The City of the Moon God: Religious Traditions of HarranBRILL, 2015 M09 1 - 240 pages This study treats the religious and intellectual history of the city of Harran (Eastern Turkey) from biblical times down to the establishment of Islam. The author starts from the well-known reference in the Qur'an and the early Islamic histories to the people of Harran as Sabians, one of the 'peoples of the book.' The author unravels strands of religious tradition in Harran that run from the old Semitic planetary cults through Hellenistic hermeticism, gnosticism, and Neo-Pythagoreanism and Christian cults to esoteric Islamic sects such as the Sufis and Shiites. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Harranian Religion from the Citys Foundation to the Fall of Nabonidus | 19 |
Harranian Religion from Alexander to the Muslim Conquest | 44 |
Harranian Religion Syncretism and Assimilation | 74 |
Harran After the Muslim Conquest Muslims and Sabians | 94 |
Muslim Sources | 124 |
Harranian Paganism and Islam | 144 |
Harran Hermeticism and Esoteric Islam | 162 |
The Mysteries of the Sabians According to Muslim Sources | 191 |
| 218 | |
| 225 | |
Common terms and phrases
Abraham accounts of Harranian alchemy ancient Mesopotamian ANET Arab argued Assyrian astrology Babylonian Bar Daysan Biruni Brethren of Purity Byzantine calendar caliph Catalog celestial century C.E. Christian Chronology Chwolsohn connection culture Dayr Kadhi deities described divine Dodge Drijvers Edessa Ephrem Epistles esoteric evidence feast festival Fihrist gnostic goddess gods Greek philosophy Harran and Edessa Harranian religion Harranians heavens Hermes Hermetic Hermeticism Hjarpe human Ibn al-Nadim identified idol Imam intellectual interpretation Islam king knowledge late antiquity least Lord Ma'mun magic Mandaeans Mas'udi meaning Mithra Moon Moon god Mu'tazilite Muḥammad Muslim authors Muslim conquest Muslim sources mystery Nabonidus Nergal Nisan Northern Mesopotamia pagan Parthians Pedersen period Persian planetary planets political practices pre-Islamic Prophet Qur'an religious revealed ritual role Roman rulers Sabians of Harran sacred Sarakhsi sects Semitic seven Shi'ite stars symbolic Syriac temple texts Thabit tion traditions Wahb ibn Ibrahim worship