[5] Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath published a full English translation of the Mandaean Book of John in 2020, which was printed alongside Mandaic text typesetted by Ardwan Al-Sabti.
[6] Archived manuscripts of the Mandaean Book of John known to Western scholars include:[7] Several folia (pages) in two manuscripts held at the British Library contain parts of the Mandaean Book of John:[1] Buckley has also analyzed three manuscripts that are privately held by Mandaeans in the United States, including:[1][7] In Ahvaz, Iran, there is a copy of the Book of John with Mandaic text inscribed on lead plates (see also Mandaic lead rolls).
[6] In the early 1900s, E. S. Drower had also transcribed the "Soul Fisher" chapters (36–39) from Sheikh Negm bar Zihrun.
The present form of the Mandaean Book of John dates no earlier than the Islamic conquests.
[4] Linguistically, the Islamic-era material can be found to date to the later stages of the composition and redaction of the Book of John.
For example, one argument holds that chapter 30 is likely post-4th century due the presence of loanwords like follis, crux, and other oblique references to Latin Christianity that better fit when it became the sole religion of the Roman Empire, as well as its criticism to institutionalized celibacy.