Miriai
Miriai | |
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| Born | c. 1st century AD Palestine |
Tradition or genre | Mandaeism |
| Part ofa serieson |
| Mandaeism |
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| Religion portal |
MiriaiorMeryey(Classical Mandaic:ࡌࡉࡓࡉࡀࡉ) was aMandaean scriptures.Miriai is one of the most important figures in theMandaean Book of John,which contains detailed stories and speeches of Miriai in chapters 34 and 35. Miriai lived in a Mandaean village in Palestine around the first century CE.[1]According to the Mandaean Book of John, she was a contemporary ofElizabeth,the mother ofJohn the Baptist.[2]
Story
[edit]In Mandaean scriptures such as theMandaean Book of John,Miriai criticizes the Jewish religious tradition from which she had come from while extolling the virtues of Mandaeism.[2]Miriai is considered to have descended from "priest-kings" ofJudea,and one of her duties was to clean the Jewish temple.[3]Due to her conversion to Mandaeism and lateness in getting home, Miriai's father condemns her and calls her a prostitute.[4]Ultimately, Miriai is depicted as aMandaean priestand teacher.[3]
TheMandaean Book of Johnoften mentions Miriai together with Enišbai (Elizabeth), the mother of John the Baptist, as two holy women who lived in the vicinity of Jerusalem.[5]
In other religions
[edit]The Mandaic nameMiriaiiscognatewith the Hebrew nameMiriam.Miriai may ultimately be linked toMary, the mother of Jesus,but the Mandaean story of Miriai is not apparently related to any stories in the canonicalChristian gospels.[1]However, in the extracanonicalProtoevangelion of James,which remained important to Orthodox Christians and had a significant impact on Orthodox and CatholicMariology,the story is strikingly similar to that of Miriai in the Mandaean Book of John. Both are contemporaries of and associated with Elizabeth, both are young women who stem from important Judean families and both are placed as young virgins to serve in theSecond Temple.Later in the story, both are accused of adultery and both defend themselves before the priests, with both of them denying they had committed adultery with a man. Moreover, in both the stories, parallels between birds on the one hand and Miriai and Mary on the other are made.
According toCharles G. Häberl,Christians identify Miriai with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Muslims identify Miriai withMiriam,older sister ofMoses.Mandaeans do not identify both Mary and Miriam as being Miriai, insisting that she was a different woman bearing the same name.[6]Some identify Miriai withMary Magdalene.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abBuckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002).The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-515385-5.OCLC65198443.
- ^abHäberl, Charles (2020).The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary.Berlin Boston: De Gruyter.ISBN978-3-11-048651-3.OCLC1129155601.
- ^abMcGrath, James F.,"Reading the Story of Miriai on Two Levels: Evidence from Mandaean Anti-Jewish Polemic about the Origins and Setting of Early Mandaeism".ARAM Periodical / (2010): 583–592.
- ^Deutsch, Nathanial. The Date Palm and the Wellspring: Mandaeism and Jewish Mysticism.ARAM,11-12 (1999-2000), 209-223
- ^Gelbert, Carlos (2017).The Teachings of the Mandaean John the Baptist.Fairfield, NSW, Australia: Living Water Books.ISBN9780958034678.OCLC1000148487.
- ^Häberl, Charles G. (2022). Kaplan, Jonathan; Pat-El, Na'ama (eds.)."Meryey, Standing at the Boundary, in Zimrat JAH: A Tribute to Jo Anne Hackett".Maarav.25(1–2). Rolling Hills Estates, CA: Western Academic Press: 65–89.
- ^Häberl, Charles (8 December 2020)."Meryey, Standing at the Boundary".YouTube.Retrieved7 November2021.
