DeConick A.D

334
PLEASANTVILLE RELIGIONS
origin and home of the human soul. A gate to the light world is found
in the celestial north. At the summit of the world of light is an unknown
or unapproachable God who is primal life itself. This transcendent God
is known by many names, but most simply Hiia (Life). Other names include
First Life, Great Life, Lord of Greatness, and King of Light. He is
envisioned at rest, seated upon a throne. From him originates a series of
descending and progressively deteriorating light beings known as Iushamin
the Second Life, Abathur the Third Life, and Ptahil the Fourth Life.
There are innumerable realms and ‘uthras (light beings) who dwell in
the light world. There are female light beings as well as male; these are acknowledged
as husbands and wives. The light world flows with a network
of rivers of light that serve as baptismal pools for the ‘uthras . The ‘uthras
praise God by regularly immersing themselves in these transcendent currents
of the Jordan. Sometimes ‘uthras descend into the lower realms as
envoys to teach fallen ‘uthras and people about the true God and the
world of light. The three important ‘uthra envoys are Hibil, Shitil, and
Anush. These are the Gnostic superpowers in the Mandaean universe.
In opposition to the world of light is the world of darkness, which is
located beneath or below the earth. It is the underworld, arising from the
dark waters of Chaos that existed primordially. Trapped in this region is
Ruha, the spirit of holiness, who has fallen from the world of light and
become a wicked dark lord herself. How this happened is never explained,
but it is assumed, because Hibil descends to the underworld and tries to
return her to her true parents in the world of light (see Buckley 2002, 41).
When Ruha mates with her brother, the demon Gaf, Ruha produces
Ur. Ur is the king of darkness, opposed to the world of light. Ur is born
a giant serpent whose coils wrap around themselves, forming the abysses
and demonic realms. Eventually, Ur mates with Ruha and she gives birth
to the seven planets, the fixed stars of the zodiac, and their demonic rulers.
Earth is a middle region called Tibil. Earth was created by Ptahil the
Fourth Life, who, being the last emanated and most deteriorated, lives
on the border between the world of light and the world of darkness. He
is encouraged by his father, Abathur the Third Life, to create the earth
realm between the light and dark worlds. This suggestion does not come
from the primal God but is the dangerous idea of Abathur, who wants
his son to have a realm of his own to rule, with Ptahil’s own light beings
populating it.