“The Ethnocultural significance for the use of plants in Ancient Funerary Rituals and its possible implications with pollens found on the Shroud of Turin”.
Dr. Marzia Boi
Universidad de las Islas Baleares
https://www.shroud.com/pdfs/boiveng.pdf

On the occasion of the exposition of the Holy Shroud of Turin in 2010, and after visiting the ‘Museo de la Sindone’ (Turin), I was interested in the palynological investigations that had been realized, supposing that they had come to unquestionable conclusions.
After reviewing them, I noticed that the pollen identifications had not been studied with the greatest rigor and the ethnocultural meaning that was pointing to their presence was not well understood.
Knowing that the observation of the adhesive tapes collected by Max Frei in the years 1973 and 1978 or other original material was unavailable at the moment, I made my study through observation of published pollen photos on the Shroud and the comparison with my own samples.
My doctoral research has treated about the description of more than one hundred types of pollens of endemic plants from the Balearic Islands (Spain), giving me the opportunity to reveal that among the pollen of the Shroud, there is a copy, difficult to classify and recognize, which belongs to the Asteraceae family that may have been key in preparing the body during the funeral ritual. Other described pollens on the Shroud, which appear in counts with significant values, would also confirm
the practiced ritual.
The plants used in the funeral rites have witnessed, through pollen, the moment of death, which have been ethno culturally significant, reflecting the time in which the story begins of that funeral attire. The presence of these pollen guides on the fabric reveal the application of oils, balms and ointments, also explaining why it has been kept in excellent condition to this day. These small remnants, trapped for centuries, now become valuable items that may provide clues to the moments that occurred more than two thousand years and which are still shrouded in mystery

Fear of cultural extinction and psychopathology among Mandaean refugees: an exploratory path analysis.

Nickerson A1,

 

Bryant RA,

 

Brooks R,

 

Steel Z,

 

Silove D

Author information

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 31 Dec 2008, 15(3):227-236
DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2009.00094.x PMID: 19691542 PMCID: PMC6494065

Free to read https://europepmc.org/article/med/19691542

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Abstract 

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The Mandaeans are a small religious community originating from Iraq and Iran who are facing the possibility of cultural extinction within the next few generations. This study aimed to examine the relationships between life experiences, psychopathology and fear of cultural extinction in Mandaean refugees. A survey was conducted of 315 adult Iraqi Mandaean refugees living in Australia. Past traumatic experiences and current resettlement difficulties were assessed. Mental health outcomes were also examined, including measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Fear of cultural extinction was measured by items developed in consultation with the Mandaean community. A path analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between trauma, living difficulties, PTSD, depression, and fear of cultural extinction. Results indicated that trauma and living difficulties impacted indirectly on fear of cultural extinction, while PTSD (and not depression) directly predicted levels of anxiety about the Mandaean culture ceasing to exist. The current findings indicate that past trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress contribute to fear of cultural extinction. Exposure to human rights violations enacted on the basis of religion has significant mental health consequences that extend beyond PTSD. The relationship between perception of threat, PTSD, and fear of cultural extinction is considered in the context of cognitive models of traumatic stress. Government immigration policy must prioritize the reunification of small, endangered groups to sustain cultural traditions. Treatment interventions implemented with cultural groups facing extinction should take into consideration anxiety about loss of culture

Rethinking the "Gnostic Mary": Mary of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala in Early Christian Tradition
Stephen J. Shoemaker
Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 9, Number 4, Winter 2001, pp.
555-595 (Article)
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press
DOI:
For additional information about this article
[ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ]
https://doi.org/10.1353/earl.2001.0061
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/10238/pdf

Numerous early Christian apocrypha, including several so-called “gnostic” texts, include a character known as “Mary,” whose identity is usually otherwise unspecified. Generally, this “Mary” appears as an associate or, sometimes, as a rival, of the apostles, who is filled with knowledge of the “gnostic” mysteries. Although scholars have persistently identified this Mary with Mary the Magdalene, rather than Mary of Nazareth, this interpretive dogma is based on evidence that it is at best inconclusive. This article reexamines the relevant apocrypha, as well as incorporating much previously overlooked evidence to argue that Mary of Nazareth is an equally important contributor to the “gnostic Mary’s” identity. The gnostic Mary, it turns out, is a composite figure, who draws on the identities of both the Magdalene and the Virgin, rather than being the representation of a single historical individual. This new perspective will present both consequences and opportunities for feminist interpretations of early Christianity and the veneration of Mary of Nazareth

The Israelite Origins of the Mandaean People
Richard Thomas
ON the banks of the Euphrates River exists a small community of faithful
known as the Mandaeans. In their own language, derived from Aramaic,
the word mandayye, from which they take their name, means “gnostic.”1 The
religious practices of these people, which dominate most aspects of their lives,
are the last remaining traces of ancient gnosticism in the world today.2 The
origin of the Mandaeans is much debated, and it will be the focus of this paper.
The Mandaeans claim that their ancestors came from Judea and originally
practiced complex baptismal ordinances, the focal point of their religion, on
the Jordan River. They claim that soon after the start of the Common Era,
they were persecuted by the Jews and left Palestine, in a mass exodus of around
60,000 individuals, to eventually settle on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
There they have stayed, according to their oral tradition and their written
record, for nearly two millennia.
They are relatively few in number (commonly estimated to be less than
15,0003), and they do not seem to have played a very important role in the
shaping of world history. However, understanding the origin of this group can
lead to a better understanding of the religious makeup and practices of Judea at
the dawn of Christianity. In the course of this paper, I will show that there is
evidence which links the origin of Mandaeism very closely to Judea and the
pre-Christian sectarian, or non-Jewish, sects centered on the Jordan River which
preserved the heritage of the preexilic Israelite temple cult. Though I will not be
able to conclusively show this to be the case, I believe that the evidence which I
will present will show the above stated thesis to be a strong possibility.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=studiaantiqua

Richard Thomas graduated from BYU in April 2006 with a degree in history. He is
studying Greek and Hebrew and is planning to continue biblical studies in graduate 
school.
BYU ScholarsArchive 
Citation Thomas, Richard. "The Israelite Origins of the Mandaean People." Studia Antiqua 5, no. 2 (2007). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ studiaantiqua/vol5/iss2/4

Shock and Awe: The U.S. Led Invasion and the Struggle of Iraq’s Non-Muslim
Minorities
Arkan Kazal, MA
The University of Texas at Austin, 2019
Supervisor: Kamran S. Aghaie
https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/76209/KAZAL-THESIS-2019.pdf?sequence=1

Abstract
This paper examines the transformations that took place in the discourse of Iraq’s
non-Muslim minorities after the U.S. led invasion in 2003. By looking at the first three
years of the invasion, this research captures the emergence of sectarian identities among
Iraq’s Mandaeans and Christians. Relying on never-before examined evidence, this paper
argues that the invasion caused these minorities to adopt clear sectarian tendencies as a
reaction to a political environment that was becoming less secular every day. While all
members of these two groups did not share similar political views, most of them started
expressing themselves politically based on sectarian grounds.

THE MANDAEAN IDENTITY CHALLENGE FROM RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM TO SECULAR POLICIES *
Mehrdad Arabestani
Published 2010


In 2002, when I started my field work among the Mandaeans of Iran, the first thing that struck me was the highly ritualistic tone of Mandaean religion with a stress on purification rites. I found out that the rituals have a pivotal and irreplaceable status in Mandaean religiousness. When one asks the Mandaean about their religion, the immediate answer is usually an account of the Mandaean rites rather than the Mandaean beliefs and theology. Drower, as the leading researcher in Mandaean ethnography, had noted this point in her introduction to The Haran Gawaita and the Baptism of HIbil-Ziwa





https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/THE-MANDAEAN-IDENTITY-CHALLENGE-FROM-RELIGIOUS-TO-*-Arabestani/f9d41261bd7c9105050df0997e996941c4410cec

The Mandaeans: A history of Boatbuilding and Silversmithing ...

https://www.mandaeanunion.org › images › MAU › History

Orientalism and Three British Dames: De-essentialization of the Other in the Work of Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, and E.S. Drower
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1226&context=masters

 A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of the School of Communication 
In Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in English

 By Lynn Massie Sawyer

Abstract 
Although postcolonial criticism has run its course for thirty years, a fresh look at Edward Said’s Orientalism offers insight into how Orientalism functions in the writings of three British dames. Gertrude Bell in The Desert and the Sown, Freya Stark in The Southern Gates of Arabia, and E.S. Drower in The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran, however, challenge Said’s theory. Their writing raises questions about how gender alters the discourse about the Other, and whether Said essentializes the Occident. Bell, Stark, and Drower serve as case studies in which to analyze the politically and rhetorically complex interactions between the West and the East at the end of the Colonial period. Over time, these women moved from approaching the Other with superior attitudes and a focus on otherness to developing a sympathetic understanding and greater appreciation of the similarities between the West and the East. Key Words: Said, Bell, Stark, Drower, Orientalism, Other, Postcolonialism 

The Iranian Children of Adam
 A study on the Iranian Sabaean Mandaean community
 Iman Amirteimour
MA Thesis in Middle East Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages University of Oslo: Faculty of Humanities Spring 2017
https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/57957/Masters--thesis-by-Iman-Amirteimour.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Summary
This dissertation investigates about the current status of the Iranian Sabaean Mandaean
community, which is a relatively anonymous ethno-religious tribe. They claim to be direct
off-springs of the first human creature who is Prophet Adam, and the initial monotheist faith
that is Mandaeism. However, regularly scholars of religions’ history locate the advent of their
faith in the same historical context as the rise of Judaism.
The main settlements of Sabaean Mandaeans have always been in Mesopotamia, and their
current homelands are in Iraq, and Iran. The Sabaeans are mentioned in Quran as monotheist People of the Book, however there has always been a disagreement in the Islamic jurisprudence that whether the Mandaean community is identical with Quranic Sabaeans or not. Due to such suspicion, Mandaeism is not recognized as a distinct faith in the Iranian constitution; the issue which has affected the Iranian Mandaeans’ social rights in a negative manner.
In the current dissertation, I elaborate about the historical origins of the Mandaeism as a
monotheist faith and contextualize it among other big religious traditions like Judaism, and
Christianity. I also write about the essentials of the Mandaean faith and discuss the vital role
of ritual practices in the perpetuation of the orthodox Mandaeism. Next, I explain the
unrivaled role of the Iranian Mandaean priesthood in maintaining the Mandaean community
as an independent faith community. Moreover, I point to the socio-political activism of the
Mandaean priesthood to build constructive ties with the officials in the Iranian state and with
the reformist, democratic forces who regard Sabaean Mandaean as a legitimate minority with granted social rights. I also explain how the Mandaean priesthood attempts to maintain a traditional version of the Mandaen community and fight the unconventional interpretations
regarding the orthodox manner of performing rituals, and other religious commands.
Further, I analyze the actual circumstances of the contemporary Iranian Mandaean community and their ongoing challenges. The strong wave of the emigration among the Iranian Mandaens and the rise of new interpretations, demands among the Mandaean laypeople and youth have subjected them into fundamental challenges which have the potential to transform the Iranian Mandaean society from its intact and original constitution. 



This dissertation investigates about the current status of the Iranian Sabaean Mandaean community, which is a relatively anonymous ethno-religious tribe. They claim to be direct off-springs of the first human creature who is Prophet Adam, and the initial monotheist faith that is Mandaeism. However, regularly scholars of religions’ history locate the advent of their faith in the same historical context as the rise of Judaism. The main settlements of Sabaean Mandaeans have always been in Mesopotamia, and their current homelands are in Iraq, and Iran. The Sabaeans are mentioned in Quran as monotheist People of the Book, however there has always been a disagreement in the Islamic jurisprudence that whether the Mandaean community is identical with Quranic Sabaeans or not. Due to such suspicion, Mandaeism is not recognized as a distinct faith in the Iranian constitution; the issue which has affected the Iranian Mandaeans’ social rights in a negative manner. In the current dissertation, I elaborate about the historical origins of the Mandaeism as a monotheist faith and contextualize it among other big religious traditions like Judaism, and Christianity. I also write about the essentials of the Mandaean faith and discuss the vital role of ritual practices in the perpetuation of the orthodox Mandaeism. Next, I explain the unrivaled role of the Iranian Mandaean priesthood in maintaining the Mandaean community as an independent faith community. Moreover, I point to the socio-political activism of the Mandaean priesthood to build constructive ties with the officials in the Iranian state and with the reformist, democratic forces who regard Sabaean Mandaean as a legitimate minority with granted social rights. I also explain how the Mandaean priesthood attempts to maintain a traditional version of the Mandaen community and fight the unconventional interpretations regarding the orthodox manner of performing rituals, and other religious commands. Further, I analyze the actual circumstances of the contemporary Iranian Mandaean community and their ongoing challenges. The strong wave of the emigration among the Iranian Mandaens and the rise of new interpretations, demands among the Mandaean laypeople and youth have subjected them into fundamental challenges which have the potential to transform the Iranian Mandaean society from its intact and original constitution. 

The Small Sects Under Fire
Christian Caryl 
DECEMBER 4, 2014 ISSUE
NY REVIEW OF BOOKS
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East
by Gerard Russell, with a foreword by Rory Stewart
Basic Books, 320 pp., $28.99
http://ringmar.net/mycourses/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Caryl-2014-The-Small-Sects-Under-Fire-1.pdf