Šarḥ ḏ Qabin ḏ šišlam Rba (D. C. 38). Explanatory Commentary on the Marriage Ceremony of the great Šišlam

122 Pages·1950·6.264 MB·English

by  Ethel Stefana Drower

EM z 1 КТЕ МТА 11А ~ N.12
(SACRA SCRIPTURA ANTIQUITATIBUS ORIENTALIBUS ILLUSTRATA)
SARH d QABIN d SISLAM RBA
Bu ur 2.
MARRIAGE-CEREMONY OF THE GREAT SISLAM
TEXT TRANSLITERATED AND TRANSLATED
BY
E. S. DROWER
ROMA
PONTIFICIO ISTITUTO. BIBLICO
1950
vo
LIBRARY
Southern California
SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
Claremont, California
From the library of
Dr. Oren 5. Waite

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BIBLICA ET ORIENTALIA
(SACRA SCRIPTURA ANTIQUITATIBUS ORIENTALIBUS ILLUSTRATA)
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ROMA
PONTIFICIO ISTITUTO BIBLICO
1950
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' SARH d QABIN d SISLAM RBA,
(D. C. 88)
EXPLANATORY COMMENTARY
ON THE
"MARRIAGE-CEREMONY OF THE GREAT SISLAM
TEXT TRANSLITERATED AND TRANSLATED
BY
E. S. DROWER
ROMA
PONTIFICIO ISTITUTO BIBLICO
1950
Tarea di t ionis et verns ionis геѕе уати иа
PRINTED IN ITALY
TIPOGRAFIVx AA S P54I3 O E X SI- R VIA DEGLI ETRUSCHI 7- ROMA
KISERACE E
When making this translation I used my own manuscript, D. С. 38,
comparing the first part with a manuscript in the collection of the late Pére
Anastase-Marie de St. Élie in Baghdad, and the later parts with an anthology
of liturgical prayers and chants (Niania wDrasia)(3) in my own collection
(DIC І
The Commentary falls naturally into sections. Тһе first, which gives its
name to the whole book, is devoted to a description of the actual ritual and
traditional procedure at a Mandaean wedding (2). This section is repeated at
the end of the book. The other sections are the prayers, hymns and songs
appointed for recital during the ceremony. The second part opens with an
alphabetical composition of a type common in Mandaean religious literature,
and continues with a series of hymns to accompany the inspection of the
religious dress or rasta, each hymn celebrating a separate item. This merges
into a section called the 77ZaZaza/a, “ Wedding Songs”. Professor Lidzbarski,
who translated a few of them, calls them “ volkstümliche Liedchen ". They
are far from easy, as they are written in the vernacular, a language close to
the spoken Mandaic of today. I cannot pretend to be entirely satisfied with
my effort to render them into English, although most are, I believe, adequately
translated. At the end of this third part there are more hymns, recited in
antiphon, the group forming a whole section, a long poem entitled А? azil
bhira dakia.
Problems offered by this interesting poem are of another kind; we are
dealing here with the language of mysticism. Arbitrary meanings are attached
(*) Notes on beings named in the manuscript are given in alphabetical order in
the Appendix.
(1) A selection from "NVzamia uDrasia was translated into German by the late
professor Mark Lidzbarski and published in Berlin in 1920 under the title Wanddische
Liturgien.
(3) This should be compared with my eye-witness account of Mandaean weddings
in MMII. There are mistakes in the latter owing to my then imperfect knowledge
of the language. For instance, I was told that gaózz meant “ bridegroom”, whereas
the word refers to the marriage-contract, (P. cs = “ marriage-settlement "), hence
* marriage-ceremony "'.
4 Preface
to simple words іп an effort to convey the mystical and divine. Nukraiia,
for instance, means more than “ strange” in the plural, it means that which
is not of this world, something beyond human understanding, remote, sublime,
transcendent. Tušlimia, literally ** consummated-perfections" is an epithet
applied to the Great Life, who in Itself (or Themselves) personifies being
and existence, future, present and past, and is both passive and active. The
use of the abstract plural for Divine Being makes the number of the verb
somewhat confusing. I have tried to convey this plural-individuality by the
use of capital letters; for example adahata, (the active and creative principle
of life) I translate * Father” and not “ fathers ”.
The final section is an astrological appendix, conveniently bound with
the Sark because no Mandaean bridegroom is allowed to approach his bride
for the first time at an unpropitious moment. Hence it may be some days
before the marriage is consummated ; and it is the priest who tells the pair
when consummation may safely take place after the ceremony. Thereafter,
both bridegroom and bride are unclean for seven days, and until they are
again baptised.
The hymns beginning A? azil bhira dakia must at one time have formed
a complete book. Three hymns from this book have found their way into
the Ginza Rba. The first deals with an embassy from the Great Life to the
uthras who have failed, or are out of harmony with the cosmic plan.
These аге named as YuSamin, Abatur and Ptahil. Hibil Ziwa is entrusted
with the mission. The first two become reconciled to the Great Life, but
Ptahil rebels and turns to the planets and demons for support. Thereupon
YuSamin attempts to punish Ptahil, but the Great Life prevents his violence
and Ptahil at last makes his submission. The second hymn is a variation on
the theme of the first. It is the uthras who urge Manda d Hiia to reform
YuSamin and reprove him for mistreating the “pure pearl" (the soul).
Manda d Hiia bids Hibil Ziwa to remove the “ pure pearl" from material
creation, and with it, apparently, bght, loveliness and perfume from the world.
Both YuSamin and Ptahil protest; but YuSamin is angered at the complaint
of Ptahil who has been chained for his failures, and officiously casts him into
yet stronger chains. The Great Life intervenes, releases Ptahil, and, after a
renewed conflict between the uthras, all ends in understanding and peace.
These two hymns have been translated by Lidzbarski in his Ginza (G. R.
pp. 355-370).
The third is unnoticed by either Lidzbarski or Norberg in his Codex
Nasaraeus, and was probably absent from the manuscripts they used when
translating. It follows the other two in my own copy of the Ginza (D. C. 22)
and again deals with the resentment of Ptahil and his ultimate forgiveness.