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 d-Hayyi or Manda ḏ-Hiia () is an

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 ...

(angel or guardian) sent by the Great Life ('' Hayyi Rabbi'', or the Transcendent God) as a messenger 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 ...

. Manda d-Hayyi is considered to be the most important

, since he is the one bringing '' manda'' (knowledge or

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 ...

) to Earth ( Tibil).

In Mandaean texts

Yahya Yuhana Mandi painting - World of Light

In Book 5, Chapter 4 of the ''

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 ( ...

'', Manda d-Hayyi appears to

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 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 ...

(see also the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, in which a little boy appears to

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

, 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 In Mandaeism, the Book of John () is a Mandaean holy book in Mandaic Aramaic which Mandaeans attribute to their prophet John the Baptist. The book contains accounts of John's life and miracles, as well as a number of polemical conversations w ...

'' and Book 3 of the ''

'', Manda d-Hayyi makes a journey into the

World of Darkness ''World of Darkness'' is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with ''Vampire: The Masquerade'', ''Werewolf: The Apocaly ...

(

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

), where he meets

Gaf Gaf (; ), is the name of different Perso-Arabic alphabet, Perso-Arabic letters, all representing . They are all derived from the letter Kaph, kāf, with additional diacritics, such as dots and lines. In name and shape, it is a variant of ''kaph ...

and other demons and triumphs against them. Manda d-Hayyi is sometimes portrayed as harbouring a grudge against Yushamin. In the eighth chapter of the Book of John, Manda d-Hayyi opposes a petition to the King of Light for forgiveness for Yushamin brought by Yushamin's son Nṣab Ziwa (), and is rebuked by the King of Light for hating Yushamin due to Yushamin having refused him a wife from his family. In some Mandaean texts, he is also referred to as ''Yuzaṭaq Manda d-Hayyi''. E. S. Drower (1960) suggests that "male Holy Spirit" is a probable meaning for ''Yuzaṭaq''. Mark J. Lofts (2010) proposes a connection with Yessedekeus in

Sethianism The Sethians (Greek language, Greek: Σηθιανοί) were one of the main currents of Gnosticism during the 2nd and 3rd century AD, along with Valentinianism and Basilideans, Basilideanism. According to John D. Turner, it originated in the 2n ...

Relationship to Hibil

E. S. Drower notes in an appendix to her translation of the '' Scroll of Abatur'' that Manda d-Hayyi and Hibil are sometimes identified with one another, although they are considered separate figures in the ''Diwan Abatur''. Manda d-Hayyi is sometimes named as Hibil's father; elsewhere, Hayyi Rabbi is. The ritual passages in '' The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa'' describe Hibil as Manda d-Hayyi's son and include Manda d-Hayyi amongst those officiating in Hibil's baptism. However, the same scroll's account of Hibil's descent to the World of Darkness refers to "Hibil-Ziwa" when he is being commanded to descend, switches to referring to "Manda" or "Manda-ḏ-Hiia" while he is in the World of Darkness, and back to referring to "Hibil-Ziwa" when he is seeking to be able to ascend back to the World of Light; furthermore, Manda d-Hayyi is then summoned within the World of Light to send a letter of Kushta to his son Hibil to aid the latter's ascent. Drower notes "read "Hibil" for "Manda"" in a footnote in her translation, and inserts "''(Hibil-Ziwa son of)''" as a differentiated inline annotation where appropriate.

Weapons

According to the ''

'', the weapons of Manda d-Hayyi are: #Radiance and Light ('' Ziwa u Nhūra'') #a great attire #the '' margna'' (staff) of Living Water (''Mia Hiia'') #the wreath of the Living Flame (''ʿŠata Haita'') #the armor of the Great Ones #a mace (club) #a veil (or a net?) #a robe of the Great Ones

Syriac parallels

The Syriac phrase () is attested in the

Peshitta The Peshitta ( ''or'' ') is the standard Syriac edition of the Bible for Syriac Christian churches and traditions that follow the liturgies of the Syriac Rites. The Peshitta is originally and traditionally written in the Classical Syriac d ...

text of Luke 1:77, a passage from the Song of Zechariah. In the passage, Zechariah praises his son

, saying that his son will "give ''knowledge of life'' to his he Lord'speople." It is the only place where this phrase is mentioned in the Peshitta New Testament. However, in most other Bible versions and translations, the phrase "knowledge of salvation" () is used instead of "knowledge of life." Below is an excerpt of Luke 1:76–77 from the Lamsa Bible.

Kabbalah parallels

Manda d-Hayyi can also be compared to the angel Raziel in the Jewish tradition. Raziel is mentioned in Kabbalistic texts such as '' Sefer Raziel HaMalakh''. Both are described as intermediaries who convey divine knowledge to humans, especially Adam. In

Jewish mysticism Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbal ...

, Raziel delivers the "''Sefer Raziel''" to Adam, containing esoteric secrets about the universe and divine mysteries, while in Mandaeism, Manda d-Hayyi instructs Adam about the mysteries of life and creation. In

, after the creation of the material world, Adam Kasia (

Adam Kadmon In Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon (, ''ʾāḏām qaḏmōn'', "Primordial Man") also called Adam Elyon (, ''ʾāḏām ʿelyōn'', "Most High Man"), or Adam Ila'ah (, ''ʾāḏām ʿīllāʾā'' "Most High Adam" in Aramaic), sometimes abbreviated as A ...

in the Mandaean tradition) asks Abatur ( Ancient of Days or

Metatron Metatron (Mishnaic Hebrew: ''Meṭāṭrōn''), or Matatron (), is an angel in Judaism, Gnosticism, and Islam. Metatron is mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, the Targum, and in mystical kabbalah, Kabba ...

/ Hanokh/ "Yeshua" in the Mandaean tradition. The

Merkabah Merkabah () or Merkavah mysticism (lit. Chariot mysticism) is a school of History of Judaism, early Jewish mysticism (), centered on vision (spirituality), visions such as those found in Ezekiel 1 or in the hekhalot literature ("palaces" literat ...

text Re' uyot Yehezkel identifies the Ancient of Days as

) what he will do when he goes to Tibil (

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

or Malkuth). Abatur responds that Adam will be helped by Manda d-Hayyi, who instructs humans with sacred knowledge and protects them.

References