{"product_id":"the-mandaeans-fernan-vargas-9798241568915","title":"The Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor centuries, the Mandaeans have existed on the margins of history, guardians of one of humanity's last living Gnostic traditions. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Gnostics\u003c\/i\u003e delves into their rich cosmology, ritual life, and ethical practice, exploring the dualistic worldview that distinguishes light from darkness, knowledge from ignorance, and salvation from entrapment in the material world. From the exalted role of John the Baptist to the intricate rites of baptism, from their reinterpretation of biblical figures like Adam and Seth to their rejection of Christian doctrines, this book illuminates a tradition that has survived through persecution, exile, and misunderstanding. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on sacred texts, historical scholarship, and contemporary ethnography, the book reveals how Mandaeans live gnosis as a daily practice, prioritizing knowledge, purification, and ethical conduct over dogma or orthodoxy. It examines their relationships with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, their strategies of survival under Islamic rule, and the subtle yet profound ways their rituals sustain both soul and community. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn presenting the Mandaeans as a window into the possibilities of religious life, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Gnostics\u003c\/i\u003e challenges assumptions about faith, orthodoxy, and spiritual authority. It is a journey into a hidden world where knowledge is sacred, light is eternal, and the human soul strives continually toward liberation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Fernan Vargas,Marcelo Ponte\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798241568915\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/28\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 102\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.32lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.21d","brand":"Fernan Vargas","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48460310413567,"sku":"9798241568915","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8612cd7a-1e9d-4f2b-8ba3-7d65df408bc0.jpg?v=1777413911","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-mandaeans-fernan-vargas-9798241568915","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}