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Dinanukt
Dinanukht (also spelled Dinanukt or Dananukt; or ; from Persian 'the one who speaks in accordance with the religion') is a mythological character in the ''Ginza Rabba'', one of the main religious scriptures of Mandaeism, who is portrayed as an anthropomorphic book. Book 6 of the ''Right Ginza'' describes his ascension to the World of Light.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Buckley (2010) suggests a connection with Nbu (Mercury), who is associated with scribes and books. For instance, in the ''Zrazta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa'' (Drower Collection Ms. 44), Nbu is the Lord of Book and ink and wisdom. Similarly, Dinanukht is called the "ink-book of the gods" in ''Right Ginza'' 6. Spellings Petermann spells the name as ''Dinanukt'', while Lidzbarski s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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), are provided below.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Translated excerpts are from Gelbert (2011), which is mostly based on Lidzbarski (1925), while Mandaic transliterations are derived from Gelbert (2011, 2021). Opening lines of each chapter are provided below, since Mandaeans often refer to Mandaic prayers by their opening lines. Book 1 Book 1 contains a history of creation and of Mandaeism. The book begins with the opening line (also in Chapter 2 of Book 1): :Praised be Thou, my Lord, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruha
Ruha (pronounced /ˈruːhə/) is a term with spiritual connotations found across various religious traditions. In Arabic, Ruh () signifies "spirit" or "soul" and is a fundamental concept in Islam, referring to the divine breath of life.Esposito, John L. (2003). *The Oxford Dictionary of Islam*. Oxford University Press. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-19-512558-0. Similarly, in Hebrew, Ruach () means "spirit," "wind," or "breath," and Ruach HaKodesh () denotes the "Holy Spirit" in Judaism.Unterman, Alan (2000). *Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend*. Thames & Hudson. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-500-01658-5. In Sanskrit, Ruha () translates to "one who has grown or ascended," often signifying spiritual growth and having positive connotations as a name."Ruha Name Meaning, Origin, Numerology, Rashi & More". *House of Zelena*. Retrieved March 16, 2025. In Mandaeism, Rūha (; also known as Namrūs or Hiwat (Ewath; )) is a significant figure, often depicted as the queen of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hš ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Thunder, Perfect Mind
"The Thunder, Perfect Mind" ( ) is a Coptic text originally discovered in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. It follows a poetic structure, and has received scholarly attention for its gnomic style and unclear subject. It speaks about the divine in paradoxical terms, as both honored and cursed, as life and death, and as both the cause of peace and war. The poem also emphasizes the idea that the divine exists both inside and outside of oneself, and that one's judgment and salvation are dependent on their relationship to the divine. It offers a unique perspective on the nature of the divine and the individual's relationship to it, and it highlights the idea of duality and the interconnectedness of opposing forces. Some authors, such as George MacRae and Hal Taussig, contend against categorizing "The Thunder" as Gnostic literature. Summary The opening text announces the seemingly feminine speaker's power and presence. The speaker, who was sent forth from a power, has come to those w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persian Language
Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan in three mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible standard language, standard varieties, respectively Iranian Persian (officially known as ''Persian''), Dari, Dari Persian (officially known as ''Dari'' since 1964), and Tajik language, Tajiki Persian (officially known as ''Tajik'' since 1999).Siddikzoda, S. "Tajik Language: Farsi or not Farsi?" in ''Media Insight Central Asia #27'', August 2002. It is also spoken natively in the Tajik variety by a significant population within Uzbekistan, as well as within other regions with a Persianate society, Persianate history in the cultural sphere o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kushta
In Mandaeism, kushta or kušṭa () can have several meanings. Its original literal meaning is "truth" in the Mandaic language, and is thus typically used to refer to the Mandaean religious concept of truth. The same word is also used to refer to a sacred handclasp between the right hands of two people that is used during Mandaean rituals such as the masbuta, masiqta, and priestly initiation ceremonies.Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. In the World of Light Mandaeans believe that in the World of Light, the Mšunia Kušṭa, or the world of ideal counterparts, exists, where everything has a corresponding spiritual pair (''dmuta''). Alternatively, ''kušṭa'' can be used as a synonym for Hayyi Rabbi, or God in Mandaeism. In the 69th chapter of the Mandaean Book of John, Manda d-Hayyi addresses Etinṣib Ziwa (Splendid Transplant), son of Yushamin, as "Truth, beloved by all excellencies." E. S. Drower interprets a r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psalms Of Thomas
The ''Psalms of Thomas'' (more correctly ''Psalms of Thom'') are a set of third-century psalms found appended to the end of a Coptic Manichaean psalm book, which was in turn part of the Medinet Madi library excavated in 1929. The psalms were originally published in 1938 by Charles Allberry.Allberry, C. R. C., editor & translator, with a contribution by Hugo Ibscher, ''Coptic Manichaean Psalm-book part II'', W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 1938. The Psalms of Thomas occupy pages 203-227. The meter and structure of the psalms suggest that they were originally written in Eastern Aramaic. There are 20 psalms in total. The themes and content of the psalms bear a considerable resemblance to the Hymn of the Pearl from the Acts of Thomas. Authorship Considerable controversy continues as to whether the Thomas or Thom referred to could be the Apostle Thomas, Mani's disciple, also called Thomas, or the Gnostic concept of the divine twin. This is because the latter is referred to in other pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylē
Hylomorphism is a philosophical doctrine developed by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, which conceives every physical entity or being (''ousia'') as a compound of matter (potency) and immaterial form (act), with the generic form as immanently real within the individual. The word is a 19th-century term formed from the Greek words ὕλη (''hyle'': "wood, matter") and μορφή (''morphē'': "form"). Hylomorphic theories of physical entities have been undergoing a revival in contemporary philosophy. Aristotle's concept of matter The Ancient Greek language originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable for some specific purpose or other, so Aristotle adapted the word for "wood" to this purpose. The idea that everything physical is made of the same basic substance holds up well under modern science, although it may be thought of more in terms of energy or matter/energy. The Latin equivalent of the ''hyle'' concept – and later its med ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shekhinah
Shekhinah () is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God in a place. This concept is found in Judaism from Talmudic literature. The word "Shekhinah" is found in the Bible only as a "Shechaniah", a masculine proper name. The Hebrew root “shakan” appears in numerous conjugations, it can be found 128 times. (See Strong’s Hebrew dictionary 7931.) It also appears in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and Midrash. Etymology The word ''shekhinah'' is first encountered in the rabbinic literature. S. G. F. Brandon, ed., ''Dictionary of Comparative Religion'' (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1970), p. 573: "Shekhinah". The Semitic root from which ''shekhinah'' is derived, ''š-k-n'', means "to settle, inhabit, or dwell". In the verb form, it is often used to refer to the dwelling of a person or animal in a place, or to the dwelling of God. Nouns derived from the root included ''shachen'' ("neighbor") and ''mishkan'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hayyi Rabbi
In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( Neo-Mandaic; ), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. Hayyi Rabbi is also known as "The First Life", since during the creation of the material world, Yushamin emanated from Hayyi Rabbi as the 'Second Life'. According to Qais Al-Saadi, Mandaeans recognize God to be the eternal, creator of all, the one and only in domination, who has no partner.Hanish, Shak (2019). The Mandaeans In Iraq. In "God is worshiped alone and praised as the Supreme Force of the universe. He presides over all the worlds and all of creation." In Mandaeism, is the belief in One God (cf. Middle Aramaic (sāhdutā) "testimony"). Names Hayyi Rabbi is also referred to in Mandaean scriptures as ''Hiia Rbia Qadmaiia'' ('The First Great Life') or ''Hiia Rbia Nukraiia'' ('The Alien/ Transcendental Great Life'). Other names used are ('Lord of Greatness' or 'The Great Lord'), ('The Great Mind'), ('King of Light') and ('The First Life').Dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mot (god)
Mot ( ''mūt'', ''māweṯ'', ) was the Canaanite god of death and the Underworld. He was also known to the people of Ugarit and in Phoenicia, where Canaanite religion was widespread. The main source of information about Mot in Canaanite mythology comes from the texts discovered at Ugarit, but he is also mentioned in the surviving fragments of Philo of Byblos's Greek translation of the writings of the Phoenician Sanchuniathon. Forms of the name In Ugaritic myth, Mot (spelled ''mt'') is a personification of death. The word belongs to a set of cognates meaning 'death' in other Semitic languages, Semitic and Afro-Asiatic languages: Arabic language, Arabic موت ''mawt''; Hebrew (language), Hebrew מות (''mot'' or ''mavet''; ancient Hebrew ''muth'' or ''maveth''/''maweth''); Maltese language, Maltese ''mewt''; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܰܘܬܳܐ (''mautā''); Ge'ez language, Ge'ez ሞት (''mot''); Canaanite languages, Canaanite, Ancient Egypt, Egyptian, Berber languages, Berbe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ziwa (Aramaic)
Ziwa (also transliterated as ''ziua'') is an Aramaic term that is typically translated as 'radiance' or 'splendor.' It is frequently used as an epithet for celestial beings and manifestations of God in Gnosticism, Gnostic religions such as Mandaeism and Manichaeism. The Hebrew cognate is ''Ziv (other), ziv'' (). Scripts ''Ziwa'' written in different scripts: *Hebrew alphabet: *Mandaic alphabet: *Syriac alphabet: *Arabic script: Mandaeism In Mandaeism, uthras (celestial beings) often have the Mandaic language, Mandaic term ''Ziwa'' / ''Ziua'' (, meaning 'Radiance'; Neo-Mandaic language, Neo-Mandaic pronunciation ) attached after their names, due to their origins from the World of Light. Pairs of uthras also typically have rhyming names (e.g., Adathan and Yadathan). Sometimes, one of the names within a pair may have an infixed consonant or syllable (e.g., Kapan and Kanpan). Uthras commonly referred to as "Ziwa" include: *Hibil Ziwa *Sam Ziwa (or Sam Smira Ziwa) *Ya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Din Mlikh
An uthra or ʿutra (, Neo-Mandaic ''oṯrɔ'', traditionally transliterated ''eutra''; plural: ʿuthrē, traditionally transliterated ''eutria'') is a "divine messenger of the light" in Mandaeism. Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath translate it as "excellency". Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley defines them as "Lightworld beings, called 'utras (sing.: 'utra 'wealth', but meaning 'angel' or 'guardian')." p8 Aldihisi (2008) compares them to the ''yazata'' of Zoroastrianism. According to E. S. Drower, "an 'uthra is an ethereal being, a spirit of light and Life." Uthras are benevolent beings that live in '' škinas'' (, "celestial dwellings") in the World of Light (''alma ḏ-nhūra'') and communicate with each other via telepathy. Uthras are also occasionally mentioned as being in ''anana'' ("cloud"; e.g., in ''Right Ginza'' Book 17, Chapter 1), which can also be interpreted as female consorts. Many uthras also serve as guardians (''naṭra''); for instance, Shilmai and Nidbai are the gu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
