SABIANS  . The Sabians (as-Sabi'un) who are first mentioned in the See also:

• KORAN

Koran (ii . 59, V . 73, xxii . 17) were a semi-See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• SECT

sect of Babylonia, the Elkesaites, closely resembling the See also:

• MANDAEANS

Mandaeans or so-called " Christians of St See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John the Baptist," but not identical with them . Their name is probably derived from theAramaic See also:

• ASS (O.E. assa; Lat. asinus)
• ASS, FEAST OF THE

ass, a dialectical See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of yus, and signifies " those who See also:

• WASH, THE

wash themselves "; the See also:

• TERM

term al-mughtasila, which is sometimes applied to them by Arab writers, has the same meaning, and they were also known as huepol3a rncrai . How See also:

• MAHOMET (strictly MUHAMMAD, commonly also MOHAMMED)

Mahomet understood the In the 18th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century there was discovered in one of the catacombs of See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome an inscription containing the words " qui et Filius diceris et See also:

• PATER, WALTER HORATIO (1839-1894)

Pater inveniris." This can only have come from a Sabellian . 2 Whether See also:

• SABELLIUS (fl. 230)

Sabellius himself ever visited the See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East is unknown . term " Sabians " is uncertain, but he mentions them together with the See also:

• JEWS
• JEWS (Heb. Y8hudi, man of Judah; Gr. 'Iovbaiot; Lat. Judaei)

Jews and Christians . The older See also:

• MAHOMMEDAN

Mahommedan theologians were agreed that they possessed a written See also:

• REVELATION, BOOK OF

revelation and were entitled accordingly to enjoy a See also:

• TOLERATION (from Lat. tolerare, to endure)

toleration not granted to See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere See also:

• HEATHEN

heathen . Curiously enough, the name " Sabian " was used by the Meccanidolaters to denote Mahomet himself andhis Moslem converts, apparently on See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account of the frequent ceremonial ablutions which formed a striking feature of the new See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion . From these true Sabians the pseudo-Sabians of Ilarran (Carrhae) in See also:

• MESOPOTAMIA (Mevoaora)

Mesopotamia must be carefully distinguished .

In A.D . 830 the See also:

• CALIPH, CALIF

Caliph Ma'See also:

• MUN, ADRIEN ALBERT MARIE DE, COUNT (1841— )
• MUN, THOMAS (1571–1641)

mun, while marching against theByzantines, received a deputation of the inhabitants of IJarran . Astonished by the sight of their See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long See also:

• HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair and extraordinary See also:

• COSTUME
• COSTUME (through the Fr. costume, from Ital. costume, Late Lat. costuma, a contracted form of Lat. consuetudinem, ace. of consuetudo, custom, habit, manner, &c.)

costume, he inquired what religion they professed, and getting no satisfactory See also:

• ANSWER (derived from and, against, and the same root as swear)

answer threatened to exterminate them, unless by the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of his return from the See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war they should have embraced either See also:

• ISLAM

Islam or one of the See also:

• CREEDS (Lat. credo, I believe), or CONFESSIONS OF FAITH

creeds tolerated in the Koran . Consequently, acting on the See also:

• ADVICE (Fr. avis, from Lat. ad, to, and visum, viewed)

advice of a Mahbmmedan jurist, the IJarranians declared themselves to be " Sabians," a name which shielded them from persecution in virtue of its Koranic authority and was so vague that it enabled them to maintain their See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient beliefs undisturbed . There is no doubt as to the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general nature of the religious beliefs and practices which they sought to See also:

• MASK (Fr. masque, apparently from med. Lat. mascus, masca, spectre, through Ital. maschera, Span. mascara)

mask . Since the See also:

• EPOCH (Gr. E7roxij, holding in suspense, a pause, from E1rxav, to hold up, to stop)

epoch of See also:

• ALEXANDER
• ALEXANDER (1461-1506)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OsxENOVici) (1876-1903)
• ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772—1851)
• ALEXANDER, FRANCIS (1800—1881)
• ALEXANDER, GEORGE (1858— )
• ALEXANDER, JOHN WHITE (1856- )
• ALEXANDER, JOSEPH ADDISON (18o9—186o)
• ALEXANDER, SIR JAMES EDWARD (1803—1885)
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM (1824— )
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM LINDSAY (1808—1884)

Alexander the See also:

• GREAT

Great }See also:

• ARRAN
• ARRAN, EARLS OF

Arran had been a famous centre of See also:

• PAGAN
• PAGAN (Lat. paganus, of or belonging to a pagus, a canton, county district, village, commune)

pagan and Hellenistic culture; its See also:

• PEOPLE

people were "Syrian heathens, See also:

• STAR

star-worshippers versed in See also:

• ASTROLOGY

astrology and magic . In their temples the planetary See also:

• POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers were propitiated by See also:

• BLOOD

blood-offerings, and it is probable that human victims were occasionally sacrificed even as See also:

• LATE

late as the 9th century of our era . The more enlightened IJarranians, however, adopted a religious See also:

• PHILOSOPHY (Gr. gthos, fond of, and vo4 (a, wisdom)

philosophy strongly tinged with Neoplatonic and Christian elements . They produced a brilliant See also:

• SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession of eminent scholars and scientists who transmitted to the Moslems the results of Babylonian See also:

• CIVILIZATION

civilization and See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek learning, and their See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence at the See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court of Baghdad secured more or less toleration for Sabianism, although in the reign of Harlin al-Rashid the IJarranians had already found it necessary to establish a fund by means of which the conscientious scruples of Moslem officials might be overcome . Accounts of these false Sabians reached the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West through See also:

• MAIMONIDES

Maimonides, and then through Arabic See also:

• SOURCES

sources, Iong before it was understood that the name in this application was only a disguise . Hence the utmost confusion prevailed in all See also:

• EUROPEAN

European accounts of them till Chwolsohn published in 1856 his Ssabier and der Ssabismus, in which the authorities for the See also:

• HISTORY

history and belief of the IJarranians in the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages are collected and discussed . See also " Nouveaux documents pour !'etude de la religion See also:

• DES

des Harraniens," by See also:

• DOZY, REINHART PIETER ANNE (182o-1883)

Dozy and De See also:

• GOEJE, MICHAEL JAN DE (1836—1909)

Goeje, in the Actes of the See also:

• SIXTH

sixth See also:

• ORIENTAL

Oriental See also:

• CONGRESS (Lat. congressus, coming together, from congredi; cum, with, and gradus, step)

congress, ii .

281 f . (See also:

• LEIDEN

Leiden, 1885) . (R . A .