532 MANDAEAN LITERATURE
drabuta), emanates the second life, third life, and fourth life, who are also
known by the names Yoshamin, Abathur, and Ptahil, respectively. Along with
a host of lesser light beings, they occupy a realm (frequently called the "house
of life") of heavenly waters or "Jordans." The light beings {'utria or uthras)
who inhabit this realm of fullness are depicted as celestial priests whose ritu-
als serve as the model for those performed by the Mandaean priests in the
earthly "Jordans" of Mesopotamia.
Opposing this realm of light and water is the world of darkness, which
originally consists of the "black waters." According to one tradition, the "king
of darkness" (malka dhshuka) emerges from the waters in an act of self-
production and then proceeds to create a host of demons, liliths, vampires,
and other beasts. He himself is an androgyne with the head of a lion, the
body of a dragon, the wings of an eagle, the back of a tortoise, and the hands
and feet of a monster, a description that recalls some of the archons in the
Secret Book of John.
In a different Mandaean tradition, which parallels the gnostic Sophia
myth, a female figure named Ruha initially dwells in the world of light,
until she "falls" and gives birth to the lord of darkness (also known as Ur, a
dragon). Together they create a host of evil beings, including the seven plan-
ets and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Although Mandaeans condemn the
powers of the zodiac, they also employ elements of Babylonian astrological
magic in certain texts (for example, Sfar malwashia) and rites. As in Judaism,
therefore, official condemnation of magic exists side by side with the prolif-
eration of magical texts, amulets, and practices.
The creation of the physical world (tibil) also echoes the Sophia myth. In
this case, however, a male figure (the third life, also called Abathur and Bhaq
Ziwa) gazes into the black waters and declares, "I shall call forth a world." He
then orders the demiurge Ptahil, called Gabriel in some sources, to create the
world. After fashioning the earth with the help of the evil powers, Ptahil cre-
ates the bodies of Adam and Eve, a process discussed above. As punishment
for the creation of the world, both Ptahil and Abathur are exiled from the
world of light. Ptahil is put in stocks and Abathur is enthroned at the entrance
of the world of light, where he weighs the souls and decides which ones are
worthy to enter.
Complicating this picture is the fact that each of the fallen light beings, as
well as the earth itself, possesses an ideal image or dmuta in the world of light.
This fascinating and sophisticated ontological category prevents Mandaean
dualism from becoming a static system of polar opposites. Instead, figures