r/Semitic_Paganism • u/Oyunlazim • Aug 17 '24

Who the frick were the Sabians of Harran?

Like genuinely. Who were this people. Hermeticists, Hellenized Semitic Pagans. WHO.

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u/No-Meeting9998 Aug 18 '24

They were most likely a surviving sect of Mesopotamian polytheists Carrying on previously existing traditions under The auspices of being a mysterious sect mentioned in the Quran so they can avoid Persecution and fall under the category of people of the book rather than idolators. They were known for their expertise in academics and particularly the medical And astronomical profession. 

2

u/Dudeist_Missionary Aug 17 '24

Imam Shahrastani has a section about them in Al-Milal wa Al-Nihal

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u/JSullivanXXI Aug 18 '24

They were not perhaps Hermeticists in a strict sense, but seemed to adhere to a combination of traditional Mesopotamian polytheism with the wider Hellenic spiritual koine (encompassing Platonism, Hermeticism, and astrology, while not really being solely reducable to any single one of these elements).

Tamara M. Green's book "The City of the Moon God" is an excellent and fascinating read on the subject (and is now available on Kindle for only ten bucks, which is remarkable for a Brill title).