Mandaean cosmology
Mandaean cosmology is the Gnostic conception of the universe in the religion of Mandaeism.
Mandaean cosmology is strongly influenced by ancient near eastern cosmology broadly and Jewish, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Manichaean and other Near Eastern religions and philosophies particularly.
Emanations
The three major Emanations or "Lives" in Mandaeism are:- The Second Life: Yushamin, the primal uthra
- The Third Life: Abatur, the weigher of souls, and also the father of the uthri
- The Fourth Life: Ptahil, the creator of the material world
Realms
Mandaean cosmology divides the universe into three realms:- World of Light or Lightworld
- Tibil, or Earth
- World of Darkness or underworld
World of Light
The World of Light is the primeval, transcendent world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. The Great Life and his uthras dwell in the World of Light. The World of Light is also the source of Piriawis, the Great Yardena, or "Jordan" of Life.In Mandaean cosmology, ether permeates outer space and the World of Light. Uthras travel by moving through ether. The Father is also sometimes mentioned as Ayar Rba or Ayar Ziwa. In Mandaeism, the "outer ether", mentioned in texts such as The Thousand and Twelve Questions, refers to the ether that permeates the cosmos, while the "inner ether" refers to the "breath or pure air of Life within the soul".
The Mshunia Kushta is a section of the World of Light where spiritual counterparts or images called dmuta are found.
When a Mandaean person dies, priests perform elaborate death rituals or death masses called masiqta in order to help guide the soul towards the World of Light. In order to pass from Tibil to the World of Light, the soul must go through multiple maṭarta before finally being reunited with the dmuta, the soul's heavenly counterpart.
The Scroll of Abatur mentions a heavenly tree called Shatrin where the souls of unbaptized Mandaean children are temporarily nourished for 30 days. On the 30th day, Hibil Ziwa baptizes the souls of the children, who then continue on to the World of Light. The tree has a length of 360,000 parasangs according to the Scroll of Abatur.
The idea has some parallels with the Gnostic concept of pleroma.
Tibil
, or Earth, is the middle, earthly realm in Mandaean cosmology. It is separated form the World of Light above and the World of Darkness below by ayar. Rituals mediated by priests allow for a laufa to be made from Tibil to the World of Light.World of Darkness
The World of Darkness is ruled by its king Ur and its queen Ruha, mother of the seven planets and twelve constellations. The great dark Sea of Suf lies in the World of Darkness. The great dividing river of Hiṭfon, analogous to the river Styx in Greek mythology, separates the World of Darkness from the World of Light.Directions
Mandaeism considers North, and hence also the North Pole and Polaris, to be auspicious and associated with the World of Light. Mandaeans face north when praying, and temples are also oriented towards the north. On the contrary, South is associated with the World of Darkness.Planets
Overall, the seven classical planets are generally not viewed favorably in Mandaeism, since they constitute part of the entourage of Ruha, the Queen of the World of Darkness who is also their mother. However, individually, some of the planets can be associated with positive qualities. The names of the seven planets in Mandaic are borrowed from Akkadian, and are also reflected in the same sequence in Jewish sources The other earliest reference and being in Mandaic is the sequence occurring on a lead amulet in Mandaic.The planets are listed according to the traditional Mandaean order of the planets as given by Masco.
| Planet | Mandaic | Mandaic script | Akkadian | Other names | Associations |
| Sun | Šamiš | ࡔࡀࡌࡉࡔ | Šamaš | Adunai < Hebrew Adonai | light and life-powers Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia ; Yazuqaeans |
| Venus | Libat | ࡋࡉࡁࡀࡕ | Delebat | Amamit, Argiuat, Daitia, Kukbat, Spindar, ʿstira, and Ruha or Ruha ḏ-qudša | success in love and reproduction |
| Mercury | Nbu | ࡍࡁࡅ ࡏࡍࡁࡅ | Nabû | Maqurpiil, Mšiha < Messiah; ʿaṭarid < Arabic | learning, scribes; Christ and Christianity |
| Moon | Sin | ࡎࡉࡍ | Sīnu | Agzʿil, Ṭaṭmʿil, Ṣaurʿil, and Sira | miscarriages and abnormal births |
| Saturn | Kiwan | ࡊࡉࡅࡀࡍ | Kajamānu | Br Šamiš | Jews; Saturday; Kentaeans |
| Jupiter | Bil | ࡁࡉࡋ | Bēlu | Angʿil | male; "hot and moist" |
| Mars | Nirig | ࡍࡉࡓࡉࡂ | Nergallu | Marik | violence; Islam |
Each planet is said to be carried in a ship. Drawings of these ships, such as Shahrat, are found in various Mandaean scrolls, such as the Scroll of Abatur.