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Maṭarta
In Mandaean cosmology, a maṭarta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡈࡀࡓࡕࡀ; plural form: ''maṭarata'') is a "station" or "toll house" that is located between the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') from Tibil (Earth). It has variously been translated as "watch-station", "toll-station", "way-station", or "purgatory". Maṭartas are guarded by various uthras (celestial beings from the World of Light) and demons. Ruha, the queen of the underworld, is the ruler or guardian of the third maṭarta. To reach the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') from Tibil (Earth), souls must pass through the various maṭartas that are situated in between. Rituals such as the ''masiqta'' can help guide souls past the various maṭarta so that they could reach the World of Light. In the Ginza Rabba In the Ginza Rabba, Chapter 3 in Book 5 of the '' Right Ginza'', Book 6 of the '' Right Ginza'' (also known as the "Book of Dinanukht"), and Chapter 4 in Book 1 of the ''Left Ginza'' give detailed descriptions o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinanukht
Dinanukht (also spelled Dinanukt or Dananukt; myz, ࡃࡉࡍࡀࡍࡅࡊࡕ or ; from Persian 'the one who speaks in accordance with the religion') is a mythological character in the ''Ginza Rabba'', one of the main religious scriptures of Mandaeism, who is portrayed as an anthropomorphic book. Book 6 of the ''Right Ginza'' describes his ascension to the World of Light.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Buckley (2010) suggests a connection with Nbu (Mercury), who is associated with scribes and books. For instance, in the ''Zrazta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa'' (Drower Collection Ms. 44), Nbu is the Lord of Book and ink and wisdom. Similarly, Dinanukht is called the "ink-book of the gods" in ''Right Ginza'' 6. Spellings Petermann spells the name as ''Din ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandaean Cosmology
Mandaean cosmology is the Gnostic conception of the universe in the religion of Mandaeism. Mandaean cosmology is strongly influenced by Jewish, Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Manichaean and other Near Eastern religions and philosophies. Emanations The three major Emanations or "Lives" (''Hayyi'') in Mandaeism are: #The Second Life: Yushamin, the primal uthra #The Third Life: Abatur, the weigher of souls, and also the father of the '' uthri'' (plural of ''uthra'') #The Fourth Life: Ptahil, the creator of the material world The Second Life, Third Life, and Fourth Life are emanations of the First Life, Hayyi Rabbi (the Supreme God). Realms Mandaean cosmology divides the universe into three realms: #World of Light or Lightworld (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') #Tibil, or Earth #World of Darkness or underworld (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') According to Book 3 of the '' Right Ginza'', a "fruit (''pira'') within the fruit" and "ether (''ayar'') within the ether" had existed before the World of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tibil
In Mandaean cosmology, Tibil ( myz, ࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ) or occasionally Arqa ḏ-Tibil (lit. "Tibil-Earth") is the Earth (World) or earthly middle realm. It is separated from the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') above and the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') below by ''ayar'' ( aether). To reach the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') from Tibil, Mandaeans believe that need they to establish ''laufa'' (connection, union) to be reunited with the World of Light. The ''laufa'' is re-created and reconfirmed by priests through rituals such as ''maṣbuta'' (baptism). Upon death, priests must perform ''masiqta'' rituals to help the departed soul successfully navigate from Tibil through the various ''maṭarta'' (watch-stations) that lie in between, in order to reach the World of Light. See also *Gaia *Midgard in Norse mythology *Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels *Ki (goddess) ''Ki'' was the earth goddess in Sumerian religion, chief consort of the sky god An. In som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory is the final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. Tradition, by reference to certain texts of scripture, sees the process as involving a cleansing fire. Some forms of Western Christianity, particularly within Protestantism, deny its existence. Other strands of Western Christianity see purgatory as a place, perhaps filled with fire. Some concepts of Gehenna in Judaism resemble those of purgatory. The word "purgatory" has come to refer to a wide range of historical and modern conceptions of postmortem suffering short of everlasting damnation. English-speakers also use the word in a non-specific sense to mean any place or condition of suffering or torment, especially one that is tempor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruha
In Mandaeism, Rūha ( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ, lit=spirit/breath; also known as Namrūs or Hiwat (Ewath; myz, ࡏࡅࡀࡕ)) is the queen of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') or underworld. She rules the underworld together with her son Ur, the king of the World of Darkness, and her entourage of the seven planets and twelve constellations, who are also her offspring with Ur. Ruha is the daughter of Qin, the Mistress of Darkness in the first underworld. She is the ruler of the third ''maṭarta'' (watch-house or purgatory). She is associated with lust, uncleanness (i.e., menstrual impurity), and other negative feminine qualities. Names and epithets The ''Ginza Rabba'' refers to Ruha using various epithets, such as: *''Rūha Masṭanita'' "Ruha the Seductress" *''Rūha ḏ-Qudša'' "Holy Spirit" *''ḏlibat ʿstra amamit'' "Libat-Ishtar- Amamit" (i.e., Venus) Use of the term "Holy Spirit" for Ruha is primarily confined to polemical texts, and not found in esoteric or ritua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Of Light
In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld ( myz, ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡍࡄࡅࡓࡀ, translit=alma ḏ-nhūra) is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. Description *The Great Life (''Hayyi Rabbi'' or Supreme God/Monad) is the ruler of the World of Light. *Countless uthras dwell in '' škinas'' in the World of Light. (A ''škina'' is a celestial dwelling where uthras, or benevolent celestial beings, live in the World of Light.) *The World of Light is the source of the Great ''Yardena'' (or Jordan River) of Life, also known as Piriawis. *Ether ( myz, ࡀࡉࡀࡓ, ), which can be thought of as heavenly breath or energy, permeates the World of Light. *The Mshunia Kushta (''Mšunia Kušṭa'') is a part of the World of Light considered to be the dwelling place of heavenly or ideal counterparts (''dmuta''). *In some Mandaean texts, Tarwan is a part of the World of Light that is described as a "pure land." Ascension When a Mandaean per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masiqta
The masiqta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡎࡉࡒࡕࡀ) is a mass or ritual practiced in the Mandaean religion in order to help guide the soul (''nišimta'') towards the World of Light in Mandaean cosmology. They are typically performed as funerary rites for Mandaeans who have just died. Although usually translated as "death mass", a few types of ''masiqta'' are also performed for living people, such as when priests are ordained. Purpose The complex ritual involves guiding the soul through the ''maṭarta'', or toll houses located between the Earth (Tibil) and the World of Light, which are guarded by various uthras and demons. A successful masiqta merges the incarnate soul ( myz, ࡍࡉࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ ; roughly equivalent to the ''psyche'' or " ego" in Greek philosophy) and spirit ( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ ; roughly equivalent to the ''pneuma'' or "breath" in Greek philosophy) from the Earth (Tibil) into a new merged entity in the World of Light called the ''ʿuṣṭuna''. The ''ʿuṣṭuna'' can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Left Ginza
The Left Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Right Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (2007), are provided below.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Translated excerpts are from Gelbert (2011), while Mandaic transliterations are derived from Gelbert (2011, 2021). Book 1 Book 1 is a four-part prose text on the salvation process, beginning with the ascension to heaven of Seth, in advance of his father Adam (compare Sethian Gnosticism). *Chapter 1.1 is about Adam and his three sons. One of Adam's sons, Sheetil (Seth), volunteers to die before his father. 49 paragraphs in Gelbert (2011). The c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Right Ginza
The Right Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (2007), are provided below.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Translated excerpts are from Gelbert (2011), while Mandaic transliterations are derived from Gelbert (2011, 2021). Book 1 Book 1 contains a history of creation and of Mandaeism. The book begins with the opening line (also in Chapter 2 of Book 1): :Praised be Thou, my Lord, with a pure heart (), :thou Lord of all worlds (). Book 2 Book 2 also contains a history of creation and of Mandaeism. It has a total of four sections, since it also contai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Toll House
Aerial toll houses (also called "telonia", from the / ''telonia'', customs) are a belief held by some in the Eastern Orthodox Church which states that "following a person's death the soul leaves the body, and is escorted to God by angels. During this journey the soul passes through an aerial realm, which is inhabited by wicked spirits (Ephesians 6:12). The soul encounters these demons at various points referred to as ''toll-houses'' where the demons then attempt to accuse it of sin and, if possible, drag the soul into hell." A number of the Eastern Orthodox saints, modern elders and theologians have openly endorsed it, but some theologians and bishops have condemned it as heretical and gnostic in origin. Aerial toll houses are part of the particular judgment. Teaching The most detailed account of the aerial toll-houses is found in the biography of Basil the Younger, found in the ''Lives of Saints'' for 26 March. In this rendering, Theodora, spiritual student of Basil, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church, canonical") Eastern Orthodox Church is Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church, organised into autocephalous churches independent from each other. In the 21st century, the Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church#Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, number of mainstream autocephalous churches is seventeen; there also exist Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church#Unrecognised churches, autocephalous churches unrecognized by those mainstream ones. Autocephalous churches choose their own Primate (bishop), primate. Autocephalous churches can have Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, jurisdiction (authority) over other churches, some of which have the status of "Auto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Book Of Enoch
The Second Book of Enoch (abbreviated as 2 Enoch and also known as Slavonic Enoch, Slavic Enoch or Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic text in the apocalyptic genre. It describes the ascent of the patriarch Enoch, ancestor of Noah, through ten heavens of an Earth-centered cosmos. The Slavonic edition and translation of 2 Enoch is of Christian origin in the 8th century but is based on an earlier work. 2 Enoch is distinct from the Book of Enoch, known as 1 Enoch, and there is also an unrelated 3 Enoch, although none of the three books are considered canonical scripture by the majority of Jewish or Christian bodies. The numbering of these texts has been applied by scholars to distinguish each from the others. The cosmology of 2 Enoch corresponds closely with beliefs of the Early Middle Ages about the metaphysical structure of the universe. It may have been influential in shaping them. The text was lost for several centuries, then recovered and published at the end of the ninetee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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