Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley

Last updated

Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley
Born
Jorunn Jacobsen

1944
Norway
Citizenship
  • American
  • Norwegian
OccupationProfessor
Spouse Thomas Buckley
Academic background
Alma mater University of Chicago Divinity School (Ph.D., 1978)
Thesis Spirit Ruha in Mandaean Religion (1978)

Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley (born Jorunn Jacobsen, 1944) is a Norwegian-American religious studies scholar and historian of religion known for her work on Mandaeism and Gnosticism. She was a former Professor of Religion at Bowdoin College. She is known for translating the Scroll of Exalted Kingship and other Mandaean texts, [2] as well as for her various books on the Mandaean religion and people. [3] Her interests include Mandaean genealogy and anthropology.

Contents

Education

Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley was born in Norway. She began her undergraduate studies during the 1960s. As an undergraduate student, she studied psychology, philosophy, and Ancient Greek, and eventually became interested in Gnosticism and Mandaeism. In 1971, she went to the University of Uppsala and then studied briefly at the University of Utrecht. She also visited Iran in 1973 to conduct fieldwork on the Mandaeans. In 1975, she began her doctoral studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School and received a Ph.D. in 1978. [4] Her doctoral thesis was titled Spirit Ruha in Mandaean Religion.

Career

Buckley has conducted fieldwork twice in Iran, in 1973 and 1996, as well as among Mandaean diaspora communities around the world. She has regularly collaborated with Mandaic scholars such as Kurt Rudolph and Rudolf Macúch. [4]

For most of her career, Buckley was a professor at Bowdoin College, a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. [1]

Buckley is also known for her work as a legal witness in Mandaean immigration asylum claims. In 1995, the Executive Office for Immigration Review of the U.S. Department of Justice certified Buckley as an expert witness on the Mandaeans. [5] :61

Affiliations

Buckley is a member of: [1]

Conferences

Buckley has presented at all of the ARAM International Conferences specifically dedicated to Mandaean studies: [6]

Personal life

Jorunn Buckley was married to Thomas Buckley, an American anthropologist who died in 2015. [8] [9]

Her stepson, Jesse Buckley, is a video editor. [10] [5] :19

Selected publications

Books

A selection of books authored by Buckley: [11]

Articles

Selected journal articles authored by Buckley: [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In Mandaeism, kushta or kušṭa can have several meanings. Its original literal meaning is "truth" in the Mandaic language, and is thus typically used to refer to the Mandaean religious concept of truth. The same word is also used to refer to a sacred handclasp that is used during Mandaean rituals such as masbuta, masiqta, and priestly initiation ceremonies.

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Šganda Salem Choheili (Persian: سالم چحیلی; born 1935 in Ahvaz, Iran} is an Iranian Mandaean scribe, teacher, and author. He is also a shganda and yalufa and is one of the leaders of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz. Salem Choheili is one of the last remaining fully fluent speakers of Neo-Mandaic.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jorunn J. Buckley". Bowdoin College. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  2. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (1993). The Scroll of Exalted Kingship: Diwan Malkuta ʿLaita. New Haven, Connecticut: American Oriented Society.
  3. 1 2 Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002), The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people, Oxford University Press, ISBN   978-0-19-515385-9
  4. 1 2 "Retrospective - Jorunn J. Buckley". Ancient Jew Review. November 9, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2023). 1800 Years of Encounters with Mandaeans. Gorgias Mandaean Studies. Vol. 5. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN   978-1-4632-4132-2. ISSN   1935-441X.
  6. "ARAM International Conferences (1989-2019)" (PDF). Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  7. "Mandaean Masbuta 13th June 1999 Aram conference". The Worlds of Mandaean Priests. November 29, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  8. "Loss of Professor Tom Buckley Mourned". UMass Boston Alumni Online Community. April 16, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  9. "Zen priest Tim Buckley has died". Lion's Roar. April 17, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  10. "Jesse Buckley". Somerville Media Center. July 26, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  11. "Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen". WorldCat.org. Retrieved October 17, 2021.