Hayyi Rabbi

Hayyi Rabbi
Other namesHayyi, Life, The Great Life, The First Life, Lord of Greatness (Mara ḏ-Rabuta), King of Light, The Great Mind, Truth
AbodeWorld of Light
SymbolLight, Living Water (Yardena)
Equivalents
ManichaeanFather of Greatness
GnosticMonad

In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi (Neo-Mandaic; Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, romanized: Hiia Rbia, lit.'The Great Life'), 'The Great Living God',[1] is the supreme God from which all things emanate.

Hayyi Rabbi is also known as "The First Life", since during the creation of the material world, Yushamin emanated from Hayyi Rabbi as the 'Second Life'.[2] According to Qais Al-Saadi,

[T]he principles of the Mandaean doctrine: the belief of the only one great God, Hayyi Rabbi, to whom all absolute properties belong; He created all the worlds, formed the soul through his power, and placed it by means of angels into the human body. So He created Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.[3]

Mandaeans recognize God to be the eternal, creator of all, the one and only in domination, who has no partner.[4] "God is worshiped alone and praised as the Supreme Force of the universe. He presides over all the worlds and all of creation."[5]: 40  In Mandaeism, sahduta is the belief in One God [5]: 43  (c.f. Middle Aramaic שָׂהֲדוּתָא "testimony"[6]).

  1. ^ Nashmi, Yuhana (24 April 2013), "Contemporary Issues for the Mandaean Faith", Mandaean Associations Union, retrieved 8 October 2021
  2. ^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
  3. ^ Al-Saadi, Qais (27 September 2014), "Ginza Rabba "The Great Treasure" The Holy Book of the Mandaeans in English", Mandaean Associations Union, retrieved 8 October 2021
  4. ^ Hanish, Shak (2019). The Mandaeans In Iraq. In Rowe, Paul S. (2019). Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East. London and New York: Routledge. p. 163. ISBN 9781317233794.
  5. ^ a b Brikhah S. Nasoraia (2012). "Sacred Text and Esoteric Praxis in Sabian Mandaean Religion" (PDF).
  6. ^ "The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon". cal.huc.edu.