Zihrun Raza Kasia
# Zihrun Raza Kasia

The Šarḥ ḏ-Zihrun Raza Kasia (Classical Mandaic: ࡔࡀࡓࡇ ࡖࡆࡉࡄࡓࡅࡍ ࡓࡀࡆࡀ ࡊࡀࡎࡉࡀ; "The Scroll of Zihrun, the Hidden Mystery") is a Mandaean religious text that describes rituals such as the masbuta, masiqta, and other related topics. It is an illustrated scroll.

Zihrun (referred to as Zihrun Raza Kasia or "Zihrun the Hidden Mystery" in full) is the name of an uthra.

## Manuscripts and translations

An illustrated scroll was purchased by E. S. Drower from Shaikh Yahia at Qal'at Saleh, southern Iraq in May 1937. Today, it is held as manuscript 27 in the Drower Collection of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, and is commonly abbreviated DC 27.

Bogdan Burtea translated the DC 27 manuscript into German in 2008, and also provided a detailed commentary as part of the published translation.

The scroll consists of pieces of paper that have been glued together and is approximately 691 cm long, of which 660 cm contain writing and illustrations. The scroll is about 30 cm wide, with 26 cm used for writing. There are 559 lines of writing. A scribal note in the manuscript says that the text was copied in 1088 A.H. (1677 A.D.).

## Contents

The contents of the DC 27 scroll are:

* Lines 1-22: Introduction
* Lines 23-190: The baptism (masbuta) of Zihrun Raza Kasia
* Lines 231-232: Illustrations, with explanations
* Lines 191-231: Esoteric content
* Lines 232-523: The masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia
* Lines 524-559: Colophon

The masiqta of Zihrun Razia Kasia is performed for people who have died during one of the minor mbaṭṭal days (inauspicious days during which all rituals are forbidden), etc.

## Ritual and prayer sequences

Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for both the Masiqta and Masbuta of Zihrun Raza Kasia in the Šarḥ ḏ-Zihrun Raza Kasia, as summarized in Burtea (2008). All prayer numbers, originally in Roman numerals, are from Part 1 (the Qolastā) of Mark Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien (ML) unless otherwise specified (e.g., the Oxford Collection, which is Part 2 of Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien, or CP, which is Drower's 1959 Canonical Prayerbook).

### Masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia

Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for the Masiqta of Zihrun Raza Kasia as given in the text:

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| rising | |
| raising the crown | 1, 3, 5, 19 |
| wrapping mouth covering cloth (pandama) | 32 |
| hold bottle | 33 |
| incense into the fire | 34 |
| recitation | 75-77, 9, 35 |
| holding the wreath | 46-47 |
| oil | 48 |
| brushing with oil 3 times | 49 |
| 3 strokes | 50 |
| 3 strokes | 51 |
| pause drawing | 52 |
| 3 strokes | 53 |
| separate the pihta from the wreath | |
| break off a piece of pihta | |
| mixing water with wine | |
| recitation | 54 |
| remove the pandama | 55-56 |
| eat the pihta | |
| drinking mambuha (sacramental water) | |
| drinking halalta (rinsing water) | |
| rising | 56 |
| giving a bowl | 57 |
| recitation | 58-71 |
| putting hands on the bread | 72 |
| performing kušṭa | |
| recitation | 75-77 |
| wrapping pandama | 32 |
| holding bottle | 33 |
| putting incense into the fire | 34 |
| recitation | 75-77, 9, 35 |
| recitation for the wine | 44-45 |
| recitation for the myrtle wreath | 46-47 |
| drawing with oil | 48-49 |
| holding the bottle | 91 |
| taking the qina | 91 |
| prepare 9 pihta | masiqta of the ancestors (dabahata) |
| wrapping the pandama | 32 |
| holding water | 33 |
| holding incense | 34 |
| incense into the fire | 75 |
| recitation | 75-77, 9, 35 |
| taking the pihta | 36 |
| recitation | 36-43 |
| taking the wine | 44 |
| recitation | 45 |
| recitation for the myrtle wreath | 46-47 |
| taking the oil | 48 |
| spread with oil | 49 |
| recitation | 50 |
| holding back the hands | 51 |
| spreading | 51 |
| holding back the hands | 52 |
| drawing | |
| recitation | 53 |
| 3 strokes | |
| remove the pihta from the wreath | |
| break a piece of the pihta | |
| mix water with wine | |
| dip the pihta in wine | |
| recitation | 54 |
| remove the pandama | 55 |
| eat pihta and drink wine | |
| put incense into the fire | 56 |
| recitation | 57-58 |
| setting the table (patura) | 59-60 |
| recitation | 61-69, 91-99, 70, 100 |
| recitation | 71-72 |
| recitation | sinner, rahmia |
| performing kušṭa | 30f. (ML 50, 10f.) |
| recitation | 101-103, 63, 3 |
| not honoring the crown | |
| recitation | Oxford book 1, prayer 3 |
| bringing the ritual table and the patura | |
| eating and drinking water | |
| blessing the alms container | |
| sealing with the great seal | |

Summary of the prayer sequence listed above:

* 1, 3, 5, 19
* 32-34
* 75-77, 9, 35
* 46-72
* 75-77
* 32-34
* 75-77, 9, 35
* 44-49
* 91
* dabahata
* 32-34
* 75
* 75-77, 9, 35
* 36
* 36-69, 91-99, 70, 100
* 71-72
* sinner, rahmia; 30f.
* 101-103, 63, 3
* 3

### Masbuta of Zihrun Raza Kasia

Below is the ritual and prayer sequence for the Masbuta of Zihrun Raza Kasia as given in the text:

**Ritual preliminaries**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| recitation | Oxford book 1, prayer 1 |
| raising of the crown | 3, 5, 19 |
| incense into the fire | 8 |
| honoring the crowns | quote from 71 |
| preparation of the myrtle wreath | 79 |
| going to the river bank | 80, 81 |
| recitation | quote from 18 |
| taking pandama | 7 |
| reciting for the incense | 8 |
| recitation | 85-87, 35 |

**Baptism in the river**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| recitation | 9-11 |
| reciting for the turban | 12 |
| entry of the priest | 13 |
| preparation of the olive staff | 14 |
| recitation of the exorcism prayers | 15-18 |
| entrance of the baptized | |
| immersion, 3 times | |
| drawing, 3 times | 76 |
| 3 times immersion with river water |
| erection of the myrtle wreath | 9, 5 |
| pronouncing the names | |
| rising of the baptized | |
| performing kušṭa | kušṭa heal you, and strengthen you |
| recitation | 82 |
| deconsecration of the river | 20 |
| ascension of the priest | 21 |

**Oil drawing**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| recitation of the oil | 22-24 |
| performing kušṭa | kušṭa heal you, my wreath |

**The meal for the baptized**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| recitation | 8 prayers of the pihta |
| recitation for mambuha | 44-45 |
| eating pihta | |
| drinking mambuha | |
| performing kušṭa | kušṭa heal you |
| recitation of the sealing prayers | 25-28 |
| rising | 29 |
| recitation of the hymn of baptism | 30 |
| recitation of the baptismal prayers | 82-90 |
| drinking water 3 times | 71 |
| recitation | 72 |
| performing kušṭa | kušṭa heal you |

**Priestly meal**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| eating pihta | |
| drinking mambuha | |
| recitation | 59-60 |

**Conclusion**

| Ritual/Action | Prayers recited |
| - | - |
| recitation | 57, 72, CP 171 |
| performing kušṭa with the ašganda |
| recitation | 63 |
| baptism of the banner (drabša) | |
| recitation of names (zharia) | |

Summary of the entire masbuta prayer sequence listed above:

* 1, 3, 5, 19
* 8
* 71
* 79-81
* 18
* 7-8
* 85-87, 35
* 9-18
* 76
* 9, 5
* 82
* 20-24
* 8 pihta prayers
* 44-45
* 25-30
* 82-90
* 71-72
* 59-60
* 57, 72, 171
* 63
