In
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 ...
, Ptahil ( myz, ࡐࡕࡀࡄࡉࡋ) also known as Ptahil-Uthra (
uthra
An uthra or ʿutra ( myz, ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ; plural: ʿutri) is a "divine messenger of the light" in Mandaeism. Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath translate it as "excellency". Jorunn J. Buckley defines them as "Lightworld beings, called 'utr ...
= angel or guardian),
[ is the Fourth Life, the third of three emanations from the First Life, ]Hayyi Rabbi
In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, translit=Hiia Rbia, lit=The Great Life), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. He is also known as 'The First Life', since during the creation of th ...
, after Yushamin
In Mandaeism, Yushamin ( myz, ࡉࡅࡔࡀࡌࡉࡍ) and also known as the 'Second Life', is the primal uthra (angel or guardian) and a subservient emanation who was created by the Mandaean God 'The Great Life' (''Hayyi Rabbi'' or 'The First Life ...
and Abatur
Abatur ( myz, ࡀࡁࡀࡕࡅࡓ, sometimes called Abathur; Yawar, myz, ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ; and the Ancient of Days) is an Uthra and the second of three subservient emanations created by the Mandaean God ''Hayyi Rabbi'' ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁ ...
. Ptahil-Uthra alone does not constitute the demiurge
In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term ''demiurge''. Al ...
but only fills that role since he is viewed as the creator of the material world in the Ginza Rabba
The Ginza Rabba ( myz, ࡂࡉࡍࡆࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Ginzā Rbā, lit=Great Treasury), Ginza Rba, or Sidra Rabba ( myz, ࡎࡉࡃࡓࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Sidrā Rbā, lit=Great Book), and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest ...
, often holding an inherently malicious character.
Name
Matthias Norberg
Matthias Norberg (1747–1826) was a Swedish professor of Greek and Oriental languages at Lund University.
Life
He was born in 1747 in Nätra, Ångermanland in northern Sweden.
Matthias Norberg belonged to a very wealthy northern farming famil ...
believed the name Ptahil to be composed of Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
and , therefore meaning "God opened", although the verb can also mean "create" in Mandaic, but not in other Aramaic languages. Subsequent scholars have deemed it more probably derived from the Egyptian theonym 'Ptah
Ptah ( egy, ptḥ, reconstructed ; grc, Φθά; cop, ⲡⲧⲁϩ; Phoenician: 𐤐𐤕𐤇, romanized: ptḥ) is an ancient Egyptian deity, a creator god and patron deity of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the h ...
' and angelic 'il',[Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen. 2002. ''The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press] as originally conjectured by Mark Lidzbarski
Mark Lidzbarski (born Abraham Mordechai Lidzbarski, Płock, Russian Empire, 7 January 1868 – Göttingen, 13 November 1928) was a Polish philologist, Semitist and translator of Mandaean texts.
Early life and education
Lidzbarski was born in Rus ...
, although Carl H. Kraeling argued that the influence of Ptah on Mesopotamian syncretic Gnostic traditions is minimal, and opined that the name Ptahil was derived from the dialectal use of the verb (which usage he suggested to have arisen by analogy to the opening of the cosmic egg
The world egg, cosmic egg or mundane egg is a mythological motif found in the cosmogonies of many cultures that is present in Proto-Indo-European culture and other cultures and civilizations. Typically, the world egg is a beginning of some sort ...
), and not ''vice versa''. According to James F. McGrath
James Frank McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University and is known for his work on Early Christianity, Mandaeism, criticism of the Christ myth theory, and the analysis of religion in ...
, Ptah and il were identified in Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
during the era of Egyptian rule of which Ptahil may be derived from.
Parentage
As the Fourth Life, Ptahil is considered to be the son of Abatur
Abatur ( myz, ࡀࡁࡀࡕࡅࡓ, sometimes called Abathur; Yawar, myz, ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ; and the Ancient of Days) is an Uthra and the second of three subservient emanations created by the Mandaean God ''Hayyi Rabbi'' ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁ ...
, the Third Life.[ However, in some versions of the narrative, Ptahil originated as the son of the saviour uthra ]Hibil Ziwa
In Mandaeism, Hibil ( myz, ࡄࡉࡁࡉࡋ) or Hibil Ziwa ( myz, ࡄࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ) is an uthra (angel or guardian) from the World of Light. Hibil is considered to be the Mandaean equivalent of Abel.
Prayers in the Qolasta frequently c ...
, who inhabits 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 ...
, and Zahreil
In Mandaeism, Zahreil or Zahrʿil ( myz, ࡆࡀࡄࡓࡏࡉࡋ) is the daughter of Qin, sister of Ruha, and mother of Ptahil. According to Book 5 of the '' Right Ginza'', during Hibil Ziwa's descent to the World of Darkness (''alma d-hšuka'') or ...
( myz, ࡆࡀࡄࡓࡏࡉࡋ). Zahreil is a lilith
Lilith ( ; he, Wiktionary:לילית, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian Mythology, Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. ...
( myz, ࡋࡉࡋࡉࡕࡀ, translit=lilita) from the World of Darkness
''World of Darkness'' is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with '' Vampire: The Masquerade'', '' Werewolf: The Apoca ...
who dwells in the beds of pregnant women serving to ensure the wellbeing of the child before and after birth; E. S. Drower
Ethel Stefana Drower ( Stevens; full name: Ethel May Stefana Drower; 1 December 1879 – 27 January 1972) was a British cultural anthropologist, orientalist and novelist who studied the Middle East and its cultures.Christa Müller-Kessler, Drowe ...
describes her as a genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
of childbirth. Hibil married Zahreil during his descent
Descent may refer to:
As a noun Genealogy and inheritance
* Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology
* Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology
**Pedigree chart or family tree
**Ancestry
**Lineal descendant
**Heritage (d ...
to the World of Darkness, although some versions of the narrative claim he did not consummate
In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage to ...
the marriage.
Role
Ptahil is identified with Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
and creates the poorly made material world with the help of 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 ...
, a sinful and fallen female ruler who inhabits the World of Darkness, but cannot provide man with a soul,[Drower, Ethel Stefana. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937] since she represents the ambivalent "spirit" element rather than the light-world "soul" element. Ruha and Ptahil's roles in creation vary, with each gaining control when the other's power subsides. The Great Life (Hayyi Rabbi
In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, translit=Hiia Rbia, lit=The Great Life), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. He is also known as 'The First Life', since during the creation of th ...
) helped Abatur
Abatur ( myz, ࡀࡁࡀࡕࡅࡓ, sometimes called Abathur; Yawar, myz, ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ; and the Ancient of Days) is an Uthra and the second of three subservient emanations created by the Mandaean God ''Hayyi Rabbi'' ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁ ...
in gaining the secrets of solidification. Abatur in turn passes on the secrets to Ptahil so that he was successful in solidifying the earth in his role as creator of the material world.[ According to ]Brikha Nasoraia
Rabbi Prof. Brikha H. S. Nasoraia (full name: Brikha Hathem Saed Naṣoraia; born 1964 in Iraq) is a Mandaean priest and scholar based in Sydney, Australia. He is affiliated with the University of Sydney and Mardin Artuklu University. He is curre ...
, the creation of the material world 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 (' ...
occurs by God's Hayyi Rabbi
In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, translit=Hiia Rbia, lit=The Great Life), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. He is also known as 'The First Life', since during the creation of th ...
command, but is delegated to a subservient emanation or uthra Ptahil with the assistance of Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
and others.
See also
*Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
* Prince of Darkness (Manichaeism)
*Yaldabaoth
Yaldabaoth, Jaldabaoth, or Ildabaoth is an evil deity and creator of the material world in various Gnostic sects and movements, sometimes represented as a theriomorphic, lion-headed serpent. He is identified as the Demiurge and false god who ke ...
References
{{Angels in Abrahamic religions
Individual angels
Uthras
Ptah