrast to the clear order of the names seen in the NHL, the Mandaean names for the ‘undifferentiated’ series of Four Luminaries given in table 2 do not present a straightforward picture – and no names appear to be shared with the NHL. Furthermore, the variation in the names and arrangement is con- tained entirely in the Mandaean , the Qolasta. What emerges from the table however are three pairs of names overall but, logically, only two pairs of names for the Four Luminaries. The fourth luminary always has different names to any name found among the first three. Where the 4th luminary is Nhur-Hai (feminine), the 3rd is Ziv-Hai (masculine), this being the famous gender opposition between light and radiance – here highlighted by bordering. If however the 4th luminary is Zamar-Hai its paired name is Rhum-Hai.49 The remaining two names in all variants are ¨In-Hai (clearly feminine) and Sum- Hai (Name of Life, given in bold for clarity), each name appearing in the list in a different position.

Table 2: The Four Luminaries’ (or Entities’) Names in Mandaeism

TEXT REFERENCES 1 2 3 4 (æ only) Qolasta #17 (CPM p. 12) Rhum-Hai ¨In-Hai æ Sum-Hai Zamar-Hai [Hai (Hiia) = Life] (Mercy) (Wellspring) (Name) (Singer) Ω æ Qolasta #49 (CPM p. 45) ¨In-Hai Sum-Hai Ziv-Hai Nhur-Hai [& RG V:4 p. 195,29-31]50 æ (Shem?) (Radiance) (Light) Ω æ Qolasta #77 (CPM p. 87) Sum-Hai Rhum-Hai ¨In-Hai Zamar-Hai Ω æ

49 From Drower & Macuch the word ‘Zamar’, associated with music, flute-girls and prostitu- tion, seems clearly female. ‘Rhum’ ( √RHM), meaning ‘to be merciful’, has a female derivative, rhumita, which suggests that the word as it stands in the Qolasta is male. Hence all three appear to be male-female pairs! 50 Like the LG, the RG reference here describes the four as male. See also Lupieri p. 237 & n. 32.

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A peculiarity is that the word ‘sum’ itself means ‘name’ – surely a ‘degen- derizing’ appellation – though the assured femininity of ¨In-Hai suggests that Sum be a male figure. So while at first sight the three different listings of the Four seem to imply three variant traditions, closer investigation implies a hidden order or symmetry, indicating that the three arrangements may have been deliberately designed that way! Table 3 in contrast presents the usual Mandaean representatives of the ‘Four Grades of Life’ – but with Mandaean and NHL additions that render compre- hensible the ‘demiurgic relations’! In the first line we find Manda d-Haye set off against the demiurgic trio, Ptahil alone occupying both first and second line. The table is arranged this way because of RG books 1 & 2, parallel texts outlining the creation of the world by the demiurge – in the former called Gabriel, in the latter Ptahil. As Gabriel is otherwise found in the Ginza only in RG books 3 and 13, the last an obvious Islamic era writing, it is still presumed or hinted at that Gabriel is an import from .51 It is usually overlooked that Gabriel also occurs in a Zazai-era text, the Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa, where he occurs in an enigmatic statement by Hibil- Ziwa, which, as Drower saw, was referring to something at the beginning of this text. This something had subsequently been torn off the manuscript and lost, though whether this mutilation occurred after Zazai’s time or otherwise is unclear! Hibil-Ziwa is speaking of Ptahil “whose name he divulges; and he is Gabriel the Envoy, and ‘the Second’ and ‘the Third’; and these are the four creations, about which we have explained, two male and two female.” While ‘Second’ and ‘Third’ as shown in Table 3 are readily comprehensible within Mandaeism alone, the NHL aids this insight beyond what Drower could ever ascertain. That is, the “two male and two female” creations are identifiable with the ‘all male’ Mandaean Four Luminaries already listed in table 2. Thus we have a clear statement linking together the two Mandaean sets of ‘four beings’, even if some of them e.g. Ptahil are not very luminous at all!52 Apart from the clear order set out in HBGIS, other NHL texts provide only fragmented versions of the Second Series. Highlighting the partial derivation of the four luminaries from the four archangels of Enoch literature (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel & Raphael), GJudas yet reveals the severance from the Enochic tradi- tion. Michael is the agent for the Demiurge, implicitly Jehovah, while Gabriel is instead the agent of the ‘Great One,’ the “immortal realm of Barbelo.”53 In two Sethian NHL texts there are only three members in the Second Series, the dashed lines in some boxes of table 3 indicating that there is no space in

51 Lupieri p. 183 n.26. 52 Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa p. 34,19-22. Two male-female pairs (esoteric) versus ‘four men’ (exoteric)! 53 GJudas 53,19-25 (Kasser et al. p. 40); 35,17-18 (ibid. p. 23).

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the manuscripts for the name of such a member. The Apocalypse of Adam specifically lacks Gabriel but here the textual order is also reversed; never- theless, this highlights the ‘Second’ and ‘Third’ dichotomy quoted in the Bap- tism of Hibil Ziwa! Trimorphic Protennoia has the normal order but, perhaps due to its obsessional emphasis on triplicity, lists only three luminaries. Worse still, there are missing letters in the first part of the name of the 2nd luminary, i.e. […]anen, which otherwise is clearly not one of the familiar names for the Four Luminaries.

Table 3: Mandaean Grades of Life and Second Series Comparisons

The Four Life-Grades 1st life 2nd life 3rd life 4th life of Mandaeism Manda d-Haye Yusamin Abathur Ptahil Ptahil as Demiurge – 1. >>> Gabriel <<< his three other names. 2. the Second 3. the Third Incomplete Second Series Tetrads in ancient Sethianism Trimorphic Protennoia Kamaliel […]anen Samblo ——— Apocalypse of Adam [4] [3] [2] [1] (in reversed order) Abrasax Sablo ——— Gamaliel Gospel of Judas ——— Gabriel ——— —– inferred addition to Sethianism after Apocalypse of Adam >

While the table suggests that Gabriel was originally added to a preexistent triad as found in the presumably relatively old Apocalypse of Adam, can Man- daeism resolve the lacuna in the 2nd luminary from Trimorphic Protennoia? That the name seems to stand in place of Gabriel rather than Gamaliel is indi- cated by its interior placement between the known names. Now it is well appre- ciated in Mandaeism that Ptahil is not only an avatar for Gabriel (and vice versa) but that the former name derives from the Egyptian god .54 Hence for Trimorphic Protennoia the implied Egyptian avatar for Ptah (= Gabriel) is the father of the gods, Tatanen (= Tatenen).55

54 This statement should not be taken to repudiate ancient and modern attempts to ‘map out’ divine mysteries into Earthly geography: e.g. the four rivers of the OT (Genesis 2:10-14), and a variant derivation of Ptahil (Gelbert pp. 162-166). Second series in Apocalypse of Adam at NHL V,5 75,22-23 55 NHL XIII,1 48,28; Reitzenstein Poimandres pp. 61, 64.

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6. THE IDENTIFICATION OF SAMBLO

At this point we can appreciate the fundamental importance of the Four Luminaries in the Sethian-Ophitic tradition in general – in contrast to the spe- cifically non-Mandaean Barbelognosis. So regarding all the names of the Four Luminaries above, there is a further hint that two of the names – Mandaean Sum and NHL Samblo, just might be related. In Mandaeism there is a conun- drum over the name ‘Sam’. Sam is a very prominent character in Mandaean literature. For example, his importance is highlighted above all by his intro- duction in the Qolasta as the primary subject of hymn #1: Sam the White Fruit! Despite this, he receives no independent treatment in scholarly studies. Rather, following Drower, he is identified with Sum i.e. Shem, the son of Noah.56 Nevertheless Drower revealed striking variability in the pronunciation, includ- ing the intermediate word ‘Sum’ and even ‘Som’! Lidzbarski concurs with such variation i.e. ‘Sem’57 – variation in Semitic vowels being well recognized e.g. the variant spellings of ‘Mohammed.’ In the Mandaean canon in contrast, the name ‘Sum’ is nearly always associated with Nu (Noah), giving rise to what appears to be two different characters – Sam and Sum bar Nu. Yet this portrayal is complicated by the fact that the word ‘sum’ itself also means ‘name’, while the Sum found among the Four Luminaries is described as definitely meaning ‘name’ rather than Shem! Textual evidence for the identity of Sam and Sum bar Nu is suggested by the fact that they do not occur together in any particular text; if they did, their separate identity would indicate distinct personages. One of their similar func- tions is to act as guardian and watcher angels over the ages past58 – though this counts for little as many other Mandaean personages do likewise. A more striking suggestion of their identity occurs in the ‘Names ’, the Sumhata (Qolasta #173) where the primary name exalted is Sam himself – but is this merely a convenient pun? If however the meaning ‘Shem’ is extended to texts where Sum means ‘name’ i.e. to the Four Luminaries, we certainly run into conflict. There are two texts in which both Sum of the Four Luminaries and Sam occur together, implying that they are separate entities: in the Ginza, where the death and ascension of Yahya-Yuhana is related, and the Qolasta, in a hymn apparently

56 MII pp. 186-187; she also notes the conmixture of words in the Mandaean descrip- tion. Rudolph (1975 p. 207 n.2) describes her confusion here: the word for pallbearers (samraia) is mixed up with the word ‘Sam’, a name found in Iranian sagas. This Iranian Sam could subse- quently be confused by Arabic speakers with Sum son of Nu, so it was still not perfectly clear if two different personages are intended. 57 Johannesbuch p. 58. Compare too the English ‘Sam’ with the Polish and Dutch ‘Sem’. 58 Johannesbuch §25 p. 93,10-11 especially n.6; RG XV:5 pp. 316,1-318,22.

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modified in the Islamic period.59 In each case however Sam and Sum do not interact with each other directly. While one might invoke the Islamic era colophons of both texts as an excuse for a rewriting, it is now certain that hymn #77 existed in a pre-Islamic form,60 and, by inference from table 2 and an abundance of other Zazai-era Qolasta hymns, almost certainly included Sum-Hai and Sam too. One might argue that Drower worked essentially with Iraqi Mandaeans who had acculturated to Arabic, leading somehow to the confusion of two distinct beings – ‘Sam’ and ‘Sum.’ The situation would then be otherwise for Iranian Mandaeans, linguistically isolated from the former in that they speak Mandaic and/or Farsi. However this option has been negated by an Iranian Mandaean, Sheikh Salem Coheyli, who writes unambiguously that Sam and Sum are but variant pronunciations for Shem son of Noah!61 Yet Coheyli has unwittingly gone much further on the question, providing in his glossary a Mandaean name of Arabic and/or new Persian origin: Sembelá – ‘ear of grain’62

In this regard, the Mandaean calendar, of demonstrably ancient Zoroastrian origin,63 reveals the name of a Mandaean month that represents a Zodiacal constellation identified likewise. Sumbulta – ‘ear of grain’ constellation64

In modern astrology and astronomy this constellation is called Virgo – but there is no contradiction since even in ancient Egypt in 100CE on the ceiling of the Temple of , this constellation is represented by a young woman holding a sheaf of grain in her hand. This sheaf represents the star Spica, brightest star in Virgo. Given the above variation in names – Sum, Som, Sem, Sum and Sam, all of which represent Shem, in conjunction with both Man- daean and NHL names for the Four Luminaries, we can deduce that if Sum = Sam = Shem, then:

59 RG V:4 Sam pp. 191,3 & 196,12; Sum p. 195,30. Qolasta #77 Sam-Mana-Smira p. 84,10; Sum p. 87,7; presumed Islamic modification p. 87,5 & n. 2 (– but see note 85 and associated argu- ment). 60 Scroll of Exalted Kingship line 189 (Buckley 1993a p. 13); it has a Zazai colophon. 61 Justification for Arabic influence in note 56. Coheyli pp. 229-230 lines 1313-1318; page references are to Macuch, Neumandäische Texte (1993). 62 Coheyli p. 422; even apart from the formal absence of the letter ‘e’ in Mandaean, this word seems not to occur in Drower & Macuch. 63 Taqizadeh pp. 604-605. 64 Drower MII pp. 83-89, 187. The association is more significant than it may seem because each Mandaean month is specifically associated with a Zodiacal constellation. Conversely, this is not the case in standard astrology where the relationship between Zodiac signs and days/months of the year shifts by one day every 71 years due to the precession of the equinoxes. Hence, no claim is being made here that the earliest Mandaeans appreciated the precession!

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Sembelá = Sumbulta = ‘Ear of Grain Constellation’ = Samblo = Virgo.

Here we have a woman, a celestial maiden of gigantic size who, metaphori- cally, could still be ground into flour and dough to produce the ritual bread, the pihtha, for the Mandaean rituals!

7. MANDAEAN CONNECTIONS WITH THE APOSTLE THOMAS

Considerable evidence – previously considered accidental65 or referring to the Manichaean apostle of the same name – has now been found linking Mandaean texts and teachings to apocryphal works concerning the NT Apostle Thomas. This association was originally seen with the , found in Greek and Syriac versions, each containing two striking hymns, the Bridal Song and the Hymn of the Pearl; both of these, especially the latter, reveal great simi- larities to Mandaean themes. In the context of Virgo, the Bridal Song assumes greater importance – where the Syriac version is describing the Church, the Greek version describes a maiden. “On her head dwells the King and he feeds those who dwell with him beneath.”66 Clearly she is not the King’s wife but a very big metaphorical woman, served by seven grooms and bridesmaids and 12 servants (or Apostles in the Syriac) – the numbers seven and 12 clearly indicating the seven planets and 12 Zodiacal constellations. The 72 alluded to in the Syriac version67 readily multiply by five to form 360 – the Mandaean year, minus the five days of Parwanaia (Panja).

While the Acts of Thomas has been repeatedly modified, apocryphal Tho- masian texts reveal either great antiquity and/or connections to Mandaeism. These are: 1) Not merely the two hymns described above but the two epicleses, i.e. incan- tations, from the Acts of Thomas find a Mandaean counterpart in Qolasta hymn #349.68 2) While Buckley (this issue) alludes to the Mandaean parallels in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the Indian themes found in the text remind us not only of the Thomas Christians in Kerala, but the obscure Mandaean connection to the adjacent land of Serandib (Sri Lanka).

65 E.g. Lidzbarski Mandäische Liturgie (Georg Olms Verlag, New York, 1971 [1921]) p. viii, where the heretic is said to have inserted hymns into the Acts of Thomas. 66 Acts of Thomas 6 Bridal Song-GV lines 7-8; see also Günther Bornkamm, NTA II (1963) pp. 425-442. 67 Acts of Thomas 7 Bridal Song-GV lines 1-7; -SV lines 13, 14. 68 Acts of Thomas 27 & 50, discussion in Johnson (1999); context for hymn #349 in Burtea pp. 138-139.

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3) revealed that the rather simple text called the Apocalypse of Thomas was of unexpectedly great antiquity – the 18th year of Tiberius (32CE)!69 4) The Gospel of Thomas (GTh), whose position in the NHL relative to AphJohn & HBGIS was highlighted previously, has now been shown, at least in the Greek version, to predate the Sayings Source Gospel Q, which in turn was a major source of sayings for the gospels of Matthew and Luke.70 5) While found in a Manichaean context, the of Thomas clearly derive from Mandaean or proto-Mandaean sources, becoming demonstra- tive proof that Mandaeism predated Manichaeism.71 Opinion is now ten- ding towards the view that the psalms themselves are of pre-Manichaean origin.72 This is because the old opinion that grew up in a Mandaean community appeared to be confirmed by this proof – until the Cologne Mani Codex revealed that Mani’s background was instead among Elka- saite baptizers!73

The difficulty now is to explain how such proto-Mandaean material was modified into Christian Gnostic literature – the psalms per se – that then found their way into Manichaeism. The most obvious suggestion is that the Psalms of Thomas was a text used by the Elkasaites, a conclusion suggesting in turn that these baptizers had a (proto-)Mandaean background i.e. they really were ‘bewitched’ by Sethianism.74 This suggestion is supported by the idea that Mani did not break from his Elkasaite background in every respect but rather utilized the organization if not the traditions expressed in the . This work, assembled in 117CE, seems to be “a church order in the name of the Power of the Hidden One”75 – the latter perhaps identifiable with the Great Invisible Spirit of HBGIS!

69 NTA II (1963) pp. 799-800. 70 Robinson & Heil (2001), the Greek GTh fragment is Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655. 71 Säve-Söderbergh (1949), reference to Temple of Dendera p. 90. 72 E.g. Church & Stroumsa (1980); see too I. Gardner, this issue. 73 The Cologne Mani Codex (Cameron & Dewey trans., CMC 46,3-7) relates “how each one of the forefathers showed his own to the elect”, indicating that these were texts predating Mani himself. The series of quoted apocalypses end with Paul but include one each attributed to Adam (not the NHL one, see Epiphanius I:26:8,1 & 9,4), Sethel, Enosh, Shem and Enoch (CMC 48,16-62,10). In the Apocalypse of Sethel an carried him “from world to world” (CMC 52,2-5) implying in this context the multilayered ‘heavens’ or ‘’ of Gnosticism rather than an orthodox Jewish or Christian text. 74 See note 24. The term ‘proto-Mandaean’ (implying ‘Ursethian’) is required here since it is well nigh impossible to conceive how Christian psalms could derive from an avowedly anti- Christian movement! 75 F. Stanley Jones p. 189, who has not however highlighted the Sethian question.

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Beyond this we move into uncharted territory – such as the relation between the Psalms of Thomas and Gospel of Thomas (GTh).76 We know that the Naas- senes used both GTh and, apparently, HBGIS. This being the case then the use of GTh by an unambiguously Sethian sect – especially in association with HBGIS whose obscure but deep connections with Mandaeism have now been revealed – brings up a vital question viz. What is the relationship between Thomas lit- erature and Sethianism? It would appear to be more intimate than previously presumed – especially as a Thomas, like a James, is already associated with Christianity from a very early stage; but this is to deviate from the Sethian focus! Bentley Layton best outlines the issues surrounding the above-mentioned Hymn of the Pearl.77 In this poem, Thomas, a small child still unable to speak, is sent on a long journey from his homeland – Mesene, which ‘just happens’ to be in the - delta, near Basra, the traditional Mandaean home- land. Traveling by sea, he reaches a labyrinth in Egypt where a serpent guards a pearl. With the help of a letter from his royal parents he overpowers the serpent and rescues the pearl, returning successfully to his parents where, in the kingdom, he will occupy second place behind his brother – implicitly Jesus Christ. Roughly similar features on a more Jewish background are found in the Prayer of Cyriacus from a Syriac martyrdom.78

8. THE TWO LABYRINTHS AND THE FUNCTION OF MANDAEAN BOWLS

The labyrinth referred to can only be the Hawara Labyrinth, an enormous temple complex at the entrance to the , described by Herodotus then last seen intact by Strabo (circa 30BCE), subsequently disappearing into leg- end.79 Herodotus was told of underground chambers that he was not allowed to visit, but while archaeological evidence exists for a temple complex, there is no such evidence for underground chambers.80 As Herodotus describes the Faiyum filled to overflowing by Lake Moeris – its flow reversing according to the flood – this implies a high water table and the consequent absence of such underground chambers. Apart from the trivial observation that the Psalms of Thomas were recovered at Medinet Madi on the other side of this lake, what is the relevance of these observations for Sethianism?

76 E.g. Masing & Rätsep (1961). 77 Though not its undoubted thematic similarity to the Psalms of Thomas. Layton pp. 359-370. 78 Hugo Greßmann, Das Gebet des Kyriakos, Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissen- schaft und die Kunde der Älteren Kirche 20 (1921) 23-35. 79 Uphill (2000). Pliny the Elder, Natural History (William Heinemann, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1962) X:36:16,17,19 mentions both labyrinths. 80 Herodotus II:147-150ff.

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Unlike Mandaeans themselves, external researchers only belatedly uncoupled the word ‘Yardna’ from the in Palestine. Svend Aage Pallis sug- gested that it derived from the river Iardanos in Crete! Extending this, Cyrus Gordon derived the name ‘Sislam’ from the Cretan ‘Yasaslam’: ‘he who engen- ders peace, perfection’ etc.81 Despite differences in detail, an implicit Man- daean connection with Greek mythical cosmology also exists. The ‘anvil of the Earth sitting on darkness’ and the ‘copper earth and iron walls’ of Mandaeism find parallels in the anvil and bronze wall from Hesiod (~700BCE).82 Further- more, the obscure RG book 4 reveals an explicit Mandaean cosmological con- nection with Greece: Ptahil comes, seals up the Earth fully in a Greek artistic manner, spreads out the heavens, builds the Earthly ‘house’ and banishes the evil ones…83

This evidence only shows a Greek connection; what is required for identifi- cation with the Cretan Labyrinth is a specifically Minoan one associated with its capital, Knossos, where the legendary labyrinth was situated. Paralleling the Egyptian archaeology however, the Cretan Labyrinth cannot be identified there with any actual underground physical structure – of which there is very little – but instead, is connected with the extensive Minoan temple complex itself. Given the numerous Mandaean bowls reportedly found inverted in situ and dating from the 3rd to 9th century CE, highly relevant to this issue is that two buried Mandaean-like bowls inscribed in the ancient undeciphered Linear A script were uncovered at Knossos itself – their origin dating back to approx- imately 1,500BCE!84 The parallel findings from the Hymn of the Pearl – specifically the serpent surrounding the pearl – added to the persistent reports that Mandaean bowls were placed upside down, a bowl text already highlighted by Edwin Yamauchi indicates the answer. Commanding the driving away of the demons, the bowl describes their tumult – and how it functions to resolve the strife: A voice of the earth which trembles! A voice of the h[eavens] which return! A voice of shaking and trembling, of the war that exists among the angels of the firmaments! There has been a commotion among the Istars and etc. … I who have seen them, placed as a cover over them the great vault which is over the sorceries, and twisted them all together and seized all of their mysteries which were in me.85

81 Pallis, Mandaean Studies, Philo, Amsterdam, Holland (1926) p. 149 n.5; Gordon p. 39 in Drower (1962). 82 Anvil RG III p. 125,28-31; copper earth IV p. 143,13-15; V:1 p. 168,32-35. Hesiod, Theogony 726-733. 83 RG IV p. 143,15-17; see also RG III p. 89,11-14. Also Gelbert p. 51f. n.91ff. 84 Yamauchi (1999-2000); Brice (1961) Plates XXII, XXIIa, XXIIIa. 85 Yamauchi (1967) p. 165 text 5 lines 2-5,10-12; and introduction esp. pp. 4, 56, 65-67.

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The celestial sphere in which the Earth is enclosed can readily be understood as two bowls facing each other. Their rims join together, the circle formed by their rims being the Zodiac along which the planets run. Remember here that Mandaeism invokes the Realm of Light being in the north of the sky, and that the southern sky is conversely the Realm of Darkness. The Earth lies in the center of this space – but the center of each bowl now represents the direction of the Kingdom of Light and of Darkness respectively. The southern sky is only partially visible in the Northern Hemisphere, hence it is the Realm of Darkness, essentially below one’s feet – in other words, the southern sky, i.e. that south of the Zodiac, is the labyrinth in its partially visible form (see B. Shnan, this issue). Humanity on Earth too, especially in the Gnostic conception, is trapped in this labyrinth as well, forever seeking to escape or at least mollify the effects of the ever-present demons. In this way the function of an inverted incantation bowl becomes clear, and Syriac bowls presumably functioning in a similar manner. Hence the ‘practi- cal’ use of inverted incantation bowls, imitating the northern sky in seeking to push the demonic forces back where they belong – under the ground and in the southern sky. Nevertheless, the mental leap involved in these conceptions is very large and one requires Sethian proof for them. The best known legend concerning the labyrinth is that of Theseus and Ariadne, where her assistance enables him to escape the labyrinth after killing the Minotaur and, ultimately, win Ariadne’s hand in marriage. Ariadne however is also an astrological figure, her marriage a crowning associated with the constellation Corona Borealis.86 On this ques- tion we have two Sethian sources – Mandaean practice and Hippolytus’ descrip- tion of the Peratae, a Sethian sect deriving from the “Ophites, grand source of .”87

9. THE CELESTIAL YARDNA AND THE OPHITIC TRADITION

Due to the fixed relationship between the Mandaean calendar and the Zodiac, the Mandaean year can actually be mapped out in the sky, the 360 degrees in the sky covering the 365 days of the Mandaean calendar. This means that important dates in the calendar can be mapped to particular positions and con- stellations in the night sky – as in table 4 below.

86 Gettings p. 125. Basic Mandaean cosmology in RG XII sections 1, 6 & 7. 87 Hippolytus V:6 Ophites; V:7-13 Peratae. Matthews (1922) described many of the West’s labyrinth structures and their mythology, including dances, but this material has not been syn- thesized.

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Table 4

Mandaean Month Zodiac Sign of Month NEW YEAR Daula AQUARIUS Nuna PISCES Umbara ARIES Taura TAURUS Silmia GEMINI Sartana CANCER Arya (Tirma) LEO Sumbulta VIRGO North Panja (Parwanaia) South Ecliptic <<<<< upward flowing Yardna (Jordan) Ecliptic Pole <<<<< Pole Qaina (Reed) LIBRA Arqba SCORPIO Dehwa Daimana OPHIUCHIUS – Hatia SAGITTARIUS Gadia CAPRICORN

The Zodiac passing around the rims of the two ‘bowls’, the very centers of the bowls identify the poles of the ecliptic which are fixed in the sky. The North Ecliptic Pole is in the constellation Draco, the Kingdom of Light in turn behind this constellation. Table 4 includes the Ecliptic Poles – but these are not to be confused with the familiar North and South Celestial Poles.88 Table 4 lists the 12 Mandaean months in order with their appropriate Zodiac equivalents. While there are nominally 12 Zodiacal constellations, a 13th con- stellation intrudes between Sagittarius and Scorpio; this otherwise northern constellation being Ophiuchius – the serpent bearer. In the Mandaean calendar the position of Ophiuchius corresponds to the 1st day of the month of Hatia

88 The Celestial Poles circle slowly around the Ecliptic Poles, separated from them by over 23 °, circling once every 26,000 years i.e. the precession of the equinoxes.

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and is called Dehwa Daimana, commemorating the baptism of Adam or the birthday of Yahya-Yuhana, a situation confirming the relevance of ‘Ophitic’ in that Ophiuchius is holding or restraining a serpent.89 More striking overall is that the preeminent Mandaean festival – the five days of Parwanaia or Panja otherwise described as all daytime with no night – can be mapped out accordingly. It is the ‘celestial Yardna’, a river carrying the of the deceased upward across the barrier of the planetary purgatories (i.e. the Zodiacal band) to the Kingdom of Light beyond the constellation Draco. It runs at right angles to the Zodiac and while conceived of as a river, intersects a ‘sea’ in the sky at the Zodiac; it is this latter sea however on which the planet ships sail, e.g. in the Diwan Abathur, illustrating the multiple con- tradictory layers of the allegorization. The banks of the celestial Yardna are marked by our constellations Virgo and Libra90 – and there are two clear con- firmations for these claims. 1) The constellation Corona Borealis – associated with Ariadne – is found within the northern ‘stream’ of this celestial Jordan, roughly between Virgo and Draco!91 The name means ‘northern crown’ and is highlighted in Mandaeism by the head-clothing. The turbans (burzinqia) for bride and groom in the civil ‘marriage of Sislam-Rba’ echo the crown (taga) and ‘wreath’ (klila) added for priestly , i.e. the ‘Coronation of Sislam-Rba’ portrayed celestially by its constellation in the stream of the celestial Yardna. 2) The skandola, the Mandaean talismanic seal-ring, contains a representa- tion of ¨Ur, the ‘earth ’ as a serpent circling around the outer edge of the ring. This serpent-being, ¨Ur, a product of the uppermost realm of Darkness, actually corresponds to the Zodiac itself.92 Human ‘pearls’, Gnostics wandering far from home but hoping for rescue by heavenly savior(s), inhabit this serpent-surrounded Earth – the theme of the Hymn

89 Drower, MII p. 91 (Adam); Gelbert p. 274 (Yahya-Yuhana); Hippolytus V:11 calls this constellation Anguitenens. The serpent held is today divided into two constellations comprising head and tail respectively – Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda. 90 “Virgo – ‘I am clothed in garments of water.’ Libra – ‘I am bound with bonds of water.’” (Sfar Malwasia 1:X, Drower, 1949 p. 94). Furthermore, ‘Qaina’, a term meaning ‘reed’, is the Mandaean name for Libra – a logical choice since reeds grow at the edge of water! 91 The ‘Celestial Jordan’ is much narrower than it appears in the table; it is less than 5 ° wide and also tapers towards the poles of the ecliptic! Drower’s erroneous claim that Dehwa Daimana occurs 90 days after Panja (MII p. 91) has helped to obscure this discovery for decades. This though, along with her admission as to the calendar being “a confusing subject (ibid. p. 84),” absolves her from suspicion over a hidden agenda when dealing with her translation of relevant Mandaean texts. 92 While this Zodiac-serpent may also be identified with Draco, the constellation obscuring us from the Kingdom of Light beyond, the resulting serpent thus surrounding the whole world, this all-embracing Zodiac-serpent is not identical to the much smaller one held by Ophiuchius- Anguitenens!

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of the Pearl! More importantly, the Mandaean talismanic serpent is not biting its own tail. There is a gap between head and tail – and this gap comprises Panja, the five days when the Zodiacal purgatories are not operating and a embarked on the celestial Yardna can pass on by, unimpeded to the Kingdom of Light! This conclusion is verifiable since it leads to the prediction that the two constellations either side of Panja should comprise the head and the tail of this Zodiacal serpent. Virgo is indeed described as the head of a serpent – but Libra is not the tip of a serpent’s tail. Rather, the constellation Scorpio has been identified with the end of the serpent’s tail. This minor confusion exists only because in ancient times Scorpio’s chelae (claws) were classed as a sepa- rate constellation, the one we now call Libra.93 So too we recall that Abathur judges the passing souls on his scales. Where is Abathur and these scales? Next to the celestial Yardna of course – the scales we call Libra! There is more to come: the embarkation and journey of the soul on the celestial Yardna is the subject of the now translated, eagerly awaited and soon to be published Mandaean scroll Masiqta Zihrun Raza Kasia, an ancient text with Zazai colophons!

10. IN PLACE OF A CONCLUSION

The improbably wild and speculative cosmology of the last paragraphs would require a considerable degree of familiarity and basic understanding by any early Gnostic community, or its incipient priesthood, before it could be accepted at all. While the general beliefs of the surrounding Jewish and Pagan world would be more conducive to these ideas than the viewpoints that have arisen since the Renaissance, these astrological speculations clearly did inspire the Mandaeans – and other Sethians – very strongly. The counterintuitive notion of intersecting seas and rivers along with ships in the sky carrying cargoes of souls to salvation beyond the dark night heavens seems even to have contrib- uted to the extraordinary imagery surrounding Miryai as she became a female Mandaean priest: Miryai prays modestly and preaches with a wonderful voice. The fish assemble out from the sea, the birds from the mouth of the Euphrates. They come for the voice of Miryai and no longer desire to lie down and sleep.94

The all-too-obvious Christian analogy here is St. Francis of Assisi – but he preached to four-footed beasts as well, so strikingly absent here! Yet during

93 Gettings pp. 281-282, 443-444. 94 Johannesbuch §35 p. 134,10-12.

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the formative years of Gnosticism by no means everyone would agree with these wild Sethian-Mandaean cosmical speculations (nor with female priests for that matter)! So what arguments might a more ‘down to earth’ member of such a community put forward to attack and ridicule this imagery? Eschewing all speculation, one might argue as follows: If those who lead you say to you, ‘See, the Kingdom is in the sky’, then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea’, then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that…

…the quotation cannot continue since it transgresses the boundary of Sethian Gnosticism!95

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