The Johannites
The Mandaeans
"O People of the Book, you follow no good until you observe the Torah and Gospels (Jesus) and that which is revealed to you by your Lord (Koran). Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and those who are the Sabeans, and the Christians, whoever believes in The One God, and the last day and does good. . . they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve."
- Koran 5: 68-69
Bearers of a Secret Knowledge
"The followers of John the Baptist are a people called 'Mughtasilah', which means, 'Those Who Wash Themselves'....Today we call these people the Sabeans. The Sabeans include an order called the Mandaeans. They are to be considered Children of the Books, and as such, are to be considered holders of the Word of God."
- "Way #10: The Messiah Projects: Jesus, Son of Isis"
The Mandaeans are "a small [not more than 20,000 adherents] but tenacious community which dwells in Iraq, follow an ancient form of Gnosticism, which practices initiation, ecstasy and some rituals which have been said to resemble those of the Freemasons."
- Arkon Daraul, Secret Societies
The Mandaeans "take their name from 'Manda' which means secret knowledge."
- Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus
The Mandaean priests are called Nasoreans, as were the followers of Jesus.
"A 'Mandaean' was basically a layman, it seemed, but a 'Nazarean' was a member of the Mandaean elite -an archbishop, perhaps, higher than a priest and worlds away from laymen. Here the analogies ended, though, because the difference between Nazareans and Mandaeans was quite considerable: only the priests were ever allowed to see, let alone read, the sacred scriptures, for example."
- Paul William Roberts, Journey of the Magi (1995) p. 252
The Mandaeans, often called the Christians of Saint John, trace their origins to Palestine followed by exile to Harran, a center of gnosticismg, and then south to Mesopotamia.
"...During the first three centuries A.D., there were certain Mandaean or Johannite sects, especially in the region of the Tigris-Euphrates basin, who honored John [the Baptist], not Jesus, as their prophet. Indeed, one of these sects still exists. According to its thinking, John was 'the true prophet', while Jesus was 'a rebel, a heretic, who led men astray, betrayed secret doctrines.'"
- Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy
"Elements of the languages indicate that the community is of Jewish origin. One of the texts of the Mandeans tell about a flight of a group called 'Nasoreans', from areas that probably were in today's Jordan, to the Mesopotamian region, in the times of the Jewish wars following the destruction of Jerusalem in year 70 AD. The Mandeans appears first to have gained a strong position in Babylon, but lost this with the appearance of the Sassinids in year 226. In the time of Mani, there have been contacts between him and the Mandeans, resulting in both love and hate."
"With the arrival of Islam in Iraq, in 636, the Mandeans were considered as the third 'people of the book', as the mysterious Sabians of the Koran. But the Mandeans still faced a difficult relationship with Islam, and Muhammad is in their writings called the 'demon Bizbat'. The Mandeans moved from the cities to the marshlands in Southern Iraq. It is first in modern times that the Mandeans have moved back to the cities, especially Baghdad and Basra, where they now work as gold and silver smiths, and as iron smiths and boat builders. Mandeans are also found in medium-sized towns between Baghdad and Basra. Some small groups of Mandeans even live in Iran, in cities like Ahvaz and Shushtar in the south-western corner of the country."
- Tore Kjeilen, Encyclopaedia of the Orient
The Encounter with Paul
"The Mandaeans of southern Iraq...are Nasoreans who were driven out of Judah whose migration can be accurately dated to AD 37; it therefore seems almost certain that the man that persecuted them was Saul (alias Paul) himself."
- Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus
"...Paul arrives as the first Christian missionary in Corinth and in Ephesus, only to discover to his amazement that there seemed to be churches already there. On making inquiries he discovers that they are the Church of John the Baptist. He believed that the Ephesians and Corinthians would, therefore, be delighted to discover that he represented Jesus Christ, the one prophesied to come after John. Not so; they had never heard of such a prophecy."
- Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince, Turin Shroud - In Whose Image? The Shocking Truth Unveiled
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when [or after] you believed?'
They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.'
So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?'
'John's baptism,' they replied.
Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized into [or in] the name of the Lord Jesus."
- Acts 19:1-5
"In Acts 19:1-7 Luke refers to a group whom Paul met in Ephesus who knew only John's baptism of repentance. But since they are said explicitly to be 'disciples' (a term Luke always uses to refer to followers of Jesus) this passage provides very slender support for the existence in the first century of groups who saw John rather than Jesus as the Messiah."
- Graham N. Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus, The Oxford Bible Series (1989), paperback, p. 167
(2) Beliefs and Practices
Literature
"The vines gleamed in the waters.
Here mighty ones were established.
Yonder the waters are clear
And your counterparts exist and are glorious.
"Shine forth! Let your radiance appear, Great spirits, and come!
Instead of concealing it, let your radiance
And the brightness of the King shine forth;
Bring your perfume and invigorate us!"
-Hymn of the Great Mother from Mandaean scriptures
"They have sacred books, written in an Aramaic dialect of Babylon and dating from about the seventh and eighth centuries A.D. These are the Ginza, or Treasure, a collection of various works, the Qolasta, a sort of hymn book, and the John Book, which contains a legendary account of the Baptist's message, and also some hymns and fragments of teaching from many different sources."
- Chris King, "The Apocalyptic Tradition"
The Ginza "contains mythological - theological moral and narrative tractates, and hymns to be used in the mass for the dead. There are many other, less central, books, mainly written in East Aramaic, or Mandean is the language is also called. The content in these books varies, and many has magical texts and exorcisms. The collection of books started in the time of Islam, which differs strongly between 'book-religions' and other religions."
- Tore Kjeilen, Encyclopaedia of the Orient
"They have a second book called, called the Book of John. It is sometimes called the Book of Kings by the Mandaeans. This refers to the Kings, or light beings who exist in the heavens and direct mankind on the Earth. The Mandaeans believe the supreme being is one who they call Mara d Rabutha."
- "Way #10: The Messiah Projects: Jesus, Son of Isis"
"There are many other, less central, books, mainly written in East Aramaic, or Mandean is the language is also called. The content in these books varies, and many has magical texts and exorcisms. The collection of books started in the time of Islam, which differs strongly between 'book-religions' and other religions."
- Tore Kjeilen, Encyclopaedia of the Orient
Hibil Ziwa
The Mandaeans are gnostics ('manda' means Gnosis). According to them, God is the King of Light. Between him and the world there are gradations of aeons called 'Utras', the most elevated of which is Hibil Ziwa."
- Chris King, "The Apocalyptic Tradition"
According to the Mandeans, John the Baptist was Hibil-Ziwa. "Hibil-Ziwa was a Savior who entered the world of darkness and destroyed the evil spirits so that the faithful could obtain liberation before the end of the world."
- Paul William Roberts, Journey of the Magi (1995) p. 278
The following account of John the Baptist and Jesus is put in the mouth of Hibil Ziwa:
"In those days a child shall be born who will receive the name of John; he will be the son of an old man Zacharias, who shall receive this child in his old age, even at the age of a hundred. His mother Erishbai, advanced in years, shall conceive him and bring forth her child. When John is a man, faith shall repose in his heart, he shall come to the Jordan and shall baptize for forty-two years, before Nebou shall clothe himself with flesh and come into the world. While John lives in Jerusalem, gaining sway over Jordan and baptizing, Jesus Christ shall come to him, shall humble himself, shall receive John's baptism and shall become wise with John's wisdom. But then shall he corrupt John's sayings, pervert the Baptism of Jordan, distort the words of truth and preach fraud and malice throughout the world. In the day when the measure shall be full, I will come myself [Hibil-Ziwa] to him, I will appear to him in the form of a little child three years and one day old, and I will talk to him of baptism and instruct his disciples. Then I shall tear him from his flesh, carry him in triumph into the world of pure light and baptize him in the clear limpid waters of running Jordan; I will give him garments of glory and cover him in clothing of light, I will stir up in his heart a hymn of praise echoing that which the angels of light raise to their Lord at all times and for all eternity. After the death of John, the world shall fall a prey to error. The Roman Christ shall overthrow the peoples, the twelve seducers shall travel through the world: for thirty years the Roman shall manifest himself to men."
- Mandaean treatise
Mandaeans and Jesus
"The Mandaeans tell of the founding of Jerusalem by a powerful female Goddess named Ru Ha. She is viewed by them as evil. Ru Ha controls the Seven Planets. They say that Ru Ha worked evil on the Earth through several chosen men. These are Abraham, Moses, David and his son Solomon. Her greatest evil however, was realized through one final man. At her temple in Jerusalem, a young priestess was chosen to bear a special offspring. Her name was Miriam. We call her Mary. She brought forth the 'child of Ru Ha', the 'Imunel' (Immanuel) and he called himself, Jesus. He was baptized by John and taught much by him. He turned from John's teachings and led the people astray, the Mandaeans claim. The Mandaeans say that Mary is a 'Daughter of the Moses' and that this Moses dwelt on Mt. Sinai."
- "Way #10: The Messiah Projects: Jesus, Son of Isis"
"While Christianity presents John to have baptized Jesus, symbolizing that Jesus is his Lord, Mandean religion tells about a messenger of light that was sent to Jerusalem in order to undress the lie of Jesus. Beyond this, Jesus appears not to play much of a role in the theology of the Mandeans."
- Tore Kjeilen, Encyclopaedia of the Orient
"The Mandaeans subscribe to the belief that Judas Thomas was Jesus' twin brother-as the Celtic and Egyptian Christians did - it seems, but they also believe that it was this Judas, not Iscariot, who was crucified. Why? Because his resemblance to Jesus was sufficient to fool Pilate-who knew what Jesus looked like and was legally obliged to witness the Roman punishment of crucifixion when meted out by Jews - and because Judas Thomas had been instrumental in a rift among Jesus' followers that ultimately brought down the crucifixion sentence."
Jesus had then posed as Thomas for the rest of his life to avoid the taint of his failure as messiah interfering with his work. He had enacted the drama, played the role: now he wished to get on with his life."
- Paul William Roberts, Journey of the Magi (1995) p. 285
The Mandaeans believe that it was Jesus, not Thomas, who was the source of the Gospel of Thomas.
"Jesus-Thomas had continued to preach wherever he could that was beyond the reach of the Roman-Pauline church, ending up in Madras, where he was finally burned to death by ungrateful Hindu priests. St. Paul was the great villain of the piece, seen by the Mandaeans as a fanatic and a Roman agent."
- Paul William Roberts, Journey of the Magi (1995) p. 285
Baptism and Planetary Influences
"Though they are hostile to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, they very frequently practise baptism in running water and a sort of 'consolamentum' or confirmation, given to the dying. They repudiate idolatry and circumcision, while celibacy is absolutely forbidden. They practise a moral code of charity and goodwill."
- Chris King, "The Apocalyptic Tradition"
"Baptism is central to the cult of Mandeans, and the Mandean sanctuary, Mandi is a very simple, and small, house with slanting roof. In front of this a pool, connected to a nearby river, is placed. This one, called 'Jordan', is used for baptism. The whole area is surrounded by a high fence or a wall. Baptisms are performed on Sundays, and every believer pass through this several times every year. Mandean baptism can be compared to the Christian communion, and the Muslim prayer, salaat. The other central ritual is the mass for the dead, with recitations form the Ginza. The soul is released from the body the third day after the moment of death. Meals are central in the rituals. Traditional Mandean graves were unmarked, as what was buried was only the dark body, but in modern times, things have become adjusted to Muslim custom. The ethics of Mandeans are not all too different from Jewish ethics, and the same rules applied to all. Monogamy, dietary laws, ritual slaughtering, alms-giving are central acts."
- Tore Kjeilen, Encyclopaedia of the Orient
"They hold to planetary influence on the hours and have a seven day induction of priests like the Sabians. Their year consists of twelve months of thirty days each, followed by five auspicious days of epact. At the New Year they keep vigil for the spirits of light to return from congratulating the Supreme Being for creation. They utter 'Ask and find, speak and listen' like Harranians, but invoke a formal denial of the powers of the sun and moon contrary to the Sabians. Their dietary habits differ. Their calendar is solar while the Harranian one is luni-solar. Women may own property, divorce is not recognized, a man may have as many wives as he desires."
- Chris King, "The Apocalyptic Tradition"
"Mandaeans regard Christianity and rabbinical Judaism as false religions that, along with the negative influence of planets and stars, impede the soul's release from bondage. Avoiding anthropomorphic terminology, they describe the Absolute as a formless entity known as the King of Light, or Lord of the Greatness, or the Great Mana. The King of Light has to deal with the Zone of Darkness, and for this purpose he generously created the world with a series of emanations, of which one of the most important is the Savior, Manda d'Hayye, the 'Knowledge of Life,' whence comes the name of the sect.
"All created things have their heavenly counterparts. Even the cosmos is shaped like its creator, the archetypal Being. Physical limitations are unreal, unconnected to a human being's true nature. Mandaeans assert that the soul is in exile down here, a speck of light stranded in matter. The body, like all matter, springs from the planetary bodies, but life and breath come from the divine world of light."
- Paul William Roberts, Journey of the Magi (1995) p. 282
"The Mandaeans...believe that at the end of time what they call the Secret Adam will come to earth. The Secret Adam is a messiahlike figure, but he builds a machine that then transmits all the souls back to their hidden source in the All-Father outside of the machinery of cosmic fate."
- Terence McKenna, Archaic Revival
Johannite Christianity
"There existed at that period in the East a Sect of Johannite Christians, who claimed to be the only true Initiates into the real mysteries of the religion of the Savior. They pretended to know the real history of YESUS the ANNOINTED, and, adopting in part the Jewish traditions and the tales of the Talmud, they held that the facts recounted in the Evangels are but allegories, the key of which Saint John gives..."
- "Allocution of Pio Nono against the Free Masons"
The early church father Irenaeus wrote around 150 AD that Jesus remained on earth as a teacher for twenty years after his crucifixion, and that John the Apostle served as a conduit for these teachings. (See for Jesus' Final Days - Reports of Survival for details.)
This sect originated in the 'Johannine circle' in the first century C.E. "The theology of this group or community would a century later be absorbed into gnostic Christianity, on the one hand, and into 'mainstream' orthodox Christianity, on the other."
- Robert W. Funk, Roy W. Hoover, and the Jesus Seminar, The Five Gospels
"The actual historical legend of the Johannites is based on the Talmudic account of Jesus Ben Pandera. Supposedly Jesus was born illegitimately to Miriam, adopted by a Rabbi named Joseph who took him to Egypt. There he was initiated into the mysteries of Osiris and consecrated Sovereign-Pontiff before returning to Judaea."
- Kenneth Mackenzie, The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia
The French Neo-Templar Fabré-Palaprat "somehow came into possession of a manuscript written in Greek entitled the Levitikon; according to one version he picked it up from a second-had bookstall. The Levitikon contained a heavily modified version of the Gospel according to John in which the orthodox presentation of Christ had been excised in favor of a version which eliminated the miracles and the Resurrection, and presented Christ as an initiate of the higher mysteries, trained in Egypt. God is understood as existence, action, and mind, and morality as rational and benevolent conduct. The cosmos, in the ancient Gnostic tradition, is viewed as a hierarchy of intelligences. The part played by privileged initiation in the transmission of divine knowledge is central. Christ conferred the essential knowledge of this Gospel of John as the best-loved apostle, and it was transmitted thence through the Patriarchs of Jerusalem until the arrival of the Templars in 1118, after which the secret teaching was kept by the Templar Grand Masters."
"Fabré-Palaprat's doctrine of the Levitikon was reorganized after 1828 under the name of the High Initiation, or the Holy Church of Christ, or the Church of Primitive Christians. It was a secular religion of the kind which was peculiar to this period, though it put down some roots, and still influences some French exoteric circles. Essentially it was an academic, didactic faith which became more and more bookish as it tried to leave the Masonic lodge and establish itself in public precincts."
"The source of the Levitikon on which the religion was founded is obscure. It was almost certainly of relatively recent composition, and its claim to antiquity is no more convincing than that of the other Masonic-Templar monuments.
"Yet the Johannite creed asks for some attention as almost the only occasion on which masonry emerged from the shelter of the lodges to put on a Church attire. It suffered from crippling disadvantages as a religion. Partly because it had remained faithful to the old Masonic idea of a 'high initiation', partly because it had grown in the half-noble, half-bourgeois atmosphere of the chivalrous lodges, it had no popular appeal whatsoever. The reports on the final schism of 1836 make it plain that only a handful of people were interested either in the Neo-Templars or in the Levitikon."
- Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians
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