In Mandaean cosmology, a maṭarta (; plural form: ࡌࡀࡈࡀࡓࡀࡕࡀ) is a "station" or "toll house" that is located between the World of Light ( alma ḏ-nhūra) from Tibil (Earth). It has variously been translated as "watch-station",
To reach the World of Light ( alma ḏ-nhūra) from Tibil (Earth), souls must pass through the various maṭartas that are situated in between. Rituals such as the masiqta can help guide souls past the various maṭarta so that they could reach the World of Light.
In the Ginza Rabba
In the
Ginza Rabba, of the
Right Ginza, of the
Right Ginza (also known as the "Book of
Dinanukht"), and of the
Left Ginza give detailed descriptions of the maṭartas.
[Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann’s Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl
]
/ref>
Some of the matarta guards are:
Order of matarta guards in Right Ginza :
-
the Virgin ( ptula)
-
Zan-Hazazban
-
Yur, Yahur, and Arhum
-
Pilpin-Pipin
-
Jesus the Messiah
-
the userers
-
Ruha ḏ-Qudša
Order of matarta guards in Right Ginza :
-
Nbaz-Haila
-
Zan-Hazazban
-
Ewat-Ruha
-
Himun
-
Ptahil
-
Abatur
Order of matarta guards in Left Ginza :
-
Nbaz and the clergy
-
Nbu and the scribes
-
Seven of Ptahil and the sinners
-
userers
-
The Messiah (Jesus) and the celibates
-
Ewat (i.e., Ruha) and the fasting hypocrites
-
Ptahil and the wicked rulers
-
Abatur and the unobservant Naṣoraeans
Left Ginza 3.51 is about the soul passing through seven matarta stations. The names of the matarta guards are simply the "First," "Second," "Third," "Fourth," "Fifth," "Sixth," and "Seventh," respectively.
Parallels in other religions
In the Nag Hammadi library, the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul describes an ascent through the seven lower heavens, which are guarded by various angels inflicting punishments on sinners. Heavenly "toll collectors" are mentioned in the First Apocalypse of James (33,2-27), which mentions "three detainers who carry off souls by theft," as well as angels torturing the soul in the Book of Thomas the Contender (141,36-39) and Pistis Sophia.
In Zostrianos, a Sethianism text in the Nag Hammadi library, the Aeonic Copies form a lower realm or purgatory containing the orbiting planets and probably also the fixed stars.
Matartas in Mandaeism are also similar to aerial toll houses (; ) in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. (The aforementioned Slavic words are false cognate with the Mandaic word.)
The Second Book of Enoch, a text written in the first century CE, describes the mysticism ascent of the patriarch Enoch through a hierarchy of Ten Heavens. Enoch passes through the Garden of Eden in the Third Heaven on his way to meet the Tetragrammaton face-to-face in the Tenth (chapter 22). Along the way he encounters vividly described populations of who torment wrongdoers; he sees homes, olive oil, and flowers.
See also
-
Aerial toll houses in Eastern Orthodox Christian theology
-
Araf (Islam)
-
Arcs of Descent and Ascent in Neoplatonism
-
Astral plane
-
Body of light
-
Bardo in Buddhism
-
Barzakh in Islam
-
Chinvat Bridge in Zoroastrianism
-
Dinanukht's heavenly ascension
-
Gate deities of the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion
-
Gehenna
-
Hekhalot literature, which often contains heavenly ascent narratives
-
Limbo in Roman Catholic theology
-
Masiqta, a Mandaean ritual
-
Seven Heavens
- Apocryphal texts
-
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul
-
Ascension of Isaiah
-
Book of Enoch
-
2 Enoch
-
First Apocalypse of James
-
Testament of Abraham
-
Apocalypse of Abraham
- Other texts
