Miriai4

ASUTA
The Journal for the Study and Research into the
Mandaean Culture, Religion, and Language.

Volume 8 Special Issue Online edition

Miriai
The Religion Personified

Miriai from the Book of John
Miriai as a Mandaean Priest

The story continues in which the Jews have gather together to denounce Miriai and display their great anger towards Miriai and her “man”. They state that they will kill them and make Miriai “scorned in Jerusalem”. The Jews also relate that there will be no time that a “stranger” (Manda d Hiia) will be allowed in Jerusalem. Of course these actions recounts the persecution of the Mandaeans in Palestine and the legend that the Jews followed them as they fled.

"All the Jews gathered together, the teachers, the great and the little; they came together and spake of Miryai: " She ran away from the priests, fell in lore with a man, and they took hold of each other's hands. Hold of each other's hands they took, went forth and settled at the mouth of Euphrates. We will slay them and make Miryai scorned in Jerusalem. A stake will we set up for the man who has ruined Miryai and led her away. There shall be no day in the world when a stranger enters Jerusalem."

The saga continues in which Miriai has now become a Mandaean priest. She now resides on the Euphrates River, far from her homeland. Miriai is dressed in a rasta and before her is the drabsa (banner) and the margna (staff) is in one hand. She is an accomplished speaker for her words “wakes” those who are asleep to the “true” religion. The “fishes” and the “birds” are representative of religious sects whose people are been drawn to Mandaeism. I venture a guess that the “fishes” are the early Christians and the “birds” are the Jews. These “birds” could be the remainder of the Jewish population in Babylon or it could be that the word Euphrates has been substituted for Jordan when the books were redacted.

“They went and found that a throne was set up for Miryai on the bank of Euphrates. A white standard was for her unfurled and a book stood upright on her lap. She reads in the Books of Truth and rouses all worlds from their sleep. She holds in her hand the staff of Life's water, the girdle is bound round her loins. Miryai in humbleness prays and proclaims with wondrous voice. The fishes gather out of the sea, the birds' from the mouth of Euphrates. They come to hear Miryai's voice and no more long to lie down to sleep. They breathe in the sweet scent around her and forget the world.”

It would also appear that Miriai’s mother is among the Jews that followed Miriai and wants to entice her to return to Jerusalem. It is only logical that the author has a mother come to fight for the return of her daughter. After all a mother should be able to win her daughter’s heart. It now appears that one of the main points behind Miriai is a reminder to all Mandaean, especially those converts, that

The mother reminds Miriai that she is descended of pries and held a very high position in Jewish society. The author gives Miriai an unusually high standing among the Jewish priesthood. She is also supposed to have read and understood the Torah and to have given speeches from it. The priests all kissed her hand and all the people have tossed aside their jewelry and colored clothing until Miriai returns. Miriai has all the attributes of a Jewish high priest. Yet there were no women in Jewish society who ever climbed to that lofty place. This was a male dominated religion in which only those male descendants of the priest line could become priests.

But we must remember Miriai is not a real person she is a personification of both the Jewish and Mandaean religions depending on the time frame of before or after conversion. Miriai the “daughter of the priests” whose head is the “great chief”. This is obvious Miriai is the Jewish religion with a High Priest as the leader. It is the priests who created her and it her, through the Torah, that the priests kiss. We know see the anger of the Jewish priests and people. Much in the same way as the Torah is replaced by the teaching of John the Baptist, the Jewish religion is being replaced by Mandaeism.

"Look on me, Miryai, my daughter," … My daughter art thou and the daughter of all of the priests. Thy head is the great chief of the temple. Rememberest thou not, Miryai, that the Torah lay on thy lap? Thou didst open it, read therein and knewest what stands in it. …. All the priests and priests' sons came and kissed thy hand. …. Why didst thou forget thy brothers and thy heart abandon the priests?… Gold forge we (? no longer), and cast away fair raiments of silk and bracelets (?). They stand on the roofs and look out, that they may see thee again in Jerusalem. Have no longing after this man, who has prisoned thee and taken thee off. Leave the man, who is not of thy dwelling place alone by himself in the world. Let him not say: I have gone and carried off Miryai from her place. “

Miriai chastises Judaism and the Jewish priests refusing to deny her new religion. She calls them “abortions” which means that they still being of the Jewish faith have not yet transcended to the next level of spiritual awaking of Mandaeism. At this point the Jews learn that Miriai has not left Judaism for sex but for a deeper spiritual reason. Thus in effect she has the last laugh on them because all they could conceive was sexual in nature instead of a more advance religious devotion.

"They went and found that a throne was set up for Miryai on
" Go, go," says she unto them, " ye fools, ye abortions: ye who were not of the world." I am no woman who is stripped for wantoning: and it is not that I have fallen in love with a man. …Blessed be the Man who freed me front my fetters and planted my feet here. No wantonness have I committed with him and attempted no theft in the world. Instead of the witness ye have witnessed against me, there came to me prayer and praise giving."

The white eagle appears again and destroys the Jewish priests and Jerusalem because of the persecution of the Mandaeans and Miriai. This is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

“… there came a pure eagle-bird, whose wings are the fullness of worlds. He flew down on the Jews, dashed at them with his wings, bound them and sank them down unto the water's bottom…He destroyed the temple and laid fire to Jerusalem. “

The eagle then returns and sets Miriai upon the throne and asks her for kusta. A priest can only give Kusta, the ritual handclasp. Miriai responds by telling everyone to listen to the “Good Messenger” in order to be lifted up into the Light’s region.

“He descended unto her (Miryai), folded before her his wings, settled down by her, narrated and proclaimed to her, and they held out the loved hand of Truth to each other. He embraced her in potent embracing, forced her down and set her on the throne.

Miryai... I am thy Good Messenger… she makes answer unto him.. Everyone who gives ear to thy voice, will be in the pure region included. In Life's Treasury will he be included and thy rays will rise (over him) twofold. For everyone who gives not ear to thy voice, making and sleep will be wiped out... I and thou will circle aloft and victorious mount to Light's region."

Introduction

Miriai from the Book of John
Miriai leaves Judaism
Miriai becomes a “Vine”
Miriai becomes a Mandaean Priest

The Prayers
#149
#162

A little Miriai here and there

Mary in Mandaean Literature

Conclusion

References