Qolasta

The Qolasta, and two other key texts to Mandaic literature, the Mandaean Book of John and the Ginza Rabba, were compiled together.[4] However, their date of authorship is heavily debated, some believing it to be during the second and third centuries,[5] and others believing it to be conceived during the first century.[6]

In 1949, Torgny Säve-Söderbergh demonstrated that many passages in the Manichaean Psalms of Thomas were paraphrases or even word-by-word translations of Mandaean prayers in the Qolasta. Säve-Söderbergh also argued that the Manichaean psalms had borrowed from Mandaean sources rather than vice versa. As a result, much of the Qolasta can be dated to before 3rd century, i.e. before Mani's lifetime.[7]

In 1867, Julius Euting published a printed Mandaic version of the Qolasta.[8][9][10]

The Qolasta has been translated into English by E. S. Drower in 1959 and by Mark Lidzbarski into German in 1920.[1] Lidzbarski's translation was based on two manuscripts, including Ms. Syr. F. 2 (R) held at the Bodleian Library, which he called "Roll F."[2]

E. S. Drower's version of the Qolasta contains 414 prayers (338 prayers if excluding duplicated prayers), which was based on manuscript 53 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 53). The fragmentary DC 3, which is an incomplete codex of the Qolasta, was also consulted by Drower.[3] DC 53 was copied in 1802 by the ganzibra Adam Yuhana, the father of Yahia Bihram, in Huwaiza, Khuzistan. The manuscript was purchased by Drower in 1954.[2]

Carlos Gelbert has also translated the 103 prayers from Lidzbarki's Mandäische Liturgien into Arabic.[11] A typesetted Mandaic version has also been published in 1998 by Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki.[12]

One of the most important prayers is prayer 170, called the Ṭabahatan ("Our Ancestors"). As a commemoration prayer with a long list of names, the prayer starts with the line ṭab ṭaba lṭabia ("Good is the Good for the Good"). A different version of this prayer is found in DC 42, Šarḥ ḏ-Ṭabahata ("The Scroll of Ṭabahata" [Parents]), which is used during Parwanaya rituals.[2]

In Mandaean rituals, many prayers are frequently recited in sets. Common sets of prayers listed in ritual texts such as the Scroll of Exalted Kingship, The Coronation of the Great Shishlam,[13] the Alma Rišaia texts,[14] and Zihrun Raza Kasia[15] are given below. Drower's and Lidzbarki's numberings are equivalent for these prayers, since the first 103 prayers are nearly identical in both versions.

• 1, 3, 5, 19 (masbuta prayers for the turban and baptism wreath)
• 25-28 (sealing peayers, or haṭamta)
• 32-34 (masiqta prayers)
• 9, 35 (prayers of radiance) (sometimes swapped as 35, 9)
• 59-60 (masiqta prayers for the pihta and mambuha)
• 71-72 (masiqta prayers for the souls)
• 75-77 (long praise prayers)
• 91-99 (ʿniania: masiqta response hymns)
• 101-103 (ʿniania: masiqta response hymns)

The "loosening prayers" are known as širiata.[13]

Many of the prayers in the Qolasta have recurring formulas such as:[3]

• The bšuma: "In the name of Hayyi Rabbi" (Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ b-šumaihun ḏ-hiia rbia; or sometimes more simply as ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ b-šuma ḏ-hiia), at the beginnings of prayers
• "And Hayyi is victorious" (Classical Mandaic: ࡅࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡊࡉࡍ u-hiia zakin), at the ends of prayers
• "And praise be to Hayyi" (Classical Mandaic: ࡅࡌࡔࡀࡁࡉࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ u-mšabin hiia), at the ends of prayers
• "In the name of Hibil, Šitil, and Anuš" (Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡄࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡅࡔࡉࡕࡉࡋ ࡅࡀࡍࡅࡔ b-šumaihun ḏ-Hibil u-Šitil u-Anuš)[13]

The table below lists the 414 prayers in Drower's 1959 Canonical Prayerbook, along with their ritual uses. Many of the prayers are identical or nearly identical duplicates of other prayers in the prayerbook, as listed in the "corresponding prayer" column in the below. Opening lines, which exclude frequently used formulas such as "In the name of Hayyi Rabbi", are included since the original scribal commentaries in the Qolasta manuscripts, as well as external priestly esoteric commentaries (e.g., Scroll of Exalted Kingship), typically refer to each Qolasta prayer by its opening line rather than by an ordered number.

Drower (1959) also categorizes the prayers into different sections. Originally, some of these sections had historically been separate manuscripts before they had been compiled by Mandaean scribes into single codices (books) such as DC 53.

Each prayer is typically recited only for a specific stage of a certain ritual, as listed in the "commentary" column below. For example, see Tarmida#Prayer sequence for a detailed list of prayers recited during different stages of the tarmida initiation ceremony.

Corresponding prayers in Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien (1920) are also provided.

Several of the prayers in Drower's Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans (CP), mostly ʿniania ("responses") and masiqta prayers, correspond to hymns in Book 3 of the Left Ginza (GL 3):[2][16]

Some marriage hymns (hadaiata) in the Canonical Prayerbook also correspond to some hymns in Book 12 of the Right Ginza (GR 12):[16]

• CP 179 = GR 12.2
• CP 214 = GR 12.4

Various esoteric texts used in priestly initiation ceremonies frequently refer to prayers in the Qolasta. These include:[2]

• The Thousand and Twelve Questions
• Scroll of Exalted Kingship
• The Coronation of the Great Shishlam
• Alma Rišaia Rba
• Alma Rišaia Zuṭa
• Zihrun Raza Kasia
• Scroll of the Ancestors
• The Wedding of the Great Shishlam (for wedding ceremonies)

Many passages in these texts are essentially priestly commentaries on both the practical ritual applications and esoteric symbolism of specific prayers in the Qolasta.

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Qolasta

• Tarmida § Prayer sequence
• Asiet Malkia
• Psalms
• Gatha (Zoroaster)
• Brakha

• Complete scan of Drower's translation of the Qolasta
• Canonical Prayerbook (accidentally titled "Ginza Rabba" in the Gnosis Archive; incomplete and contains some typographical errors)
• A slightly more complete version at the Internet Archive (the first few sections have not been archived)
• Mandäische Liturgien by Mark Lidzbarski (1920) (in German)

Mandaean Network texts in Mandaic

• Qulasta (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Qulasta (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Sidra d-Nishmata, Book of the Soul (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Sidra d-Nishmata, Book of the Soul (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• ʿNiani prayers (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• ʿNiani prayers (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Diwan ʿNiani d-Masbuta (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)
• Diwan ʿNiani d-Masbuta (Mandaic text from the Mandaean Network)

Audio recordings of Qolasta prayers

• I rose up from the river (Qolasta 21) recited by Rbai Rafid al-Sabti in the Netherlands
• Salutation of Kings (Asiet malkia) (Qolasta 105) recited by Rbai Rafid al-Sabti in the Netherlands
• Salutation of Kings (Asiet malkia) (Qolasta 105) recited by Abdullah Khaffagi in Ahvaz in 1960
• Salutation of Kings (Asiet malkia) (Qolasta 105) recited at a Parwanaya service in Michigan