Sabians or Sabis are an Arabic religious group mentioned briefly in the Quran in verses 2:26, 5:69, & 22:17 and indicated in the Bahai writings. Until recently little has been known of them and as a result much speculation has been excercised around them. Most commonly they will be explained away as Mandaeans. This is because under shariah Sabians are a protected religious group along with Christians & Jews. Thus various religious groups with a connection to Baptism (like the Mandaeans) have sought to have the label applied to themselves in the hopes of avoiding persecution. Marc Edmund Jones founder of The Sabian Assembly described them more or less accurately as "a Mohamedan group". Harranians or harranites have also been called Sabeans but vast differences in Hurrian & Sabian religions has resulted in the distinction between these two very similar names. Long ago however, there may have been some connection between the two groups since Sabians are said to have had a base in Edessa. Neither of these is to be confused with Sabaeans -a completely unrelated group. It has been theorized that the Mandaean religion originated with Sabeans who were influenced by early Sabian missionaries but preferring their own priesthood.
During the Crusades, The Knights Templars (1118 CE - 1311 CE) who came into contact with them, took home stories about a baptising priesthood descended from John the Baptist who claimed to know the true history of Jesus Christ. This knightly order was forced into confessions by its enemies, especially Philip the Fair of France, of worshiping a deamon called Bahomet. The Order was later ex-communicated by the Roman Church (1308 CE -1311 CE). The "illicit" practice in question was in fact the attainment of a state known as bahomet amongst Sabiyah where one is advocated by 'the rememberance of messiah' (Ahomet -the messianic spirit).
The original Quran-Bahai Sabians, or Sabiyah as they call themselves, are a messianic priesthood much like orthodox muslims in appearance but more like orthodox Jews in practice. They believe in various scriptures from the Tanakh & Mishnah as well as early christian writings and most interestingly believe in the revealed nature of the Quran though they interpret it through their own traditions which consider "The Prophet", through which the Quran was revealed, to be of the Sabiyah priesthood. The exact nature of this connection is not revealed outside of the religion.
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2 Doctrines 3 Practices |
Their main organization is in a body of priesthood called Olneby consisting of married & single Patriarchs, Brethren & Sisters and novices (called Sons & Daughters) in each of the same categories.
Olneby is organized in a network of small administrative centers called Bethin (Houses) and all these people together in their Houses make up Olneby -the clans of "The House People" (Ohlolbeth). The Houses themselves are often referred to as "The Wives of Representation". Up until the 12th Century there were literal "Houses" with communes of ascetic families maintaining them as places of refuge for people of any creed. They are open to believers between certain times for meals, but Olneby asks visitors to remain, and ask for things from, behind a roodscreen. However imperialists have desecrated & torn down many of these "Presbertaries" over the years. Some of these sanctuaries were even turned from places of refuge into places of intolerance towards all but those who supported the political religion which had seized the site. Such actions are preached of by Olneby as terrible crimes whether they are covered-up or not, but of course guilt does not infect the Houses in as much as their people. As a tradgic result of this persecution, one would be hard put to locate such a site which has remained the property of Olneby for more than a few hundred years. It is Olneby which is endowed with the authority to confirm beatification through their strict adhearance to asceticism.
Due to excessive persecution details of how, when & where "Wives of Representation" have been established are not known.
The House People consider themselves & the refugees in their charge to be those who will receive all Israel's blessings, which they consider to be spiritual not material in nature.
They measure 12 stellar houses of the year which are considered important categorizations at a child's birth. In addition to this, all firstborn children are also automatically enjoined with a position of more responsiblity than other children of Olbeth (The House) as the operational masters-of-ceremonies under a vow of poverty. The calendar follows a simple Hebraic luni-solar form while the names of the months also show some Arabic influence. Their chronology of biblical events is roughly the same as Judeo-Christian traditions back to about as far as Abraham then leaps back in millennia (similar to other mesopotamian 'saroi' traditions though not quite as ambitious) to about 150,000 years ago for the enlightenment of Adam. The earth was created in 6 divine days but there is no attempt to define the length of a divine day not subsequently to pinpoint the date of creation.
Service in Olneby is restricted to 40 years, and under certain circumstances some may leave the congregation of priests before that time. Anyone who is excommunicated from the congregation of priests may be "reborn" through a ceremony of "Mekbah" involving submersion, likewise anyone wishing to be a member & not just a servant of The House People must also go through Mekbah and then, if male, be circumcised on the 8th day.
Women dress very modestly usually wearing a veil when not amongst other House People. Men usually keep the top of their heads close-cropped and covered with a scull cap with longer hair at the sides. Also close-cropped moustaches but longer beards are common. It is often very difficult to distinguish them from types of muslim or orthodox Jews.
In the story of Jeses, it is Marym who is regarded as the one who received a revelation of messiah-hood -Bahomet. Her young relative Johian was intruigued by it and became a scholar under Hillel to see if she was right. Johian, was encouraged to become a strict practitioner of Mose (the original religion) in order to find the rule (Mlek) of God's Word which Marym believed she had seen. Johian was convinced this was messiah. The people called him a prophet because of his sincerity but he deferred the praise and preached that believers should not look to people like him but to the sainthood which he proclaimed should come upon them. Rejuvinating a priesthood dedicated to God, Johian confirmed his own cousin Jeses as such a believer -one with Ahomet. Jeses was a child of love and humanity. He exemplified the way of a believer and held Johian in high regard. Prior to Johian's death the latter sent to Jeses asking if he would finish what Johian had set him up for or not. Jeses sent word to Johian of his perspective and did indeed continue Johian's ministry appointing an alternative high-priesthood for Israel. Jeses promised his believers that he was exhibiting the eternal representation which would be there for them, and all nations who awaited a messiah, even after their desertion and his own death. Those who listened hated to hear to such comments because they did not understand. At his death in 30CE the disciples scattered and Gamaliel came to a prominent position amongst the sabis before the Olneby priesthood re-grouped. As a resurected body, some disciples flourished while others with conflicting visions felt duped, like Gamaliel's student Saul of Tarsus, and began a campaign against them. For his part, Gamaliel, from his place in the sanhedrin, requested the heads of the other sects not to promote too soon any judgement on Jeses's appointed but to wait and see whether it would be a failed movement or had the support of The Lord of all. Thus to the sabis, messiah did proceed from but also preceeded Jeses and needs Olneby to identify it.
The theology of the Sabi religion involves an infinitely far yet infinitely close Spirit called Kannah or Loh. Aweful & amazing, mechanical & detached IT is "The Name" carried by all divine messengers. This "name" may be claimed by none more completely than Abba -the voice which teaches us about his awesome name. Abba is The Heavenly Order in any pantheon of deities. Abba is Memra (Logos), basheer and the one possessed by Abba is a mobasher. Gabriel being nothing more than realization, Michael (The Spirit of God's Likeness) is considered the philosophy sent out to Marym, found behind the Law by Johia, made incarnate of Marym and confirmed by Johian in Jeses and resurrected in rememberance of him as Ahomet (Sonship of Abba) by the Sabis ever since. This philosophy is considered the ultimate measure for all social organization and the only solution to all mankind's problems that can dictate christocracy. Indeed it is considered that there is no hope of a future for mankind unless they adopt this doctrine as their "prime directive".
Despite the priesthood's strict ascetic culture they do not enjoin any of it upon their congregations of followers. Considering their position to be one of responsibility in preaching Messiah for non-priests, they believe their existence must be a beacon of shining righteousness for all peoples drawing them towards the beauty of Messiah. Thus "beacon" is one of the meanings of Sabi. Their message is not their penitant ascetic culture but only awareness of the immanence of sainthood being when Ahomet comes into the hearts. With this spirit, people become "bahomet" people capable of engineering society to operate under the rule of the humanitist philosophy, that through their cooperation Messiah can dictate christocracy.Organization
Besides being called the House's Sisters, all married women are also referred to as The Wives of Olneby, while all single "Sisters" can also be called Daughters of Olneby. Doctrines
