perform acts of worship to praise and honor God. Prominent amongst them include Manda d-Hayyi, who brings manda (knowledge or gnosis) to Earth, and Hibil Ziwa, who conquers the World of Darkness. Some uthras are commonly referred to as emanations and are subservient beings to 'The First Life'; their names include Second, Third, and Fourth Life (i.e. Yushamin, Abatur, and Ptahil). Ptahil (), the 'Fourth Life', alone does not constitute the demiurge, but only fills that role insofar as he is seen as the creator of the material world with the help of the evil spirit Ruha. Ruha is viewed negatively as the personification of the lower, emotional, and feminine elements of the human psyche. Therefore, the material world is a mixture of 'light' and 'dark'. Ptahil is the lowest of a group of three emanations, the other two being Yushamin (, the 'Second Life' (also spelled Joshamin) and Abatur (), the 'Third Life'. Abatur's demiurgic role consists of weighing the souls of the dead to determine their fate. The role of Yushamin, the first emanation, is more obscure; wanting to create a world of his own, he was punished for opposing the King of Light ('The First Life'), but was ultimately forgiven. As is also the case among the Essenes, it is forbidden for a Mandaean to reveal the names of the angels to a gentile. Chief prophets Mandaeans recognize several prophets. Yahia-Yohanna also known as Yuhana Maṣbana ( ) and Yuhana bar Zakria (John, son of Zechariah) known in Christianity as John the Baptist, is accorded a special status, higher than his role in either Christianity or Islam. Mandaeans do not consider John to be the founder of their religion but they revere him as their greatest teacher who renews and reforms their ancient faith, tracing their beliefs back to Adam. John is believed to be a messenger of Light (nhura) and Truth (kushta) who possessed the power of healing and full Gnosis (manda). Mandaeism does not consider Abraham, Moses or Jesus Mandaean prophets, however, it teaches the belief that Abraham and Jesus were originally Mandaean priests.<ref name = BuckleyOrigins>{{Cite book|last=Horsley|first=Richard|url=Christian|title=Christian Origins|date=2010-03-01|publisher=Fortress Press|isbn=978-1-4514-1664-0|language=en}}</ref> They recognize other prophetic figures from the Abrahamic religions, such as Adam, his sons Hibil (Abel) and Sheetil (Seth), and his grandson Anush (Enosh), as well as Nuh (Noah), Sam (Shem), and Ram (Aram), whom they consider to be their direct ancestors. Mandaeans consider Adam,