MEND^ANS
81
MEND^ANS
all kinds of screen^, and amulets for sickness and other misfortunes which evil spirits may bring ; these charms are to be worn on the breast. Those used against in- curable diseases are called X'^H'S]?, those against cura- ble disorders X^TCQ. According to Ignatius a Jesu, the}' also possess another work, entitled " Biran,'^ of which he gives an account ; yet the characteristics he furnishes of it seem to apply equally to the Sidra liahha, and it is thought that the latter may be the work he refers to.
Belief. — Their religion, which is a singular mixture of the most opposite systems of antiquity, is very ob- scure and confused, the more as, in the course of time, it underwent different and often contradictory modifica- tions, which we lind in their religious works. Another very perplexing feature of the system for those who study it is that the same deities or angels are some- times designated by entirely different names, luitil it becomes almost impossible to establish their identity.
In a single abstract from the Sidra Rabba (i, 130- 236) we lind no less than three conflicting accounts of the creation. They agree in placing at the beginning of all things NST X'^'^S, Pira Rabba, "the great fruit," the X3T xniQ 152, Bego Pira Rabba, "in the great fruit." This recalls the Orphean myth of a world's egg, containing the germ of all that exists. Norberg, in his preface, remark 3, not being able to understand XI'^S, transformed it into 5<n"iS, which, in his Onomasticon, he explains " volucris, sc. Phoenix," and translates the preceding words "(fuit) Ferho per Ferho," which, in the Oiiom., he explains by " Summum Numen per se exstitit." At the same time with the great fruit was the N'^I^^'n xan NiX^, "3fana the Lord of Glory," andtlie xnn XliT "i;^X, "the Etherof great briUiancy," which latter is the world, in which the Muna Rabba reigns, and which contains the XST X5'7"i;|i, " the great Jordan" (they call all rivers Jordans), which proceeds from him. Mana Rabba finally called forth " the life," X^n (sc. Xi^'lp, " the first"). This accomplished the act of creation, and the ]Mana Rabba at once went into the most absolute retirement, where he dwells invisible to all but tlie purest emanations, and the most pious among the ISIendajans, who, after their death, are per- mitted, Ijut only once, to contemplate the Almighty. As the revealed, active, and governing dei'ty — but not similar to the semigods of the Gnostics — stands the Chaye Kadmaye, " the first life," which is therefore en- titled to the first worship and adoration. Hence also it is it, and not the Mana Rabba, who is first invoked in all prayers, and with whose name every book begins. It is designated under a variety of names, even some- times by those applied to the Mana Rabba, with whom it is occasionally confounded. Like him, it dwells in the pure, brilliant ether, which is considered as a world in itself, in which all that exists is pervaded by the wa- ters of the fire of life, and is inhabited by numberless UthrC-, X"^"iriS", "angels," who dwell there in eternal blessedness. From the Chaye Kadmaye emanated first the Ckayc Thinydne, Xi^Dn X.'^H, " the second life," of- ten called also l''^dl'^, and then the X'^nn N'lSp, Mandd. de-Chaye. This is sometimes (ii, 208) called '*)!'?':?» the " pure," yet is described as susceptible of im- pure thoughts : thus it attempted to usurp the place of the first life, and was on that account exiled from, the pure ether into the world of light, being separated from it by the X.-^-^ X-^^iSn (the Cabalists call them "ip-'SJX D^^a). It is similar to Cain, while its younger brother, Manda de-Chaye, represents Abel. He is called the fa- ther, master, and king of the Uthre, lord of the worlds, the beloved son, the good shepherd, the high-priest, the word of life, the XoyoQ, the teacher and redeemer of mankind, who descended into hell and chained the devil : YI.— F
he is, in short, the Christ of the Mendaeans ; and as the followers of our Saviour, so are they named after the founder of their faith. He dAvells with the father, who is supposed to be sometimes Chaye Kadmaye, sometimes Mana Rabba, and is, like the "first life," called D'lX !!<!^^7l? (comp. in the Cabala, 'ii'2'lp D'lX). He re- vealed himself, however, to humanity in his three sons, who are also called his brothers, P'^3'iri,P^nik3, and dl3X (Abel, Seth, and Enoch). In another place it is said that Hebil alone is his son, Shethil his grandson, and Anush his great-grandson. Hebil, the most important among them, is almost equally venerated with the Manda de-Chaye, receives the same names, and is often confounded with him. He is generally named -'"^S'^tl XT^t. Among the Uthre, " angels," who emanated from Chaye Thinyune, the first and most eminent is X^^H X'^n'ilpn, "the third life;" often also called "iir^x, Abathur. This is not the "buffalo," as erroneously as- serted by Gesenius (in Erscli und Gruber, EncyUop. s. V. Zabier), but only has that name because of his being called Kar ti,ox<]v, "the father of the Uthre," X2X X^"iri13'"1. He is also called "the old, the hidden, the watcher." He sits at the limit of the world of light, where, at the door which leads to the middle and lower regions, and in a scale which he always holds in his hand, he weighs the deeds of the departed as they appear before him to gain admittance. Under him there was in the beginning an immense void, and at the bottom of it the troubled, black waters, X^IXI^p X^^ri. As he looked down and saw his image reflected in it, arose b'^nxrS, who is also called Gabriel, and retains in part the nature of the dark waters from which he proceeded. He received from his father tlie mission to bviild the earth and to create man.. This he is represented some- times as having performed alone; at others, with the aid of the daemons. "When he had created Adam and Eve, he found himself unable to give them an upright posture, or to breathe the spirit into them. Hebil, She- thil, and Anush then interfered, and obtained from Chaye Kadmaye (or took from Pethahil at his instigation) the spirit of INIana, and infused it into man, that he might not worship Pethahil as his creator. Tlie latter was on that account exiled from the world of light by his fa- ther, and consigned to a place below, where he is to re- main until the day of judgment. He will then be raised up by Hebil-Siva, be baptized, made king of the Uthre, and will be generally worshipped. The nether world consists of four entrances into hell, or limbo, each of which is governed by a king and queen. Then only comes the real kingdom of darkness, divided into three parts, governed by three old, single kings — Shedum, the grandson of darkness; Gio, the great; and Krun, or Karkum, " the great mountain of flesh," who, as the oldest and greatest among them, the first-born king of darkness, inhabits the lowest region. In the entrances to hell there is yet dirty, slimy water; in the real hell there is none, and Krun's kingdom consists only of dust and vacancy. In hell and its entrance there is no longer anj' brilliancy in fire, but only a consuming power. Hc- bil-Siva (or jManda de-Chaye), sustained by the power of Mana Kabba, descended into it, unravelled the mysr teries of the lower regions, took all power from their kings, and closed the door of the different worlds. By subterfuge he brought out Rucha, daughter of Kin, the queen of darkness, and prevented her return to the nether world. She then bore the worst of all devils, "IIX, the fire, i. e. the destroyer, whom Hebil-Siva, when in his zeal he sought to storm the worlds of light, threw into the> black waters, bound, and surrounded with iron and seven golden walls. While Pethahil was occupied in the creation of the world and of man, Rucha bore first seven, then twelve, and again five sons to the fire. These twenty-four sons -were by Pethahil transplanted