Salem Choheili

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Salem Choheili
Salem Choheili reading the Left Ginza in 2015
Born1935
Ahvaz, Iran
NationalityIranian
Other namesBayan bar Šarat
Occupation(s)Scribe, teacher, author
OrganizationMandaean Council of Ahvaz
Notable workMandaean Book of John manuscript (1989)
Ginza Rabba (2021, Persian translation)
TitleShganda
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Šganda Salem Choheili (Persian: سالم چحیلی; born 1935 in Ahvaz, Iran[1]} is an Iranian Mandaean scribe, teacher, and author. He is also a shganda and yalufa (learned Mandaean layman)[1] and is one of the leaders of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz.[2] Salem Choheili is one of the last remaining fully fluent speakers of Neo-Mandaic.[3]: 211 

Biography[edit]

Salem Choheili was born in Ahvaz, Iran in 1935 into the Kuhailia (Persian pronunciation: Choheili) family.[1] His Mandaean baptismal name is Bayan bar Šarat (Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡀࡉࡀࡍ ࡁࡓ ࡔࡀࡓࡀࡕ, romanized: Baian br Šarat, lit. 'Bayan, son of Šarat').[3]

As a child, he learned to speak colloquial Mandaic from his parents.[2] Salem Choheili later served as Slovak linguist Rudolf Macúch's primary Neo-Mandaic linguistic informant in 1989,[4]: 37  as well as a guide for Norwegian-American scholar Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley during her 1996 field trip to Iran.[3]: 211 

After serving in the Iranian military, Salem Choheili focused on transcribing Mandaic manuscripts.[2] On April 12, 1989, he finished copying a handwritten manuscript of the Mandaean Book of John. Dr. Sinan Abdullah, the son of physicist Abdul Jabbar Abdullah, brought a photocopy of the manuscript to Niskayuna, New York, United States, which was later transferred to Colonie, New York.[5]

In addition to publishing Mandaean scriptures printed in the original Mandaic alphabet, Salem Choheili has written various Persian-language books on Mandaean history, religion, and language. In 2021 (1400 A.H.), he completed a Persian translation of the Ginza Rabba.[2]

Although not a formally ordained Mandaean priest, Salem Choheili serves as a shganda (priestly assistant) in the Iranian Mandaean community[3] and is currently a member of the Mandaean Council of Ahvaz.[2] He has taught Mandaic to Iranian Mandaeans for decades and runs a Mandaic language school in Ahvaz.[1][6]

Family[edit]

As a member of the Choheili family, his relatives include Jabbar Choheili (1923–2014), Salah Choheili, and Najah Choheili.[3]

References[edit]

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  1. ^ a b c d Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2023). 1800 Years of Encounters with Mandaeans. Gorgias Mandaean Studies. Vol. 5. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-4632-4132-2. ISSN 1935-441X.
  2. ^ a b c d e "سالم چحیلی". اطلس اقلیت‌های دینی ایران (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  3. ^ a b c d e Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2010). The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history. Piscataway, N.J: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-621-9.
  4. ^ Häberl, Charles (2009). The Neo-Mandaic Dialect of Khorramshahr. Otto Harrassowitz. doi:10.7282/t3qf8r7c.
  5. ^ Haberl, Charles; McGrath, James (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
  6. ^ Škanda Salem Choheili Salman (2002). A school for Mandaic language and literatures in Ahwaz. Lecture given on 9 July 2002 at the ARAM 17th International Conference, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford.
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