Hibil Ziwa (Abel of Splendour)
Mandaean · deity · Mandaean Gnostic religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Hibil Ziwa, 'Abel of Splendour', is among the foremost saving uthras of Mandaeism. His great deed is a descent (a soteriological katabasis) into the World of Darkness, where he overcomes its monstrous rulers — among them the giant Krun — and seals their abodes before returning to the Light, undergoing ritual baptisms before and after. This descent is narrated in the fifth book of the Right Ginza and in a dedicated scroll, the Baptism of Hibil Ziwa (Diwan Maṣbuta d-Hibil Ziwa). Closely linked to Manda d-Hayyi, with whom he is sometimes identified, Hibil Ziwa is still invoked by name by Mandaeans in moments of danger.
Domains
- radiance splendour
- victory over darkness
Powers
- to descend into the World of Darkness and return unharmed
- to subdue and seal the rulers of the World of Darkness
Epithets
- Hibil ZiuaMark Lidzbarski (trans.), Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1925) (primary); E.S. Drower, The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1937) (secondary)
Relations
- subordinate to: Hayyi Rabbi (the Great Life)Hibil Ziwa is a great uthra of the World of Light, acting on behalf of the Great Life in his descent against the powers of darkness.Mark Lidzbarski (trans.), Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1925) (primary); Kurt Rudolph, 'Mandaeans ii. The Mandaean Religion', Encyclopaedia Iranica (online ed., 2008) (secondary)
- ally: Manda d-Hayyi (Knowledge of Life)Hibil Ziwa and Manda d-Hayyi are paired saving uthras, at times identified, kept distinct in the esoteric scrolls.E.S. Drower, Diwan Abatur, or Progress through the Purgatories (Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1950) (secondary); Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) (secondary)
- enemy: Ruha (the Spirit of the lower world)In his descent Hibil Ziwa confronts and subdues Ruha and the powers of the lower world.Mark Lidzbarski (trans.), Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1925) (primary); Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) (secondary)
Sources
- Hibil Ziwa, 'Abel of Splendour', is a great Mandaean light-being (uthra) who descends into the World of Darkness, defeats its rulers and seals them, securing the cosmos for the Light.: E.S. Drower, The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1937) (secondary); Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) (secondary); Mark Lidzbarski (trans.), Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1925) (primary)