Sidra d-Nishmata


The Sidra ḏ-Nišmata, also known as the Book of Souls or Book of Gadana, is a collection of Mandaean litugical prayers that constitutes the first part of the Qulasta. It is typically considered to consist of 103 prayers. The Sidra ḏ-Nišmata most likely constitutes the oldest stratum of Mandaean literature and dates to at least the 3rd century CE or earlier.
The Sidra ḏ-Nišmata contains the most important prayers used in core Mandaean rituals, namely the masbuta and masiqta.

Structure

Matthew Morgenstern and Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki considers the Sidra ḏ-Nišmata to contain 103 prayers, which correspond to the first 103 prayers in both Mark Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien (1920) and E. S. Drower's Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans.
The Sidra ḏ-Nišmata consists of the following sections. Each of the three parts has its own colophon.
  • Part 1: Prayers 1–74
  • *Prayers 1–31: masbuta liturgy
  • *Prayers 32–72: masiqta liturgy
  • *CP 73–74: the 2 "Letter" prayers
  • Part 2: Prayers 75–77: 3 long prayers of praise
  • Part 3: Prayers 78–103: the "responses"

Types of prayers

Eric Segelberg lists the following types of prayers in the Sidra ḏ-Nišmata.
  • buta
  • *Prayers 1, 3, 5: prayers for the crown
  • *Prayer 7: prayer for the pandama
  • *Prayers 9–11: prayers at the river bank
  • *Prayers 22–24: prayers over the oil
  • *Prayers 25–28: buta haṭamta or "sealing prayer"
  • *Prayer 32: opening masiqta prayer
  • *Prayers 75–77: long baptismal prayers
  • qaiamta: Prayers 56–65
  • pugdama : Prayers 8, 14, 19, 34; also applies to Prayers 5, 47, 48
  • šrita : Prayers 2, 4, 6, 31, 55
  • draša
  • *Prayers 21, 30, 88–90
  • eniana
  • *Prayers 79–81: three hymns in the beginning of the baptismal rite
  • *Prayer 82: hymn after the acts in the water
  • *Prayer 83–87: hymns said after the sealing prayers

List of prayers

Below is a list of individual prayers of the Sidra ḏ-Nišmata based on the text of Drower, with additional notes from Segelberg and Buckley.
Litanies in the Sidra d-Nishmata include prayers 8, 9, 25, 58, 70, 71, 77, 80, and 81.

Maṣbuta liturgy

  • 3 sets of paired prayers for the burzinqa
  • *Prayer 1: prayer containing a creation narrative
  • *Prayer 2: šrita dedicated to Zihrun
  • *Prayer 3: prayer to Yawar Ziwa bar Nhur Hiia, Hamgai Ziwa bar Hamgagai Ziwa, Zihrun
  • *Prayer 4: šrita praising Manda d-Hayyi and the Light of Tarwan
  • *Prayer 5: prayer to Yufin-Yufafin, Eit Enṣibat Eutria, Eit Yawar bar Enṣibat Eutria
  • *Prayer 6: šrita
  • Prayer 7: pandama prayer
  • Prayer 8: longer incense prayer containing a litany
  • "Adjutores baptismi" prayers
  • *Prayer 9: litany
  • *Prayer 10: short prayer about the yardna
  • *Prayer 11: short prayer to Yawar Ziwa and seven manas
  • Prayer 12: prayer of Yur bar Barit opening up the yardna
  • Prayer 13: descent to the yardna, attended by ʿuthria
  • Prayer 14: margna prayer
  • Exorcism prayers
  • *Prayer 15: prayer for binding demons
  • *Prayer 16: "perfected gem" prayer
  • *Prayer 17: invocation of ʿuthria so that evil spirits would flee
  • Prayer 18: long prayer blessing the yardna which begins with the invocation of Piriawis
  • Prayer 19: short prayer for crowning with the klila, and pronouncing ʿuthria names over the baptized person
  • Prayer 20: yardna prayer beginning with a blessing of the outer door, for deconsecrating the yardna
  • Prayer 21: ascent from the yardna; the prayer rejects the sun, moon, and fire as witnesses
  • Oil prayers
  • *Prayer 22: invocation of ʿuthria before anointing with oil
  • *Prayer 23: praising the oil
  • *Prayer 24: oil driving off evil spirits and healing illnesses
  • Sealing prayers
  • *Prayer 25: long litany
  • *Prayer 26: short prayer sealing the baptized souls
  • *Prayer 27: prayer invoking ʿUṣar-Hai and Pta-Hai, Manda ḏ-Hiia, and Hayyi
  • *Prayer 28: prayer of healing and driving off illnesses
  • Prayer 29: short prayer of rising up
  • Prayer 30: prayer about conquering the mountain, fire, and sea
  • Prayer 31: final ''šrita''

Masiqta liturgy

  • Prayer 32: short opening prayer
  • Prayer 33: mambuha prayer dedicated to the Water of Life
  • Prayer 34: shorter incense prayer
  • Prayer 35: long prayer dedicated to Manda d-Hayyi, used for versatile ritual applications
  • Pihta prayers
  • *Prayer 36: prayer to the Mana, Drop, Šar, Pirun
  • *Prayer 37: prayer to the Cloud
  • *Prayer 38: prayer to Yawar Ziwa
  • *Prayer 39: prayer of the šuta of Yawar
  • *Prayer 40: prayer to ʿUṣar
  • *Prayer 41: prayer to ʿUṣar Nhur
  • *Prayer 42: prayer of the šuta of Yawar
  • *Prayer 43: prayer to Manda ḏ-Hiia
  • Mambuha prayers
  • *Prayer 44: short prayer to Biriawiš
  • *Prayer 45: longer prayer
  • Masiqta prayers
  • *Klila prayers
  • **Prayer 46: klila prayer. Almost identical to Prayer 5, except that the first two words of Prayer 46 are nhar nhura instead of nhur nhura in Prayer 5. As a result, Lidzbarski omits Prayer 46 as a duplicate of Prayer 5, although Drower and Gelbert & Lofts keep the prayer.
  • **Prayer 47: klila prayer
  • *Prayer 48: oil prayer
  • *Prayer 49: prayer for the spirit and soul; Ṣauriel is invoked
  • *Prayer 50: prayer mentioning "Hamamulai"
  • *Prayer 51: investiture prayer
  • *Prayer 52: prayer invoking Yusmir
  • *Prayer 53: masiqta sealing prayer
  • *Prayer 54: prayer invoking Yukašar
  • *Prayer 55: short pandama loosening prayer
  • *Prayer 56: short living water prayer
  • *Prayer 57: short incense prayer
  • *Prayer 58: litany
  • *Prayer 59: short pihta prayer
  • *Prayer 60: short mambuha prayer
  • *Prayer 61: klila prayer
  • *Prayer 62: short prayer praising the Naṣoraeans
  • *Prayer 63: oil prayer
  • *Prayer 64: short prayer
  • *Prayer 65: raising up of souls
  • *Prayer 66: Left Ginza 3.43
  • *Prayer 67: prayer of ascension
  • *Prayer 68: Left Ginza 3.20
  • *Prayer 69: "go in peace"
  • *Prayer 70: litany
  • *Prayer 71: prayer of Shum, son of Noah, which contains a litany
  • *Prayer 72: prayer asking Manda ḏ-Hiia for the forgiveness of sins

Engirta prayers

  • Prayer 73: long prayer about a sealed letter
  • Prayer 74: short prayer about the seal and word of Kušṭa

Three long prayers

  • Prayer 75: "Mandaic targum" bearing many similarities to Psalm 114
  • Prayer 76: prayer of perfecting the souls
  • Prayer 77: litany

[Eniania]

  • Prayer 78: short prelude prayer
  • Prayer 79: short myrtle prayer
  • "Hear me" litanies
  • *Prayer 80: longer "hear me" litany
  • *Prayer 81: shorter "hear me" litany
  • Prayer 82: short mambuha prayer
  • Maṣbuta prayers
  • *Prayer 83: short prayer about plants planted and raised by the yardna
  • *Prayer 84: short maṣbuta prayer about the baptizer
  • *Prayer 85: short maṣbuta prayer about Shilmai, Nidbai, and Anush Uthra
  • *Prayer 86: short maṣbuta prayer about the yardna
  • *Prayer 87: short maṣbuta prayer about priests
  • *Prayer 88: long prayer
  • *Prayer 89: long prayer
  • *Prayer 90: long prayer. See Gärtner for a study of the prayer comparing it with Jewish Christianity.
  • Masiqta prayers
  • *Prayer 91: short prayer about crossing the waters of death
  • *Prayer 92: Left Ginza 3.4
  • *Prayer 93: short prayer about the Mana
  • *Prayer 94: Left Ginza 3.3
  • *Prayer 95: short prayer about Sunday, Kushta, and Zidqa
  • *Prayer 96: Left Ginza 3.2
  • *Prayer 97: short prayer about being taken to the World of Light
  • *Prayer 98: Left Ginza 3.7
  • *Prayer 99: prayer about the chosen ones
  • *Prayer 100: short prayer about fragrant trees
  • *Prayer 101: short prayer
  • *Prayer 102: short prayer about the building of Life
  • *Prayer 103: final masiqta prayer