Chemistry:Misha (Mandaeism)

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Short description: Anointing oil used in Mandaeans religious rituals

In Mandaeism, misha (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡉࡔࡀ‎, romanized: miša) is anointing sesame oil used during rituals such as the masbuta (baptism) and masiqta (death mass), both of which are performed by Mandaean priests.[1][2]

Etymology

The Mandaic word miša shares the same root with Mšiha ("Messiah"; Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡔࡉࡄࡀ‎, lit. 'The Anointed One'). However, Mandaeans do not use the word mšiha to refer to Mandaeans who have been anointed during rituals, in order to distance themselves from Christianity.[3]

In the Qolasta

Several prayers in the Qolasta are recited over the oil, including prayers 48, 63, and 73.[4] In some prayers, misha referred to as misha dakia, or "pure oil."

See also

References

  1. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443. 
  2. Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press. 
  3. Drower, E. S. 1960. The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  4. Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.