Contents

CONTENTS.

PAGE
		FOREWORD	v

I.		JOHN THE BAPTIZER AND CHRISTIAN ORIGINS	1-28

		A Recent Study on John's Symbolism	1
		The John-passage in 'The Antiquities' of Josephus	2
		The N.T. Account: The Dress and Food of Repentance	4
		Popular Messianic Expectations	7
		The Sanctification of the Jordan-water	9
		The Probable Symbolic Signification of John's Baptism	10
		The Baptism of the Proselytes	11
		One of John's Discourses and its Symbolism	13
		The Fish and Fishers Symbolism	14
		Ḫani-Ōannēs-Iōannēs	16
		John-Jonah	18
		Rabbinic Fish Symbolism	20
		The Samaritan Ta'eb: A Reborn Joshua or Noah	21
		John's Eschatological Symbolism	22
		John and Jesus generally	24
		John and the Messiahship of Jesus	26

II.		FROM THE JOHN-BOOK OF THE MANDÆANS	29-96

		Introductory	29

	i.	THE GNOSTIC JOHN THE BAPTIZER	35-61

		Portents at John's Birth	35
		John's Proclamation concerning himself	40
		His Assumption of the Prophet's Mantle	41
		John's Light-ship	42
		John the Ascetic	44
		Of Judgment-Day	45
		The Letter of Truth	46
		John's Invulnerability	48
		John and the Baptism of Jesus	48
		John's Marriage	52
		John on his own Passing	54
		John's Birth, Upbringing and First Appearance	56
		John's Answer to Jesus Concerning the Angel of Death	59

PAGE
	ii.	THE STORY OF THE BREACH WITH JUDAISM		62-70

		Miryai is expelled from Jewry		62
		A Variant of the Same		64
		The Exiled Community settle on the Euphrates		65
		The Jews persecute the Mandæans		67
		They beg them to Return		67

	iii.	SOME TYPICAL EXTRACTS		71-96

		The 'Fisher of Souls' Saga		71
		The Light-ship of the Fisher		75
		The Good Fisher overwhelms the Evil Fishers		76
		The Final Submission of the Evil Fishers		79
		The Good Shepherd		81
		The Loving Shepherds of the Good Shepherd		83
		The Treasury of Life		86
		In the Beginning		89
		Exhortations		91
		The Song of the Poor's Exaltation		93

III.		THE SLAVONIC JOSEPHUS' ACCOUNT OF THE BAPTIST AND JESUS		97-119

		INTRODUCTORY		97

		TRANSLATION OF THE INTERPOLATIONS		103-110

		i.	John's Proclamation and his Rebuke of the Authorities	103
		ii.	His Interpretation of Philip's Dream	105
		iii.	His Persistent Rebuking of Agrippa and his Execution	105
		iv.	The Ministry, Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus	106
		v.	The Treatment of the First Christians	107
		vi.	The Trilingual Inscription concerning Jesus	108
		vii.	Portents at the Death of Jesus and Rumours of his Resurrection	109
		viii.	A Prophecy concerning Jesus	110

		GENERAL REMARKS		110

IV.		THE FOURTH GOSPEL PROEM		120-127

		A NEW VERSION VENTURE		120-127

		Connection		120
		Translation		123

		AFTERWORD		128