Nicolas_Siouffi
Nicolas Siouffi
Religious scholar, numismatist
Nicolas Siouffi (1829 (Damascus) – 1901 (unknown)) was a Syrian Christian,[1][2][3] and later French citizen and vice-consul at Mosul, remembered for his study of Mandaeism. He is known for works such as Études sur les Soubbas ou les Sabéens.[4]
Mandaeans were known locally in Arabic as Ṣubba, which Siouffi identified with the Sabians, a People of the Book in the Quran.[5] Siouffi claimed to have identified 4000 Sabians in the Mandaean population. This was well received by the theosophist G. R. S. Mead,[6] but received highly critical reviews from scholars, accusing Siouffi of ignorance and his teacher of dishonesty.[7][8]