Zidqa

Zidqa or alms box (lower center) at Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia

In Mandaeism, zidqa (Classical Mandaic: ࡆࡉࡃࡒࡀ) refers to alms or almsgiving.[1][2] Mandaean priests receive regular financial contributions from laypeople, since priesthood is typically a full-time occupation. Zidqa is also offered to the poor and needy.[3]

In Mandaean scriptures, including the Qulasta, the term kana ḏ-zidqa is used to refer to alms collection.[4] The word kana is originally used to refer to vessels for storing water or milk, and is of Akkadian origin.[5]

Other uses

The Mandaic term zidqa brika (literally "blessed oblation") refers to a ritual meal blessed by priests. An early self-appellation for Mandaeans is bhiri zidqa, meaning 'elect of righteousness'.[6]

See also

• Charity (Christian virtue)
• Zakat in Islam
• Sadaqah in Islam (Arabic cognate)
• Tzedakah in Judaism (Hebrew cognate)
• Dāna in Hinduism

References

1. Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.
2. Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
3. Nasoraia, Brikha H.S. (2021). The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought. New Delhi: Sterling. ISBN 978-81-950824-1-4. OCLC 1272858968.
4. Drower, E. S. (1959). The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
5. Häberl, Charles (2022). The Book of Kings and the Explanations of This World: A Universal History from the Late Sasanian Empire. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. doi:10.3828/9781800856271 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISBN 978-1-80085-627-1.
6. Rudolph, Kurt (7 April 2008). "MANDAEANS ii. THE MANDAEAN RELIGION". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 8 January 2022.