Mandaeans-people and language Jorunn Jacobson Buckley writes, ‘The Mandaeans (literally “the knowers”) are the only surviving Gnostics* from the time of late antiquity. They have dwelled for the past eighteen hundred years in southern Iraq and southwest Iran, and increasingly, as a result of recent wars, in other parts of the world. They adhere to the typical Gnostic doctrines and mythologies regarding the soul’s entrapment in earthly life and the existence of a heavenly Lightworld, the soul’s true home…’ * Gnosticism We have learnt, that Gnosticism, (which could be defined as a mystical religion ) comes from the Greek word, gnosis for knowledge. There are two main groups of Gnostic sects: the Persian and the Syrian-Egyptian. The Persian Gnostics comprises of Mandaeanism and Manichaeism, whilst the Syrian-Egyptian one has many more (i.e. Sethians, Cerinthus, Simon Magus, his pupil Menander and Marcion of Sinope, The Valentinians (c.100-c.153), The Basilidians, The Ophite (who worshipped the ‘serpent of Genesis as the bestower of knowledge’), The Cainites (‘worshipped Cain, Esau, Korah and the Sodomites’), The Carpocratians, The Borborites, The Bogomils and the Cathars (‘Cathari, Albigenses or Albigensians’). We noted from the encyclopedia, ‘It seems clear that Gnosticism, at least in some of its theologically more developed formulations, was heavily influenced by Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Stoicism, old Semitic religions, Christianity and (at least in the case of Monoimus) Pythagoreanism.’ As for the teaching of Gnostics, we read, “people in the know, [They] are the elect, their souls fragments of the divine, needing liberation from matter and the power of the planets.” (McManner: 26). They believe that God is found in the self as well as outside the self (Ellwood and Partin: 96). The greatest hope for the Gnostic is to attain ultimate, first-hand knowledge so that they may be from this world and return to the world of God.’ During the second century A.D. ‘Mani came into leadership, and “Gnosticism became a world religion when Mani (216-277) founded his alternative Christian Church.” (Eliade: 572). Mani, the Jewish-Christian raised in a Baptist community, started Manicheaism.’ According to Mandaean books and the Bible, John the Baptist (Arabic: Yahya bin Zechariah, Mandaic: Yahya Yahana يهيا ياهانا) was born in Judea. The Bible mentions that he was born in the hill country of Judah , whilst Drashat ed yihya and Ginza Rabba he was born in the city of Jerusalem. We noted that Yahya (John) was baptizing the people in the River Jordan for a period of forty-two years. The Bible says, ‘ the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him [John]. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.’ There is no doubt, the original place of residence of Yahya Yahana, Mandaean’s prophet, was Judea. In a Jordanian newspaper, Sahifat Al Arab (Jaridat Alarab Alyoum), Number 22-dated 7/6/1997, Mr. Karim Jabar mentioned few points. He noted that Mandaean religion was older than Juadism, Mandaeans were living in Jordan for over two thousand five hundred years, and their migration was to southern Iraq. Mandaean books were written in the Mandaean language, a dialect of Eastern Aramaic distinguished by its distinctive script, which is connected to the Nabataeen system of writing . The Mandaic language is ‘nothing more than a dialect variation of the Aramaic tongue which Jesus spoke.’ The Mandaean language is divided into three periods: Classical Mandaic…which appears in the oldest liturgical songs and prayers when Zazai d-Gawazta, in the year 272 AD, redacted the Ginza Rba and other literature; Post Classical Mandaic: (Classical Mandaic still continues to influence the Post Classical period.) This latter period is characterised by the introduction of Arab and Islamic references into the language. Modern Mandaic: ‘…we know that there is a wedding formula written in a language close to this modern idiom. This wedding formula is certainly centuries older. The date for this manuscript is 1529/30 AD, 936 AH…’ It is also written, ‘the earliest, the Ginza, the oldest Mandaean book dates from the end of the seventh century AD as we know because the Arab empire is described is on 71 years old.’ It is strongly believed that Mandaeans were closely related to the Nabateens before their migration from the west. There are places, such as Horan and Jordan - Mandaic Yardana - ancient Palestine and the Jordan, the word Nabadt – Arabic نباط)) that are mentioned in the Mandaic literature, and the possibility that the Mandaic writings were all taken from the Nabataeen. Prof. Mark Lidzbarski believes that, although the Mandaeans did reside in Babylon, their original place of residence is the West, the Jordan valley, and a place not far from Horan. Nabateen, and their Arabian Culture, which ‘… had sprung up from Southern Sinai around 600 BC, and from around 400 BC in the land of the Edomites in Jordan’ had ‘…migrated from Arabia…settled…round Petra …During the time of Jesus, Nabatea, was an independent kingdom with influence spreading to Damascus. Herod was involved in hostilities with Aretas IV the King of Nabatea because Herodias displaced Aretas’s daughter as Herod’s wife. Although they were annexed by the Romans they continued to be a significant Arab power to the time of Mohamed…’ Dr. Drower, referring to Tamuia Son of Qaimat’s “Great Wellspring”, writes, ‘According to Yaqut, Tib was in his time inhabited by Nabataeans who spoke Nabataean (i.e. Mandaic?). According to the Haran Gawaita, it was the first settlement of the Naroraeans when they migrated from Haran under the protection of the Parthian kings. In the same manuscript, as in many other colophons, Ramuia Son of ‘Qaimt’ is mentioned as a liturgist who collected scattered texts, edited them, and distributed them in early Moslem times.’ The Encyclopedia America writes, ‘…The Mandaeans seem to have originated in Mesopotamia about the 5th Century A.D. The sect has drawn heavily on biblical, Syriac Christian, and Manachaean sources for its teaching, though also incorporating some more ancient Mesopotamian ideas and practices. Their technical religious vocabulary cannot be explained apart from the Peshita (a Syriac Bible used by Nestorian and Jacobite Christians), and their Scriptures show clear evidence of having been written down in Islamic times… We noted from the Semitic chart of languages that Sabaean, Minaean, Qatabanian and Hadramitic are the Old Inscriptional Dialects of South Arabia. As for the Mandaic, it’s the Late Eastern, which belongs to the Imperial Aramaic. These are branched from the Proto-Semitic. 51.coptichistory.org/allaharc.htm (الله و علم الأثار) JENS xv111-1959, ‘Another Aramaic Record of North Arabian Goddess Han’Lat’ updated 04/18/04, viewed on 19.9.2004 52.E.S.Drower, The Canonical Prayer Book of the Mandaeans, Leiden. E.J.Brill. 1959, p.32 53.Arthur Jeffery, The Encyclopedia America article, author of “Qur’an as Scripture”, Grolier Incorp. Connecticut. st Published 1829, latest edit.1983, p.222 54.Encyclopedia Brittanica, Vol.14, Languages (Introductory), p.IV.157 Please refer to “Mandaeans Mysteries Revealed” – Introduction – pp: 24-30, by Dr. George Harbi Khadar, Sydney 2005
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:10:36 +0000
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