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DEVIL WORSHIP THE SACRED BOOKS AND TRADITIONS OF THE YEZIDIZ
DEVIL WORSHIP THE SACRED BOOKS AND TRADITIONS OF THE YEZIDIZ
BY ISYA JOSEPH, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. BOSTON RICHARD G. BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS Copyright, 1919, by Richard G. Badger All rights reserved The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. Made in the United States of America. TO MY TEACHERS IN UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, COLUMBIA, AND HARVARD UNIVERSITIES, THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED WITH GRATITUDE AND ESTEEM...
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NOTES ON THE INTRODUCTION
NOTES ON THE INTRODUCTION
1 Al-Jilwah is said to have been written in 558 A. H., by Šeiḫ Faḫr-ad-Dîn, the secretary of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, at the dictation of the latter. The original copy, wrapped in linen and silk wrappings, is kept in the house of Mulla Ḥaidar, of Baadrie. Twice a year the book is taken to Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s shrine. (Letter from Šammas Jeremia Šamir to Mr. A. N. Andrus, of Mardin, dated October 28, 1892.) 2 The Black Book is said to have been written by a certain Ḥasan al-Baṣrî, in 743 A. H. The original copy is kept
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PREFACE
PREFACE
In the Name of the Most Compassionate God! With the help of the Most High God, and under his direction, we write the history of the Yezidis, their doctrines, and the mysteries of their religion, as contained in their books, which reached our hand with their own knowledge and consent. In the time of Al-Muḳtadir Billah, A. H. 295, 31 there lived Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj, 32 the wool-carder, and Šeiḫ ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir of Jîlân. 33 At that time, too, there appeared a man by the name of Šeiḫ ‘Adî, from the mount
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CHAPTER I
CHAPTER I
I was, am now, and shall have no end. I exercise dominion over all creatures and over the affairs of all who are under the protection of my image. I am ever present to help all who trust in me and call upon me in time of need. There is no place in the universe that knows not my presence. I participate in all the affairs which those who are without call evil because their nature is not such as they approve. Every age has its own manager, who directs affairs according to my decrees. This office is
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CHAPTER II
CHAPTER II
I requite the descendants of Adam, and reward them with various rewards that I alone know. Moreover, power and dominion over all that is on earth, both that which is above and that which is beneath, are in my hand. I do not allow friendly association with other people, nor do I deprive them that are my own and that obey me of anything that is good for them. I place my affairs in the hands of those whom I have tried and who are in accord with my desires. I appear in divers manners to those who ar
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CHAPTER III
CHAPTER III
I lead to the straight path without a revealed book; I direct aright my beloved and my chosen ones by unseen means. All my teachings are easily applicable to all times and all conditions. I punish in another world all who do contrary to my will. Now the sons of Adam do not know the state of things that is to come. For this reason they fall into many errors. The beasts of the earth, the birds of heaven, and the fish of the sea are all under the control of my hands. All treasures and hidden things
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CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER IV
I will not give my rights to other gods. I have allowed the creation of four substances, four times, and four corners; because they are necessary things for creatures. The books of Jews, Christians, and Moslems, as of those who are without, accept in a sense, i. e., so far as they agree with, and conform to, my statutes. Whatsoever is contrary to these they have altered; do not accept it. Three things are against me, and I hate three things. But those who keep my secrets shall receive the fulfil
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CHAPTER V
CHAPTER V
O ye that have believed in me, honor my symbol and my image, for they remind you of me. Observe my laws and statutes. Obey my servants and listen to whatever they may dictate to you of the hidden things. Receive that that is dictated, and do not carry it before those who are without, Jews, Christians, Moslems, and others; for they know not the nature of my teaching. Do not give them your books, lest they alter them without your knowledge. Learn by heart the greater part of them, lest they be alt
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APPENDIX TO PART I
APPENDIX TO PART I
They say our hearts are our books, and our šeiḫs tell us everything from the second Adam until now and the future. When they notice the sun rise, they kiss the place where the rays first fall; they do the same at sunset, where its rays last fall. Likewise they kiss the spot where the moon first casts its rays and where it last casts them. They think, moreover, that by the multiplication of presents to šeiḫs and idols they keep troubles and afflictions away. There is a great difference among the
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SEVEN CLASSES OF YEZIDIS
SEVEN CLASSES OF YEZIDIS
They are divided into seven classes, and each class has functions peculiar to itself that cannot be discharged by any of the other classes. They are: 1. Šeiḫ. He is the servant of the tomb, and a descendant of Imam Ḥasan al-Baṣrî. No one can give a legal decision or sign any document except the šeiḫ who is the servant of Šeiḫ ‘Adî’s tomb. He has a sign by which he is distinguished from others. The sign is a belt which he puts on his body, and net-like gloves, which resemble the halters of camels
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NOTES ON PART I
NOTES ON PART I
31 A. H. 295 (A. D. 807-8). This is the date of Al-Muḳtadir’s accession, who reigned till A. H. 320 (A. D. 932); cf. W. Muir, The Caliphate , p. 559. 32 The life of Manṣûr-al-Ḥallâj is given in Fihrist (ed. Flügel), p. 190. 33 The life of ‘Abd-al-ḳâdir of Jîlân is given in Jami’s Nafaḥat (ed. Lee), p. 584. 34 The Hakkari country is a dependency of Mosul, and inhabited by Kurds and Nestorians; cf. p. 104. Ibn Ḫauḳal, Kîtâb al-Masâlik wal-Mamâlik (ed. M. J. De Goeje), pp. 143 f. 35 Yaḳût, IV, 373,
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CHAPTER I The Religious Origin of the Yezidis
CHAPTER I The Religious Origin of the Yezidis
The origin of the devil-worshippers has been the subject of much controversy; but aside from an expression of views, no satisfactory solution of the problem has as yet been reached. The different theories which have been advanced may be classified under four general heads: The Myth of the Yezidis themselves; the tradition of Eastern Christians; the dogmatic idea of the Mohammedan scholars; and the speculative theory of the western orientalists. The Myth of the Yezidis concerning their origin may
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NOTES ON CHAPTER I
NOTES ON CHAPTER I
71 This may be traced to the Mohammedan myth that when the primal pair fell from their estate of bliss in the heavenly Paradise, Adam landed on a mountain in Ceylon and Eve fell at Jiddah, on the western coast of Arabia. After a hundred years of wandering, they met near Meccah, and here Allah constructed for them a tabernacle, on the site of the present Kaaba. S. M. Zwemer, Arabia , p. 17; Aš-Šahrastani, II, 430. 72 Anistase: Al-Mašrik , vol. 2, p. 33. 73 Cf. p. 35. 74 Cf. p. 34. 75 Cf. p. 37. 7
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CHAPTER II The Essential Elements in Yezidism
CHAPTER II The Essential Elements in Yezidism
Although comparatively few in number, ignorant, and practically without a literature of any sort, the followers of Yezid are not without definitely formulated doctrines of faith which bind them together as a sect, and distinguish them from every other religious body. They cherish two fundamental beliefs. They believe in a deity of the first degree, God; and in a deity of the second degree, who, they seem to think, is composed of three persons in one, Melek Ṭâ´ûs, Šeiḫ ‘Adi and Yezid. 130 It is n
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NOTES ON CHAPTER II
NOTES ON CHAPTER II
130 P. Anastase: Al-Mašrik , vol. II, p. 151; Bedrus Efendi Ar-Riḍwani, his letter to A. N. Andrus, April 22, 1887. 131 Lidzbarski, Z. D. M. G., vol. LI, p. 592; he is followed by Makas, Kurdische Studien , p. 35. 132 See “Tammuz” in Jastrow’s Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, and Cheney’s Dictionary of the Bible. 133 R. W. Smith: Religion of the Semites , p. 219; Aš-Šahrastanî, vol. II, p. 434. Yaḳut (vol. IV, p. 780) says: Originally nasr was worshipped by the people of Noah, and from them wa
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CHAPTER III Other Deities and Festivals
CHAPTER III Other Deities and Festivals
Besides their great saint, the Yezidis believe in seven other šeiḫs through whose intermediation they invoke God. These are also deified and assigned places of honor at Šeiḫ ‘Adi’s side. In their case as in that of their chief, the tradition has led some critics to believe that they are archangels; others, different attributes of God; and still others, the seven Amshaps of Zoroaster, or immortal spirits of the Avesta. The last conjecture is made by Victor Dingelstadt. 150 Cholsohn goes a step fu
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NOTES ON CHAPTER III
NOTES ON CHAPTER III
150 S. G. M., ibid. 151 Die Sabien , I, 296. 152 Nineveh and Its Remains , vol. II, p. 239. 153 Nestorians and Their Rituals , vol. I, p. 117. 154 S. J. Curtis: Primitive Semitic Religion To-day , p. 96; J. A. O. S., vol. 8, 223. 155 Cf. Marti’s Die Religion des A. T. , pp. 28-29. 156 The Hibbert Journal, ibid. 157 For different interpretation of the Yezidi New Year, see Brockelmann in Z. D. M. G., vol. 55, p. 388....
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CHAPTER IV Sacraments, Religious Observances and Sacerdotal System
CHAPTER IV Sacraments, Religious Observances and Sacerdotal System
Circumcision, the Eucharist and baptism are the three religious rites administered by the followers of Yezid. The first rite is optional. But with baptism the case is different; it is a matter of obligation. When a child is born near enough to the tomb of Šeiḫ ‘Adi to be taken there without great inconvenience or danger, it should be baptized as early as possible after birth. The ḳawwals in their periodical visitations carry a bottle or skin filled with holy water to baptize those children who c
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NOTES ON CHAPTER IV
NOTES ON CHAPTER IV
158 Hol Hola is an interjection, or exclamation, expressing sudden emotion, excitement, or feeling, as “Oh!” “Alas!” “Hurrah!” “Hark!” in English. 159 P. Anastase: Al-Mašrik , vol. II, p. 309. 160 Ibid, p. 311. 161 Ibid, p. 313....
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CHAPTER V Their Customs
CHAPTER V Their Customs
The Yezidis are endogamic. They forbid union between the secular and the religious classes, as also within certain degrees of relationship. A šeiḫ’s son marries only a šeiḫ’s daughter; so pirs’ sons, pirs’ daughters. A layman cannot marry a šeiḫ’s or a pir’s daughter, but he may take for a wife a ḳawwal’s or a kochak’s daughter; and ḳawwals’ or kochaks’ sons may marry laymen’s daughters. But if a layman marries a šeiḫ’s or a pir’s daughter, he must be killed. Marriage is for life, but it is freq
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NOTES ON CHAPTER V
NOTES ON CHAPTER V
162 In his letter to me, of date August 6, 1907, the Rev. A. N. Andrus, of Mardin, expresses the opinion that “many of the Yezidis around Sinjar might have come from Indian stock” on the ground that “they are darker and more lithe than the Kurds around them.” 163 P. Anastase: Al-Mašrik , vol. II, p. 831. 164 Cf. Al-Mašrik , vol. II, p. 734....
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CHAPTER VI List of the Yezidi Tribes
CHAPTER VI List of the Yezidi Tribes
(The materials were collected for me by A. N. Andrus, of Mardin) 1 The tribe named Šeiḫan lives in the mountains of Al-ḳôš, and has sixteen villages. They are all under the orders of Šeiḫ ‘Ali Beg Paša, the Amir, or chief of the Yezidis. This tribe can furnish 1,600 guns for war. Said ‘Ali Paša has received from the Turkish government the order of Amir ul-Umara “the Amir of Amirs.” He has a brother who has received the order of Miry Miran, “the Amirs of Amirs.” He has a second brother who has re
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CHAPTER VII Persecution
CHAPTER VII Persecution
The history of the Yezidis, like that of the Jews, has been one of persecution. The causes of their misfortune have been (1) the fact that they are not regarded as the people of the Book; and with such the Mohammedans have no treaty, no binding oath, as they do with the other non-Mohammedan bodies. For this reason they have to make choice between conversion and the sword, and it is unlawful even to take taxes from them. Consequently they must accept the faith or be killed. (2) Their ceremonies h
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NOTES ON CHAPTER VII
NOTES ON CHAPTER VII
(Footnote, not referenced in text. Cherog sonderan is Turkish; sonderan is the participle of the infinitive of to put out, and cherag, literally lamp, is the object of sonderan. In Turkish the object precedes the verb; cf. Yani sarfi Otamani “the New Turkish Grammar” (in the Turkish language, ed. Ahmad Jaudat & Co., Constantinople, 1318 A. H. ), p. 77.) 165 Kalimatu, š-Šehâdah is as follows: “I testify that there is no deity but God and that Mohammed is apostle of God.”...
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Arabic
Arabic
A manuscript containing the Sacred Book of the Yezidis and their traditions. Two other manuscripts containing the history of the Yezidis. Aš-Šahrastani: Kitab Al-Milal wa, n-Niḥal (ed. Wm. Eureton, London, MDCCCXLIII, vol. 1, p. 101 seq). Yasin Al-Ḫatib Al ‘Omari Al-Mauṣili: Al Der al Maknûn fi-l-Miâṯer Al-Maḍiyat min Al-ḳerûn, “Šeiḫ ‘Adi.” Mohammed Al-‘Omari Mauṣili: Manhal-al-Uliya wa Masrab ul Asfiya, “Šeiḫ ‘Adi.” Ibn Ḫallikan: Wafaiyat-el-‘Aiyan (Cairo A. H. 1310, A. D. 1894), vol. 1, p. 316
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Kurdish
Kurdish
Yezidis Songs and Prayers, in manuscript....
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Turkish
Turkish
Vital Cunet: Translation of La Turquie d’Asie , Constantinople. Turkish Reader (Constantinople, A. H. 1318), Second Part, p. 20 seq....
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English
English
G. P. Badger: The Nestorians and Their Rituals , vol. I. Layard: Nineveh and Its Remains , vol. II. Layard: Nineveh and Babylon . Ainsworth: Travels and Researches in Asia Minor . H. Southgate: A Tour Through Armenia, Persia, and Mesopotamia , vol. II. J. B. Fraser: Mesopotamia and Persia . G. J. Rich: Residence in Kurdistan , vol. II, 1836. Fletcher: Notes From Nineveh , 1850. F. Parrot: Journey to Ararat . J. S. Buckingham: Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia . F. Millingen: Wild Life Among
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French
French
J. Menant: Les Yezidis . Niebuhr: Voyage en Arabie , 1776. Olivier: Voyage dans l’Empire Othoman , T. 2, p. 342. Ernest Chantre: Le Tour du Monde, de Beyrouth à Tiflis , p. 184. Michel Febvre: Theatre de la Turquie, Paris , 1682. Vital Cunet: La Turquie d’Asie , p. 772. Eugene Bore: Dict. des Religions, T. IV, Yezidis. Eugene Bore: Correspondence d’Orient , T. I, p. 401; T. II, pp. 188, 272. Siouffi: Journal Asiatique, 1885, p. 78, and 1882, p. 252. J. B. Chabot: Journal Asiatique, 1896, p. 100.
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German
German
Schwolsohn: Die Sabien , vol. II, p. 201. Hugo Makas: Kurdische Studien , p. 35. M. Lidzbarski: Z. D. M. G., vol. 51, p. 592. C. Brockelmann: Z. D. M. G., vol. 55, p. 388. C. Brockelmann: Z. A., vol. 16, p. 399. Archive fur Anthropologie, vol. 27, p. 3. Das Ausland, 50 Jahrgang, No. 39 und 40 Stuttgart, 1886, p. 790....
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Latin
Latin
Assemani: Bibliotheca Orientalis, Clementino-Vatican , vol. III, p. 493. T. Hyde: Historia Religionis vetrum Persarum , 1760....
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