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Jannes and Jambres
c.-1391 (Moses' era) · Egypt
Description
In Jewish and Christian traditions, Jannes and Jambres are the names given to magicians mentioned in the Book of Exodus. This naming tradition is well-attested in ancient and medieval literature. In Latin manuscripts of the New Testament, and in Latin writing traditions, their names are known as Jamnes and Mambres.
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Work / contribution | Significance |
|---|---|
| Hebrew Bible | Jannes and Jambres are not specifically mentioned in the Tanakh ("Hebrew Bible"), but the Egyptian "wise men and sorcerers" (two of whom were identified with Jannes and Jambres in Jewish and Christian traditions) are mentioned in Exodus 7:10-12 (KJV) |
| New Testament and Second Temple literature | The names Jannes and Jambres (Greek: Ἰάννης, Ἰαμβρῆς; Iannēs, Iambrēs) appear in 2 Timothy in the New Testament. |
| Greco-Roman literature | The name of Jannes not as that of a magical opponent of Moses, but as the originator of a branch of magic alongside Moses and Lotapea (or Lotapes), occurs in Pliny the Elder's Natural History (XXX, II, 11), where they are grouped together as a sect of magicians and are seen as coming after Zoroaster; Pliny's citation is also referred to in Apuleius, with Moses being mentioned with other sorcerers such as Carmendas, Damigeron, Apollobex, and Dardanus. |
| Rabbinic literature | The Babylonian Talmud names "Johana and Mamre" as two of Pharaoh's sorcerers. |
| League with the Devil | The earliest mention of "Jannes and his brother" is in the Damascus Document, which states that the two were in league with "Belial", who would later be personified as the devil in Christian texts. |