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Yessedekeus
In Sethian Gnostic texts, Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus is the personification of the Living Water. He is mentioned in the Nag Hammadi tractates of the ''Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit'', ''Zostrianos'', and ''Apocalypse of Adam''. Etymology Meyer (2007) gives the etymology of the Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus as follows. *''Yesseus'' from Jesus *''Mazareus'' from Nazarene (Greek: ''nazōraios'') *''Yessedekeus'' from "the righteous" (Greek: ''ho dikaios'') In contrast, Lofts (2010) connects Mazareus with Mazzaroth and considers Yessedekeus to be cognate with Sadducee, in turn derived from Yu/Yu (an epithet for the divine) and the root , (to be right, just). Lofts also propose that the name Yessedekeus is also found in Mandaeism in the form of Yuzaṭaq, an epithet for Manda d-Hayyi. Parallels in Mandaeism In Mandaeism, the uthra (celestial spirit) Piriawis Ziwa is the personification of the heavenly river of living water. Qulasta prayers 13 and 17 mention Piriawi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zostrianos
''Zostrianos'' is a Sethian Gnostic text. It is the first tractate of two in Codex VIII of the Nag Hammadi library. It takes up 132 of the 140 pages in the codex, making ''Zostrianos'' the longest tractate of the entire library. However the text is extensively damaged, especially in the center, making the document difficult to fully understand. The Coptic manuscript is a translation of a Greek original, likely written in Alexandria in c. 200 AD. In the text, Zostrianos goes on a heavenly journey and receives divine knowledge from the aeons. The work is likely the same ''Zostrianos'' that Porphyry criticized in ''Life of Plotinus.'' Like other Sethian Gnostic texts Marsanes, Allogenes, and Three Steles of Seth, its ideas appear more Middle Platonic or Neoplatonic than Christian. However, Porphyry said that these works belonged to Christian heretics. Bentley Layton explains this apparent contradiction with the belief that ''Zostrianos'' was written by a Gnostic Christian auth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Micheus, Michar, And Mnesinous
In Sethian Gnostic texts, Micheus, Michar, and Mnesinous are the three heavenly spirits that preside over the rite of baptism, performed in the wellspring of Living Water. They are mentioned in the Nag Hammadi tractates of the ''Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit'', '' Trimorphic Protennoia'', ''Zostrianos'', and ''Apocalypse of Adam''. In the texts, the trio is frequently mentioned along with Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus, the name of the Living Water. Occasionally in some of the Nag Hammadi texts, only Micheus and Michar are mentioned, without Mnesinous. Parallels In Mandaeism, Bihram is the uthra (celestial spirit) presiding over the masbuta (baptism). See also *Shilmai and Nidbai *Adathan and Yadathan *Xroshtag and Padvaxtag in Manichaeism Manichaeism (; in ; ) is an endangered former major world religion currently only practiced in China around Cao'an,R. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''. SUNY Press, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piriawis Ziwa
In Mandaean cosmology, Piriawis (; sometimes also spelled Biriawiš Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. ''Mandäische Liturgien''. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.), also known as the Yardna Rabba ( "Great Jordan"), is the sacred life-giving river (''yardna'') of the World of Light. It is the heavenly counterpart of rivers on Earth (Tibil), which are considered by Mandaeans to be manifestations of the heavenly Piriawis. Shilmai and Nidbai are the two guardian uthras (celestial beings) watching over Piriawis. Qulasta prayers 13 and 17 mention Piriawis-Ziwa and Piriafil-Malaka together as uthras. Other names In Book 4 of the ''Right Ginza'', Sindiriawis is mentioned as "the great ''yardna'' of the Life" (). See also *Yardna *Ganga (goddess) in Hinduism * Siniawis, its corresponding opposite in the World of Darkness *Jordan River * Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus, the name of the Living Water in Sethianism Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holy Book Of The Great Invisible Spirit
The ''Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit'', also known as the ''Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians'', is a Sethian Gnostic text found in Codices III and IV of the Nag Hammadi library. The text describes the origin of three powers: the Father, the Mother, and the Son, who came forth from the great invisible Spirit. The text emphasizes Seth as the origin of the seed of eternal life and the great, incorruptible race. It concludes with a prayer and a statement that it was written by the great Seth and placed in the mountain Charaxio to be revealed at the end of times. Summary This opening describes the creation of the universe and the origin of the three powers: the Father, the Mother, and the Son. These powers are said to have come forth from the great invisible Spirit, who is the light of the aeons, the truth, and the incorruptions. The three powers are said to have emerged from the silence of the unknown Father, and they each have their own ogdoad-power. The first ogdoad is asso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apocalypse Of Adam
The Apocalypse of Adam is a Sethian Gnostic apocalyptic writing. It is the fifth tractate in Codex V of the Nag Hammadi library, transcribed in Coptic. The date of the original work has been a point of scholarly contention because the writing lacks Christian themes and other explicit allusions. Thus, the Gnostic redeemer in the text may have been pre-Christian and influenced later New Testament writings. The text provides an interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, describes the descent of a heavenly illuminator of knowledge, and ends with an apocalyptic prophecy. Summary Adam teaches his son Seth about his past, saying that he and Eve were created by the god Sakla out of the earth, but they were once with the eternal God and like great eternal angels. They were divided by Sakla in wrath, causing the glory in their hearts to leave them, and they lost the first knowledge that breathed in them. They recognized the god who created them and served him in fear and slave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesus In Manichaeism
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 their deliverance. Before the introduction of Manichaeism to Central Asia, the number of prophets recognized by it was undetermined. After being introduced to Central Asia, it was determined to be five, that is, the above-mentioned four prophets plus the Hindu god Narayana, because Hinduism had significant influence in ancient Central Asia. Mani, the founder of the church, grew up in a Christian family in the 3rd century AD. His father Pātik was a believer in the church. They lived in southern Mesopotamia under the rule of the Sasanian Dynasty. Although Mani mentions Zoroastrianism and Sakyamuni in his own writings, Jesus is the key point. For example: "Jesus is Mani's savior"; "Mani, the apostle of Jesus Christ" ( Mani's crystal seal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nazarene (title)
Nazarene is a title used to describe people from the city of Nazareth in the New Testament (there is no mention of either Nazareth or Nazarene in the Old Testament), and is a title applied to Jesus, who, according to the New Testament, grew up in Nazareth,"Jesus was a Galilean from Nazareth, a village near Sepphoris, one of the two major cities of Galilee." ("Jesus Christ". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago. 2009.)"esusspent His boyhood in the Galilean town of Nazareth." (Bromiley, Geoffrey W., "Nazarene", ''The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: K-P'', pp. 499–500.) a town in Galilee, located in ancient Judea. The word is used to translate two related terms that appear in the Greek New Testament: ('Nazarene') and (' Nazorean'). The phrases traditionally rendered as "Jesus of Nazareth" can also be translated as "Jesus the Nazarene" or "Jesus the Nazorean", and the title ''Nazarene'' may have a religious significance instead of denoting a place of origin. Both ''Nazar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piriawis
In Mandaean cosmology, Piriawis (; sometimes also spelled Biriawiš Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. ''Mandäische Liturgien''. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.), also known as the Yardna Rabba ( "Great Jordan River, Jordan"), is the sacred life-giving river (''yardna'') of the World of Light. It is the dmuta, heavenly counterpart of rivers on Earth (Tibil), which are considered by Mandaeans to be manifestations of the heavenly Piriawis. Shilmai and Nidbai are the two guardian uthras (celestial beings) watching over Piriawis. Qulasta prayers s:Translation:Qolasta/Prayer 13, 13 and s:Translation:Qolasta/Prayer 17, 17 mention Piriawis-Ziwa and Piriafil-Malaka together as uthras. Other names In Book 4 of the ''Right Ginza'', Sindiriawis is mentioned as "the great ''yardna'' of the Life" (). See also *Yardna *Ganga (goddess) in Hinduism *Siniawis, its corresponding opposite in the World of Darkness *Jordan River ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mazzaroth
''Mazzaroth'' (Hebrew: מַזָּר֣וֹת, ''mazzārōṯ'', LXX Μαζουρωθ, ''Mazourōth'') is a Biblical Hebrew word found in the Book of Job () whose precise meaning is uncertain. Its context is that of astronomical constellations, and some judge it to mean a specific constellation, while it is often interpreted as a term for the zodiac or the constellations thereof.Jewish Encyclopedia: Constellations , accessed 2010-02-13. Norman C. Habel, ''The Book of Job: A Commentary'', Westminster John Knox Press, 1985, p. 523, , ''Biblical Commentary on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuzaṭaq
In Mandaeism, Manda d-Hayyi or Manda ḏ-Hiia () is an uthra (angel or guardian) sent by the Great Life (''Hayyi Rabbi'', or the Transcendent God) as a messenger to John the Baptist. Manda d-Hayyi is considered to be the most important uthra, since he is the one bringing '' manda'' (knowledge or gnosis) to Earth (Tibil). In Mandaean texts In Book 5, Chapter 4 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi appears to John the Baptist as a "small boy aged three years and one day." John the Baptist baptizes the small boy, after which John is taken up to the World of Light (see also the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, in which a little boy appears to Paul the Apostle, who is then taken up to heaven). Also, in Book 8 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi warns the faithful against the dangers of Ruha. In the ''Mandaean Book of John'' and Book 3 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi makes a journey into the World of Darkness (underworld), where he meets Gaf and other demons and triumphs against the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manda D-Hayyi
In Mandaeism, Manda d-Hayyi or Manda ḏ-Hiia () is an uthra (angel or guardian) sent by the Great Life ('' Hayyi Rabbi'', or the Transcendent God) as a messenger to John the Baptist. Manda d-Hayyi is considered to be the most important uthra, since he is the one bringing '' manda'' (knowledge or gnosis) to Earth ( Tibil). In Mandaean texts In Book 5, Chapter 4 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi appears to John the Baptist as a "small boy aged three years and one day." John the Baptist baptizes the small boy, after which John is taken up to the World of Light (see also the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, in which a little boy appears to Paul the Apostle, who is then taken up to heaven). Also, in Book 8 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi warns the faithful against the dangers of Ruha. In the ''Mandaean Book of John'' and Book 3 of the ''Right Ginza'', Manda d-Hayyi makes a journey into the World of Darkness (underworld), where he meets Gaf and other demons and triumphs against ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Five Seals
In Sethianism, Sethian Gnostic texts, the Five Seals are typically described as a baptismal rite involving a series of five full immersions in holy running or "living water," symbolizing spiritual ascension to the divine realm. The Five Seals are frequently mentioned in various Sethianism, Sethian Gnostic texts from the Nag Hammadi library. While some scholars consider the Five Seals to be literary symbolism rather than an actual religious ritual, Birger A. Pearson believes that the Five Seals refer to an actual ritual in which the initiate was ritually immersed in water five times. Pearson also finds many parallels between the Sethian ritual of the Five Seals and the Mandaeism, Mandaean baptismal ritual of masbuta. Tractates Tractates in the Nag Hammadi library that mention the Five Seals include: *Apocryphon of John *Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit *Trimorphic Protennoia *Zostrianos The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Trimorphic Protennoia, Zostrianos, and Apo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
