World of Light

For the Manichaean World of Light, see Manichaeism § The World of Light.

In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld^[1] (Classical Mandaic: ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡍࡄࡅࡓࡀ, romanized: alma ḏ-nhūra) is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged.

Description

• The Great Life (Hayyi Rabbi or Supreme God/Monad) is the ruler of the World of Light.
• Countless uthras dwell in škintas in the World of Light. (A škinta is a celestial dwelling where uthras, or benevolent celestial beings, live in the World of Light.^[2])
• The World of Light is the source of the Great Yardna (Jordan River) of Life, also known as Piriawis.
• Ether/Air (ࡀࡉࡀࡓ), which can be thought of as heavenly breath or energy, permeates the World of Light.^[2]
• The Mšunia Kušṭa is a part of the World of Light considered to be the dwelling place of heavenly or ideal counterparts (dmuta).^[1]
• In some Mandaean texts, Tarwan is a part of the World of Light that is described as a "pure land."^[3]
• Water flows from the World of Light to Tibil via hapiqia miia, or cosmic streams of water, also known as Hitpun.^[4]: 215

Ascension

When a Mandaean person dies, priests perform elaborate death rituals or death masses called masiqta in order to help guide the soul (nišimta) towards the World of Light. In order to pass from Tibil (Earth) to the World of Light, the soul must go through multiple maṭarta (watch-stations, toll-stations or purgatories; see also Aerial toll house, Arcs of Descent and Ascent, and Araf) before finally being reunited with the dmuta, the soul's heavenly counterpart.^[2]

Parallels

The idea has some parallels with the Gnostic concept of pleroma.

See also

• Heaven
• Divine light
• Pleroma in Gnosticism
• Form of the Good in Platonism
• Nūr (Islam)
• Ohr in Jewish mysticism
• Tabor Light

References

1. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
2. Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
3. Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.
4. Häberl, Charles (2022). The Book of Kings and the Explanations of This World: A Universal History from the Late Sasanian Empire. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-80085-627-1.