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Comments of Dr. Zorab Aloian on Ricardo Gustavo Espeja’s Studies

Dear Ricardo,

First of all, I feel happy that you are devoting your time and energy to research the Yezidi religious system. I only hope that you will get a position where you could deliver your knowledge and interest to others.

Yours,

Zorab

“Is there a Primordial Tradition in Mysticism?”

I find it very important that you note about the necessity to draw boundary between origins and current purposes. Love of God for His Purpose is indeed a very strong element in Yezidism. I would also say that this element is stronger than in some other religions because in Judaism, Christianity and Islam you have a vivid example, be it real or imaginary:

- Judaism: Moses speaking to God and Jews escaping the Egyptians and occupying a new homeland;

- Jesus Christ’s story as a symbol of sacrifice and victory over death;

- Muhammad’s hadiths and the consequent spread of Islam as a proof of Islam’s rightness.

In Yezidism there are no such vivid examples and still love of God runs high. It is not because the Yezidis have a fear of God and His punishment (like the Jews and Muslims) and not because God made a kind of contract with Abraham and humans in general to make them obedient (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). I limit my opinion with these three monotheistic religions to show my idea: the Yezidis love God only for His Purpose, getting nothing in exchange. Certainly, there may be a Sufi influence on this Love but I cannot distinguish, how much there is from Sufism and how much from ancient Yezidism.

“El-Sheij Adi Bin Musafir la redención de Lucifer: The incarnation of badly”

I would rather use the word EVIL instead of badly but it is optional. I think you are right about tribal society and its impact on gods and goddesses in the people’s mind. The Yezidi text Meshefi Resh was presumably recorded in the 19th century. But this is also not important, because many sacred texts have been recorded after the religious movement had been shaped (the Bible was written later, the Koran and some other texts, too). The crucial factor is that the Yezidi oral stories are presented in the Meshefi Resh, so that makes the Yezidi book a historical source and we have the right use it as a historical source.

The story of tears extinguishing the Fire of Hell has several variants. First, some Yezidi stories speak about 40,000 years, while others mention 7,000 years. Both 40 and 7 are mystical numbers. Secondly, there is a similar story amongst the Alevi Kurds: Imam Husseyn was crying 7,000 years because of the sins of the people and his tears extinguzished the Fire of Hell. It shows that this story has an ancient source, maybe even the Kurdish sources and the Kurdish Alevites had only modified it (Imam Hussey ibn Ali instead of Tausi Melek).

Another point is Zósimo. As you know there was another Church Father St. Clement of Alexandria who had similar ideas about Satan. Some people believe that the theological concepts of Zósimo and St. Clement of Alexandria influenced Sufism and through Sufism and Sheikh Adi they penetrated the Yezidi world outlook. I do not know, whether it is so direct.

I find it also very true that you describe the Yezidi and other idea of God being the Creator of both Good and Bad as a turning point for social and political behaviour. Thus, the Indian religious culture in open forms presumes the ambiguity of God and Brahma is called "the creation and destruction of all people". Also, the Jewish new understanding of God and Satan was done in Babylonian exile as the Jews became influenced by Zoroastrian dualism. The Christianity overtook this concept of God versus Satan.

The cycles of 7,000 years and the names of 7 angels, I believe, go back to the common Mesopotamian idea of sacred numbers (7 is a sacred number). After all, I think there is more interrelations between Zoroastrian Heftad or Heptad (7 Angels or Deities who are protectors of Water, Plants etc) and 7 angels in Yeizidism.

Actually, I may repeat what I written in my MA Dissertation on Islamic Pandemonium (Central European University, Budapest, 1994):

The process of composition of Islamic Pandemonium corresponds to that in other religious systems in general. Therefore, non-Islamic material assists in reconstructing those stages and elements of the composition of pandemonium that have been set off in Islam. Thus, we may summarise the religious concepts in their evolution. Apparently, the question of demoniac beings, their hierarchy, mutual relationships, origin, sexual and morphological representations could be traced back in more precise, reliable way than other demonological issues (philosophical and theological ones). To sum up particular processes and elements of composition of pandemonium in Islam and other religions:

In all the faiths demons and angels were previously native and foreign gods and goddesses, developed from the 'elemental spirits'. Since the monotheistic prophets could not deny their existence, they ascribed to these beings mostly negative features and stressed their non-divine nature. Thus, pagan deities became equated with angels and demons, which was. The demons were headed by the adversary of God, the idea of whom came in Islam through Judeo-Christian tradition, which, in turn, adopted it from Zoroastrianism. At time negative features, from human point of view, which belonged to God, became ascribed to the Devil. However, some of the attributes remained common to both God and His adversary: Fire, Linguistic abilities etc.

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