240 REV. S. M. ZWEMKR; P.R.G.S., ON 



of Mauda, as was Hibil. He baptised at Jordan, and by 

 mistake (!) also administered the rite to Jesus. 



About 200 A.D. they say there came into the world sixty 

 thousand saints from Pharaoh's host and took the place of the 

 Mandeeans who had been extirpated. Is not this a possible 

 allusion to the spread of the Gnostic heresy and its coal- 

 escence with the then Sabean community ? They say their 

 high priest then had his residence at Damascus. That is, 

 their centre of religion was right between Alexandria and 

 Antioch, the two schools of Gnosticism. 



Mohammed, in their system, was the last false prophet, 

 but he was divinely kept from harming them, and they 

 tlouiished to such an extent that at the time of the Abba- 

 sides they had four hundred places of worship in Babylonia. 



The Mandaen priesthood has three grades ; tarmida 

 {sj^<\j) disciple ; shhanda or deacons ; and the Ganzivra or 

 high priest ; literally the keeper of the Ginza or Great Book. 

 The late gancivra was Sheikh Yahya, a man of parts and 

 well-versed in their literature, who long lived at Sook es 

 Shiookh. Their present head or high priest is called Sheikh 

 Sahn and is now imprisoned at Busrah on charge of foment- 

 ing the late rebellion of the Arab tribes near Koorna at the 

 junction of the Tigris and Euphrates. 



The Sabeans observe six great feasts besides their weekly 

 Sabbath (Sunday). One of the feasts celebrates the victory 

 of Abel in the world of darkness, another the drowning of 

 Pharaoh's army, but the chief feast is one of baptism. On it, 

 observed in the summer, and called Pantsha, all Sabeans are 

 baptised bx/ sprinkling three times a day for five days ; this 

 is compulsory. The Sunday baptisms of immersion in 

 running water are, however, largely voluntary and therefore 

 meritorious: these latter correspond to the Moslem laws of 

 purifications and take place after touching a dead body, the 

 birth of a child, marriage ceremony, etc. 



The moral code of the Sabeans is that of the Old Testa- 

 ment in nearly every particular. 



Polygamy is allowed and even recommended in the Stdra 

 Rahhu, but not often indulged in. They do not circumcise, 

 and have no holy places or churches except those built for a 

 feast night at the river side, and removed the next morning. 

 The story that they go on pilgrimage to Haran and visit the 

 Pyramids as the tomb of Seth (see Sale's Koran, " Introduc- 

 tion ") is, I believe, a myth. They are friendly to Christians 

 of all sects, and love to give the impression that because 



