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In Mandaeism, a ʿniana or eniana (Classical Mandaic: ࡏࡍࡉࡀࡍࡀ, lit. 'response'; plural form: ʿniania ࡏࡍࡉࡀࡍࡉࡀ) prayer is recited during rituals such as the masiqta and priest initiation ceremonies.^[1] They form part of the Qulasta.^[2] The rahma prayers are often considered to be a subset of the eniana prayers.^[3]

Etymology

ʿNiana literally means "response,"^[4] since the prayers may have originally been recited in a call and response manner.

Manuscripts and translations

Jacques de Morgan's manuscript collection included a ʿniania manuscript dating back to 1833.^[4]

The prayers have been translated into English by E. S. Drower (1959).^[2] They have also been translated into German by Mark Lidzbarski (1920).^[5]

A printed, typesetted Mandaic version was published by Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki in 1999.^[3]^[6]

List of eniana prayers

Ktaba ḏ-Eniania

In Al-Mubaraki's Qulasta, the following prayers are included in Ktaba ḏ-Eniania ("Book of Responses").^[3]

Ktaba ḏ-Eniania (Book of Responses) (Qulasta Volume 2, Part 1)
- rušuma: 104
- asut malkia: 105
- rahmia: 106–118
- rahmia ḏ-iumia (daily rahmia prayers): 119–164
  - iuma ḏ-habšaba (Sunday): 119–124
  - iuma ḏ-trin habšaba (Monday): 125–130
  - iuma ḏ-tlata habšaba (Tuesday): 131–136
  - iuma ḏ-arba habšaba (Wednesday): 137–142
  - iuma ḏ-hamša habšaba (Thursday): 143–148
  - iuma ḏ-rhaṭia (Friday): 149–154
  - iuma ḏ-šapta (Saturday): 155–162
  - iuma ḏ-habšaba (Sunday): 163–164
- abatar bauata ḏ-iumia (after the daily prayers)
  - 165–169
  - zhara
  - 170–174
  - 2, 4, 6 (širiata / šrita prayers = loosing / deconscrating prayers)
  - 178
  - 410
  - 175–177

Masbuta and masiqta prayers

The following prayers are also considered to be ʿniana prayers according to Buckley (2010).^[4] They are numbered from 78–103 in both Drower's and Lidzbarski's versions of the Qulasta. These prayers are also known as eniania ḏ-maṣbuta and eniania ḏ-masiqta. Majid Fandi Al-Mubaraki includes them as part of the Sidra d-Nishmata (Book of Souls).^[7]

Prayer 78
Prayer 79: prayer for the klila for the staff (margna)
Prayer 80: longer "hear me" (ʿunan ab ʿunian) prayer
Prayer 81: shorter "hear me" (ʿunan ab ʿunian) prayer
Prayer 82: mambuha prayer

Masbuta prayers (eniania ḏ-maṣbuta):

Masiqta prayers (eniania ḏ-masiqta):

Communion prayer:

Prayer 102

Concluding prayer:

Prayer 103

Several of the eniana prayers are duplicated in Book 3 of the Left Ginza (GL 3):^[4]^[8]

Prayer	GL chapter
Prayer 92	3.4
Prayer 93	3.10
Prayer 94	3.3
Prayer 96	3.2
Prayer 98	3.7

There are also two eniana poems in Book 15 of the Right Ginza, which are chapters 15 and 16 of Book 15. These two poems contain the refrain "when the chosen/proven pure one went away" (kḏ azil bhira dakia ࡗ ࡀࡆࡉࡋ ࡁࡄࡉࡓࡀ ࡃࡀࡊࡉࡀ).^[8] This refrain is also found in prayers 205 and 233–256 of the Qulasta.^[2]

References

^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
^ ^a ^b ^c Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
^ ^a ^b ^c Al-Mubaraki, Majid Fandi; Mubaraki, Brian (2010). Qulasta - 'niania & Qabina / Mandaean Liturgical Prayer Book (Responses & Marriage) (volume 2). Luddenham, New South Wales: Mandaean Research Centre. ISBN 9781876888152. (1999 edition: ISBN 0-9585704-4-X)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
^ Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. Mandäische Liturgien. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin.
^ Morgenstern, Matthew (ed.). "Qulasta". The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
^ Al-Mubaraki, Majid Fandi; Mubaraki, Brian (2010). Qulasta - Sidra d Nishmata / Mandaean Liturgical Prayer Book (Book of Souls) (volume 1). Luddenham, New South Wales: Mandaean Research Centre. ISBN 9781876888145. (1998 edition: ISBN 0-9585705-1-5)
^ ^a ^b Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.