Ginza Rabba

The Ginza Rabba is the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism.

Its name can be translated as the "Great Treasure." It serves as a central collection of religious teachings for the Mandaean people. This scripture is not a single, unified book written at one time. Instead, it is a composite text. It brings together various oral traditions and written works. These include hymns, liturgy, theological texts, and even secular poetry. Because it is a collection of many different pieces, it covers a massive range of human thought and faith.

The structure of the Ginza Rabba is divided into two distinct parts. The first part is the Right Ginza, often abbreviated as GR. It consists of eighteen tractates, which are individual sections or books. These sections cover diverse themes like creation, ethics, and mythical narratives. The second part is the Left Ginza, or GL. It is composed of only three tractates. This section is sometimes called the "Book of Adam" or the "Book of the Dead." While the Right Ginza explores many topics, the Left Ginza focuses specifically on the soul's fate after death.

Traditionally, codices hold the Right Ginza on one side. When you turn the book upside-down and back-to-front, you find the Left Ginza.

The language of the text is Classical Mandaic. This is a variant of Eastern Aramaic. It is written using the Mandaic script, which is similar to the Syriac script. Determining when the Ginza was written is a complex task for scholars. Some estimates suggest the origins date between the first and third centuries. However, the text has many different layers. The Left Ginza was likely redacted hundreds of years before the Islamic Era. In contrast, the Right Ginza shows signs of later editing. The final compilation of the whole work likely occurred during Islamic times. This is because the text contains references to Arabs and the Islamic conquest.

Historians use specific clues to date different parts of the scripture. For example, the eighteenth tractate of the Right Ginza is known as the Book of Kings. It mentions that Arabian kings would reign for seventy-one years after the Persian kings. Some historians, like Theodor Nöldeke, believed this referred to Islamic-era Arab rulers. Other scholars, such as Häberl, suggest it refers to the Lakhmid Arab kings. The Lakhmid kings began their rule in 531 under Khosrow I. This would place the text in a pre-Islamic context. Another clue is the use of the name Yahyā for John in Book 7. While this name appears in the Quran, it was also used in pre-Islamic Arabic texts.

Detailed evidence from colophons helps trace the history of these manuscripts. A colophon is a note added at the end of a text by a scribe. The Left Ginza has its own colophon. The first thirteen tractates of the Right Ginza also have separate colophons. The remaining tractates, from fourteenth to eighteenth, have their own notes as well. One manuscript contains a note about a scribe named Zazai of Gawazta. He reportedly copied important texts 368 years before the Arab conquest of Iraq in 640. If this note is accurate, it could point to a date around 272. However, scholars debate if the number 368 is real or invented.

Many surviving manuscripts of the Ginza Rabba exist in libraries and private collections. The Bodleian Library in Oxford holds two manuscripts. The British Library in London contains three. The Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris holds four. Many other copies are held privately by Mandaean families. Some of these collections are located in the United States, specifically in San Diego and New York. These manuscripts were often painstakingly copied by hand. For instance, Adam Paraš copied a manuscript in 1615. Ram Zihrun copied another in 1831. These hand-copied versions are vital for preserving the tradition.

Modern technology has allowed the Ginza Rabba to be studied through printed versions. Matthias Norberg published a Mandaic version in 1816. Julius Heinrich Petermann published transcriptions in 1867 based on four different manuscripts. In 1998, a significant printed version was released in Sydney, Australia. This was the Mubaraki version, edited by Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki, Haitham Mahdi Saed, and Brian Mubaraki. It was published during the festival of Parwanaya. This version was compiled from manuscripts like the one copied by Mhatam Zihrun in 1898. These printed works ensure that the "Great Treasure" remains accessible to the world.