Unsolved:Dinanukht

Dinanukht (also spelled Dinanukt or Dananukt; Classical Mandaic: ࡃࡉࡍࡀࡍࡅࡊࡕ or ࡃࡀࡍࡀࡍࡅࡊࡕ; from Persian 'the one who speaks in accordance with the religion') is a mythological character in the Ginza Rabba, one of the main religious scriptures of Mandaeism, who is portrayed as an anthropomorphic book. Book 6 of the Right Ginza describes his ascension to the World of Light.

Buckley (2010) suggests a connection with Nbu (Mercury), who is associated with scribes and books. For instance, in the Zrazta ḏ-Hibil Ziwa (Drower Collection Ms. 44), Nbu is the Lord of Book and ink and wisdom. Similarly, Dinanukht is called the "ink-book of the gods" in Right Ginza 6.

Spellings

Petermann spells the name as Dinanukt, while Lidzbarski spells it as Dinanukht. However, the Mhatam Yuhana Ginza from Ahvaz, Iran, which Gelbert (2011) is based on, spells it as Dananukt.

In the Book of the Scholion (written c. 792), the Syriac Christian writer Theodore bar Konai briefly mentions Dinanukht, which he spells as Dynnws (Classical Syriac: ܕܝܢܢܘܣ).

"Also they speak concerning Dinanus (Dynnws), the scribe of religions, and Little Diṣā."

Story in the Ginza Rabba

Dinanukht, who is half-man, half-book (Classical Mandaic: ࡎࡐࡀࡓ, romanized: spar, sfar), unsuccessfully tries to destroy Diṣai, another half-man, half-book, by burning and drowning (Classical Mandaic: ࡈࡌࡀࡔࡕࡇ, romanized: țmaštḥ, lit. 'performed tamasha on him') when he is disturbed by his speech. However, Ewath (an epithet for Ruha) soon appears to repeat this speech, which is reminiscent of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic poem The Thunder, Perfect Mind. Torgny Säve-Söderbergh (1949) also noted similarities with Psalms of Thomas 14, in which Hylē provides an answer of co-existing opposites (e.g., "death and life").

Then Ewath, the holy spirit [Ruha ḏ-Qudsha], approached me in my Škīnā and said to me, ()
"Why did you lie there, Dīnānūkht? ()
Why did you like the sleep? ()
I am the Life that was from time immemorial, ()
I am the Kušṭā that was before in the beginning. ()
I am the radiance (ziwa), I am the light. ()
I am the death, I am the Life. ()
I am the darkness, I am the light. ()
I am the error, I am the truth. ()
I am the destruction, I am the construction. ()
I am the blow, I am the healing. ()
I am the exalted man, who is older ()
and was there earlier than the builder of heaven and earth. ()
I have no comrade among kings, ()
and there is no other crown in my kingdom. ()
There is not a single person who could give me a notice ()
in the misty clouds of darkness. ()"

—Right Ginza, Book 6 (Wikisource; Mandaic transcription from Gelbert (2021))

Din Mlikh, an uthra, then leads Dinanukht past six different maṭartas (watch-houses) as he ascends to the World of Light:

1. the maṭarta of Nbaz-Haila
2. the maṭarta of Zan-Haza-Zban
3. the maṭarta of Ewath-Ruha (a compound name combining the epithet Ewath with its synonymous name Ruha)
4. the maṭarta of Himun
5. the maṭarta of Ptahil
6. the maṭarta of Abatur

Each time Dinanukht starts his ascension to one of the maṭartas, the text begins with the poetic refrain:

Winds, winds take Dīnānūkht away, ()
storms, storms drive him away, ()
ladders, ladders carry him aloft ()
and make him rise on rungs. ()

—Right Ginza, Book 6 (Wikisource; Mandaic transcription from Gelbert (2021))

Dinanukht sees many wondrous things and then returns to earth, where his wife, Nuraita (also the name of Noah's wife in Book 18), thinks that he has become insane when Dinanukht tells her that he wants his books to be burned and drowned (see also divine madness). Dinanukht then proceeds to burn and drown the books himself. He continues to live on Tibil for 65 more years as he serves religious duties ordains priests. After Dinanukht's life on earth is over, he finally ascends to the World of Light.

See also

• Nbu (Mercury), who is associated with scribes and books
• Matarta
• Utnapishtim