Professor Iain Gardner was trained in early Christian literature and the history of religions at the University of Manchester, undertaking research work on ancient manuscripts in Berlin and Vienna, and had extensive experience teaching in both Britain and Western Australia before coming to the University of Sydney. He works on a number of major international research projects in areas as diverse as Egypt and south China, and has edited many original manuscripts in ancient languages such as Coptic from collections around the world.

He comments: “Whilst I am fascinated by all areas of the history of religions, my research interests are particularly in the world of late antiquity, in the many spiritual practices and religions of the ancient world, and especially those alternative forms of Christianity represented by apocryphal and gnostic literature that often flourished in places like the monasteries of the Egyptian desert or spread along the trade-routes of Asia and Africa”.

• Early Christianity and ancient Christianity in Africa and Asia
• Gnostic and Coptic Studies
• Papyrology
• Manichaeism
• Magic in Late Antiquity

• Books
• (with Choat, M.) A Coptic Handbook of Ritual Power, Brepols, Turnhout 2012.
• (with Lieu, S.N.C., Eccles, L, Franzmann, M, Parry, K) Medieval Christian and Manichaean Remains from Quanzhou (Zayton), Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum, Series Archaeologica et Iconographica II, Brepols, Turnhout 2012.
• Kellis Literary Texts II, (= P. Kell. VI), Oxbow Press: Oxford 2007.
• (with Lieu, S.N.C. and Parry,K) From Palmyra to Zayton:Epigraphy and Iconography, Brepols: Turnhout 2005.
• (with Lieu, S.N.C.) Manichaean Texts from the Roman Empire, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge 2004.
• (with Alcock, A. and Funk, W-P.) Coptic Documentary Texts from Kellis I, (= P. Kell. V), Oxbow Press: Oxford 1999.
• Kellis Literary Texts I, (= P. Kell. II), Oxbow Press: Oxford 1996.
• The Kephalaia of the Teacher, E.J. Brill: Leiden 1995.
• Coptic Theological Papyri II, Mitteilungen aus der Papyrussammlung der oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, NS XXI, Textband, Tafelband, Hollinek: Wien 1988.
• Chapters in Books
• ‘Manichaean Ritual Practice at Ancient Kellis: A New Understanding of the Meaning and Function of the So-Called Prayer of the Emanations’, in Jacob van den Berg et al. (eds.), In Search of Truth. Augustine, Manichaeism and Other Gnosticism: Studies for Johannes Van Oort at Sixty, Leiden 2011: 245-262.
• 'Towards an Understanding of Mani's Religious Development and the Archaeology of Manichaean Identity', in Carole M. Cusack and Christopher H. Hartney (eds), Religion and Retributive Logic: Essays in Honour of Professor Garry W. Trompf, E.J. Brill: Leiden 2009: 147-158.
• 'A Codex Leaf from a Short Recension (Rec. D) of the Liber Bartholomaei (LB)', in F.A.J. Hoogendijk and B.P. Muhs (eds), Sixty-Five Papyrological Texts. Presented to Klaas A. Worp on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday, P. Lugd-Bat 33, Leiden 2008: 19-28.
• 'Mani's Letter to Marcellus: Fact and Fiction in the Acta Archelai Revisited', in J. BeDuhn (ed.), Frontiers of Faith: Encounters Between Christianity and Manichaeism in the Acts of Archelaus, Leiden 2007: 33-58.
• 'A Letter from the Teacher: Some Comments on Letter-Writing and the Manichaean Community of IVth Century Egypt', in L. Painchaud and P-H. Poirier (eds), Coptica - Gnostica - Manichaica. Mélanges offerts à Wolf-Peter Funk, Québec 2006: 317-323.
• 'Some Comments on Mani and Indian Religions from the Coptic Sources', in A. van Tongerloo and L. Cirillo (eds), New Perspectives in Manichaean Research. Proceedings of the Vth International Conference of Manichaean Studies, Napoli 2001, Turnhout 2005: 123-135.
• 'The Medieval Christian Remains from Zayton: A Select Catalogue', in I. Gardner, S.N.C. Lieu, and K. Parry (eds), From Palmyra to Zayton, Turnhout 2005: 215-228.
• (with M. Choat) 'Towards a Palaeography of Fourth Century Documentary Coptic', in M. Immerzeel and J. van der Vliet (eds), Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millenium, I, Leuven 2004: 495-503.
• 'Report on the Editing of both the Coptic and the Manichaean Texts from Ismant el-Kharab', in G.E. Bowen and C.A. Hope (eds), The Oasis Papers 3. Proceedings of the IIIrd International Conference of the Dakhleh Oasis Project, Oxford 2004: 201-205.
• The Coptic Texts from Ismant el-Kharab: Report on Work in Process 1995-1997, in C.A. Hope and G.E. Bowen (eds), Dakhleh Oasis Project: Preliminary Reports on the 1994-1995 to 1998-1999 Field Seasons, Oxford 2002: 152.
• 'The Reconstruction of Mani's Epistles from Three Coptic Codices (Ismant el-Kharab and Medinet Madi)', in P. Mirecki and J. BeDuhn, The Light and the Darkness: Studies in Manichaeism and its World, Leiden 2001: 93-104.
• 'He Has Gone to the Monastery...', in R.E. Emmerick, W. Sundermann, and P. Zieme (eds), Studia Manichaica. Proceedings of the IVth International Conference of Manichaean Studies, Berlin 1997, Berlin 2000: 247-257.
• (with Alcock, A.) 'Coptic Economic Texts from Ismant el-Kharab', in S Emmel at al. (eds), Ägypten und Nubien in spätantiker und christlicher Zeit. Acts of the VIth International Coptic Congress, Münster 1995, Wiesbaden 1999: 231-130.
• 'The Manichaean Community at Kellis', in P. Mirecki and J. BeDuhn (eds), Emerging from Darkness to Light, Leiden 1997: 161-175.
• (with Alcock, A. and Mirecki, P.) 'Magical Spell, Manichaean Letter', in P. Mirecki and J. BeDuhn (eds), Emerging from Darkness to Light, Leiden 1997: 1-32.
• 'Personal Letters from the Manichaean Community at Kellis', in L. Cirillo and A. van Tongerloo (eds), Manicaeismo e oriente Cristiano antico. Proceedings of the IIIrd International Conference of Manichaean Studies, Rende 1993, Turnhout 1997: 77-94.
• 'An Abbreviated Version of Medinet Madi Psalm LXVIII found at Kellis', in A. van Tongerloo (ed.), The Manichaean NOUS, Louvain 1995: 129-138.
• 'Glory be to Mani!', in C. Fluck et al. (eds), Divitiae Aegypti, Wiesbaden 1995: 105-112.
• 'The Manichaean Account of Jesus and the Passion of the Living Soul', in A. van Tongerloo and S. Giversen, (eds.), Manichaica Selecta, Studies presented to Professor Julien Ries on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Louvain 1991: 71-86.
• Articles in Refereed Journals
• ‘”With a Pure Heart and a Truthful Tongue”: The Recovery of the Text of the Manichaean Daily Prayers’, Journal of Late Antiquity, 4, 2011: 79-99.
• 'Searching for Traces of the 'Utria in the Coptic Manichaica', Aram, 21, 2010: 375-384.
• ‘Mani’s Book of Mysteries: Prolegomena to a new look at Mani, the ‘baptists’ and the Mandaeans’, Aram, 22, 2010: 321-334.
• (with Johnston, J.) 'The Liber Bartholomaei on the Ascension: Edition of Bibliothèque Nationale Copt 132 f. 37', Vigiliae Christianae, 64, 2010: 74-86.
• (with Johnston, J.) 'The Passover Litany of the Liber Bartholomaei: Edition of Bibliothèque Nationale Copt 132 f. 40', Journal of Coptic Studies, 11, 2009: 61-70.
• (with Deeg, M.) 'Indian Influence on Mani Reconsidered. The Case of Jainism', International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online), 5/2, 2009: 1-30.
• 'P. Kellis I 67 Revisited', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 159, 2007: 223-228.
• (with Choat, M.) 'P. Lond. I 1123', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 156, 2006: 157-164.
• (with Franzmann, M. and Lieu, S.N.C.) 'A living Mani cult in the twenty-first century', Rivista di Storia e Letteratura Religiosa, 2005: VII-XI.
• (with Bagnall, R. and Choat, M.) 'O.Douch I 40', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 147,2004: 205-207.
• (with Choat, M.) 'O. Douch I 49', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 143, 2003:143-146.
• (with Nobbs, A. and Choat, M.) P. Harr. 107: Is this Another Greek Manichaean Letter?, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 131, 2000: 118-124.
• 'An Old Coptic Ostracon from Ismant el-Kharab?', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 125, 1999: 195-200.
• ( with Worp, K.A.) 'Leaves from a Manichaean Codex', Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 117, 1997: 139-155.
• (with Lieu, S.N.C.) 'From Narmouthis (Medinet Madi) to Kellis (Ismant el- Kharab): Manichaean Documents from Roman Egypt', Journal of Roman Studies, 1996: 146-169.
• 'The Eschatology of Manichaeism as a Coherent Doctrine', The Journal of Religious History, 17, 1993: 257-273.
• 'A Manichaean Liturgical Codex found at Kellis', Orientalia, 62, 1993: 30-59.
• 'On the History and Utility of the Term Gnosticism', Acta Orientalia Belgica, VIII, 1993: 225-246.