In Sethian Gnostic texts, Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus is the personification of the

Living Water Living water (; ) is a biblical term which appears in both the Old and New Testaments. In and , the prophet describes God as "the spring of living water", who has been forsaken by his chosen people Israel. Later, the prophet Zechariah describ ...

. He is mentioned in the

Nag Hammadi Nag Hammadi ( ; ) is a city and Markaz (administrative division), markaz in Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about north-west of Luxor. The city had a population of close to 61,737 . History ...

tractates of the ''

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, t ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

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 ...

''.

Etymology

Meyer (2007) gives the etymology of the Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus as follows. *''Yesseus'' from

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

*''Mazareus'' from Nazarene (Greek: ''nazōraios'') *''Yessedekeus'' from "the righteous" (Greek: ''ho dikaios'') In contrast, Lofts (2010) connects Mazareus with

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, an ...

and considers Yessedekeus to be cognate with

Sadducee The Sadducees (; ) were a sect of Jews active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The Sadducees are described in contemporary literary sources in contrast to ...

, 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 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 ...

Parallels in Mandaeism

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, ...

, 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 ...

(celestial spirit) Piriawis Ziwa is the personification of the heavenly river of living water.

Qulasta The Qulasta, also spelled Qolastā in older sources (; ), is a compilation of Mandaean prayers. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The prayerbook is a collection of Mandaic prayers regarding baptisms ('' maṣbuta'') and other sa ...

prayers 13 and 17 mention Piriawis Ziwa and Piriafil Malaka together as

s. In

Mandaean scriptures This article contains a list of Mandaic manuscripts, which are almost entirely Mandaean religious texts written in Classical Mandaic. Well-known Mandaean texts include the ''Ginza Rabba'' (also known as the ''Sidra Rabbā''), the ''Mandaean ...

such as the ''

Ginza Rabba The Ginza Rabba (), Ginza Rba, or Sidra Rabba (), and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The Ginza Rabba is composed of two parts: the Right Ginza (GR) and the Left Ginza (GL). T ...

'', (pronounced ) is mentioned as the personification of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

, which is considered to be the earthly manifestation of the heavenly

yardna In Mandaeism, a yardna () or yardena ([]; ) is a body of flowing fresh water (or in ; pronounced ''meyya heyyi'') that is suitable for ritual use as baptismal water. The masbuta and other Mandaean rituals such as the tamasha (ablution), tamasha ...

or flowing river (similar to the

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

concept of

Lalish Lalish (, also known as Lalişa Nûranî) is a mountain valley and temple located in the Nineveh Plains, Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis. It is the location of the tomb of the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure of the Yazidi ...

being the earthly manifestation of its heavenly counterpart).

References

{{reflist Sethianism Water and religion Religious perspectives on Jesus Names of God in Gnosticism Names of Jesus Gnostic deities Nazareth Water deities

Etymology

Parallels in Mandaeism

See also

References