Book of John may refer to:
Mandaeans, also known as Sabians or Sabian-Mandaeans are an ethnoreligious group, native to the alluvial plain of southern Mesopotamia who are followers of Mandaeism. They were possibly the earliest to practice baptism and are the last surviving Gnostics from antiquity. The Mandaeans were originally native speakers of Mandaic, a Semitic language, before many switched to colloquial Iraqi Arabic and Modern Persian.
The Ginza Rabba, Ginza Rba, or Sidrā Rbā "Great Book", and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. It is also occasionally referred to as The Book of Adam.
The Sabians are a religious group mentioned three times in the Quran as a People of the Book, along with the Jews and the Christians. In some Sunni hadiths, they are described as converts to Islam. Their identity has been called an "unsolved Quranic issue".
Mandaeism or Mandaeanism, also known as Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, Seth, Enos, Noah, Shem, Aram, and especially John the Baptist. The Mandaeans speak an Eastern Aramaic language known as Mandaic. The name 'Mandaean' is said to come from the Aramaic manda meaning knowledge. Within the Middle East, but outside of their community, the Mandaeans are more commonly known as the Arabic: صُبَّة Ṣubba or Sabians. The term Ṣubba is derived from the Aramaic root related to baptism, the neo-Mandaic is Ṣabi. In the Quran, the Sabians are mentioned three times, alongside Jews and Christians. Occasionally, Mandaeans are called "Christians of Saint John".
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.
The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word qolastā means "collection". The prayerbook is a collection of Mandaic prayers regarding baptisms (masbuta) and other sacred rituals involved in the ascension of the soul (masiqta).
Ethel Stefana Drower was a British cultural anthropologist, orientalist and novelist who studied the Middle East and its cultures. She was and is still considered one of the primary specialists on the Mandaeans, and was the dedicated collector of Mandaean manuscripts.
The Haran Gawaita is a Mandaean text which recounts the history of the Mandaeans and their arrival in Media as Nasoraeans from Jerusalem.
The Mandaean Book of John is a Mandaean holy book in Mandaic Aramaic which is believed by Mandeans to have been written by their prophet John the Baptist.
In Mandaean mythology, Ptahil (ࡐࡕࡀࡄࡉࡋ) also known as Ptahil-Uthra, is the Fourth Life, the third of three emanations from the First Life, Hayyi Rabbi, after Yushamin and Abatur. In Mandaeism, Ptahil-Uthra alone does not constitute the demiurge but only fills that role since he is viewed as the creator of the material world in the Ginza Rabba, often holding an inherently malicious character.
The Thousand and Twelve Questions is a Mandaean religious text. The 1012 Questions is one of the most detailed texts on Mandaean priestly rituals.
The Book of the Zodiac is a Mandaean text. It covers Mandaean astrology in great detail. The book is used to obtain a Mandaean's baptismal name (mulwasha).
In Mandaeism, ʿUr is the king (malka) of the World of Darkness or underworld. He is the son of Ruha, the queen of the underworld, and her brother Gaf, one of the giants in the World of Darkness described in book 5 of the Ginza Rabba. Ur is typically portrayed as a large, ferocious dragon or snake.
In Mandaeism, Yushamin and also known as the 'Second Life', is the primal uthra and a subservient emanation who was created by the Mandaean God 'The Great Life', hence beginning the creation of the material world. Yushamin is the father of Abatur. Jorunn J. Buckley identifies Yushamin as "both a Lightworld utra beyond reproach and the prototype of a priest who has made mistakes in ritual."
In Mandaeism, Manda d-Hayyi or Manda ḏ-Hiia is an uthra sent by the Great Life as a messenger to John the Baptist. Manda d-Hayyi is considered to be the most important uthra, since he is the one bringing manda to Earth (Tibil).
In Mandaean scriptures, Miriai or Meryey was a Jewish woman who converted to Mandaeism. Miriai is one of the most important figures in the Mandaean Book of John, which contains detailed stories and speeches of Miriai. In Mandaean scriptures such as the Mandaean Book of John, Miriai criticizes the Jewish religious tradition from which she had come from while extolling the virtues of Mandaeism. Miria is considered to have descended from "priest-kings" of Judea and one of her duties was to clean the Jewish temple. Due to her conversion to Mandaeism and lateness in getting home, Miriai's father condemns her and calls her a prostitute. Ultimately, Miriai is depicted as a Mandaean priest and teacher.
The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa or Diwan Maṣbuta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa is a Mandaean illustrated scroll. It describes the soteriological descent of Hibil Ziwa to the World of Darkness, and his baptisms before and after. The scroll is essentially also a commentary on the masbuta, or Mandaean ritual baptism.
A ganzibra is a head priest in Mandaeism. Tarmida, or junior priests, rank below the ganzibra.
A Mandaean priest refers to ordained religious leaders in Mandaeism. All priests must undergo lengthy ordination ceremonies, beginning with tarmida initiation. Mandaean religious leaders and copyists of religious texts hold the title Rabbi or in Arabic 'Sheikh'.