Leviathan in Mandaean Literature

The Mandaeans are the only Gnostic group from antiquity that has survived to the present day. Their sacred texts contain various biblical figures, place names and narratives known from the Bible. Among the different biblical characters found in Mandaean literature is Leviathan, who is mentioned in the Old Testament. Using various Jewish and early Christian texts as comparative material, this article explores the possible sources of the Leviathan figure in Mandaean literature. It concludes that the “demonic nature” of Leviathan is primarily based on two Old Testament texts – Psalm 74:14–16 and Isaiah 27:1 – where he appears as a chaos monster, an enemy of God, embodying the open sea. Although Leviathan also appears as an evil being in early Christian tradition, it seems more likely that the figure of Leviathan in Mandaean literature was influenced more by post–Old Testament Jewish than by Christian traditions, and that the portrayal of Leviathan as an evil being is also consistent with Gnostic traditions outside the Mandaean community.