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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
An illustration of several uthria in Zihrun Raza Kasia (Ms. DC 27)
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 name 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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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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The pandama (mouth veil): Tarmida Sahi Bashikh wearing a pandama as he reads Mandaean prayers at Yahya Yuhana Mandi during Parwanaya 2025

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

Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
rising
raising the crown1, 3, 5, 19
wrapping mouth-covering cloth (pandama)32
hold bottle33
incense into the fire34
recitation75–77, 9, 35
holding the wreath46–47
oil48
brushing with oil 3 times49
3 strokes50
3 strokes51
pause drawing52
3 strokes53
separate the pihta from the wreath
break off a piece of pihta
mixing water with hamra
recitation54
remove the pandama55–56
eat the pihta
drinking mambuha (sacramental water)
drinking halalta (rinsing water)
rising56
giving a bowl57
recitation58–71
putting hands on the bread72
performing kušṭa
recitation75–77
wrapping pandama32
holding bottle33
putting incense into the fire34
recitation75–77, 9, 35
recitation for the hamra44–45
recitation for the myrtle wreath46–47
drawing with oil48–49
holding the bottle91
taking the qina91
prepare 9 pihtamasiqta of the ancestors (dabahata)
wrapping the pandama32
holding water33
holding incense34
incense into the fire75
recitation75–77, 9, 35
taking the pihta36
recitation36–43
taking the hamra44
recitation45
recitation for the myrtle wreath46–47
taking the oil48
spread with oil49
recitation50
holding back the hands51
spreading51
holding back the hands52
drawing
recitation53
3 strokes
remove the pihta from the wreath
break a piece of the pihta
mix water with hamra
dip the pihta in hamra
recitation54
remove the pandama55
eat pihta and drink hamra
put incense into the fire56
recitation57–58
setting the table (patura)59–60
recitation61–69, 91–99, 70, 100
recitation71–72
recitationsinner, rahmia
performing kušṭa30f. (ML 50, 10f.)
recitation101–103, 63, 3
not honoring the crown
recitation108 (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/ActionPrayers recited
recitationOxford book 1, prayer 1
raising of the crown3, 5, 19
incense into the fire8
honoring the crownsquote from 71
preparation of the myrtle wreath79
going to the river bank80, 81
recitationquote from 18
taking pandama7
reciting for the incense8
recitation85–87, 35

Baptism in the river

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Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
recitation9–11
reciting for the turban12
entry of the priest13
preparation of the olive staff14
recitation of the exorcism prayers15–18
entrance of the baptized
immersion, 3 times
drawing, 3 times76
3 times immersion with river water
erection of the myrtle wreath9, 5
pronouncing the names
rising of the baptized
performing kušṭakušṭa heal you, and strengthen you
recitation82
deconsecration of the river20
ascension of the priest21

Oil drawing

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Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
recitation of the oil22–24
performing kušṭakušṭa heal you, my wreath

The meal for the baptized

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Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
recitation8 prayers of the pihta
recitation for mambuha44–45
eating pihta
drinking mambuha
performing kušṭakušṭa heal you
recitation of the sealing prayers25–28
rising29
recitation of the hymn of baptism30
recitation of the baptismal prayers82–90
drinking water 3 times71
recitation72
performing kušṭakušṭa heal you

Priestly meal

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Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
eating pihta
drinking mambuha
recitation59–60

Conclusion

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Ritual/ActionPrayers recited
recitation57, 72, CP 171
performing kušṭa with the ašganda
recitation63
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

Illustrations

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Zihrun Raza Kasia (DC 27) contains two large illustrations: one depicting uthras, and another one depicting plants.[9]

Uthras

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Below is an illustration of uthras in the World of Light in Zihrun Raza Kasia (DC 27). Clockwise starting from the top-center figure (standing upright): Nidbai Rba, riha ("incense"; small rectangular block to the right of Nidbai Rba), Adatan Rba, [u-]Iadatan Rba, Hibil Ziua, ašganda (priest's assistant, the only figure without a margna), Mara ḏ-Rabuta ("Father of Greatness"), Anuš Rba, Šilmai Rba.[9]

Plants

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Below is an illustration of heavenly garden with trees and plants in Zihrun Raza Kasia (DC 27).[9] All plant names are masculine except for šušmia (sesame) and hiṭia (wheat), which are feminine [fem.]. Various kinds of plants are depicted: the date palm, fig, grape, myrtle, olive, pomegranate, quince, sesame, walnut, and wheat, along with incense.[10]

  • Left column – plants from top to bottom: šušmia [fem.] (sesame), guṭaipa (grape), amuza (walnut), rmana (pomegranate), spargla (quince)
  • Middle column – sindirka (date palm tree, label at the bottom); riha (incense, label at the top)
  • Right column – plants from top to bottom: ʿlana (tree), hiṭia [fem.] (wheat), zaita (olive), tinta (fig), asa (myrtle)

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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: 189–91
  7. ↑ Burtea 2008: 142–4
  8. ↑ Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. Mandäische Liturgien. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.
  9. 1 2 3 Burtea 2008: 52–3
  10. ↑ van Rompaey, Sandra (2024). Mandaean Symbolic Art. Turnhout: Brepols. ISBN 978-2-503-59365-4.
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