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 ...

, Shilmai (Šilmai; myz, ࡔࡉࡋࡌࡀࡉ) or Shalmai (Šalmai) is an

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) who serves as one of the two guardian spirits of

Piriawis In Mandaean cosmology, Piriawis ( myz, ࡐࡉࡓࡉࡀࡅࡉࡎ; sometimes also spelled Biriawiš Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. ''Mandäische Liturgien''. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, N ...

, the heavenly ''

yardna In Mandaeism, a yardna ( myz, ࡉࡀࡓࡃࡍࡀ, lit=Jordan) or yardena ([]; ar, یردنا) is a body of flowing fresh water (or in myz, ࡌࡉࡀ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ, translit=mia hiia, lit=living water; pronounced ''mia h(a)yya'') that is suitab ...

'' (river) in 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 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 ...

'' and ''

Qolasta The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...

'', he is usually mentioned together with

Nidbai In Mandaeism, Nidbai ( myz, ࡍࡉࡃࡁࡀࡉ) is an uthra (angel or guardian) who serves as one of the two guardian spirits () of Piriawis, the heavenly ''yardna'' (river) in the World of Light. In the ''Ginza Rabba'' and ''Qolasta'', he is usua ...

. Nhar and Kbar and mentioned as the "clouds" (

Mandaic Mandaic may refer to: * Mandaic language * Mandaic alphabet ** Mandaic (Unicode block) Mandaic is a Unicode block containing characters of the Mandaic script used for writing the historic Eastern Aramaic, also called Classical Mandaic, and the m ...

: ''anana'') of Shilmai and Nidbai in Chapter 17.1 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 ...

''.

In the ''Ginza Rabba''

In Chapter 5.5 (Book 7 in the Drabsha edition) of the ''

'', ''The Book of Šilmai, Lord of the House'', is named after Šilmai. In the same chapter and also in Book 6 of the ''Right Ginza'', the uthra Yathrun is mentioned as the father of Shilmai. In this part of the ''Ginza Rabba'', Shilmai is portrayed very differently from all other Mandaean texts. While most Mandaean texts portray Shilmai as a guardian uthra of the heavenly Jordan who is always paired with

, the ''Book of Šilmai'' portrays him as the "Master/Lord of the House" (i.e.,

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 (' ...

) who is part of the entourage 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 ...

. Meanwhile, Yathrun is an uthra at the gate of the house of the Life (i.e., the

) and is referred to as "the Good." In the text, Ruha urges Shilmai to ascend to the World of Light to visit his father Yathrun. Shilmai then goes to visit Yathrun after washing his hands in kushta and purifying his fingers in light. Upon reaching his father, Yathrun, who had never been angry before, is initially enraged at the sight of Shilmai but is calmed down by his 362 uthra disciples. Yathrun then proceeds to asks a series of questions to Shilmai, including questions on the creation and nature of the material universe and the human life cycle. Shilmai is able to answer all of them, except for the final question about the end of the universe. Unable to answer this question at first,

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 ...

then provides the answer to Shilmai. Shilmai provides the answer about the impermanence of the material universe, that the earth, sky, sun, moon, stars, elements, Ruha and her entourage will all cease to exist at the end of times. Yathrun then asks Shilmai where he had obtained this information. When he admits that he had obtained the answer from the uthra

, Shilmai is rejected by his father and is unable to enter the World of Light.

References

Individual angels Uthras Water spirits {{Mandaeism-stub

In the ''Ginza Rabba''

See also

References