Religious text of Mandaeism
The Thousand and Twelve Questions (Classical Mandaic: ࡀࡋࡐ ࡕࡓࡉࡎࡀࡓ ࡔࡅࡉࡀࡋࡉࡀ Alf Trisar Šuialia) is a Mandaean religious text. The 1012 Questions is one of the most detailed texts on Mandaean priestly rituals.[1]
The text contains detailed commentaries on Mandaean religious rituals, such as death masses (masiqta) to help guide souls into the World of Light, and the Mandaean wedding ceremony. It is written as a scroll.[1] A detailed overview of the contents can be found in Drower (1941).[2]
Manuscripts and translations
An English translation of the text was published by E. S. Drower in 1960, which was based on manuscript 36 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 36). DC 6 is an incomplete manuscript of The Thousand and Twelve Questions in the Drower Collection missing books 1 and 2, but DC 36 is the complete version with all 7 books included.[3]
Contents
Contents of the 7 parts of the 1012 Questions:[3]
- Book 1 (contains 207 sections)
- Part 1: The Questions which Shishlam-Rba and Hibil-Ziwa asked of their father Nbaṭ (a diwan; title as mentioned in section 201, p. 158)
- Part 2: The explanation of the body (Tafsir Pagra)
- Book 2 (contains 442 sections)
- Part 3.1: Accidental impurity and its cure
- Part 3.2: "The Three"
- Part 4: The agreed form of the masiqta of Shitil; of the Ṭabahata and of the Dukrania
- Part 5.1: Blow and healing
- Part 5.2: The celebration of the marriage of Shishlam-Rba, son of Lihdaia-Rba-Zadiqa
- Part 6.1: Burial
- Part 6.2: Of postulants and priesthood
- Part 7: Concerning the postulant's first baptism – admonitions
