Yazidi Black Book
Encyclopedia
The Yazidi Black Book or Meshaf Resh is one of the two holy books of the Yazidi
religion, the other being the Book of Revelation
(Kitêba Cilwe).
Yezidis believe the Black Book originated when the Lord
descended Black Mountain. The Yazidi
holy books are written in the Kurmanji
dialect of the Kurdish language
. The Black Book is not divided into chapters and is longer than the Book of Revelation. The first half of it contains a creation myth, beginning with the creation of a white pearl and Melek Taus
, the Peacock Angel. There follows an account of the Fall
(in which the forbidden comestible is wheat
), and the creation of Eve
after Adam
has been driven from Paradise
.
This is followed by the names of ancient king
s who belonged to the Yazidi community. Next comes a statement of food taboo
s of the Yazidis, prohibitions connected with personal hygiene and verbal taboos.
The discussion then reverts to the subject of ancient Yazidi kings, and the Book concludes with another account of the Creation, which diverges quite considerably from the first.
The original text of the Yazidi Black Book is kept in the village of Qasr 'tzz at-Din. Nevertheless, scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 1913 were forgeries written by non-Yazidis in response to Western travelers’ and scholars’ interest in the Yazidi religion; they do reflect authentic Yezidi traditions, however. The real core texts of the religion that exist today are the hymns known as qawls.
Yazidi
The Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
religion, the other being the Book of Revelation
Yazidi Book of Revelation
The Yazidi Book of Revelation is one of the two holy books of the Yazidi religion, the other being the Yazidi Black Book...
(Kitêba Cilwe).
Yezidis believe the Black Book originated when the Lord
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
descended Black Mountain. The Yazidi
Yazidi
The Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
holy books are written in the Kurmanji
Kurmanji
Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish is the most commonly spoken dialect of the Kurdish language.- Scripts and books :...
dialect of the Kurdish language
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. The Black Book is not divided into chapters and is longer than the Book of Revelation. The first half of it contains a creation myth, beginning with the creation of a white pearl and Melek Taus
Melek Taus
Melek Taus , the Peacock Angel, is the Yazidi name for the central figure of their faith.In the Yazidi belief system, God created the world and it is now in the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sirr...
, the Peacock Angel. There follows an account of the Fall
The Fall of Man
In Christian doctrine, the Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience to God. In Genesis chapter 2, Adam and Eve live at first with God in a paradise, but the serpent tempts them into...
(in which the forbidden comestible is wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
), and the creation of Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
after Adam
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
has been driven from Paradise
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
.
This is followed by the names of ancient king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s who belonged to the Yazidi community. Next comes a statement of food taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s of the Yazidis, prohibitions connected with personal hygiene and verbal taboos.
The discussion then reverts to the subject of ancient Yazidi kings, and the Book concludes with another account of the Creation, which diverges quite considerably from the first.
The original text of the Yazidi Black Book is kept in the village of Qasr 'tzz at-Din. Nevertheless, scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 1913 were forgeries written by non-Yazidis in response to Western travelers’ and scholars’ interest in the Yazidi religion; they do reflect authentic Yezidi traditions, however. The real core texts of the religion that exist today are the hymns known as qawls.
External links
- Devil Worship; The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidiz by Isya Joseph (1919) Primary source for information on this text