9 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
For readers who love comparative religion, the history of late antiquity, and Gnostic and Near Eastern traditions, as well as anyone curious about a living faith.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A treasure with two halves
- The Great Life above all worlds
- Darkness, the planets and the making of the world
- Adam, his children and the helpers from light
- The soul's ascent through the watch-stations
- Age, use and how to read it today
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Ginza Rabba
by Attributed to Mandaean priests
Mandaean hymns and myths trace the soul's journey past guarded stations toward a home beyond fate.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Ginza Rabba, which means the Great Treasure, is the main holy book of the Mandaeans. They are a small religious community from southern Iraq and southwest Iran who follow John the Baptist as their great teacher and practise baptism in running water.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A treasure with two halves
The Ginza is built in two parts that are bound together back to back. One half is called the Right Ginza, and the other is the Left Ginza. A reader turns the book over to move from one to the other, so that each half has its own front cover. The picture is of a treasure house with two doors.
The Right Ginza is the larger half. Its eighteen books are mostly about God, the worlds of light, the creation of the world, the first humans and the teachings that guide the living. The Left Ginza is shorter and has three books. It is mainly about death and what comes after it, including the journey of the soul and its judgement.
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What is the Ginza Rabba about?
It is the main holy book of the Mandaeans. It tells of the Great Life and the world of light, the making of the world, Adam and his children, and the soul's journey after death toward the everlasting abode.
What does Ginza Rabba mean?
Ginza means treasure and Rabba means great, so the title is the Great Treasure. The book is also called the Sidra Rabba, meaning the Great Book. It is divided into a Right Ginza and a Left Ginza.
Who are the Mandaeans?
They are a small religious community from southern Iraq and southwest Iran. They honour John the Baptist, practise baptism in flowing water, and speak or pray in Mandaic. Many now live abroad, in Europe, Australia and North America.
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