Ptahil (deity)

Ptahil (ࡐࡕࡀࡄࡉࡋ; probably composed from the Egyptian Ptah and Semitic Il, meaning "god")[1] is the demiurge of Mandaeism. By devoted means, he is viewed as the creator of the material universe in the Ginza Rba, often holding an inherently malicious character, as the Mandaean religion has ties to Gnosticism in which the god of monotheistic religions is generally understood to be an evil spirit below some higher divinity.[2][3][4][5] In some versions of the narrative, Ptahil originated from two older supreme beings referred to as Hibil Ziwa and Zahriel. Corresponding to dualistic notions, Hibil Ziwa, who is considered to be Ptahil's father, controls the worlds of light, whereas his mother, Zahriel rules over the realms of darkness. He is also seen as the son of Abatur. In the Mandaean texts stating this idea, Ptahil creates the cosmos under his order with the help of demons.[6]

See also

References
  1. T. W. Thacker (April 1956). "The Relationship of the Semitic and Egyptian Verbal Systems". Cambridge University Press: 102. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Aldihisi, Sabah (2013). The Story of Creation in the Mandaean Holy Book the Ginza Rba (PDF). p. 65.
  3. Kraeling, Carl (June 1933). "The Mandaic God Ptahil". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 53 (2): 152–165. doi:10.2307/593099. JSTOR 593099.
  4. "Mandaeanism". Religion. Encyclopædia Britannica.
  5. "Gnosticism". Religion. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  6. "Mandaean Glossary". Religion. Mandaean World. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20.
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