A rishama (riÃ
¡ama; riÃ
¡-ama), rishamma, or rishema (; ; ; ) is a religious patriarch in Mandaeism. It is the highest rank out of all the Mandaean clergical ranks. The next ranks are the ganzibra and tarmida priests (see Mandaean priest).
In Iraq, the current rishama is Sattar Jabbar Hilow. In Australia, there are two rishamas, namely Salah Choheili and Brikha Nasoraia.
Etymology
The Mandaic term riÃ
¡ama is derived from the words riÃ
¡ 'head' and ama 'people'. Although the term for the Mandaean daily minor ablution is also spelled the same in written Classical Mandaic (riÃ
¡ama), the word for 'minor ablution' is pronounced in Modern Mandaic as , while 'head priest' is pronounced .
Notable rishama or patriarchs
Pre-20th century
- Zazai d-Gawazta bar Hawa, patriarch datable to around the year 270 CE and earliest known copyist of Alma RiÃ
¡aia Zuá¹Âa, Qulasta, The Thousand and Twelve Questions, The Baptism of Hibil Ziwa, Scroll of Exalted Kingship, and The Wedding of the Great Ã
 iÃ
¡lam. The Ginza Rabba, however, predates Zazai's time.
- Anush bar Danqa, the leader of the Mandaeans, who appeared before Muslim authorities at the beginning of the Muslim conquest of Persia
- Yahya Bihram, who revived the entire Mandaean priesthood during the 1830s
- Ram Zihrun, who revived the Mandaean priesthood during the 1830s together with his younger cousin Yahya Bihram
20th and 21st centuries
Iraq
Iran
Australia
- Salah Choheili (born 1952), an Iranian-Australian priest who has been a rishama in Sydney since 2010
- Brikha Nasoraia (born 1964), an Iraqi-Australian priest who has been a rishama in Sydney since 2024
See also
References
External links