عنوان

Dissimulation or Assimilation? The Case of the Mandæans

Number

LA122772

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Dissimulation or Assimilation? The Case of the Mandæans

General Material Designation

[Article]

First Statement of Responsibility

Charles G. Häberl

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

One of the smallest ethno-religious groups native to Iraq and Iran, the Mandæans can claim to be one of the region's longest surviving traditions as the last remaining Gnostic religion from Late Antiquity. Their survival is as puzzling as it is remarkable. According to their own traditions, they have always lived in close proximity to members of other faiths, never composing more than a small fraction of the population, and were always subject to the rule of others. Perhaps for this reason, the Mandæans have often presented their faith to outsiders in a manner that emphasizes common practices and shared beliefs, while still establishing barriers to full assimilation. While this strategy may have sustained the Mandæans as a community over the centuries, it has also repeatedly failed to protect them in times of intense sectarian conflict and is beginning to break down as Mandæans increasingly spread throughout the world. One of the smallest ethno-religious groups native to Iraq and Iran, the Mandæans can claim to be one of the region's longest surviving traditions as the last remaining Gnostic religion from Late Antiquity. Their survival is as puzzling as it is remarkable. According to their own traditions, they have always lived in close proximity to members of other faiths, never composing more than a small fraction of the population, and were always subject to the rule of others. Perhaps for this reason, the Mandæans have often presented their faith to outsiders in a manner that emphasizes common practices and shared beliefs, while still establishing barriers to full assimilation. While this strategy may have sustained the Mandæans as a community over the centuries, it has also repeatedly failed to protect them in times of intense sectarian conflict and is beginning to break down as Mandæans increasingly spread throughout the world.

Date of Publication

2013

Physical description

586-615

Title

Numen

Volume Number

60/5-6

International Standard Serial Number

1568-5276

Subject Term

Christianity

Subject Term

dissimulation

Subject Term

Gnosticism

Subject Term

Islam

Subject Term

Mandæism

Subject Term

Zoroastrianism

Charles G. Häberl

Call Number

10.1163/15685276-12341295

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y