Mandaeism Mandaeism (Mandaic language, Classical Mandaic: ),https://qadaha.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/nhura-dictionary-mandaic-english-mandaic.pdf sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnosticism, Gnostic, Monotheism, ...

, manda () is the concept of

gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where ...

or spiritual

knowledge Knowledge is an Declarative knowledge, awareness of facts, a Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with individuals and situations, or a Procedural knowledge, practical skill. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is oft ...

. Mandaeans stress salvation of the soul through secret knowledge (gnosis) of its divine origin. Mandaeism "provides knowledge of whence we have come and whither we are going."

Etymology

On the basis of cognates in other Aramaic dialects,

Semiticist Semitic studies, or Semitology, is the academic field dedicated to the studies of Semitic languages and literatures and the history of the Semitic-speaking peoples. A person may be called a ''Semiticist'' or a ''Semitist'', both terms being equi ...

s such as Mark Lidzbarski and Rudolf Macúch have translated the term ''manda'' as "knowledge" (cf. ''mandaʻ'' in Dan. 2:21, 4:31, 33, 5:12; cf. ''maddaʻ'', with characteristic assimilation of /n/ to the following consonant, medial -''nd''-, hence becoming -''dd''-). In his 1965 Mandaic handbook, Macúch suggests that due to the special religious use of the word, -n- was added in order to make it unique from other words with the same root.

Derived terms

('having knowledge') comes from the

Mandaic Mandaic may refer to: * Mandaic language * Mandaic alphabet The Mandaic alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Mandaic language. It is thought to have evolved between the second and seventh century CE from either a cursive fo ...

word ''manda'', meaning "

". Mandaean priests formally refer to themselves as ''Naṣuraia'' ( Nasoraeans), meaning guardians or possessors of secret rites and knowledge. ''Mandaia'' (; plural: ''Mandaiia'' () is a Mandaic term that refers to a Mandaean layperson, as opposed to a ''Naṣuraia'' (Mandaean priest). The ''beth manda'' (''beit manda'', ''bit manda'', , 'house of knowledge'), also called a '' mandi'', is a Mandaean building that serves as a

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

and

place of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is s ...

. The name of the

uthra 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 transl ...

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, si ...

literally means the ''manda'' (

) of Hayyi Rabbi ("The Life"). Manda d-Hayyi is considered a very important

to know since he revealed himself to

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

and took his soul to the

World of Light In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld () is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. Description *The Great Life ('' Hayyi Rabbi'' or Supreme God/ Monad) is the ruler of the World of Ligh ...

References

{{Mandaeism footer Mandaean philosophical concepts Mandaic words and phrases

Etymology

Derived terms

See also

References