Dinanukht

Dinanukht (also spelled Dinanukt or Dananukt;[1] from Persian 'the one who speaks in accordance with the religion') is a mythological character in the Ginza Rabba, the central religious scripture of Mandaeism, who is portrayed as an anthropomorphic book. Book 6 of the Right Ginza describes his ascension to the World of Light.[2]

Story in the Ginza Rabba

Dinanukht, who is half-man, half-book, unsuccessfully tries to destroy Diṣai, another half-man, half-book, by burning and drowning when he is disturbed by his speech. However, Ewath (an epithet for Ruha) soon appears to repeat this speech, which is reminiscent of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic poem The Thunder, Perfect Mind.[3]

Then Ewath, the holy spirit, approached me in my Škīnā and said to me,
"Why did you lie there, Dīnānūkht?
Why did you like the sleep?
I am the Life that was from time immemorial,
I am the Kušṭā that was before in the beginning.
I am the splendor, I am the light.
I am the death, I am the Life.
I am the darkness, I am the light.
I am the error, I am the truth.
I am the destruction, I am the construction.
I am the blow, I am the healing.
I am the exalted man, who is older
and was there earlier than the builder of heaven and earth.
I have no comrade among kings,
and there is no other crown in my kingdom.
There is not a single person who could give me a notice
in the misty clouds of darkness."

— Right Ginza, Book 6 (Wikisource)

Din Mlikh, an uthra, then leads Dinanukht past six different maṭartas (watch-houses) as he ascends to the World of Light:[4]

maṭarta of Nbaz-Haila
maṭarta of Zan-Haza-Zban
maṭarta of Ewath-Ruha (a compound name combining the epithet Ewath with its synonymous name Ruha)
maṭarta of Himun
maṭarta of Ptahil
maṭarta of Abatur

Dinanukht sees many wondrous things and then returns to earth, where his wife, Nuraita, thinks that Dinanukht has gone mad. After Dinanukht's life on earth is over, he finally ascends to the World of Light.[1]

References

Ginza Rba. Translated by Gelbert, Carlos. Sydney: Living Water Books. 2011. ISBN 9780958034630.
Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl. Gorgias Press, LLC. doi:10.7282/T3C53J6P
Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
Lidzbarski, Mark (1925). Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht.

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[GR_Gelbert-1] Ginza Rba. Translated by Gelbert, Carlos. Sydney: Living Water Books. 2011. ISBN 9780958034630.

[Haberl_2007-2] Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl. Gorgias Press, LLC. doi:10.7282/T3C53J6P

[Buckley_2002-3] Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.

[4] Lidzbarski, Mark (1925). Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht.