Mandaeism facts for kids

Mandaeism is a religion that believes in one God. Its followers are called Mandaeans. They have a strong belief that the world has two main parts, like light and darkness or good and evil.

Mandaeans respect many important people from history. These include Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, Shem, Aram, and especially John the Baptist.

This religion was first practiced in the areas around the lower Euphrates and Tigris rivers, near the Shatt-al-Arab waterway. Today, this area is part of Iraq and Khuzestan Province in Iran.

Sadly, Mandaeans have faced difficult times and have been treated unfairly. Because of this, many have left their homes and now live in other countries. This is called a diaspora. Most Mandaeans have moved to Europe, Australia, and North America.

There are about 60,000 to 70,000 Mandaeans in the world. Before the 2003 war in Iraq, most of them lived there. However, the Iraq War caused many to leave. By 2007, only about 5,000 Mandaeans remained in Iraq. Most fled to Syria and Jordan to escape violence from extremist groups and the chaos of the war.

Mandaeans have always kept their religion and way of life very private. Most of what is known about them comes from people outside their community, especially scholars like J. Heinrich Petermann, Nicholas Siouffi, and Lady Ethel Drower.

Mandaean Beliefs

Mandaeism is the religion of the Mandaean people. It is built on their shared history and traditions. There isn't one simple list of rules or beliefs that everyone follows. While there are many Mandaean religious writings, they don't explain everything about God or the afterlife in a clear, step-by-step way. Only priests usually know these texts well.

Core Ideas

According to scholar E.S. Drower, Mandaean beliefs have nine main features:

• There is a supreme, formless being. This being created many spiritual and physical worlds and beings. A Creator came from this supreme being and made everything. The universe is shaped like a perfect human.
• They believe in two main parts: a cosmic Father and Mother, Light and Darkness, Right and Left. These pairs exist in the universe and in people.
• As part of this dualism, there are also opposite ideas or "counter-types."
• The soul is seen as being in exile or trapped. Its true home is with the supreme being, where it will eventually return.
• Planets and stars affect people's lives and are also places where souls might be held after death.
• A special spirit or spirits help the soul on its journey through life and after death, guiding it to "worlds of light."
• They use many symbols and metaphors in their religious language. Ideas and qualities are often shown as people.
• They have "mysteries" or sacraments. These are special ceremonies that help and purify the soul. They are meant to help the soul be "reborn" into a spiritual body and rise from the physical world. These ceremonies often use older traditions but give them a deeper, secret meaning.
• Great secrecy is kept by those who are fully initiated into the religion. The deepest explanations of their beliefs are only shared with those who are ready to understand and protect this secret knowledge.

Mandaeans believe in marriage and having children. They also believe it's important to live a good and moral life in this world. Family life is very important to them. Because of this, Mandaeans do not practice celibacy (not marrying) or asceticism (living a very strict, simple life). However, they do avoid strong drinks and red meat.

They look forward to a future where they are free from the influence of the Torah, which they see as having a bad origin. While they agree with other gnostic groups that the world is like a prison ruled by planetary spirits, they don't see it as a cruel or unwelcoming place.

Mandaean Holy Books

Mandaeans have many important religious texts. The most important one is the Genzā Rabbā or Ginza. The Ginza is a collection of history, theology (beliefs about God), and prayers. It is divided into two parts: the Genzā Smālā (Left Ginza) and the Genzā Yeminā (Right Ginza).

Before the printing press was invented, people called scribes copied texts by hand. Each scribe had a unique handwriting. A scholar named Jorunn J. Buckley studied these unique marks in the Left Ginza. He found that copies of this text go back to the late 2nd or early 3rd century AD. This shows that Mandaeans existed at least by the late Arsacid period. A legend called Harrān Gāwetā also supports this. It says that Mandaeans left Palestine after Jerusalem was destroyed in the 1st century AD and settled in the Arsacid empire. Even though the Ginza continued to change under the Sassanians and later Islamic empires, few ancient texts have such a long and continuous history.

Other important books include the Qolastā, which is the "Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans." It was translated by E.S. Drower. One of the most important Mandaean scriptures is the Draša d-Iahia, also known as "the Book of John the Baptist." This book can be read by both priests and regular Mandaeans. There are also many other religious texts, like ritual guides, which are usually only used by priests.

The original language of Mandaean religious texts is Mandaic. It is part of the Aramaic family of languages. It is written in a cursive style. Most Mandaeans today do not speak this ancient language. However, some Mandaeans in Iran (about 300-500 people) still speak Neo-Mandaic, which is a modern version of the language.

Main Teachers

Mandaeans have several important teachers. Iahia (or Iuhana) has a very special place, even more important than in Christianity and Islam. Mandaeans do not believe John founded their religion. They see him as one of their greatest teachers. They believe their religion goes back to Adam.

Mandaeans believe that Jesus was a mšiha kdaba, which means a "false messiah" or "lying messiah." They think he changed the teachings he received from John. Some Mandaeans today, wanting to be friendly with other religions, suggest that kdaba might also mean "book" (from a different root word). So, they might say Jesus was a "book Messiah," referring to the Christian Gospels. However, this idea doesn't seem to be supported by their ancient texts.

Mandaeans also believe that Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad were false prophets. But they do recognize other important figures from religions that believe in one God. These include Adam, his sons Hibil (Abel) and Šitil (Seth), and his grandson Anuš (Enosh). They also respect Nuh (Noah), his son Sam (Shem), and his son Ram (Aram). Mandaeans consider Noah, Shem, and Aram to be their direct ancestors.

Priests and Community Members

There is a clear difference between Mandaean priests and regular community members. According to E.S. Drower, those with secret knowledge are called Naṣuraiia (Naṣoreans). Regular members, who may not know as much, are called 'Mandaeans' (Mandaiia), meaning 'gnostics' or 'those who know'.

When a man becomes a priest, he enters tarmiduta (priesthood). But even then, he hasn't reached full understanding. This deeper knowledge, called 'Naṣiruta', is for only a very few. Those who know these secrets can call themselves Naṣoreans. Today, a 'Naṣorean' is someone who strictly follows all rules of ritual purity and understands the secret teachings.

There are three levels of priesthood in Mandaeism:

• The tarmidia ("disciples")
• The ganzibria ("treasurers")
• The rišamma ("leader of the people")

The rišamma is the highest level, but it has been empty for many years. Currently, the highest position is the ganzeḇrā. Traditionally, a ganzeḇrā who baptizes seven or more other ganzeḇrānā can become a rišamma. However, the Mandaean community has not yet chosen a new rišamma.

The current Mandaean priesthood started in the early 1800s. In 1831, a serious disease called cholera spread and killed most of the Mandaean religious leaders. Two young students, Yahia Bihram and Ram Zihrun, were among the few survivors. They rebuilt the priesthood using their training and the religious texts they had.

Related Groups

According to an old book called the Fihrist by ibn al-Nadim, Mani, who started the religion of Manichaeism, grew up in a group called the Elkasaites. The Elkasaites were a Christian group that practiced baptism and might have been connected to the Mandaeans. Like Mandaeans, they wore white and performed baptisms. They lived in east Judea and northern Mesopotamia. The Mandaean legend Harran Gawaitā says that Mandaeans moved to southern Mesopotamia from that area. Mani later left the Elkasaites to start his own religion. A Mandaean scholar, Säve-Söderberg, showed that Mani's Psalms of Thomas were very similar to Mandaean texts. This suggests that Mani knew about Mandaean religious writings.

Other groups that have been linked to the Mandaeans include the "Nasoraeans" and the Dositheans. Ibn al-Nadim also mentions a group called the Mughtasila, meaning "the self-ablutionists." This group also wore white and performed baptisms, similar to Mandaeans.

It is hard to say for sure if these groups are related to the Mandaeans or to each other. The names suggest there were different groups. Much of what these groups taught was secret, which makes it difficult to understand them or their connections.

Mandaeans Today

Facing Challenges

Under Saddam Hussein, Mandaeans were recognized as a religious minority group in Iraq. Many of them were skilled craftspeople, like smiths or traders of gold and silver. They were part of the middle class.

Since the government changed in Iraq, Islamic extremist groups have harassed them. There are also reports of attacks on Mandaean women who refuse to wear a veil. Because of this, most Iraqi Mandaeans have fled, and the Mandaean community in Iraq is in danger of disappearing.

In Iran, Mandaeans do not face violence, but they are not allowed to fully participate in public life. This is due to a law called Gozinesh. This law requires a "religious screening" for people who want to get jobs, go to school, or access other services. A very important part of this screening is showing strong devotion to Islam. These laws are often used to discriminate against religious and ethnic groups that are not officially recognized, like the Mandaeans.

Leaving Because of the Iraq War

In the early 1990s, there were over 60,000 Mandaeans in Iraq. By 2007, only about 5,000 to 7,000 remained. More than 80% of Iraqi Mandaeans became refugees in Syria and Jordan because of the Iraq War.

Smaller Mandaean communities now live in other countries. For example, there are about 3,500 in Australia (as of 2006), 1,500 in the USA, 1,000 in the UK, and 5,000 in Sweden.

The difficult situation of Mandaeans has led some American thinkers and activists to ask their government to give them special refugee status. In 2007, the New York Times published an article by professor Nathaniel Deutsch. He urged the US government to act quickly to help the Mandaean community. He wrote that the US invasion of Iraq had accidentally put the Mandaeans, one of Iraq's oldest and smallest minorities, in danger of disappearing. He noted that in 2003, there were about 60,000 Mandaeans in Iraq, but by 2007, fewer than 5,000 remained. He argued that if all Iraqi Mandaeans were given special status and allowed into the United States, it might save their ancient culture from destruction. Otherwise, after 2,000 years of history, they might finally disappear.

Images for kids

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  Mandaic incantation bowl from Southern Mesopotamia, around 200–600 CE.

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  An 18th-century Scroll of Abathur in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

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  Image of Abatur from Diwan Abatur.

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  John the Baptist, painted by Titian.

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  Image of Abatur at the scales, from the Diwan Abatur.

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  A Mandaean priest reads from a religious text in Baghdad, Iraq, 2008.

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  Mandaean Drabsha, a symbol of the Mandaean faith.

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  Mandaean Beth Manda (Mashkhanna) in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq in 2016.

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  Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre) by Leonardo da Vinci showing infant John the Baptist and Jesus.

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  Mandaeans celebrating Parwanaya in Amarah, Iraq – March 17, 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Mandeísmo para niños