The Asiet Malkia or Asut Malkia[1] ("Salutation of Kings"[2]) is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism. In the prayer, the reciter wishes health and victory (asuta u-zakuta ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡊࡅࡕࡀ) upon dozens of heavenly and ancestral figures. According to E. S. Drower, it is recited daily by priests and also before all baptisms (masbuta), ritual meals (lofani), and various rites.[3]

The Asiet Malkia is numbered as Prayer 105 in E. S. Drower's version of the Qolasta, which was based on manuscript 53 of the Drower Collection (abbreviated DC 53).[4] Drower's version is shorter than the versions commonly recited by contemporary Mandaean priests.[5]

Etymology

Asut or asuta can be literally translated as 'healing', while malkia means 'kings' (singular form: malka).[1]

Similarly, Mandaeans typically greet each other with the phrase:[1]

Asuta nihwilkun (Classical Mandaic: ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡍࡉࡄࡅࡉࡋࡊࡅࡍ, lit. 'Healing be upon you (pl.)')

The response would typically be:[1]

Asawata ḏ-Hiia nihwilak (Classical Mandaic: ࡀࡎࡀࡅࡀࡕࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡍࡉࡄࡅࡉࡋࡀࡊ, lit. 'All healings of the Living One(s) be upon you (sg.)')

Prayer

The formula asuta u-zakuta nhuilkun (ࡀࡎࡅࡕࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡊࡅࡕࡀ ࡍࡄࡅࡉࡋࡊࡅࡍ "health and victory are yours") is recited dozens of times in the prayer before the names of each uthra or set of uthras, Hayyi Rabbi, some of the prophets, and the reciter himself, almost all of whom are addressed as malka (ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ "king").

Drower (1937)

Drower's (1937) version lists the following uthras, etc.[3]

The word niṭufta (spelled niṭupta) originally means 'drop' and has sometimes also been translated as 'cloud'. It is also often used as an appellation to refer to the consorts of uthras.[6]

Drower (1959)

Drower's (1959) version, which differs from the version in Drower (1937), lists the following uthras, etc.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Nasoraia, Brikha H.S.; Crangle, Edward F. (2010). "The Asuta Wish". ARAM Periodical: 349–390. doi:10.2143/ARAM.22.0.2131045. ISSN 1783-1342.
  2. ↑ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
  3. 1 2 Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
  4. 1 2 Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
  5. ↑ Salutation of Kings (Asiet malkia) recited by Rbai Rafid al-Sabti in the Netherlands. Mandaean Museum.
  6. ↑ Macúch, Rudolf (1965). Handbook of Classical and Modern Mandaic. Berlin: De Gruyter.
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