Mandaeism: The Last Gnostic Religion?

All footage of Mandaeans used under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and is attributed to the University of Exeter "Worlds of Mandaean Priests" project: mandaeanpriests...
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Bibliography:
Charles G. Haberl, "Mandaeism in Antiquity and the Antiquity of Mandaeism," Religion Compass 6/5 (2012), 262-276.
Charles G. Haberl, “The Aramaic Incantation Texts as Witnesses to the Mandaic Scriptures,” in Scribal Practices and the Social Construction of Knowledge in Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and Medieval Islam, (Peeters: Leuven, Paris, Bristol, 2017).
E. S. Drower, The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran (Piscataway: Gorgias Press, 2002 reprint, 1937).
E. S. Drower, The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis (Oxford: Clarendon, 1960).
Edwin M. Yamauchi, Mandaic Incantation Texts (Piscataway: Gorgias Press, 2005 reprint, 1967).
Edwin M. Yamauchi, Gnostic Ethics and Mandaean Origins (Piscataway: Gorgias Press, 2004 reprint, 1970).
Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism (San Francisco: Harper, 1987) pages 343-366.
Edmondo Lupieri, The Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002).
Jorunn Jacobesn Buckley, The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).
Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, The Great Stem of Souls: Reconstruction Mandaean History (Piscataway: Gorgias Press, 2005).
Sabah Aldihisi, “The Story of Creation in the Mandaean Holy Book the Ginza Rba,” PhD Dissertation, University College London, discovery.ucl....
Mandaic Language, Encyclopedia Iranica: iranicaonline....
Mandaean Book of John: hcommons.org/d...
Images Credits:
John the Baptist Icon: commons.wikime...
Palmyrene: en.wikipedia.o...
Holy Spirit: en.wikipedia.o...
Gospel of Truth: commons.wikime...
Incantation Bowl w/ figure: commons.wikime...
Incantation Bowl 2: commons.wikime...
Incantation Bowl 3: commons.wikime...

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

To learn about another Middle Eastern ethnoreligious group, next watch "Who are the Druze?": kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXu8n6mXqqatibM

[@janharris8672]

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[@jessegeeward1577]

Awesome work 👏

[@ladaylyn]

Thank you for all the work you do. I have learned a lot and I look forward to learning more. I am interested in religion, history, culture, philosophy, and psychology. Your videos are helping me expand my horizon. Thank you again! 🙏

[@mandaboiarry4366]

Yes indeed xo

[@AverageIraqEnjoyer]

its good to know that people still remember our religion

[@alialassadi5576]

Here in Iraq we call them Subba and they are really nice people. I always get very sad of what they, and many other minorities in Iraq, had to go through these past couple of decades.

[@paxanimi3896]

Good to hear that. Are you a practicing Muslim ?

[@alialassadi5576]

@@paxanimi3896 I live with a Muslim family but I’m not religious myself

[@lindamaemullins5151]

❤️

[@abdulgaffar4597-g7h]

Do you believe in Islam?

[@stylicho]

@@abdulgaffar4597-g7h he said he's not religious so I would think he doesn't

[@DallasMay]

There are so many religions and belief systems in the world that I've never heard of. Thank you so much for producing these videos.

[@InhabitantOfOddworld]

Problem is this channel will only (for the most part) tell you about the ones that stem from Abrahamism Anything else is sorely lacking

[@DallasMay]

@@InhabitantOfOddworld Andrew has admitted that himself, mostly because that tends to be his personal field of academic expertise. But he has done a lot of non-abrahamic derived religions and is adding more regularly.

[@DallasMay]

@@InhabitantOfOddworld Another problem he has is that very often when he does lesser religions like this video, KZbin will demonetize them which hurts him financially.

[@InhabitantOfOddworld]

@@DallasMay He's done very little on the non-Abrahamic. I count among his uploads far more videos concerning pop culture (Jediism, Hylianism, etc) than anything that could be considered pagan, vedic, or anything non-Abrahamic. And if that's true regarding demonetisation, that presents further problems - KZbin's bias towards Abrahamism, and Andrew's lack of conviction against material gain.

[@DallasMay]

@@InhabitantOfOddworld ok dude.

[@sadsam99]

Thanks for the introduction to the Mandeans. Being a Mandean myself, I feel it is important that our story is told and that more research is carried out, as most of our heritage is unknown. Other than what exists in the religious text, there is very little known about us. The small diaspora that is left is stretched all over the world and is on a brink of extinction.

[@Robin-il4ev]

What could be the reason of extinction ? Does it matter to your people that in a few decades your religion and culture might get extinct ?

[@UnopinionatedBystander2393]

If on the brink of extinction, then why no conversion? No one's going to come in to infiltrate. If your way is truth, why not share that truth. Otherwise, it seems extremely selfish.

[@theTruth-pq9re]

@@UnopinionatedBystander2393 we don’t make won rules we cant change what our books tell us it’s long story that I don’t have much time to say it as well take so much time to write down what it say in our books only i can say that we believe long ago that use to be only mandean peoples and peoples who made new religions and changing what god gave them they well not allowed to Go back to it

[@blowfishfoot]

I’m so sorry for what your people have gone through, like so many other religious and ethnic minorities. You have a beautiful unique story and I hope you can persevere and hope to see future generations continue your traditions

[@ronprice1819]

Sir can you please answer a question for me? I would really like to know how you believe the joining of the (dark) body and (light) mind- soul was brought about to create a human being? If what I have been told was true that your beliefs are the Adam was created by the dark. How did it come to be that an inner part of him was of the light? I am very curious about this. And other things. From the small amount I have heard of your beliefs I must say I feel a truth in it. Something about it just feels correct.

[@calebweldon8102]

There is a huge community of mandeans in Worcester Massachusetts near me. The worship in the River by Worcester. It’s a beautiful religion.

[@FireurchinProductionsByzantium]

Yeah I heard the freemasons are pretty popular in New england ctfu

[@supmaidoods8753]

@@FireurchinProductionsByzantium I live in America and theres a Masonic hall next to my house. Stop being ignorant

[@nunyabiznez6381]

If you mean the Blackstone River that's polluted. I used to live within walking distance of it and would get sick going near it.

[@sadhuvoodoo5285]

That's nice. I just moved to Rhode Island, my family is Baha'i

[@lindamaemullins5151]

Cool

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

There’s a Mandean community here in my town in Sydney, Australia. They do their rituals in the local river. I’ve talked to them while I was down there and they seem to be really nice people so I wish them all the best and I’m kind of proud that people can come to my country and practice their religion unmolested. I think some of the shots featured in the video was of them as parts of it seemed very familiar to me.

[@alatharrii]

Yeah they're mostly in Liverpool. You can take a stroll and see their priests in their full gear which is great.

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

@@alatharrii I see them at the Nepean River. They seem really nice people and I admire their commitment to their ancient traditions and beliefs. They are not harming anyone and I am actually fascinated by what they practice.

[@alatharrii]

@@Dan_Ben_Michael I've never been that far out west so you've seen more than I have. But yeah it is quite admirable that they've held onto it for so long!

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

@@alatharrii Hahaha when you put it like that it sounds like it’s in the outback when it’s only Penrith but I guess to most people in Sydney it’s so far out west it may as well be Perth.

[@alatharrii]

@@Dan_Ben_Michael To be fair to my existence the furthest I've gone to is Prestons lolol... inner westie here (minus the Newtown part) xD

[@porterlazure2984]

I never commented on your channel, but here I wished to state how much I'm thankful to you for this video, Andrew.

[@a.f.6082]

I had a couple of friends who were Mandeans in southwestern Iran. We call them Subba in Arabic and Subby in Farsi. They are a peaceful community. Unfortunately, they are considered "Unclean" by some people and wouldn't even shake their hands, which I find stupid. There are a small community of Mandeans in Idaho, US.

[@ic.xc.]

That's what Islam teaches. Unfortunately.

[@tvsettv]

Could you please tell me what “Shubit” May be in the terms related to the Mandaen domain? We have some toponyms and names I believe may have some relation to Mandaean?

[@benjamineddy620]

Where in Idaho?

[@a.f.6082]

@@benjamineddy620 they're mostly concentrated around Twin Falls,ID but there are a few in Boise.

[@a.f.6082]

@@ic.xc. Thats not true really. I'm not defending Islam by any means, since I'm an Atheist. That is similar to say, the Europeans killed and belittled so many Jews, therefore thats what Christianity teaches. Religion in my opinion is by itself neither bad or good. People, depending on their agenda, make them bad or good.

[@mikasaarmy2586]

As a mandean thank you so much for the AMAZING information about my religion 💜🙏

[@Nozarks1]

I hope your religion thrives.

[@mikasaarmy2586]

@@Nozarks1 I appreciate your comment thank you

[@mikasaarmy2586]

@Abhinandan Zambare hi , thank you for your sweet words, I would be more than happy to contact with you as well ^^

[@mamen6486]

@@mikasaarmy2586 i have a question, i dont know much about your religion so excuse my ignorance Anyway, is true that you can't convert it to your religion, you need to be born with it?

[@mikasaarmy2586]

@@mamen6486 hi there, yes unfortunately no one can , Mandaeism is a closed,non-proselytizing religion in which you can only be born and in no other way can become a Mandaean. Hope that helps you get more information 🙏

[@rumrunner8019]

Maybe you could do a video on another interesting, ancient religion that almost nobody knows about: the Bon faith, the original, pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet.

[@secretscipio]

It is post Buddhist not pre Buddhist.

[@gaivsvalerivs5818]

@@secretscipio But it was the original religion in Tibet before Buddhism arrived in that region.

[@bobaldo2339]

@@secretscipio It is definitely pre-Buddhist in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism, Tantrayana, incorporates deities from the indigenous Bon religion for use in Buddhist visualization meditational practices.

[@Magnulus76]

@@gaivsvalerivs5818 Bon was changed by contact with Buddhism. Even moreso than the contact of Shinto with Buddhism.

[@ramsesclviii2584]

@@secretscipio yea right sherlock

[@SavemandeanForever]

Proud to be mendai Yes it is hard, it was sad in school when ppl called you names etc but I would never ever wanted to be something else❤️

[@scifispaceman1557]

how do you convert to mandeanism

[@SavemandeanForever]

@@scifispaceman1557 You can't. We don't convert people to our religion. It's closed and there is reasons for it to be closed. No shekh in our religion will take anyone in the religion

[@alaskamark4562]

Ronza Yenno. What are those reasons, if I may ask? It seems odd to me, if a religion holds their beliefs to be the truth, doesn't that mean they have a responsibility to spread that truth to other people if they'll hear it? Why does this "gnosis" (or whatever you might call it) need to be exclusively taught to one ethnicity? How would your religion even take hold in the first place? Wouldn't the original members have to either convert former non-believers or marry outside the faith so it doesn't die with them?

[@dannya5690]

​@@alaskamark4562 Let me start this off by saying, I'm Mandaean and don't actually understand why this whole marriage is seen so pivotal to the religion by people outside the group; granted my family's little practice (because of environmental circumstances) and the lack of community where I currently live does make it seem like there is no strict rules in my religion. But, I think it has less to do with the religious aspect of it, but more so the historical aspect. The historical aspect being the Islam conquest trying to convert the minority religions in the area - whether its with tax policies or other strategies -, this then leading to the minority religions secretly practicing their faith and closing who can come in and out of the religion for treasury purposes. Moreover, when talking about Mandaeans, during the time of settling in Babylon, we can assume that they were a fairly large group when considering that the Jews living in Babylon translated the Ginza into Hebrew during the early AD, and that there was large number of archaeological evidence of terracotta bowls dating back to around 400 AD. What that means is that pre-Islam the Mandaeans were more open, but as mentioned previously with the Islam conquest, they were forced to harbor their religion, language, and practices. Other examples of minority groups other than Mandaeans include the Druze who share a similar fate when it comes to who they allow into their group (being you must be born into it). In conclusion, as time goes - on in my opinion -, the views when it comes to the marriage aspect will slowly shift because of the lack of prosecution by countries that they currently reside in. If you truly want to learn about the religion, go ahead, there's no one really stopping you. Just like how I see some of the ideas from the far eastern religions very interesting and I try to learn more about them, same goes for this sect of religion.

[@alaskamark4562]

Alexander Madara. Islam. That's all ya had to say. Seriously though, I pity anybody who has to live under their boot. They've subjugated so many other religions, its a real shame what happened to Zoroastrianism and all the others. I bet the middle-east would be infinitely more peaceful if anybody else were king of the hill over there. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3ewhXWpaNWjd9k

[@mandyfaye2911]

I'm in the USA and I have a friend and former coworker who is mandaean she and her family are literally the nicest people I've ever met and I absolutely adore her and her family.

[@وعدفاهمالسهيري]

مصطلح صبه ماله معنى كمفردة هو كلمة صابئة مالها معنى لكننا مضطرين لأستخدامها كي تفهمنا باقي المجتمعات وخاصة الأسلامية ، أما نحن بالحقيقة ناصورائيين وليس صبه ....تحياتي

[@Witness03]

I would greatly benefit from meeting some.

[@fadiabdullah2853]

I'm mendaean, this was very helpful

[@olamilekanYT]

But you have an Arab Muslim name

[@oneman80840]

@@olamilekanYT It’s probably the culture

[@Ksymoops-gr5it]

@@olamilekanYT this name could absolutely be christian or, as Fadi says, Mandaean. Neither Fadi nor Abdullah are exclusively Islamic names.

[@stylicho]

@@olamilekanYT apparently most Mandaeans live in Iran and Iraq so that wouldn't be surprising lol. Watch the video again

[@allee3476]

@@olamilekanYT I came across a Jewish guy from Iran named Ali.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I learned some Mandaic (it's a lot like the Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud!) to read the Ginza Rba - Have loved your channel for years and appreciate the work you do! Our content overlap's a lot and it would be great to work together on something!

[@ThunderOwl44]

As a fan of both channels: that would be an awesome collab!

[@calebadams8525]

I second that

[@happyboygogo]

I third that!

[@sadsam99]

I am following your channel and I am looking forward for you doing an episode on us Mandaeans, as several concepts are similar to what you have found in the Nag Hamadi texts and Jewish/Christian gnosticism.

[@रंगीला_काफिर]

Mohmmad copy paste some part of Ginza rabba in Quran.

[@RyezUpTV]

I am a Mandaean in Canada. This is a great video. Thank you for spreading our story.

[@shenanigans3710]

How do you deal with the baptism in a cold country like Canada? Do you use pools because the river is not possible year round?

[@RyezUpTV]

@@shenanigans3710 In our current generations, unfortunately, baptisms don't occur as often as practiced throughout our history. Mainly, we do them in the rivers during seasons that are suitable (like summer or as long as it is hot enough outside), or on special occasions, such as weddings, funerals, baby showers, birthdays, etc. If a river is not accessible at the time of need, then we do indeed use pools. Problem is, the appropriateness of the pool is subjective as different Sheikhs have different opinions on that.

[@shenanigans3710]

@@RyezUpTV Ah, interesting. Thanks for the reply. It seems the policy on conversion may have to change if the religion wants to survive.

[@RyezUpTV]

@@shenanigans3710 yeah I’m not too sure about the jeopardy of that one tbh. The older generations are pretty firm with the rules and traditions.. but who knows? Maybe our future generations will have to make that change 🤷‍♂️

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

Im one in Australia

[@redhot2976]

I seriously need more channels like you. One that is neutral on all religions. It makes me happy and I like learning from you.

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Check out "Let's Talk Religion", if you haven't already. It's a great channel with a neutral, academic approach like this one. He goes into a lot of depth sometimes, but it's very approachable.

[@maddiewadsworth4027]

It sounds like it has things in common with Zoroastrianism.

[@mitchellsmith4690]

Zoroastrianism is one of the roots of Manicheanism...one of the Gnostic strands...

[@davelouie131]

I think they stem from The Therapeutae Essenes and Neopythagoreans.

[@withgoddess7164]

What things in particular?

[@maddiewadsworth4027]

@@withgoddess7164 duality of good and evil

[@yippeeyokai5750]

@@maddiewadsworth4027 Christianity, Judism, and Islam have that too.

[@davidritchie9017]

I really appreciate your work, Dr. Henry. There are a handful of Mandaens that I personally know in my community, and this video helps me understand them so much better. Thank you!

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

I talked about Mandeans in this video. Are they not the descendants of John the Baptist who didnt follow Jesus ? Like Yezidism it seems, are that with the followers of God who didnt folow Moses and Israel as a covenant. The one God was followed before Abraham and the people of Israel. And I think Yezidism comes from that, it predates sumerian pantheons. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPEp2CumdmArbs I'd love it if you came to chat on my channel.

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

@Abhinandan Zambare Yes,he did. Butsome of his followers appparently didnt.

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

@Abhinandan Zambare No. I spent Time with Gypsies and their language is similar.

[@marth9660]

I spent my life as a social worker and psychologist......but my fascination with world religion and ritual has always been bubbling under the surface. Your channel is, by a mile, the most interesting and stimulating of any I subscribe to. You tell me everything I need to know and just enough to whet my appetite for more.....thanks for this and keep them coming! This is great 👍🏼 😀👍🏼

[@kevinwahl5610]

Can you do another Aramaic speaking group: the Assyrian Church of the East. The last diaphysite Christian Church

[@johnandrez]

Technically, my friend, all the Chalcedonians (Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants) are Dyophysites as well, as they all believe in two physeis (sg. physis, pl. physeis) in Christ. The Assyrian Church of the East are the last "Nestorians" but that's derogatory now.

[@davekane5119]

I would like to learn more about this too.

[@johnandrez]

@@kevinwahl5610 Yes, and that is why I refrain from referring to them as Nestorians, and I discourage anyone I know from doing so. This subject matter is tricky and can get confusing, but I'll try and clear it up for you from my perspective as a Catholic, who took a few courses in Christian history at university. I apologise if this is a long post. The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches (Greek, Bulgarian, Russian, etc.) are descended from the state church of the Roman Empire, which declared at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 C.E. that they believed in the two distinct but inseparable natures of Christ, human and divine. They are therefore known as dyophysites. At this council, there were many groups of Christians who disagreed with this teaching, but two major groups among them are the miaphysites who believed in one composite nature ("mia-" is a singular composite thing) and the monophysites, who believed in one absolute nature ("mono-" is an absolutely singular thing). The miaphysites believed the two natures had fused into one nature, which was composite and yet completely human and completely divine. The monophysites tended to believe that the human nature was completely swallowed up by the divine nature, and tended to believe that Christ only had a divine nature, and no longer a human nature - or a very limited human nature. There are no large, organized monophysite Churches today that descend from ancient times, but there are still miaphysite Churches today. These are what are known as the Oriental Orthodox (different from the dyophysite Eastern Orthodox mentioned above). These Oriental Orthodox Churches are: the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, and the Eritrean Tewahedo Orthodox Church. As you can see, these groups tend to be in the Middle East, North/East Africa or India, as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox groups (Greeks, Bulgarian, Russian, etc.) who tend to be predominant in Eastern Europe. As for the Protestants, I can assure you that they have mostly kept to the dyophysite belief since they came out of the Roman Catholic Church. They all believe that Christ has two natures, human and divine. This definitely applies for Anglicans (according to their Thirty-Nine Articles), as well as Lutherans (according to the Augsburg Confessions and their Book of Concord), as well as Methodists, Reformed, and all other mainline Protestant and confessional Christians. Obviously, Protestant traditions that are no longer Trinitarian have completely different christologies altogether, while many fundamentalist, or evangelical and non-denominational Christians are less committed to the specific theological positions of earlier age and happy to just "go with what the Bible says." The Church of the East were considered dyophysites as well, but they were viewed as too extremely dyophysite by other dyophysites. While Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants believed in "two distinct but inseparable natures," the Church of the East was wrongly perceived as teaching "two distinct and separate Persons in Christ, one human and one Divine." They don't actually teach that, but everyone else assumed that the Aramaic word "qnoma" was exactly equivalent to the Greek word "hypostasis." Unless you're a theology geek, like myself, no one really ever fights over these Christological issues today. It's commonly understood by most modern Christians that Christ is human and divine, and we don't think in terms of "two distinct but inseparable natures" or "one composite nature."

[@redflags6583]

Honest question, why is Nestorian a derogatory term?

[@johnandrez]

​@@redflags6583 Probably because Nestorius was a Patriarch of Constantinople, and while the Church of the East accepted him while he was in exile, their theology is not dependent on him alone. They consider it derogatory, because they view their own christology as coming from their own legitimate apostolic traditions, and not some innovation or heresy that Nestorius introduced them to sometime in the 4th century. It would be similar to calling Roman Catholics Leonites (after Pope Leo, the defender of dyophysitism), or calling Copts or Ethiopians (or other miaphysites) Cyrillites (after St. Cyril, the formulator of miaphysitism).

[@Lexthebarbarian]

Thank you for keeping it sharp, straight and simple. So much information, but it is easy to digest and follow.

[@Yoosana]

HEY! Mandaean here :) thanks for talking about our religion. But we’re also an ethnoreligious group. none of us are ethnically iranian or iraqi but mandaean, it’s like being assyrian or jewish. native to that special area of land. Other than that, i’ve usually never liked foreigners to expose mandaeans because we get a lot of persecution and hate in our “home countries” Iran and Iraq and this basically exposes us to many disgusting comments.. but i hope everyone stays respectful ✌🏽

[@alhassani626]

Do you study your religion?

[@Yoosana]

@@alhassani626 No, it’s not a possibility to study mandaean studies here unfortunately. But our Priests teach us everything and we religiously study the books. it’s been the same one for over 2000 years so it’s doable ☺️

[@beni_m0428]

As an Iranian I’m sorry your people have gone through so many difficulties it’s mostly the government and religious fanatics that are like that and personally I find it very interesting to learn about different religions such as your own so I hope the Mandaeans living conditions Improve in the near future and all Iranians are free to practice their religions without persecution

[@MrPheonix1ful]

Hey lala can you help me understand more about mandean i have so many questions

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

I talked about Mandeans in this video. Are they not the descendants of John the Baptist who didnt follow Jesus ? Like Yezidism it seems, are that with the followers of God who didnt folow Moses and Israel as a covenant. The one God was followed before Abraham and the people of Israel. And I think Yezidism comes from that, it predates sumerian pantheons. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPEp2CumdmArbs I'd love it if you came to chat on my channel.

[@tvsettv]

Quite interesting. Here in Eastern Georgia we have a small Yezidi population who came here ages ago and still living by their original traditions and in western Georgia we have a village called Mandaeti, which means a place where Manda live. I did not even know what Manda was, now some investigation is needed to check from where this Manda in the name of this village came from. This village now is purely Georgian, but the name of it asks for more investigation. This region also has some village names which seems to be coming from old Sumerian words and/or upper Tigris/Euphrates area.

[@AbandonedVoid]

I've been trying to learn more about Mandaeism for years as a Neo-Gnostic, this is fantastic.

[@LOL-bs1hg]

Hi, its been two years but i'm curious, what do you believe as a Neo-Gnostic? is there a specific group?

[@lordofthered1257]

​@@LOL-bs1hg They believe in this thing called heresy.

[@SamZizla]

Hello. I am a Mandaean, Albeit I can't share everything I can share some things you'd like to know?:)

[@bobSeigar]

​@@SamZizla Can I ask an ignorant question? I've been studying religions for quite a few years now, and there was one thing I can not comprehend for 'Knowledge' based religions. I do not wish to know your secrets, just the reason you guard them. Is it fear of persecution, or is it an oath of protecting the secret? Most of the later (secret) religions hide their secrets for power, but I do not believe that is the case with your religion. The reason behind the secrecy is what drives my intrigue. I apologize if this is rude or ignorant in any way. Feel free to also disregard the question if it is offensive.

[@sarwanalzuhairi3162]

@@bobSeigar because we are a closed religion, it is to protect our religion and surley not fear of persecution my friend, as youv'e heard we are a peaceful religion.

[@tinawelch3005]

Thank you for citing resources. An incredible amount of work slogging through all this in order to make such a visually appealing and succinct presentation. I think you

[@victorcamposs1]

The relation between many gnostic communities believes and Plato are astonishing. As you talk about the mandeians soul believes, you could be describing a platonic view of the the path to knowledge. I would love to see a video about Plato and gnosticism. Love your channel.

[@Eddie-ls9zw]

You might be interested in the Secret History of Western Exotericism Podcast. That guy went into crazy detail on the Platonic dialogues!

[@misseli922]

Did not expect finding a video about the religion I was born into on this channel since we're pretty much unheard of. Learnt a lot, thanks

[@redfoxsecurity3334]

Is it possible to convert to Mandaeism?Also, does your God get mad if you play with your 🐱 or 🐔 while watching Pron Hub? Or does he realize there’s more important things to worry about?

[@misseli922]

@@redfoxsecurity3334 no, you can't convert. Not sure if you're trolling or not lol but to answer your second question, I'm not sure but I think it's discouraged

[@redfoxsecurity3334]

@@misseli922 No, not trolling I’m trying to find a religion that’s not too judgmental and doesn’t send you to 🔥 with the 😈 over petty things 😸

[@changer1285]

So grateful for the description and access to The Mandean Book of John. I've been interested in thier perspective on christianity and Judaism. I wonder if they did sprout from a genuine Israelite Baptist tradition like the essenes or John's group.

[@TorvusVae]

I just want to say that I absolutely adore your channel! I learn something completely new every time you upload. I had no idea this sect even existed! I'm really sad I missed your lecture on Greco Roman magic :'(

[@Daaviidsaeed]

I am Mandaean from Australia. Very good video full of accurate facts

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

Sameee

[@KayEraMusiq]

🙏🇮🇶

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

I talked about Mandeans in this video. Are they not the descendants of John the Baptist who didnt follow Jesus ? Like Yezidism it seems, are that with the followers of God who didnt folow Moses and Israel as a covenant. The one God was followed before Abraham and the people of Israel. And I think Yezidism comes from that, it predates sumerian pantheons. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPEp2CumdmArbs I'd love it if you came to chat on my channel.

[@Din_Markish]

@@sidraal-kailani8885 Mandean boy

[@sandralane1923]

So enjoyed this. It has been an eye opener and gives me much to ponder over.

[@lucylaferriere9307]

so happy i found this channel! i use wikipedia rabbit holes to lull me to sleep and most of the times they're about religion. now i have a plethora of videos to watch!

[@Robin-il4ev]

Are you a researcher of religion ? How do you look at different religions , just curious

[@lucylaferriere9307]

@@Robin-il4ev no, i don't study religion academically, it's just something interesting to me! i was raised christian and find other religions fascinating. for example, i've read about hinduism, and it still confuses me a lot, since it is practiced in a lot of different ways and much more complex than my understanding of God, or the religion I grew up in.

[@Robin-il4ev]

@@lucylaferriere9307 Ha ha 😂 Hinduism is complex to understand but easy to follow . It doesn't dictate you to follow a certain way always. It's up to you , You can be a Practising Hindu , An Atheist Hindu it doesn't matter much . The main theme of Hinduism is to Look inside , To explore your inner self

[@noespell]

Absolutely fascinating. The Gnostic perspective has a certain appeal with the increasing level of alienation of the modern world.

[@vitaminanime]

I did not know these fascinating people existed until just now. Thank you very much for educating me with this video.

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

Yes im mendean myselfff

[@_melodyx]

thank you 😊

[@マイケル-v8t]

You're amazing, and all the resources provided alongside your transcript is beautiful!

[@florencesteele8195]

I swear that me and you are psychologically connected 😂 I’ll start an interest in a particular religion or people group, then usually within a week you post about it. I love it!

[@rosshoyt2030]

This is the most interesting channel I’ve found in a long time! Kudos

[@Suomalainen007]

Great work! Can't wait for the next Shinto video!

[@smellymala3103]

Your content is incredible, thanks 🙏🏻

[@Ghutton505]

Wonderful content as always! My favorite courses in undergrad, though they were not my major, were either psych or religious studies and love that I still get to learn more here.

[@Mr._Warlight]

Wonderful summary of information about the Mandaeans. Best video from this channel.

[@Littleredgoon]

I’m a lapsed Catholic but this channel is my favorite to watch

[@The53732]

Come home

[@ThomasO2]

James McGrath is awesome! Not only has he been key in Mandean study, but his social media is literally THE BEST.

[@aguywhodreams]

I'm 11 and am an Assyrian from Australia and I live in a very Middle Eastern community in Sydney. I had a neighbour in an apartment I used to live in who was Mandaen(I probably butchered the spelling) but we always used to call their family Subaa or Subi. Then I got a friend in Year 4 who was from Iraq. She was full one Iraqi btw. However I was shocked when I found out that she wasn't Muslim. Then I asked her if she was Christian. She said no. I asked her if she was Yazidi. She said no. Then I asked her if she was Subaa. She said no. So I asked her her religion and she said 'Mandani'. I went home and asked my mother what Mandani was then she said that they are Subaa. This happened a few days ago. Interesting.

[@marcusaurelius3487]

Suba is a term given to us by arabs and used in a negative sense. We are mandaeans.

[@LegallyPotato]

Suba is an old Arabic term meaning someone who left their faith or their way and is used as a derogatory slur against us. Our full name is sabían mandaeans which translates to something like students of the great light. She was probably just offended and wanted to cement that our name isn't suba. If you want to shorten our name just say mandaean since that's what we call ourselves casually but we'd almost never call ourselves just sabían

[@aguywhodreams]

@@LegallyPotato I barely refer to you guys as "Suba" anymore. I personally prefer Mandaean.

[@LegallyPotato]

@@aguywhodreams oh great! You're very young and I'm sure you'll make a lot of mistakes in the coming years but keep this mentality of respecting others and you'll do great in life. Assyrians and mandaeans are a lot closer than most people would realize. We actually speak the same language more or less

[@sumerianfarmer5363]

@@LegallyPotatoYeah we and assyrians share language and history. We are both the original inhabitants of mesopotamia

[@damiwilliams267]

not to be dramatic but your show is one of the best things to ever happen to me (passion for history is very cool and very normal)

[@maryanaauraibi2758]

I am a mandaein and i am very thankful for this video, it’s hard to learn about my religion as it is very uncommon but this helped a lot, thank you :)

[@elanaiscool884]

Am mandean 2 :>

[@Din_Markish]

Am making too but a boy

[@Din_Markish]

Am mandean too

[@Din_Markish]

@@elanaiscool884 hi (●’◡’●)ﾉ there

[@Din_Markish]

Am mandean too

[@penand_paper6661]

One of the things I find interesting about Mandaeanism is how myth and ritual reflect each other heavily.

[@Autists-Guide]

Isn't that the same for e.g. Catholicism and Islam and, well, all of them really?

[@penand_paper6661]

@@Autists-Guide Granted, but its even more explicit in the Mandaean myths. The emanations perform the same rituals as the priests do; they are imitated as best as possible, the two are connected so intimately. Its hard for me to really describe it properly, though.

[@aramkaizer7903]

@@Autists-Guide It actually is. It's just that modern people have forgotten the heavily ritualistic and iconographic element of the Christian faith. Even in Catholicism this is being diluted. The Orthodox church is most stark in this regard.

[@Autists-Guide]

@@aramkaizer7903 Yup. Which means that the most Orthodox are also the most Orthoprax.

[@aramkaizer7903]

@@Autists-Guide nice

[@zerothehero123]

Could you do a video on the cathars and the albigensian crusade? I've always wondered how gnosticism resurged in france in medieval times and the seemingly mystical and legendary role of the templars. Among which the story of templars switching sides against the church forces at the siege of montsegur.

[@Kikinho19]

There was a string of dualistic gnostic movements in Byzantium, Balkans and eventualy Italy which reached France. Main difference of gnostic sects to mainstream christianity is duality of good and bad god and word is created by a bad god or sometimes satan which is then elevated to a position of equal or almost equal power to god. This is influence from Zoroastrianism

[@merrittanimation7721]

I learned about this religion recently and found it pretty interesting, especially with how long it's lasted.

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

Yuh were interesting

[@johnsanders9622]

God guides them, they walk in the real God’s radiance.

[@_melodyx]

thank you im glad you find my religion interesting:)

[@rewanaalkhamici7115]

@@johnsanders9622 exactly :)

[@whoarewe-obd]

The words you show in the bowl is very familier to hebrow. I am able to read it, while I know nothing about mandeans and this is first time reading about tham. Thank you for this video!

[@gospelofthomas77thpearl22]

So many shoes of different sizes & shapes. A reflection of the variety in human characteristics.

[@DionysosThanateros11]

I am Buddhist, but I really wish all these religions and spiritual paths could be preserved and supported. True treasures of mankind!

[@_melodyx]

thank you for this video as a mandean myself this makes me feel heard :)

[@Din_Markish]

Me to

[@ArmyNavyAcademy]

I would like to see more videos on Marcionism. Would also love to have you on my new religion podcast I'm starting up.

[@kathryngeeslin9509]

I too find Marcionism fascinating, more fascinating than most.

[@unnamed776-m9h]

@@kathryngeeslin9509 true christianity.

[@theTruth-pq9re]

@@unnamed776-m9h i see you ever where makes me feel you hate us?

[@unnamed776-m9h]

@@theTruth-pq9re You are not mandaean

[@ramseykeilani9569]

I am Mandaean myself, or rather I should say that my mother's family is, and I feel a bit sad that I never learned any of this growing up. My mother's family is Subba, but my mother, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, and all of my cousins were secular, even before coming to the US. My mother's family all identifies as Mandaean, and they take pride in the distinctiveness to an extent, but no one practiced or talked about the religion, and no one could speak the language (even my grandparents only knew a little bit, and my mother only knows 4 or 5 words). A few of my cousins have been baptized, but it was more of a culture thing than a religious thing. One massive obstacle is that to be considered Mandaean, both your parents need to be Mandaean. While this was fine when everyone was in one place, now the Subba are scattered around the world, and most young Subba are marrying non-Subba as a result, so the number of kids being brought up as culturally Subba is minuscule. A few of my cousins count as Mandaean (as some of my aunts married Mandaean guys), but none of my cousins kids do. In 2-3 generations, I imagine the only Subba will be those few who stayed behind in Iraq (and a little corner of Iran). I do understand that the community in Australia is going rather strongly, though I have no first-hand knowledge on that front.

[@marcmalki734]

Souns very much like what is happening to the Parsi-Mazdeans whose numbers are dwindling.

[@mouna8007]

In order to save this culture from extinction you might consider to adapt the 100 percent blood rule. Even Jews allow conversion to their religion, although they don't make it as easy as muslims. But change your rules fast. Once a generation is 100 percent culturally non-Mandean, the obstacles are too high to go back.

[@ramseykeilani9569]

@@mouna8007 Some priests are now baptizing half-Subba, even though it's against the rules. I expect that pretty soon they'll all be doing it out of desperation. Under the old rules, only 1 of my cousins would actually count as Mandaen, and that's just because he hasn't married yet (since you're kicked out even for marrying a non-Subba).

[@mouna8007]

@@ramseykeilani9569 Maybe opening up to the outside world could be a gift to us others? If you managed to preserve what's important to you, you could survive the 21th century, plus be a kind of an oasis in this world with its gigantic mass-religions. And in contrast to new sects and New Age groups, you have a kind of about 2000 years of approved stability. But those thoughts are not so important, as the interests of the individuals in your group, as it is your life, and you would have to do all the work, ;) . Just my 5 cents. I wish sincerely all the best to your people, and that your religion survives in a decent manner.

[@ramseykeilani9569]

@@mouna8007 I very much appreciate the sentiment. For my part, I think that 100 years hence there almost certainly will be people identifying as Mandaean, but I suspect that the religion might have run its course. I think a lot of that might be because for so many centuries the priests kept a lot of the religious knowledge hidden, and even the things that weren't technically hidden weren't really discussed much. This worked when everyone was concentrated in one region, so you could just assume that anyone born Mandaean would be baptized and remain as such all their life due to social inertia, but it definitely doesn't work when most of your flock probably lives hundreds of miles from the nearest priest, and still doesn't know much about the actual faith. For my part, I don't have any connection to the religious aspect, but I do very much hope that the broader culture and identity remains.

[@Blvd40]

A very thorough and eye opening study of religion. Thanks for this wonderfully made video. 👍

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

I love learning about religions which are completely new to me

[@theTruth-pq9re]

Btw this religion was the oldest

[@JohnHoulgate]

It's amazing that the Mandaeans survived to this day. It's also interesting that they lived for a long time in the Mesopotamian Delta, which is the geographic location of the Garden of Eden and where the Hebrews of Abraham's time originated.

[@yossiadler931]

John Houlgate Correct. Both the Mandaeans and the first Israelites were Arameans (Deuteronomy 26:5, Genesis 25:20) who are indigenous to Mesopotamia. Regarding the Garden of Eden, the Cush mentioned in Genesis 2:13 is in Mesopotamia (Jubilees Chapter 9). Two of the rivers near the Garden of Eden are the Euphrates and Tigris (Genesis 2:14).

[@isaacleillhikar4566]

I talked about Mandeans in this video. Are they not the descendants of John the Baptist who didnt follow Jesus ? Like Yezidism it seems, are that with the followers of God who didnt folow Moses and Israel as a covenant. The one God was followed before Abraham and the people of Israel. And I think Yezidism comes from that, it predates sumerian pantheons. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPEp2CumdmArbs I'd love it if you came to chat on my channel.

[@abofatma2171]

​​@@yossiadler931The Israelis are indigenous to Mesopotamia؟ ... broth mixed history in a terrifying way. The Israelis did not come to the land of Mesopotamia except when they were causing. The natives were the Sumerians first, then Assyria, then the Chaldean Babylonians.

[@akkariel8228]

Your classes sound really interesting! I would love to join, however I am a student from México, so it's a bit too expensive for me, but I hope it goes really well. Thank you for educating us on religious studies

[@coopermiller3216]

I just signed up for the class on sunday SOOOO excited

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Awesome, see you then!

[@posiky90]

That's a lot of water for a religion born in an arid region.

[@Eddie-ls9zw]

They had to live in marshlands in order to practice their religion.

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@Eddie-ls9zw marshlands

[@urielm774]

Not as arid as you think. Generalization!

[@justme2993]

It’s because the Mandaeans lived inbetween the two rivers euphrates and tigris

[@MrAranton]

That which is rare and hard to come by often carries religious meaning.

[@noahgregory5375]

Fascinating video. There are lots of gnostic subreddits that discuss ideas like these.

[@simatkhameesiya]

I am a member of this religion, I'm trying to learn more about it and it sometimes surprises me how a lot of people does not know about us. But even so, I am proud of me being in this religion😊 thank you for the helpfull video❤

[@mysticonthehill]

It was very fascinating learning of your community. I had known of the them, but not their beliefs and practices. All the best.

[@hisokahunter8053]

Is it true that you think people who are not from your religon unclean? And that if they touched you then you would have to shower ?

[@ArdwanGh]

(ࡀࡍࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉ) I'm a mandean you're welcome to ask any question .. BTW this video to 95% right Thank you Andrew

[@vypa-bk1iy]

isnt it kind of a hwssel to baptize every week.

[@ArdwanGh]

@@vypa-bk1iy sorry what does hwssel mean I didn't get it By the way Baptising every week isn't a have to do It's like if you have the opportunity to it go for it when is not than is fine do it when you can but its pretty good if you do it every blessed Sunday To Baptist its like to renew your promise with God that you will keep going on the right way .. I hope it's clear to you know 😊 Sorry for my bad English

[@vypa-bk1iy]

@@ArdwanGh no your english was fine thanks for the explanation. I meant to say hassel which means annoyannce or trouble but you explained that you dont need to get baptized every week.

[@ArdwanGh]

@@vypa-bk1iy ah ok You're welcome my friend

[@ArdwanGh]

@@m-ib4512 yes nobody is allowed to convert to our religion You're mandean only if you're born from mandeans parents And yes we're the same in the Quran

[@yasirviolent]

Thanks, an awsome effort and great and informative video.Great choice of topics.

[@LA-kg6zd]

​ @ReligionForBreakfast can you make an episode about an African diasporic religion very important in Brazil (camdomblé) and its culturally rich cousin Umbanda (a syncretic religion in Brazil that mixture Catholicism, Kardec spiritism, and Camdomblé)? I really enjoy all your videos and I think would be important for your audience to learn about these completely different religions.

[@mahdipara7294]

I'm Zoroastrian but I really love our Mandaean brothers and sisters May god protect them 🙏💐

[@Sarke2]

Another great video from you, Mandaeans are really interesting religious group sadly they are wiped out in their traditional homeland of Iraq and Iran, didn't know they were presecuted so much after the fall of Shah, and for Iraq we know the story, hope there knowledge and practices will survive, it is sad to see they are preforming their rites in land so far beyond from their homeland. I think Mandaeism is mixture of gnostic thought with Zoroastric dualism and faith in John the Baptist. Wonderful video, keep it up :).

[@Emymagdalena]

This video sent me on such a research spiral it took me three days to finish it

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

There is a very limited amount of info on us

[@danieltabin6470]

Ive wanted this video for a while!

[@Volundur9567]

The fact it's still handwritten is significant. It forces one to always be attached to the beliefs and ideas.

[@112deeps]

Would you give analysis of the 4 yogas of Bhagavad-Gita 1) Bhakti Yoga 2) Karma Yoga 3) Gyana Yoga & 4) Raja Yoga Gyana Yoga is defined as Union by Knowing or Knowledge...

[@jambudvipi]

Nice idea for the video But Raja Yoga is just a form of Gyana Yoga (tapasya or asceticism) The Yogatraya is 1 of the 4 pillars of Hinduism (the other 3 being Doctrine of Moksh, Law of Karma, and 5 Precepts)

[@Menzobarrenza]

This was super interesting. Thank you. I had been wondering how much we knew about the Sabians mentioned in the Qur'an.

[@MohammedAlBaraka]

@AC yeah they are the people of the book but the caliphates didnt treat then as such which is sad

[@alhashmy1310]

@@MohammedAlBaraka Wrong, they aren't from the People of the Book, and secondly, they were treated much better compared to other religions. Read about Ibn Al-Qayyim's book Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah and you will know how the Sabeans lived under Islamic rule.

[@alhashmy1310]

@@sumerianfarmer5363 I don't hate you or love you, but I was correcting misconceptions about who the People of the Book are in Islam, and the Sabeans aren't from the People of the Book.

[@amypond1814]

Can you do more pagan religions? Because I read it is an umbrella term and it would be interesting to know what religions are considered pagan.

[@mysticonthehill]

It is amazing the similarities in thought throughout religions. I guess minds find similar paths to answer universal questions. Fascinating stuff.

[@druid139]

So interesting to hear about this faith. Thank you. Judging by the positive input from Mandeans, you did a good job. 🙏

[@exister4959]

I tried to find info on these guys and there's virtually nothing. Thank you for your video but this is more or less what I had already found. Wish there was more information!

[@SavemandeanForever]

Thank you, you are so sweet❤️ To be clear: He is our last propfet, not the first We had more before him but he is the important one for us to know❤️🌹

[@Bringthebeasts]

For your next "pop culture" religious video, I highly recommend doing the children of atom from the fallout series. The games go back to the 90's, and the children have made an appearance in almost every game. I feel you'd have a lot to work with, and i'd love to hear your take on it.

[@shyamkachhawaha7649]

I am Indian docter, & have served in southern iranian city Ahvaz and near by town during Iran , IRAQ war for 9 years, I Had come in contact with some some Mandniens community people. In 1990 there were about twenty thousands population residing in that part, they had a monopoly on profession of Gold Smith, few were my patient's, relegiously they had affinity with water & Rivers and performed many rituals in kamroon river flowing southern Iran, some lived in Iraq, the Islamic govt prosecuted them , they consumated Marriage and other rituals early morning standing in river ,I saw some very old scriptures they kept, UNO should take steps to preserve this old cmmunity at verge of extenction

[@monkeytime9851]

Glad I found your channel. This is interesting stuff.

[@heilmodrhinnheimski]

5:38 I love the fact that they put a smiley face on the person in the bowl. Edit: or possibly a derpy blank stare. Either way, it’s adorable.

[@maxk1583]

I think gnosticism as a term can be used like the term polytheism. Even religions like Nation of Islam has gnostic traits but I don't think they have much connection with antique gnostic groups.

[@tanyl1]

No, it can't. Gnosticism refers to a particular religious movement: the Gnostic.

[@SirTorcharite]

@@tanyl1 but did the Gnostics consider themselves and call each other "Gnostics"? Everything I've heard, which is admittingly little, is that they considered themselves Christians. IIRC "gnosticism" gained it's name from foreign scholars studying ANE theologies, their theologians the "Gnostikoi". RFB even points out in the video that it's a catch-all for various religions sharing some uniting factors. So what particular religious movement were you considering "Gnostics"? OP phrased her statement a bit strange but you seemed a little too wrong to be so sure of yourself. Maybe I'm wrong though and you'll set me on the path to gnosis. It'd be a surprise but a welcome one.

[@DSAK55]

Nation of Islam is a religions in the same way the Olive Garden is Italian

[@Eddie-ls9zw]

In his "The Gnostics", Dr. Brakke related that some of the ancient groups actually did use the word "Gnostic" in reference to themselves. I need to go back and review exactly what he said about it, though.

[@howardjamespatterson4119]

Is that the goal ? Validation from a group\or is it trying to find your own way to truth ? Which may be guided\inspired by many different resources ( I'd capitalise the word truth ,but that wouldn't change the meaning )

[@deepblue3682]

Would love to see your version of hinduism..!

[@commiexian]

Hey, thanks for this! nice to see my alma mater doing good work as well! Could you please put the Exeter Uni link in the description? Thanks! :)

[@jimmarshall3724]

So interesting - great channel!

[@echotrash466]

I... Did not know this existed... But I guess I know it now. It's quite fascinating to listen to.

[@Mechristopheles]

Finally, the Mandaeans get some screen time.

[@MR.MOTIONCASH]

@Son of Elohim don't think Christ would be happy with what you are saying, don't call people who don't have the same beliefs as you heathens because that's ignorant. have a good day.

[@8polyglot]

Suggestion: could you do an analysis of religion in the Elderscrolls games?

[@SamGarcia]

They're mentioned in Acts 19

[@Blvd40]

Whaaa? Heading over to the New Testament 🏃‍♀️

[@dylanstevens3963]

They where People Baptised by John, that doesnt make them Mandeans, Jesus Christ was Baptised by John

[@SamGarcia]

@@dylanstevens3963 The larger point is Acts 19 shows that not all of John's disciples became Jesus's disciples.

[@roypayne2061]

what an awesome channel thank you!

[@ShockedSquirrelhere]

Gnostic explanations are way closer to how I understood the world as a very young child. It’s weird and cool!

[@xariqx_]

would love to see a video about jewish mysticism and the kabala!

[@davidbrooks7385]

Never going to happen because it would be a no no on YT. They will protect the chosen at a y cost because they own everything.

[@alymaldonado]

There's already one about kabalah in the same channel, check it out.

[@alymaldonado]

@@davidbrooks7385 bruh

[@christinapaterno5585]

@@davidbrooks7385 it already exists you schmuck

[@daddyleon]

*+ReligionForBreakfast* I find it hard to understand the logic of endogamous religious communities. I fundamentally don't really understand why not-to-be evangelical - and with me, UI presume a lot of other western people. Might it be interesting/useful to make a video about this?

[@DamienZshadow]

Considering the nature of their baptism and the feeding of water from the priest to each other on such a regular basis , I'm not surprised that a cholera outbreak had such an effect on their priesthood. Still a terrible tragedy.

[@theTruth-pq9re]

Thanks god we still alive

[@btsbangtanarmy]

As a mandaic thank u for ur video 💜

[@sidraal-kailani8885]

Im an meandean tooooo

[@theTruth-pq9re]

And I’m 2 ❤️

[@gregoryfenn1462]

Fascinating!!! Quick question. Regarding the religious practices at 12:43: What’s the theological reasoning behind water being a manifestation of the world of light? Water is just as material as bones, rocks, and soil - isn’t it? I’m confused.

[@Nozarks1]

Water plays an important role in many religious. For instance in Hindus, they bathe in the Ganga river, they believe their sins and karma are cleansed.

[@joebotz1243]

I am Gnostic Living in America I would love to meet these people one day

[@seraaron]

Hi RFB. I was wondering, could you do a video on the Quakers movement?

[@uncledubpowermetal]

I mean absolutely no disrespect Mandaeists at all, but their cosmology sounds very similar to Tolkiens Middle Earth Cosmology. Nw obviously Tolkien pulled from several world religions but I wonder if this was one of them

[@brujo_millonario]

The Celts also had a similar cosmology; Sky, land and Earth. Heaven, Earth and Underworld. That's the origin of the Triskele and Triquetra symbols. The 3 worlds cosmology was also present in ancient Greek beliefs, e.g. Hekate was the triple goddess that was given dominion over the three realms by Zeus. Tolkien drew a lot of inspiration also from Norse beliefs; the origin of the word Midgardr = Middle Earth = Our Earth.

[@theclassicrock69]

I go to church with James McGrath, the scholar cited at 7:58. It took me by surprise seeing the name and picture of someone I know in person on a random youtube video.