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A Mandæan Bibliography
A Mandæan Bibliography
Author(s): E. S. Drower
Source: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 1/2 (Apr.,
1953), pp. 34-39
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25222608
Accessed: 15/11/2010 00:06
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A Mandaban
Bibliography
By E. S. DROWER
collection of Mandsean
religious texts known as the Ginza
or
d
Sidra
Adam
Rba
(The Great Treasure, Book of
(Rabba)
THE
was
to reach Europe, but was
not
first
book
the
Mandeean
Adam)
was
to
into Syriac and
first
It
transliterated
the
be translated.
In 1925,
into Latin by Dr. Matthew Norberg
(1815-16).
text
of
the
facsimile
the
German
Dr.
Petermann's
(published
using
in 1867) for reference, and with access to various copies of the sacred
codex in European
libraries, Mark Lidzbarski produced a fine and
and Rupprecht,
translation
(G?ttingen ; Vandenhoeck
scholarly
translated
; with
compositions
what
He
1 I shall refer
to these
by the
initials
D.
C.
(Drower
Collection).
A MANDJEAN
35
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Group One
are all in scroll form and
of
often
The manuscripts,
great length,
conventional
in the curiously
several are illustrated
style charac
these texts,
in
teristic of Mandaean religious art. Here and there
about
of ritual, information
(mingled with elaborate descriptions
of priests who commit ritual errors or are accidentally
purification
between heavenly beings, and so on) appear
conversations
polluted,
Nasorseans
the esoteric doctrines
imparted only to priests and
These
to
initiates
to
is
that
doctrines, which
say
only.
(Nasuraiia),
certain
held
theories
reflect theosophic
groups
gnostic
by
may
the Middle East as early as the first century,
scattered throughout
"
The reader is bidden
secret.
are regarded as highly
beware,
this treasure ". After
beware, and beware to whom thou disclosest
"
to one in a generation ",
selection it is to be imparted
prayerful
"
to one in ten thousand ", when the owner of the scroll is near
death. To-day, however, these secret scrolls?only
partially under
read during initiation into priesthood.
i.e. the laity. I give a list
They are never read aloud to Mandseans,
:?
of those in my possession
This
Trisar
Suialia
(A Thousand and Twelve Questions).
(1) Alf
seven lengthy texts and is named after the first
scroll contains
stood,
it may
be added?are
the
minus
Nationale,
(a copy of which exists in the Biblioth?que
an
36
has
all
but
6
D.C.
is
D.C.
other six). My
imperfect copy
seven books, plus a copy of the Haran Gawaita
(see Group Four).
A summary of their content was given in JRAS.
(1941, pp. 101-126).
is to be published serially in the near future
inRome, and issued later in book form.
by Ephemerides Carmeliticae,
In these seven texts there is a good deal of the secret doctrine.
A complete
translation
This
(2) Alma Risaia Rba (D.C. 41) (The Great Supreme World).
erected
for
scroll must be found in the cult-hut
every
specially
sualia (candidate for priesthood) during the week of initiation.
(So
far unpublished.)
"
(3) Alma Risaia Zuta (D.C. 47) (The Smaller
Supreme World ").
(Unpublished.)
(4) Diwan Malkuta
or
of Lofty
(The Diwan
to
the
young priest.
Especially
important
Kingship).
"
"
"
the priest is
crowned
and becomes a
ordination
king ".
laitha
(D.C. 34)
Celestial
At
(Unpublished.)
(5) Zihrun Raza Kasia
(Unpublished.)
(D.C. 27)
(Zihrun,
the Hidden
Mystery).
36
A MAND^?AN
Group
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Two
: Ritual
British
Sislam
Museum
Describes
the ritual
(Or. 6592).
is the archetype of priest and bridegroom.
of ordination
(Unpublished.)
from one
in the library
of the
in
(Unpublished.)
Baghdad.
(D.C. 35). A diwan is a collection
(5) Diwan Masbuta dHibil-Ziwa
of texts. This describes the baptism and purification
of Hibil-Ziwa
on his return from the worlds of darkness.
It is to be published
shortly in Studi e Testi (Biblioteca Vaticana, Rome).
Group
Three
: Devotional
A MAND^EAN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
37
Nationale
and on a
in the De Morgan collection in the Biblioth?que
An
volume of the Rahmia
important
(daily office) in the Bodleian.
omission in his volume is the great Commemoration
prayer, known
as Abahathan Qadmaiia
(our forefathers).
Four
Group
: General
and
Theological
in verse
fragmentary?is
No.
1, see
above.
There
Up to the present time the Ginza has been considered the earliest of
all the Mandsean texts, but some of the liturgical prayers and poems
it, and some of the magical
(Group Three) in my opinion, antedate
epoch.
(Group Six) appears to belong to a neo-Babylonian
d Yahia
of Yahia).
See the
(2) Drasa
(D.C. 30) (Teaching
The miscellany
contains some early and
beginning of this article.
some obviously
late fragments.
The part which deals with John the
to be aimed against Christian baptism
and is
appears
Baptist
literature
A codex.
polemical.
(3) Diwan Abatur
and more
d Nahrawata
A semi-religious
(D.C. 7). Illustrated.
geographical scroll dealing with rivers and mountains.
(Unpublished. )
Diwan
Har?n
36
Gawaita
and
D.C.
(5)
(D.C.
9) (The Inner
Haran or Hauran).
This gives a legendary biography
of John the
"
"
a
of Nasoraeans and their migrations.
It is
Baptist and
history
a valuable work which corroborates the tradition and folklore of the
It was composed early in the Moslem period.
Mandseans.
It is to
be published with the Masbuta d Hibil-Ziwa
the Vatican
"
" by
series Studi e Testi. Like all the
diwans
it is a scroll.
in their
38
A MANDiEAN
Group
BIBLIOGRAPHY
: Astrological
Five
Saiia
Magical
disease,
incantations
own,
is in the Biblioth?que
texts
than my
Six
can be subdivided
or
invocations,
: Magical
into exorcisms
love-spells,
of demons
curses,
and
and
so
on.
number
known
here.
and talismans
Bisia
A MAND^EAN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
39
or less complete
It is composed of five
(D.C. 44).
is named after the first or second.
the whole
and
parts
there
Nationale
the De Morgan MSS. in the Biblioth?que
Amongst
an
as
as
is
I remember another fragment is
far
incomplete copy and
I place it first in the following
in the Staatsbibliothek,
in Berlin.
list :?
Group
Six
: Protective
Talismans
and
Exorcisms
or Zrazta d Manda
d Hiia
(1) Zrazta d Hibil-Ziwa
(see above).
A long scroll. (Unpublished.)
(2) Pisra Pugdama dMia
(D.C. 50) (Exorcism : the Command of
the Waters).
(3) Pasra
(Unpublished.)
Harsia
(or Parsa)
(Unpublished.)
Mihla
(4) Pasra
(D.C. 40)
salt
of Spells).
personified.)
(Unpublished.)
(5) Safta dMasihfan Rba (D.C. 37) (TheScroll of the Great Over
thrower)
(generally protective).
(Unpublished.) "
I shoot "). Another
(6) Safta d Qastina (D.C. 39) (The scroll of
copy of this is in the Bodleian.
(Unpublished.)
(7) Zarazta d Suba Sibiahia
(D.C. 18). A section for each of the
seven planets.
(Unpublished.)
(8) Salhafta dMahra
(9) Safta d Dahlulia
(Unpublished.)
of Fever.
(10) Pasra Sumqa (D.C. 23). Exorcism
(Unpublished.)
(11) Pisra d Sambra
(D.C. 10). Other copies of this are in the
Bodleian
in
and P?re Anastase-Marie's
Published
collection.
"
of
Rue
".
Orientalia, 1946 (fase. 3), under the title
Phylactery
All the above are fairly long. I have a number of others, shorter,
and there are many spells and talismans in the libraries of Mandsean
priests. The field is large.
To conclude this article and for the benefit of future collectors
I give the name of the two manuscripts
which I failed to charm out
of the tenacious old gentleman
in Southern Persia.
I saw a copy of
They are Diwan Qadaha Rba and Dmuth Kusta.
a
was
and
the
formalized
illustrations
one,
amongst
delightfully
a
of
holiest
of
insects.
bee,
drawing