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Zihrun Raza Kasia

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The Šarḥ ḏ-Zihrun Raza Kasia (Classical Mandaic: ࡔࡀࡓࡇ ࡖࡆࡉࡄࡓࡅࡍ ࡓࡀࡆࡀ ࡊࡀࡎࡉࡀ; "The Scroll of Zihrun, the Hidden Mystery") is a Mandaean religious text that describes rituals such as the masbuta, masiqta, and other related topics. It is an illustrated scroll.[1]

Zihrun Raza Kasia
Zihrun, the Hidden Mystery
Information
ReligionMandaeism
LanguageMandaic language

Zihrun (referred to as Zihrun Raza Kasia or "Zihrun the Hidden Mystery" in full) is the name of an uthra.

The phrase Zihrun Raza Kasia is also mentioned in the Mandaean prayer Asut Malkia.[2]

Manuscripts and translations

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An illustrated scroll was purchased by E. S. Drower from Shaikh Yahia at Qal'at Saleh, southern Iraq in May 1937. Today, it is held as manuscript 27 in the Drower Collection of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, and is commonly abbreviated DC 27.[1]

Bogdan Burtea translated the DC 27 manuscript into German in 2008, and also provided a detailed commentary as part of the published translation.[3]

The scroll consists of pieces of paper that have been glued together and is approximately 691 cm long, of which 660 cm contain writing and illustrations. The scroll is about 30 cm wide, with 26 cm used for writing. There are 559 lines of writing. A scribal note in the manuscript says that the text was copied in 1088 A.H. (1677 A.D.).[3]

Contents

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The contents of the DC 27 scroll are:[3]

  • Lines 1–22: Introduction
  • Lines 23–190: The baptism (masbuta) of Zihrun Raza Kasia
  • Lines 231–232: Illustrations, with explanations
  • Lines 191–231: Esoteric content
  • Lines 232–523: The masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia
  • Lines 524–559: Colophon

The masiqta of Zihrun Razia Kasia is performed for people who have died from unclean deaths, such as during one of the minor mbaṭṭal days (inauspicious days during which all rituals are forbidden),[4] or from snakebite, attacks by wild animals, or insect bites.[5]

Ritual and prayer sequences

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See also: List of Qulasta prayers

Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for both the Masiqta[6] and Masbuta[7] of Zihrun Raza Kasia in the Šarḥ ḏ-Zihrun Raza Kasia, as summarized in Burtea (2008).[3] All prayer numbers, originally in Roman numerals, are from Part 1 (the Qolastā) of Mark Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien (ML) unless otherwise specified (e.g., the Oxford Collection, which is Part 2 of Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien, or CP, which is Drower's 1959 Canonical Prayerbook).[8]

Masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia

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Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for the Masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia as given in the text:

 
Example of a pandama, or cloth covering the mouth (left) at a 2019 Parwanaya festival in Iraq
Ritual/Action Prayers recited
rising
raising the crown 1, 3, 5, 19
wrapping mouth-covering cloth (pandama) 32
hold bottle 33
incense into the fire 34
recitation 75–77, 9, 35
holding the wreath 46–47
oil 48
brushing with oil 3 times 49
3 strokes 50
3 strokes 51
pause drawing 52
3 strokes 53
separate the pihta from the wreath
break off a piece of pihta
mixing water with hamra
recitation 54
remove the pandama 55–56
eat the pihta
drinking mambuha (sacramental water)
drinking halalta (rinsing water)
rising 56
giving a bowl 57
recitation 58–71
putting hands on the bread 72
performing kušṭa
recitation 75–77
wrapping pandama 32
holding bottle 33
putting incense into the fire 34
recitation 75–77, 9, 35
recitation for the hamra 44–45
recitation for the myrtle wreath 46–47
drawing with oil 48–49
holding the bottle 91
taking the qina 91
prepare 9 pihta masiqta of the ancestors (dabahata)
wrapping the pandama 32
holding water 33
holding incense 34
incense into the fire 75
recitation 75–77, 9, 35
taking the pihta 36
recitation 36–43
taking the hamra 44
recitation 45
recitation for the myrtle wreath 46–47
taking the oil 48
spread with oil 49
recitation 50
holding back the hands 51
spreading 51
holding back the hands 52
drawing
recitation 53
3 strokes
remove the pihta from the wreath
break a piece of the pihta
mix water with hamra
dip the pihta in hamra
recitation 54
remove the pandama 55
eat pihta and drink hamra
put incense into the fire 56
recitation 57–58
setting the table (patura) 59–60
recitation 61–69, 91–99, 70, 100
recitation 71–72
recitation sinner, rahmia
performing kušṭa 30f. (ML 50, 10f.)
recitation 101–103, 63, 3
not honoring the crown
recitation Oxford book 1, prayer 3
bringing the ritual table and the patura
eating and drinking water
blessing the alms container
sealing with the great seal

Summary of the prayer sequence listed above:

  • 1, 3, 5, 19
  • 32–34
  • 75–77, 9, 35
  • 46–72
  • 75–77
  • 32–34
  • 75–77, 9, 35
  • 44–49
  • 91
  • dabahata
  • 32–34
  • 75
  • 75–77, 9, 35
  • 36
  • 36–69, 91–99, 70, 100
  • 71–72
  • sinner, rahmia; 30f.
  • 101–103, 63, 3
  • 3

Masbuta of Zihrun Raza Kasia

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Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for the Masbuta of Zihrun Raza Kasia as given in the text:

Ritual preliminaries

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
recitation Oxford book 1, prayer 1
raising of the crown 3, 5, 19
incense into the fire 8
honoring the crowns quote from 71
preparation of the myrtle wreath 79
going to the river bank 80, 81
recitation quote from 18
taking pandama 7
reciting for the incense 8
recitation 85–87, 35

Baptism in the river

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
recitation 9–11
reciting for the turban 12
entry of the priest 13
preparation of the olive staff 14
recitation of the exorcism prayers 15–18
entrance of the baptized
immersion, 3 times
drawing, 3 times 76
3 times immersion with river water
erection of the myrtle wreath 9, 5
pronouncing the names
rising of the baptized
performing kušṭa kušṭa heal you, and strengthen you
recitation 82
deconsecration of the river 20
ascension of the priest 21

Oil drawing

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
recitation of the oil 22–24
performing kušṭa kušṭa heal you, my wreath

The meal for the baptized

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
recitation 8 prayers of the pihta
recitation for mambuha 44–45
eating pihta
drinking mambuha
performing kušṭa kušṭa heal you
recitation of the sealing prayers 25–28
rising 29
recitation of the hymn of baptism 30
recitation of the baptismal prayers 82–90
drinking water 3 times 71
recitation 72
performing kušṭa kušṭa heal you

Priestly meal

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
eating pihta
drinking mambuha
recitation 59–60

Conclusion

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Ritual/Action Prayers recited
recitation 57, 72, CP 171
performing kušṭa with the ašganda
recitation 63
baptism of the banner (drabša)
recitation of names (zharia)

Summary of the entire masbuta prayer sequence listed above:

  • 1, 3, 5, 19
  • 8
  • 71
  • 79–81
  • 18
  • 7–8
  • 85–87, 35
  • 9–18
  • 76
  • 9, 5
  • 82
  • 20–24
  • 8 pihta prayers
  • 44–45
  • 25–30
  • 82–90
  • 71–72
  • 59–60
  • 57, 72, 171
  • 63

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
  2. ^ Al-Mubaraki, Majid Fandi; Mubaraki, Brian (2010). Qulasta - 'niania & Qabina / Mandaean Liturgical Prayer Book (Responses & Marriage). Vol. 2. Luddenham, New South Wales: Mandaean Research Centre. ISBN 9781876888152. (1999 edition: ISBN 0-9585704-4-X)
  3. ^ a b c d Burtea, Bogdan (2008). Zihrun, das verborgene Geheimnis (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05644-1. OCLC 221130512.
  4. ^ Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
  5. ^ Buckley, Jorunn J. (2016). "Mandaic Literature". The Oxford Handbook of the Literatures of the Roman Empire. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199699445.013.9. ISBN 978-0-19-969944-5.
  6. ^ Burtea 2008: 189-191
  7. ^ Burtea 2008: 142-144
  8. ^ Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. Mandäische Liturgien. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.
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