Jordan/Iardna – Heiliges Wasser der Mandäer
The relationship between a particular religion’s self-understanding of elements of its belief and the ›Religionswissenschaft‹ study of a particular religion – in light of academic guideposts of what religions are – is tenuous at best. Being open to a communities self-understanding of the essential r...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Diagonal-Verlag
2012
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The relationship between a particular religion’s self-understanding of elements of its belief and the ›Religionswissenschaft‹ study of a particular religion – in light of academic guideposts of what religions are – is tenuous at best. Being open to a communities self-understanding of the essential role of these single parts, while at the same time ›making sence‹ of such elements in the context of teachings, cult, and community, is the mandate of the student of ›Religionswissenschaft‹ and obliges a study of the ›object‹ without misconstruing or misinterpreting its essential parts. One of the fundamental elements to the mandaean religious system is the dualistic understanding of water (e. g. ›mia‹ = water, ›mia hiia‹ = living water, ›mia asuta‹ = healing water, ›mia asgia‹ = dark water, ›iardna‹ = Jordan = positive good and holy water). To the Mandaeans water is found in and essential to the mythology, cult practices, and their community. Water is fundamental to both the cosmological explanation of the world as well as the daily practices of baptism and healing. Moreover, water plays an important role as ›the Saviour‹. Central to my study of the Mandaeans understanding of water is the presentation – in as open a way as it may – of the Mandaean understanding of the various religious forms of water. Interwoven among these religious formulations is the Mandaean gnostic dualistic self understanding of water as both existential and spiritual, healer and ›dark‹, demiurgical anti-theos and saviour. |
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| ISSN: | 2194-508X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zfr.2000.8.2.163 |