7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 472 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 472 pagesAbout this book
What awaits a soul that must pass through watch-stations between the worlds of darkness and light?
The Ginza Rabba, or Great Treasure, is the main sacred book of the Mandaeans, a living religious community that reveres John the Baptist. Its hymns, teachings, myths and instructions explore the Great Life, the creation of the world and the struggle of the soul against the planets.
Two halves shape this spiritual landscape. The Right Ginza explores creation, theology and instructions for the living. The Left Ginza turns toward the soul after death. According to the text, the soul comes from light and faces a difficult upward journey toward its lasting home.
What you’ll discover
- A treasure in two halves Explore how the Right and Left Ginza connect teachings for life with visions of what follows death.
- The Great Life Encounter the Mandaean vision of the Great Life, also called the Lord of Greatness.
- Worlds of light and darkness Enter accounts of cosmic conflict, where darkness holds black water, monsters and rival rulers.
- Adam and Hawa Discover familiar names within a different creation story, alongside the text’s helpers from light.
- The soul’s long ascent Follow hymns that describe the departed soul’s passage through dangerous realms toward its divine home.
Who will love it
Readers who love ancient religions, Gnostic myths, and stories of the soul's homeward road will find much to explore here. Its sacred words welcome an interest in living faith, prayer, and the search for knowledge.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A treasury shaped over many centuries
- The Great Life and the worlds of light
- Darkness has its own king and its own beginnings
- The visible world is made by a flawed builder
- A heavenly messenger brings knowledge to Adam
- Daily life: alms, fasting, baptism and honest dealing
- Anger toward neighbors, and its historical context
- Teachers, scribes and the wisdom of John
- The soul's road home and how communities use it
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 472 pages: 15,95 USD when you start free, 15,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 472 pages: 24,95 USD when you start free, 24,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Ginza Rabba in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Ginza Rabba
by Attributed to Mandaean priests
A soul climbs past watch-stations, naming its sign to each guard, toward the Great Life.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What does a soul say to the guards at the gates of heaven? In the Ginza Rba, the Great Treasure, it gives its name and its sign, and the guards bow.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A treasury shaped over many centuries
The Ginza Rba means the Great Treasure. It is the main scripture of the Mandaeans, who live along the rivers of southern Iraq and Khuzestan in Iran and in communities abroad. It is written in Classical Mandaic, a form of Eastern Aramaic. Scholars see it as a collection built up over many centuries, with roots in the early centuries of the Common Era and possibly earlier, though they disagree on the details.
The book has two main parts. The Right Ginza holds sermons, creation myths, rules for living, and accounts of heavenly messengers. The Left Ginza holds hymns and prayers about death and the soul's journey. Many voices speak in turn, so the text feels like a library gathered in one binding.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Ginza Rabba
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 15,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 15,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Ginza Rba about?
It is the main Mandaean scripture. It describes the worlds of light and darkness, the making of the world and of Adam, the messenger who brings knowledge, rules for living, and hymns about the soul's ascent after death.
What does Ginza Rba mean?
Ginza Rba is Mandaic for the Great Treasure. The name points to the sacred knowledge it keeps, passed from generation to generation by Mandaean priests.
Who are the Mandaeans and who is John the Baptist to them?
Mandaeans are a small religious community from southern Iraq and Iran who practice baptism in flowing water. They honor John the Baptist, called Johana or Yahia, as a great prophet and teacher of baptism.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
