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 ...

, the nishimta ( myz, ࡍࡉࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ ; plural: ) or nishma ( myz, ࡍࡉࡔࡌࡀ ) is the human

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

. It is can also be considered as equivalent to the " psyche" or "

ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...

". It is distinct from '' ruha'' ('spirit'), as well as from '' mana'' ('

nous ''Nous'', or Greek νοῦς (, ), sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, is a concept from classical philosophy for the faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is true or real. Alternative English terms used in p ...

'). In Mandaeism, humans are considered to be made up of the physical body (''pagra''), soul (''nišimta''), and spirit ('' ruha'').

In the afterlife

When a Mandaean person dies, priests perform elaborate death rituals or death masses called '' masiqta'' in order to help guide the soul ('' nišimta'') towards the

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 ...

. In order to pass from

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 (' ...

(Earth) to the World of Light, the soul must go through multiple ''

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-stations, toll-stations, or purgatories; see also Arcs of Descent and Ascent and

araf (Islam) In Islam, al-A'raf ( ar, الأعراف) is a separator realm or borderland between Jannah (heaven) and Jahannam (hell), inhabited by those who are evenly balanced in their sins and virtues, they are not entirely evil nor are they entirely good. ...

) before finally being reunited with the '' dmuta'', the soul's heavenly counterpart. A successful masiqta merges the incarnate

( myz, ࡍࡉࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ ; roughly equivalent to the '' psyche'' or "

" in

Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empir ...

) and

spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ ; roughly equivalent to the '' pneuma'' or "breath" in Greek philosophy) from the Earth (

) into a new merged entity in the

called the ''ʿuṣṭuna'' ('trunk', a word of Indo-Iranian origin). The ''ʿuṣṭuna'' can then reunite with its heavenly, non-incarnate counterpart (or spiritual image), the '' dmuta'', in the

, where it will reside in the world of ideal counterparts ('' Mšunia Kušṭa'').

References

Mandaic words and phrases Mandaean philosophical concepts Conceptions of self Vitalism {{Mandaeism-stub

In the afterlife

See also

References