Ginza Rabba Right – Book 18
The Apocalypse and the End Times
“In the name of the Great Life! When the measure of the days of this material world (Tibil) is full, when the number of human generations is exhausted, the Lord of Greatness, from his immeasurable throne of Light, will decree the end. He will call Manda d-Hayyi (the Messenger of Knowledge) and say to him: The time has come, The cup of darkness overflows. The captive souls have suffered enough in the mud of Ptahil. Go, descend and overthrow the pillars of the world.”
“Then the warning signs will be fulfilled. The springs of the Yardna (Living Water) will dry up on the earth., the rivers will become stagnant and bitter mud. The fruits will lose their flavor, the grain will no longer bear its grain. Love and Kushta (Truth) will disappear from from the hearts of men; sons will rise up against there fathers, daughters against their mothers. The rulers of the world will grip the peoples in a grip of iron and blood, and the priests of deception will multiply their spells. Lies will reign supreme, and the children of Light will be hunted like sheep lost among wolves.”
“But suddenly, in the midst of their pride and terror, the visible sky will be torn apart. It will not be a day like other days, there will neither be sun or moon, for Shamish (the demon of the Sun) and Sin (the demon of the Moon) will lose their false splendor and their chariots of fire will fall.”
“Manda d-Hayyi will descend with a flaming sword of pure Ether. He will fight not with weapons of corruptible metal, but with the word of the Supreme, He will cry out to the guardians of the seven planetary heavens: Fall, O proud rulers! Your reign of illusion is ended! The chains with which you have bound the souls of the righteous are broken!”
“At the sound of His voice, the seven planets (Sibahia), which for millennia had ruled fate, sent disease, and corrupted prophets, will scream in terror. They will fall from their celestial thrones like dead stars. The twelve signs of the Zodiac, the monstrous demons who wove the webs, will writhe in the fires of destruction. Their Mattarathas (the toll stations of the air) will crumble to dust, and the blind flames they used to torment souls will rise to devour them.”
“Then Ruha, the mother of darkness, the spirit of deception and error, she who whispered to Ishu (Jesus) and Misha (Moses), will see the collapse of her empire. She will try to escape, crawling toward the lower abysses toward the sea Suph (the primordial sea of Chaos). But the Envoy of Light will seize her. He will strip her of every false splendor she had stolen from the world, and will cast her, naked and hideous, into the black fire that does not illuminate, into the fire that endlessly burns darkness itself. And there Ruha, the demos. and all those that loved darlness, will be consumed until they are nothing. Their existence will be erased from the memory of the Great Life.”
“And what will become of the material world, the earth we walk on? The mountains will crumble like sand blown by the wind. The stones of the temples, the blood-stained altars, and the cities of tyrants will sink into the seething chaos. The air will turn to smoke, the water will become burning poison, the mud will return to shapeless nothingness form which Ptahil had fashioned it. The entire Tibil will collapse upon itself and cease to exist.”
“But on that terrible day, no evil will touch the children of Light. All pure souls, the Nishimtas who have kept the covenant, who have received the Masbuta (Batism) in the secret Name, who have not stained themselves with blood and false worship, will be called to gather. They will not be reborn in new bodies of flesh, they will never again know pain, hunger, or death.”
“They will ascend to the luminous hosts, led by the Supreme Envoy and the Uthri. They will pass unhindered through the triumphant scales of Abatar, which will no longer lean toward judgement, but will be fixed in the Truth. And the ineffable gates of the Supreme World of Light will open for the last time. Souls will enter it, clothed in their original robes of glory, crowned with eternally blooming myrtle, regaining the perfect form of the primordial mind (Mana). They will reunite with their angelic brothers, quench their thirst at the inexhaustible springs of Living Water, and rest for eternity in the lap of the Great First Life.”
The kingdom of Darkness will be destroyed forever, Only the Light, the pure, silent, and incomprehensible Light, will fill all things, yesterday, today, and forever and ever.”
Right Book 2
“Listen, O Adam, and Understand what I reveal to you.|”
“The ages of this earthly world (Tibil) are numbered, the time of its duration is measured from the beginning. For you O Adam, until the end of the world, generations of men will arise. But the evil planets, Ruha and the demons of darkness, will not cease to plot against the lineage of Light.”
“They will send their emissaries, spirits of lies, disguised as guides and prophets, to confuse the minds of men, to lead them away from the Kushta (the Truth) and the living water (Yardna). I announce to you the days to come, so that your children may know, so that those who bear the sign if purity may not be deceived.”
“A people will arise in Jerusalem (Urashlam). To them the planets will send a man named Misha (Moses). He does not come from the Great Life, but is an instrument of Adonai (the Jewish god, associated by the Mandaeans with the planet Sun/Shamish). Misha will ascend the mountain and bring laws of stone, laws of sword and fire, not the peace of the Light. He will teach his people to shed blood, to make animal sacrifices, to burn flesh on the altar, things that are an abomination in the eyes of the Great Life. His followers will circumcise their flesh, but they will not purify their souls in the living waters. Beware of them, for their way is darkness, and they will persecute the children of the Light (the Mandaeans).”
“And after him, in that same land, another prophet will arise, raised up from the planet Mercury (Nabu) and from Ruha. He will be called Ishu Mshiha (Jesus Christ). Ishu will travel through the earth and come to the Jordon River, where he will teach and baptize my faithful servant, Yahya Yuhana (John the Baptist). But Ishu will distort the teaching of Yahya, He will appropriate baptism, but will change it. He will no longer baptize in living, flowing waters (Yardna), but in stagnant waters, in cups of stone and wood. He will say, ‘I am the son of God’,; but he is the son of lies and of the spirit of error (Ruha). He will abolish pure marriage, preach abstinence, wear black robes, things which the Great Life has not commanded. His followers will worship a piece of crossed wood (the cross), and instrument of death, not a symbol of life, Do not believe him, O children of Kushta, for his doctrines distances the soul from its true origin.”
“Finally, from the deserts of the south, from the land of the Arabs, a last prophet will arise, the envoy of the demon of Mars (Nerig). He will call himself Muhammad, son of Bizbat. He will proclaim himself the Seal of the Prophets and will carry a book written with the ink of the sword. He will subjugate the peoples by force and terror. His followers, the Ishmaelites, will multiply like locusts. They will shout empty prayers five times a day toward the south, will force men to bend to their will, and will impose a yoke of iron on the entire earth. They will know no peace, but only submission. During their reign, the children of Light will be oppressed and persecuted, the pure rivers will be contaminated, and our scriptures will be hidden.”
“But I say to you, O Adam, and to all who descend from you; hold fast your faith in the Great Life. Keep your white garments, symbol of the robe of glory. Do not forsake the Yerdna, the flowing water, for in it is your purification. Do not mix with the nations who shed blood and eat unclean flesh, who love war and worship the gods of the lower heavens.”
“We are strangers in this world (Tibil), the soul is exiled in the flesh. Remain hidden and steadfast, like the spark beneath the ashes, until the Day of Judgement. When the time of this world has come to an end, the Tibil will tremble, the heavens will collapse, the evil planets and Ruha will fall into the destructive fire. But the pure souls, those who have retained the Sign of Light, will be lifted up by the Uthri (the angels), will cross the scales of Abatur abd return triumphant to the WOrld of Lightm their eternal home.
The Moral Commandments Dictated to Adam.
“In the name of the Great Life! Praise be to the Light, and may the Truth (Kushta) be our guide. Manda d-Hayyi (the messenger of Knowledge) descended to Adam, He sat beside him and Said: ‘Listen O Adam, and keep these words in your pure heart, Teach these commandments to your children and to all the generations of Light, so they do not fall into the snares of Ruha (the spirit of error) and are not devoured by the seven planets that rule the material world.
- The Supreme Commandment: The Prohobition of Shedding Blood.
Do not kill any human being, O adam. Do not shed the blood of your brothers, for whoever kills a body destroys the temporary home of a soul. And do not kill animals and offer them as sacrifices! The Great Life abhors the smoke of burning flesh. The demons of the Jews and other nations delight in the smell of blood on the altars, but you, children of the Light, must never bow to this abomination. Eat what is pure, but do not shed blood to worship false gods.”
2. The Prohibition of Celibacy and the Obligation of Pure Marriage.
Do not abstain from marriage O Adam! Do not listen to those who will come (the Christians and the monks) and say: Remain virgins, do not have intercourse with women, do not beget children…This is the deception of Ruha to destroy the human race and prevent souls from incarnating and then liberating themselves. Take wives and husbands in the purity of Truth. Build families, love one another, beget sons and daughters, and instruct them in the path of Kushta. But do not commit adultery…”
In Mandaeism, the “sign of light” or physical symbol of the divine power of Light is the drabsha, a special processional banner shaped like a cross. It is made of two olive-wood branches, covered partly with pure white silk, and adorned with seven myrtle branches.
Core Elements of the Masbuta
- Attire: Participants wear a sacred white ritual garment called the rasta.
- Triple Actions: The rite features a triple full immersion in the river, a triple signing of the forehead with water, and taking a triple gulp of water.
- Rites and Blessings: An officiating priest places a myrtle-ring crown on the participant’s forehead, shares a ceremonial handshake (kushta or “hand of truth”), and lays hands on the believer.
- Anointing and Communion: On the riverbank, the person is anointed with sesame oil (misha) and partakes in a sacramental communion of bread (pihta) and water.
Significance and Practice
- Recurring Purification: Unlike Christian baptism, the masbuta is not a one-time initiation but a frequent, repeating ritual meant to continually realign the soul with the divine realm of light.
- Living Water: Because flowing natural water is believed to originate from the celestial World of Light, any clean river can serve as the ritual site
Symbolism of the Drabsha
- White Silk Cloth: Represents the pure Light of God (Hayyi Rabbi, the Great Life) and the radiance originating from the World of Light.
- Four Arms: Symbolize the four corners or directions of the universe.
- Seven Myrtle Branches: Represent the seven days of creation.
- Cosmic Meaning: In the Mandaic language, drabša can also mean a “ray of light”. The banner acts as an earthly sign that divine light and life shine down from heaven to protect and guide the faithful.
Role in Rituals
It serves as the ultimate visual and spiritual focal point for recognizing the presence of the luminous divine realm (Alma d-Nhura)
It is set up beside the river (yardna) during vital sacramental ceremonies like the masbuta (full-immersion baptism).
Nasoraeans are the initiated, esoteric practitioners, and priethood within Mandaeaism, and ancient surviving Gnostic religion. The term means “guardians” or “keepers of secret knowledge” (Naṣirutha). They trace their lineage back to ancient Mesopotamia and view themselves as preservers of divine light.
Core Beliefs and Practices
- Gnosis: Focus on secret, salvific spiritual insight rather than Mosaic law.
- Lineage: Believed to have left Jerusalem for Mesopotamia prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, according to sacred texts like the Haran Gawaita.
- Priesthood Hierarchy: Includes ranks such as Tarmidha (priests) and Ganzivra (bishops).
- Sacraments: Frequent full-immersion baptisms (Masbutha) in flowing natural water.
The Secret Names
A lay Mandaean’s true spiritual name, or malwasha, is mathematically calculated by a Mandaean priest (Tarmida) who factors in the exact hour of birth, the birth month’s zodiac sign, and the numerical value of the mother’s malwasha.
This formulaic system ensures that the child’s final name holds a specific protective, cosmic value that counters the negative influences of the zodiac signs (melwashe)… is detailed in the sacred astrological text, the Book of the Zodiac (Sfar Malwašia):
Step 1: Assigning the Mother’s Numerical Value
Every Mandaean name is inherently tied to a specific number. The priest begins by looking up the numerical value assigned to the mother’s baptismal name in the religious texts.
Step 2: Finding the Birth Sign on the Zodiacal Circle
The priest identifies the primary zodiac sign corresponding to the month of the child’s birth.
Step 3: Counting the Birth Hours
Using a 12-hour zodiacal circle, the priest starts at the birth month’s sign. They count forward clockwise around the circle by the exact number of hours that have passed since sunrise or sunset at the moment of birth. This reveals a new “birth hour” zodiac sign, which yields a base numerical value.
Step 4: The Subtraction Formula
The priest takes the base numerical value of the birth hour sign and subtracts the numerical value of the mother’s name from it.
\(\text{Target\ Name\ Value}=\text{Birth\ Hour\ Sign\ Value}-\text{Mother}^{\prime }\text{s\ Name\ Value}\)
Step 5: Matching the Name
The resulting number dictates the required numerical value for the child’s new name. The priest selects a traditional religious name that exactly matches this final targeted integer. []
Real-World Example
As documented in historical records on Mandaean Names on Wikipedia:
- The Setup: A boy is born at 11:00 AM in the month of Awwal Gita. His mother’s name is Sharat, which has a predetermined value of 2.
- The Calculation: The zodiac sign for Awwal Gita is Aria (Leo). Counting 11 hours ahead on the wheel from Aria lands on the sign Sartana (Cancer), which carries a value of 4. []
- The Math: The priest subtracts the mother’s value (2) from the birth sign value (4), which leaves a target value of 2 (4 – 2 = 2). []
- The Result: The priest assigns the name Zahrun, which has a value of 2. The child’s complete spiritual name becomes Zahrun bar Sharat (Zahrun, son of Sharat), perfectly balancing the protective cosmic value of 4. []
If you are interested, I can explain the matrilineal lineage system of Mandaean names or outline the role that the twelve zodiac signs play in Mandaean cosmology. []
The liturgies and prayers recited during the Mandaean full baptism (masbuta) are recorded in the Qulasta, the Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Rather than being spoken entirely aloud to an audience, these verses are chanted or muttered in Classical Mandaic by the priest as intense spiritual formulas to alter the cosmic nature of the environment, water, and person. [1, 2]