Mandeans

MANDEANS. - In the southern regions of Babylonia, shortly after the beginning of the common era, there lived the followers of a small religious community which doctrinally stands halfway between early Christianity and dualism of a Gnostic character, with its fantastic speculations, its personifications of objects and concepts, and its bold combinations: the M., who, however, prefer to call themselves Nazoreans (Nazariaia). Today they are reduced to a few thousand individuals. Ricoldo da Montecroce calls them Sabians; later they were called "disciples of St. John" (the Baptist); the Arabs give them the name of Mlugaasilah and Sabians. Nothing positive is known about the origin of the M.

They have produced a rich literature, almost exclusively religious, written in the Mandaic language, which is an eastern Aramaic dialect akin to that of the Babylonian Talmud, with a script similar to Syriac and with the peculiarity of indicating vowels as well by means of certain consonants. The oldest writings go back to the 3rd century A.D. and are incantations written on bronze laminates; more recent are the spells inside the clay bowls buried for incantatory purposes. The majority of the strictly religious writings were compiled after the advent of Islam, but they also contain older passages. Somewhat recent and translated from Arabic is the Book of the Constellations, on mantle and astrological subjects. The most important books are The Treasure (Ginza or Sidra rabba [Great Book]), divided into a right-hand and a left-hand part, with many prose treatises of theological, mythical, legal and polemical content, and some in verse of high poetic value on the journey of the soul after its departure from the body toward the dwelling of Life or Light. The Book of John (Sidra d'Iahia) contains myths, legends, discourses of John and of other envoys, and has felt the influence of the Gospels, whose content is, however, distorted for anti-Christian polemical purposes. The Qolasta deals with the ceremonies. A scroll called The Divan of Abatur explains the numerous graphic illustrations that it gives of divine beings, myths and ceremonies. A book entitled Explanation of the Marriage Ceremony of Sillam rabba is a description of marriage. The Thousand and Twelve Questions concern cultic purity, the ascent of the soul, marriage and numerous other religious questions. The authors of these writings are not known.

In theology, Mandaeism reveals its strongly dualistic character, though not an absolute one, because the world of Darkness depends on the Supreme Divinity. The first two treatises of the Treasure are monotheistic. The supreme divinity is the Great Mana, or else the Light or the Life, especially the latter, which gives a characteristic imprint to all of Mandaeism. The Life has beneath it a dense host of 'Utria, the second, third and fourth Life, and still other beings of various kinds. The second Life is Iosamin, the third is Abatur, the fourth Ptahil. The latter is the creator of the world and of the first couple, Adam and Eve. The champion of the Life in the struggle against Darkness is Hibil. Manda d'Hia is the most eminent of the envoys of the Life sent to help and redeem the soul; he is its helper and redeemer. He, together with other envoys, has communicated to men the laws, the precepts and the prohibitions of the Life. The Mandaic devil is 'Ur, son of Ruha, by knowing whom he procreated the five planets, the Settimani, that is, the seven planets, and the Twelve, the signs of the zodiac, all progenitors of the various species of demons, always intent on opposing the Life, its ministers and the souls, especially when these, abandoning the body, undertake the masigita, the ascent toward the dwelling of the Life or of the Light. The soul, a particle of the Light, is ill at ease in the dark body and is continually attacked by the demons, but finally, after death, it ascends toward the Life; it must, however, pass before the seven guard posts, majarata, held by the planetary demons, where it is subjected to interrogations about its possible transgressions, but, if found innocent, it ascends toward the dwelling of Abatur, the weigher and judge, who either condemns it to expiate its faults in the guard posts or absolves it, so that it can enter the dwelling of the Light or Life. During the ascent its relatives seek by means of a ceremony to confer strength to ascend to heaven.

Every transgression of the divine laws, which refer as much to religion as to morality and social life, constitutes a sin. The great sins are four. Sin must be confessed to the ganzibra and expiated. Whoever is without sin is perfect. Every M. must seek to be perfect. The moral conception of the M. is very lofty and severe. The M. must be meek, peaceful and kind to all, even to those who have done him harm. Marriage is obligatory and can be contracted only with a M.

The most important ceremony is baptism, majbuta, which the M. performs only in running water, Jordan, and on many occasions. The M. also have a kind of communion with the pihta, which is wheat bread without salt and unleavened, and with the mambuha, the water drink. The number of prayers is prescribed. A vague reminiscence of Confirmation is found in the signing with oil, performed after Baptism.

In the priestly hierarchy three grades are distinguished: the Bhanda, the deacon, the termida, the priest, and the ganzibra, the bishop. The church is an oblong hut made of reeds and clay, the manda. There exist severe regulations on the slaughtering of animals for food. Some foods are forbidden, and there are numerous other prohibitions. The ritual color of the M. is white.

Giuseppe Furlani