238 REV. S. M, ZWEMER, F.R.G.S., ON 



a hook religion ; and it has such a mass of sacred literature 

 that few have ever had the patience to examine even a part 

 of it. In the collection the Siclra Rabba, or Great Book, holds 

 the first place. The copy I examined (but could not read) 

 one day, contains over five hundred large quarto pages of 



text divided into tAvo parts, a ''right" (Ar. .a^j) and a "left 



hand" (Ar. jU-i) testament; because of the manner in which 

 they are bound together, i.e., each begins at one of the two 

 ends of the book, so to speak, and when one reads the 

 ^' right," the '^ left" testament is upside-down. The other 



name for the Great Book is Ginza, Treasure (Arabic -J^). 



It is from this treasure-house that we chiefly gather the 

 elements of their cosmogony and mythology.* 



First of all things was Pera Rabba ^ ^*^ '^^'^^1^ the 



great Abyss. With him " Shining ether " and the Spirit of 

 Glory (Mana Rabba) form a primal triad, similar to the 

 Gnostic and ancient Accadian triads. Kessler even goes so 

 far as to say tliat it is the same. From Mana Rabba who is 

 the king of light, emanates Yardava Rabba, the great Jordan. 

 (This is an element of Gnosticism) Mana Rabba called into 

 being the first of the seons,. Primal Life, or Hayye kadema. 



(Arabice *jjJiS \ L:Li*J^\)' This is really the chief deity of 



the Sabeans, and all their prayers begin by invoking him. 

 From him again proceed secondary emanations, Yushamim 

 {i.e., Jah of heaven) and Manda Hayye, messenger of life. 

 This latter is the mediator of their system, and from him all 

 those that accept his mediation are called, Manddee. 

 Yushamim was punished for attempting to raise himself 

 above Primal Light, and now rules the world of inferior 

 light. Manda still " rests in the bosom of Primal light " {cf. 



* The first printed and translated edition of the Sidra Rahha was by 

 Math. Norberg (CoiDenhagen 1815-16), but it is said to be so defective 

 that it is quite useless critically ; Peterniann rejjroduced the Paris MSS. 

 in two volumes at Leipsic 1867. Besides the Sidra Rahha there are : 

 Sidra d'Yaheya or Book of St. John, also called Drasche d^Malek 

 (discourse of the King) ; The Diican ; The Sidra Neshmata, or book of 

 souls ; and last, but not least, the books of the zodiac called Asfar 

 Malwashee. Except for the small portion of the Sidra Rahha found in 

 Brandt's recently published Mandaische Schriften (1895) all of the above 

 still await critical study and editing. 



