List of Mandaic manuscripts

This article contains a list of Mandaic manuscripts, which are almost entirely Mandaean religious texts written in Classical Mandaic.

Mandaean priests inspecting Mandaic manuscripts for photographing in Ahvaz, Iran. Tarmida Sam Zahrooni is at the right.

Well-known Mandaean texts include the Ginza Rabba (also known as the Sidra Rabbā) and the Qolastā. Texts for Mandaean priests include The 1012 Questions, among others. Some, like the Ginza Rabba, are codices (bound books), while others, such as the various diwans, are illustrated scrolls.^[1]

This list is by no means exhaustive. Institutional libraries and private collections contain various Mandaean religious texts that are little known or even unknown to the international scholarly community.^[2]

Background

Mandaean copyists or scribes (Mandaic: sapra^[3]) may transcribe texts as a meritorious deed for one's own forgiveness of sins, or they may be hired to copy a text for another person.^[4] Mandaean sacred scriptures, such as the Ginza Rabba are traditionally kept in wooden chests wrapped in layers of white cotton and silk cloth. These protected manuscripts are generally not touched by ordinary laypeople, although learned laymen (yalufa) who demonstrate proper knowledge and respect for the manuscripts are usually granted access by priests, similar to the level of respect given to the Guru Granth Sahib in Sikhism.^[5] Gloves are worn while handling copies of the Ginza Rabba that are used for liturgical purposes.

Types

Mandaean religious texts can be written in book or codex form (draša ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ or sidra ࡎࡉࡃࡓࡀ) or as scrolls (diwan ࡃࡉࡅࡀࡍ, šafta ࡔࡀࡐࡕࡀ, or šarḥ ࡔࡀࡓࡇ) that are often illustrated. The illustrations, usually labeled with lengthy written explanations, typically contain abstract geometric drawings of uthras that are reminiscent of cubism or prehistoric rock art.

In Mandaean texts, the end of each chapter or section is typically denoted by the Mandaean letters s—a (ࡎࡀ; also known as saka), which are separated by a long ligature.^[6]

Some scrolls are talismans (zrazta ࡆࡓࡀࡆࡕࡀ), amulets (qmaha ࡒࡌࡀࡄࡀ), or exorcisms (pašar ࡐࡀࡔࡀࡓ or pišra ࡐࡉࡔࡓࡀ), all subtypes of phylacteries. Others consist of prayers such as rahmia ࡓࡀࡄࡌࡉࡀ ('devotions'), ʿniania ࡏࡍࡉࡀࡍࡉࡀ ('responses'), and rušuma ࡓࡅࡔࡅࡌࡀ (' "signing" prayers'). Many scrolls contain symbolic descriptions of rituals, such as various types of masiqta and masbuta rituals. Mandaean texts typically have colophons (tarik ࡕࡀࡓࡉࡊ) giving detailed information about the scribes who had transcribed them, as well as dates, lineages, and other historical information.^[2]

Drower (1953) recognizes six main groups of Mandaean literature.^[6]

1. esoteric texts, exclusively for priests
2. ritual texts, exclusively for priests
3. hymns, psalms, and prayers
4. hortatory and general texts
5. astrological texts
6. magical writings

History

Little is known about the redactors or authors of the texts. The contents date to both pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. The oldest Mandaean magical text is dated to the 4th and 5th centuries CE.^{[citation needed]}

During the past few decades, Majid Fandi al-Mubaraki, a Mandaean living in Australia, has digitized many Mandaean texts using typesetted Mandaic script.^[7]

Main scriptures

The primary three scriptures containing the most important narratives, liturgies, and doctrines of Mandaeism are the Ginza Rabba, Mandaean Book of John, and Qolasta. The Haran Gawaita is a history text, while the others are priestly esoteric texts.

• Ginza Rabba (The Great Treasure, also known as The Book of Adam) (DC 22)
• Qolastā (Canonical Prayerbook) (DC 53)
  • Sidra ḏ-Nišmata (Book of Souls) (first part of the Qolastā)
  • Niana (The Responses) (part of the Qolastā)
• Mandaean Book of John, also known as The Book of Kings
• Haran Gawaita (Scroll of Great Revelation) (DC 9, 36)
• Scroll of Abatur (DC 8)
• The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa (DC 35)
• The Thousand and Twelve Questions (DC 36 [complete, with all 7 books], DC 6 [incomplete])
• The Wedding of the Great Šišlam (DC 38)^[8]
• The Coronation of the Great Šišlam, describes a ritual for the ordination of the Mandaean clergy)
• Book of the Zodiac (DC 31)
• Scroll of Exalted Kingship (DC 34)

Various manuscripts

Various Mandaean manuscripts are listed below. Many of them form parts of the Qolasta, while others are magical texts such as zrazta, qmaha, pašar, and the like. The majority of known Mandaean texts are currently held at libraries in Oxford, London, and Paris.

• Tafsir Pagra (Tafsir of the Body), part of The Thousand and Twelve Questions
• Diwan ḏ-Nahrauta (Scroll of the Rivers, a description of the Šum-Kušṭa world)
• Šarh Traša ḏ-Mandi
• The mass (masiqta) of Šitil, Ṭabahata ["Fathers"] and Dukrania ["the dead"]
• Diwan Qadaha Rabbā (Scroll of the Great Lord)
• Šarh ḏ-Ptaha ḏ-Bimanda
• Šarh ḏ-Masiqta Dakia (The Oil Sacrament)
• Šarh ḏ-Zidqa Brika (The Blessed Oblation)
• Šafta ḏ-Masihfan Rabbā (The Scroll of the Great Overthrower) (DC 37)
• Šarh ḏ-Maṣbuta Rabtia ḏ-Tlaima Usitin Maṣbutiata
• Niania ḏ-Maṣbuta (Masbuta Hymnbook)
• Šums ḏ-Mara ḏ-Rabuta
• Diwan Razii ḏ-Bhathia (Diwan u-tafsir ḏ-razia ḏ-abahata, or "Scroll and tafsir of the secrets of the ancestors", Ms Asiat. Misc. C 13 (R)). The text lists the names Barmeil, Bihdad, Bihram, Šišlam, Šišlameil, Manhareil, Nureil, Zihrun, Sahqeil, Haiil, and Reil.^[9]
• Diwan Dmuth Kušṭa
• Diwan Tafsir Owaljē
• Alma Rišaia scrolls
  • Diwan Alma Rišaia Rabbā (The Great Supreme World) (DC 41)
  • Diwan Alma Rišaia Zuṭa (The Smaller Supreme World) (DC 48)
• Bšumaihun ḏ-hiia rbia (In the Name of the Great Life)
• Zarazti (i.e., various Zrazta [plural])
• Bišrati
• various Qmahas
  • Qmaha ḏ-Hibil Ziwa (Qmaha of Hibil Ziwa)
  • Qmaha Šafta ḏ-Dahlulia (DC 20)
• various Masiqta texts
• Impurity and Healing (Mandaean?)
• Burial, Postulancy and Priesthood (Mandaean?)
• Commentary on the First Baptism of the Neophytes (Mandaean?)
• Šafta ḏ-mihla (The Scroll of Salt) (Bodleian Library MS. DC 40)
• Šarh ḏ-Parwānājē, or Panšā (The Scroll of the Parwanaya) (Bodleian Library MS. DC 24^[10]): The Parwanaya Festival. The manuscript is complete at the beginning and in the middle.
• Šarh ḏ-Ṭabahata (Bodleian Library MS. DC 42)
• Šarh ḏ-Zihrun-Raza-Kasia (Bodleian Library MS. DC 27)^[11]
• Codex Petermann I, 155; Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
• Leiden texts; formerly held in Amsterdam
• Diwan Abatur (Ms. Borgiani Siriaci 175, held at the Vatican Library)^[12]

Bodleian Library

Bodleian Library manuscripts (excluding the Drower Collection)

• Oxford Scroll G; Bodleian Library. Two texts for repelling evil spirits.
• Codex Marsh. 691 (Oxford); Bodleian Library. Dates to September 5, 1529 A.D., in Huwayza.^[13]: 70 It is the oldest Mandaean manuscript held in a European library, since Thomas Marshall's servant had donated the book (obtained by Marshall via Dutch merchants) to the Bodleian Library in 1689 or 1690, after Marshall's death. Codex of prayers with 116 pages. Unpublished (see Lidzbarski, Mandäische Liturgien).
• Hunt. 6 (Ginza), unpublished.
• Hunt. 71 (JB) (see Lidzbarski, Johannesbuch, Ms. D.). Copied by Adam bar Sam in Basra, on August 15, 1659 A.D. (1068 A.H.).^[14]
• Ms. Asiat. Misc. C 12: Diwan ḏ-Qadaha Rba Šuma ḏ-Mara ḏ-Rabuta u-Dmut Kušṭa or simply Dmut Kušṭa ("The Scroll of the Great Prayer, the Name of the Lord of Greatness and the Image of Truth"), unpublished. Copied by Yahia Ram Zihrun, son of Mhatam in 1818 in Qurna.
• Ms. Asiat. Misc. C 13: Diwan Razia ḏ-Abahata ("The Scroll [of] the Secrets of the Ancestors" (or "Parents")).
• Ms. Syr. E 15 (a small prayerbook, 151 folios).
• Ms. Syr. E 18 (prayers), unpublished.
• Ms. Syr. F 2 (R) (Mandaean liturgies) (Lidzbarski's "Roll F") (see Lidzbarski, Mandäische Liturgien).
• Ms. Syr. G 2 (R): Qaština ("The Archer") and Šambra ("The Rue").

British Library

See also: British Library Syriac Manuscript Collection

British Library manuscripts

• Add. 23,599, Add. 23,600, and Add. 23,601: three Ginzas catalogued under the same title, Liber Adami Mendaice.^[15]
  • Add. 23,599 was presented to Queen Victoria by the rishama Sheikh Yahana 10 December 1872, via Colonel Herbert, Consul General of Baghdad.
  • Add. 23,600 was donated to the British Museum in April 1860 by the widow of Colonel J. E. Taylor, the British Vice-Consul at Baghdad. It has 315 folios and was copied by Adam Yuhana, the father of Yahia Bihram.
  • Add. 23,601 was copied by Adam Yuhana, son of Sam and dates to 1824.
• Add. 23,602A, Kholasta sive liturgica Sabiorum Libri Joannis Fragmenta Mendaice ("scrapbook of Mandaean manuscript fragments"). 101 pages. Folia 76–98 and 99–101 contain parts of the Mandaean Book of John.^[14]
• Add. 23,602B, Kholasta sive liturgica Sabiorum Libri Joannis Fragmenta Mendaice: book of fragments probably obtained by Colonel John George Taylor. Contains fragments of Maṣbuta ḏ-Hibil Ziua and Alma Rišaia Rba.^[16] Folia 15–18 contain parts of the Mandaean Book of John.^[14] Documented in Wright (1872).^[17]
• Or. 1236 (Oriental 1236): Sidra Rba Mandaitic
• Or. 6592 (Lidzbarski's "Roll A" or "London Scroll A"), text called Šarh ḏ-Taraṣa ḏ-Taga ḏ-Šišlam Rba.^[18]
• Or. 6593 (Lidzbarski's "Roll B" or "London Scroll B"), apotropaic contents. The two rolls A and B (i.e., OR 6592 and OR 6593) are in one container. Both date from 1869, with the first one from Muhammerah and the second one from Qurna.
• Small lead plates held at the British Museum

Bibliothèque nationale de France

Bibliothèque nationale de France Code Sabéen manuscripts

Much of the following information is derived from an 1874 catalogue of Syriac manuscripts compiled by Jules-Antoine Taschereau [fr], which lists descriptions for Mss. Sabéen 1–19.^[19] Many of the manuscripts can be viewed online at the Bibliothèque nationale de France's Gallica digital library.

• Code Sabéen 1, also known as MS Paris A (PDF) (dated to 1560 A.D.): Ginza Rabba. Copied at Maqdam, Iraq by Ram Baktiar bar Bihram Šadan. Julius Heinrich Petermann's Ginza transcription into Mandaic and Syriac was primarily based on this manuscript, although he consulted Mss. Paris B, C, and D as well.^[20]
• Code Sabéen 2, also known as MS Paris B: Ginza that was translated into Latin by Matthias Norberg (1816). Copied at Basra and Maqdam by the chief priest Baktiar-Bulbul bar Ram Ziwa^[20] in 1042 A.H. (1632-1633 A.D.) for Adam Zihrun bar Sharat.
• Code Sabéen 3, also known as MS Paris C: Ginza copied at Howaiza, in 1091 A.H. (1680 A.D.). The first half of the first part was copied (except for a few pages) by Ram Yuhana bar Hawa. The second half of the first part was copied by Yahÿa Adam bar Rabbai Bakhtiar Bulbul. The second part was copied for Ram Yuhana bar Hawa, by Yahya Sam bar Bihram.
• Code Sabéen 4, also known as MS Paris D (PDF): Ginza copied at a location on the Shamaniya Canal, for Abdallah or Bihram, son of Anhara. There appears to have been many copyists. The introductory formula has the name Bihram bar Simath. In the colophon of the first part and the second part, Yahya Bihram, son of Adam Yuhana, names himself expressly as the copyist of the manuscript. The date is unclear, but is sometime in the early 1700s. The colophon of the first part mentions the date 1100 A.H. Matthias Norberg's Mandaic transcription and Latin translation of the Ginza was primarily based on this manuscript.
• Code Sabéen 5 (PDF): Prayers, many of which are also found in the Left Ginza.
• Code Sabéen 6-7 (PDF): Ginza copied from Ms. Colbert 1715 by L. Picques in 1683 A.D. The notes are originally from Ms. Colbert 382.
• Code Sabéen 8: Mandaean Book of John. Copied by Adam Zihrun bar Zaki Shitil in Khalafabad, Iran, in August or September 1630 A.D. (1039 A.H.) during the month of Hitia.^[14]
• Code Sabéen 9: Mandaean Book of John. Copied in 1102 A.H. at Duraq (or Dawraq; now Shadegan), Iran by Adam Zihrun bar Mhatam on January 18, 1691.^[14]
• Code Sabéen 10: Mandaean Book of John. Copied by Zihrun bar Adam in al-Mīnā’, Basra, on October 13, 1616.^[14]
• Code Sabéen 11: Mandaean Book of John copied from Sabéen 8 by L. Picques. Many passages are accompanied by Latin translations.
• Code Sabéen 12: Qolasta (masbuta and masqita hymns). Copied at Kamalawa in 978 A.H. (1570 A.D.).
• Code Sabéen 13: Qolasta (masbuta and masqita hymns). Copied at Basra in 1105 A.H. (1694 A.D.).
• Code Sabéen 14: Qolasta (masbuta and masqita hymns). Copied from Colbert m.s. 4108 (see Sabéen 12) by L. Picques and partially translated into Latin.
• Code Sabéen 15 (Mark Lidzbarski's F manuscript). This manuscript is a partial copy of The Marriage of the Great Šišlam (Šarh ḏ-Qabin ḏ-Šišlam Rba). Copied at Basra in 1086 A.H. (1675 A.D.) by Yahya bar Sam bar Zakia Shitil.
• Code Sabéen 16 (or the Paris Diwan): Scroll, 1360 cm x 16 cm. 409 lines on the cosmogony, beliefs, duties of bishops and priests, and of the faithful, etc., in the form of questions and answers. These questions are believed to have been addressed by Hibil Ziwa Yawar to Nbat Rabba. Copied at Howaiza in 1127 A.H. (1716 A.D.).
• Code Sabéen 17
• Code Sabéen 18
• Code Sabéen 19 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 20 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 21 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 22 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 23
• Code Sabéen 24: Texts about magical amulets.
• Code Sabéen 25 (PDF) (Mark Lidzbarski's E manuscript). This manuscript is a copy of The Book of the Zodiac (Asfar Malwāšē), and also a partial copy of The Marriage of the Great Šišlam (Šarh ḏ-Qabin ḏ-Šišlam Rba). However, it contains a longer appendix of more recent date.
• Code Sabéen 26 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 27 (PDF): Texts about magical amulets.
• Code Sabéen 28 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 29 (PDF)
• Code Sabéen 30 (PDF)

Private collections

Buckley has also found Ginza manuscripts that are privately held by Mandaeans in the United States (two in San Diego, California; one in Flushing, New York; and one in Lake Grove, New York). Buckley has also located a privately held copy of the Book of the Zodiac dating from 1919, which belonged to Lamea Abbas Amara in San Diego.^[2]

Manuscripts of the Mandaean Book of John that are privately held by Mandaeans in the United States include:^[2][14]

• Ms. Flushing, an original manuscript belonging to Nasser Sobbi. Copied by Sheikh Mhatam bar Yahya Bihram on April 9, 1910.
• Ms. Colonie (originally held at Niskayuna), photocopy of a manuscript from Ahvaz belonging to Dr. Sinan Abdullah. Copied by Bayan, son of Sharat (Salem Choheili) on April 12, 1989.
• Ms. San Diego, an original manuscript that belonged to Lamea Abbas Amara, who brough it to San Diego, United States from Nasiriyah, Iraq. Copied by Mhatam Zihrun bar Adam on May 13, 1922.

The Rbai Rafid Collection (RRC) is a private collection of Mandaean manuscripts held by the Mandaean priest Rbai Rafid al-Sabti in Nijmegen, Netherlands.^[15] Important manuscripts in the collection include different versions of the Ginza Rabba and a copy of the Alma Rišaia Zuṭa known as Ms. RRC 3F.^[21]

Drower Collection

The Drower Collection (DC), held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford University, is the most extensive collection of Mandaean manuscripts. The collection consists of 55 Mandaean manuscripts collected by E. S. Drower. Drower has published some of the smaller texts in journal articles, while other larger texts have been published as monographs. Many texts remain unpublished.^[1]

Drower donated MSS. Drower 1–53 to the Bodleian Library in 1958. MS. Drower 54 (The Coronation of the Great Šišlam) was given to the library by Lady Drower in 1961, and MS. Drower 55 (Drower's personal notebook) was added in 1986.^[22] DC 1–5, 22, 30, 31, 38, 45, and 53 are codices, with the rest of the DC manuscripts being scrolls.^[2]

A list of manuscripts in the Drower Collection, based on primarily on Buckley (2010),^[2] as well as Drower (1937)^[23] and other sources, is given below. The manuscripts are abbreviated DC.

• DC 1 – prayerbook (codex) containing prayers for rituals such as minor ablutions (rahmia and lofania).^[6] 238 pp.
• DC 2 – prayerbook (codex)^[6] called the Sidra ḏ-Nišmata ("Book of the Soul") that was copied by Shaikh Nejm (or Negm; full priestly name: Adam Negm, son of Zakia Zihrun, son of Ram Zihrun) for Drower in 1933. 155 pp. Jacques de Morgan had also acquired a copy of the Book of Souls during his travels to Iran from 1889 to 1891.^[2]
• DC 3 – codex of prayer fragments (incomplete Qolasta), such as prayers for minor ablutions, the rahmia (devotions), qulasta, masiqta, zidqa brikha (blessed oblations), and myrtle and banner (drabša) hymns. It was bound by Sheikh Dakhil Aidan in Amarah.^[2]
• DC 4 – codex consisting of a Mandaic-English glossary compiled by Shaikh Nejm for Drower, with the help of an English-speaking Mandaean. See Hezy & Morgenstern (2012).^[24]
• DC 5 – prayerbook (codex).^[6] Known as the "Prayers of Yahya." Copied by Hirmiz bar Anhar.
• DC 6 – Alf Trisar Šiala ("1012 Questions", incomplete version^[6]). Contains parts 3-7 (out of 7 parts total) of the 1012 Questions. One part is known as the Tafsir Pagra. 12 inch-wide scroll with 1652 lines. Copied by Adam Zihrun, son of Bihram Šitlan, of the Ša‛puria clan in Shushtar in 1557.
• DC 7 – Diwan Nahrwata ("The Scroll of the Rivers"). The illustrated scroll is a geographical treatise.^[1] Kurt Rudolph published a German translation in 1982, based on a Baghdad copy originally from Ahvaz.^[25] About 3300 words. Copied by Ram Zihrun, son of Sam Bihram, Kupašia in Shushtar in 1259 A.H. (1843 A.D.).
• DC 8 – Diwan Abatur. A scroll wrapped in linen cloth that is 48 feet long and 1 foot wide. Copied by Ram Yuhana, son of Ram, Dihdaria and Sabur clans.
• DC 9 – Haran Gawaita. Copied by Ram Zihrun, son of Sam Bihram, Kupašia in Margab, Iran in 1276 A.H. (1859 A.D.).
• DC 10 – Pišra ḏ-Šambra^[26] (love charm magic scroll). A qmaha that is an invocation to Libat (Venus). Translated and published in JRAS (1939).
• DC 11 – zrazta (talisman). Illustrated scroll with 183 lines.
• DC 12 – Pašar Haršia ("The Exorcism of Wizards" / "The Loosing of Spells"). A qmaha that is an exorcism of witches and wizards. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Abdallah in Ahvaz in 1933. Dates to 1196 A.H. / 1782 C.E. Transcribed by Adam Yuhana, son of Sam, Kamisia clan at Šaka by the Karka River. An English translation of the colophon can be found in Gelbert (2017).^{[27]: xlii–xliii}
• DC 13 – zrazta of Hibil Ziwa. Also called "Roll C." Part of the Zrazta d Hibil Ziwa (DC 44). Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Kumait in 1933.
• DC 14 – zrazta or magical / "protective" text.^[6] Part of the Zrazta d Hibil Ziwa (DC 44). Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Kumait. 185 lines.
• DC 15 – zrazta of the Great Ptahil (Zrazta ḏ-Ptahil Rba).^[6] A very long scroll purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm, in Qal‛at Saleh in April 1933. Also called "Roll E."
• DC 16 – Exorcism scroll. Also called "Roll F." 101 lines. Purchased by Drower in 1933.
• DC 17 – Šalhafta ḏ-Mahra. A small 2.5-inch wide exorcism scroll also called "Roll G."
• DC 18 – Zrazta ḏ-Šuba Šibiahia ("The Talisman of the Seven Planets"). There is a section for each of the seven planets. Copied by Shaikh Faraj for Drower in Baghdad in 1935.
• DC 19 – Šalhafta ḏ-Mahra ("The Exorcism of Illness"), consisting of two texts.^[26]
• DC 20 – Šafta ḏ-Dahlulia ("The Scroll of, i.e. against Evil Spirits"). Illustrated scroll copied for Drower in Baghdad in 1935. Dates to 1250 A.H. 236 lines.^[28][29]
• DC 21 – Šafta ḏ-Pišra ḏ-Ainia ("Exorcism of the Evil and Diseased Eyes").^[26] Copied by Shaikh Faraj for Drower in December 1935. 803 lines. Published in by Drower JRAS No. 3 (Jul. 1939).^[30] Early forerunner in Mandaic lead roll 4th-5th cent. CE^[31] Analysis by Hunter (2013).^[32]
• DC 22 – Ginza Rba codex. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in 1936. Transcribed in 1831 by Ram Zihrun, son of Sam Bihram, Kupašia. Ram Zihrun copied the Right Ginza in Qurna, and the Left Ginza in Basra.
• DC 23 – Pašar Sumqa / Pašar Smaq ("The Exorcism of Fever").^[26] Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in 1936. 777 lines.
• DC 24 – Šarḥ ḏ-Parwanaia, or Panšā ("The Scroll of the Parwanaya").^[1] German translation and commentary by Burtea (2005).^[10] Used for rituals such as the consecration of the cult-hut, the dove (ba) sacrifice, zidqa brikha, the myrtle ritual, etc.
• DC 25 – a qmaha scroll. Purchased by Drower from Hirmiz bar Anhar in Baghdad in 1936.
• DC 26 – two talismans (qmahas). Published by Drower in Iraq 5 (1938): 31–54.^[1] Consists of two texts: Bit Mišqal Ainia and Riš Tus Tanina. Copied by Shaikh Faraj for Drower in December 1936. Bit Mišqal Ainia (Qmaha ḏ-Bit mišqal ainia), a different version of DC 28, was published in Drower (1938).^[33]
• DC 27 – Šarḥ ḏ-Zihrun-Raza-Kasia / Masiqta Zihrun Raza Kasia ("The Masiqta of Zihrun, the Hidden Mystery").^[1] The text covers the masbuta (in lines 23–190) and masiqta (in lines 232–523) of Zihrun Raza Kasia. German translation and commentary by Burtea (2008).^[11] An illustrated scroll purchased by Drower from Shaikh Yahia, Qal’at Salih in May 1937. 559 lines. See Rebrik (2008).^[34]
• DC 28 – Pišra ḏ-Bit Mišqal Ainia (The Exorcism of "I Sought to Lift My Eyes"),^[1] a qmaha text. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in June 1937. Published in Drower (1938).^[33]
• DC 29 – Pišra ḏ-Ainia / Pašar Ainia ("Exorcism of the Evil Eye"). Purchased by Drower from Shaikhs Nejm and Yahia in November 1937.
• DC 30 – Draša ḏ-Yahia ("Teaching of Yahia" or Mandaean Book of John) (codex).^[6] Purchased by Drower from Shaikhs Nejm and Yahia in November 1937. The manuscript copying was finished on March 16, 1753 A.D. (1166 A.H.).^[14] Copied in Shushtar by Ram Yuhana, son of Ram, Dihdaria.
• DC 31 – Book of the Zodiac (codex). Purchased by Drower from Shaikhs Nejm and Yahia in November 1937. Dates to 1247 A.H. (c. 1812 A.D.).
• DC 32 – The qmahia of Nirigh, Sira, and Libat ("exorcism of Mars, Moon, and Venus"). Love talisman scroll. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in 1938.
• DC 33 – Three qmahia (exorcism scrolls): Šuba lbišna, ‛Sirna hthimna, and Yawar Ziwa nišimtai. Purchased by Drower at Litlata in April 1938. Published in JRAS (Oct. 1937).^[35]
• DC 34 – Scroll of Exalted Kingship / Diwan Malkuta 'laita. Illustrated scroll purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in April 1939. 1353 lines.
• DC 35 – Diwan Maṣbuta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa ("The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa").^[36] Bought in Persia through Shaikh Nejm on April 29, 1939. Dates to 1247 A.H. (c. 1750 A.D.). Colophons analyzed in Morgenstern (2019).^[37]
• DC 36 – Haran Gawaita and 1012 Questions (complete version with all 7 books).^[6] A long scroll that is 12 inches wide and 626 inches (17 yards, 14 inches) long.
• DC 37 – Šafta ḏ-Masihfan Rba ("The Scroll of the Great Overthrower").^[1] Copied by Yahia Bihram, son of Adam Yuhana, in Suq eš-Šuyuk in 1861. 633 lines.
• DC 38 – Šarḥ ḏ-qabin ḏ-Šišlam Rba ("The Marriage Ceremony of the Great Šišlam").^[8] A scroll that Drower had purchased from Shaikh Nejm in April 1939, along with DC 36, 37, and 39. Transcribed by Adam Yuhana.
• DC 39 – Šafta ḏ-Qaština ("The Scroll of 'I Shoot'"),^[26] a qmaha that Drower had purchased from Shaikh Nejm in April 1939. Transcribed in 1802 by Adam Yuhana.
• DC 40 – Šafta ḏ-mihla ("The Scroll of Salt") or Pašra mihla ("The Excorcism of Salt"). An exorcism scroll that uses personified salt to exorcise illnesses and evil spirits. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in May 1939. Salt is also frequently sprinkled around Mandaean houses to keep evil spirits away.^[23] See Tarelko (2008).^[38]
• DC 41 – Alma Rišaia Rba ("The Great Supreme World").^[6] English translation and commentary by Drower (1963).^[39] An illustrated scroll about 545 lines long, dating to 1220 A.H. Transcribed by Adam Yuhana. Bought by Drower from Shaikh Nejm from Iraq in the autumn of 1939.
• DC 42 - Šarḥ ḏ-Ṭabahata ("The Scroll of Ṭabahata" [Parents], or "The Scroll of the Ancestors").^[1] Used for Parwanaya rituals. Transcribed in 1743 and has 834 lines. Similar to Prayer 170 of the Qolasta, but some names are different. Commentary by Buckley (2010).^[2]
• DC 43 – The Poor Priest's Treasury,^[1] a scroll consisting of qmahas used for exorcism and magic. The contents are: Qmaha ḏ-ṣir Sahria; Qmaha ḏ-Shaiul; the three related texts Shuba libishna, ‛sirna bthimna, and Yawar Ziwa (see DC 33); Shalhafta ḏ-Mahria (see DC 19); Qmaha ḏ-Dahlulia (see DC 20); Qmaha ḏ-Gastata; Qmaha ḏ-Br Ingaria; Qmaha ḏ-Yurba; Qmaha ḏ-Šuba; Qmaha ḏ-Qastina (of DC 39 and copy in Bodleian). Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in 1939 and dates to 1270 A.H.^[29]
• DC 44 – Zrazta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa ("The Protection of Hibil Ziwa").^[26] The longest talisman in the Drower Collection. Purchased by Drower from Shaikh Nejm in 1939 and dates to 1209 A.H. Transcribed in Qurna in 1794 by Sam Bihram, son of Yahia Yuhana, Dihdaria, who also transcribed DC 34. 2140 lines with 2 colophons.^[40] The text was first made known to the international scholarly community by Jacques de Morgan (1905),^[41] based on a qmaha scroll that de Morgan had purchased during his travels to Iran from 1889 to 1891.^[2]
• DC 45 – Haršia Bišia^[6] ("A Mandaean Book of Black Magic"). Partially published in journal articles.^[42][26]
• DC 46 – Haršia Bišia^[6] ("A Mandaean Book of Black Magic"^[26]). Copied by Shaikh Abdallah in March 1942. Different version of DC 45. Partially published in journal articles.^[42]
• DC 47 – Pišra ḏ-Šambra ("A Phylactery for Rue").^[43][44][1] Copied by Yahia Bihram, son of Adam Yuhana.
• DC 48 – Alma Rišaia Zuṭa ("The Smaller Supreme World")^[18] (listed as DC 47 in Drower 1953^[6]). English translation and commentary by Drower (1963).^[39] A text from Shushtar. Dates to 972 A.H. or 1564 A.D.
• DC 49 – Small exorcism scroll
• DC 50 – Šarḥ ḏ-Maṣbuta Rabtia ("The Scroll of the Great Baptism").^[1] Ritual scroll describing the 360 baptisms (masbutas) for a polluted priest. Also called "Fifty Baptisms" and the Raza Rba ḏ-Zihrun. Dates from 1867 and has 962 lines. See Güterbock (2008).^[45]
• DC 51 – Pišra ḏ-Pugdama ḏ-Mia ("Exorcism: the Command of the Waters").^[26] Exorcism invoking the personified waters of life. Dates to 1277 A.H.
• DC 52 – missing
• DC 53 – Qolasta (Canonical Prayerbook, a complete codex). Purchased by Drower in 1954. Copied in 1802 by the ganzibra Adam Yuhana, the father of Yahia Bihram, in Huwaiza, Khuzistan.
• DC 54 – The Coronation of the Great Šišlam. English translation and commentary by Drower (1962). Or. 6592, British Museum is another manuscript of this text.^[46] The scroll is from Basra and dates to 1008 A.H. (1599 A.D.). Copied by Sam Šitlan, son of Ram Bayan, Ša‛puria clan.
• DC 55 – Drower's personal notebook

Literature

• Svend Aage Pallis [Wikidata]: Essay on Mandaean Bibliography 1560–1930. London, Humphrey Mildford, Oxford University Press, 1933.
• Ethel Stefana Drower: The Book of the Zodiac = Sfar malwašia: D. C. 31. London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1949.
• Ethel Stefana Drower: Mandaeans. Liturgy and Ritual. The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Translated with notes. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1959.
• Ethel Stefana Drower: Haran Gawaita. The Haran Gawaita and the Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa: the Mandaic text reproduced, together with translation, notes and commentary. Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, 1953.
• Ethel Stefana Drower: Alf trisar ŝuialia. The thousand and twelve questions: a Mandaean text, edited in transliteration and translation. Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, 1960.
• Ethel Stefana Drower: Diwan Abatur. ... or progress through the purgatories. Text with translation notes and appendices. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1950 (Studi e testi. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana 151, ZDB-ID 762276-4).
• M. Nicolas Siouffi: Études sur la Religion/Des Soubbas ou sabéens, leurs dogmes, mœurs par. Paris 1880, ISBN 9781147041224
• J. de Morgan: Mission scientifique en Perse par J. De Morgan. Tome V. Études linguistiques. Deuxième partie. Textes mandaïtes publiés par J. de Morgan avec une notice sur les Mandéens par Cl. Huart. Paris, 1904.
• Hermann Zotenberg: Catalogues des manuscriptes syriaques et sabéens (mandaïtes)
• Henri Pognon: Inscriptions mandaïtes des coupes de Khouabir Paris 1898–1899, parts 1–3.
• Mark Lidzbarski: Ginzā. Der Schatz oder Das große Buch der Mandäer. Göttingen, 1925.
• Mark Lidzbarski: Das Johannesbuch der Mandäer. Gießen: Töpelmann, 1915, 1966/
• Mark Lidzbarski: Das mandäische Seelenbuch, in: ZDMG 61 (1907), 689–698.
• Richard Reitzenstein: Das mandäische Buch des Herrn der Größe und die Evangelienüberlieferung. Heidelberg-Winter, 1919.
• Julius Euting: Qolastā oder Gesänge und Lehren von der Taufe und dem Ausgang der Seele. Stuttgart, 1867.
• B. Poertner: Mandäischer Diwan. Eine photographische. Aufnahme; Straßburg, 1904.
• Brandt, Wilhelm (1889). Die mandäische Religion: ihre Entwickelung und geschichtliche Bedeutung. ATLA Historical Monographs Collection Series 1. J.C. Hinrichs. ISBN 9780790544908.
• Wilhelm Brandt: Mandäische Schriften übersetzt und erläutert. Göttingen, 1893.
• Matthias Norberg: Codex Nasaraeus Liber Adami appellatus. 3 vols. London, 1815–16.
• Julius Heinrich Petermann: Porta linguarum orientalium. Bd. 1–4, 6., Berlin 1840–72/
• Julius Heinrich Petermann: Reisen im Orient. 2 Bde. Leipzig, 1865
• Theodor Nöldeke: Mandäische Grammatik. Halle, 1875
• Werner Foerster: A Selection of Gnostic Texts. Oxford, 1974
• Kurt Rudolph: Theogonie, Kosmogonie und Anthropogonie in den mandäischen Schriften. Eine literarkritische und traditionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1965 (Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments 88, ZDB-ID 528176-3), (Zugleich: Leipzig, Univ., Phil. Habil.-Schr., 1961).
• Kurt Rudolph: Der mandäische "Diwan der Flüsse. Abhandlungen der Sächsischen Akadademie der Wissenschaft. Phil.-Hist. Klasse 70 Heft 1, Leipzig, 1982.
• Kurt Rudolph. Mandaeism In: David Noel Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Doubleday 1992, ISBN 3-438-01121-2, Bd. 4, S. 500–502.
• Rudolf Macuch: Und das Leben ist siegreich Mandäistische Forschungen 1, Harrassowitz Verlag 2008
• Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley: The Colophons in the Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 51, No. 1 (Jan. 1992), 33–50.
• Willis Barnstone: The other Bible. Harper, 1984
• Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon: Mandäer. 1905–1909

See also

• Pistis Sophia
• Nag Hammadi library
• Apocryphon
• Incantation bowl
• Mandaic lead rolls

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. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
3. 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. p. 219. doi:10.3828/9781800856271 (inactive 2024-02-21). ISBN 978-1-80085-627-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2024 (link)
4. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (1999). "Glimpses of A Life: Yahia Bihram, Mandaean priest". History of Religions. 39: 32–49. doi:10.1086/463572. S2CID 162137462.
5. Nasoraia, Brikha H.S. (2021). The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought. New Delhi: Sterling. ISBN 978-81-950824-1-4. OCLC 1272858968.
6. Drower, E. S. (1953). "A Mandæan Bibliography". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1/2). Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: 34–39. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25222608. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
7. Mandaean Network 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine.
8. Drower, E. S. 1950. Šarḥ ḏ qabin ḏ šišlam rba (D. C. 38). Explanatory Commentary on the Marriage Ceremony of the great Šišlam. Rome: Ponteficio Istituto Biblico. (text transliterated and translated)
9. Burtea, Bogdan (2012). Die Geheimnisse Der Vorvater Edition, Ubersetzung Und Kommentierung Einer Esoterischen Mandaischen Handschrift Aus Der Bodleian Library Oxford (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-06466-8. OCLC 940934456.
10. Burtea, Bogdan (2005). Das mandäische Fest der Schalttage: Edition, Übersetzung und Kommentierung der Handschrift (DC 24, Šarh ḏ-paruanaiia) (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05179-8. OCLC 62273841.
11. Burtea, Bogdan (2008). Zihrun, das verborgene Geheimnis (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05644-1. OCLC 221130512.
12. Van Rompay, Sandi (2010). "The Tree Šatrin and its Place in Mandaean Art". ARAM Periodical. 22: 183–207. doi:10.2143/ARAM.22.0.2131037.
13. van Bladel, Kevin (2017). From Sasanian Mandaeans to Ṣābians of the Marshes. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004339460. ISBN 978-90-04-33943-9.
14. Haberl, Charles; McGrath, James (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
15. Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
16. Vinklát, Marek (2020-07-06). "Two Unidentified Fragments of Mandaean Ritual Scrolls in the British Museum". Coptica, Gnostica und Mandaica. De Gruyter. pp. 188–195. doi:10.1515/9783110619904-010. ISBN 9783110619904. S2CID 241365971.
17. Wright, William. Catalogue of Syriac manuscripts in the British museum acquired since the year 1838. London: British Museum, 1872.
18. Drower, E. S. 1960. The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
19. Taschereau, Jules-Antoine. 1874. Catalogues des manuscrits syriaques et sabéens (mandaïtes) de la Bibliothèque nationale / Manuscrits orientaux.
20. Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl. Gorgias Press, LLC. doi:10.7282/T3C53J6P
21. Morgenstern, Matthew (2018). "New readings and interpretations in the Mandaic priestly commentary Alma Rišaia Zuṭa (The Lesser 'First World')". Le Muséon. 131 (1–2): 1–19. doi:10.2143/MUS.131.1.3284833.
22. Mandaean manuscripts given by Lady Ethel May Stefana Drower 2021-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. Archives Hub.
23. Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
24. Mutzafi, Hezy; Morgenstern, Matthew (2012). "Sheikh Nejm's Mandaic Glossary (DC 4) – An Unrecognised Source of Neo-Mandaic". ARAM Periodical. 24 (Neo-Aramaic dialects and astrology in the ancient Near East: Neo-Aramaic dialects, 6-8 July 2009, The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, United Kingdom). Leuven: Peeters: 157–174. ISBN 978-90-429-2957-9. OCLC 879617957.
25. Rudolph, Kurt. Der Mandäische ‘Diwan der Flüsse.’ Berlin: Abhandlungen der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, philosophisch-historische Klasse, vol. 70, no. 1, 1982.
26. Yamauchi, Edwin M. (1967). Mandaic Incantation Texts. New Haven: American Oriental Society.
27. Gelbert, Carlos (2017). The Teachings of the Mandaean John the Baptist. Fairfield, NSW, Australia: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034678. OCLC 1000148487.
28. Burtea, Bogdan (2005). "Ein mandäischer magischer Text aus der Drower Collection". Studia Semitica et Semitohamitica. Festschrift für Rainer Voigt anläßlich seines 60. Geburtstages am 17. Januar 2004. Harrassowitz: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-934628-73-1.
29. Müller-Kessler, Christa (2010). "A Mandaic Incantation Against an Anonymous Dew Causing Fright: Drower Collection 20 and Its Variant 43 E". ARAM (22). Peeters: 453–476. ISBN 9789042929579.
30. Drower, E. S. (1937). "S̲h̲afta d̲ Pis̲h̲ra d̲ Ainia". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (4). Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: 589–611. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25201592.
31. Müller-Kessler, Christa (1999). "Aramäische Beschwörungen und astronomische Omina in nachbabylonischer Zeit". Babylon: Focus Mesopotamischer Geschichte, Wiege früher Gelehrsamkei (in German). Berlin: SDV Saarbrücker Druckerei und Verlag. ISBN 3-930843-54-4. ISSN 1433-7401.
32. Hunter, Erica C. D. (2013). "Comparative Perspectives on Šapta ḏ-pišra ḏ-ainia". Durch Dein Wort ward jegliches Ding! (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-06973-1. OCLC 856902570.
33. Drower, E. S. (1938). "A Mandaean Phylactery (Qmaha ḏ Bit mišqal ainia)". Iraq. 5. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 31–54. doi:10.2307/4241620. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4241620. S2CID 191396332.
34. Rebrik, Victor (2008). "Mandäische Taufriten (nach der Handschrift DC 27)". Und das Leben ist siegreich!: mandäische und samaritanische Literatur: im Gedenken an Rudolf Macuch (1919-1993) = And life is victorious: Mandaean and Samaritan literatures: in memory of Rudolf Macuch (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05178-1. OCLC 310616930.
35. Drower, E. S. (1939). "Three Mandaean Phylacteries". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (3). Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: 397–406. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25201939.
36. Drower, Ethel S. (1953). The Haran Gawaita and The Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa: The Mandaic text reproduced together with translation, notes and commentary. Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.
37. Morgenstern, Matthew (2019-05-24). "Yahia Bihram's Narrative Colophons Part 1: DC 35". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 29 (3). Cambridge University Press: 381–392. doi:10.1017/s135618631800072x. ISSN 1356-1863. S2CID 182352112.
38. Tarelko, Michael (2008). "Preliminary Remarks on the Unpublished Manuscript DC 40 from the Drower Collection of Mandaean Manuscripts". Und das Leben ist siegreich!: mandäische und samaritanische Literatur: im Gedenken an Rudolf Macuch (1919-1993) = And life is victorious: Mandaean and Samaritan literatures: in memory of Rudolf Macuch (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05178-1. OCLC 310616930.
39. Drower, E. S. 1963. A Pair of Naṣoraean Commentaries: Two Priestly Documents, the Great First World and the Lesser First World. Leiden: Brill.
40. Notarius, Tania (2016). "The Mandaic Magic Scroll Zarazta ḏ-Hibil Ziua: A Possible Scenario of Literary Evolution". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 136 (4). American Oriental Society: 745–762. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.136.4.0745. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 10.7817/jameroriesoci.136.4.0745.
41. de Morgan, J. 1905. Mission scientifique en Perse, vol. 5. Paris: E. Leroux.
42. Drower, E. S. (1943). "A Mandæan Book of Black Magic". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2). Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: 149–181. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25221916.
43. Drower, E. S. (1946). "A Phylactery for Rue (An Invocation of the Personified Herb)". Orientalia. 15. Gregorian Biblical Press: 324–346. ISSN 0030-5367. JSTOR 43073269.
44. Müller-Kessler, Christa (1999). "Dämon + YTB 'L — Ein Krankheitsdämon. Eine Studie zu aramäischen Beschwörungen medizinischen Inhalts". Munuscula Mesopotamica. Festschrift für Johannes Renger (in German). Münster: Ugarit-Verlag. ISBN 3-927120-81-2.
45. Güterbock, Michael (2008). "Vorläufige Bemerkungen zu einer Ausgabe der mandäischen Rituale in der Drower Collection 50". Und das Leben ist siegreich!: mandäische und samaritanische Literatur: im Gedenken an Rudolf Macuch (1919-1993) = And life is victorious: Mandaean and Samaritan literatures: in memory of Rudolf Macuch (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05178-1. OCLC 310616930.
46. Drower, E. S. 1962. The Coronation of the Great Šišlam: Being a Description of the Rite of the Coronation of a Mandaean Priest according to the ancient Canon 2021-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. Leiden: Brill.

External links

• Essenes.net
• Gnostic Society Library
• The Eyes Encyclopedia of the Knowledge (Mandaean Network)
• Mandäistische Forschungen book series from Harrassowitz Verlag

Online texts

• Ginzā (1925)
• Drašâ ḏ-Jōhânā (1905)
• Qolastā in Mandäische Liturgien (1925)
• An incantation bowl
• A comprehensive digital database of Mandaean texts

Mandaean Network texts

• Zrazta (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Qmaha (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)