Mandaeism Mandaeism (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, S ...

, Shurbai and Sharhabeil (Šurbai and Šarhabʿil) were a couple named as the progenitors of the third generation of humans. Shurbai is the husband, while Sharhabeil is his wife. According to Book 18 of the ''

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 ...

'', Shurbai and Sharhabeil lived in the third out of four

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...

s (or

era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

s) of the world, which is given a duration of 480,000 years. The epoch of Shurbai and Sharhabeil lasted 100,000 years, or 15 generations according to Book 1 of the ''Right Ginza''. This epoch is preceded by the epoch of

Ram and Rud In Mandaeism, Ram and Rud were a couple named as the progenitors of the second generation of humans. Ram is the husband, while Rud is his wife. According to Book 18 of the ''Right Ginza'', Ram and Rud lived in the second out of four epochs (or er ...

and followed by the current and final epoch of

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

and his wife Nuraita (or Nhuraita), in which the fourth generation of humans (beginning with

) currently live. Šarhabeil is also described as the "Great First Radiance" in Qolasta prayers 25 and 381.

References

Mandaeism Legendary progenitors Mythological married couples Mandaean calendar {{Mandaeism-stub

See also

References