Abstract
The text deals with Mandaean eschatological ideas. Its topic is the concept of the end of human life and the fate of the soul after death (individual eschatology), and Mandaean doctrine of the end of the world (cosmic or cosmological eschatology).
For a better understanding of both aspects of eschatology, their interpretation is preceded by a brief characteristics of Mandaean ideas about the creation of the world and man. The lectures are illustrated with the author's translations of Mandaean texts.
As in other Gnostic religions, Mandaean individual eschatology focuses on the fate of the soul (nišimta, mana) after death, when separated from the earthly body. Its salvation is understood as a rise upwards (return) to the realm of the divine fullness.
Soteriological texts focus primarily on the rise itself (masiqta), on the judgement over the soul and on its final union with God/the highest principle. Cosmological eschatology is conceived as restorative in character: the whole process of world events began with gradual breach of the original unity of the divine principle and led to the creation of the material world and to the imprisonment of the soul in the body.
With the rise of the first soul - the soul of Adam - an opposite movement begins, which seeks to restore the original state. Mandaean doctrine allows for restoring the original unity of the world of light and suppression of darkness.
The extinction of the whole created world is expected, including the creatures of darkness and souls who have committed grave sins (text speaks about the "second death"). This absolute character of Mandaean eschatological thinking - a linear concept of time, which is coming to its conclusion - combines with a relative type of cosmological eschatology - with cyclic structure of world ages, ending in a disaster.
In this context, some writings offer a Mandaean interpretation of the the Flood which is different from the Old Testament and Nag Hammadi texts.