Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Prof. Brikha H. S. Nasoraia (full name: Brikha Hathem Saed Naṣoraia; born 1964 in Iraq) is a

Mandaean priest A Mandaean priest or ''Rabbi'' refers to an ordained religious leader in Mandaeism. Overview All priests must undergo lengthy ordination ceremonies, beginning with tarmida initiation. Mandaean religious leaders and copyists of religious texts ho ...

and scholar based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountai ...

, Australia. He is affiliated with the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

and Mardin Artuklu University. He is currently a professor of Comparative Semitics, Literature and Art History.

Early life and education

Brikha Nasoraia was born in Iraq to Mahdi Saed (father) and Layla (mother). He was ordained as a

ganzibra A ganzibra (singular form in myz, ࡂࡀࡍࡆࡉࡁࡓࡀ, plural form in myz, ࡂࡀࡍࡆࡉࡁࡓࡉࡀ , literally 'treasurer' in Mandaic; fa, گنزورا) is a high priest in Mandaeism. Tarmidas, or junior priests, rank below the ganzibr ...

(Mandaean high priest) and later emigrated to

, Australia. In 2005, he obtained a Ph.D. degree from the

, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the translation and analysis of the '' Dmut Kušṭa'' scroll.

Career

As a

(head priest), he is currently the President of the Mandaean Spiritual Council (or the Mandaean Nasoraean Supreme Council) of Australia and is also the President of the International Mandaean Nasoraean Supreme Council (or Nasoraean Mandaean Association). Nasoraia lectures at the

, and also at Mardin Artuklu University in

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location o ...

, Turkey. Brikha Nasoraia's research interests include

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

(particularly Mandaic lead rolls and

incantation bowl An incantation bowl, also known as a demon bowl, devil-trap bowl, or magic bowl, is a form of early protective magic found in what is now Iraq and Iran. Produced in the Middle East during late antiquity from the sixth to eighth centuries, particu ...

s),

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

, and translation of Mandaic manuscripts. He has participated in excavations at archaeological sites such as

Harran Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...

. He is fluent in English, Arabic, and

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 ...

. Nasoraia is also an artist who produces

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest ...

s featuring Mandaean religious themes.

Personal life

He is married to Nadia al-Faris, with whom he has three children.

Selected publications

Below is a partial list of publications by Brikha Nasoraia. Note that in earlier works, he is cited as Hathem Saed Naṣoraia. ''Brikha'' is a title that was later added to his name as cited in academic literature, ''Hathem'' is his given name, ''Mahdi'' is his father's name, and ''Saed'' is his grandfather's name. ''Naṣoraia'' is used to denote that he is a Nasoraean, i.e. a

. (''See also'' Mandaean name.)

Books

*Nasoraia, Brikha (2022). ''Masbuta: The Mandaean Baptism'' (forthcoming). Belgium: Brepols Publishers. * (e-book: ) *

Book chapters

* *

Journal articles

* * *Nasoraia, B., Trompf, G. (2011). Mandaean Macrohistory. ''

ARAM Periodical ''ARAM Periodical'' was an annual peer-reviewed academic journal published by Peeters Publishers on behalf of the ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies. Specializing in Ancient Near East studies with a particular focus on Aramaic studies, ...

'', 22(2010), 391-425. *Trompf, G., Nasoraia, B. (2011). Reflecting on the 'Rivers Scroll'. ''

'', 22(2010), 61-86. *Crangle, E., Nasoraia, B. (2010). Soul Food: The Mandaean Laufani. ''

'', 22, 97-132. *Nasoraia, B., Crangle, E. (2010). The ''Asuta'' wish: '' Adam Kasia'' and the Dynamics of Healing in Mandaean Contemplative Praxis. ''

'', 22, 349-390.

References

External links

Interview
from ''The Worlds of Mandaean Priests''
Lecture
at Mardin Artuklu University
Lecture
at Nanhua University {{DEFAULTSORT:Nasoraia, Brikha 1964 births Living people Iraqi emigrants to Australia Iraqi Mandaeans Mandaean priests Religious studies scholars Scholars of Mandaeism Translators from Mandaic University of Sydney faculty Mardin Artuklu University faculty Clergy from Sydney Australian people of Iraqi descent