In Mandaeism, the zidqa brikha (or zidqa brika; Classical Mandaic: ࡆࡉࡃࡒࡀ ࡁࡓࡉࡊࡀ, lit. 'blessed oblation') is a type of ritual meal blessed by Mandaean priests.[1][2] Zidqa means oblation and can also mean alms, while brikha means blessed.[3] Unlike the lofani, which is a minor ritual meal does not require the presence of a priest, the zidqa brikha needs to be prepared by a priest.[4]: 232
The zidqa brikha is offered and eaten at the end of tarmida (junior priest) initiation ceremonies, after the novice's 60-day seclusion period.[1] It is also offered at weddings[5] and during the Parwanaya festival.[6]
It is distinct from the lofani and dukrana, which are two other types of ritual meal offered for the dead.[3]
Prayers
editIn E. S. Drower's version of the Qulasta, prayers 348–374 are for the zidqa brikha. Prayers 375–381 are blessings recited after the zidqa brikha.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
- ^ Segelberg, Eric. 1977. "Zidqa Brika and the Mandæan Problem. In Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Gnosticism. Ed. Geo Widengren and David Hellholm. Stockholm.
- ^ a b Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
- ^ Drower, E. S. (1956). Water into wine: a study of ritual idiom in the Middle East. London: John Murray.
- ^ Häberl, Charles (2022). The Book of Kings and the Explanations of This World: A Universal History from the Late Sasanian Empire. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-80085-627-1.
- ^ Burtea, Bogdan (2005). Das mandäische Fest der Schalttage: Edition, Übersetzung und Kommentierung der Handschrift (DC 24, Šarh ḏ-paruanaiia) (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-05179-8. OCLC 62273841.
- ^ Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
External links
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