Religious concept of vines in Mandaeism
In Mandaeism, a gufna or gupna (Classical Mandaic : ࡂࡅࡐࡍࡀ, lit. '(grape)vine') is an uthra that is described as a personified grapevine in the World of Light.
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In Mandaeism, a gufna or gupna (Classical Mandaic : ࡂࡅࡐࡍࡀ, lit. '(grape)vine') is an uthra that is described as a personified grapevine in the World of Light.
In various Mandaean texts, several heavenly beings are described as personified grapevines (gupna) in the World of Light. For example, Right Ginza 15.8 lists the following gupnas in order:
Yusmir, Šar, and Pirun are also mentioned in the first chapter of the Mandaean Book of John . [4] [5]
Right Ginza 17.1 mentions Šarat (literal meaning: 'she was firm') as a gupna. Šarat-Niṭupta is mentioned in Mandaean Book of John 68, and Šahrat is mentioned in Qulasta prayer 188.
In Mandaeism, vines are used to symbolize believers, or 'those of the true faith'. [6]
An uthra or ʿutra is a "divine messenger of the light" in Mandaeism. Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath translate it as "excellency". Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley defines them as "Lightworld beings, called 'utras ." Aldihisi (2008) compares them to the yazata of Zoroastrianism. According to E. S. Drower, "an 'uthra is an ethereal being, a spirit of light and Life."
The Right Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza.
In Mandaeism, Manda d-Hayyi or Manda ḏ-Hiia is an uthra sent by the Great Life as a messenger to John the Baptist. Manda d-Hayyi is considered to be the most important uthra, since he is the one bringing manda to Earth (Tibil).
In Mandaeism, Hibil or Hibil Ziwa is an uthra from the World of Light. Hibil is considered to be the Mandaean equivalent of Abel.
In Mandaeism, Shitil is an uthra from the World of Light. Shitil is considered to be the Mandaean equivalent of Seth.
In Mandaeism, Adathan and Yadathan are a pair of uthras who stand at the Gate of Life in the World of Light, praising and worshipping Hayyi Rabbi. In the Ginza Rabba and Qulasta, they are always mentioned together. Book 14 of the Right Ginza mentions Adathan and Yadathan as the guardians of the "first river".
In Mandaeism, Sam Ziwa is an uthra from the World of Light. Sam Ziwa is considered to be the Mandaean equivalent of Shem. He is also considered to be a guardian of the soul.
In Mandaean cosmology, Piriawis, also known as the Yardna Rabba, is the sacred life-giving river (yardna) of the World of Light. It is the heavenly counterpart of rivers on Earth (Tibil), which are considered by Mandaeans to be manifestations of the heavenly Piriawis.
In Mandaeism, Yawar Ziwa is an uthra from the World of Light. He is the personification of light, as well as the head of reproductive powers.
The Asut Malkia or Asiet Malkia is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism. In the prayer, the reciter wishes health and victory upon dozens of heavenly and ancestral figures. According to E. S. Drower, it is recited daily by priests and also before all baptisms (masbuta), ritual meals (lofani), and various rites.
Ziwa is an Aramaic term that is typically translated as 'radiance' or 'splendor.' It is frequently used as an epithet for celestial beings and manifestations of God in Gnostic religions such as Mandaeism and Manichaeism.
In Mandaeism, Urfeil and Marfeil are a pair of uthras in the World of Light that are always mentioned together. They are mentioned in Books 3 and 5 of the Right Ginza, as well as in Qulasta prayer 168.
In Mandaeism, Nbaṭ is an uthra who is described as the "King of Air" or the "first great Radiance." He is also called Nbaṭ Rba or Nbaṭ Ziwa "the Radiant Nbaṭ", literally "Radiance Burst Forth". In The Thousand and Twelve Questions , he is also known as Kušṭa Yaqra "Solemn Truth".
Shihlun is an uthra in the World of Light. In the Mandaean Book of John, he is noted for his opposition to the creation of the material universe by Ptahil and his assistant uthras.
In Mandaeism, Nṣab is an uthra. He is also called Nṣab Rba or Nṣab Ziwa. Nṣab and Anan-Nṣab are frequently mentioned together as a pair in the Right Ginza and Qulasta.
In Sethian Gnostic texts, Yesseus Mazareus Yessedekeus is the personification of the Living Water. He is mentioned in the Nag Hammadi tractates of the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Zostrianos, and Apocalypse of Adam.
In Mandaeism, Yura is an uthra. Yura is mentioned in Right Ginza 15.7, 15.8, 16.1, and 17.1, as well as in Qulasta prayers 214 and 379.
In Mandaeism, Tarwan is a section of the World of Light that is typically described as a "pure land."
In Mandaeism, an anana is a heavenly cloud in the World of Light that is considered to be the dwelling place of uthras. An anana can also be interpreted as a female consort.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Mandaeism.
