Ziwa is an

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 ...

term that is typically translated as 'radiance' or 'splendor.' It is frequently used as an

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

for celestial beings and manifestations of God in

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

religions such as

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 ...

and

Manichaeism Manichaeism (; in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian Empire, Parthian ...

. The Hebrew

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

is '' ziv'' ().

Scripts

''Ziwa'' written in different scripts: *

Hebrew script The Hebrew alphabet ( he, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewish ...

: *

Mandaic script The Mandaic alphabet is thought to have evolved between the 2nd and 7th century CE from either a cursive form of Aramaic (as did Syriac) or from the Parthian chancery script. The exact roots of the script are difficult to determine. It was deve ...

: *

Syriac script The Syriac alphabet ( ) is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language since the 1st century AD. It is one of the Semitic abjads descending from the Aramaic alphabet through the Palmyrene alphabet, and shares similarities with ...

: *

Arabic script The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and the ...

Mandaeism

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 ...

s (celestial beings) often have the

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 ...

term ''Ziwa'' / ''Ziua'' ( myz, ࡆࡉࡅࡀ, meaning 'Radiance';

Neo-Mandaic Neo-Mandaic, sometimes called the "''ratna''" ( ar, رطنة ''raṭna'' "jargon"), is the modern reflex of the Mandaic language, the liturgical language of the Mandaean religious community of Iraq and Iran. Although severely endangered, it sur ...

pronunciation ) attached after their names, due to their origins from 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 ...

. Pairs of uthras also typically have rhyming names. The names can be

alliterative Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

(e.g.,

Adathan and Yadathan In Mandaeism, Adathan ( myz, ࡀࡃࡀࡕࡀࡍ) and Yadathan ( myz, ࡅࡀࡃࡀࡕࡀࡍ) are a pair of uthras (angel or guardian) who stand at the Gate of Life in the World of Light, praising and worshipping Hayyi Rabbi. In the ''Ginza Rabba'' ...

), or one name may have an infixed consonant or syllable (e.g., Kapan and Kanpan). Uthras commonly referred to as "Ziwa" include: *

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 ...

Sam Ziwa In Mandaeism, Sam Ziwa ( myz, ࡎࡀࡌ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ) is an uthra (angel or guardian) from the World of Light. Sam Ziwa is considered to be the Mandaean equivalent of Shem. Sam Mana Smira Sam Ziwa may be identified with Sam Mana Smira (Smir Ziwa ...

(or Sam Smira Ziwa) *

Yawar Ziwa In Mandaeism, Yawar Ziwa ( myz, ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ, lit=dazzling radiance; also known as Yawar Kasia "Hidden Yawar", or Yawar Rabba "Great Yawar") is an uthra (angel or guardian) from the World of Light. He is the personification of li ...

Qmamir Ziwa In Mandaeism, Ṣaureil, also spelled Ṣauriel or Ṣaurʿil ( myz, ࡑࡀࡅࡓࡏࡉࡋ), is the angel of death. Ṣaureil features prominently in Book 1 of the ''Left Ginza'' as the angel who announces the message of death to Adam and Seth (S ...

(an

Saureil In Mandaeism, Ṣaureil, also spelled Ṣauriel or Ṣaurʿil ( myz, ࡑࡀࡅࡓࡏࡉࡋ), is the angel of death. Ṣaureil features prominently in Book 1 of the ''Left Ginza'' as the angel who announces the message of death to Adam and Seth (S ...

) Other uthras that are also referred to as "Ziwa" include: *

Bhaq Ziwa 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� ...

(an epithet 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� ...

) *

Etinṣib Ziwa In Mandaeism, Etinṣib Ziwa or Ītinṣib Ziwa ( myz, ࡏࡕࡉࡍࡑࡉࡁ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ, transl=ʿtinṣib Ziwa, lit=Splendid Transplant) is an uthra who starts a battle against Nbaṭ. Etinṣib Ziwa only appears in a few chapters of the ''Mand ...

*Ham Ziwa and Nhur Ziwa *

Nbaṭ In Mandaeism, Nbaṭ ( myz, ࡍࡁࡀࡈ, lit=Sprout) is an uthra (angel or guardian) who is described as the "King of Air" or the "first great Radiance." He is also called Nbaṭ Rba ("the Great Nbaṭ" or "Great Sprout") or Nbaṭ Ziwa ("the Rad ...

Ziwa *

Nṣab In Mandaeism, Nṣab ( myz, ࡍࡑࡀࡁ, lit=Plant) is an uthra (angel or guardian). He is also called Nṣab Rba ("the Great Nṣab") or Nṣab Ziwa ("the Radiant Nṣab" or "Splendid Plant"). Nṣab and Anan-Nṣab ('cloud of Nṣab', a female ...

Ziwa *

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, NF ...

Ziwa * Fraš Ziwa *Zarzeil Ziwa *Hamgai Ziwa, son of Hamgagai Ziwa * Karkawan Ziwa *S'haq Ziwa *Šar Ziwa Adam kasia (the "hidden Adam") is also referred to as ''Adakas Ziwa'' 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 ...

''.

Manichaeism

, the

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

term ''Ziwa'' ( syr, ܙܝܘܐ) is also used to refer to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as ''Isho Ziwā'' ( syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܙܝܘܐ, ''

Jesus the Splendor In Manichaeism, Jesus (Romanization of Parthian and Pahlavi: ) is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha and Mani. He is also a "guiding deity" who greets the light bodies of the righteous after t ...

''), who is sent to awaken Adam and Eve to the source of the spiritual light trapped within their physical bodies. ''Ṣfat Ziwā'', or ''The Keeper of the Splendor'' ( syr, ܨܦܬ ܙܝܘܐ; la, Splenditenens; ), who holds up the ten heavens from above, is one of the five sons of ''The Living Spirit'' ( syr, ܪܘܚܐ ܚܝܐ ''ruḥā ḥayyā'') in the second creation. In Manichaeism, pairs of celestial beings can also have rhyming names, such as

Xroshtag and Padvaxtag Xrôshtag and Padvâxtag (''Xrōštag and Padvāxtag'') are a pair of Manichaeanism, Manichaean divinity, divinities, always depicted together, who serve as the personifications of the words "call" and "answer".Burkitt, F. C. 1935. Xrôshtag and P ...

References

{{Angels in Abrahamic religions Light and religion Aramaic words and phrases Mandaic words and phrases * Manichaeism Epithets

Scripts

Mandaeism

Manichaeism

See also

References