The Arabic word '''Tsabians''' (Σοβιαΐ) was first translated into Latin as Christians. It refers to a widespread religious group described as Judaizing Mithrean Nestorian Noahites. The original Mithreans were called [[Mages]] while the Arabic word Tsabi is closer to '''[[Theosebeia|Sebomenoi /Sebeoi]]''' (Σεβομενοι/Σεβεοι), the Greek word for Noahites which was Tarsak (pl. Tarsakan) in Persian. The first Mages to become Tsabis are described in Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Matthew.
The Arabic term Tsabi (Judaizing Mithrean Nestorian Noahites) or its Greek plural Sobiai also referred to [[Ekhasai]]'s "Hearers" (ismai'i) i.e. the Manicheans' Uninitiated Audience which has caused all Sobiai to be often simply (and inaccurately) referred to as Manicheans even though they were not aware of the "Great Secret" of Mani's Gnosticism. The Persian word for such Tsabis was [[Tazig|Tazig, (pl. Tazigan)]] (perhaps derived from Tarsak) while the Soghdian word was [[Nighòshagàn]].
Despite all this substantial and clear documentation about both Harranians and Sabians spanning many centuries from sources as diverse as Greek Christian, Arabic Muslim, Arabic and Persian Bahá'í, as well as Jewish sources, the actual nature of the Sabians has remained a matter of some heated debate among western orientalists.
==Ger Toshav, Theosebeia, Sebomenoi and Sabiun==
* '''[[Theosebeia|Sebomenoi/Sebeoi]]''' a monotheistic community God Fearers referred to by Greek manuscripts from the Hellenistic-Roman period, modern research indicates that the greek word ''TheoSeBeia'' is derived from the hebrew ''ger ToShaB'', and evolved into the word ''TSaBian'' <ref>[[God-Fearers and the Identity of the Sabians]]</ref>
** [[Sabians of the Qur'an]], or [[Seboghatullah]], a monotheistic community granted religious equality with Jews and Christians, generally assumed to be the same as the Sebomenoi, [[Ger Toshav]].<ref>ibid.</ref>