| Alma Rišaia Rba | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Religion | Mandaeism |
| Language | Mandaic language |
The Alma Rišaia RbaorDiwan Alma Rišaia Rabbā (Classical Mandaic: ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡓࡉࡔࡀࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, "The Great Supreme World" or "The Great First World") is a Mandaean religious text. The text is used for Mandaean priestly initiation ceremonies. It is written as a scroll and has numerous illustrations. The Alma Rišaia Rba complements the Alma Rišaia Zuṭa, or "The Smaller Supreme World", a related Mandaic text used for priestly rituals.[1]
An English translation of the text was published by E. S. Drower in 1963, which was based on manuscript 41 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 41). The manuscript consists of 8 parts. It was copied in 1224 A.H. (1809 or 1810 A.D.).[2] The DC 41 manuscript contains an illustration with Qolasta prayer 79 in scrambled form, and the text also has a scrambled version of Qolasta prayer 82 (which is also quoted in the Book 4 of the Right Ginza).[1]
Add. 23,602B, Kholasta sive liturgica Sabiorum Libri Joannis Fragmenta Mendaice is a book of fragments that was probably obtained by Colonel John George Taylor. It contains fragments of Maṣbuta ḏ-Hibil Ziua and Alma Rišaia Rba.[3]
InAlma Rišaia Rba, the prescribed sequence of Qolasta prayers (numbered below according to Drower's 1959 Canonical Prayerbook) to be recited is as follows.[2]
