The Major Mandaean & Nasoraean Scriptures by Dr. Preston Lewis

MJ. Smith

Think minor Abrahamic religion and John the Baptist - absolutely essential for understanding the early church.

https://www.amazon.com/Major-Mandaean-Nasoraean-Scriptures-Scripture/dp/B0BW3G13N3/ref%3Dsr_1_1

Amazon blurb:

This Limited Edition of the Nasoraean and Mandaean Scriptures has been something I have been working on for nearly fifty years. It began with a very raw translation and has since been tweaked hundreds of times by comparing and contrasting mine with others. It bears little resemblance to the first draft. This version is printed on premium paper with color images. This is at a much higher cost than is typical of my books. I believe it is worth this extra expense. As a collector’s edition, it should be a great investment.

English translations of major Mandæan manuscripts have been next to impossible to find. It has been my long-term project to solve this problem. It requires thousands of dollars to acquire them individually. I know I will face unfair criticism as someone will complain that my versions are too close to another published version. This may be a fact. You may complain that my version does not dig into the depth of the Aramaic onion. This too may be true. I have not made sweeping, amplified paraphrases. I have tried to convey the general text in a readable, understandable translation/ interpretation. It is not intended for the scholar who would do better with one of the pricey versions from which mine consulted.

This volume consists of the following:

CONTENTS
The Ginza Rba (complete; Right & Left)
The Mandæan Book of John
The Qolastā (Prayerbook)
The One Thousand and Twelve Questions (incomplete)
The Wedding of the Great Sislam #1
Haran Gawaitha
Diwan Abathur
The Wedding of the Great Sislam #2
The Coronation of the Great Sislam
The Scroll of Exalted Kingship
The Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa
Appendix
Illustrations
Index

Missing is the Mandæan Book of the Zodiac.
PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING THIS EDITION!
This is not the first English Edition of these works but it is unique. This publication is not formatted or translated in the typical manner. First, this is a Readers Edition, not cluttered with excessive footnotes and cross-references. Other English editions are hard to read due to an inline mixture of translated text and Aramaic source text, suitable for the scholar but not the average reader. This edition has a minimum number of untranslated words making it much easier to understand.

We stayed away from Elizabethan & obscure language. Ours is designed for the modern reader. Complex concepts were simplified. You may need to google a word for a definition, but not often. If you need a Critical Edition, consider a more expensive one, not this one. Mine consulted Mead, Drower, McGrath, Häberl, Gelbert, and Al-Sabti before going to print and all had some influence. The major differences are that

mine is much less expensive,

is in modern English, and

is simpler to navigate.

As editors, we made decisions concerning word choices unpopular with those who prefer a critical edition. For instance, some transliterated Hebrew words are familiar to the English reader vs the equivalent words borrowed from Aramaic. An example: Many English readers know that Elohim is a reference to gods or God. The Aramaic is Alaha which causes confusion with the Hawaiian word Aloha. I opted for Elohim over Alaha. Some translators would choose Aramaic and Arabic transliterations for the Prophet John and Jesus. I stayed away from Yuhana and Eshu in favor of John and Jesus due to familiarity. If such editorial liberties make you uncomfortable, buy a Critical/ Technical Edition rather than this one. Gelbert’s and Häberl/ McGrath will suit you better. If you tend to nit-pick every word and phrase, please go to one of the others. Mine will give you an ulcer. By comparison, the Living Bible infuriated many Christians who were conditioned to read the KJV or ASV. Mine is more like the Living Bible, easy for the average reader.