The Alf Trisar Suialia “The Thousand and Twelve Questions”

E. S. Drower

doi:10.1017/S0035869X00093424

The Alf Trisar Suialia “The Thousand and Twelve Questions”

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011

E. S. Drower

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The Manuscripts.—The only copy of this text that I have seen in Europe is Code Sabéen 16 in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Berlin has no copy, and as both Lidzbarski and Nöldeke quote from the Paris MS., it was, apparently, the only copy to which they had access. It, however, has not all the texts which compose the miscellany, as I found when I compared it with the rolls in my possession; for, like most of the longer Mandæan books, the Alf Trisar Šuialia is not a single composition, but a collection of writings or fragments under the title of one of the texts incorporated. I have two copies of the roll, and in both the first part of the text has suffered through much recopying. The outer convolutions of a roll suffer more from wear and tear than the inner, and hence one rarely finds an old MS. roll that does not show traces of dilapidation and repair in the earlier portion. When reed huts catch fire, an accident which often occurs, the outer layers alone become charred, as the fire dies down quickly, and the smouldering roll is easily rescued from the ashes.

Type: Articles
Information: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 73 , Issue 2 , April 1941 , pp. 101 - 126

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00093424 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1941

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^{page 104 note 1} 'uthra, a spirit of life or light.

^{page 104 note 2} Hibil Ziwa, the Light-Giver, is a spirit concerned with the care of mankind. In this text he sometimes identified with Yawar Ziwa and with Šišlam (see below).

^{page 104 note 3} The Aina uSindirka, the Wellspring and the Palmtree, are symbols of fecundity and creation. The Palm-tree represents the male and the Well the female.

^{page 104 note 4} Tana. Lidzbarski, puzzled by this word, leaves it untranslated when it occurs in Mandäische Liturgien. “vapour”, “reeking”, hardly fits, as tana (tanna) is often associated with images of melting, glowing, or burning. “thlathma alfia 'uthria ḏ lkifẖ ḏ tana yatba” (“300,000 'uthras that sit on the bank of the Tanna”) suggests water, as does the above passage. The Assyrian tannu, “Geräth,” is a possible clue to the meaning.

^{page 104 note 5} Not the Jordan, but all flowing water.

^{page 104 note 6} Šišlam Rba, Šišlam the Great, is the archpriest of Mandæan mythology and also the Archbridegroom. In marriage ritual the bridegroom becomes Šišlam and the bride 'Zlat (see below, part VI). The consecration of a priest is called “The Coronation of Šišlam the Great”. As Šišlam is the Priest, so 'Zlat his bride, is priestly craft and knowledge, which is roughly the meaning of Naṣirutha. A Naṣurai is a man skilled in priestly mysteries, exorcism and white magic, and ranks higher than a mere priest, or headpriest. In the passage quoted above, 'Zlat as spouse of Yawar Ziwa is here also identified with Simat Hiia, who is the great Mother Spirit.

^{page 105 note 1} Naṣirutha, see above note.

^{page 105 note 2} Mhita wasutha, i.e. unwitting transgression and how to become purified after it. Mhita, literally “a blow”, covers all accidental impurity, and is applied to forms of death, which pollute the soul, such as drowning, poison, the attack of a wild beast, and so on.

^{page 105 note 3} Masiqta is the ceremonial ritual meal performed by priests only which assists the soul to rise from the worlds of matter and death into the worlds of spirit and life. It is performed at intervals after death, and can be translated literally “raising-up”.

^{page 109 note 1} According to the Mandæans, the nišimta is the incorruptible divine principle in the body, which comes into it from the worlds of light. It is sometimes called the mana. The ruha, also immaterial, is the principle of physical vitality. Both leave the body at death.

^{page 109 note 2} Or “natures”.

^{page 110 note 1} The tagha (crown) and kila (myrtle wreath) are both worn by the priest when officiating; the former is spoken of as male, the latter as female.

^{page 110 note 2} See p. 105, note 3.

^{page 110 note 3} See note 1, p. 109.

^{page 111 note 1} See p. 104, note 6.

^{page 111 note 2} A head-priest.

^{page 111 note 3} Literally “Setter-in-order”.

^{page 111 note 4} The waters of Death.

^{page 111 note 5} Literally “Height” and “River”, a pair who peopled the world after human life had been destroyed.

^{page 111 note 6} This pair repeopled the earth after another destruction of the human race.

^{page 111 note 7} The son of Noah, the ancestor of the Mandæans and his wife.

^{page 111 note 8} John the Baptist and his wife.

^{page 113 note 1} An odd statement, as the Ba is always the sacrificed dove. See above.

^{page 113 note 2} The Sun spirit.

^{page 114 note 1} As the aubra is classed with the hedgehog and depicted as living in the earth (see below) I take it to be the ab ibra, Father-of-Needles, i.e. the porcupine, an animal found in 'Iraq.

^{page 114 note 2} The priests say that the šultana is a marsh bird with a pouched bill, —the pelican ?

^{page 114 note 3} From the context it appears that this is a bird (the owl ?); but in a magic text the exorcist is told to collect them “by the light of their bellies”, which sounds like glowworms or fireflies, unless a mistake has crept in.

^{page 114 note 4} malakhia, angels, are evil spirits to the Mandæan.

^{page 114 note 5} malkia are spirits of power which may be either good or evil. The 'uthra is always a good spirit.

^{page 114 note 6} A variation of šultana and aṣlunta. The pelican and the owl ?

^{page 114 note 7} usadrat bayar šania should be 'stadrat etc. The legend that the horse is a creature of the elements of fire and air is well known.

^{page 115 note 1} A figure drawn in the text beside this passage represents what appear to be four rods laid so as to form an oblong.

^{page 115 note 2} Ruha, who was brought by Hibil Ziwa from the underworld in a state of pregnancy.

^{page 115 note 3} Kušta, the “troth” is the ritual giving of the right hand in fealty during priestly ritual and at marriage.

^{page 115 note 4} See note 3, p. 105. The ritual meal for the dead.

^{page 115 note 5} The “mentioning” or commemoration of the dead.

^{page 115 note 6} Literally the “Letter”, the ceremony which takes place when a vial of sacred oil is placed on the dying.

^{page 116 note 1} Literally, “the platter and the collection of the oblation,” in other words, a ritual meal eaten sacramentally for the dead called the zidqa brikha.

^{page 116 note 2} See p. 109, note 1.

^{page 116 note 3} An ideal world, the replica of this world, situated midway between the material worlds and the worlds of spirit. Here the conception reminds one of the Garden of Yama. Mšunia Kušṭa is only mentioned once in the entire roll.

^{page 117 note 1} In all three copies this is so.

^{page 119 note 1} This refers, I think, to the ruha, which cannot unite with the nišimta until the spiritual body has been formed.

^{page 119 note 2} A forced allegory at that. The five loaves of the masiqta representing the five intercalary days have been doubled. The number five is always predominant in these ritual meals.

^{page 119 note 3} A masiqta performed in the name of a man and a woman. A ritual roll now in my possession describes the ritual in detail. The association of two sexes in this masiqta accentuates the fertility rites for the rebirth of the soul into new life.

^{page 119 note 4} Only the first lines are quoted.

^{page 120 note 1} The skandola is an iron seal ring upon which are engraved a lion, a hornet, and a scorpion within a circle, tail to head. At birth the child's navel is daubed with a paste of crushed myrtle and sealed by this ring.

^{page 120 note 2} The priestly ring, of gold, is inscribed “Šum Yawar Ziwa”.

^{page 120 note 3} It is worthy of note that in this and the other lists of copyists, an occasional scribe is spoken of as ardilda rama “lofty master-mason”.

^{page 121 note 1} Only a ganzibra (head priest) may perform the marriage ceremony.

^{page 122 note 1} This ritual wedding-feast is fully described in my Mandæans of Iraq and Iran. The meal has the purpose of calling upon the pair the blessing of the ancestors and spirits of Life, and of enduing the couple with fertility.

^{page 122 note 2} i.e. Salt. In the Draša ḏ Yahia, “Salt is the mystery of the soul.”

^{page 122 note 3} The water and wine in the wedding-ritual, as in other Mandæan rites, symbolize the fertilization of the female by the male, which is pointed by the presence of a_model of the phallus, the Ṣa.

^{page 123 note 1} I do not know the precise meaning of Parzam. Jastrow (Dictionary of the Targumim etc.) has “to burst open”. Hence, “publish it abroad” ?

^{page 123 note 2} There is no account of the most important drinking of the hamra by either bride or bridegroom. The best account of the Mandæan wedding, including charming marriage songs, is the Šarḥ ḏ Qabin ḏ Šišlam Rba, which I possess.

^{page 123 note 3} This practice seems to have been abandoned. Amongst Parsis such anticipatory ceremonies are common.

^{page 124 note 1} 'Ngirtha (Letter) see note 5, p. 16. According to priests this rite nowadays is only performed for a dying layman if a ganzibra is to be consecrated. See my Mandæans of Iraq and Iran.

^{page 124 note 2} Kth ansitẖ lhazin diwan hua kdib lišana ḏ mara ḏ hazin diwan ḏ ana ansit minẖ.

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