The Great Stem of Souls: Reconstructing Mandaean History (Gorgias Mandaean Studies)

Mandaean priests, representatives of a religious heritage that can be traced back to Late Antique Mesopotamia, still copy their ancient literature by hand. The Great Stem of Souls is a study of the colophons – postscripts at the end of each text – that are appended to most Mandaean documents. A study of the contents of the colophons provides a framework for reconstructing Mandaean history. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF PLATES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION PART 1: GINZA MATTERS PART 2: PRIESTS AND SCHOLARS PART 3: MORE TEXTS PART 4: DISCERNING HISTORY AFTERWORD APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C ABBREVIATIONS AND EDITIONS GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF PRIESTS INDEX OF AUTHORS