Comparative Theology (Jan 2016)
An Investigation Concerning the Philosophical Foundations of “Sabean Mandaean” Religion and their Educational Teachin
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to study the philosophical foundations of the "Sabean Mandaean" religion in order to extract their educational teachings. The research method is analytical and deductive. Using this method, the anthropological, epistemological, and axiological foundations of this religion have been studied. The main sources in this study are the Mandaean holy books, especially Genza Rabba and Drasha ed Yaḥya. Sabean Mandaean is a religious ethnic living peacefully alongside of Karoun, Dejla and Fourat rivers. For more than two thousand years ago, due the tension with Jews, they migrated from their main homeland, Palestine, to Mesopotamia and Khouzestan. The holy Quran has included them three times as the third great Devine Religion. Some of the Islamic scientists know them as ahlol-kitab, namely persons having a holly religious book. Their holiest religion book is Ganza Rabba which means the great treasure and that has written in Mandaean. In this religion, the existence is superior to the nature that created by God (Hai Rabbi). The most important characteristics of Hai Rabbi are the unity, Greatness and Creativity. The highest level of existence is called Alma Denhora (the world of light or the heaven), and the lowest level is called Alma Dehshokha (a world of darkness or hell). Human is consisted of two parts; Material (peghra or body) and immaterial (Roha and Neshmetha). The truth of human is his Neshmetha or the spirit which is on the contrary to the peghra which is immortal and eternal. The human is dignitary, free and responsible and has a Devine nature. Knowledge in Mandaean religion is important and has priority over faith and action. Manda, in its origin, means knowledge or cognition. Illiteracy is a great damage. Human being has miscellaneous tools to gain the knowledge. Feeling, heart and wisdom (Mana) are the tools that God has given the human beings. The origin of the Mandaean values is God (Hai Rabbi). And various values came in as commands in the Mandaean holy books, with great emphasis on cleanliness and peace and coexistence. Education in Mandaean religion is praised and important. Education is a religious duty for everyone and it is not limited to the certain age and it has emphasised for both boys and girls at the same time. Because there is clean spirit (Neshmetha) in the human, the Mandaean does not recommend physical punishment and inhumane methods in any way in education. In contrary, Doctrine of Mandaean recommends religious teachers to take the appropriate skills and teaching methods for educating people. The ultimate goal of education in the Mandaean is “Back to the world of light (Alma denhora) to approach to the God (Hai Rabbi)". To achieve this goal ,there are many objectives such as reflection and thinking, Purity , faith and good deeds and self-purification. Also in this article, educational principles have been extracting from their philosophical foundations. The article offered teaching methods based on the Mandaean religion and in the end it was pointed out features of Education Mandaean.
