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CALL No. ^^1-3 0^3^ T)j>^

d.gTa. '7^
THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF
THE MANDAEANS
f
 THE CANONICAL
PRAYERBOOK OF THE
MANDAEANS
TRANSLATED WITH NOTES BY

E. S. DROWER
hon. D. Litt. Oxford University;
hon. fellow of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
London University

) q cr
^3 V -A- V

LEIDEN
E. J. BRILL
1959

MUNSHIRAM manokarlal
Orientai ik ForeTn Bc»k-Selltrt,
P. P- 1165, Nai*S»itik, E r LHi-6.
 Copyright 1959 by E. J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands.
All nights reserved. No part of this hook may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm or any other
means without written permission from the publisher.

i--
'
X . NEW Ui

PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS

V

CONTENTS
Abbreviations vi
Introduction vii

Book of Souls (Baptism Liturgy) i

Masiqta 32
The Letter {’ngirta) 61
Hymns of praise 72
The Responses {’niania) 88
Riisma (Daily ablution prayers) 102
Salutation of Kings {Asut malkia) 104
Rahmia (Daily devotional prayers) 106
Tab taba Itabia (the full Commemoration prayer for the dead ,
and hving) 151

Hymns of praise etc 154

Sumhata (The “Names”) 157
Little New Year’s Feast prayer 159
Prayer for “honouring” the crown 160
Hymns for marriage and a new priest, (including the series
Kt azil Bhira Dakia 161

Coronation Prayers and hymns (including two for myrtle) 220

Banner prayers and h5mms 233
*
Blessed Oblation prayers and hymns 240
Blessings on the chief celebrant after Blessed Oblation . . 269
Myrtle ^prayers and hymns 308
Prayer of Yahia 313
Odd h5mms 315

Index 317
Errata 325
 ABBREVIATIONS
AT§ The Thousand and Twelve Questions [Alf Trisar Suialia). Text,
and commentary. By E. S. Drower.
transliteration, translation
(Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 1959).
BM Or. British Museum Oriental manuscripts.
D.A. Diwan Abatur, Studi e Testi, No. 151. Text, translation and
notes. By E. S. Drower (Pontificio Istituto Biblico, Rome, 1950).
D.C. The Drower collection of Mandaean mss. in the Bodleian Library,
Oxford.
D.M. Textes Mandaites (Tome V, fitudes Linguistiques. Publics par
J. de Morgan (Paris MCMIV).
G.R. r. (Ginza Rba, right side). GINZA, Der Schatz oder Das Grosse
Buch der Mandaer. Translated with commentary by Mark
Lidzbarski (Gottingen, 1925).
G.R. 1. (Ginza Rba, left side). (The same).
•
J- Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi and
the Midrashic Literature, Marcus Jastrow, Ph.D., Litt.D. 2 vols.
Pardes Publishing House, New York, 1950.
J.R.A.S. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
M.L. Mandaische Liturgien, mitgeteilt, iibersetzt u. erklart von Mark
Lidzbarski (Berlin, 1920).
MMII The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran, their Cults, Customs, Magic,
Legends and Folklore. By E. S. Drower (Clarendon Press, Oxford,
1937 )-
Pet. Thesaurus. Liber magnus, descripsit et edidit by H. Petermann.
2 volumes, Leipzig, 1867.
P.S. A Compendious S3rriac Dictionary. J, Payne Smith (Clarendon
Press, Oxford, 1903).
S.d-Q Sarh d-Qabin d-Si§lam-Rba, The Marriage-Ceremony of the
Great SiSlam; transliterated and translated by E. S. Drc^ver.*
Bibhca et Orientalia, no. 12. (Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1950).
W.W. into Wine: a Study of Ritual Idiom in the Middle East.
Water
•
E. S. Drower, (John Murray, London, 1956).
Z.D.M.G. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft.
 INTRODUCTION
The first Mandaean book which came into my hands was a small
volume of two hundred and thirty-eight pages in a poor handwriting.
It was presented to me by an old Mandaean silversmith a year or
two after the first world war. This volume inspired me with curiosity,
and later, when I had read Lidzbarski’s translations and had studied
Noldeke’s Manddische Grammatik, I found that it contained prayers

for the minor ablutions, the daily office (the ’niania) and the
masiqta prayers.
An early visit to Amarah resulted in the acquisition of a damaged
‘

and imperfect copy of the entire codex, I mean prayers considered

canonical and stiU used by priests. A head priest (a ganzibra) copied
into it some of the missing pages, and to these I added others vfhen
I had had access to other MSS. Complete copies of the collection
are hard to come by, for they are in constant use.
It was not until many years later, in the spring of 1954, that I
persuaded the owner of a prayerbook, himself a ganzibra, to give
me his in exchange for a money gift, for sacred manuscripts are
never bought. This codex. No. 53 of my collection, is in a good hand
and from it very little was missing. That httle I was able to supple-
ment from D.C. 3 and other fragments of the liturgical prayers
that I had acquired or seen. It is this manuscript which is photo-
graphed and reproduced for the present volume, and into it, regard-
less of desecration, I have pasted numbering to correspond with
the*numbers in the translation, following throughout the arrange-
ment of the prayers in the original.
Of the canonical prayers used for centuries by the priests frag-
ments had reached Europe. In 1867 Euting transcribed the Qulasta
(a word which means “collection”) from manuscripts in Paris and
London, and this provided Lidzbarski with the greater part of his
Manddische Lihirgien published in Berlin in 1920. Whilst this volume
contains all the baptism prayers and masiqta prayers, it represented
only about a third of the complete book possessed by Mandaean
priests. Important sections, such as the Blessed Oblation prayers
and the Coronation prayers are missing.
In presenting the full versionI ventured to re-translate into Eng-

lish, and sometimes to differ from the translations made by Lidz-

VIIT INTRODUCTION

barski. His was a and scholarly achievement. However,

brilliant
the possession and study of anumber of texts unknown to him and,
above all, a personal knowledge of Mandaean rites as I have seen
them performed and explained by celebrants, elucidate some
obscurities although, indeed, far too many still exist, for the
language used by gnostics is purposely archaic, symbohc and inten-
ded to mystify. Translation often hmps when forced into hteral
rendering of obscure passages. I have been helped by the perusal
of ritual texts. These, forbidden to the Mandaean la5rman, contain
traditional teaching about the s3mbohsm and true meaning of the
ancient rites during which prayers are recited.
That an ancient gnostic sect should have survived into our time
is remarkable: that so many of their writings, their magical texts,
their secret doctrine in the ritual scrolls and their hturgical hterature
has been preserved, is little short of a miracle.
The sect is dying out rapidly: priests are few and old and the
numbers of the faithful dwindle year by year. I feel it a privilege
to have been brought so nearly into contact with a reUgion which
may before long become extinct.
E. S. Drower
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF
THE MANDAEANS
My Lord be praised!
In the name of the Great First Other-Worldly (lit. “strange”)
Life! From far-off worlds of hght that are above all works may
there be heahng, victory, soundness, speech and a hearing, joy of
heart and forgiving of sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus
through the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia!

In the name of the Life and in the name of Knowledge-of-Life

(Manda-d-Hiia) and in the name of that Primal Being who was
Eldest and preceded water, radiance, hght and glory, the Being
who cried with His voiceand uttered words. By means of His
voice and His words Vines grew and came into being, and the First
Life was established in its Abode.
And He spoke and said, “The First Life is anterior to the Second
Life by six thousand myriad years and the Second Life anterior
to the Third Life by six thousand myriad years and the Third Life
more ancient than any ’uthra by six thousand myriad years. And
any ’uthra is older than the whole earth and older than the Seven
Lords of the House by seven hundred and seventy thousand
myriad years. There is that which is infinite.
At that time there was no sohd earth and no inhabitants in the
black waters. From them, from those black waters. Evil was formed
and emerged. One from whom a thousand thousand mysteries
proceeded and a myriad myriad planets with their own mysteries.
The Seven were wroth with me, were outraged and said, “The
man who set out and came towards us hath not bound a circlet ®)
Yatiria (masc. plu.) could refer either to ‘‘the Life” (plu.) or to “worlds”.
Themeaningof yatiria (“many”, “exceeding”, “surpaissing”, “many”, “far-
off”, “strange” etc.) is vague. Elsewhere in this book I vary the translation,
which is uncertain.
“the House” = the earthly world.
In all later texts Mila (Ut. “circlet”) and here probably “crown”, means
always “wreath”.
2 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

about his head!” Then I toward my Creator who

turned my face
created me, the celestial Lord of Greatness,
and I said to Him,
“O my Creator who created me, (O) Lord of lofty Greatness! As
I went {my ways) the Seven were wroth with me and said, ‘The

man who went and came towards us hath not bound a circlet about
his head!’.”
Then that Lord of Lofty Greatness took a circlet of radiance,
lightand glory and set it on my head; He laid on me His hand of
Truth and His great right hand of healings and said to me,
“Upon thee shall rest something of the likeness of Sam-Gufna and
of Sam-Gufaian and of Sam-Pira-Hiwara {Sam-the-White-Fruitl),
whose radiance gleams and whose appearance beams, for they are
holy and believing beings in the Place of Light and in the everlas-
ting^) Abode.”
And Manda-d-Hiia, the valorous ’uthra, taught, revealed and
said "Every Nasoraean man who is righteous and believing, on
arising from sleep, must take a white turban symbolising the great
mystery of radiance, light and glory and shall recite this prayer
thereon. And he round his head and repeat the prayer
shall twist it
be his praise in the house of the great Celestial
secretly. It will
Father. And all persons ®) who behold him will be subdued in his
presence any persecutor, or one who inciteth to wrath, will stand
:

before him in fear, terror and trembling, {their knees) knocking

together. And for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnu§, who have
prayed this prayer and (these) devotions, there will be forgiving
of sins and I shallbe pure in all my words. And Life is victorious.
[This is the prayer of the turban]. •

Illumined and illuminating is *) Zihrun, the great M;^stery of

and glory, from whom Manda-d-Hiia emanated and
radiance, light
was divulged, and from whose very Self noble sons of the mighty
and sublime Life proceeded. He created ’uthras at his right and his

Ktdta =
Right, Troth, Truth, Sincerity, “a pact” “oath” etc. It is
the name given to the rite of giving the hand in pact, and is personified.
The hand-ceremony is linked with a kiss.
2) Taqna has a double meaning (a) lustrous, gleaming (b) enduring,
durable, constant (particularly when in antithesis to batla in daura batla,
“the abode that comes to nought”.
Alniia (“world”) is also “persons”.
Zhir timzah.ra also =
“secure and assured”. A play on words.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 3

left and installed them in their own skintas. And they gave out
light and were effulgent in their own raiment and gloried in the
knowledge that their Father had transplanted them from the House
of Life. And it is incumbent on a pupil to honour his Master hke
his parents, (so) the ’uthras rose on (their ?) thrones of radiance,
light and glory and took off the crowns on their heads and placed
them on the thrones of radiance, light and glory, saying, "A teacher
is superior to parents! Rise, our Father, in praise, and lay on me

Thy hand of truth and Thy great right hand of healings I” And Life
be praised!
[This prayer is the opening®) prayer of “In the name of that
First Being”]

In the name of the Life!

•
Life created Yawar-Ziwa^), son of Light-of-Life, Hamgai-Ziwa
son of Hamgagai-Ziwa. Illumined and illuminating is the Great

Mystery of Radiance, Zihrun, a Crown of radiance, hght and glory

from whom a flow of living water streamed out to the skintas. For
he is the revealer {lit. opener) of radiance and light and displayeth
his treasure ®) which emanated from him, to eager ’uthras. AH worlds
adore and praise the mighty First Life in its Indwellings, and Life is
victorious.

[This is the prayer of the turban]

As the 'uthras stand in their skintas they adore and praise the
Great Place in the Light which and is eternal, praise Manda-d-Hiia
and spoak with him. When the ’uthras are standing in their skintas
they adore and praise that Tarwan-Nhura. To what shall they

Skinta ("dwelling”, “indwelling”, “shecinah") is also a word used for the

cult-hut, the sanctuary.
“) Lit. “granted to”, “permitted to”.
Or “loosing”. The word srita is applied both to "conscrating and “decon-
secrating” in ritual.
Yawar (act. part. YUR
or ’UR) = dazzling (i.e. blinding with hght).
D.C. 3 has I’usria, D.C. 53 uVusria as in M.L. p. 7). Lidzbarski inserts
den Schatz to make the sentence grammatically correct. The omission of u,
as in D.C. 3, makes the insertion unnecessary. 'Usria also means (perhaps
here also) “his mind”, “his thought”, “minds”.
^
Drower, The Canoncal Prayerbook.
4 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

dedicate the wreath upon their heads and upon what shall they
hang it ? They dedicate it to the Tree of Radiance and hang it
{thereon).
And Life be praised!

[This is the prayer of dedication of “Life created Yawar-Ziwa]

5
In the name of, the Great Life!
Let there be light, let there be light! Let there be the light of the
Great First Life! There shone forth wisdom, vigilance and praise
Mana which came from its place. He who twineth the
of the First
wreath Yufin-Yufafin: the bringer of the wreath is Tt-’Nsibat-
is

’utria. Tt-Yawar son of ’Nsibat-’utria set on the wreath. He brought

it and placed it upon the head of the implanted mana which
was transplanted from guarded ( ?) mana?,. The wreath flames
and the leaves of the wreath flame! Before the Mana there is light,
behind the Mana glory, and at either side of the Mana radiance,
brilliance and purity. And at the four corners of the House and
the seven sides of the firmanent silence, bliss and glory prevail {lit.
are found). And Life be praised!
[This is the prayer for the turban. Read it and set it on thy head.]

6
A crown of ether-light shone forth dazzhngly from the House of
Life. ’Uthras brought it from the House of Life and the mighty
First Life established it in His skintas. He who setteth it up shall
be set up and he who be raised up into the world
uplifteth it shall •

of light and he who establisheth it into the enduring Abode. Ye are

established and uplifted to the place (in which) righteous ^beings)
are established.
And Life be praised.

[This is the prayer of "loosing”®), “Let there be Light”. These three

prayers “In the name of that Primal Being”, “Life created Yawar-
Ziwa” and “Let there be light” read near thy crown *) and place

1
)
Mana = “mind”, “intelligence”: also “garment or robe”, “vessel”.
*) Mania “manas kept in reserve?” The language is so high-flown
smiria
that any precise meaning attached to such an expression is probably incorrect.
®) See p. 3 n. 3.
*) The priest’s “crown” is a fillet of woven white silk.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 5

iton thy head. And read “Manda created me” over the myrtle-
wreath and put it on thy head above thy crown. And twine a
myrtle-wreath for thy staff and hold it with thy crown. And when
thou goest to the Jordan read “Answer me. Father, answer me!]

7
In the name of the Great Life!
There shall be healing for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnu§!
Strengthened and enhanced is the great mystery of radiance,

hght and glory which resteth on the mouth of the Great Life! for
from it came into being and was manifest Knowledge-of-Life
(Manda-d-Hiia) who knew and interpreted the thoughts of the
First Life, which are wondrous.
And Life be praised!
[Read this prayer and hold thy fandama ®) for thy baptism.]

Incense that is fragrant, incense that is fragrant! yea, for the

mighty, first, subhme from worlds of hght, the Ineffable above
Life
all works! for the ancient Radiance and for the Primal Light, for

the Life which emanated from Life and for Truth (Kusta) that
was pristine, from the beginning.
Incense that is fragrant, incense that is fragrant! yea, for Yukabar-
Ziwa who was mighty in his radiance, and came in his lightand his
glory (as) messenger to the first righteous elect (people). He crossed
over the worlds and came and rent the firmament and revealed
himself.
incense that is fragrant, incense that is fragrant! yea, for Yuzataq-
Gnosis-of-Life, source of Life, who interpreteth silence and
giveth hope and taketh ®) the prayers of spirits and souls of right-
eous and believing men, the virtuous and wellpleasing, into the
Place of Light and into the Eternal Abode.

The difficulty is theword Ratal (seeM.L. p. 1 1, n. i). Kbar = "enhanced”,

"increased”, but haial remains doubtful. The prayer is repeated, p. 32.
Read d-hua npta as in D.C. 3.
I.e. the long end of the turban when folded over the lower part of the
face, to prevent breath, spittle or mucus from defiling sacraments. Cf. the
Avestan paitidana (mouth-veil), Pahlevi padam, Pazand penom and the
modern Zoroastrian paddn.
*) Sumerian as-gan-da "minister, messenger”, Accadian asgandtt. The name
given to the helper or server at Mandaean rites.
Read uahid as in D.C. 3 and M.L.
 6 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Incense that is fragrant, incense that is fragrant! yea, for the

Father of ’uthras, the Ancient, Lofty, Occult and Guarded, the
Man who is high (yet) remaineth deep and hidden. He seeth and
understandeth that which the wwlds and generations do in the
worlds of darkness.
Incense that is fragrant, incense, that is fragrant! yea for the
dweUing of Life and the planting of ’uthras. Incense that is fragrant,
incense that is fragrant! yea, for the dwelhng of four beings, sons
of Perfection. Incense that is fragrant, incense that is fragrant! yea
for the Dwelling of Abathur. Incense that is fragrant, incense that
is fragrant! yea, for the dweUing of Hibil, SitU and Anus ^), sons
of a living, brilliant, healthy and steadfast stock, beings not
removed by sword, nor burnt by flames of fire, nor drowned in
water-floods whose (very) sandal-straps on their feet are unwetted
;

by water. They sought and found, went to judgment and were

vincficated, spoke and were heard. They are complete, lacking in
nought; perfect are they and not imperfect. They came from a pure
place and go to a pure place.
Incense that is fragrant, incense that
is fragrant! yea, for the

lives of the men who were our ancestors, of righteous and believing
men who rendered up {their souls) and departed from their bodies
and of those who yet live in their bodies. They testified and the
door of Sin will be shut to them and the door of hght open to them
and they will be knit together in the union of Life, in which there
is no separation. Pray ye for us from there, and we will pray
from here for you! All fruits perish; aU sweet odours vanish, (but)
the perfume of Life is established for ever and imto world’s end,
upon those who love His name of Truth. •

Those souls who descend to the j or dan and are baptised shall be
without sins, trespasses, foUies, mistakes and e\dl deeds: liiey will
rise and behold the great Place of Light and the Eternal Abode.
And praised be the Great Life in hght. And Life is victorious.

[This saying, “Incense that is fragrant, yea for the First Life”
recite overboth incense and sandalwood and put them before thee
on the jordan-bank in a new incense-pan. And make a fresh fire on
the copper ®) incense-pan - (these) are aids of all order which ye

Abel, Seth and the BibUcal Enoch. (Anus)

1
)

Cf. the Jewish “bundle of life” (O.T., I Sam. xxv, 29)

“Copper incense-pan". The bit riha or birihia (for description of the
' incense apparatus see MMII p. 106) is now made of earthenware.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 7

carried,put {lit. “performed”) at the jordan. Then read the baptis-

mal “We
acknowledged” "Praises” “Thee, Life,” “I sought to raise
eyes” {Prayer 77) and “Raising eyes”.]

9
Raising my eyes and hfting up my countenance *) toward
the Place which is all portals of radiance, light, glory, beauty,
repute and honour and to the Abode which is all beams of light
I and praise the Mighty, Strange (other-worldly) Life,
adore, laud
and the Second Life and the Third Life; and Yufin-Yufafin, Sam-
Mana-Smira, and the Vine which is all Life and the great Tree
which is all healings. I adore, laud and worship the precious and
guarded Place, the secret and guarded manas and the Lord of
Greatness from the Secret Place and, from the Hidden Place,
the pihta^), need( ?) *), truth and faith.
I worship, laud and praise Sam-Smira, the great radiancy cf[ the
First Life, son of the Great Primal Life who thought and was mani-
fest, seeking His own: His shecinah resteth on waves of water.

The assembly of souls which proceeded from Him, on the Last Day,
when they leave their bodies, will rejoice in Him, will embrace Him
and will rise up and behold the outer Ether and the everlasting
Abode.
I worship, laud and praise the multitudinous Radiancies and great
mighty Lights: I worship, laud and praise Piriawis, the great Jordan

of the First Life which is all and praise the

healings. I worship, laud
pure Yusamin who abideth on treasures of the waters and upon
mighty celestial wellsprings of light. I adore, laud and praise the
^
which proceeded from Life and the Truth which existed before,
lif»

in the Beginning. I worship, laud and praise Yukabar-Ziwa, envoy

of the Life and the Word of the
Elect Righteous ones. I worship,
first
laud and praise the Ancient, Supernal, Occult and Guarded Abathur,
who is high, hidden and guarded, whose throne is placed at the

gate of the House of Life. He sitteth with the scales set before him.

1
)
The infinitive of a verb used for an action during its performance is
an idiom found fairly often in Mandaean texts: hence here “to raise” =
“raising”.
Read gilia parsufai. Lidzbarski (il.L. p. 15) translated Wellen des
Antlitzes. Gilia suggests rounded contours, hence “features”. In translation
it is best omitted.
Pihta, “the opened”, “The “opened up” is the sacramental bread.
*) Sarka. The meaning is doubtful. •
8 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

weighing deeds and (their) recompense. He seeth and discerneth

that which the worlds and generations do. I worship, laud and
praise Manda-d-Hiia lord of healings, the being whom the Life
summoned and bade him heal the congregation of souls, divesting
the congregation of of souls of (their) darkness and clothing them
with light; raising (them) and showing them that a great restoration
of life exists, a place where the spirits and souls of our forefathers
sit clothed in radianceand covered with light; showing the great
restoration of which is before them.
life

I worship, laud and praise Silmai and Nidbai, the two delegates
of Manda-d-Hiia, who rule over the great jordan of Life, for they
baptise with the great baptism of Light.
And Life is victorious.

lO
Oil the day that the Jordan was bestowed upon Sam-Smir, the
great pure radiance^) of the First Life which flowed forth^) from Him,
Bihram and Ram-Rba-Hiia went with him ®) (and ?) four hundred
and forty-four thousand myriads of ’uthras, sons of light, who
descended to the jordan. He baptised them and they rose to the
bank. He raised them up and conferred upon them some of the
glory and some of the greatness w'hich was (conferred) on himself.
And Life is victorious.

II

have worshipped and praised that Yawar-Ziwa whose skinta

I

is Ether and in the Enduring Abode.

situate in the world of Outer
I have worshipped and praised the seven holy and guarded may as *

which were transplanted from it. I sought in prayer the First Life,
and, in the presence of the mighty subhme Life, discovei^d that
which offendeth in myself, (in me), Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus

') "The great pure radiance” must refer, not to Sam-Smir, but to the
Jordan,
The verb NGD as Lidzbarski comments, (M.L. p. i8, n. i) is usually
connected with water or with the drabsa (light or banner. The mss. vary,
D.C. 53 ngad, D.C. 3 ngid: M.L. has ‘tingid.
®) The first part of the hymn is obscure. Were it "aus Bihram” as
Lidzbarski translates, it would be mink mn Bihram. moreover, the word ma
before “four hundred” is meaningless. The baptist is Sam-Ziwa, although one
would expect Bihram-Rba to be the officiating baptist. The formula at
baptism is "Thou art immersed (baptised) with the baptism of Bihram-Rba”.
The names of Bihram and Ram are coupled in Prayer 25.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 9

and about what which causeth my friends to offend, and my friends’

friendsand the friends of the great Family of Life.
And Life is victorious.

[Pray these three prayers, “ Raising eyes”, “The day that the
Jordan was bestowed” and “I have worshipped and praised that
Yawar-Ziwa” on the jordan-bank after “I sought to raise eyes”.
They are the helpers (aids to) baptism.]

12

I am Yur son of Barit (I shone forth). In great effulgence the

radiance glowed {with heat?). The tanna i) dissolved and a skint a came
into being, a skinta came into existence and was established in the
House of Life.
And Life is victorious
^

[Read this prayer and grasp thy kanzala (stole). ®). It is the
opening prayer for the Jordan. Then recite “I went to the Jordan"].

13

I went to the Jordan, but not I alone, (for) SiLmai and Nidbai,
ray helpers, went with me to the Jordan; HibU and Sitil and Anus
went with me to the Jordan - they who baptise with the great bap-
tism of Life. Piriawis-Ziwa and Piriafil-Malaka give free movement®)
to the hmbs of my body!
I go dowTi before these souls whom the Life delivereth and saveth,
. and protecteth these from all that is evil and from those who
souls
give nothing, but take away and from those w'ho lend nothing and
;

This very obscure prayer does httle to elucidate the meaning of the word
tana (Tanna ?) but here, and in other passages, it might mean vapour here
or a matrix. T annas are often personified, as in prayer Xo. 305, and
mentioned with nitufiata (“Drops”). Lidzbarski always left the word un-
translated, and so must I!
The kanzala, a long strip of w’hite material, is used to loop round the
staff when the baptist goes into the river and sticks the end of his staff in
the river mud. The loop prevents the staff from floating away, and frees
both the baptist’s hands.
D.C. 53 pralia hindamia, D.C. 3 praha handamia, M.L. prnlia handamia.
See also p. 17. The verb PRA (cf. 5?*1S “to breakthrough”, "to loosen”) also
means “cause to move or to flow”. (See Pet. v. 17; 20; D.C. 36; no. 174 etc.)
when used for the command to clear channels to the baptismal pool so that
water may flow' through it without obstruction.
lO THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

(yet) are paid back and from evil spirits which hasted yet did not
;

arrive, and from hhths which fell down and did not arise.
Their hands fell {powerless) on their knees their eyes were blinded;

and unable to see and their ears became deaf and unable to hear.
In your names, Silmai and Nidbai, and through the strength of
Hibil, Sitil and Anus, secure, seal and guard these souls who go
down to the Jordan and will be baptised, by the great seal i) of
Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia, the healer, whose strength none can attain.
And Life is victorious!

[Recite until thou reachest (the words) “Piriafil, loosen the limbs”
{etc.). And descend (J,nto the water) up to a fourth of thy thighs. If

thou art baptising a single soul, say “my body, and I go down
before this the soul of N.”
If there are several souls, recite as written {above), and at the
place* where it said “secure, seal and guard” say “secure, seal and
guard this soul of N. and estabhsh it” and then recite thy saying
over the staff.]

14
In the names of Yusmir the First Vine, from whom Yawar took
a staff of water and went to the bank of the Jordan, covered, as it
were, with radiance and clothed in hght. Over it he pronounced
secret sayings - these mystic names: “In the name of Yusmir-Yusa-
mir, and of Sam-Mana-Smira; in the name of Hauran-Hauraran by
which the first Yawar raised up ’uthras, flourishing Vines of hfe,
in the Jordan. By it {by its power) Hibil raiseth up living souls in
the Jordan, those worthy of the great Place of Light and of the «

Everlasting Abode. By it they will be established and raised up*in

the House of the Mighty Life. It wiU raise these souls who go down
to the Jordan and are baptised: they wiU behold the Great Place
of Light and the Everlasting Abode.

[This saying is for the staff. Recite it over the ohvewood staff
and stick it into the Jordan {-bed), then recite the baptism (aZ
prayers.)]

15
Boimd is the sea ^), bound are the two banks of the sea! Bound

= "seal”, "seal-ring" and "compulsion”.

“’siqta”
“) Yama
here refers to the tank of running water called the yardna, or,
alternatively, to a shallow part of a river. Salt water is forbidden.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS II

are the devils and demons, the demon-visitants ^), haunting spirits^),

and Satanic amulet-spirits. Boimd are the three hundred and sixty
mysteries that are in the House!®)
I am secured and sealed, I, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus, and
these souls who and will be sealed by
are descending to the Jordan
the seal of the Mighty and by the great MA *) and
Subhme Life,

the great YA and the great BAZ and by the great AZIZ and by the
great AS and by the great ASIN and by the sea {of?) AS. Bound
are (Magian) priests®), slaughterers®), priests who cut up victims,^)
scorners, those who make evil signs and the seven mysteries which
are in the sea. Every demon {exorcised) by name, every evil spirit
by his appelation, every amulet-spirit and all idol-demons who raise
their heads and show their countenances, lifting themselves in pride
against the Sublime Being and directing their evil Eye ®) towards
these souls who are going to the Jordan, shall be struck down and
smitten by Yaha-Yaha and by Zha-Zha and by angels which were
sent and come against them. Flee in fear before them! and before
the glory which is mighty upon them. Depart in fear and avaunt!
Seven walls of iron have been set around me, Adam-Yuhana son
ofMahnuS, vith which Haiasum, the first Kusta, surrounded him-
self.

And Life is victorious.

i6

I am a perfected gem ®) into the midst of the worlds and ages am

:

I cast dovm. I am an iron club, a great rocky crag. Any demon

that dasheth himself against me will be shattered and if I strike at
he wiU be dashed to pieces. Any demon which reareth its head,
hifti

any amulet-imp which setteth its countenance ^®) against these

*) Piqdia.
*) Lidzbarski translates Xetzgeister. The root is LHA, my translation is
tentative.
See p. I, n. 2,
Words in capital letters, magical names of some kind.
®) Kumria indicates priests who wear the “sacred thread”: Magians.
®) Zabia Lidzbarski suggests connection with the Assyrian zabbii.
’) TTS7 “to cut, strip”.
A free translation; the Evil Eye is implied.
®)

Gimra, apparently a precious or semi-precious stone. Its whiteness, and

*)

several references in the Ginza Rba (e.g. G.R. trs. p. 172 l.ii) suggest that
it is a pearl, i.e. the soul.

See p. 7, n. 2.
 12 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

souls in malice, overlooking them, will be thrashed and struck i)

by ’Usfar-Manharbiel-’Staqlus ^), the little child who dwelleth upon
pure springs of light, {yea) beaten vath the mace of water by which
Fire was beaten out and extinguished; (and) by the strength of
Man the Healer and by the strength of elect righteous (men).
And Life is victorious.

17

Avaunt! flee in fear all (ye) evil, restricting, wrathful spirits! Flee,
begone, be vanquished and brought to nought before the glory and
light of Manda-d-Hiia! Piriawis-Ziwa and Piriafil-Malaka have set
moving ®) the limbs of my body I descend [to the jordan) before
:

these stedfast, flourishing souls of the living ^). Silmai and Nidbai,
fly, approach, arrive! Bear ye witness to these souls who are going
down to the jordan to be baptised. Ye four ’uthras, sons of light,
Rhum-Hai, ’In-Hai, Sum-Hai and Zamar-Hai, be ye my witnesses
on the great day of departure {from the body). Great Jordan of Life,
I laud thee and adjure thee by ’Usar-Nhura (Treasure-of-Light),

the great solace and support of hfe, that thou givest no room to evil
beings {who are) against these souls who go down into thee. Healing
shall be theirs in the name of the Sublime (Strange) Life from worlds

{of light). May Life be established in Its indwellings, and Life is

victorious.

18

In the name of the Life!

Piriawis, the great jordan of the First Life, which is all healings^),
is afire like the glory flaming in the Tanna®). When Life was

Like Lidzbarski, I suggest that the verb should be Ethpeel.

’usfar in D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 (M.L. p. 24:2 ’sfar). As ’ns/ar occurs in D.C.
2
)

21 with the seeming meaning of a cutting instrument, I take it here to be

part of the name of a spirit.
®) See p. 9, n. 3.

*) d-hiia, not here “of the Life”, but as translated.

Lit. “healings”: plural to agree with hiia.

®) The proximity of ’qad to yaqxd twice over justifies the translation. It is

tempting, however, to think of the Syriac and Arabic oic “bind together”,
“materialise”, “determine.” The obscure language w'hich priests no longer
understand, suggests the spontaneous emergence of life from a fiery matrix.
• For Tanna, a word of doubtful meaning, see p. 9, n. i.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 13

aident^) and life burst forth in the great glory which

flameth
therein, Life arose and founded above the
its Tanna.
skinta
The radiance waxed ardent, the Tanna dissolved. They opened
the waters and Life was estabhshed by its own waters *). Yur
(brilliant light) established Yur: Life was increased in power by its
own radiance and by the great glory which flamed in It.
And in the waters Life established living {creatures) above the
the waters fruit appeared ®) and a skint a was founded.
Thee do I invoke, great Jordan of Life, by {in the name of) Trea-
sure-of-Light, the great support and solace of the Life, and by
pure Yusamin *) who dwelleth upon the treasures of the waters and
upon wellsprings of light; by Yusmii, the being who united with
water; by Adatan and Yadatan who sit at the Gate of Life and
seek spirits and souls in the Place of Light; by Silmai and Nidbai
who bear witness before the Great Life. Behold these souls who
quit destruction for construction, {go) from error to truth and (feave)
the abode of fear of the deity of the House {i.e. world) for the great
Place of Light and the everlasting Abode!
If he to whom I speak listeneth and he to whom I call is establish-

ed {in the faith) and is knit into the communion of Life and built
into the great fabric of Reality®), I will take his hand and be his
saviour and guide to the great Place of Light and to the Everlasting
Abode. If I speak to him and he hearkeneth not and call to him and
he is not uplifted, he will be put to the question (tortured) (But) .

I shall not be put to the question, because of the Truth Word of

{Kiista) and its uplifting by Yukabar. And Life is steadfast in its
. Dwellings, and Life is victorious.
\Then cry) “In the name of Life! Let every man whose strength
enableth him and who loveth his soul, come and go down to the
jordan and be baptised and receive the Pure Sign; put on robes of
radiant hght and set a fresh wreath on his head”. [Here baptise
the souls. And they shall descend behind thee and shall submerge
three times. And thy staff shall be (rest) on thy left arm. Dip
them with thy right hand, grasp them with thy left and place
them between thee and thy staff and dip them under thrice and

See n. 6 , p. 12.
*) I.e. Life produced and was innate in water-of-life.
Lit.“bore fruit”, "came forth”.
*) YuSamin, a spirit of fertility and increase.
“) Srara.
 14 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

and sign them thrice with thy right hand. And thy face shall be
toward the Gate of Prayer ^).
When thou hast signed them, say, “N, son of N. ^), thou hast
been signed with the Sign of Life and the name of the Life and
the name of Manda-d-Hiia were pronounced upon thee. Thou hast
been baptised with the baptism of the great Bihram, son of the
mighty (life). Thy baptism will protect thee and will be efficacious.
The name of the Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia are pronounced
upon thee!”
And give them three palmfuls of water to drink and say to them
"Drink! and be healed and be strengthened! The name of the Life
and the name of Manda-d-Hiia have been pronounced upon thee”.
Recite ’’Manda created me” over the myrtle-wreaths and place
them upon their heads. When placing thy hand on their heads
recite these secret names: “The name of the great mystic First
Wells*pring ®) be pronounced on thee the name of the great First
;

Palm tree ®) be pronounced on thee the name of the great Sislam

;

be pronounced on thee the name of the great ’Zlat be pronounced

;

on thee; the name of the great Yawar be pronounced on thee; the

name of Simat-Hiia be pronoimced on thee; the name of the
great Yukabar be pronounced on thee; the name of the Mana
and its Counterpart be pronounced on thee the name of the Great
;

Mystery and the secret sa5dngs be pronounced on thee the name ;

of the great first Shaq-Ziwa be pronounced upon thee the name of

;

Sam-Ziwa-Dakia, the Eldest, Beloved, great First (Being) be pro-

nounced on thee; the name of the Life and the name of Manda-d-
Hiia be pronounced on thee.”
Then reach them {perform with them the rite of) kusta ’). And fie
shall go up before thee {on to the bank). Then dip thy phial, fill it
with water and give it to whoever standeth on the bank. Then dip

1) I.e. he shall face north. The north is also called “the gate of Mercies”.

M.L. has “their faces” etc.

2) The mother's name, not the father’s.

The signing consists of drawing the wet forefinger of the right hand
across the forehead, horizontally, from right to left.
This should be “the myrtle- wreath upon his head” etc. as only one person
‘)

at a time stands in the baptismal pool with the baptist.

Ritual mss. explain the "Wellspring” as the female or “^Mother” aspect
of creative power.
*) The Sindirfia, “palmtrce” symbolises the male or “Father” aspect of

creative power.
• ’) See p. 2
,
n. i.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 15

thy bowl and recite the hymn "At the waterhead I went forth” and
“Blessed art thou. Outer Door”, and recite the dedicatory prayer
for the Jordan.
When thou recitest "Bound is the sea”, “I am a perfected gem”,
“Avaunt, flee in fear”, "Piriawis” and all as it is written, speak as
written if there are two, three or many souls; but if only one soul
say “the soul of N. who descended to the jordan and was baptised
and received the pure sign.” (And pay close attention to thy bap-
tism.)

19

Manda me up, radiance clothed me and

created me, ’uthras set
me Haza-zban set the WTeath on my head, mine,
light covered :

Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus, and on these souls who descend to

the jordan and are baptised. Its tendrils shine and its perfume is

sweet, for they {the tendrils) wither not nor do they come Apart,
and its leaves do not fall off.

And Life be praised!

[This is the set prayer for the baptism wreath. Recite it over the
myrtle-vTeath and place it on the heads of the souls that thou
baptisest ^)].

20

Blessed art thou. Outer Door, and blessed art thou. Everlasting
Abode! Blessed are ye, great beings of radiance and mighty and
powerful beings of lauded and honoured be the
light. Blessed,
. 'uthras which dwell on the jordan! Jordan! be gentle towards these
so*lds which have descended into thee! Let heahng be theirs by vir-

tue of the Word of Truth and its uphfting by Yukabar-Ziwa.

[This is the dedicatory prayer of the jordan.When thou hast
extolled the jordan, thou baptisest several souls recite as it is
if

written; if only one soul, say “The soul of N. who hath descended
into thee” and rise to the bank and recite “/ rose up from the
Jordan” ^).]

*) In D.C. 53 written haza zban, not as a single word. See p. 29 n. 2. ML

Again, the singular would be better. Before the person baptised leaves
the water, the baptist pushes a myrtle-wreath beneath the turban of the
candidate.
’) Lit. “radiances” and “hghts”. They are personified here.

Not in D.C. 53.

 !

16 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

21
In the name of the Life
I rose up from the Jordan
And I met a group of souls,
A group 1) of souls I met.
Who surrounded our father Sitil
Sa5dng to him “By thy life, our father Sitil,

Go with us to the Jordan.”!

“If I go with you to the Jordan
Who will be your witness ?”
"Lo, Sun hath risen above us;
He r\ill be our witness!”
“It is not he whom I seek.
Not he whom my soul desireth.
The sun of which ye spake,
Riseth early, setteth at dusk.
The sun of which ye spake, the sun
Is vanity and cometh to an end.
Sun cometh to an end and becometh vanity
And his worshippers come to an end and are vanity.”

I rose up from the Jordan

And a group of souls I met,
A group I met of souls
Who surrounded our father Sitil,

Saying to him, “By thy life, our father Sitil,

Go with us to the Jordan!”

“If I go with you to the Jordan, ,

WTio wiU be your mtness ?”

“Lo, Moon who shineth above us.
He will be our witness!”

“It is not he whom I seek.

Not he whom my soul desireth.
The moon, of whom ye spake,
Riseth at dusk and setteth at davui.
The moon of which ye spake,

*) Noldeke translates kana Gesamtheit. “Congregation”, “assembly ex-

presses the meaning: kana d-zidqa means “a collection (or “a group”) of
oblations. (Zidqa has no plural.)
• *) Seth.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 17

The moon is vanity and cometh to an end

And his worshippers come to an end and are vanity.”

I rose up from the jordan

And a group of souls I met,
A group I met of souls
Who surrounded our father Sitil,
Saying to him, "By thy life, our father Sitil,

Go with us to the jordan!”

“If I go with you to the jordan
Who will be your witness ?”

“Lo, there burns a fire.

It will bear witness for us.”

"That is not what I seek.
Not that which my soul desireth.
The fire of which ye spake
Once a day needs a firebrand ^).
The fire of which ye spake -
Fire, is vanity and cometh to naught
And its worshippers come to naught and are vanity.”

I rose up from the jordan

And a group of souls I met,
I met a group of souls
WTio surrounded our father Sitil,
Sa3dng to him, “By thy hfe, our father Sitil,
• Go vdth us to the jordan!”

“If I go with you to the jordan,

Wdio will be your witness ?”

“The jordan and its two banks

Will bear %vitness for us
Pihta, kiista and mambtiha
Win bear witness for us

*) Auda.
*) The sacramental bread, the kiista rite and the sacramental drink.
l8 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Habsaba, (Sunday) and Kana-d-Zidqa i)

Will bear witness for us

The sanctuary in which we worship
WiU bear witness for us;
The alms that is in our laps
Will bear witness for us;
And our father who is our head
Will bear witness for us.”

“This is that which I seek.

This is that which my soul desireth!

When I rise to the House of Life
And travel to the Everlasting Abode,
When Life questioneth me, (these) witnesses
Will come and will bear witness.
• Witnesses of the truth are they.
Sure is all that they say!”
And Life is victorious!

[Recite this prayer after “Thou art blessed. Outer Door.”]

22
We have acknowledged the name of Life: {believe in) the great
celestial Womb^), in that which is endless and countless, in Yaluz-
Yaluz, in Sbabut, the mighty WiU®) of Life; in Piriawis, fount of
living waters; in “He-provided-a-DweUing” «) giving His Likeness
its dwelling in the House of Life; in the Life Whose Eyes were fixed
upon the waters . He arose, gazed and beheld the Nest ’) from
which He derived His being. «

{We believe in) Yufin-Yufafin, in Nbat, the

Upsurge and first
outflow of Life at its inception ®), in its second {outflow), Sam-Smir;
in its third, Bihram son of the Mighty {Life), Yukabar, the Word

1) The oblations collected for the Blessed Oblation.

Maskna, skinta and bimanda are names given to the Mandaean cult-hut.
The priest.
Martha = “womb” and “mixing-bowl”. The Cosmic Womb.
Sbuta = “affair”, “business”, “matter”; or, as here, “will” '
T :

“desire”.
‘) Skinasar (shina sar\ | Jbujxfc)
’’) Qina = (b) "nest”, “brood”, “family-home”.
*) Kiniana (a) = “name”, (b) nature, (c) place of origin”, “base”, “support”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 19

of Life who came from the House of Life to righteous and beheving
men.
Any person sprinkled by this have pronounced
oil on which I
the name of the Mighty Subhme whom I have pro-
Life and upon
nounced these mystic names, will have health (heahng) abundant in
his body; health abundant and not poor.
And Life is victorious.

23
In the name of the Great Life!
Precious oil art thou, son of white sesame, son of the Euphrates
bank, son of the river ^)-pleasaunce, son of water-pools, son of
treasures of hght. Upon thee. Oh, Life laid His hand and sent thee
to this world which is all birth, to heal, uphft, raise up and ame-
horate all pains, diseases, complaints, tumours (and) the seven
mysteries that inhabit the body. I praise thee. Oh, and adjure ihee,
Oh, by the Life, by Manda-d-Hua and by the ’uthras, sons of salva-
tion (and) by this strange ^) being, who is honoured, wondrous and
perfect, who summoned chosen and said
elect beings, sons of hght,
to them: “Give me
precious oh, son of white sesame, son of the
Euphrates-bank, son of the river-meadow, ^) son of water-pools, son
of treasures of light.
Anoint, and I whl bring you oh: anoint with radiance, Hght and

glory, the Oh wherewith I anointed and (which) I bestowed, not

in the name
of a god, not in the name of spirit, not in the name of a
messiah nor in the name of a temple-Ishtar. Nay, the oh with which
,
I anointed, (the oh) which I bestowed is at my name, my Sign
and
ig^en) as the name and sign of a living, glorious, flourishing and
steadfast race. Any man anointed by this oil whl hve, be whole and
be strengthened his mouth ®) wiU assume the nature of Anus, within
:

him he whl take on the nature of Anus. From him the seven
*)

dolours of death and the eight afflictions ®) of darkness shall

1
)
Yardna— not only the ‘‘Jordan” (baptismal tank) see p. 9, n. 3, but all
running water, '^udna = ‘‘a watered garden”, "Eden”, "a watermeadow”. (P.
UAc).
“Strange” i.e. “other-worldly”, “sublime”.
I.e. his speech.
Lit. “in his within”, “in his inside”.
Mhaklauata. Lidzbarski (see M.L. p. 37 n. 2) leaves the word untrans-
9 ^
lated. In S}n-iac = “sour or unripe grapes”, “galls” hence fig. “bitter-
nesses”, “afflictions”.

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 3

20 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

violently depart and be expelled. Demons, devils, shedim, demon

and Uliths will be removed and driven out of
visitants, amulet-spirits
him in the presence of that which increased the strength, radiance
and light of Knowledge of Life”.
And Life be praised!

24

In the name of the Life!

Thou wast established. First Life; thou wast in existence before
all things. Before Thee no being existed.
For He hath fulfilled Himself and hath issued in His strength
and His steadfastness and in the radiance and strength which His
Father hath bestowed upon Him. For we have not changed that
which thou hast commanded us. Thou enlargest our steps and
Hftejt our eyes heavenwards. Thou descendest and givest us dwell-
ings by springs of Life. Thou pourest into us and fiUest us with thy
wisdom, thy doctrine and thy goodness. Thou showest us the way
by which thou earnest from the House of Life and we will walk
therein with the gait of righteous and believing men, so causing our
spirits and souls to dwell in the dw'ellings of Life, the place where
the spirits of our fathers abide, clothed in radiance and covered
with light, rejoicing, laughing, dancing, exulting about the glorious
splendour resting (upon them [ ?]

This is the Oil wherewith he anointed, the radiance, light and

glory which Manda-d-Hiia blessed with his pure mouth and best-
owed on all w'ho love his name of Truth. From all those who are
‘
anointed with this oil every pain, disease, complaint, tumour, ci^rse
and physical evil will be removed. They wiU be freed from fetter
and bond, from evil curses, from evil slander, from l3ing accusation,
from the hand of the wicked, from the sw^ord of enemies and from
the third tongue w'hich is softer than fat and sharper than a sword.
{They will he delivered) from incubi and hobgoblins, from wicked
outcry, black magic; from a spoilt wreath, from the male and
female bintq and from the second death thej^ will be driven off :

and cast out by thy surpassing Name w'hich is aU life. It falleth on

the dead man and he liveth; on the sick man and he stretcheth

Lidzbarski suggests that "he” here is Manda-d-Hiia.

The passage is faulty.
Biruq; a kind of demon ?
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 21

[himself)-, on the blind man and [his eyes) are opened; on the deaf
man and wisdom and perception are infused into him. The accused
is successful in and the prisoner is freed from prison.
his lawsuit
The hand of Truth and healing will come from the House of Heal-
ings in the name of the Life which emanated from Life and in the
name of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia. Every man anointed with this oil
will be sinless and blameless in the Place of Life.
And Life is victorious.

[Read these three prayers "We acknowledged the name of Life”

"Precious oil art thou”, "Thou wast established. First Life”, upon
the oil and sign the souls thou hast baptised, when they rise up out
of the jordan. Say "N. son of N., thou hast been signed with the
sign of Life and the name of Life, and the name of Manda-d-Hiia
hath been pronounced on thee. Thou hast been baptised with the
baptism of Bihram the Great, son of the Mighty (Life). Thy bapt-
ism shall protect thee and attain its end ^). The name of Life and
the name of Manda-d-Hiia are pronounced on thee.” Sign thrice and
grasp their right hands in the kttSfa (rite). Then recite 2) and pass
(thy finger) over thine (own) face thine own sealing. And then
-

they shall stand up before thee. Recite over the pihta and mambuha
and give them pihta that they may eat and mambuha that they may
drink and take their right hands in kiista. Then make them sit
before thee and read the sealing (prayer) and lay thy hand on their
heads.]

25
*
, In the name of the Life!
When
a jordan of living water [Water of Life) was bestowed on
Sam-Smir, the great Radiance of Life, nine hundred and ninety-two
thousand myriad 'uthras, sons of light, opened their mouths,
praising Manda-d-Hiia. "Praised be Manda-d-Hiia; praised be Ya-
war-Ziwa; praised be Bihram and Ram; praised be Tarsvan-Nhura;
praised be Xbat the first great Radiance; praised be Nsab and
Anan-Nsab; praised be Sar and SaiAvan; praised be that great and
mighty Mana', praised be that great Presence of Glory; praised be
that whole abode of those at rest praised be all the ways and paths
;

of the Almighty (Life) praised be all the mighty celestial worlds

;

of Light ;
praised be all those occult dwellings [skinata) praised be
;

*)Or "be successful” "efficacious”,

q Delete {qria) "recite".
22 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

that Voice, Strength, Word and Command which come from the
House Abathur; praised be Abathur-Rama praised be the my-
of ;

riad ’uthras who stand in the presence of Abathur; pr 2dsed be Sil-

mai and Nidbai the guardian ’uthras of the jordan; praised be our
father Hibil, Sitil and Anus the head of the whole race.
Turn back, thrust back from me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus
and from these souls who have descended to the jordan and been
baptised, terror, fright, fear of devils and demons, shedim, demon
visitants, ghosts, amulet-spirits, lihths, gods, angels, demons of
high places and shrines and idol-spirits :
{all those) that the seven
planets and the lords of the House loose against souls in this world.
Manda-d-Hiia! Lift up thine eyes, {behold) thy devotees, thine
offspring and thy priest! Behold us who stand in this place which is
aU evil things! At the great Door which is all principalities^) do
we,stand, amongst the wicked, and dwell amongst sinners. Deliver
us from this world which is all sinners and from the sorceries of the
children of Adam and Eve. Forgive us that which we have done,
and that which we do forgive us. Forgive us, Looser of sins, (our)
trespasses, our follies, our stumbhngs and our mistakes. If thou
dost not loose us from our sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings, and
mistakes, no man is clean in thy sight ®) Manda-d-Hiia!
Accept, (0) Life, Thy ®) prayer from the Occult and assure {to
us) bliss in Thy light in the name of Sarhabiel the great First
Radiance, May the words of Sarhabiel the Great First Radiance,
be established for all who love his name of Truth. And for me, Adam-
Yuhana son of Mahnus may darkness be overcome and light set on
high. «

And Life be praised.

26

In the name of the Life!

Bound and sealed are these souls who went down to the
{together) *)
jordan and were baptised in the name of the Great Life. They have
been baptised with the baptism of Bihram the Great. Their souls

All kingdoms of earth ?

“) Lit. "in thy presence”, "before thee”.
Prayer addressed to the Life.
*) "Bound” i.e. together: or "secured.”
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 23

have been secured with bonds of righteousness and with the bonds
of Zhir, the great hght of Life.
And Life be praised!

27
In the name of the Life!
We were set up and raised up by 'Usar-Hiia through ’Usar-Hai
:

and Pta-Hai unions) with the House of Life came to us Manda-d- :

Hiia went to us with radiance that is great and light that is powerful,
with our mana, our sign, our way, our jordan and our baptism;
with Hauran our vestment with Hauraran our covering and with
;

Hazazban our wreath.

I call on the mighty, subhme, all-surpassing Life, supreme over
all works and I say to It, "Behold, behold. Great Life, us who at

Thy name. Life, descended into the Jordan and for Thy name’s sake,
Life, we took our name and our sign from the great Jordan of Life
and from the great source of heahng, at the word of Truth and
(the power) to uplift of Yukabar-Ziwa.
And Life is victorious.

28
Bound and sealed are these souls who descended to the
{together)

jordan and were baptised. By Hauran-Hauraran, the out-thrust

of the Great Life; by Its names, by Yufin-Yufafin and Sam-Mana-
Smira; by Yusmir, vehicle of the First radiance; and by the being
Yukabar, the {well-) equipped ’uthra; seal and guard these souls
who descended to the jordan and were baptised, against the deities
•of the House, lest they gain dominion over them. {Protect them)

from their devils and demons so that they shall not go near them
nor harm them nor ruin them. Let all pains, diseases, afflictions and
tumours be removed from them. Let all evil sicknesses and mahg-
nant curses of the body be removed and driven off, so that those
who sit before Thee Uke men attainted shall stand up like clean
men. And healing shall be theirs, those souls who went down to the
jordan and were baptised.
And Life is victorious.

*) Pael of LUF "to unite" (many into one); hence "communion” might
be the better word.
The Mandaean love of play on words suggests here a connection with
the Pael of the verb HUR
("to cleanse”, “to whiten”) hence hauran "our
whitening”.
’) Or, "guilty”.
24 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

[Recite these four "sealing” prayers, "When .was bestowed”, "Sec-

.

ured and sealed” ". .By ’Usar-Hiia” and the longer "Secured and
sealed” with a loud voice to the souls whom
thou hast baptised
after thou hast given them pihta and manibuha. If (several) souls,
recite as written; if a single soul, say "for this, the soul of N.”
Then make them stand and recite "Ye are set up and raised up”.]

29
In the name of the Life!
Ye are set up and raised up into the Place of the Good.
Established amongst nianas of light are these souls which went
down and were baptised (and those) of our fathers
to the Jordan
and teachers and of our brothers and sisters who have departed
the body and those who are still in the body. There, in the light
shall ye be raised up.
And Life is victorious.

[Here recite "What did thy Father do for thee. Soul.”]

30
In the name of the Life!
"Ydiat did thy Fathei do for thee. Soul,
The great day on which thou wast raised up?”
“He took me down to the Jordan, planted me,
And took (me) up and stood me upon its bank.
He broke ^) and gave me bread {pihta),
Blessed^) the cup and gave me thereof to drink.

He placed me between his knees

And pronounced over me the name of the Mighty (Life) t

He passed into the mountain before me

He cried loudly that I might hear.
That I might hear he cried loudly,
Tf there is strength in thee. Soul, cornel’
‘If I chmb the mountain I shall fall;

I shall overturn and perish from the world!’

I hfted mine eyes to heaven

And my soul waited upon the House of Life.

I chmbed the mountain and fell not,

I came (thither) and found the life of my Self.

1) Lit. "with all thy voice”.

“) Lit. "opened” i.e. "broke open.”.
®) Lit. "praised”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 25

“What did thy Father do for thee. Soul,

The great day on which thou wast raised up ?”
"He took me down to the jordan, planted me.
And took me up and stood me upon its bank.
He broke and gave me bread.
Blessed the cup and gave me thereof to drink.
He placed me between his knees
And pronounced over me the name of the Mighty Life).

He passed into the fire before me;

And cried aloud that I might hear.
That I might hear he cried aloud,
‘If there is strength in thee. Soul, come!’
‘If I go into fire I shall burn,
I shall and perish from the world!’
scorch
To heaven I lifted mine eyes ,

And my soul waited upon the House of Life.

I went into fire and burned not,
I came, and found the life of my Self.

“What did thy Father do for thee. Soul,

The great day on which thou wast raised up ?’’
"He took me down to the jordan, planted me.
Took me up and stood me upon its bank.
He broke and gave me bread.
Blessed the cup and gave me thereof to drink.
He placed me between his knees
•
^
And pronounced over me the name of the Mighty (Life).

He entered the sea before me;

He cried aloud that I might hear.
That I might hear he cried aloud.
‘If there is strength in thee. Soul, come!'
‘If I go into the sea I shall sink,

I shall be overturned and perish from the world!’

To heaven mine eyes
I lifted

And my soul waited upon the House of Life.

I went into the sea and was not drowned,
I came, the hfe of my Self I found.

Ethpa. KMR has a double meaning in Mandate; “to turn over”, “turn
round” (or “back”) and “to burn, scorch”.
26 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Yea, Life! lo. Life! Life hath triumphed over this world
And Life is victorious.

[This is a baptism hymn. Set up {recite?) the hymns, and where

it says “souls” recite as written, but if it is a single soul say “amongst
manas of light, the soul of N. son of N. who went down to the jordan
and was baptised and received the Pure Sign” and chant “What
did thy Father do for thee. Soul” and recite the antiphonal hymn
“How lovely are plants which the Jordan {planted)” and “Rightly
didmy baptiser baptise me”, “Silmai baptisedme with his baptism”,
“The Jordan in which we were baptised”, “I rejoice in my priests”
and chant other hymns: “Truly do I say to you”, “To you I cry,
men who have received the Sign, and explain”, and “A disciple,
a new one, am I who have gone to the jordan-bank”
Then recite the “Blessed and praised” of Sum (Shem) son of Noah
and*at the place where it sa}^ “a wreath from the Vine Ruaz” {say)
“wiU be set on the heads of these souls who have descended to the
jordan, been baptised and received the pure sign and who were
called, established and sealed by this baptism, and {on the heads of)
our fathers, teachers, and brothers and sisters who have departed
the body and those who are yet in the body”. Should it be a single
soul whom thou hast baptised, say “the soul of N. who went down
to the jordan and was baptised” and finish.
And recite “Good is the good for the good” and end. And offer
up the Petition and say the Rahmia^) for the souls thou baptisest.
Say “these souls who went down to the jordan and were baptised and
received the pure sign.” If it was a single soul, say “the soul of N.^
son of N. who went down to the jordan and received the pure sign.”
And beware: from the beginning to this point recite aU thy
baptism(flZ prayers) with care, attention and knowledge. And
again perform kuUa with them and say to them ‘‘Kusta make
you whole my brother-’uthras! The communion of the living hath
been performed ®) in the manner in which ’uthras perform it in
their skintaa *). Fragrant is your perfume, my brother-’uthras, (for)
within ye are full of radiance.”

The devotional prayers to be said daily at certain hours.

See p. 2, n. I.
*)

®) Lidzbarski takes laf for an imperative. The act of communion has,

however, taken place when this is said.

Every act of devotion on earth is paralleled in the world of Mght, and
the earthly cult-hut has its heavenly prototype.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 27

And they shall say “Seek and find, speak and be heard!” and
kiss their hands ^). If the souls be female or if the soul thou baptisest
is one (woman), perform the kusta with them and say to them

“Kusta heal thee and raise thee up. Thy kusta shall be thy witness
and thine alms thy saviour. When they say “Seek and find, speak
and be heard” and kiss their hands, then say to them “Your kusta
shall be your witness and your alms shall be your saviour. Your
prayer and praise wiU rise and obtain mercy for you. In the name
of the Great Life we have acted {according to) the goodness of the
;

Great (Life). And we have arranged {all things?) according to Thy

loving-kindness from beginning to end. We have called upon the
great Jordan of Waterand upon the three hundred and
of Life
sixty j or dans in which Hibil-Ziwa was baptised^)”. And he (H-Z.)
said “Warn them, dehver them, save them and protect those souls
which went down to the Jordan, were baptised and receivecj the
pure sign from adultery, theft, black magic, from going to temples
and worship in temples and from eating temple-food. And eat not
of that which was killed by hon or wolf, or of anything disgorged
or {found) dead. But immerse yourselves and purify yourselves.
Manda-d-Hiia will be your helper, and your baptism will be effica-
cious.” Then pray a prayer and Rahrnia ®) for thyself, and say “In
the name of the Life! I worship the First Life and praise my lord
Manda-d-Hiia and that great Presence of Splendour which emanated
from Itself”. Then recite “The First Life be praised! Truth make you
whole! Ye are established and raised up” and transfer thy staff to
thy right arm and end (the prayer). Then return it to thy left arm
• an^d recite the “Blessed and praised be Life” of Sum son of Noah.
And sit ^) and recite “Good is good for the good” and bend thy
knee, sit, and pour out ®) at “forgiving of sins” {be there for) “our
forefathers” {etc.) “and the souls of Mandaeans, priests, ganzivri,
treasurers, chief men ®) and ethnarchs” in the “forgiving of sins”.
Then rise to thy feet, take the fihta and mamhuha and recite the
eight fihta prayers for the fihta and the two mamhuha prayers for

1) I.e. their own hands.

The 360 baptisms of purification on his return from the worlds of dark-
ness.
Thedaily office (see p. 26, note i.)
*) In practice this prayer is never recited sitting. Whilst reciting it, the
priests crouch near the ground.
I.e. water from the qanina (phial) into the drinking-bowl.

®) D.C. 3 inserts some words here. M.L. is hke D.C. 53.

 .

28 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

the mambuha. Dip the pihta in the mamhiiha and recite “The Life
spoke and Life opened” for thy pandama and unfasten it. Eat thy
pihta and drink thy mambuha and drink the rinsing-water i) and
take a second rinsing and recite “Life is fulfilled” and “The {Great)
Life dwelleth on those who love Him” and cast in thine incense
at {the words) “Radiance goeth up to its place” and at the place
where it says “will forgive those that love his name of Truth” he
shall say “those souls who went down to the jordan, were baptised
and received the pure sign, and Life is victorious”. Then throw
(water) beneath thy staff, recite “Good is the good for the good”
and make the Petition and repeat the Rahmia for thyself. Perform
the ku^a with the sganda ^) and when he goes down, recite “In
radiance that is great am I immersed”, shp aside thy pandama and
honour thy crown ®).]
.
31
Radiance goeth up to its place and Light to the Everlasting
Abode. On the day that Light ariseth, Darkness returns to its place.
The Forgiver of sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes
uiU remit them for those who love his name of Truth, and for those
souls who went down to the jordan, were baptised and received the
pure sign. Consuming fire will consume thee *) and thy ministration
will be {noted?) in the habitations. The fragrance of life riseth to
the House of Life, and we {too) will rise up to the House of Life:
we shall be with the victorious ®). It is our support, and our con-
fidence is in life in the Place of Light and in the Everlasting Abode.
Life is estabhshed and set up in its indwellings, and Life is victorious
over all works. ,,

[This is the “loosing” (consecration) of incense for baptism.]

[In the name of the Great Life! May my thought, knowledge and
understanding be enlightened, mine,Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus,
by means admonitions and hymns of baptism,
of these (prayers) ®),

which were transcribed from the scroll The Great Wellspring. This

^) The halalta. Water is brought in by the server for the rinsing.

2 See p.
) 5, n. 4.
“Honouring” the crown is a ceremony that takes place before a priest
puts it on, and when he takes it off. He kisses it and presses it to each eye

alternately saying (right eye) “Kusta asiak iagai", and (left eye) Kusta asiak
rhai” The formula should be repeated 61 times.
‘) The priest is addressing the incense.

Or “with the pure",

'’)

*) D.C. 3 has ’niania before zharia.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 29

is the baptism wherewith Adam the first man was baptised by

Hibd-Ziwa when he breathed the pure mana into him and he got
up, sneezed and lived.
And Adam questioned, and spoke, “Through the power of Hibil-

Ziwa have I attained my end!”i)

Then Hibil-Ziwa put on the seven vestments, and went
arose,
to the jordan-bank. When Adam had placed the qauqa (and) fire
before Hibil-Ziwa, Hibil-Ziwa twined a wreath for his staff and
twined a wreath for Adam, then rose and went to the Jordan and
recited the prayer “Answer me, my father, answer me, for I have
gone to the Jordan in the strength of my father Yawar, and in the
strength of Manda-d-Hiia a wreath hath been set upon the ’uthras.’’
Then he arose and recited “In the name of that First Being” for
his crown and set it on his head, then recited “Life created Yawar-
Ziwa”, “Let there be light” and Manda created me” for the myrtle-
wreath and set it beside the crown.
And he held the end of his stole and recited “Strengthened and
enhanced is the great mystery of radiance, light and glory” over
his fandama, folded his -pandama over his mouth and recited “In-
cense that is fragrant, yea, for the First Life” and cast incense on
the fire. Andhe recited “We have acknowledged,” “Praises”, “Thee,
Thyself”, “I sought to lift mine eyes”, “The day that the Jordan
was bestowed on Sam-Smir”, “I have worshipped and praised that
Yawar-Ziwa” and “I am Yur son of Barit; in great radiance”. And
he held his stole and recited “I went to the Jordan, but not I alone”
up to the place where it says “give free movement to the limbs of
• m^ body; I go do\ra,” and he went down into the Jordan up to a
fourth of his thighs. And he recited “In the name of Yusmir, the
First Vine” over his staff, and at the place where it saith “covered
with radiance and clothed in light” he cast the myrtle-weath over
the staff and “clothed” it with his stole *).

And he recited “Bound is the sea” and traced three circles

*) Pthahil, who created Adam's body, was unable to give it life.

The qauqa (a small terracotta cube) is placed on the birihia. (See MMII,
p. 106). See p. 6, n. 3.
In D.C.53 the narrative becomes directions to the priest in the imperative.
I continue to use the narrative form.
The myrtle-wreath is sUpped over the staff in the water and the knotted
stole looped over the staff, which is pushed upright into the river-bed, in
such a way that it cannot fall or float away.
Lit. “tracings’’, “drawings’’. The priest traces the circles about himself
as he stands in the water, with the end of the staff.
30 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

thrice over in the jordan. And herecited “I am a perfected gem”,

and “Avaunt, and splashed the water in the jordan at
flee in fear”

his right, his left and in front of him and recited “Piriawis” as
written. Then he chanted a hymn and said to him “Any man who
hath strength thereto and who loveth his soul, let him come and go
down to the jordan, be baptised, receive the pure sign, put on robes
of radiant hght and set a fresh wreath on his head.”
And Adam descended into the jordan and submerged himself
thrice behind him {Hibil-Ziwa), who took him by the right hand
transferred him to his left, placed him between himself and his
staff, dipped him thrice and signed him thrice in the jordan.

And he gave him three palmfuls of water to drink and recited

“Manda created me” over the m3nrtle-wreath and set it upon his
[Adam’s) head and pronounced the secret names over him.
[Then) he took his hand in kusta over the staff and made him go
up before him.
[Then) he took water from the jordan into his phial and recited
the hymn “At the waterhead I went forth” and “Blessed art thou.
Outer Door”, and recited “I rose up from the jordan, and a group
[of souls) I met”. And he came up out of the jordan and completed

it {the hymn). And he took up the oil and recited “We have acknow-

ledged the name of Life”, “Precious oil art thou” and “Thou wast
established, First Life” over the oil. Then he signed him thrice
and made passes over him thrice, and at each signing he laid his
hand on his {Adam’s) head and repeated those names which he had
pronounced over him in the jordan.
And he performed kti^a with him. (Then) he took the pihta and •

recited the eight prayers for the pihta over the pihta and the two
prayers for the mambuha over the mambuha. And he gave him the
pihta so that he should eat and gave him the mambuha that he might
drink, and he drank the rinsing {water) ^).
And he grasped his hand in kiiUa and seated him before him and
recited the “sealing” prayers, “When a jordan of living water was
bestowed upon Sam-Smir, the great Radiance of Life”, “Bound and
sealed”, “By ’Usar-Hiia” and the greater {longer) “Bound and seal-
ed” and laid his hand upon him and stood and recited “Ye are set
up and raised up”, “What did thy Father do for thee. Soul ?”, “How
lovely are the plants which the jordan planted and raised up”.

*) M.L. omits "and he drank the rinsing”. It should be omitted.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 31

“Rightly did my baptise! baptise me”, “Silmai baptised me with his

baptism and Nidbai”, “The jordanin which we were baptised will
bear us witness”, and “I rejoice in my priests and Nasoraeans who
hearken to my converse”.
And he chanted the hymns “Truly do I say to you”, “To you I
cry and explain” and “A new disciple am Iwho hath come to the
jordan bank”.
And he read all the hymns and honuhes unto their end and recited
“Blessed and piaised be Life” of Sum son of Noah and ’’Good is
the good for the good”. And he recited “In radiance that is great
am I immersed” and loosed his kanzala (stole) and “honoured” his
crown ^).
And Life is victorious.]

[Then Hibil-Ziwa gave judgement and said “The Life hath ana-
thematised and Manda-d-Hiia hath cried out against and the Great
First Word hath pronounced against any man, priest, who performed
a baptism without his fandama. He shall be accursed by the Name
(Vein) 2) of the Great Wellspring: Silmai and Nidbai the guardian
'uthras of the jordan will cruse him and the WeUspring and Palmtree
will curse him. Yukabar will take away his crown and his seal and
hurl him back to his natural home, the Place of Darkness. Moreover,
before any Nasoraean who retains his fandama whilst performing
a baptism, a vein of the Great Wellspring will heap up and aU that
he doeth will be confirmed. All mischances will avoid him and
darkness will roU away from him. His vestments ®) will be kept in
oiu safekeeping. W
hi lst he is alive in his body the Seven will be
pcAverless to loose fear against him and lofty strength will be sent
to him.
When he departeth the body the clouds which precede ’uthras
will come towards him and dread of purgatory-demons *) will be
powerless over him {for) he will not pass through the Purgatories*).
And Abatur will clothe him in his glory and all the ’uthras will
shed their light upon him.
And Life is victorious.

*) See p. 28 n. 3.
*) D.C. 3 and M.L. both have Siriana for kiniana.
D.C.3 has “his head”.
*) Mandaean hterature, especially the Diwan Abatur, justifies this trans- .

lation. The planetary watchhouses are places of purgation.

32 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

This is the hmit (end) of the baptism which came to this world,
the (baptism) wherewith Hibil-Ziwa baptised Adam the first man
and it was preserved in the ages for the elect righteous, for it was
written down in the scroll of the Great Wellspring belonging to
Ramuia son of 'Qaimat. And Bayan-HibU son of Brik-Yawar wrote
it here and distributed itamongst a hundred Nasoraeans, (copying)
it from his own scroll which he copied from the scroll of Ramuia
son of ’Qaimat. ^)

It was written in the town of Tib and was placed with Haiuna
daughter of Yahia, and Bainai son of Zakia.
Those who hold to it, (let them) expound it. (But) he who doth

not establish it, let him keep away from it and not approach it.
And Life is victorious.]

Then said Yahia- Adam son of Sam-Saiwia, "When the scroll of

Ranfuia son of ’Qaimat found in the possession of Haiuna daughter
of Yahia and Bainai son of Zakia came into my possesion I put
it together and arranged it as it was written originally, and removed
nothing from it.

And Life is victorious.]

THE MASIQTA*)
32
In the name of the Great Life may there be healing for me, Adam-
Yuhana son of Mahnus!
Strengthened, enhanced was the great mystery of radiance, light
and glory dwelling on the mouth of the First Life, for from It came
forth Manda-d-Hiia (Knowledge-of-Life). For he knew and inter-

Lidzbarski translates Verordnung and gives the reason in footnote i,

M.L. p. 60.
2
According to Yaqut Tib was in his time inhabited by Nabataeans who
)

spoke Nabataean (i.e. Mandaic ?). According to the Hai an Gawaita it was the
first settlement of the Nasoraeans when they migrated from Harran under
the protection of the Parthian kings. In the same manuscript, as in many
other colophons, Ramuia son of 'Qaimat is mentioned as a liturgist who coll-
ected scattered texts, edited them and distributed them in early Moslem
times.
Lit. “fell towards me” i.e. "fell into my hands”.
*) “The raising up” (i.e. spiritual resurrection or ceremony to aid the
aiscent of the soul).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 33

preted the thoughts of the First Life and perceived that they are
wondrous.
And Life be praised!

[Recite this prayer and hold thy stole for the niasiqta.]

33
In the name of the Life!
Water of Life Thou art come from the Place which
art thou!
is life-giving and poured forth from the House of Life.
art
(At thy) coming, Water-of-Life, from the House of Life, the good
come and refresh themselves, (but) the wicked are discomfited and
the children of (this) world abashed and say "Is there {noiP} room
for us in the Place of Light ? For those that seek (ask) of it find, and
those who speak of it are heard”.
We have sought and found and we have spoken and been heard
in thy presence, Manda-d-Hiia, lord of healings. As water when
poured out faUeth on the earth, so (too) so doth evil faU abased
before good. As the water faUeth on the earth, so shall their sins,
trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes be loosed from those who
love the name of Truth (kusta) and from the souls of this masiqta,
and from (the souls of) our fathers, teachers, brothers and sisters
who have departed the body, and those who (stiU) hve in the body
And say "Established is Life {or "the living”) in Its {their) dwell-
ing”.
And Life is victorious.

[This is the mambuha prayer]

•

34
Hail ®) to the First Life before Whom none existed, the Subhme
from worlds of hght, the Ineffable which is above all works to the ;

Ancient Radiance and the Great Primal Light, the Life which eman-
ated from Life and the Truth that was of old, from the beginning.
Hail the ancient, lofty, esoteric and guarded father of ’uthras. Hail
Yuzataq, Gnosis of Life, Source of Life; He who unveileth the

Or “noble” or “distinguished”.
iV/ia hiia could almost always be so translated in ritual mss. Lit.
“living waters”. In the material sense “living water” is flowing water.
Hal here is best translated “hail”. It is a salutation, a greeting. In
Prayer 5 I translated it “yea for” (Lidzbarski M.L. ja fiir) because the incense
is a tribute to the spirits named.
34 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

silence ^), giveth hope and keepeth the prayers of the spirits and
and believing men into the Place of Light. Hail to
souls of righteous
the hfe of sincere and believingmen who have come to their end
and departed the body, and hail to those who are still alive in
the body. May the gate of sin be barred to them and the gate of
light be open for them. May they be knit together in the commun-
ion of Life in which there no separation. is

Pray ye from there and we will pray from here for you.
for us
All fruits wither all sweet odours pass away, but not the fragrance
:

of Gnosis of Life, which cometh not to an end nor passeth away for
an age of ages and for world without end. May the souls of this
masiqta rise up without sin, trespass, folly, stumbling and mistake
unto the Place of Light and to the Enduring Abode.
And Life be praised!

[Read this ordinance for the incense and cast it on the fire. Then
recite the prayers for the masiqta.']

35
In the name of the Life!
sought to hft my eyes, shoulders and arms towards the Place
I

which is all hfe, radiance and glory, the place where which is all
hfe, radiance, light a place where they who seek of
and glory;
it find, those who speak of it are heard and to those who ask of it,

it is given them, day by day and hour by hour. This hour I address

to thee, my Lord, Manda-d-Hiia, a vital petition, large and not

small, for this congregation of people who have bent their knees
to the ground and stretched forth their hands to the intermec^atd
and upper {worlds). They have forsaken images, pictures and idols
of clay, gods (made) of blocks of wood ®), and vain rites, and have
testified to the name of the great, strange (sublime) Life. To
them the gate of sin is closed and for them the gate of life is open.
May our request, our prayer and our humble submission rise before
the supreme Life which above all works.
is

Before thee {in thy sight) all hands are thieving, aU hps have hed.

Water is in the jordan. Before thee (in thine eyes), Manda-d-Hiia,

1) See Prayer 8. Lit. "showeth forth silence”.

Cf. o»6L;^‘'a body of people, congregation, company".
3) Cf. Irn : pin. “tree-roots cast up by flood”.
 . :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 35

no man is clean : we are slaves who are all sin, and thou a lord who
art all mercy. When thou art with us, who shall conquer us and if
thou justifiest us who will convict us ? Judge us not after the fashion
of earthly courts of law ;
despise us not for our and associate
follies

us not with the false rites practised by the worlds and generations.
The worlds thrust hard at us, but we fell not. Backed by the
Truth which is we have perfect confidence.
thine own,
Establish life, and
thou not establish
wilt human beings ? Thou
hast spoken to us in thy Word and hast commanded us with thy
command "Ask on earth and I will supply you with heavenly fruit
ask from below, (from) reed ^), swamp and mud, and I will supply
you from the lofty heavens. Make supplication with the fleshly
right hand, and I will bring you (what ye asked) with the right hand
of kusta.
The first (generations) sought and found: let those that come
after seek, and they will find. Seek and find for yourselves, for J^our
friends, for your friends’ friends and for those who love the great
Family of Life. Your eyes shaUnot turn aw'ayfrom me unsatisfied." *)
Thou art the father of all the ’uthras, the Support which is all
light, the Vine which is all Life and the great Tree which is all

things. ®) For Thou knowest hearts, understandest minds and

searchest out consciences (even) in the nethermost hells of darkness.
Like a servant lying prostrate before Thee, our eyes are lifted to
Thee, our lips give Thee praise and blessing seven hours of the day
and the three watches of the night.
Those who seek of Him find, and to those who ask of Him it will
^be given. For to him that standeth at a closed door Thou wilt open
the* closed door. In the Place of Light Thou wilt wipe away and
remove from us our sins, trespasses, foUies, stumblings and mistakes
and wilt cast them into the heUs of the earth and the nethermost
hmbos of darkness. Thou wait raise us up as sinless and not as
guilty, as virtuous and not as vicious before thee, Manda-d-Hua.

The sentence is obscure. See M.L. p.66, n.2. The prefix shows it to be
a question.
Hitrda not hurba. See M.L. p.66, n.3. The picture is of a swamp country,
similar to that in ivhich ilandaeans live today, the marshes of southern ’Iraq.
Here knUa is the ritual act, see p. 2, n.i.
b Lit. “empty”.
b ’Ustuna, also “body”, “corporation”, "trunk”, “pillar”.
D.C. 53 has mindia; D.C. 3 and M.L. mandia (a curious plural in classical
Mandaic)
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 4
36 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The good behold and are refreshed: the wicked are discomfited
and the children of {this) world abashed. And they say “Is there no
place for me in the Place of Light, since those who seek therefrom
find, and ask thereof and it is given them?”
We beseech thee to thy radiance, thy hght and thy
let some of
glory rest upon us. Thou above aU means of heahng,
art the Healer
a Raiser-up above (all) that raiseth up, a Radiance above all radian-
cies and a light above all hghts. For thou openest doors of truth and
revealest mysteries and wisdom and showest forth mighty deeds in
Jerusalem. Thou confines! demons and devils and frightenest away
the gods from their high places. Great is thy name and praised is
thy name! Thou art the counterpart of the Life, for thou wast in
existence before all. Thou art the Vine, for thou wast in the Ether
above heaven and above the earth. When worlds came into being
and creations were called forth, thou didst hold in thy grasp the
worlds and generations. Thou hast laid down a road for sincere and
beheving men to the Place of Life. {Though) spirits and souls sit
{here) as guilty, {yet) by thy name they shall rise as innocent, {thy

name of) Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia. To support the hands of good

people, thou wilt be {bring?) healing of hfe to the souls of this masiqta
Life is estabUshed in its indweUings and Life is victorious.

[This prayer is good for all occasions :

{it may be used) on occasion
for the Rahmia (daily office), or for the masiqta, or for baptism and
for aU purificatory rites. For the masiqta, after thou hast recited
over the -pandama, “water of prayer” ^) and the ordinance for the
incense, pray “We have acknowledged”, “Praises”, “To Thee”,
“Lifting eyes” and “I sought to raise my eyes”. And prepare jthe*
pihta, mambuha and klila (wreath) and set them out for the masiqta.
And recite the ordnance for the oil, (placed) in something clean : in
a
glass or tin cup when washed and cleansed. And recite the masiqta.^

36

In the name of the Life!

I worship, laud and praise that great, secret. First Mana who
abode for nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand myriads of years

1
)
Read ’tlan as in M.L. D.C. 3, like D.C. 53 has ‘thin.
*) “Water of prayer” is water drawn from the Jordan like mambuha, but
that poured into the "inner phial” used for the commingling - the ritual
addition of water to the hamra (wine).

i
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 37

alone in his own Abode - no Companion came to him; («o«e

for
existed) save that great, secret. First Mana. For he came into exis-
tence therein and developed therein.
Then I worship, laud and praise that great, occult. First Drop *)

who emanated from Him. They She abode for four

existed, iibut)

hundred and forty-four thousand myriads of years in Her own Abode,

alone, for She had no consort
Then I worship, laud and praise Sar, that great occult first Vine,
who was with them.
Then I worship, laud and praise Pirun, that great occult first
Vine from whom there emanated eight hundred and eighty eight
thousand m5n'iads of ’uthras.
From Them and from those ’uthras proceeded one ’uthra, whose
name is the Great Countenance of Glory who is {at once) less than
his brethren and more venerable than his parents. Manda-d-Hiia,
the well-prepared ’uthra, divulged and revealed and said ‘‘Any
Nasoraean man who sitteth to recite ’’Established is the First Life”
and breaketh bread ®) will receive condemnation from the House
of Life,”
And I am established, in the light of Life and Life is victorious.

37
I worship, laud and praise that Occult, great First Cloud of *)

*) Nitufta NHQID’J lit. "Drop”. This curious appellation appears to design-

ate the Female principle of Creation, the consort of the creator, or rather
the receptive and productive side of creative deity. Because of its female
character, the Nihifta represents in certain texts the material side of the
human spirit. For an analysis of her appearance in Mandaean texts see J.B.
p. 227. Used in the plural nitufiata =
spirits of life of a productive (i.e. female)
character.
2
)
Or, “Presence”.
®) Pihta is the sacramental bread and the verbs PTA and PTH (or PHT)
used in conjunction with it, describe the act of ritual breaking, of bread, and
sometimes of the whole sacramental act of partaking of it. Mqaimatum (etc.)
is repeated by a celebrant after making, baking and consuming his owm

pihta at the rite of preparation before baptism and again after the baptism
and communion of the baptised. He usually makes and bakes three times,
twice for himself and once for the person or persons baptised.
^) A Cloud is a spirit of life (female again, like a "Drop”). The word is used

for a “divine consort”, a “heavenly spouse”. As priests are the earthly

representatives of 'uthras and malkas, their wives are sometimes spoken of
as “clouds” or “drops”.
38 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Life, with whom in secret, he broke bread and gave thereof in

secret to the Occult Life and to the Mighty First Life.
And Life is victorious.

38
have worshipped and praised Yawar-Ziwa, who arose and praised
I

that great mighty Mana at whose right and left hand there stand
four hundred and forty-four thousand myriads of ’uthras. A thou-
sand myriads of ’uthras, sons of hght, worship and laud the rays of
his Radiance.
He arose and broke bread in secret and gave thereof to the sons
of men and estabhsheth his Abode in secret.
And Life is victorious.
39
i worship, laud and praise that secret saying which Yawar pro-

nounced secretly. He made it known, and divulged and estabhshed

a Life-ray therein. Radiance and light came and dwelt at his right
and glory and resplendence dwelt at his left. And the ’uthras en-
treated the Life that they might behold the Likeness of Yawar-Ziwa
in their own glory.
Yawar-Ziwa the vigilant ’uthra divulged and revealed and said
“Sixty-four sins daily wiU be forgiven a Nasoraean man who repeats
this secret saying, in the Great Place of Life and the Lasting Abode”.
And Life is praised.

40
I have worshipped and praised ’Usar, who broke bread for the
hidden first ’uthras, so that they (find) rest in their hearts. «

The holy ’uthras stood in their dwellings *) and praise the

mighty Life in its Dwelling, adorable in Its radiance and wondrous
in Its light.

Lidzbarski translates for pta pihta “das Pihta .schuf” throughout

.

these hymns. It may refer to the sacramental' ‘breaking of bread” see p. 37,
n. 3.
I.e. in the glory of Yawar-Ziwa and his Dmiita (Likeness or Counterpart) ?
The plural seems unjustified by the conte.'rt.
Kasia plu. Kasiia, “mystic", “occult” can sometimes be better rendered
by the word “holy”.
*) The various meanings of sAin/a must be borne in mind; i.e. “dwelhng”

“indwelling”, “shecinah” and “sanctuary" or “shrine” (as of the cult-hutand

its precinct).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 39

I worshipped and praised that supreme First Vine, for within

Sap: its leaves are ’uthras and its tendrils rays of light.
it is its

’Uthras sit in its shade. And within the great first Cloud of Light
there came into existence, within the Treasure-of-Light there was
generated, the Secret Mana.
And Life be praised.

41
I worshipped and praised Treasure-of-Light, the great Awaker
{yawar) of Life, who broke bread in the Hidden and gave (thereof)
to the Mighty First Life in Its DwelUng. I praised the seven mystic
precious and preserved manas who derived existence from Their
Place and were transplanted from Their Treasure-house. I worship-
ped and praised the mighty First Life that transported Itself from
Its Place, transferred itself from its own Treasurehouse in which it
came into existence, was developed, dwelt and was established;
and (whereof) It discoursed and wherein It had gloried.
It praiseth and speaketh, “Every Nasoraean who reciteth these
secret sayings will seek and find, will speak and be heard seven
times daily. And seven sins will be forgiven him in the great Place
of Light and Eternal Abode.
And Life be praised!

42
I worship, laud and praise that first secret Word which Yawar
imparted in secret. He expounded and it and estabhshed
explained
therein that which Rays {of his light). And Yawar said
is living,
“Erfhghtenment and praise have come to pass”. And Yawar came
and his glory rested upon his own skinta. Radiance and Light came
and were estabhshed before him Glory and Enlightenment came
:

and dwelt at his right hand. And the ’uthras^) ask the Life to behold
the appearance of Yawar-Ziwa in their {its?) radiance, and to com-
mend the prayer and praise which they pronounced to Silmai and
Nidbai, the ’uthras who are the two messengers of Manda-d-Hiia
Yawar hath said, "Every Nasoraean who repeat eth this secret
praj^er seven times daily, seven sins a day shall be forgiven him.
And Life abideth in its Dwelling”.
Life is victorious.

’
U tria not in M.L. This word alters the sense of the passage.
40 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

43
Thou art enduring, First Life before Whom no being had exis-
tence, Unearthly One from worlds of light. Supreme Being that
art above aU works, above the Ancient Radiance and above the
First Light; above the life which emanated from Life and above
the Truth {kusta) which was of old in the Beginning!
Thou, Manda-d-Hiia, hast estabhshed for thy chosen that which
thou hast revealed to us from the book Nhiir (Be light) and from
Pta 'usra (They revealed treasure and from ’Usar Nhura (Trea-
sure of Light), a solace, a great support of life, that which shineth
in light, the light of which enlighteneth.
It [Mania, gnosis) came into being, was revealed, fulfilled
and went forth in strength abundant and became mighty by
growth of knowledge 2) It increased in radiance and was full of light
which proceeded from the Counterpart ( ?) of ®) Life, a wondrous
counterpart!
Thereupon the worlds were ashamed, for none had seen its like,

its brilliance or its glory.

Kusta standeth by his friends and Manda-d-Hiia by his chosen
ones.
For thou hast chosen (us), hast taken us out of the world of
hatred, envy and disputes and hast set us firmly on paths of truth
and faith, so that we stand and praise the holy and guarded place.
And he who partaketh of this bread (pihta), put out *) [for him)
will be sinless in the Place of Light, the Everlasting Abode.
And Life is victorious.
'
[These are the prayers appointed for the pihta]. ,

44
Biriawis, source of living waters, first upsurging that sprang
forth, great outburst of the radiance of all-abundant Life! [Be)
life for the souls of this masiqta.

Lit. "opened treasure”.

Rabat mania.
Lidzbarski translated dimat hiia, Trane des Lebens (Life’s tears), an
unsatisfactory translation. "Distillation” is also doubtful. I take the

word to be influenced by dmu, which follows closely, hence possibly an archaic

form of dmut? See below, p. 43 n.5, where dimat hiia recurs - dmnt hiia d-mn
dimat hiia (counterpart of Life that is from the likeness of Life ?).
*) Brita. I suggest a connection wdth "food put out for mourners” (see

Hif. of na "to strengthen, offer refreshment, esp. to mourners”).

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 41

[This is the appointed prayer for the mamhiiha. If there are

{several) souls, read as written; if one soul say ‘for this the soul of
N.’]

45

Thy name, {0) Life, is excellent: its glory is great, its light

abundant. Its goodness came over {or overflowed), inaugurating

the First Mystery, which proceeded from Life and Truth which
life

existed before the beginning. This is a weUspring of life which

sprang forth from the Place of Life we drink thereof, of this Fount
:

of Life which Life transmitted was established in the House of

Life, which crossed worlds, came, cleft the heavens and was revealed.
Thou hast shown us that which the eye of man hath not seen,
and caused us to hear that which hmnan ear has not heard. Thou
hast freed us from death and united us with hfe, released us from
darkness and united us with hght, led us out of evil and joindd us
to good. Thou hast shown us the Way of Life and hast guided our
feet into ways of truth and faith so that Life cometh and expeUeth
darkness and goodness cometh and casteth out evil. {Like) the
mingling of wine with water, so may Thy truth, thy righteousness
and thy faith be added to those who love Thy name of Truth.
And Life be praised.

[This is the set prayer for the manibuga {sacramental drink). Make
the fihta and the mambuha and place them {ready for) the masiqta,
and then make the myrtle wreath.]

46 1)
*
In the Name of Life!^)
The Light became light, the Light became light! The Light
became the hght of the First Life. Glory*) dawned®) and {there was)

') Lidzbarski considers Prayer 5 so like Prayer 46 that he neither repro-

duces the text nor translates it. The priests, on the contrary, insist on a very
exact pronunciation of the first words: (nhur nhura and nhar nhura) and say
that there is a difference in meaning. In all the copies of the ’niania the
earlier pages and the last pages are those which become worn out most
quickly, I am inclined to think that Prayer 46 is nearer the original version.
However, whatever the variations in the text of the two prayers, they should
be noted.
’ruta. I am reluctant to accept without reservation Lidzbarski’s trans-
lation "Erleuchtung”. The root could be ‘R’ as the S would disappear: deri-
vation from 'WR or AWR
or unhkely.
Nihrat “it became hght’’ "was light” is freely translated as “dawned”.
 .

42 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

praise of the Mana who came from his Place. He came (with) an
ether-wreath, with benefits that are from the Place of Light and
the Everlasting Abode. Yufin-Yufafin was the weaver of the wreath;
she who brought it was ’Nisbat’-Utria {She- planted i.e. was the mother
of nthras). And he who set rvreath on was 'It-Yawar-Ziwa (There-is-
dazzling-Radiance) son of ’Nisbat-’Lttria : he brought it and set it
on the head of the Mana, planted it (there) so that it was set up
{thereon)
The wTeath flames and the leaves of the wTeath flame. Before the
Mana there is radiance, behind the Mana there is light and glory,
at either side of the M ana are radiance, brilliance and purity ;
and
at the four comers of the heavens ^) and on the seven sides of the
firmament dwell silence, bhss and glory.
And Life is victorious.

*
47
Enlightened and enlightening are words of light to the souls of
this masiqta. Sure, assured, armed and prepared, resplendent and
beauteous (are they) when the wreath with its mysteries is set on
the heads of these souls of this ascent {masiqta) to the great gate of
Abathur’s house. They will open to them the great gate of Abathur’s
house and wUl guard them by secret and watchful manas. ®)
And Life be praised!

[These two prayers are said over the myrtle- wreath in the masiqta],

48
In the name of the Life!
Manda-d-Hiia went to the stars. His appearance *) loosed "the
bound (souls) he knit {them into?) the communion that is without
:

parting and without hmit or number, by his word which issued

from him in that place. All the worlds were confounded the works :

*) An obvious corruption, see Prayer 5.

2
)
The play on words is intentional.
Or, acc. to Lidzbarski, ‘Tn verborgenenen wolilverwahrten Gewandern
bewahren”.
In support of his translation "des (schonen) Aussehens” Lidzbarski
adduces GR 10,6 and JB 110,3. t cannot bring myself to agree, for the stars
here are enemies, far from admirable. True, in Syriac we get gabra hizua
“a man (of handsome) appearance” in proof of and JB, but hizua both GR
m STOac and Mandate has also the meaning ‘‘a vision”, “appearance”. The
reference is to Manda-d-Hiia’s (or Hibil-Ziwa’s) descent to the planetary
purgatories in which souls e.xpiate sins committed on earth.
 .

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 43

of the House were destroyed and there was security for sons of
the Great Family of Life.
He
planted his planting and descended to the earth, (where) the
hand of Evil, of the Lord of the House, lay heavy upon them. And
when wickedness oppressed them, they beheld his radiance, and
some appeared to them, the strength and name
of the celestial fruits
of the Ineffable One Who is aU hght was revealed to them and some
of His glory was communicated to them and Knowledge of Life
(Manda-d-hiia) was revealed to all who love his name of Truth at
the place which is wholl37 [inhabited by) those convicted of sin.
And when the}' beheld him, the lords of the worlds were con-
founded but did not, from their thrones, loose (the bonds of) the
captives.
He passed by: the captives were freed. He loosed them from
their sins and trespasses: yea, release from their bodies was njade
possible to them. And who looked on,
(as for) the lords of the House
theirranks were discomfited and they were unable to reach him.
Yea, the name of Abathur was (set) over them and the name of
Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia was fulfilled and revealed to those who love
his name. And his name shall [aid] the souls of this masiqta: it
will be his name.
And Life is victorious.

[This is the recitation appointed for the masiqta. Read it over pure
oil in something [pure ?) and place it before thee and then read the
masiqta]

49
<

In the name of the Strange (Subhme) Life!

and light of life, is to bring forth the spirit and
This, the glory
soulfrom the body and to clothe the living soul in a living garment.
Yea, she is solaced^) and hveth, the counterpart of Life, she that
emanated from a °) of Life, with the Outer Life, with

Hauraran and Karkaw'an-Ziw'a, with Treasure-of-Light, the solace

1
)
The
earthly world.
“went out over them”.
Lit.
The “pure oil” of the masiqta is the e.xpressed oil of sesame and date
juice. These are pounded together and strained. Baptism oil is sesame oil only.
Hadinat (Lidzbarski leaves untranslated) is probably a corruption of ha
’dinat as translated; but the meaning is doubtful.
Dimat again (see p. 40, n.3.)
 :

44 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

and great support of life, with life that emanated from the Life and
with the truth which existed of old in the beginning. They hve in
their shecinahs, i) and the Great Light (abideth) in its purities.
When any human being departeth from his body, there come
towards him seven godlike appearances ^), and each standeth by
his own. And Sauriel the Releaser cometh - he who releaseth spirit
and soul from the body. Up there, with those works, he standeth
with the vesture of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia which releaseth {the soul).
And Hauraran and Karkawan-Ziwa remove from her that in her
which is of the body, and she putteth on the dress of Yuzataq-
Manda-d-Hiia. Garment on garment she putteth on, she arrayeth
herself in robe after robe. WTien she weareth the vesture of Yuzataq-
Manda-d-Hiia there, she laugheth, rejoiceth, leapeth for joy, dan-
ceth,exulteth and is overjoyed about the glorious splendour®)
restjng [upon her) and the glory that accrueth to her.
Onward she goeth in the vesture of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia. The
planets who are in their places were out of coutenance on seeing it
they clenched their fists, beat on the forecourt of their breasts and
say “Woe on
(us) planets! for they (we) are powerless, but the works

of Their hands are victorious!”

And they say “How beautiful is this radiancy, how steadfast this
light, how lovely this glory and how wondrous this appearance!”

And they ask “Who will clothe us with this radiance? Who will
cover us with this light and who will shed on us this glory ? And what
is it that passeth before us in this guise ? for it is fair, shining and
bright: in this world nothing made can be compared to it!” And
they exclaim “How good
Kusta to the good, and Manda-d-Hiia.
is

to all his chosen, (those) who stand

in their bodies and dedicate
themselves to the name of the Life and to becoming (thus)!”
She goeth on in the vesture of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia and they
let those deeds of hers pass by and (escape) the hands of all the
planets.
And on she ^) went and reached Abathm’s house of detention,

1
)
Or (see M.L. p. 8o, i.6) Das Leben ist in seiner Skina.
2
)
The seven planets, which wait to carry off the soul to their matarata
(houses of detention, purgatories).
See above, p. 20, Prayer 24 "rejoicing, laughing, dancing, exulting about
the glorious splendour" etc.
q The narrative is here in the ist. person “I went on” etc. but returns again
to the original “she". I think it better to continue throughout in the 3rd.
person.
 .:

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 45

(Abathur), the Ancient, Lofty, Holy and Guarded one. There his
scales are set up and spirits and souls are questioned before him as
to their names, their signs, their blessing, their baptism and every-
thing that is therewith.
The soul of N. hath entered the House of Abathur and hath given
her name, her sign, her blessing, her baptism and everything that is

therewith!
The souls of our fathers were signed with the sign of Life and the
name of the Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia was pronounced
over them. They put them in the scales, putting in their deeds and
rewards i) and weighed them. And the perfect went in (also), the
spirit with the soul, but they took them out (for they were) clean
Radiance issued from the radiance of Abathur and clothed them and
they brought hght and covered them (therewith).
(Like them) she (the soul) put on garment on garment and robe
over robe like the vestments of Abathur. There she laugheth, rejoic-
eth, leapeth for joy, danceth, exult eth and is overjoyed about the
glorious splendour which resteth (on her) and accrueth to her ®).

And she proceedeth in the vesture of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia and

went on and reacheth the watch-house (house of detention) of
3)

four beings, sons of perfection, Tn-Hai, Sum-Hai, Ziv-Hai and Nhur-

Hai ^). Each of these beings clotheth her with his radiance and each
covereth her %vith his hght. Garment on garment she putteth on,
with garment after garment doth she clothe herself. WTien she puts
on the vesture of the sons of perfection she laugheth, rejoiceth,
leapeth for joy, danceth, exulteth and is overjoyed about the
. glorious splendour, the honour resting on and belonging to her.
She proceeded in the vesture of Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia and
went®) onwards and reached the Waters of Death ®). The waters cov-
ered her, [blit) Radiance crossed over - his name abode in his skinta
honoured and chosen, he created ’) himself - and said "Life, I am
Thine, and for Thy name’s sake came I forth from the world of

1
)
“Rewards": fees to priests.
See above, p. 44.
See note 4, p. 44.
*) Well-of-Life, Name-of-Life, Radiance-of-Life, Light-of-Life
See above, p. 3.
®) Hafiqia mia, the name of the river of departure, of death, which is the
frontier of the worlds of hght. In the Diwan Abatur a ship ferries souls across
this river.
Or "called himself” ? The tense continually varies.
 . o

46 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Pthahil, from amongst eml plots and from beneath the throne of
Abathur the Ancient, so that we may bring out this soul of N. of
this masiqta (so that) she cometh before him”.
He is a ray of the great radiance of Life, a being who resteth
upon the and upon skintas doth his name rest.
skintas,
He graspeth her with the palm of his right hand and handeth
her over to two ’uthras, sons of light, to Adatan and Yadatan, of
one gnosis and one mind. And Adatan and Yadatan hand her over
to two ’uthras, to ’Usar-Hai and to Pta-Hai who open the Door
of Life, plant the plant of Life and estabhsh the first counterpart
of the House of Life. They raised her up beside the hving *) they
bring her in, in the likeness of Life they support her in the Place
where radiance, likehght, flameth. And the spirit®) of N. went and
became of the same nature as the soul and was established in the
Hou^se of Life.
And Life is victorious.

50
[Note. The following hymn
reads like pure nonsense, Lidzbarski suggested
that it had been mutilated and misunderstood Das Stiick besteht aus
;

abgerissenden schwer verstandlichen, wohl auch stark enstellten Satzen.

(M.L, p. 84, n.4)].

Rightly did the baptist baptise me {in the waters of?) Yaluz-Yaluz®)
for their spring is Hammamulai
name, Ksasar-Hamamulai
’). My
is spoken, disseminated, guarded, hidden and pure. They {the waters?)

knew the source from which they proceeded its name was on the :

b The translation is unsatisfactory, one would expect titia. I find Lidz-

barski’s translation unsatisfactory too; for the saviour spirit is explaining
its purpose.
siirik with zfa'a occurs fairly often. Lidzbarski translated “Ausfluss”

(cf. but a connection withv**»^ is indicated, a verb used for lightning

and meteors.
3
)
To justify the translation “door”: see Levy, Targ. XnnB (syr. .’.K
)

hebr, n^D) Eingang, Thiire. Lidzbarski translated (M.L.p. 84, n.z) die die
Scliopfung des Lebens schaffen.
*} D.C. 3. arimltj kanfia hiia.

') “Of the same nature as the soul”. Commentaries say that after puri-

fication the spirit unites with the soul “as one”. (ATS No. 282 “the twain
become, as it were, a single body”).
®) “joyful, rejoicing?” iSrVs tVs?;

’) 'Ulai was the ancient name of the Karun ircer in Khuzistan. Here,
Hamamulai perhaps “the hot springs of the hraruii” ? There are hot springs
at Shustar.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 47

sky, its glory on the earth. For upon treasure, in treasure, the Great
Life existed and was fulfilled in Its glory.

I siton a perfected garment i) and by the great fountainhead of

Yukabar-Hiia, beneath a Vine which riseth above me. Praise-of-Life
standeth before me. "Who will manifest himself and come and
speak to me?” “I am he who is manifest, for I am great”. The
life that is beneath me is the Vine which riseth above me, Praise-

of-Life standeth before me. This is my name and my sign which I

received from waves of water and from treasures of radiance and
from the great and lofty Mixing-Bowl (?).
And Life is victorious.

51
In the name of the Life!
I am baptised in the name of the Strange Life, the Sublime
(Being) above aU works. I am established in the name of TreaSure-
of-Light. Yawar from the House of Life revealed {himself?) and
shone forth ^), establishing his counterpart, transplanting the Great
Life in his light. The worlds thrust at us, but we fell not; backed
by Thy truth, we have confidence. The first sprout hath burst
forth - a ray of the great radiance of Life in its triumphs; Truth
[kiiita) and the great Source (kana) of its glory.
And Life be praised!

52
Whose son am I? (Of?) the guarded Mana, who is Yusmir, the
First Great Radiance, son of the great Primal Life, who pondered
* an^i went forth seeking His own, that which came from Him. The
congregation of souls, on the last day, when departing from their
bodies, rejoice in Him, embrace Him and rising up, behold the outer
ether and the enduring Abode and praise the Great Life in Its light.
And Life is victorious!

“In a perfected garment” would make better sense, if sense were possible
in this obscure hymn.
’Udna is "ear”. In one copy only Lidzbarski found ’usrh on which he
based his translation. I suggest that 'udna is simply a miscopying of udna "and
shone forth”. Yawar is always associated with light.
See p. 46, n. 2. Or, “a flash”.
*) The word has kana has varied meanings a receptacle, collection, assem-
:

bly, group, stem, race, base, fundament, origin, place of origin, source, home
etc.
48 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

53

A union and victory have come to this the soul of N.

letter,

from the House of Life. Its fastening is water, its wreath is light,
its weapon the hving word, and its seal the Chosen, the Pure One.

Every man who openeth it and readeth therein shall Hve, be whole,
and his name will be set up in the House of Life in the name of the
Great Sublime Life. And the First Life is established in Its skinta.

[This is the seal of the masiqta. Up to this point recite the masiqta,
and here take the -pihta and break off a morsel from one upper
fatira
i)
and the undermost fatira and bring a portion of the Ba
and fold them together. And mingle the “water of prayer” with
the wine *) and recite over them “Yukasar chose her (the soul) who
passeth over” and recite “The Life spoke and opened” and part thy
pandama and eat thy pihta and drink thy mambuha and recite
“The Water of Life burst forth in splendour in its skinta.]

54

Yukasar chose her that passeth (crosseth) over ®) he chose her, ;

called her forth and established her. He clothed her in radiance

ineffable and brought light abounding and covered her therewith.
He raised her up to the Great Place of Light and the everlasting
Abode, and in his own skinta his (the dead man’s) soul was assigned
(a place) and found rest in his treasure.
Living waters (water of Life) from the House of Life burst forth
(in splendour ®) and (like them?) shall shine forth the souls who are

') A dough without leaven or salt. A number of these

fatira is a disc of
(usually sixty) are for a masiqta, but only two small fragments (as
made
described above taken from a pile on the ritual table) are eaten by celebrants.
The remaining fatiria are buried in the sacred precincts at the conclusion of
the rite.
2
)
The word (always written bh) is pronounced Ba, and priests all say that
it refers to the dove. The rite of slaughter of the dove is one of the ritual mss
m a priest's library.
See p.36 n. 2.
*) Hamra (wine) is made just before the masiqta by macerating four
raisins in a bowl of water.
®) D. C.31 /iferaia ( = ITSnaS?'?) i.e. the soul
crossing the ‘hvaters of death”.
Lidzbarski, M.L. 88:5, translates “den Jenseitigen". The context shows that
one soul is meant.
*) the verb 'UR, AUR
in Mandaic has a dual meaning see M. L.
p. 88,n.3.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 49

called upon, raised up and signed in this masiqta, {the souls of) our
fathers, teachers, brothers and sisters who have departed the body,
and of those who still live in the body. They shall rise upward on a
smooth road and by the path of the perfect, shall behold the Place
of Light and the everlasting Abode and be established by Him who
opened (revealed) the great first light.

And Life is victorious.

55
The Great Life spoke and revealed (opened ^)) with His mouth,
in His own radiance light and glory.
And Life be praised.

[This is for the loosing of the -pandama. Recite this “Yukasar

chose her who passeth over” over the “water of prayer” and wine
when they are mingled together. If it is for (several) souls that^he
has recited read as written, but if for a single soul say “the soul
of N. shall be awakened” ®). And say “The Great Life spoke and
opened with His mouth” and part thy pandama, eat thy pihta and
drink thy mambuha. And recite “The living water shone forth in
its place” then rise, and read one prayer after another until the

(prayer) “Yukasar chose her that passeth over” hath been offered up.]

56
In the name of the Life!
Living waters shone forth (in splendour) in their skinta. The robes
of ^) the good were resplendent in their place. The ^eaXMana was
dazzlingly bright in ®) His glory. So {too) shall these living, (brightly)
shining, steadfast and vigorous souls shine in splendour in the great
Place of Light and the Everlasting Abode.

[This is a prayer of dedication for the “water of prayer”]

1
)
All the fatiria have been signed. They represent the souls included in
the masiqta, whereas the pihta, which has been "clothed” and to which a
portion of dove's flesh and two morsels (see above) have been added,
represents the deceased for whom the masiqta is celebrated.
Priests associate this short verse with the opening up of the pandama
for the sacramental eating and drinking.
This rite is, according to tradition, an "opening of the mouth" of the dead,
as the celebrant acts as the proxy of the deceased. Cf. the Babylonian pit pi.
Nitiairia (see p. 48, n. 6) could also mean "will shine forth”.
*) Read d-tabia.
I’qarh is written: (chez luip).
 :

50 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

57
Fragrant incense riseth to its place and Thou, Life, be victorious!
The Forgiver of sins, trespasses, folhes, stumblings and mistakes
will aU those who love his name
forgive of Truth (kusta) and
(hkewise) the soul of N.
And Life is victorious.

[A dedication prayer for the incense]

58
In the name of the Life!
Praised be the First Life, praised be the Word of the First Life
praised be that radiance, light and glory; praised be that Light
which is boundless and endless and none know when it came into
being. Praised be the Lord of Greatness i) and praised be all the
'utjiras that stand to the right and left of the Lord of Greatness and

praise the Lord of Greatness. Praised be my father Yawar, praised

be all the 'uthras who stand and praise my father Yawar. Praised
be that great first Jordan in which the First Life was baptised.
Praised be all jordans of living water: praised be the fruits, grapes

and which stand by them. Praised be aU the mighty and lofty

trees
worlds of hght; praised be aU those sanctuaries (skinata) of the
Hidden 2) for in each and every skinta sit a thousand thousand
’uthras, {^uthras) without end, and the myriad myriad sanctuaries
that are countless. Praised are those thousand thousand ’uthras
without end and the myriad myriad sanctuaries beyond count.
Praised be all those banners of radiance, Hght and glory unfurled
before them which give them light. Praised be the great gate of ths
House of Abathur praised be all ’uthras who stand before Abaihur
;

and praise him. Praised be the three hundred and sixty scales which
are set up before the ancient Abathur praised be that first great
;

Scales that was set up before Abathur the Ancient. Praised be that
great occult Drop from which he proceeded. Praised be all ’uthras
who sit upon thrones of rest and recite ordinances and masiqtas
and secret prayers. Praised be those recitations, masiqtas, and secret
prayers in which the Great (Life) is praised. Praised be those priests
who sit with them.

A priest who instructs postulants for priesthood is called a rba and his
office rabiita, so that Mara-d-Rabuta could be translated “lord of instruction”.
D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 have kasia, M.L. kisia.
Or “disciples”.
 .

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 51

Praised be all mountains of radiance, light and glory praised be

;

all roads and paths of light.

First Life! Lift up Thine eyes upon these souls called upon, raised
up and signed in this masiqta and (the souls of) our father, brothers
and sisters who have departed the body, and of those who still
tarry in the body. Deliver them, save them and protect them from
this world of the wicked and from those watch-houses (purgatories)
Let thy mercy, Great First Life, rest upon them. And ye shall say
“Life is established in its indwellings”.
And Life is victorious.

[This an offering-up of supplications. It is the dedicatory prayers

is

of the masiqta. Pray “We have acknowledged”, “Praises”, “Thee,

Thyself”, “Raising eyes” and “I sought to raise my eyes”. If thou
recitest for (several) souls read as written, if it is one soul say
“Lift thine eyes upon the soul of N”]. ,

59
Life is fulfilled in its owm glory and the Great Light estabhshed
by its victories.

[This is the prayer offered up for the pihta].

60
The Great Life dwelleth in those that love Him, and His devotees
dwell in the Great Place of Light and the Everlasting Abode.
And Life be praised!

[This is the dedicatory prayer for the mambuha?\

. 6i
An earthly wreath fadeth, ^) but the wreath of Life is fresh and

living 2). The wreath of an elect righteous man is and shineth

set
on the heads of those who love the name of Truth (kusta). The
wreath is from the world of hght and the robe from the Everlasting
Abode. The ether- wTeath is set, with its purities ®), and shineth on
the heads of these souls of this masiqta.
And Life is victorious.

[This is the prayer put up for the wreath of a masiqta. If thou

recitest for several souls, read as written, but if for a single soul say
“on the head of this soul of N.”]

^) Lit.“the wreath of the worlds”.

Rauzia is best rendered here by "fresh and living".
Or "victories”.

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 5

52 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

62
The worlds glisten {with costly) oil, but Nasoraeans shine with the
radiance of Life.
And Life is victorious.

63
In great radiance am I immersed and in steadfast light am I

established. Manda baptised me, Kusta confirmed me. A letter,

communication (communion) and purity came to me from the House

of Life. Its fastening is water, its wreath is light, its weapon the
living word, and its seal the chosen, pure one Every man who .

openeth it and readeth therein shall live, shall be whole and his
name will be set up in the House of Life, in the name of the great
Sublime Life from worlds [of light?).
And Life is victorious.

[Tfiis is the prayer offered up for the masiqta oil.]

64
The Life dwelleth in its own radiance and light.

And Life be praised!

[This is the confirmation of the (prayer) ‘‘Yuka§ar chose her who

passeth over”. Here recite “Ye are set up and raised up” and the
masiqtaAxyvtmS:.)
65
Ye are set up and raised up into the Place where the good are esta-

bhshed amongst manas of hght, the souls called upon and raised up
and signed by this masiqta and {the souls of) our fathers, our teachers,
our brothers and our sisters who have departed the body, arid of
those who are (still) living in the body. Your manas shall be set
up in the Light and ye will be established in the Light.

And Life is victorious.

66
In the name of the Life!
I am crowned with a wreath ®) and lay me down *)

') Cf. Prayer 23.

2) The personified manda (this time the cult-hut and its precinct) ? Or
Gnosis ?

2) Or “I have reached my end”. The translation given above is probable, as

a dying person is dressed in a spotlessly clean rasta (white ritual dress), and
crowned with a myrtle wreath after being thrice immersed from head to foot.
*) “Lay down" or “slept”, a s\-nonym for death.
 ; ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 53

In a dress in- which there is no blemish.

No spot is there in the dress,
Nor is there aught missing or lacking in it.
The Life knew about me.
Adam, who slept, awoke
He grasped me with the palm of his right hand
And gave (not ?) into my hand a palmbranch.
Light cast me into darkness.
But the darkness was filled with light.

The day that hght ariseth.

Darkness returneth to its place.

The souls of this masiqta

Approach a cloud of light.
Their journej^ is to the Place of Light.
And Life be praised.

[This is a masiqta hymnj

67
With him, with the Dehverer
The souls of this masiqta will ascend.
They will behold the Place of Light
And the Everlasting Abode.
On their road the Seven will not detain them,
Nor will the Judge of the False question them.
The Life will count you in His reckoning
And the good wiU set youup in their midst.
,
To the place to which the good go they will guide you
• And in the place in which they stand they w'ill set you uji

Lamps of radiance are found before you.

Beams of light behind you.
Kusta come at your right
will
And Piety ytU smoothen your path.
For you there wdU be loosings *)
From here to the Everlasting Abode.
For the ferrj^ which ferries over the Elect
Will set out tow'ards you and take you across.

') p'Sia = a palm-branch (of victory). Coptic. Delete lal

Clouds act as ships for spirits.
The Death-Angel, Sauriel.
*) “Loosings” i.e. prayers of intercession.
 ;

54 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

{Then) from Abathur of the Scales

A saviour will come forth towards you.
The saviour that cometh towards you
Is all radiancy and light from head to foot
Like the wreath in his right hand.
And on histwo arms is a robe.
Bestir yourselves! Put on your robes!
Put on your living wreaths, gird on your girdles
In which nothing is awry or blemished.
Above your head there will be fruit,
And there, at your time and season
Your manas will be set up in the Light.
Your manas in the Light will be set up.
{So) rise up, behold the Place of Light!
And Life is victorious.

Between the Hidden and the Radiance,

Between Light and the ’uthras.
Between the Hidden and the Radiance
Stand those who question the soul,
Saying to her “Speak! say, soul.
Who constructed thee ? who was thy Builder ?
Who built thee and who was the Being, thy Creator?”
The soul spoke and said —
The edified, well-constructed soul spoke —
And saith to the Being who questioneth her.
Said to him,'‘My father. One built me. One constructed me”.
*
One was the Being who transplanted me ;

One of the sons of salvation in his goodness

Took (accepted) his lot (duty).
He folded me in a wapping of radiance.
Took (me) and gave me over to Adam.
Adam, in his simplicity, whilst he knew not nor understood.
Took and cast me into a physical body ^)
Took me and cast me into a physical body
That is all sour and bitter fluids and decaying substances ^).
’
Ustuna a column, pillar, support, is also used for the trunk of the body,
especially of cosmic man.
®) In ATS. ’lania bisia kt satin mia hiia gidia umraria u’lqia hauia
:

’lauaihun [Evil trees when (although) they drink hving water, sour, bitter
and rotten (fruit) will be upon them].
 : :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 55

(There) the soul remaineth and waiteth in the hostel of the

body
Which he had bequeathed her: sitteth and watcheth over it
Till itsmeasure and count were accomphshed.
When its measure and count were accomplished
The Dehverer came to her ;

To her came the Dehverer

Who loosed her and bore her away:
(Yea), he who had bound her, who had loosed the soul,
Went before her whom he had bound.
Coming behind him, the soul hasted
Reached her Dehverer, ran (after) him
Who had bound her to her dwelling.
The soul and her Dehverer (go)
Her course is to the Place of Light, ,

To the place whose sun goeth not down.

Nor do its lamps of hght grow dim.
To it, and to that place, those souls
That are called upon in this masiqta
And signed by this sign, are summoned and invited.
They shall behold the great Place of Light
And the abiding Abode.
And Life be praised.

69
Bliss and peace there wiU be
On the road which Adam attained
• Bhss and peace there shah be
On the road which the soul traverseth.
The soul hath loosed her chain and broken her bonds;
She hath shed her earthly garment.
She turned round, saw it and was revolted
She uttered an evil curse on the being
Who had clothed her in the body.
She provoked the Framer-of-Bodies, she roused him
From the lair in which he lay. She said to him,
“Rise up, look, Framer-of-Bodies;

*) Cf. G.R. Lidz. trs. p. 569: 29 ff.

D.C. 3 mitia. (D.C. 539, M.L mit’ih). “Hasted to reach” conveys the
meaning better.
Lit. physical garment.
56 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The hollow of thy hand is filled with water!”

The voice of the Framer-of-Bodies {is heard)^),
Who howleth and weepeth for himself
And saith "Woe is me that the hollow of my hand
with water!” And to her he saith
Is filled
“Go daughter of the free, whom
in peace,
In the house of evil ones they called handmaiden.
Go in peace, pure pearl that was transported
From the treasuries of Life;
Go in peace, fragrant one who imparted
Her fragrance to the stinking body.
Go in peace, radiant one, who illumined
Her dark house. Go in peace.
Pure and chosen one, immaculate and spotless!”
Flying, the soul went
Until she reached the House of Life
She arrived at the House of Life.
’Uthras went forth towards her.
Saying to her "Take and put on thy robe of radiance
And set on thy living wreath!
Arise, dwell in the skintas,
The place where ’uthras abide, conversing
And Life is and triumphant
victorious is Manda-d-Hiia
And lovers of his name”.
And Life be praised!
70
Blessed and praised be Life •

Who is filled with compassion for these souls.

Praised be thou, my lord, Manda-d-Hiia,
For thou raisest up these souls and dost not condemn them.
Praised be thou, pure Yusamin,
For thou wilt give them thy helping hand.
Be ye praised, §ilmai and Xidbai,
For ye will give true witness concerning them.
And be ye praised, Hibil, Sitil, and Anus
For ye will ransom them from the House-of-Dues
And from Abathur of the Scales!
For toward you wull go forth a messenger.
1) The Fashioner of Bodies must be the unsuccessful creator, Pthahil.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 57

And the messenger who goeth toward you

Is all radianceand light from head to foot.
In his right hand a kind of wreath
And on both his arms a robe.
Up! put on your robes, set on your living wreaths!
Gird on your girdles that are flawless and faultless!

Above your heads there will be fruit.

And your lamps will hang amongst lamps of light
i\nd will shed light.
The Lord of Tolls will not confront you
Nor will lying judges put you to the question.
They wiU bring you liberating words
From here unto the Everlasting Abode,
The budding that was built for you in the House of Lif^,
Will not come to nought in an age of ages!
And may some of Manda-d-Hiia’s radiance and light
And the revivifying-breath of Life rest upon us!
Blessed is the Voice of Life
And praised be the great Beam which is all light.

And Life be praised.

[After thou hast recited “The Life dwelleth in its own radiance
and hght’’, “Ye are set up”, “I am crowned with a wreath and lay
me down”, "With him, with the Deliverer”, “Between the Hidden
and the Radiance”, “Bliss and peace there wiU be”, “My vigilance
and my praise giving”, “Go in peace. Pure Chosen one”, “Well, well
is it^for thee, soul” and the other hymns, as many as thou art able,

then recite the “Blessed and praised is Life” of Shem son of Noah.
Ifthou readest for {several) souls, read as it is written, but if onl}"
for one soul, say “The soul of N,” and pay attention, with all watch-
fulness, clearness of mind and studious attention and recite “Good
is the good for the good”; perform kusta^) with one another and
recite “In great radiance am I immersed”.
And pray a prayer for yourselves and make pihta and tnambuha

1) Striata in magic texts is “e.xorcisms”, i.e. words that liberate. Lidz-

barski translates Balken (from ’’"itf,

A free translation. Riiaha has the meaning of enlargement, refreshment,

restoration.
Just as in the Eastern Church the Pax marks a stage in the ritual of the
mass, so m
Mandaean rites the kusta is performed after every stage of a rite.
58 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

for yourselves and eat your pihta and drink your mamhuha And
offerup the prayer “Good is the good for the good”, perform kuUa
with one another for yourselves and (then) honour your crowns.
And Life is victorious.]

71
In the name of the Life!
Blessed and praised be the Life!
Blessed and praised be the name of Life in the Place of Light!
Blessed and praised art thou, my lord, Manda-d-Hiia
Thou and thy strength, thy radiance, thy hght, thy glory and thy
help.
Praised art thou, my father Yusamin the Pure,
Son of a transplanting of the mighty Life.
Praised art thou. Second Life, Life that is from Life.
Praised are ye, Silmai and Nidbai, guardian ’uthras of the jordan.
Praised are ye, Nsab and Anan-Nsab.
(Praised are) ^) our fathers Hibil, Sitil and Anus
The name and chief of the whole race.
Praised art thou. Lofty Abathur;
Blessed and established is the great skinia in which thou sittest.
Praised are ye four beings, sons of Perfection, who go to meet the
good;
Go forth to meet the good and clothe the good with robes.
Praised art thou. Earth of Light and blessed and praised Those
who dwell in thee.
Blessed art thou. Road of the great ®), path of the perfect
And track that riseth up to the Place of Light. t

Blessed art thou, Nasirutha ®) from whom the elect learn;

From thee learn the elect, and deal out reward ^) and pious gift ®)

The pihta and mambuha consumed by celebrants at the beginning of the

masiqta and at its end are the ordinary' sacramental bread and water. They
are consumed by the priest as himself, whereas the pihta and mambuha of the
masiqta are consumed by the priest as pro.xy of the deceased. Moreover the
former is made of saltless flour, (the fatira, to which scraps of ritual food are
added) and the mambuha is hamra and water.
2
)
See p. 57. n. 3,
See p. 28, n. 3.
*) Missing in D.C. 3 and D.C. 53.
Or “teachers”, see p. 50, n. i.
®) A word which means true religion, the inner teaching.
’) The fees given to priests.
*) Offerings in kind, fruit, com, vegetables, etc.
 . ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 59

They deal with reward and pious gift and rise up and behold the
Place of Light.
Praised art thou, Jordan of hving water, for from thee we obtain
purity;
We obtain purity from thee and receive the pure sign.
My fathers beheld the Life and my teacher the Place of Light.
The ’uthras of light are victorious.
And victorious Abathur and the sons of Perfection
Who stand, praising the Life.
Enlargement of life there shall be for the believing
Who have departed out of our midst
The believers, the poor, the lowly and priests.
And my lord Manda-d-Hiia will lend them his helping hand.
Thankfully received are the good gifts {tabuta) of hfe.
The good gifts of life and of knowledge of hfe, ,
The pihla that at the name of the Life.
For any man who giveth an oblation.
His oblation will be his helper elect and perfect
: men
Who bestow oblations wU rise by KuSia’s path.
To them *) it shall be given.
Of the Ether-wreath they twisted them a wreath
Of speech and hearing, of joy, purity, goodness and greatness.
A \vreath from the Vine Ruaz He will set on the heads
Of those souls called on, signed, and raised up by this masiqta;
{And the souls of) our fathers, our teachers, our brothers and
our sisters, of those who have departed the body and those
who are yet in the body;
wreath like that) set on Its head by the Great (Life)
And by the Great (Life) given to ’uthras
And given by ’uthras to their priests.
Healer, whose medicine is water, come!
Be thou a healer to thy devotees.
To thy devotees be thou a healer

^) The meaning here is renewal of life, a larger form of life.

Tabuta here refers to the ritual food placed on the tariania (sacred
tables)
^) I am still of the opinion that pihla here refers to the phallus which, on

the table of oblation is modelled in dough and represents the male principle
of creation. The meaning of the verb depends on that of pihla,
*) With Lidzbarski (M.L. p. 107, n. 3), I read "them” rather than the
written “you”.
 :

6o THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And to him that giveth oblation be thou a helper

On him whom thou hast healed, do thou,
My lord, bestow soundness.
Behold him who standeth before thee and condemn him not.
My Lord, High King of Light, Revealer
Whose eyes are uncovered, seeking justice
And enacting justice for those who love it.

Do justice on those who persecute us.

Those persecutors who pursue us.
And on the wicked and furious ones
Who scheme to work evil upon us.
If it please Thee, High King of Light,
Look on us and condemn us not!
Behold these souls who believed in Thee
.^nd for Thy name’s sake stood by on earth
And were persecuted. Show us pure ether-air
So that we may forget earthly persecution,
That we may forget the persecution of earth
And the vexation of the rvicked and liars.

Strengthen oui insight, our voice, our vdgilance and our praise!
Thereby the Great Life communed with thee
And set thee up completely( ?) with His radiance
-And His hght, Manda-d-Hiia!
And may the vivifying-power of Life rest upon us.
My elect, ye shall say “Blessed be the Voice of Life
And praised be the great Beam which is aU light!”
And Life be praised!
[This is the “Blessed and praised be the Life” of Shem son of

Noah. Afterwards, read here “Blessed and praised be Life” of the

souls, and then recite “Good is the Good for the good”.]

72
Good is the Good for the good, and His nature *) is set upon
1
)
The sentence is obscure, but is addressed to Manda-d-Hiia ?

-Again ruaha d-hiia is paraphrased.

and during its recitation, priests
This is the chief sacramental formula
crouch near the ground. The exact meaning is doubtful. Taba, the second
word, probably means “the Good One" (warranted by similar use of taba in
No. 159 and elsewhere). TAB has also the meaning of "to be good, wholesome,
well". The formula is an ancient one, and its place in the liturgy corresponds
roughly to the Christian liturgical formula “The holy (agia) to the holy".
’) Kiniana, a word of wide meaning; “a name” (tribal or generic
name),
"nature", “characteristic”, “qualify”, etc.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 6i

those who love His name. We will seek and find, speak and be heard.
We have sought and found, have spoken and been heard in thy
presence, my lord, Manda-d-Hiia, Lord of all healings.

Forgive him stumblings and mis-

his sins, trespasses, follies,
takes and (those him who furnished this bread, niasiqta and
of)

{ritual) food ^). My lord, Manda-d-Hiia and (Thou) Great First Life,
forgive the sins trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes of the
donor(s) of fee and and their wives, children, their priests
oblation,
and those who placed (brought) this bread and food; (likewise) you,
my parents, teachers, instructors and preceptors when ye support
from the Left to the Right. ®) And ye shall say “Life be established in
Its Dwellings and Life be praised; Life is victorious over all works.
[Recite this “Good is the Good for the good” when thou readest
a masiqta. When thou performest a baptism recite it, when thou
distributest oil recite it, when thou recitest the Rahmia (“Devot-
ions” *) recite it, and after the Rahmia. And recite it when thou
partakest of the (ritual) dish. ®)

And Life is victorious.]

73
In the name of the Life!
A sealed letter which leaveth the world —
A letter VTitten in good-faith {kusta)
And sealed with the seal of the Mighty (Life) —
Righteous men \vrote it, believing men tied it on ®),

And suspended it about the soul’s neck

And despatched it to the Gate of Life.
• The wisdom.
soul, in her
Pressed her nail on the letter.
Her nail she pressed on the letter;
She imbued it with her mystic radiance.
Wrapped it and veiled it in hei light.
How came it that Daium saw
That the soul bore a letter ?

The person for whose benefit the niasiqta is celebrated.

Tabula “goodness” in ritual refers to the sacramental food, the bread
and the fruit. Lahma (lit. “bread”) can refer to any nourishing food.
*) I.e. from evil to good. The left is associated with evil, matter, material-

ism, darkness and “the Mother”; the right with spirituality, hght and good.
*) Prayers recited at the three daily prayer-times.

‘I Patura
= any table, tray, large dish or food-mat on which the sacred
food is spread out. The clause is missing in D.C.3
*) See J. nt 3, "to tie around”.
 ;

62 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

How was it that Daium^) saw it

As her seven sons gathered about her

And "Who hath written the letter
said
Whose secret no man knoweth ?
Who wrote the letter that is sealed in
By these protective strands?”
The letter is written in good faith.
And sealed with the seal of the Mighty (Life).
Righteous (men) wrote beUeving men tied it on
it,

And hung it about the neck of the soul

And despatched it to the Gate of Life.
The soul flieth and goeth until she hath reached
The watch-house of the Seven.
The Chief-of-Dues, when he saw her,
,
{And) the Governor 3), when they saw her,
Murmur discontent^) and say
"Who hath written the letter
Whose secret no man knoweth ?
Who wrote letter that is sealed
By these protective marks?”
"The letter is written in good faith
And sealed with the seal of the Mighty (Life).
Righteous (men) wrote it

Believing men tied it up

And hung it about the neck of the soul
And despatched it to the Gate of Life”.
The soul flieth and travelleth on .

Until she reacheth spirits of Purgatory ®).

A name given to Ruha.

Misra has a double meaning here, and in my translation I have tried to
*)

convey both. In general misra is a line traced about a sacred or untouchable

thing or area. It isolates that which it contains from contact. In ritual, it
refers to the furrow drawn about a purified area, which is purified by water,
in much the same way as the Parsi priest pours water into the protective
gutter (pavi) round a sacred area. The ceremony of "the Letter” is protected
by such water-containing furrows. Misra (Aramaic ’"1^ could also mean
a rope, "a twisted cord”.
Sahardal = VSTnKniW, middle Parthian for Middle Persian sahriyar,
"ruler”, "governor”.
*) DMDM = "to mutter angrily”.
The
mataraiia, officers of the watch-houses, or places where travellers
are detained at frontiers, are, as the Diwan Abatur shows, demons, spirits who
torment and purge souls after death.
 THE canonical PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 63

The spirits of Purgatory abased their heads

And the soul passed the purgatory-spirits by.
The soul flieth and goeth
Until she came to the waters of death.
As she reached the waters of death
There came forth towards her
A great Beam of radiance (and) of hfe, {who)
Grasped her by the palm of her right hand
And brought her over the waters of death ^).
The soul flieth and goeth
Until she reacheth the House of Life.
When she reached the House of Life
She uttered a cry to the House of Life,
And when He heard her call, the Life
Sent a messenger towards her, ,
(Who) grasped her by the palm of her hand.
Conducted her, (came) to support her
In the hkeness of the Life to the place
Of radiance, hght and beams of effulgence ®)
To unite her to {the company of) ’uthras
And to set her up amongst beams of hght ^).
Upon her head they placed a wreath of ether
And took her out of the world in splendour.
Life supported life Life found Its own
:

Ithath found Its own, and my soul hath found

That for which she hoped.
, And Life is victorious.

[Up to here recite over the flask of oil as it is put into clay up to
the mouth of the bottle. And the clay must be pure and from the
Jordan.]

74

Bound(secured) and sealed are the spirit and soul of N. by the

seal ofKusta and the great safeguard of truth by the word of
Kusta and the raising (power) of Yukabar-Ziwa.
And Life is victorious.

See p. 45, n. 6.
See p. 46 n. 2.
Read abrh as in D.C. 3 and M.L. p. 113:8.
h Pasimka = a beam or ray of light.
64 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

[This is the conclusion of the “Letter”. Set (press) thy seal-ring

and the nail of thy httle finger of thy right hand into the clay, seal
it and read this conclusion over it. And Life is victorious].

[Shouldest thou wish to administer oil {to a dying person), at the

beginning and end order the chief [relative) or remaining [persons:
i.e. throw water over the dying person^). If he is a
of the family?) to
Mandaean (layman) they shall purify ^) the hand of the dying person
and pour oil on it and sign it with three signings. And he shall join
with him ®) and shall place his hand on his mouth and then put
the dying person’s hand on his mouth. If immediate death is
near( ?) ^) at the place where they apply the oil they shall cleanse
with water and purify him and bring to him proxies [those like hini)^)]
In the name of the Great Life!
Health and xnctory be mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus.
When thou wishest to administer unction to anyone leaving the
body (dying), say “In the name of the Great Life, union and renewal
of life and forgiving of sins be there for this soul of N. son of N. of
this “Letter osidmasiqta” And bring a clean new bottle never before
used, press out pure oil and place in it. When enough, twine a wreath
of myrtle about the bottle. And set it before thee and recite for
thy crown “In the name of that First Being” and set thy crown on
thy head. And recite beside thy crowm “Life created Yawar-Ziwa”,
"Let there be light”, and “Manda created me” for thy crown. And
recite “Strengthened and enhanced is the great mystery of radiance,
light and glorj^” and bind thy pandama over thy mouth.
And take the phial into thy hand and recite “Water of Life art
thou” over the bottle. And recite “Hail to the First Life” for thd
incense and cast incense on the fire and recite “We have acknow-
ledged”, “Praises”, “ToThee” and “Raising my eyes” and the bottle
;

shall be in thy hand. And recite “Isought to raise eyes ” and at

the place where it says "vilt wipe away and remove from N. his

Lit. "the departing” (i.e. soul).

‘) MSA with 'da = “to purify the hand (either by water or other cleansing
substance or fluid).
®) This should mean the act of partaking of the sacraments, but I am in

doubt.
*) 'it hawia 'ka Imifaq “ff there is need for dying (to die) meaning that

death appears to be near.

®) Should death take place before the rite is over, deputies qualified by age,
status and astrological conditions act as proxies.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 65

stumblings and mistakes and cast them into

sins, trespasses, follies,

the hells of earth and into the nethermost Abaddons of darkness

and wilt raise him up as guiltless and not as guilty and as virtuous
and not as vicious before thee, Manda-d-Hiia. With thy radiance
thou vdlt clothe him and with thy light thou wilt cover him, and
wilt set thy hving wreath on his head, {the head of) this the soul of
N.” And take care that thou readest to the end with attention!
And recite the eight prayers for the fihta over the bottle and the
two prayers for the mambitha over the bottle and recite over the
myrtle wreath “The Light became light”, “Enhghtened and enhght-
ening” and place the bottle on his head. Recite “Manda-d-Hiia went
to the stars: his appearance loosed” over the bottle and take with
thy forefinger some oil from the mouth of the bottle and recite
"{In the name of the) Strange (Sublime) Life, this, the glory and
hght of Life” and at the place where it saith “to send forth sp^irit
and soul” say “of N”. and where it saith “And Sauriel the Releas-
er Cometh, who releaseth spirit and soul” say “of N.” and at
"everything that is therewith” sign the mouth of the bottle; and at
"the house of Abathur” sign the mouth of the bottle. And where
it saith "the spirit of N. w'ent and became like the soul and was

raised up into the House of Life and Life is victorious” sign the
mouth of the bottle. And recite "Truly did my baptiser baptise me”,
"I am baptised in the name of the Life”, and “WTiose son am I ?
Of the guarded Mana”, cover the bottle with the clay and take
thy seal-ring with three of thy fingers - thy thumb and the finger
next thy thumb and the little finger - and recite "The sealed letter
ivhich leaveth the w'orld” and at the place where it saith "a letter
w’liften in good faith and sealed with the seal of the Mighty (Life)”,
seal with thy ring and the nail of thy little finger. And until the end
let thy seal and the nail of thy little finger rest in the clay. And

recite "Bound and sealed are the spirit and soul of N. with the seal
of Kusta and the great safeguard of strength in the word of Kusta
and the raising-up of Yukabar-Ziw'a”.
And hft thy seal-ring, thy nail and thy little finger from it and
set it before thee and recite "Praised be the First Life” and at the
place where it says “Lift thine eyes” say “upon N.”. And thy panda-
ma must be over thy mouth. And recite "Ye are set up and raised up
up in the place where the good are established amongst manas of
hght” {insert) “the soul of N. is established in that place”.
And (recite) “I am crowmed with a wxeath and lay me down”.
 i

66 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

“With Him, with the Deliverer”, “Between the Hidden and the Rad-
iance”, “Blissand peace there will be on the road which Adam attain-
ed”, “My vigilance and praise”, “Go in peace, chosen, pure and guilt-
less one in whom there is no spot”, “The Mana rejoiceth in his treas-
ures”, “Well is it for thee, well is it for thee, soul that departest from
the world”, “Sunday, and Kusta and Oblation”, “I am provided and
provisioned”, and took me up with him”, “The day that
“He rose
the soul goeth forth” and “Ye are set up and raised up, my Chosen”.
And recite the “Blessed and praised be Life” for the souls and
here recite the “Blessed and praised is Life” of Shem son of Noah.
And where it saith “To you it shall be given, of the Ether-weath”
say “to N. son of N.” {it shall be given).
And recite “Good is the good for the good”; ask mercy for him
and remit his sins and his trespasses. And give it to him to whom
thqji givest it and grasp in kuUa the hand of him who holdeth (the
hand) of the d5dng person and say to him “This kusta which I
entrust 1) to thee, do thou convey it to Abathur” ^).
If it is urgent to carry him away, bestir thyself (hurry) when
thou recitest “The and
sealed Letter which leaveth the world”
“Bound and and soul of N.”. Give him that
sealed are the spirit
which thou givest him, and take in kuHa the hand of him who
taketh (the hand of )the d^dng person and say to him “This kukta
I speak to thee do thou speak it to Abathur”. Thy pandama must

be over thy mouth. Then thou shalt recite “The First Life be
praised”, “Ye are set up and raised up.” and {so on) till the “Good is
the good for the good”, just as I tell thee.
Offer up for him the devotional prayers, hymns and the “raising’
(prayers) of the masiqta ®) from beginning to end. And be careful
{to insert) the name of him to whom thou didst administer the oil.

Let nothing be lacking and recite with attention and care.

And Life is victorious.

Then, when thou boldest thy pandama over thy mouth, pray
for thyself. Make pihta and mambiiha for thyself, recite “The
Great Life spake and opened Their mouth” and eat thy pihta
and drink thy And recite “Life is full”, and “The Great
Life dwelleth” for thyself and recite “Good is the good for the

D.C. 53 has asbarlak here; asjarlak when the words are repeated below.
The asganda holds the hand of the dying person, as the priest would be
2
)

polluted by the touch of death.

"Of the masiqta” missing in D.C. 53.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 67

good” and perform the kusta-riie. for thyself and honour thy crown.
And beware, beware and beware lest thou begin any of the
“loosing prayers” without thy pandama. (Do it) only after thou
hast made petitions for thyself.
And Life is victorious.

This is which Bihram-Rba, son of Adam,

the Benediction of Oil,

celebrated for his wife of Adam when she departed

mother Hawa
the body, whilst Hibil-Ziwa sat before them.
This Benediction of Oil was in the Diwan 2) of Ramuia son of
'Qaimat of the town Tib, written by Zazai-d-Gawazta son of Hawa.
And Bayan-HibU son of Brik-Yawar wrote it. Here he distributed
it, with these books, amongst a hundred Nasoraeans, from his own
Diwan which he had copied from Ramuia son of ’Qaimat’s Diwan
that was found in the possession of Haiuna daughter of Yahia and
Bainai son of Zakia. •
And Bayan-Hibil son Brik-Yawar said “Just as it was written,
of
I wrote it and all the mysteries of the Oil were therein. As far as
Jerusalem, the city of the Jews, their mysteries {sacramental cere-
monies) are like these.
And Life is victorious.
Exhort those who administer the oil to be careful. If he {the
apparently dying person) doth not depart the body, let them bring
him to thee. Recite “In great radiance am I immersed”, break open
the seal, bear it away ( ?) and throw it into the jordan.
And when thou administerest oU, beware lest thou make a mis-
take. If thou hast committed an error, it wiU need a "masiqta of
^he sixty” ^) for him on whom the oil falleth and it will be well.
If impossible to carry him *) read a “sixty” masiqta for him with

seven food- trays ®), and at “that which is with her” ®) sign him
and at “the House of Abathur” sign him.

Prayers of deconsecration.
*) A
diwan is a scroll, a miscellany comprising several texts.
I.e. a masiqta at which 60 fatiria are made and signed.
*) Midiyh; or “to reach him”.

The word araia/a-variously spelt as arawata, (aruhata in D.C.3) — must

'’)

be, I think, the rahbata or rahuata of the ritual mss. It seems to mean "spread-
ings”. In actual modern ritual it is either a very large tariana, or a tray, or
an area of purified and smoothened mud upon which food-offerings are laid
out for a zidqabrika. (Blessed Oblation). It occurs only in the plural. Priests
translate the word simply as “food-offerings”, "sacred foods” but can
never be relied upon for exact meanings. 3iyi. HTIT. m“1 = to be wide.
*) Prayer 49 ma d-btf.

Dkower, The Canonical Prayerbook 6

68 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

(If) {be that of) a good, pious person, one who hath people
the soul
who do good after him, bring priests and celebrate sixty masiq-
will
tas for him in full with everything. In the upraising of the sixty”
sign him alone at {the words) ma d-bh; at the words bit Abatur sign
him alone. And in the last upraising sign him alone at bit Abatur
and (then) sign the souls of our fathers.
For a masiqta thou requirest meat, water of prayer, ^) incense,
fihta, hamra, wreath and oil. And in (on) the seven trays - place :

there all that thou wishest in the trays together with those mys-
teries {named above).
And when (there is) a masiqta, read the homilies about the soul ®)
let them be many, and be compassionate. It is good (beneficial)
for a soul on whom oil faUeth. Recite over him and over the seven
rahbata^) and {pray for) Mandaeans, Nasoraeans and the faithful.
And pray the prayers “We have acknowledged”, “Praises”,
“'rtiee”, “Lifting eyes”, “I sought to raise eyes” and all the appoint-
ed prayers for the pihta and mambuha, the “bindings and loosings” ®)
of the masiqta from beginning to end.
Be careful: make enquiry, display kindness, show compassion
{during?) the homilies, and loose him from his sins.

And Life is victorious.

Then Hibil-Ziwa taught and said “Great disgrace will fall on any
Nasoraean who (whilst) reading the masiqta openeth his pandama
or adulterates the water of prayer. He will not behold his Creator
and be smitten with that blow which was administered to the
will
First Eldest One because he sinned and blundered before his Parents.
And 1, Hibil-Ziwa, will not reckon him amongst my own, nor cpunt
him as one of my own”.
And Hibil-Ziwa said “Any Nasoraean who holds {to?) the pandama
and doth not adulterate the water of prayer, as long as he remaineth
in the body shall have increase ®), speech and a hearing because
he hath neither removed nor changed aught of that which his fathers

1
)
“Him” here means the pihta representing the person for whose benefit
the masiqta is celebrated. The other loaves represent other souls,
q See p. 36 n. 2.
It is customary to read to mourners from the left side of the G-inza Rba,
which consists largely of hymns and homihes about the after-life of the soul.
*) See above, p. 67 n. 5.

Prayers of consecration and deconsecration.

*’)

•) The word is misplaced in D.C. 53.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 69

commanded him, nor hath he performed the acts of Yusamin

or rendered a portion to the Well Sumqaq ®), nor did he stand in
the heat of the Well Sumqaq”.
Every man who celebrateth these mysteries must hold (wear)
the pandama. When
he holdeth his pandama all the creatures of
darkness are turned back from his presence, his appearance will
shine and all that he hath done will be confirmed by us.
And Life is victorious.]

This is the of Gadana which Hibil-Ziwa gave to the chosen

Book
elect, which have copied for myself. I am poor, lowly, child-Hke
I

and striving, one whom the Seven and Twelve persecute; one of
the Root of the First (Life), one insignificant amongst my fellow-
priests and ganzibras, earth beneath the feet of Nasoraeans and
dust beneath the feet of the pious ®). ,

I, a slave who is all sin, copied this Book of Gadana for myself

so that there should be someone to commemorate my name on

earth and yonder in the celestial worlds of light. For my heart hath
loved the Life and mine eyes wait upon Manda-d-Hiia, who will be
to me a support, a dehverer and a rescuer from the sons of Krun ^)
And I testify to the Life and to my lord Manda-d-Hiia with a true
and faithful heart.
I am Rabbi Adam-Yuhana son of Bihram son of Sa’dan son of
Msa’dan, Kamisia by name, Ri§-Draz. I copied it for myself from
the book of a righteous and upright woman, a beheving {creature)
whose mind is pure; in no lechery, lust or harlotry. She
it there is

c;pnsecrated herself to love of Truth (Kusta) and copied this Book

of Gadana so that there should be for her a commemorator on
earth and in the mighty celestial worlds of light, yonder. She was my
owm paternal grandmother, her baptismal name was Anhar daughter
of Sarat. May there be for her enlargement of life! And the name
by which she was called ®) was ’diia, daughter of Adam son of
Sa’ad-Juwiri. {She copied it from?) the copy of the great, lofty and
respected R. Ram-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R. Zihrun

*) Yusamin is the archetype of a careless priest who makes mistakes in

the acts which Y. did).
ritual. (Lit.
The well Sumqaq is often mentioned as a well of pollution in the under-
worlds.
Nasakia here a loan-word from the Persian.
Read thus Krun is the name of a j>otentate of the underworld.
:

Mandaeans have a baptismal name and a lay name.

70 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

son of R. Adam son of R. Yahia-Adam son of R. §itil son of R.

Ram son of R. Zakia son of R. Yahia son of R. Zakia son
of a father of ganzibras, R. Mhatam son of R. Sam, known as
Manduia, family name ’kuma (Black) He copied it from the book
.

of the great, lofty and respected R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R. Yahia-

Bihram son of R. Adam son of R. Y ahia-Adam known as Manduia,
family name ’kuma. He copied it for a salmana the craftsman —
Hadaiat son of the craftsman Qasum son of Bihram son of Zakia
of the sons of the Dihdaria (tribe), family name Sabur, from the
book of R. Zihrun son of Asta Faruk, Asta Nuruz, his baptismal
name being Bihram son of Adam-Yuhana son of Br-Hiia son of
Zihrun son of Yahia- Anus, son of the great lofty and respected R.
Mhatam son of Yahia-Baian son of Yuhana-Sadan, of the sons of
name Sabur. He copied from the book of Saha
the Dihdaria, family
v*iiose name w'as Hawa-Mamania daughter of 'Aziz, fa-
baptismal
mily name Wasia. He copied it from a book (copied 6y/5)Bihram-Br-
Hiia son of Adam-Zakia-Br-Hiia son of Baktiar son of Adam-
Bihram, family name Kuhilia, that was copied by the great, lofty
and respected master-builder of knowledge and understanding, a
noble and distinguished ganzibra, an excellent, accomplished man,
devoted to the First Life, son of an orthodox family (root), son of
a highly-distinguished family, our teacher, R. Yahia-Bihram son
of a father of ganzibras, R.Sam-Bahran son of Yahia son of Zakia
son of Yuhana known as by name. May Manda-d-
Buhaiiar, Zakia
Hiia forgive him his sins
he was kindly and long-suffering, and
for
wrote this book so that there should be commemoration for him
on earth and yonder in the worlds of light. And he copied it wi>h
the rubrics which had been copied by the great, lofty, respected
and rehable ganzibra Zihrun son of Br-Fliia son of Baktiar son of
Adam-Bihram, family name Kuhaiha— may Manda-d-Hiia forgive
him his sins! He copied it for Sam- Yuhana son of Mhatam-Bulbul
son of Sam, family name 'Asakir from the book of R. Adam-Baktiar
son of Yahia-Zakia-Zihrun son of Yuhana-Sitlan, family name Ris-
Draz . .

[The list of copyists is so long that I venture to omit the rest this
colophon of D.C. 5J, up to p. g8, line i6; {Translator).']

...Ziqa son of Ninia. And Adam-Sabur said “I went to Bit-

A "perfect”: i.e. a layman who embraces a life of perfect punty accord-

ing to Siouffi.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 7I

Hurdsaiia and travelled around a great deal, but found no reliable

masiqta equal to this masiqta. When I saw that it was reliable I

wrote this masiqta just as it was. And any priest or Mandaean who
prays, shall hold to this masiqta.
And now, ye priests who hold to it, be staunch to this masiqta
so that there may be forgiveness for your sins, and the Life and
Manda-d-Hiia and aU the ’uthras sons of light will be your helpers.
But we will abandon and not approach any man untrue to it.
And Life is victorious.

So these prayers were arranged from the “Explanation of Prayers

of Baptism and the Masiqta” which was copied from the Diwan of
Ramuia son of 'Qaimat; their father wrote (it?), Baian-Hibil son
of Brik-Yawar and our master Baian son of Zakia. It was in his
library. So that these injunctions were written by Baian son^of
Brik-Yawar. He distributed these books here amongst a hundred
Nasoraeans from his own library, which he had copied from the
Diwan of Ramuia son of ’Qaimat which was housed by Haiuna
daughter of Yahia and Baian son of Zakia.
For it was written in the town of Tib. And Zakia copied it from
the Diwan of Ramuia son of ’Qaimat and Yahia (?) copied from the
Diwan of Sam son of Anus-Y ahia, and Sam copied from the Diwan
of Bihram son of Brik-Alaha ? and Anus copied from the Diwan
. . .

of ’Qaiam son of Sarat and 'Qaiam copied from Qaiuma son of Brik-
Alaha and Qaiuma copied from Sganda son of Yasmin, and Sganda
son of Yasmin copied from the Diwan Zazai-d-Gawazta br Hawa and
^azai-d-Gawazta copied from the Diwan of the First Life.
Ai!d Ramuia son of ’Qaimat said “From the day on which it fell
from {was written by) Zazai-d-Gawazta son of Hawa till now, the
years in which I wrote it, is {a space of) 368 years in the ages”. And
Ramuia son of ’Qaimat said “I wrote this Diwan in the town
of Tib in the years when Anus son of Danqa departed vGth the
heads of the people (ethnarchs), in the years when the Arabs
advanced”.
Then Baian-Hibil son of Brik-Yawar wrote “I purified myself
when I got possession of these m\'steries. And I myself travelled
around and went on foot to Nasoraeans and took many diwans from
place to place. And nowhere did I find “mysteries” as reliable as

*) Read Bit-Hudsaiia. The HudSaiia are mentioned in the Asfar Malwasia,

(Bit-Hudsaiia p. 52 1.7) and in the ATS.
 .

72 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

these Mysteries of Baptism and Masiqta and Oil-of-Unction. I have

written them here and have distributed them to a hundred Nasor-
aeans in order that they may hold to and be staunch to them.
“And now, ye priests! Hold and abide by this end (purpose),
like ’uthras of who stood by these mysteries, all of them,
hght
and confirm a
it commtmion to which Yawar is joined.
in
“And any man who doth not confirm this end (conclusion) we
wiU avoid and not approach him. He may go in his clothes and roll
in his filth! His habitation will be the Sumqaq Well.”
Then the writing of Ram-Ziwa-Bihram son of Baian: — “1
have looked into the Diwan of ‘The Great Wellspring’ of Ramuia
son of ’Qaimat. Any person who WTiteth the Book of Gadana
and removeth any of the injunctions assigned and written
therein. Thou wilt place in clouds of darkness. And anyone who
wpteth a book of rejection, or removeth any of the injunctions
written therein so that they are broken, shall be cursed with a great
curse. For this is the curse which the First Life uttered and pronounc-
ed, “Anyone who becometh hostile to the Life shall die the second
death of an enemy he will belong to the Darkness he wiU fall and
:
;

for him there wiU be no uprising”.

(But) those who have not removed trust in the Life or (changed)
any part of that which they wrote and taught about it, any indivi-
dual, he and his opinion and hath delivered them from their sins
: .

Moreover, anyone who cuts a copy, or extracts therefrom the name

of its owner, shall be cut off {himself and sent) to the watch-houses
(purgatories) of the planets. And at the Great Judgement he will
stand up, but Abathur will not take his hand in kiista „

Life is victorious over all works and victorious is Yawar-Ziwa and

his helpers, his people, his priests, and his holding (partisans).
And Life and all Its works are victorious.

75- *)

In the name of the Great Life!

May there be heahng, victory, strength, soundness, speech and a
hearing for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus, from the Life!

Meaning doubtful.
*) The passage appears to be faulty and obscure.
“) I.e. grasp his right hand in the solemn act of fealty and friendship,
*) The prayer is called by the priests the Audin utnsbihan.
 .

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 73

We have acknowledged and praises ^are due)

To the mighty sublime First Life,
The Ineffable which is over all works.
(/ come), bringing (dedicating) my head and my mouth
To the Life and to the implanted Word
And to ’Usar-Hiia, the great solace and support of Life
In order to praise, honour, magnify, bless and exalt Thee.
who
{^et) shall praise Thee®), Life?
And who, magnify the greatness of Thy victories?
Life, shall
Thou art lauded. Thou art magnified, thou art glorified
And Thou art exalted!
{Jdor lo) Thou
art come. Thou earnest and none but Thee came.
At Thy radiancy the riders were afraid s).
At Thy hght gates and kingdoms were troubled.
On seeing Thee the Jordan turned about, •

The waves of the sea rolled back

And the islands of the sea were thrown into confusion.
Chariots were overthrown and they fell on their faces.
Cedars of Lebanon were rent, mountains shook and leaped like
stags.
They opened and gave praise.
Does in the desert shed their young untimely;
The heights arise and speak in (Thy) honour.
The earth trembled and was shaken.
Jordan! whom didst thou behold that thou didst turn back?
Waves of the sea! wherefore did ye roll back?
Isles of the sea! why
were ye thrown into confusion ?
Chariots wherefore did ye overturn and fall on your faces ?
!

Cedars of Lebanon! why were ye rent ?

Mountains! wherefore were ye shaken and why did ye leap hke
stags
(Why) did ye open and give praise ?
Does in the desert! on account of WTiom did ye miscarry your
young
Heights! in Whose honour did ye arise and speak ?
Earth! WTiom didst thou behold and {at what) didst thou tremble ?*)

“At the Radiance which surpasseth all radiance.

According to Ndldeke a shortened form of audinin.

M.L. nisabak; D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 nisaba.
In all mss. sararkubia in one word. See M.L. p. 126, n.i. Doubtful.
This hymn is also in the G.R. See G.R. p. 178 of the translation by
:

Lidzbarski.
74 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

At the Light which surpasseth all hghts.

And at the Good Being who crossed the worlds
And came and cleft the firmament and revealed Himself.”
When the Life gazed (down) and looked on the earth
And Its Glory ahghted upon the roofs of Its Building,
(Lo!) they were sitting on thrones of rebellion.
They got down meekly from their thrones
And feu upon their faces. It eclipsed and took away
The glory of the worlds and generations
And quenched the flames of their lamps.
It set the eyes of the planets in the depths of the earth
And in the lower glooms of Darkness.
Spirit (ruha) hfted up her voice.
She cried aloud and “My Father, my
said, Father
Why didst Thou create me ? My God, my God,
My AUah, why hast thou set me afar off
And cut me off and left me in the depths of the earth
And in the nether glooms of darkness
So that I have no strength to rise up thither?”
AU arose, prayed and praised the majesty of mighty (Life)
And their voices sang to the Glory that is mighty
Praising the Radiance which surpasseth (aU) radiance
And the Light which surpasseth (aU) hghts.
And Good Being who crossed the worlds.
the
Came, the firmament and revealed Himself.
cleft

He sundered Light from Darkness and sundered Good from Evilr

He sundered Life from Death, '

And He brought out those who love His name of Truth

From Darkness to Light and from Evil to Good
And from Death to Life and set them
On roads of Truth and Faith.
And Thou hast spoken to us with Thy Word
And hast commanded us with Thy commandment —
“Be My glory and I will be your Glory.
Be my light and I wiU be your Light.
And my name shall be in your mouths
And I wiU be with 5mu”.
Thou art He who overthrow^est (false) gods in their high-places
And bringest reproach on the divinity of (false) deities.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 75

They were broken down by shame on their way

And deep ignominy befell their temples
And fettered their might, i)

Great is the splendour in which Manda-d-hiia is arrayed!

Blest is that daj^ of light, praised is that dawn
On which Thou didst travel and come from worlds of light!

(That day) is not reckoned in a count of days.

Nor months;
in a reckoning of
Except that day on which Thou wast revealed from worlds of
light.

We will reveal to them, that day on which Thou wast revealed.

To all who love Thy name of Truth (kusta).
We offer up our commemoration, our petition, our prayer.
Our submission, our tabuta and our faith •

InThy presence, (0) ’Usar-Hiia, Delight and great Support of Life.

Were we to stand and praise Thee, Thy name.
Thy title and Thy goodness seven times a day, my Lord,
Who could praise Thee, Life,
Or magnify {worthily) the greatness of Thy victories ?
Can the stinking body praise Thee? or the vain tongue?
Were our mouth like the sea, our Mps like its waves
And our tongue like cleft mountains.
Then might we praise Thee, magnify Thee, honour Thee and
bless Thee!

Thou knoweth him who feareth Thee with his heart

* i\nd him who confesseth thee with his lips.
With a pure mouth be Thou blessed
And lauded with a tongue of praise.
Supporters who do not waver, interpretations
Of Truth {kusta) which vary not praise Thee.
Sons of Perfection beside Thee, (an) endless, countless
And everlasting (company), all shining with reciprocal radiance.
Praise Thee, for amongst them all hatred,
Envy and dissensions exist not.
The Place which is aU portals of radiance, light and glory
*) D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 have the more probable tuqfaihun (M.L. p. 128,
tuqnaihun, r.li.
Here either “goodness" or, as recited at the inasiqta, the ritual food.
J. in later Hebrew, "method of
=>) interpretation”.
76 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Praiseth Thee. The ancient, lofty, occult

And watchful One, Abathur, who sitteth according
To his rank, hke the Life, praiseth Thee,
The ’uthra Pthahil praiseth Thee and saith to Thee,
“Blessed art Thou, my Lord, Manda-d-Hiia
And praised. And blessed is the Place
From which Thou earnest: praised, magnified
And honoured is the great Place from which Thou earnest.
And praised, magnified and honoured is the great Place
To which Thou goest.”
Elect righteous (men) from lower sanctuaries
Praise thee; for Thy knowledge, Thy wisdom.
Thine understanding and Thy goodness do they praise Thee.

Thou hast come! Thou comest and art ready to reveal Thyself.
Thou art immeasurable, infinite and everlasting.
Thou art the Father, Thou art the Brother, Thou art the Son;
Thou art the Source, Thou art the great Root of Life;
Thou art the First, Thou art the Last,
Thou art the Future, for Thou preparest Thyself to come
And didst depart in order to reveal Thyself.
Put far from us Thy wrath and bring near Thy mercy.
Turn back, push back, remove and make impotent
Angels of wrath, frost and had from my land
And my house —
mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus —
In the twinkhng of an eye and at a turn of the wheels,
(Let) our petition, our prayer and our submission
Rise up before Thee, Manda-d-Hiia! •

That which we have done forgive us.

And that which we do, forgive us,
(For) Thou, (O) Manda-d-Hiia art a forgiver of sins.
Trespasses, follies, stumbhngs and mistakes.
If Thou, (O) Manda-d-Hiia, didst not forgive our sins.
Our stumbhngs and mistakes.
trespasses, foUies,
Who would stand guiltless before Thee, Manda-d-Hiia?
Slaves are we, who are all sin

And Thou the Lord who art all mercy.

Before Thee, all hands are thieving and aU bps lying;
In Thine eyes, Manda-d-Hiia {even) Jordan- waters are not
cleansing.
b The reference is again to the Mandaean skintas.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 77

The worlds know not Thy name, nor recognise Thy light.
O {fie on) those who sit and eat and drink.
On those who quarrel and persecute!
O {fie on) those who fornicate and are adulterous!
O {fie on) those who worship portico and clay brick!
Day by day they sit on thrones of insolence
And persecute the name of the Life;
{Yet) they knew not the name of the Life,
Nor did the idea of the Life enter their minds.
{Blit) we have testified to Life and put our trust in Life;

And Manda-d-Hiia stood by us, was of our company

And was our Helper.

The worlds reviled us and persecuted us.

With (to ?) the ? of the world do not Thou abandon
. . . . us,
Nor with the judgement of the world judge us:
Range us not with the world-guilty.
Nor cut us off from the Life.

We spoke in chants i)
of the Life
And we revealed mysteries that were veiled;
{Blit) the worlds reviled us and persecuted us.
LifeFrom the Hidden accept Thy prayers,
!

And we will establish deUght in Thy light.

Thou art our Radiance, our Brightness, our Strength,
Our Help and our Enlightenment which thou didst reveal to us,

• To the first lovers of thy Name, in rays of radiance.

We have confessed Thy truth and wiU spread Thy hght

(Shed) upon us. Thy victories will bring it to pass
And w'e wiU be stablished in Thy truth {kustak).
The (false) gods in the height will see us
And will be convicted of guilt and put to shame.
Thou wilt clothe us with Thy radiance
And cover us with Thy light;
Thou w’ilt show' us the road
By which Thou earnest from the House of Life
And therein we will walk the course

Sidria; or“in books”, “in recitations".

That is “prayers addressed to Thee".
78 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

{Set for) righteous and believing people.

Causing our spirit and souls to dwell in abodes of Life
According to the purpose of the Life
And the will of the three ’uthras^).
And according to the will of Manda-d-Hiia
Sublimest of beings, and according to the will
Of the Four Beings, sons of salvation.
In Thy presence there will be restoration
For our spirit and our souls.
Thou wilt clothe us with Thy radiance
And cover us with Thy light
And will stand us before Thee with the innocent
And not with the guilty;
With the richly-endowed and not with the lacking.
Knowledge of Life is Thy name. Truth is Thy name.
Pure Thy name, magnified is Thy name.
is

Honoured is Thy name, blessed is Thy name

And abiding is Thy name. Victorious art Thou

And victorious is Thy name.
Victorious are the words of Truth which proceed from Thy mouth
Over all deeds. Make victorious and establish
This my soul {the soul of) Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus.
And Life is victorious over all works.

76
In the name of the Life!
Praises to the Outer Life
Whom Ye caused to dwell without (beyond), ,
'

The abode that hath limit.

For Your eyes are open to {discern) Your own.
Your ears hearken at Your Place 3).
Praises to that one great name of Life
Which is above all names.
Its name resteth on the great Place of Light,
On the everlasting abode and on the city of 'uthras.
And on the Beam who was greater than all beams.
With Wdiose hght all beams shine
And by Whom aU souls are justified;
I.e., Hibil, 'Anus and Siti!.
Zakaia =
“victorious” and "pare” an:! i.s u.ieu in both senses.
D.C. 3 and otiier copies have \itra.kii-i "vour ’athras”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 79

Who establisheth our strength and cutteth us not off

From the House of our trust;

WTio restoreth our souls at the House of Ransom
On the Day of Judgement, and perfecteth our souls
On the great Da}^ of joy.
One Who is all the ’uthras.
Praises (be) to
And One Who is all prayers, and to the Predestined One
to
Wdio came and remained for our commemoration
And who was established in the presence of Outer Life.
(One) on whose mouth Life rested and whose praise
Was established without.
Praises, praises to the Ancient, the First,
To the Son of the great Primal Life
Whom armed and sent Him forth
Life called, prepared,
To the generations. (Lo) Thou earnest and didst open a doop.
Thou didst level a road and tread out a path.
Didst set up a boundary-stone
And didst knit together a community.
Thou wast Helper, Saviour and Guide
To the Father of the great Family of Life ®),
And didst knit it together in a Communion of Life,
Didst build it into a great Building of sound construction *)

And didst bring it ®) forth to the great Place of Light

And the Everlasting Abode.

O callers whom I have summoned!

0 nourisherswhom I have nourished!
‘
Q builders whom I have raised up
And brought out from amongst the peoples, nations and tongues!
Behold, here I stand! Behold, here I dwell!
Worlds against whom I guard myself
Though your words are not far from my face.
If ye take mountains {of food) as your viaticum for eating,

D.C. 53 has umistakilan in the next line. I think that the verb here is
SKLL (“restoring our souls and "perfecting our souls”), see (M.L.
has umiitkalin).
“) In M.L. p. 134:9 and D.C. 53 dukran: D.C. 3 has the more probable

dukranan (“our mentioning”, "our commemoration”).

®) I.e., Adam.

h Lidzbarski translates srara “truth” but this translation does not convey
its literal meaning of “soundness” "rehabihty”.
^) “It” is the great Family of Life.
 ; ;

8o THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

They will not satisfy {lit. “complete”) you.

If ye take seas for your drinking
They will not make you perfect i)
{content you).
{But) if with perfections ye stand before the Outer Life
And before the Eternal Abode, I will count your number.
And your reckoning shall be reckoned.
Betimes I will come and will fly
And will reach the sons of my Name, the sons of my Sign,
And the sons of the great Family of Life.
I will bind you together into the bundle *) of Life
And I will build you into a great Building of Truth ®)
And will bring you forth to the great Place of Light
And to the Everlasting Abode.

If no hatred, rancour, or dissension amongst you

there is

The hand ?) wiU not search

of the mbartablas (customs-officers
amongst your garments
Ye will not pass over the Bridge ®)
Nor walk in a narrow street;
Ye will not stand before the judge
Nor look on the countenance of the Adversary-at-law
Nor win ye see an averted face.
The chief customs-officer vail not question you.

Ye will go forth: ye will behold the Perfecter of Souls,

One who setteth on paths of surety
His friends that are made perfect,
A great comrade of the faithful.
One of the great band of souls.
Who \vill come out toward you
And clothe your souls in a garments of radiance

q D.C. 53 lagmirilkin. As the reference is to the ritual meal, the reference

may be to the sacramental meal of another rite.
‘) The expression tuslimia is often used for perfected souls.
Read ’pra ii’mtia.
*) have adopted the Jewish expression here, for laitfa conveys the image
I
of binding units into a whole, and the sentence corresponds closely with the
ancient Hebrew metaphor.
Or “sound construction”, see p. 79, n. 4.
*) The “bridge” here probably refers to the Zoroastrian “Bridge of C^invat”,

“narrower than a hair” over which departed souls must pass. Only the right-
eous succeed. The hymn was probably written at a time when the state
religion was Magian. Tidun from ADA to pass, make a pass.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 8l

And ingood pure vestments of light

Which he will bring you from the Great Place of Light
And the Everlasting Abode.
He will bring out toward you wreaths,
A wreath of victories.
And every leaf of your wreaths will (weigh)
One thousand and eighty mithqals ^).
Its brilliancy will exceed the brightness of the Sun
And its light outshine the light of the moon.
Ye your vesture and will receive your wreaths
will receive
In the presence of the Great (Life).

Ye be great, and called 'uthras amongst the 'uthras.

will
Ye will open your eyes and behold your Judge.
Betimes will the dayspring dawn upon you,
In strength ye will arise and behold the Outer Ether
And the great Beam who is aU hght.
Who was set up before the Great Life:
He whom Life created, prepared and sent forth
To the ages and to the worlds.
And ®) every man who giveth oblation *)

And took part in the communion ®) from beginning to end.

They will make as perfect as the tnanas,
Like rays of light he will be made to shine
On the day of dehverance, on the Day of Redemption,
The great Day of Joy; so that his righteous act
Stretcheth onward. It will precede you and will uplift,
• Showing you the Outer Ether and the everlasting Abode,
The place which is ancient, (of) Primal Beings,
And sons of the great Family of Life.

They eat of that which is imperishable

And drink that which is not wine, eating well

1
)
Tartabunia. Lidzbarski translates “turbans" (from Latin turritwn a
head-cover, Arabic I incline to think that tartdbuna is not a head-

dress, but derived from the root RTB. (The usual Mandaic word for turban
is burzinqa).
Mitqal: = shekel? (about one ounce ?).
D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 nlkulman (M.L. kul man. p. 137: yf).
*) Those who bring offerings for the Blessed Oblation.

*) The expression is that used for partaking of food and water in the

ceremony of Laufa, a commemorative meal for the dead.

82 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And asking solace. And an ’uthra of Life

Cometh and restethupon them day by day and hour by hour
Praises (be) to the fame of the righteous
And Chosen Elect (men),
to the existence of
And Being who standeth without.
to the Unearthly ^)

Whose eyes are open and fixed upon those

Who love his name of Truth (kusta) —
Thou art he, Manda-d-Hiia! for thou knowest
About that in which the perfect man is made perfect.
And about the virtuous man, in what his virtue consisteth ^)
And the Lie ®), of what doth it consist.
Not a word issueth from the mouth of a perfect man
But thou knowest it, hast understood and expected it
In the great Place of Light and the Everlasting Abode.
JThe mountain doth not boast its strength, nor a hero his doughty
deeds, ^)

Nor doth a boumian vaunt his bow, nor the physician his drugs,
Nor the righteous and sage man the utterance of his mouth.
Not so: it is an ’uthra of Life which cometh
And resteth upon Thy devotees.
And those who seek from Him shah find, and to those who ask
of Him
It %vill Day by day, hour by hour, behold us
be given.
Wdio stand in Thy name and are upheld by {calling on) Thy name.
We hold to Thy Leader ®) of the great company of Truth
We have held staunch because of Thy victories.
Humihate us not; cast us not into the hands of tormentors.
Liars, hypocrites and the censorious. '

Let not torturers strike us nor condemners damn our souls!

The good will see and will be found ready ®)
(But) The wicked will be discomfited and the children of the
world be shamed
Perfected (souls) will see that the Life existeth
,And will direct their gaze to the great Place of Light and the
everlasting Abode.
h Lit. “Strange".
2
)
Lit. “what there is belonging thereto”.
3
)
Both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 have saqara (lit "har” M.L. 138; 6 nsrara).
*) Read gabarnth.
Br guda. (Not “curtain” here.)
®) Or “are refreshed” i.e. partake of sacramental food, an ecclesiastical
expression for eating and drinking at sacraments.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 83

Thou, Manda-d-Hiia, callest the caller ^), nourishest the nourisher,

buildest the builder,
Exaltest horns ^), enlargest footstepsand settest up a road ®),

And dost knit together in communion.

Thou art He who constructeth, and who takest out from amongst
the peoples, nations and tongues every man who is summoned,
worthy and invited. To every man whose term of life is over
Thou and Guide to the great Place of
wilt be a Helper, Saviour
Light and to the everlasting Abode. As to one whose term
is incomplete and he standeth (hveth) in the body, {able) to open
his mouth, hft up his voice, pray his prayers and to offer up his
praise, and whose feet can walk to my House ®), thine ’uthra shall
come and shall rest upon him. Thy friend.
Diffuse Thy hght over all who love Thy name of Truth {kusta).
Thou hast spoken with Thy Word and hast commanded us with
Thy commandment, "Over your words My Word hath precedence:
and at the raising of your right hands {towards Me?) My right hand
will be hfted ®) towards you. Ye will call, and I will answer you
quickly. Ye will seek My hand and I will not withhold it {from)
your hands”.
We pray with Thee the ’uthras’ prayer and ask of Thee, of
will
the Great a petition for ourselves, for our friends, for our
(Life),’)

friends’ friends and for those who love the great Family of Life,
for the whole Nasinita ®) of Life, fulfilled and disseminated
on earth. Thou wilt bring us some of Thy radiance, thou wilt lend
us some of Thy light. We Thy radiance will go
will enter into
fortl^ in Thy hght, wiU rise in Thy name and be kept right by Thy
nature®). Truth is Thy name. Knowledge of Life is Thy name.

h M.L. 139 : 5 qaruiia, D.C. 3 qariiia and D.C. 53 aqariiiia.

A common expression for giving self-confidence.
Dirka in both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 M.l. 139:6 ftndAa (boundary-stone)
:

Lit. “who has his measure” (or “span”), i.e. has years of life still before
him everj-one being allotted a fixed measure of years.
:

^) D.C. 53 and D.C.

3 differ here from M.L. ( which has Iraiirubia sigia d-
ligrh instead of ^^lblt sagia d-ligrh.
®) I.e. in blessing.
’) suspect a miscop3dng at some time, for in other passages we get sulta
I
d-rba tdaziita (a petition that is great and not small). But rbia in the plural
imphes that the Great Life is meant.
*) Nasinita: here probably the whole body of believers, the teaching of

the Xasoraeans.
®) Kiniana means both “nature” and "name”.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 7
84 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

precious is Thy name, magnified is Thy name, victorious is Thy

name, victorious are the words of truth which issue from Thy
mouth, and victorious are ali Thy deeds ^).
And Life is victorious!

77
In the name of the Life!
Thee (O) life, (is it meet) to praise, to honour.
To magnify and to bless;
First Life, Second Life and Third Life,
Yufin-Yufafin and Sam-Mana-Smira
And the Vine which is All-Life
And the great Tree w'hich is aU heahngs.
(Meet is it) to praise, honour and magnify
And to bless ’Usar-Hai and Pta-Hai
* Who open (reveal) the fihta of Life
And transplant a planting of Light,
And instal the First Counterpart
In the House of Life.
(Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless Nbat ’’)

The First great Bursting-Forth (Emanation),

The exigence of Life ®) in Its nature.
(Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
The Lord of Great Fruition, the great and high Being
Who was fruitful, begetteth and produceth

') Kiisia is more than “truth”. As antithesis to “he”: it is “sincerity",

“good-faith”, “rectitude”, “fidelity”. ^

2) Cf Yafefiyah “divine beauty” Targ.Y. Deut. xixv, 6. The verb HB’ is

not Mandaic, so that this is probably a name of foreign origin.
Lidzbarski always translates Sam Mana Smira as “Sam der wohlver-
wahrte Mana”.
Either “Treasure-of-Life” or “Treasury of Life”.
Literally “He (or “they”) opened Life”, i.e. “revealed or began hfe”.
®) Or pihta d-hiia = “Bread of Life”.

’) The high-flown mystical language of this hymn is only comprehensible

when the basic idea of creation as propounded in the inner teaching of the
priesthood is brought to bear on its literal interpretation. Nbat, “It or They
burst forth” is the literal meaning, refers to the self-manifestation of a crea-
tive force after a period of quiescence. This “urge of life”, this irrepressible
impulse to express itself in worlds of spirit and matter, appears in the meta-
phor of springs of water, the bursting forth into leaf, flower and fruit of the
vegetable world, the birth of creatures and so on.
®) Surik hiia “need (or necessity) of life,” could be almost rendered by the
French “61an vital”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 85

Great fruit for Himself.

{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Yukabar-Ziwa, who increased in his brilliancy
And was great in his hght.
{Meet isto praise, honour, magnify and bless
it)

Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia, the life which proceeded from Life,

The truth {kusta) that was aforetime, in the Beginning;
Who was mightier in His radiance than the worlds of light.
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Has, the Stem of splendour, radiance, light and honour
Whose branches are a thousand thousand and its tendrils
A myriad myriad. Well is it for him
Who hath looked on that Tree!
Bihram who saw it, lived, shone, was cured and
®), established
And his name hath not died. •
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Sanasiel ,
who standeth at the Gate of Life
And prayeth for spirits and souls.
He interpreteth silence, inspireth hope
And taketh in keeping in the World of Light
The prayers of pious and believing people.
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Haiasum-Ku§ta ®), messenger of Life,
The Word of the first chosen elect (men).
He crossed the worlds, came, pierced the firmament
And revealed himself.
. {Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Bhaq-Ziwa ®), who is called “He acted and succeeded in his
skinta”
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Yukasar ’), source of radiance

Has = “He pondered”.

Hadra in D.C. 3 and D.C. 53, M.L. 142:3 has hidra.
The Bihram Rba in whose name all baptisms take place ? This line hints
at a human being.
•*) Possibly from I'Sl “to blossom”?
“May-the-name-of-Kusta-live”.
=)

®i The root BHQ means “to glisten, to be white”.

') It seems likely that the words of the preceding clause attached to Bhaq-
Ziwa, were originally part of those attached to Yukasar, whose name seems
to mean “the spirit of success”.
86 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Who bestoweth radiance and displayeth his light.

{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
i).
Biriawis, the strong source {kana)
The Kana took thought so that its radiance increased.
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Ayar^), the pure Vine which abideth
In the great and lofty Treasure-house ®) of Light.
{Meet it is) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
The pure Yusamin *) who resteth upon
The treasures of the waters
And upon mighty wellsprings of hght.
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
The ’uthra Tauriel ®), the being who resteth by
The pastures ®) of the water.
> When a fragment from the little finger of his right hand
Fell (off There was consternation on earth.
?)

And vexation( ?) in the world of falsehood.

’’)

{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless

Adatan and Yadatan ®), who stand at the Gate of Life
And praise and extol Life,
And pray for the spirits and souls
Of righteous and beheving people
In the Place of Life.
{Meet is it) to praise, honour, magnify and bless
Silmai and Nidbai ®), two ’uthras
Delegates of Manda-d-Hiia

1
)
See p. 47, n.4. The Kana of the next line probably means the Divine
Source of all Water of Life in gnostic s>Tnbolism, Biriawis = Piriawis, the
heavenly Jordan, see p. 12 penult.
2 Ayar, “ether”, "pure air” is personified in Mandaean texts. He seems
)

to correspond \Hth the "most thin air” of the Essenes (Josephus, vol.iv, p.
155) and the Iranian Vayah (Ether).
3 See p. 95, n. 5.
)

Yusamin: see p. 7 and p. 13, n. 6.

Tauriel is often invoked in phylacteries. An obvious cattle-spirit, he
calls into mind the Mithra myth, in which the bull's blood released the forces
of fertihty and hfe. The verse is obscure. To lose a little finger is one of the
causes of disqualification to priesthood.
®) (See n. 5.) (Syr. tm A l.

Or consuming (rage) ?
*) Adatan and Yadatan, often mentioned as a pair; no function is assigned
them, except here.
*) Silmai and Nidbai are the guardian spirits of the Jordan.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 87

Who axe active and do {the work of) the Life.

With ku^a and with the testimony of the Life
They immerse living, shining, bright and well-doing souls
Who go in sincerity to the Jordan {and are baptised)
{But) not in the name of gods *) or of a messiah!
{It is meet) to praise, honour, magnify and bless

§um-Hai, Rhum-Hai, Tn-Hai and Zamar-Hai ®),

Four Beings, sons of perfection,
Wdio come towards sincere and beheving people.
And take them out of bonds
(Tied by) the hands of the wicked
And from beneath the claws of scheming men;
And hft them up to the great place of Light
And to the Everlasting Abode.
They knit them into the Bundle of Life •

And buUd them into a great Building

Of sure strength *).

{It is meet) magnify and bless

to praise, honour,
and Anus ®),
Hibil, Sitil
Sons of a Stock which is hving, light-giving.
Vigorous and sturdy;
Beings that cannot be taken by the sword
Nor consumed by flames of fire;
Nor swept away by floods of water;
Nor will the thongs of their sandals
Be dipped in the water.
• They were judged and were justified;
They sought and they found;
They strove and reached the Great Place of Light
And the Everlasting Abode.
{It is magnify and bless
meet) to praise, honour,
Sihiun, and Pardun, and Kanfun ®),
'Uthras whose names, each one, are in the House of Life ’^)

Vigorous, flourishing, full of vitality.

2
Lit. in the name of Allah-cult, Allahdom, i.e. heathen
)

Four beings mentioned in Prayer 17.

*) Srara; see p. 80, n. 5 and p. 79, n. 4.

The three sons of Adam Kasca.

®) The names do not occur elsewhere as a trio.

’) D.C. 3 has d-had had hawia iumaihun bit hiia adam kasia bihram uram

utria d-had sumaihun bit (hiia) utrin trin kintanun. The sentence is obscure.
88 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And the ’uthras Adam-Kasia Bihram and Ram whose

names are
Each one in the House of hfe, (but) their nature is two two,
{dualistic ?)

And the names of righteous and beheving people

Will be established in the Place of Light.
Thy name giveth out hght. Thy name is illustrious,
Thy name is pleasing and Thy name raiseth up.
Thy name is victorious and victorious are the words of truth
Which issue from Thy mouth, (victorious) over all works.
Make victorious and raise up this my soul,
{The soul of) Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus!
And Life is victorious over all works.
I copied these three prayers “W'e have acknowledged”, "Praises”,

add "Thee (Life)” for myself so that there may be commemoration

for me on earth and yonder in the mighty and lofty worlds of light.
For my heart hath testified to the First Life and I endure the
persecution of the world from sons of the planets. For one name -
Yawar - do I strive with a pious and beheving heart for the love
of precious Truth.
My waiteth on the Life and mine eyes upon Manda-d-Hiia; for
they vtII be my support, my deliverer and saviour from the Place
of Darkness to the Place of Light.
I copied for myself, poor and lowly a slave who is all sin, dust

on the feet of Xasuraeans . . .etc.

(The rest of the colophon, which resembles the former colophon, is

omitted).

THE RESPONSES. Ifniania)

78
In the name of the Great Life!
May my thought, my
knowledge and my understanding
Enhghten me, Adam-Yuhana son of ilahnus.
By means of these responses ^) and homihes for baptism
and the masiqta.
Adam Kasia, the occult Adam, has the occult Eve (Hawa Kasia) as
spouse, Ram’s spouse is Rud, but Bihram’s spouse is unnamed .

'niania means “answers”, “responses”, hence these hymns were probab-

ly chanted antiphonally, although this is not the case now. Henceforward I
shall translate 'mana “hymn”. Draha = “homihes” or “canticles”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 89

79
In the name of the Great Life!
When the myrtle ,
the myrtle, flourished
In the gardens of Hibil;
When the wild marjoram grew in the precincts of the manda ^),
They gave me two twigs of m5nrtle
From which they twisted a wreath for the Jordan.
For it is wondrous and fragrant is its perfume!

[Recite this hymn and twist a wreath of myrtle for thy staff,
then read the jordan-h}Tnn “Hear me my father, hear me”.]

80
In the name of the Great Life
Hear me, my Father, hear me! Draw me upward •

(O) Great One, son of the mighty (Life),

Our Father, son of the Lite
Silmai and Nidbai, lords of the Jordan, hear me!
Jordan, and both its banks, hear me!
Hear me, Hibil-Ziwa, whose strength
Resteth upon his brethren, the ’uthras!
Hear me, Yawar-Ziwa, (thou)
Whose creations rest on (depend upon?) the Jordan!
Hear me, Mana-Rba-Kabira
And raise that which ye have planted!
Hear me, hear me, Habsaba *) and Kana-d-Zidqa “)
• Hear me, hear me, Abathur-Ramm ®), whose strength
Presideth over the Scales!
Hear me, great Bihram! and raise me up
Y uzataq-Manda-d-Hiia
Hear me, (ye) Seven Mysteries which reside

The word also means “healed”.

In the sacred enclosure of the manda (mod. mandi) mjTtle must be
grown. Formerly, perhaps, marjoram was grown also, but it is no longer
intertwined m
the myrtle-wreath.
The great mighty Mana.
The first day of the week, personified, Sunday.
The collection of food-offerings and offerings in kind brought for the
Zidqa brika, Blessed Oblation.
The spirit which sits on the frontier of the worlds of light with his
scales, weighing their deeds.
 !

go THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

In the Great WeUspring

Hear me, (ye) three wellsprings which give out
Radiance, hght and effulgence!
Hear me manas
(ye) three
Who rest upon the Jordan with your treasure!
Hear me, Anus-’Uthra i).
Whose strength dweheth upon me!

8i
In the name of the Great Life!
Hear me, my Father, hear me!
And draw me upward, great Son of the mighty (Life);
Our Father, Son of the Life!
Sihnai and Nidbai, lords of the Jordan, hear me!
’Jordan and its two banks, hear me!
Habsaba and Kana-d-Zidqa hear me!
Hear me. Great Life, from the height,
Hear me!
82 2)

In the name of the Great Life

At the Fountain-head came I forth.
At the Source of springs of hfe went I hence.
Three Skintas (sanctuaries) did I found
And set over them guardians as rulers.
The guardians I appointed to rule over them
Are subhme, blessed and trusty
To the uttermost.
[Repeat this hymn when thou art baptising and takest up the
mambiiha ®) into the phial from the Jordan, and recite the prayer
“At the Fountain-head of Water came I forth” and then recite
“Blessed art thou. Outer Door”.]

83
In the name of the Great Life!
How lovely are plants which the Jordan hath planted

1
)
Anus-’Uthra is a spirit active in helping the Nasoraeans. See G.R., many
passages.
Quoted G.R. p. 145.
The sacramental water or sacramental drink.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS QI

And raised up! Pure fruit have they home

And on their heads they set hving wreaths.
Yawar-Ziwa rejoiceth in the good plants
Which the jordan planted and raised.
The Plants rejoice and flourish
In the perfume of Manda-d-Hiia
Which breatheth upon them.

84

Truly did my baptiser baptise me,

Weil did my baptiser baptise me.
Truly did my baptiser baptise me
And your baptism shall attain its end.

85

Sihnai hath baptised us with his baptism,

Nidbai hath signed us with his pure sign.
The great Anu§-’uthra hath placed Uving®) wreaths on our heads.

86

The jordan which we have been immersed

in
Shall be our witness that we have turned not away
From our sign, nor have altered our pure Word.

87
*
I rejoice in my priests
And in Nasoraeans who hearken to my converse.
I rejoice in you, my priests.
For ye have not changed my pure Word.

88

In the name of the great Life!

May the subhme Light be magnified!
Rightly do I say to you, my Chosen,

Lit. “which resteth on them”.

I.e. fresh,or freshly cut, myrtle.
D.C. 53 mimran, D.C. 3 mimrai. See M.L. 151; n.i.
92 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Who went up with me to the Jordan,

Pervert and change me not, alter me not by hand.
Pervert not nor aUenate me.
Men who have heard the Voice of Life!
He who heareth the voice of Life
Will be edified, will be built up.
Built up and armed. {Such a mans) strength will be doubled.
Moreover, those who listen to the speech of the Life
Will be greatly increased.
Will be enriched and will not lack.
Into the communion that is great will he be knit.
He communion that
will enter the is great
So that he will be united (therewith) and will arise
And will behold the Place of Light.
«i\nd Life is renowned and victorious,.
And victorious the man who went hence.

89

In the name of the Great Life

The great Light be magnified!
To you do I call and (you) do I teach,
Men who have received the Sign.
Hearken not to the talk of all peoples and generations;
Let not their stumblings cause you to stumble.
Stumble not because of their stumbhngs!
Be not interrogated at their tribunals.
At their tribunals be not interrogated!
Certainly have ye held to established truth.
Ye have held to the certainty about which
I instructed you. I call to my chosen ones so that
Ye may not turn your thought away from IMe.
Because any man who is not steadfast (in thought)
Whose mind is turned against me.
Whose mind is turned from me.
Great and not small will be his hurt i).

If ye have attained my strength ^)

*) Mhita = “blow”, “wound”.

Or “my army”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 93

Bear (arms for) me If ye bear {arms for) me firmly

!

Stand by me from beginning to end!

But if ye have not attained my strength (or army
Go from me, and approach not!
For he that entereth it and beareth {arms) for me.
His “garment” will be adjusted to the House of Perfection.
But he that weareth it *) and doth not perfect it
Will die and his spirit will extinguish.
He will die and extinct will be his spirit.
He will become the portion of the w'orld.
Thou hast conquered, Manda-d-Hiia,
Good One, who confirmest Thy friends!
Renowned and victorious is Life
And victorious the man who went hence.

90

In the Name of the Great Life

The subUme Light be glorified!
A disciple®) am I, a new one;
For I went to the jordan-bank
And took my name on my head
And in mj- heart I took a Sign.
Mj" Sign is not that of Fire,
Nor is it that wLerewith the Anointed One ®) anointed.
My Sign is a jordan of hving water.
The strength of which none can attain.
He chose one out of a thousand
And from two thousand he chose tw'o.
Making traders of them

Lidzbarslu translated traget mtch (carry me), literal but somewhat

unsatisfactory. I suggest that the word here was some form akin to the Syriac

jjj, hence “Fight for me! If ye fight for me firmly, stand by me from first
to last”.
-) See above.
Here a play on words: the garment is the mana, the imperishable soul,
the “intelligence”, “mind. See p. 4 note i.
*) Another pla}- on words, another meaning of DRA
“to bear, to carrj-,
to take, to wear”.
Or “a priest”. This is the meaning accepted by the priesthood here.
®) The Messiah.
94 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Who labour and ply their trade on earth.

And they trade for fee and pious gift.

And shine more than sun and moon.

I came to the congregation of souls,
For the Life sent me, sent me forth.
There were some who bought my wares.
There those who came to their end and lay down ®).
There were those who bought my wares.
The eyes {of such a one) were filled with hght.
Filled with light were his eyes
(On) beholding the Great (One) in the House of Perfection,
There were those who did not buy my wares.
They went on, reached their end and lay down.
They were blind and saw not,
Their ears were stopped and they heard not
And their hearts were not awakened
To behold the Great One in the House of Perfection.
As They called them and they answered not.
When they call, who wQl answer them?
Because it was given to them but they took not.
Who wiU give to them when they ask?
They hated the Way of Life and its Abode
But loved the abode of the wicked.
And lo! in the abode of the wicked
Will they be held captive.
They tied up their tribute, their money ®)

In a lappet *) of their clothes.

When they wish to lift their heads {hold their heads high)
They hurl them down ®) to the Gates of Darkness
To my Chosen do I call, to my Plants
The word has a double meaning: ‘‘to come to one’s end” (i.e. ‘‘die”) and
‘‘to be crowned with a wreath” (a death-rite, see MMII p. 179)
*) Or
“slept”, “died”.
argbaiun uminunun. Argba uminuna in the G.R. is used for w'ealth,
property”. Purple, purple dye or murex appears at one time to have
been used for barter, and the Hittite loan-word arAammawa for “tribute”
suggests that argba uminuna may be a corruption of this or some similar w'ord.
Cf. the Ass3rrian ayqaman{n)ii and Aramaic arguan (Delitsch, Ass.
Grammar 1889. par. 44). Argamannu was given to temples.
A corner of the robe. This, in modem 'Iraqi villages, is often used as a
purse, money is tied into it.

A play on w’ords.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 95

Who stand by the jordan. I say to them,

"My children (who walk), in my road,
My children (who foUow) my road.
Swerve not from it or its boundary!
Let him who deviateth from its boundary
Cling to the boundary-stone.
He who hath turned aside from both
Will fall into the uttermost ends of the world”.
Thou hast conquered, Manda-d-Hiia,
Good One, who confirmeth his friends!
Thou wilt forgive us who praise our Lord
Our sins and our trespasses.
Renowned and victorious is Life
And victorious the man who hath gone hence.
[Up to here are the hymns and chants of baptism; and from here
to below are the hymns and chants of the masiqta.]

91
My vigilance and praisegiving
Are my ferrymen 2) across {the waters of death )
A transformation brought me over,
A cloud of hght took me over.
In purity shalt thou rise to the Place of Light.

92
In the name of the Life!
Go in peace, chosen, pure and guiltless one;
Thou art without spot.
Thou hast proven thj'self by (thy sojourn on ?) earth
And thy destiny leapt upward from its struggles *)

From its struggles thy destiny leapt upw'ard.

Above all the w'orld thou hast spoken.

Chosen and pure one {saying),

“I am a seer, a diviner;
A seer am I and a diviner!”

h D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 qaitniin.

D.C. mabaraiai, D.C. 3 and M.L. mabraiai.
Mandaean priests translate “ship”.
Daria; as in hirba udaria umutana d-hazin alma D.C. 22{r) 282 (Pet. (r)

287) : "war and battles and the mortality of this -world”.

 !

96 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The worlds assembled

for judgement,
For judgement the worlds assembled
And judgement was pronounced on them,
On them was judgement pronounced.
On those who did not perform the works
Of right-dealing Man.
But thou alone. Chosen and Pure One,
Fair mana, that art burnished bright.
Thou goest not to the judgement hall.
Judgement will not be pronounced over thee.
Over thee judgement will not be pronounced,
Because thou didst perform the works
Of right-dealing mankind.
This that they endure and bear,
,

•Thou (O) Chosen One, wilt not find before thee.

Escape the clutch of the planets
And the forces of this world!
Take, put on thy garment of radiance,
Set on thy living wreath!
Bow thyself! and worship!
Prostrate (thyself) and praise the Great Life.
Praise the Place of Life
To which thy fathers go.
Thou (0) Chosen One,
Wast not from here ;

From this place thou wast not transplanted

Thy planting, thy place was the Place of Life,
Thy home the Everlasting Abode.
They have set up for thee a throne of rest
In which there is no heat or wrath.
There is kept for thee a girdle
In which there is no trouble or fault *).
Good one! Rise to the House of Life!
And go to the Everlasting Abode ®)

1
)
Not hazia as m D.C. 53, but haza as in D.C. 3 and M.L
The earth.
“Not from here was transplanted thj- transplantation”.
Lit.
*) asga = trouble, tiresomeness. Cf. D.C. 22 (i) d-asga umiima litbh
(
above). (G.R.l. So: 4)
The double meaning of taqna must be borne in mind. Here, possibly,
“light’ , meaning.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 97

They hang thy lamp amongst lamps of hght

will
And they thy time, and at thy moment.
will shine in
Arise! Behold the Place of Light!
Renowned is Life and victorious
And victorious the man who went thither.

93
The mana rejoiceth in its treasure
And in the glory of Life
Which resteth on it.
I have acknowledged thee
(O) elect righteous one.
For thou settest my soul free
From transitory things.

94
Hail to thee, hail to thee, soul
That hast departed from the world!
Thou leaves! corruption and the stinking body
In which thou hast been: {thou leavest)
Its abode, the abode of the wicked.
The place which is all sinning.
The world of darkness.
Of hatred, jealousy and dissensions.
The abode in which the planets go about.
Bringing pains and blemishes.
Pains they bring, and blemishes.
Every day causing them tribulation.
Rise up, rise up, soul!
Ascend to thy homeland.
first

Rise, rise to thy first homeland.

The place from which thou wast transplanted.
To the place from which thou wast transplanted.
To thy good dweUing, (the dwelling) of ’uthras.
Bestir thyself! don thy garment of glory
And set on thy living wreath.

Read saria as in other mss.

Both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 omit T tb 7 kursiak d-ziwa d-hiia tirsuih batai
nhur (Rise, sit on thy throne of radiance which the Life set up for thee in
the Place of Light.) See M.L. p. 160 n.i.
98 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Rise! inhabit the skintas

Amongst the thy brethren.
’uthras,
As thou hast thy first Home;
learnt, praise
And curse this place, the house of thy fostering;
For {during) the years that thou didst spend therein
Every day the Seven were thine enemies.
The Seven were thine enemies and the Twelve
Beset thee with persecution.
Renowned is Life and victorious,
And victorious the man who hath gone thither.

95
Her Sunday, her kuUa and her alms
Bear witness for the soul.
•Ye will be her witnesses
And will pass her through at the toll-house.

96
I am provided and provisioned:
’Uthras of hght equipped me.
I am provisioned; for Life provided for me.
And am equipped by ’uthras of hght.
I

They provided me with provision of Truth {kiista)

And armed me with aU their wisdom.
WTierefore did Pthahil come into existence?
And why did he create the world?
Wherefore was a plan formed
WTiereby they brought me from my home ?
(Whereby) they sent me to a world of stumbHngs,
Filled with knots and seals.
It is all full of fire
And sowTi with thorns and thistles:

It is full of delusion.
All full of deception and he.
The planets who dw'ell therein

Conceive plots against me daily

Plotting evil, and declare
“We will divert her thoughts!’’
Of my heart that is full of true-dealing
They say, “From us shall come that
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 99

Which will make it stumble

(Of) my eyes that gaze towards the Light
They say “We will make them bhnk”.
(Of) my
mouth, which blesseth the Life,
They say “it shall speak untruth”;
(Of) my hands, which give alms.
And offer the clasp of good faith ^),
They say “they shall commit murder”.
(Of) my knees which bend and worship the Life
They say “they shall bend for the Seven”.
(Of) my feet that tread paths of righteousness
And faith, they say, “they shall go on raids ®)” (“deeds of
violence”).
mine eyes to heaven
I lifted
And my soul waited on the House of Life.
And the Life who heard my cry
Sent toward me a DeUverer.
The Deliverer who came to me
Brought me that which was lovely;
He opened out a robe and showed me its radiance
And I cast off the stinking body.
He grasped me with the palm of his right hand
And led me over the waters of death *).

Over the waters of death he brought me

And led me onward; in the hkeness of Life he supported me.
Life supported Life, Life found its own.
Itsown Self did Life find
And my soul found that for which it had looked.

Renowned and \dctorious

is Life
And victorious the man who went hence.

97
He rose and took me with him
And did not leave me in the perishable dwelling.

Literally “We will cause it to stumbleon account of us”.

The ritual hand-clasp, also used as a form of oath or promise.
SS’n J. “impetuous attack” (“Barefoot”, Lidzbarski’s translation, is
:

unlikely, as it is not considered a sin to walk barefoot, bhifia also means “in
mourning”)
*) Hafiqia mia see p. 45 n. 6.

Drowek, The Canonical Prayerbook. 8

100 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

98
The day on which the soul goeth forth,
On the day that the perfected one ascendeth,
On the day that the soul issueth from below
The spheres of death, of contention ^),
Strife was thrown into the earth.
Ruha’s slaves sit bewailing
And the Seven sit in consternation.
The robe of the stars is lent
And dust is cast on Ruha’s head.
The hell-beasts weep
And the demons of purgatories are panic-stricken.
The Being who brought me hither.
Who brought me that which was beautiful.
Put on me a robe, clothed me in a robe of radiance.
In a wrapping of light he covered me.
He set on {my head) a wreath of ether
And {gave me) of that which Life bestoweth on the ’uthras.
He set me up amongst ’uthras
And stood me up amidst the perfected (souls).
A wreath of ether he set on my head.
And gloriously he brought me forth from the world.
Life supported Life,
Life found its own.
Its own did Life find.
And my soul found that for which it had looked.
Renowned is Life and victorious.
And victorious the man who went thither.

99
Ye up and raised up,
are set my Chosen ones.
By the Word and Certitude that came to you

9 D.C. 53 P- 134 i- 5 kisgis, D.C. 3 kaSgs, M.L. p. 164

> i.i ka Sgis. From the
P- kasdkai (distraction, contention, tumult).
Read yaibia.
Zangaiia barkers, roarers, bellers** - a name given to the wolves, hons
and dogs who attack souls inthematarata (purgsitoiies. See Diwan Abatur).
*) Tartabuna, see p. 81. n. i.

In both D.C. 3 and D.C.

53 it is usrara. Lidzbarski translates “word of
truth”.
 :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS lOI

The Word and the Certitude that came to the good,

The True Word which came to behevers.
My Chosen, ye sought and ye found.
Moreover ye shall seek and ye shall find.
Ye sought and found, my Chosen ones.
As the first (souls?) sought and found.
Thou art victorious, Manda-d-Hiia.
And thou bringest to victory all who love thee.
And Life is victorious.
[Here recite "Blessed and praised is Life, that souls”.]

100

In a building which Life buildeth.

Good trees flourish.
Fragrant is the perfume of the trees
With the perfume of Manda-d-Hiia
Which pervadeth them.
[Here recite "Blessed and praised be Life” of Shem son of Noah,
and "Good is good for the good”.]

101

The Life hath founded a dwelling.

And radiance dawned
In the subhme Ether!
I and my brethren, the ’uthras.
Have set out every good thing ,

Have set out the allotted portion of the Great (Life)

We have offered it up in purity to the Place of Light.

102

The building that Life buildeth

Will never come to nought.
[Repeat this hymn after thou hast partaken of the communion

') Read kstia as in D.C. 3 and M.L. p. 165.

"I and mybrethren" means the celebrant and co-celebrants. The
tabta refers to the small piles of ritual food ranged round the tarianas
(tables) of the priests.
I.e. have eaten a few mouthfuls of the ritual food.
102 THE CANONICAL PEAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

and then say “Darkness is crushed back into the Dark and Light
set up in its place”.]

103
Darkness is crushed back into the Dark
And set up in its place.
Light is

The Life hath accepted your prayer,

The ’uthras have accepted your praise
The oblation is assigned to its lord,
And bounty to him who giveth it.
This soul ol N. and the souls of this masiqta rest at the
great Place of Light and the Everlasting Abode.
And Life is victorious.

[Here recite "In great radiance am I immersed” and hft thy

hand for the masiqta and pray a prayer for thyself.
And Life is victorious.]

[These hymns and homilies ol baptism^ and the masiqta I copied

for myself so that there may be for me commemoration on earth
etc. {Cf. other colophons.)]

3 (The Rusma)
104 )

My Lord be praised!
May Kusta strengthen you! In the name of the great Life
may heahng and purity be thine!
O my Father, their Father, King Piriawis,
Great Jordan of hxdng water.
In thename of the Great Life
We have cleansed our hands in truth {kusta)
And our hps with faith;
We have uttered words of radiance.
1
)
’Uma in M.L, p. 166: 10, also in D.C. 53, D.C. 3 and most copies. ’Uma
= “darkness”, "gloom”, "obscurity” Isee^ wv rt. -meaning “to be dark, over-
clouded, and the .Aramaic DBS “to be dark, obscure" and cognates). The
formula occurs again in Prayer 391, but, this time, both my mss. have ’ma
(mother). The alteration may be deliberate, for in Mandaean mysticism “the
Mother” is associated with matter, the gross and the physical.
2
)
The soul of the person in whose name the masiqta was celebrated and
other souls commemorated.
^) This prayer, which is not in M.L., is recited daily by every Mandaean,

and by every priest before each stage of a rite and every morning, whilst
performing the minor ablutions. The water used must be “hving” i.e. running,
and each action and the verse accompanying it, is repeated thrice.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 103

My mind is absorbed in {thoughts of) Light.

Blessed is Thy name, praised is Thy name
My Lord, Manda-d-Hiia, and blessed and praised
Is that great Countenance (Presence) of Glory
Which emanated from Itself. (Three times.)
I, N. son of N {or daughter of N.),
Am signed with the Sign of Life
And the name of Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia
Were pronounced on me.
(Three times)
My ears have heard the voice of Life.
(Three times)
My nostrils have breathed the perfume of Life.
(Three times)
My Sign, that is on me, was not in fire.
And not in oil, and not that wherewith the Anointed ^)

One anointed.
My Sign is water
in the great Jordan of living
And the Sign and name
Manda-d-Hiia is mentioned
of
upon me.
Darkness is crushed down, and Light set up
And the name of Manda-d-Hiia is mentioned upon me.
(Three times)
My mouth was filled with prayer and praise.
(Three times)
My knees bless and worship the Great Life.
(Three times)
My feet tread the ways of Truth (Kusta) and Faith.
(Three times)
I,N. son of X., am baptised with the baptism
Of the great Bihram, son of the Mighty (Life)
My baptism shall guard me and will succeed.
And the name of Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia
Are mentioned upon me.
(Three times)

b SHT, according to Lidzbarski is used almost always with fire in the

sense of catch fire, and in Prayer 115 (M.L. p. 178, i. 9) he translates
’skitibiin” sich entflammten”. .Above, however, we have 'shitabun in what is
practically an identical passage. See J. SHT 2.
The .Anointed, i.e, the Alessiah.
104 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

My feet — and the hands of the Seven and the Twelve

Shall be powerless to rule me.
The name of the Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia
Are mentioned upon me.

105 [Known as the Asiet Malkia]

KuSta heal you!

In the Name of the Great Life!
Healing and victory be thine,
O great Gate of the precious House of Mercies!
Healing and victory be yours;
My honoured First Parents
Healing and victory be yours;
Treasure of the great First honoured Life.
He alin g and victory be thine;
King Mara-d-Rabutha-’laita
Healing and victory be thine;
King YuSamin the Pure, son of Nisibtun
Healing and victory be thine;
King Manda-d-Hiia, son of Nisibtun,
Healing and victory be thine;
King Hibd-Ziwa
Healing and victory be thine;
King Anus-’uthra
Healing and victory be thine;
King Sislam-Rba
Healing and victory be thine;
King ’Shaq-Ziwa-Rba-Qadmaia
HeaUng and victory be thine;
King Sam-Ziwa, pure, eldest, beloved, great, first Radiance
Healing and victory be yours,
Hibil, Sitil and Anus,
Healing and victory be yours
Adatan and Yadatan,
Heahng and victory be yours

q Out of place ? Or should it be Ligraihun u'daihun (“The feet and hands

of the Seven” etc.) ?
“) Or, equally “health and purity” and for nihiiilak “shall be thine”. Asuta

uzakuta is used in fact as a formula of polite greeting, a salutation. As this

hymn is recited, the priest bows at every name. The prayer is not in M.L.
The-great first-Radiance-w^as-bright. (pniPj
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 105

Silmay and Nidvay, (ye) two guardian ’uthras of the Jordan,

Healing and victory be yours;
(Ye) twenty-four ’uthras, sons of hght.
Healing and victory be yours;
(Ye) four beings, sons of Salutation,
Healing and victory be yours;
Nsab and Anan-Nsab ^),
Heahng and victory be yours;
Sar and Sarwan,
Healing and victory be yours;
Zhir and Zahrun and Bhir and Bihrun,
And Tar and Taiwan
Heahng and victory be yours;
Yufin (and?) Yufafin,
Healing and victory be yours;
Habsaba and Kana-d-Zidqa,
Healing and victory be yours;
King Barbag-’uthra,
Heahng and victory be thine;
King Singilan-’uthra,
Heahng and victory be thine;
Simat-Hiia,
Heahng and victory be thine;
Great ’Zlat ,

Healing and victory be thine;

Sarat-Nitufta ®),

Heahng and victory be thine;

Kanat-Nitufta,
Heahng and victory be thine;
Bihrat-Anana,
Heahng and victory be thine;
King Abathur-Rama ^),
Heahng and victory be thine;

The prefix “anan” indicates the spouse of the spirit named.

(“she-span”) is a personification of pious wifehood of priestly caste.
'zlat
Sislam-Rba, the protot)rpe of Mandaean priesthood, took to wife ’Zlat, and
the marriage is described as a pattern for earthly marriages.
See p. 37, n. i.
There are two Abathurs, one appears to be an dmuta (or counterpart) of
the other. In the less abstract form, he is Abathur of the Scales, the spirit of
justice which weighs human souls in his balance.
I06 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEAN?

King ’Ustuna-rba i).

Healing and victory be thine;
King Abathur-Muzania,
Healing and victory be thine;
King Pthahil, son of Zahriel ^),
Heahng and victory be thine;
King Yahia ®)-Yuhana,
Healing and victory be thine;
King Adam, the first man,
Healing and victory be thine;
King Sitil, *), son of Adam the first man,
Healing and mctory be thine;
O (ye) kings and ’uthras.
And Indwellings and jordans.
And running streams and skintas
Of the worlds of light,
All of you, heahng and victory (be yours!)
And (may there be) forgiving of sins
For myself, (Adam Yuhana) son of (Mahnu5), (N. son of N.)
Wdio have prayed this prayer!
May there be forgiveness of sins for me!
{Note. — The part which follows forms the main part of the RAHMIA
or “Devotions”, i.e. the prayers prescribed for the three prayer-
times daily, i.e. at sunrise, at noon and before sunset each day of
;

the week having its own These must be got by heart,

set of prayers.
and their correct recitation is an essential part of every priest’s

training.)

My Lord be praised!
In the name of the Great First Sublime (Strange) Life, from the
worlds of light, the Transcendent, above all works, be there heahng

The "Great Body”. The Great Life projected itself as a universe into
the Great Body, shaped, according to gnostic tradition, like a man’s body
with worlds as limbs and organs. Here personified: also called Adam Kasia.
2) Zahriel was brought up from the underworld by Hibil-Ziwa, whose
semblance wedded her there. Their offspring was Pthahil, who was therefore
part darkness and part light.
John the Baptist.
*) Sitil, (usually one of the triad Hibil, Sitil and Anus) died in order that
-Adam might live longer. Hence he is called the purest of human souls.
Masknia. Or, just "abodes”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS IO7

and purity and soundness, hearing and being

(victory), strength
and forgiving of sins for me, Adam Yuhana son
heard, joy of heart
of Mahnus. May my thought, my knowledge and my intelhgence
enlighten me by means of this treasure, a section of the Devotions
(Rahmia), and the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia.

106^)

In the Name of the Great Life!

Up, up! (ye) Elect righteous ones.
Rise up, ye perfected and beUeving ones!
Rise, worship and praise the Great Life!
And praise the great king §islam-Rba,
And praise the Occult Tanna ^) and Ham-Ziwa,
And praise the great Yawar and ’Zlat the great.
And praise Simat-Hiia,
From whom all worlds came into being;
And praise the Wellspring and Datepalm ®)
From Whom the Father of ’uthras came into being.
I worship and praise that lofty and great
King of light, the Compassionate One
Who is full of loving-kindness.

[Pray this prayer in the “Devotions” of the early hours

(daybreak) for it is the opening (prayer) of the “Devotions”. Here

recite “My good messenger” and “I worship Life” and recite “In
the name of . .
.”]

107

In the name of the Great Life!

My good messenger of light
Who travelleth to the house of its friends.
Come, direct my speech and open my mouth in praise
That I may praise the Great Life
WTioUy.

') In Lidzbarski’s Manddische Liturgien, this part comes as II, Die Ox-
forder Sammlung (i.e. in the Bodleian Library). Prayer 106 is Prayer I of his
Erstes Buch, on p. 171 M.L.
See p. 9, n. i.
®) See p. 14. ns.
5 and 6.
I08 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

io8
In the name of the Great Life!
I worship Life
And I praise my Lord Manda-d-Hiia
And that great Presence of Glory
Which emanated from Itself.

[Pray these two prayers after “Up, up elect righteous” in theeaily

morning devotions, then recite "In their name. in the name of . .

that Primal Being”]

109

In the name of the Great Life!

I worship Life and I praise my lord
Manda-d-Hiia and that great Presence of Glory
Which emanated from Itself.
[Pray this prayer at the devotions of the seventh hour and then
recite "In their name. in the name of that. .”]
. . .

no
In the name of the great Life!
The time, the time for devotions arriveth
The time of the Lord of Prayer hath come.
My awakener is Hibil, my instructor i) is Sitil,
Anus hfteth up my hymns.
The immerser in my immersion is Silmai

And he who establisheth prayers is Nidbai.

Ill 4)

In the name of the Great Life!

My good messenger of hght
Who travelleth to the house of its friends
Come, direct my speech and open my mouth in praise
That I may praise the Great Life
WhoUy.

Lidzbarski Hymnensdnger (M.L. p. 173).

D.C. 53 has damia, read ramia as in other mss.
The priest immerses himself at the early morning prayer.
*) A repetition of 107.
 ,

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS IO9

112
In the name of the Great Life!
I worship the Life
And I praise my lord Manda-d-Hiia
And that great Presence of Glory
Which emanated from Itself.

[This prayer, “The time of devotions” is the opening prayer of

the eventide devotions. Then recite “In their name (= In the name
of the Life) and “In the name of that (Primal Being) and set on thy
crown and recite beside is “Life created {Yawar-Ziwa)” “Let there
be light” and “Manda created me” and then recite “Incense that
is fragrant”, and “Lo for the First Life” for the incense and cast

it on the fire. And here recite the Sunday prayer.]

113
In the name of the Great Life, may healing be mine,
Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus, through this Sunday prayer!
“On the light of Ether do I stand,
I stand for the Great Light with its purities!
I am Manda-d-Hiia, emanation (lit. planting) of the Mighty
First Life.
I cried to the first day of the week, (Habiaba)
The lauded, the pure guardian of the Light
Who enlighteneth ’uthras. To him I said
‘Rise up, go, set off, descend to the earthly world.
To that world which is all birth.
To be with the Elect Righteous,
Men formed of flesh and blood.
Hold them in thy grasp, strengthen them.
Stand by them, take care of them.
Give them strength and fortitude
So that they may stand and worship and praise
The Mighty Subhme Life!’ ”
Then Sunday spoke, saying to Manda-d-Hiia
“How canst thou send me to this world that is all birth
To be with elect righteous (men)
Formed of flesh and blood who do not respect me!
They treat me with contempt, hold me in no great honour.

A repetition of 108.
no THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And remit not my sin and transgression?”

Then Manda-d-Hiia spoke, saying to Sunday,
“Up with thee! Go, set descend to the earthly world
off,

To this world that is all birth, to be with

Elect, righteous men formed of flesh and blood.
And grasp them in thy grasp, confirm them.
Stand by them and take care of them!
Turn back and drive away from them
The seven planets together with their demons and devils.
And their amulet-imps and their evil creatures;
So that they will forgive thee thy sins
And thy transgressions; will hold thee in great esteem
And victory will be ours and will be thine”.
Then Manda-d-Hiia spoke and said to the elect righteous,
“Give heed to Sunday the Enlightener whom
I have sent to be with you in order to enlighten you.

To uplift you and make you upright.

And to bring you prayer and praise.
Forgive him his sins and transgressions
And hold him in great esteem.”
Manda-d-Hiia taught and expounded and said,
“Anyone who doth not forsake his sins and trespasses
On Sunday, nor holdeth him in high esteem.
Will have no seat amongst the ’uthras
Nor will he behold the great Countenance of Glory.
For Sunday is more precious, greater and more beauteous
And bright than aU the ’uthras!”
Blessed and praised is Manda-d-Hiia and the Confirmer”.
And Life is victorious over all works.
114
In the name of the Great Life!
Sublime Light be glorified!
Early I arose from my sleep: I stood,
Into radiance that w'as great I looked,
I gazed into radiance that w^as great,
Into the Light which is boundless.

1) Read “they will forsake their sins and their transgressions”.

I feel sure that this should be “Forsake on it (Sunday) sins and trans-
gressions”.
 :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS III

When clothed in robes of radiance

And hght was thrown on my shoulders ^),
A wreath of ether He set on my head
And set it on the head of aH His race ®).
He hymned, and the ’uthras with Him hymn.
And the Light-rays *) answer His voice.
And it rouseth sleepers and maketh them rise up
From their sleep.
He said to them “Arise, ye sleepers who lie there.
Rise up, j^e stumblers who have stumbled.
Arise, worship and praise the Great Life
And praise His Counterpart, that is the image of the Life ®),

^Vhich shineth forth and is expressed

In subhme light.”
And Life be praised!

In the name of the Great Life!

We have purified our hands in ktista (truth)
And our hps in faith
We have uttered words of radiance
And were absorbed ~) in thoughts of hght.
Thou, my lord Manda-d-Hiia, art blessed and praised
And thy praise is established [on high).
Great is the strength of Life;
Abounding the glorr^ of the mighty (Life)!
Honour resteth upon the ’uthras who sit in glory.
This is prayer and praise which came to them ®) from

1
Not as in M.L. “Ich war bekleidet”. Possibly “WTien the dress of radiance
)

was put on” ?

D.C. 53 Ikadfh “on his shoulder” (D.C. 3 Ikadfih) M.L. (from the Bodley
ms. Ikadfai) "on my shoulder”. As the Bodley ms. is the older I have adopted
this reading.
In both D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 “He set an ether-wneath on his head and set
it on all his race”.
Pasimkia: see p. 63, n. 4.
Is the sun taken here as a symbol or image of the deity ?
®) The first few lines are identical with 104 (the Rusma).

D.C. 3 makes 'shit abiin two words (not 'shitibun as in the Oxford Ms.)
’’)

De Morgan has 'shitabiin as in the Rusma and here. See Lidzbarski’s note,
M.L. 168 n. 2 on the meaning, which he associates with fire. Jastrow, tSHD
however, gives good reason for his second meaning "to absorb”.
®) D.C. 3 and M.L. “came to us”
 ,

II2 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The great place of Light and the everlasting Abode.

We praise (Him) with it when we have risen from our sleep,
Before any have spoken falsehood.
For any man who prayeth this prayer there will be forgiving
of sins and transgressions in the great place of Light and in the
everlasting Abode.
And Life is victorious.

116
Blessed be thy name and praised be thy name
My lord, Manda-d-Hiia!
Pure mountains that quake not have blessed thee:
’Ufania^) (interpretations?) of truth which are unchangeable
Have blessed thee.
Sons of salvation who sit in thy company
Have blessed thee.
Yawar-Ziwa, the great king of Nasirutha
Hath blessed thee;
Ayar-Nhura, the pure, the envoy who is all righteousness.
Hath blessed thee
And I ^) worship and praise that channel of light.

The messenger of all rays-of-hght.

Blessed is thy name and praised is thy name.
Being who resteth upon the skinfasl
Upon skintas ®) doth his name rest.
Every day, daily, they gaze on his likeness
And upon the great Countenance of Glory.
And Life be praised!

[Pray these four prayers, ‘‘On the Ether-Light do I stand”, ‘‘Early

I rose from my sleep”, ‘‘We have purified our hands in kusta”
and “Blessed be thy name and praised be thy name”. Recite
them for the “Devotions” for daybreak after incense.]

117
I worship, praise and laud
That Srar, the great occult First Vine
Whose fruits are a thousand thousand.

') "turn”, interpretation". (In later Hebrew, see J.

D.C. 53 has d-ana “whom I” etc.

“) M.L. "upon all skintas.”
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 113

And a m5rriad myriad His tendrils;

Upon Whom I called and He answered me.
Further, when I call on him. He will answer me;
For He will come and will heal me.
Win lift me up, raise me and confirm me i)
Will direct my eyes to the Light,
And my feet to steadfastness
My mouth to wisdom and my heart to vigilance.
Then I worship, praise and laud
That first great occult skinta
That is the house of dazzling beings.
Then I worship, praise and laud
That occult, first skinta
Which my Parents inhabit.
Then I worship, praise and laud
Yon Ruaz, the great first secret Vine
Which loosed its milky juices ®) into the habitations.
Then I worship, praise and laud
That Ruaz, the great first Light
Who hath sovereignty over all worlds of hght.
Then I worship, praise and laud
That great, occult, first skinta
To which the eyes of Nasoraeans,
Men set apart, and the elect righteous
Look, that they may rise and behold
The great place of Light and the Everlasting Abode.
And Life be praised: Life is victorious.

[Pray this prayer in the Rahmia (Devotions) of the seventh hour,

after incense on the fire {and after?) "On the Ether-Light do I stand”]

1 18

It is time to pray the “Devotions”,

The great moment for humble worship *),

For offering up propitiatory prayer

D.C. 53 unitaqnan, D.C. 3 unitraslia, also M.L. p. 181. 1.3.
‘) “My Parents”, i.e. according to priestly teaching the cosmic Father and
Mother.
“Nourishing juices” is perhaps better. From HLB ? Lidzbarski (M.L,
p. 181, n. i) rejects this derivation.
*) Lit. “to humble oneself”.
*) Hilita from (ilVn “to assuage by prayer or gifts”). French doticeur.
II4 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

To my lord, Manda-d-Hiia,
For arousing i) the elect righteous.
The priests say to Manda-d-Hiia
“We will abjure that which we possess
Of fee, alms and benefit
And the (false) deity 2) of the House®).
We will come and will be believers.”
Manda-d-hiia saith to them, to the priests,
"Your Father hath great strength.
Surpassing aU limit, {stronger)
Than passionate thoughts, vain things
And the devouring flame.
The Good One clotheth His children:
He covereth them and raiseth and showeth them
That there is great enlargement *) of Life
And your souls shall rejoice
With clouds {spouses?) of light.
But other souls will die and become
As though they had never existed.
Ye shall receiveyour vestments: ®)
Ye shall receive your WTeaths.
In the presence of the Great (Life?)
Ye vtII be great, and wiU be called
’Uthras amongst the ’uthras.
And ye will say “The Living stand
In the dwelling of the Life”.
And Life is victorious over all works.

[Pray this prayer in the evening devotions after incense (and)

after“For the Ether-light do I stand”.]

119
In the name of the Great Life
Be the sublime Light glorified!
On Sunday, the first of days,

1
)
Read as one word, Imitiauria. Different readings by scribes suggest
corruption. Lit. “in order to awaken (or arouse)".
“) Read ulalahuta.
“House”here = the earth, the world,
*) Or “rebreathing”, “refreshment”, "renewal”.
®) Titqablun ’ustlaikun omitted in D.C. 53 : see M.L. 183 14 and D.C. 3
p 162, 1. 5.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS II5

Who hath seen that which I have seen ?

Who saw Manda-d-Hiia

When he went and came to the world?
He went (thence) and came to the world.
The Earth lay prostrate and was affrighted.
He taught, and lovely was his voice!
And he hfted it up, in his mouth there was eloquence.
Eloquence he put into his mouth.
He revolutionized and forsook the world:
The world he revolutionised and forsook.
Spirit (ruha) sitteth in lamentation
In lamentation sitteth Ruha;
And the Seven sit in consternation;
They weep and prolong their mourning
Because their mysteries are disclosed.
Because disclosed are their m5^teries.
They will be brought to an end
On the great Last Day.
Namrus feared and trembled.
Her weapon fell from her shoulder.
From her shoulder fell her weapon
And her bows from the palm of her hand,
Ruha addresseth her sons.
Her good-for-nothing idle (sons).
She saith to them, “Sons, when terror overtaketh your
mother.
What will you Seven do?
When the Strange Being cometh.
Who will rise to confront him?”
A consuming ray of light ®)

Is in Manda-d-hiia’s hand; feUing them

He cometh [to?) the rebels.
The Son-of-Life raiseth his Voice
At departure *) of the Seven
Saying to them “I have brought wares
1
)
Another name for Ruha: vayr. Nimrus.
*) Plural.
Or “a mace”.
*) patur occurs in D.C. 36 and DC. 6 of prayers, that they are the soul’s
patur {paturh hinun) i.e. “her discharge”, her “permission to leave” seems
the hkehest translation.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. g
Il6 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

To my friends.
I brought truthful words to believers.
Men who buy my wares,
Their merits wreathe their heads
Twined are their merits.
And their horns are exalted
On their heads.
They will arise and wiU behold
The Place of Light.
Renowned is Life and victorious.
And victorious the man who went hence.

120
My day — what is it amongst the days?
A day. My day!
What amongst is one hour?
the hours
My day, what is it amongst the days?
The day on which the radiance of Manda-d-Hua shone forth.
My day is Sunday, chief of days.
The day on which the radiance of Manda-d-Hiia dawned:
On my day the radiance of Sunday dawned
Upon us and enlightened us beyond measure.

I2I

Before the Wellsprings were transmuted

Before the Awakening without,
Before ye were in existence
I was in the world;
The Voice of hving waters (Water of Life),
(Waters) which transmute the turbid waters.
They become clear and shining *)
They gush forth and cast out impmities.

1
)
“with” their heads.
Literally “in” or
‘) The whole hymn deals with the transmutation of tnrbid water by
Water of Life: (sinia,, from SNA "to change” ?).
In spite of Lidzbarski’s note M.L. 186 n. 4, tiraia is undoubtedly “awa-
kening”. In D.C. 43 ulabsinia ulabtirata “neither in sleeping or waking”.
Lidzbarski takes Ibar in this line for Ibab (‘b’ and 'r’ are easily mistaken).
*) Nasbia tuqna has the double meaning "take on restoration” and
“assume luminosity”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS II7

Wherefore should the First (Life) desire sons from the dregs ?

Voices cry aloud proclamations i)

Planning schemes, all of them talk!
(But) one Voice cometh and teacheth aU sa3dngs,
One Being cometh and teacheth about this and that.
(As for) us, who have praised our Lord
Thou wilt forgive us our sins.
Thou wast victorious, Manda-d-Hiia
And thou leadest all thy friends to victory.
And Life is victorious.

122

O Lord of devotions,
0 Lord of Prayers
And of hymns and good ^) books,
O Lord of prayer and praise.
Hear my voice and condemn me not!

123
Except for six or seven nations.
Fruit is set up on the Tree;
On the Tree fruit is set up

And (other) trees gather together toward it.

Toward it do the trees assemble.

And a throne is set up for the Lord ®) of Radiance
For the Lord of Radiance a throne is set up
And the Lord of Radiance sitteth thereon.
Before him are set up recompenses
Which he delivereth to the perfect.
To the perfect doth he deliver them
And said “To each according to the works of his hands
It is awarded”. And he said “Every man who toiled ®)
And was long-suffering shall come and take with both hands.

Or "sacred instruction" “scriptures".

Reliable, orthodox books.
Read Imb.
*) Not in M.L.
*) D.C. 53 is defective. For ktdhin d hita read as in other mss. kul man d
hla u'tangar. The verb is not Sbn {in Mandaic there is no distinction

between the two hs.). Jastrow gives as the meaning of N*?!!. ’Vh “to be faint,
to labor" i.e. to toil tillfatigued. For ‘tangar read 'tnagar (cf ^ t
.
’’j.
 •

Il8 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

But he who did not toil nor endure,

Standeth empty in the House of Dues.
He will seek but will not find.
And ask, but nought will be given him,
Because he had in his hand and gave not,
He will search there in his bosom and will find nothing.”
Thou Manda-d-Hiia
art praised,
Who dost not condemn thy friends.

124
I seek a boon from the Life,
From Thee, mighty Life.
I seek a boon from the Life —
That Ye will rightly guide Your praise
For me.
[These three antiphonal hymns and three chants are for the
first day of the week.]

125
In the name of the Great Life
At the beginning of the construction
I issued from thee, everlasting abode;

At the beginning of the Building I emanated from the Builder,

The Great (Life) who built me.
From the Builder, who is the Great (Life)
Who constructed me, I came.
My Transplanter transplanted me.
I came my Transplanter transplanted me
:

With advice that was counselled by the Great (Life),

With advice given by the Great (Life)
They sent me that I might build a building,
That I might construct a building for the good.
For true and faithful men,
I built and constructed it;

And at the beginning of the building I estabhshed,

I planted hving plants therein.
True and faithful men.
I.e. the worshipper's praise of the Life.
*) Lidzbarski took banana to mean “in a cloud”. The context, however,
and the evidence of other texts proves the word to mean the act of building,
construction, a building, and usually the act of creation.
 THE CANONICAL PjRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS II9

I entreat my Builder (Creator) (saying)

“Keep Thine eye on my Plants
Upon my Plants keep Thine eye.
Lest, perchance, they droop and lie down
i)

Forgetting the good things commanded (them),

Until they sleep (droop) and until they lie down,

And until they forget Me (and) the good things commanded.

Until they forget Me!
(Then) will apostasy enter into them.”
Beware of it, my brethren! Beware of it my friends!
Beware, my friends of Jesu, the pseudo-Messiah,
And of those who misconstrue appearances
And alter the words of My mouth.
If ye are wary, my brethren, if ye are wary, my friends.
If ye are wary, my brethren, when ye depart from your bodies
IwiU be a Helper to you.
A Helper and a Support from the Place of Darkness
To the Place of Light.
Thou hast conquered, Manda-d-Hiia
And makest victorious aU those who love Thy name.
126
At the beginning of the pure Kimsa 2)
Accompanied by sublime Rays of Light,
I gazed and beheld a great (sprouting) ®) Shoot

Which was transplanted from within the great Jordan.

Sublime was his voice his perfume fragrant.
His appearance shining and splendid!
And Life is victorious.

127
A Being, chosen, righteous, sprang up
And shone forth in the world.
He appeared in the world and shone forth.
He spoke with the Mighty Life;
With the mighty Life he spoke.

In the Middle East a gardener says of a drooping plant that it isndima

"sleeping”, and here “sleeping” applied to a plant would mean “drooping”.
*) Kimsa especially when used with KMS appears to mean “formation”,

“materiahsation”, “taking shape” or "consummation”. Here, possibly “for-

mation” is the word.
Nibta. “a sprout”, “outgrowth”.
 .

120 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And revealed mysteries that were veiled,

Mysteries that were veiled he levealed.
His glory resteth on his friends,
On his friends his glory abideth.
But the whole world persecuteth him.
When he saw that the worlds persecute him
He lifted his eyes to the Place of Light.
They opened the Gate of Light to him
And he arose into Life; They {Life) supported him.
Life supported Life,
Life found Its own.
And my soul hath found
That for which it had waited.
Thou art victorious, Manda-d-Hiia,
And thou bringest to victory
AU those who love thee.
And Life is victorious.

128
O Man, whom acclamation chose out.
Who wast selected out of the world.
They will cause thine eyes to shine, good one! 2)

For they have clothed thee in a robe

Which is beautiful.
Because of thy cry and the sound of thy teaching.
The Great Life hath accepted thy prayer
And thy praise.

129
“Whither goest thou, chosen righteous One
Whom aU thy friends seek, for Whom aU Thy friends
Long and desire Thine appearance amongst them ?”
“I have gone to build a building
Yonder in the world.
I bunt it ®) and constructed it

1
)
Kulhim almia, often means "all persons”, "everyone”, “all the world"
In D.C. 3 and Oxford ms taha (not utaba)
D.C. 53 has bhiria: read bhir as in other mss.
*) For banta in D.C. 53 read binta as in other mss.
“) Read banth as in other mss.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS I2I

And set it up in the beginning.

Into the Building I transplanted
Plants that were Hving,
True and faithful men.
I entreat my Builder,
The Being who guardeth the Building,
I entreat my Builder {saying)
‘Direct Thine eyes to my plants.
Upon my plants keep Thine Eye;
For perchance they may wilt i) and he down
And forget the good things They commanded;
Until they sleep and until they lie down
And until they forget the good things commanded (them)!’
The Being cried to the world from one end to the other.
To the world’s end the Being called the world and said,
“Well is it for one who taketh heed to himself!
The man who taketh heed to himself
Hath not his hke in the world! Moreover,
Men who are staunch shall live:
But those who turn aside shall come to an end.
Those who turn aside shall die
But those who are staunch shall find certainty.
My brethren, hold firmly to your staves
And endure the world’s persecution.
The worlds’ persecution endure
With a true and beheving heart.
Worship Me with uprightness
And I will act as your Helper,

A Helper and support from the Place of Darkness

To the Place of Light.
And Life is victorious.

130
On the day on which They opened
The great gate of the Dwellings *)

*) See p. 1 19, n. i.

So in both D.C. 53 and D.C. 3. The line is missing in M.L.

The ohvewood staff (margna) is part of a priest’s insignia, so that priests
and not laymen are addressed.
Hilbunia is a literary word for “houses”. Literally hilbuna means "egg”,
for which the usual word is bit (which also means "house”). In poetry, human
beings as well as divine personages hve in hilbunia.
122 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The radiance of the King over the holy ’uthras

Was enhanced.
To and faithful men there came
true
Prayer and thanksgiving.
They rejoice and delight therein
And raise their prayer and praise
To the Place of Light.
[These three h5nnns and three chants are for the second day of
the week (Monday).]

131
In the name of the Great Life
Sublime Light be magnified!
“Thou earnest from the House of Life;
Thou earnest - what didst Thou bring us?”
“I brought you that ye shall not die:
That your souls shall not be pent back.
I brought you on the day of death, Life;

On the day of affliction, Joy. ^).

I brought you a serenity

That existeth not in the unrest of nations”.

"This, this hast Thou brought. Good One!
To the true man what hast Thou brought ?”
“I have made him My treasurer.
Made him ruler over all that I have.
I have given him precepts of right-dealing
By which he entereth and departeth
As a man who hath realised his desire.
Chosen ones! ye have asked and have found;
Furthermore, my chosen, ye shall seek and find
Just as the first {believers?) sought”.
And Life is victorious.

132
Come, come. King of ’uthras.
Lofty Messenger, who came from His Father’s House.
Come! receive my prayer and my praise
And hft it up in peace to the Place of Light!

1) Read hadua as in D.C. 3 and the Oxford ms.

’) I.e. "is bom and dies”.
 !

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 123

133
Thou earnest from the House of Good Beings.
(O) would that Thou hadst not come into corruption
Into the evil and falsity of this world!
Would that Thou hadst not come into corruption
And hadst not been seen by my eyes!”
"If verily I came, if verily I appeared,
Thine eyes are eyes of falsehood
Whilst my eyes are eyes of truth.
Lying eyes are darkened utterly.
Eyes of falsity behold not the Truth!
If thou wishest to see, Ruha, *)

Go to the house of him who knoweth Me,

Those who know me, for I dwell amongst them
In the hearts of my friends
And the thoughts of my disciples”.
Aud Life is victorious.

134
Come, come. King of 'Uthras,
Lofty Messenger for whom my eyes look
Hearken, hear my cry
And lift up my prayers and my praise
To the Place of Light.

135
Fragrance came from its place.
Truth came from its Home,
Fragrance came from its place.
It came and settled in the House
It crieth and maketh the dead live.
It arouseth those who who are d3dng
And lying prone.
Itawaketh souls who are fit for and worthy
Of the Place of Light.
This, this is what the Good One did.

1) ’dilma indicates a doubtful or sarcastic statement, or a negative form

of stating a condition. Ruha is the speaker.
Both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 have Iruha: the Oxford ms. ruha.
D.C. 3 d-sihia, D.C. 53 d-siha.
 ;

124 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

And set up that which liveth, His Sign.

The planets assembled, they went.
They confronted him that ruled them,
Saying to him, “Hast thou not seen, Alaha-Ahhun ^),

That a Fragrance hath come from its place,

A fragrance from its place hath come ?
The {And that) Mana hath moved from its place?
It calleth and maketh the dead live.
And rouseth the dead and the sleeping
It awaketh souls who are fit for and worthy
Of the Place of Light.
This, this hath the Good One done.
And hath set up that which liveth. His Sign”.
Alaha-Alihun opened his mouth.
Saying to his sons, his first-born,
“Come, come, my children.
My first-born and my offspring!
Listen to the thing which I say unto you!
If ye find a righteous man.
Bow yourselves low before him.
One bow for himself, and the second
For the Fragrance of Life which resteth upon him”.
Behold, Life is victorious!
Life triumpheth over this world.

136
Come, come, Manda-d-Hiia!
The Mount of Darkness becometh hght.
It groweth light, the mount of Darkness,
And the turbid waters become fresh ®).
[These three hymns and three chants are for the thir d day of
the week (Tuesday).]

137
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified!

God-of-gods.
I.e.

*)D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 both have mitia: The Oxford ms. maitia “dying”,
which Lidzbarski has translated “bringt her”.
The antithesis of turbid. The adjective means “fresh” also of myrtle.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 125

There was a Cry in the firmament

And thunder sounded in the House of Stars.
Ruha and the planets sit in lamentation,
They sit in lamentation over a man
Who sprang up from the Earth,
About a man who sprang up from the Earth
And rent a fissure in the House,
A he rent in the House
fissure
And into it he cast dispute.
A dispute he cast into it.
Not to be resolved for an age of ages;
(Not) until Manda-d-Hiia cometh
Bringing with him three chosen ones.
Bringing three chosen ones with him
And Hfting them up to the everlasting Abode,
To the place which is light-giving and effulgent.
Summoned and invited {thither) are your souls.
And the souls of our good brothers
And those of our sisters who are believing.
Thou art victorious, Manda-d-Hiia,,
Good One, who establisheth his friends!
And Life is victorious.

138
The voice of a hidden Sprout
It spoke and discoursed from the Earth,
From the Earth it spoke and discoursed.
The Great Life, from the Occult, answered it.

From the Occult the Great Life gave it reply.

And It transferred thither and sent a Messenger.
The Messenger (whom) It transferred and sent
Subdueth the might of rebels.

139
I ascended the mountain Carmel^),
Thee I ascended. Mountain, Mount Carmel!
The mountain of Carmel I ascended.

^) I take “sprout" to be a young “plant”, that is a young believer.

*) Karimla, Carmel, is mentioned in the 26th. fragment of the Draiia
126 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Twelve vines awaited me.

The vines saw me, the Vines beheld me.
When they saw me, the vines waxed great.
They spread out their fohage.
They increased, spread out their foliage.
Increased their fruit and their blossom.
{Yet) they knew me not, did not discern me.
Nor did they take heed of me.
They knew me not, did not discern who I was,
Nor whose son I was ^),
The man who saw me and discerned me.
His course is set for the Place of Life!
Thou art victorious, Manda-d-Hiia
And leadest all thy friends to victory.

140
Between mountains twain.
And between three skintas,
Between mountains twain
Yawar, the Chosen One, founded a ikinta ®)

A skinta did Yawar foimd.

And chosen righteous were established therein.
Therein were the chosen righteous established *).
And they arise and behold the Place of Light.
141
Who will come, who will tell me.
Who win inform me, who will teach me,
WTio win come and who win tell me
What ’uthras are like, what 'uthras resemble.
And what do rays-of-hght resemble ?
’Uthras resemble Radiance,
“Rays” resemble Light.
’Uthras pledge their word ®)

And do not he.

The planets Ue: they
The twelve tribes ?
*) The second ana is a miswriting. (Not m D.C. 3.)
®) Skinta: The cult-hut?
*) The second mitqaimia is omitted in D.C. 53.
*) Lit. “take oath”.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 127

Come to an end on the Great Last Day.

Life is extolled, and victorious
And victorious is the man
Who went hence.

142
The advent of Hibil-’Uthra —
Like Situ, he goeth to the house of his friends.
Priests who hearkened to the voice of Anus the great
'uthra
They worship and praise the Great Life
From the beginning unto the end.

[These three hymns and three chants are for the fourth day of
the week (Wednesday)].

143
In the name of the Great Life
Sublime Light be glorified.
In the glory of my Father I stand.
And with praise of the Being who is my Creator:
In the glory of my Father I stand
And am upright in the House of Perfection.
At my voice the earth trembled;
At my radiance the heavens were shaken.
The seas dry up.
Flowing streams fall into barren wastes.
Destroyed, rent asunder are fortresses
And earthly men of might are quelled.
Mountains, however lofty.
Like bridges are laid flat.

As for the wicked, who rise up against me.

There is a Being who vaU hew them down.
Not with my strength but in the strength of the mighty Life.
And Life is victorious and victorious the man
Who went hence.
144
By my pure radiance am I protected;
And the ’uthras, my brothers, are covered with light.

Through the vigUance and praisegiving of the 'uthras.

My brothers, the glory of Life cometh and resteth upon me.
 !

128 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

145
When the Mighty (Life) speaketh
In the Great Place, the House of Perfection
The Great and Mighty One transporteth {or createth)
Silmai and Nidbai: It transported Silmai and Nidbai
And gave them to Nsab-Ziwa as his helpers.
When Nsab-Ziwa had rehance on the ’uthras.
The perfect beings whom They had sent down,
He spoke with his calm voice
And the chosen go out towards him
Towards him go out the chosen.
And he giveth them some of his glory
Some of his glory he bestoweth on them.
And the chosen on earth are confirmed
The elect righteous are confirmed;
They rise up and behold the Place of Light.
ExtoUed is Life victorious.
And victorious is the man who went hence.

146
I am preserved by my pure radiance
Like the Mighty One in His Glory.
My raiment shone forth in the House
And my prayer and praise rise upward to His Place*).

147
Miserable ®) am I
When go (hence ?)
shall I
{When will) my aching heart find rehef ?
My heart that aches {when will if) find rehef?
And my soul, that they made an alien.
Find its vent ?

In the place where they are much questioned

The glory of Life wiU rest on me.
And it wiU rest upon my priests and (those)

*) The plural indicates the Great Life.

*) The couplet is missing in D.C. 53 I take : it from other mss. including
D.C. 3 and the Oxford ms.
Again, the plural indicates the Great Life.
*) In D.C. 53 very plainly latrh.
Ania means both "poor” and “miserable”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 129

Whom the Seven persecute in this world.

(Yea) the Seven persecute sorely!
The worlds which persecute and wrong,
The Seven, they and their king.
Are bound for conflagrations of fire.
(But) the good, the elect, the just
And the perfect rise
And behold the Place of Light.
Life is extoUed, victorious,
And victorious is the man who went hence.

148
"I am poor ^) and submissive.
An elect righteous one ^).

Listen, hearken to my cry!”

“Thou, poor one, with thy children.
Thine offspring and thy priest,
Shalt rise and thou wilt behold
The Place of Light”.

[These three prayers and three hymns are for the fifth day of the
week {Thursday).]
149 »)

In the name of the Great Life

Subhme Light be magnified!
At the door of the synagogue
Her mother meeteth Miriai,
Miriai her mother meeteth.
And she questioneth her straitly,
“Whence comest thou. My daughter Miriai ?

That thy face plucketh {colour from) the rose.

Thy face plucketh {colour from) the rose
And thine eyes are full of sleep.
Full of sleep are thine eyes
And thy brow beareth marks of vigil!” *)

See p. 128, n. 5.
*) That isto say, one of the bhma zidqa, one of the Mandaean community.
The conversion and baptism of Miriai are described in G.R., see Lidz-
barski’s translation, p. 341; and in J.B. II p. 123. See also 162. p. 140.
*) "lOf' ‘to be awake: sa/iar/a = “a vigil”, "a watch”? Doubtful: the
word could also mean "sleep”!
130 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And she {Miriai) answered her,

“Yea, these two or three days
My brothers stayed in my Father’s house;
In my Father’s house my brothers stayed
Chanting wondrous chants.
At their voice, at the sound of the discourse
Of the ’uthras, my brothers.
No sleep cometh to mine eyes.
To mine eyes no sleep cometh
And my brow [keepeth) vigil’’.
Hast thou not heard, daughter Miriai,
W’hat the Jews say about thee ?
The Jews say ‘Thy daughter is in love with a man.
She hath hated Jewry and loved Nasirutha;
She hath conceived hate for the synagogue-door
And love for the door of the maskna .

She hath taken dishke to the phylactery-band

And loveth the fresh (myrtle-) wreaths.
On the Sabbath she carries on work;
On Sunday she keepeth her hands therefrom.
Miriai hath hated®) the Law
Which the Seven imposed (bound) upon Jerusalem’
On the place where she was standing,
Miriai scattereth the dust with her foot
And sayeth “Dust on the mouth of the Jews!
Ashes on the mouths of all the cohens (priests)!
And dung beneath the horses’ hooves
Be upon the Elders who are in Jerusalem!
That which I have come to love I cannot hate.
That which I (now) hate, I cannot love.
{No love have I) except love for Manda-d-Hiia,
My Lord, who standeth by (me) and wiU be
My Helper, lending hand and support
From the Place of Darkness to the Place of Light”.
Thou hast vanquished, Manda-d-Hiia!
And bringest victory to all those who love thy name.
And Life is victorious.

Delete la ?

*) The maSkna is the Mandaean cult-hut and its enclosure.

’) In D.C. 3 slith, Oxford ms. aslith “rejected”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS I3I

150
On the day that the great gate of the Dwellings i)
opened,
The radiance of the King upon the holy ’uthras was increased.
The ’uthras bowed in adoration
And the Great Life accepted their prayer and their praise
From beginning to end.
151
When will my Lord come from thee
Victorious heaven ?

He will lift my head from my knees

And dry my eyes from my tears.
My lap that is full of ignominies
He emptied ®) before Him
I lay low and I arose.
*)

I wiU tell him everything: of how

All the worlds have harried me.
Many were the persons ®) who harried me.
{But) my brethren, sons of Ku§ta,
Do not fail me.
The worlds stoned me with stones
(But) my brothers were moved in words to anger thereat ®).

(O) that my Lord would come from thee

Victorious heaven! for He will hft my head
From my knees and dry my eyes from my tears.
My lap,which was full of ignominies.
He hath emptied out before Him, I lay low
And I arose ’). And I will recoimt to Him everything.
How all the worlds persecuted me;
Many were the persons who harried me,
{But) my brothers, sons of Kusta, do not fail me.
The world stoned me with stones.

See p. 1 21, n. 4.
This prayer differs considerably in the D.C. 53, D.C. 3 and D.C. i ver-
sions from the Oxford ms. which Lidzbarski used.
“) Oxf. ms ’nfis qudamh “I will empty out before Him"

*) Oxf. ms rmia qudamh 'qum, for qudamh rmit uqamit in the other three.

Almia for "persons”, see p.2, n. 3.

®) Lidzbarski is mistaken; the soul makes no complaint about her “broth-

ers in Kusta”.
See ns. 3 and 4.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 10
132 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

(But) my words were angry (thereat

brothers, in
They said to me ‘‘Why weepest thou. Daughter of Kusta?
(Why) do thy tears fall down into thy bosom ?

Thou knowest well thy road!

Thy boundary-stone is firmly erected!
Between lamps of light
They will lift up thy lamp.
Between lamps of light
Thy lamp they will set up ®),
And they will shine forth.
In thy time and season arise.
And behold the Place of Light.
Extolled is Life and victorious
And victorious the Man who went hence.
152
Ye and fortified
are upHfted
By word of sure truth *)
a
Which hath come to you.
A word of sure truth hath come to the good,
A truthful word to the believing!
To the Place which is all Life
Your souls are bidden and in\nted,
And the souls of your good brothers
And of such of our sisters who are believing.

153
A cleft was cloven in the earth:

Thunder sounded in great Sion,

The being who breached the breach
Was unable wdth (all) his might
To stop it up.
Another who was with him,
A weaver of a fishing-nets he was.
Cast his net for fishes great and small.
Fish who had strength thereto

*) Omitted in D.C. 53.

*) Read dimik as in D.C. 3.
The repetition is in D.C. 3.
*) Srara is more than "truth”:it is something sure, fact, something that
cannot be shaken, certainty, also (physical) soundness.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 133

Broke the net and got out.

Fish whose strength was not equal thereto.
Lay beneath the lead ^).

On the day that the breach will be closed,

On the day that the waterwheels gush out.
On the day that the breach is blocked.
Ye fish, where will ye go?
O ye who sup on
scourge and despotism,
®)

What do on the Day of Judgement ?

will j'-e

O ye who wear flowers and silk

What will ye say to the Being of the Scales ? *)
Voices have been voiced,
Opinions have been given, all {kinds of) pronouncements;
Yet there cometh one Voice
And teacheth all voices,
There cometh one Saying
And teacheth all sayings.
There cometh one Being,
Who explaineth them one by one.
We who praise our Lord,
Thou wilt forgive our sins and trespasses,
Our sins and trespasses Thou wilt forgive us.
Which we foolishly committed in the world.
For the sake of the strength of the holy
And the true-dealing of the beheving.
Life is victorious and victorious the man
Who hath gone hence.

154
I have spoken and discoursed with my voice:
“O Lord of devotional prayer®),
O Lord of prayer and praise.
Hearken and hear my voice.

*) Thesilita is the sellya of the modem fisherman on the Tigris and Eu-
phrat.;s: a circular net, weighted round its circumference by lumps of lead.
Wooden irrigation wheels. (P.) The naura is still employed but has
been largely replaced by oil-pumps.
I.e. "are avid of", lit. “eat.” M.L. has saula for snta.
*) Abathur (Muzania).

I.e. the Rahmia, daily devotions.

134 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

And be Thou, Great Life,

To me a Helper”.
[These three prayers and three h3mins are Friday’s.]

155
In the name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light be magnified!
Stand by Me, be steadfast,
(Ye who) know Me;
Stand by Me, be staunch.
My friends.
Stand by Me staunchly
(Ye who) know Me,
Like a stone colunrn in storm-winds!
Tempest may go, tempest may come;
(But), My friends, change not
(The words of?) My mouth.
For men who stand firm wiU hve,
(Whilst) those who turn away wiU meet their end.
Those who turn away will die
Those who remain staunch will find
Sure truth. My brothers.
Speak truthfully, not with lying lips

Prevaricate. Be not like a pomegranate

Which on its outer face is sound,
Outwardly sound is its surface.
But inside it is full of dry husks.
Be hke a wine- jar full of Azmiuz wine;
Its outside is clay and pitch
But inside it is Azmiuz wine.
The Voice of Life caUeth
And the ears of the chosen hearken.
Extolled is Life and victorious
And victorious the man that goeth hence.

156
By the bank of the great Jordan of the First Life,
A sublime Vine standeth erect.
Each and every day my prayer and praise
Riseth before it.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 135

157
To the mountains I say
How fragrant are your odours,
How delightful your perfume!
Within you aU is full of brightness!”
They reply, “The Being who passed through our midst
Hath no tangibility or substance.
No substance or tangibility hath He,
Nor is there any kind of need in Him.
The Being who passed amongst us.
Released some of his vivifjdng power amongst us.”
The wicked hold their power of reproduction
(To consist of) questions ®) ( ?) and words.
But not in questions ?) and words can the vivifying power
( *)

Of Life be comprehended.
But in truth and belief
Which the Elect hold as their vital principle.
Every man who holdeth to his vital principle
And is steadfast therein, raiseth up hfe.
To support it (life).

{But on) one who did not grasp his vital principle
And did not stand firmly upon it.
From yonder they loose strife.
They loose strife from yonder
And he ^vill become the portion of the world.
And Life is victorious.

In mountainous regions, I suppose.

*) Nisubta is a word of ver>- complex meaning. It is primarily the urge to
propagate, reproduce, the elan vital, the vivifying principle, procreation,
planting, implanting. At the beginning of the hymn the poet, admiring the
sweet herb-scented mountains, is told by them that it is the divine vivifying
power of Life which has produced their perfume and beauty. The working
of the \ital urge in man is then described as a yearning for true life, the life of
the soul. In later Mandaean literature nisubta is an expression for a wife or
bride, nsah nisubta = “he took a woman to wife”.
Sulia. "Questions” is suialia, not sulia. Sul is a word for "lower
parts”, “sexual part”, and here possibly that is the meaning. A play on words
may be intended.
*) The varying value of nisubta makes translation difficult, and the whole

poem is obscure.
136 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

158
O shoot which sprouted within the Tanna
0 prayer and praise
Which came to us from the Place of Light!

159
In the name of the Great Life
Sublime Light be magnified!
The departure of the sabbath
With its evening {marketh),
The entry of Sunday for good.
At the departure of the sabbath
With its night,
The Good One set forth and came into being
And he took his lofty throne
And placed in it that which he brought ®).

And he took his shepherd’s-pipe of Truth

That is filled with prayers and praise.
Once on a time, Good One,
1 played ®) thereon.
The door of the heavens opened!
A second time. Good One,
Did I hymn therewith,
And all the wicked became good!
And a third time. Good One,
I hymned therewith.

All were stirred to consciousness

And they arose.
It said to them, "Rise up, come ®),

9 Tanna, see p. 9, n. i. A modern Mandaean legend was related to me

which may be founded on this prayer. It was that a green shoot sprouted in
Noah’s wife's oven as a portent that the flood was imminent. See MMII pp.
259-260.
*) Read brmaS. (Bar mas and brmas, “son of groping”, "son of searching”,
may be deliberate play on words.) I translate “with its evening”, notin the
Christian sense of an “eve”, because with Mandaeans a day begins
at dawn, not at sunset of the previous day. BfOT = “evening”, “night”.
Another play on words NH’S = “time” ?
:

*) Read pisnia. Dalman gives pisan as “prayer, supphcation” (loanword

from the Greek).

') Lit. “I discoursed, preached”.

*) Not in M.L., but in both D.C. 53 and D.C. 3.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 137

Ye sleepers who lie sleeping!

Arise, ye erring ones who have stumbled!
Is not my hard upon you ?
rule
And doth not my high lash fall heavy upon you ?”
They say to him, "By thy Hfe,
Our father ^), Son of the Life,
Because of the radiance and light
Thou hast brought with thee
Thy rule is not hard on us
Nor does thy high lash strike hardly upon us!
But as for the wicked.
The son of the wicked.
It entered his body
And felled him (to the ground)”.
Once I cried to the evil one
"Keep aloof from my gnostic!”^) {or "Avoid my hand!")
I repeated, saying to him,
"Keep aloof from my friends!”
And a third time I spoke to him
To the wicked one, andI will not let him go free,

I will him utterly, the evil one.

slay
And will cast him into world’s end
Into world’s end will I cast him
For I cried to him ^) in his ear and he heard not.
In his ear I cried and he heard not.
I showed him, before his eyes, but he looked not.

I showed him, but he saw not with his eyes.

He toU meet his end on the great Last Day.
As for us, who praise our Lord,
Thou wilt forgive us our sins and trespasses.
Life is renowned and victorious.
And victorious the man who went hence.

160
It revealed itself, and set off and came.

M.L. abun, D.C. 3 abuhin, D.C. 53 abuhan.

*) In D.C. 3 and the Oxf. Ms. d-sitar mn yadai huia; DC .53 d-satar mn
'dai huia, "Be an avoider of my hand".
Read qrilh as in M.L.
 ;

138 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The face of the day the name of which is holy i).

Secret mysteries were revealed to the ’uthras

Enhghtenment was revealed, and praisegiving
That was great and boundless.
The ’uthras who were transported thereby
Rejoice in its wondrous radiance
From beginning to end.

[These three prayers and three hymns are for the seventh day of
the week (Saturday).]

161
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified.
The outgoing of the sabbath with its night ®)

Is the entry of Stmday for good.

{At) the outgoing of the sabbath with its night
The siunmoned me, from amongst Them,
Life
And some of His serenity He imparted to my mind.
He issued a command, and they clothed me with radiance.
Brought me hght that was powerful
And covered me (therewith).
They armed me with their armour
And gave command ;
to the earth they sent me
To voice the CaU of the Life,
To found a society in the House,
To found abodes and to build in them sanctuaries *),

To ordain priests ®) who are fit for

And worthy of the Place of Light,
To smoothen a road for the good,
To prepare a path for the believing.
To make plain and lift up
Probity ®) to its place
1
)
M.L.
223 translates Vorahend des Tages. Mandaeans begin a day at
p.
sunrise, not sunset the previous evening like Jews and Arabs: and this is a
reference to Sunday, the morrow.
2
)
This prayer is not in the Bodleian ms, (Oxford Marsh 691) hence not —
in M.L.
Three words are combined: b rmas m’iil. See p. 135, n. 2.
*) masknia — cult-huts.
Or "to teach disciples”. The reference, however, is to the ordination of
priests.
*) Tuqna. Or “steady hght”, or "honesty” or "orderliness,” "orthodoxy”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 139

And to leave dross behind i)

at its proper place.
To whole congregation of souls,
deliver the
(The souls) of Nasoraeans and Mandaeans,
So that the sinner may have no power over them.
I set forth: with my radiance that is great
I came to this world,
I called with the voice of Life,
And I caused a society to dwell in the House ^).

I founded skintas, I built in them sanctuaries.

And I instructed priests (or disciples)
Who were fit for and worthy of
The Place of Light.
I levelled a road for the good
And prepared a path for the beheving,
I made plain and set up probity
In its place
And left the dross behind at its place.

I delivered the whole congregation of souls,

(Those) of Nasoraeans and Mandaeans,
So that the sinner should have no power over them.
Who told the sons of the Evil One
That they should go forth towards me ?
They say, “Man, give us some of thy radiance
Which is great, and some
Of thy light which is boundless!”
I answer them, “Efface yourselves.

Be banished from before me

(Ye) dead ones, evil ones
Who have not beheld Life!”
Who giveth the portion of Mght
To Darkness, or truth to the wicked ?
The truth which was mine I have given
To Nasoraeans, righteous and believing men.
Behold, they dedicated themselves to goodness.
They wall rise and will behold
The Place of Light.
Life is extoUed and victorious
And victorious the man who went hence.

*) Misubiq in D.C. 3.
*) The earth.
140 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

162
In the name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light be magnified.
At the going-out of sabbath.
On the eve of the first day of the week, for good,
— The going-out sabbath
of the —
At eventide Miriai went to the door of the sanctuary
To pray her prayers and to praise the ’uthras.
All the evil ones who saw Miriai wore the qulah (tunic) *)

All of them had put on clothing.

Wearing weapons they go forth toward Miriai,
Saying to her, “We adjure thee, Miriai,
By the Word, by truth and troth.
Moreover we adjure thee, Miriai.
By the Being from whom thy enhghtenment proceeded,
The Being whom thine eyes beheld,
{Tell us.) What is He hke?"
I do thus; I say to them,
“Be blotted out, be banished from my presence,
(Ye) dead, (ye) wicked men
Who beheld not the Life
Nor have ye seen that which mine eyes have seen,
Nor heard that which my ears heard.
The Being whom mine eyes ^) beheld —
There is not His peer in the world
{Though one were) to hft eyeballs
From bank to bank of the world!
At His tread and at His footsteps
The earthly world was alarmed.
The dead heard Him and lived.
The sick heard Him and were cured,
Lepers heard Him and were healed,
They got up, they arose, they were healed
By the heahng of Manda-d-Hiia

Not in M.L. (see p. 138, n, 2).

*) Maskna = that which is called to day a niandt, i.e. the Mandaean place
of worship.
’)
T?Y>? a tunic without or with short sleeves (yoXoPiov). See Jastrow,

p. 1328. The word is omitted in D.C. 3.

*) D.C. 3 ainik; D.C. 53 ainai
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS I4I

Which, in His goodness. He bestowed upon them.

And Life is victorious.

[Pray these two prayers in the Rahmia (Devotions) for candid-

ates for priesthood, on Saturday evening after “It revealed itself
and came”. Then recite “Poor am poor I! from the fruits”.]

163 1)

In the name of the Great Life

Sublime Light be magnified!
On Sunday, on the chief of days.
Who saw that which I have seen?
Who saw Manda-dHiia who set out and came to the world ?
He set out and came to the world and three ’uthras came with him
When he had put on a robe of radiance and light
Thrown over his shoulders.
An ether-wreath he set on his head
And he set it on all his kin.
On Sunday, on the chief of days
Who hath seen that which I have seen ?

Who saw the Stranger who went

And stayed at the house of his friends ?

I, who saw the Stranger,

Mine eyes were filled with His light
Mine eyes with light were filled
And knowledge {manda) dwelt in my heart
In my heart knowledge dwelt
And my mouth filled with his praise;
His praise filled my mouth.
And I arose, and I praise my Father.
I arose and (gave?) praises to my Father
From darvn until the decline of day
I praised His great radiance
And I praised his lovely light:
And praised ray father Yusamin the Pure,
I

The being who dwelleth on the water-springs.

I praised the four beings sons of salvation.

Not in M.L.
*) D.C. 3 has the correct Ibislh.
’) D.C. 3 mramia, D.C. 53 mramai.
142 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Beings who grasp the hand in troth

Praises to the great First Palmtree!
From it I brought me garments.

Garments I brought me from it

So that the good might come and clothe themselves.
Praise my Lord, Manda-d-Hiia,
Who will be my support in the world,
A support in the world wiU He be to me
And His hand will help me
To the Place of hght.
Blessed and victorious is Life
And victorious the man who went hence.

164 »)

In the name of the Great Life

Subhme Light be magnified!
I beheld a mountain.
White as the congregation *) that had formed itself on it.

The day on which a wind breathes (over it?)

Nations delight in its perfume.
The day on which the wind holds the valleys ®)

They are illumined by its radiance.

When standing at my place, I made a great request,
A boon. I said “Grant me that from my mountain-home)®)
And from the home of the great company that (dwelleth ?) therein
There may be (brought?) a Healer of souls;
A Healer there may he for souls
Who healeth but taketh no fee”.
As I was standing at my place
The boon I had asked was granted me.
Granted me from the mountain-home,
From the home of the great community therein.
I became a healer for souls!
I became a healer for souls

b Paraphrased: see p. 2, n. i.

See p. 14, n. 6.
3
)
Not in M.L.
Kana cf. kana d-nismata, “congregation” or group of souls.
D.C. 3 has parata.
®) ’gar, agar, gar = the French chez: i.e. an habitual residence, hence
“home” seems an adequate translation.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 143

Who healeth but taketh no fee.

I set forth, came and reached

The gates Of the children of Babylon
of Babylon.
There were some who shut their doors on seeing me:
There were those who shut their doors.
And there were those who opened their doors.
Those who shut their doors
Hated life and loved death,
They loved death and hated life
And will be held back in the Abode of Darkness.
Those who opened their doors
Loved Life and hated Death,
They hated Death and loved Life.
They will rise up in purity
And will behold the Place of Light.
Life is extolled. Life is victorious
And victorious is the man who went hence.
[These two prayers, pray them at the dawn of Sunday after
“My day what is it amongst days” then recite “Poor am I; from
the fruits”.]

165^)
In the name of the Great Life
Sublime Life be magnified!
Poor am I From the fruits! . . . *)

And displaced am I, from far away am I!

A poor one whom the Great Life afflicted®),
A displaced (being), for the 'uthras removed me;
They brought me from the Abode of the Good;
Yea! they assigned me a dweUing in the abode of evil ones.
Yea they made me dwell in the abode of evil ones
Which is all full of wickedness.
All full of evil, full of consuming fire.

I %vi]led it not, nor do I desire

To dwell in the futile dwelling.

1
)
M.L. p. 223.
This makes no sense. I suggest that originally piria was Piriawis, and
that itwas nin Piriawis atit (I came from P.)
A play on words; 'niitn also means "answered me" : 'Iff means (a) to
answer (b) to afflict, oppress.
144 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

With my strength and -wnth my vigilance {Perforce and with

vigilance?)
Have I dwelt in the futile abode.
By my vigilance and my praise
Have I kept myselt alien from it.

From the world.

I have stood amongst them like a fatherless child.
Like a fatherless child, or hke
A fruit tree with none to tend it ^).

I hear the voice of the Seven,

Who murmur and confer together;
They say, “Whence
is this being? (this) stranger.

Whose whose speech is not like our speech?”

I did not listen to their talk
And they were filled with evil rage against me.
The Life, who heard my cry, sent towards me a saviour.
He sent me a gentle ’uthra,
A being equipped and equipping.
He discoursed with me in his pure voice,
Just as ’uthras discourse in the House of Perfection
And he said, “Fear not, poor thing; and do not tremble.
Say not T am alone!’
Because of thee, poor one the firmament
Was thus outspanned, the heavens were outspanned thus;
And stars were created therein.
For thy sake, poor one.
This dry land came into being.
The dry land came to pass and became solid
And feU into the water.
On thine account, poor one.
The sun came; for thee was the moon revealed.
On thine account, poor one, did the seven come.
And those twelve ®) went hither.
At thy right hand, thou poor one, abideth radiance
And at thy left are beams of light.

*) Lit. with no nurserjTiian.

’) The planets.
The signs of the Zodiac.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 145

Stand firm! Rise in thy brightness^) (?)

Until thy measure (of years) is complete.
When thy measure is complete,
I myself will come to thee, I wiU bring thee

Robes of splendour
Which the world, coveteous ®), will entreat;
I will bring to thee wrappings ®),

Good and pure, of the Light

Which is great and boundless.
I will deliver thee from the wicked
And save thee from sinners.
I will set thee in thy skinta
In the Pure Place. I will rescue thee!”
I hear the voice of the Seven
As they mutter and whisper and say
"Blessed is it that the poor one
Hath a and the fruit-tree one who tendeth it.
father,
For us there is no father: our fruit-tree hath none to tend it!”
Well is it for him whom the Great Life knoweth
But woe to him whom the Great Life knoweth not
Well is it for him whom the Great Life knoweth.
Who keepeth himself alien from the world.
From the world of imperfection
In which the planets sit.

On thrones of rebellion do they sit

And perform their deeds with a scourge.

They stir up trouble about gold and silver.

They cast into it {the world) strife.

They stir up trouble cast strife into it.

And they wiU go into the fire ; will seethe.

They will go into fire and will seethe.
The wicked will seethe and their pomp
Will perish and be brought to a stop.
(But) I, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus,
And my offspring and my kinsfolk

D.C. 53 bmazruiak, D.C.3 hmazarutak, Oxf. ms. bamazrutak. Lidzbarski

apparently derives from ZHR, (to take heed)’ (It could equally be derived
from the meaning “to emit Ught”). Here, perhaps (but not very probably)
from MZR: see P.S. Thes. 'stocks’’. . .vulg. hardy, sturdy, unflinch-
ing”., hence “endurance”. Doubtful.
^) Lit “the world of coveteousness asks it’’.

^) See p. 81, n. i.
146 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

I will arise, I will behold the Place of Light

The place whose sun goeth not down.
Nor do its lamps of light grow dim.
To it, to that place, {to that) bourne
Your souls are bidden and invited.
And the souls of our good brothers
And those (of) our sisters who are beUeving.
Life is extolled and victorious
And victorious is the man who went hence.

166
In the name of the Life!
The ’uthras rejoice in His treasure.
And ’uthras increase in glory
Through the Treasure.
The ’uthras rejoice and shine
In the vigilance and praise
Which your Father, the Mighty Life,
Inspired in you.

167
In the Name of the Great Life!
Thee, my Lord, do I worship
And Thee, my Lord, do I praise.
Light-in-Truth do we call Thee.
Look on us. Lord, and condemn us not!

168
Upon the Beginning of the great Ether of Life
And upon the great Source of Healings
Do I, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus, take stand.
Ihave made prayer and submission to
That great Primal Mana and the Treasure of Treasures,
And to Bihrim, Kanfiel, Nsab and Anan-Nsab,
To Sar and Sarwan, Tar and Taiwan, ’Urfiel and Marfiel

1
Very plainly this in D.C. 53, but not in D.C. 3 or the Oxford ms.
)
2
Lit. Nsablktm (planted on you) in both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53, The Oxf.
)

ms. nsablun i.e. “which your Father transferred from the Mighty Life”.
®) AU the beings named in this list appear to be personifications of some

function or activity of life or hght, but analysis of these names cannot be

entered upon here.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 147

And Youth of tender years,

to Arsapan^), the
And Yawar-Tatgmur and to Has-u-Pras
to
The ’uthra who is Nsab and Anan-Nsab,
Bihram and the great Ram — Life is His name —
Who receiveth prayer and praise
And uphfteth it (them) to the Great Place of Light
And to the Everlasting Abode.
He will accept my prayer and praise, mine,
Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus,
And hft it up to the Great Place of Light
And to the Everlasting Abode
Into His own skinta ;
will uphft it and will not let
Distortion or fault appear therein.
And Life be praised!

169
To thy name. Land (world) of Light
And to the great Door of the House of Life
Have I addressed my prayer and made submission,
And to that great First Mana
And that great first Source of glory who is

Has-uPras (He pondered and declared) and Prisaia-rba-qadmaia

(Noble, great. First) is His name^);
Our propitiation ®) and our Awe.
Wondrous is His voice.
And His converse other-worldly.
(He it is) who accepteth prayer and praise
And taketh it up to the great place of Light
And to the everlasting abode.
He accepteth my prayer and my praise.
Mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus,
Who have prayed this prayer and (these) Devotions.
And he hfteth it up to the great place of Light
And to the everlasting abode
And dehvereth it to the great Yawar.
This is prayer and praise which came to us
— To the Elect Righteous to this wmrld —
In D.C. 3 the same spelling; the O.xford ms. Arspan.
Delete d.
See p. 1 13, n. 5.

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook, II

 ;

148 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Which is all birth.

For every man who prayeth this prayer

There will be forgiving of sins.
To every Nasoraean man who prayeth this prayer
And standeth at his devotions.
And mentioneth these names sincerely,
A guardian-spirit of light will come
And will abide in his house,
{And will abide in my house)
Mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus.
And I, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus,
By means of this prayer will seek and find
And speak and be heard,
I will seek justice and win {my case )
I shallbe without sin or trespass
In the Great Place of Light
And the Everlasting Abode.
Life be praised! and Life is victorious.

(These are five (?) ^) prayers which are fruits of ether (?). The
first isthe confirmation of your '“Devotions”. Pray them after
the hymns and psalms for the day before the major ‘‘Blessed and
praised be Life”.)

These are the prayers and chants and the offertory ®) of the
‘‘Devotions” which I, poor and lowly, a minor amongst brother-

priests, have copied. I kiss the shoes on the feet of the pious *)
and (am) as earth on the feet of Nasoraeans, dust ®) beneath the
am Rabbi Adam-Yuhana son of Sam son of
feet of ganzibras. I
Bihram son of Sa’dan son of Msa’ad known as Kamisia and Ris-Draz
by name. I copied for myself so that I might act and be successful

Lidzbarski (M.L. p. 230 Is. 12 f.) has Halin tartinbawata d-qaiamta d-

rahynia qria abatar drasa d-yttma mn qudam Brikia umsabia Mia rabtia) D.C.
53 here may be a miscopying.
2
Qaiamta (that which confirms, or estabhshes, or offers up) in general
)

seems to mean a prayer of dedication. Lidzbarski translates Festigung.

Or see note 2.
*) Nasakia has acquired this meaning from the Persian and Arabic .«l . :

but also, again from the Arabic “copyist”.

“) Arqa bigar “earth-on-the-foot” = humble slave.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 149

therein and that I should have someone on earth to mention my

name and yonder in the mighty and lofty worlds of light.
I copied from the qulasta (collection) of Baktiar son of Mhatam-

Zihrun son of Bihram son of Adam-Yuhana, of the Dihdaria family,

by the name of Sabur, which the great, lofty and respected Rabbi
Ram-Yuhana copied; (he was) the son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of
Adam son of R. Yahia-Adam, son of R. Sitil,
R. Zihrun son of R.
’kuma by name. And he copied from the qulasta that was copied
for himself by Ram-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son
R. of R.
Zihrun, ’kuma by name. He copied from his own qulasta for a
“perfect” man, an ’stad,^) Hadat son of Qasim son Hadat son of
of
Bihram son of Zakria of the Dihdaria family, Sabur by name. He
copied it from the qulasta of the great, lofty, revered one, a pourer-
forth (or "copyist”) of treasure, highly perfected in priestcraft,
R. Sam-Yuhana, son of R. Yahia-Adam son of Bihram-Zihrun
son of Adam-Yuhana son of Zid son of Sam, ’Asakir by name. He
copied this insertion (rubric) from the qulasta of Zihrun- Yuhana
son of R. Zihrun son of Yahia-Adam son of Zakia, Manduia by name.
Adam-Yuhana copied it, son of Adam-Bihram son of Bihram son
of Sam son of Yahia son of Mhatam son of Adam of the Kafasia
family, known by name.
as Dubia, ’Aziz He copied
it from the

qulasta of the great, loftyand respected ganzibra, one exempt from

all blemish, R. Hhatam-Bayan son of Zakia-Sitlan son of Sam-

Yuhana son of Sairvan-Bahran son of Adam-Baktiar son of Sam-

Bahran son of Yahia-Br-Zakia by name. He was of the children
of Zakia son of Yuhana, known as Buhayir. He copied from the
qulasta of the great, lofty and respected R. Bihram-Br-Hiia,
son of Adam-Zakia son of Br-Hiia son of Baktiar, Kuhiha by name.
And his teacher copied from the qulasta of Yahia son of Adam son
of Sam son of Zakia-Zihrun, 'Asikir by name; who copied it from
a qulasta which ’Amuyia Bihram-Br-Hiia son of Zakia Kuhilia who
copied for himself from the qulasta of the great and lofty and revered
ganzibra- a chosen one whom the First Life chose out, R. Alhatam
Br-Hiia son of Baktiar son of Adam-Bihram, by name Kuhailia,
may Manda-d-Hiia forgive him his sins! He copied from a qulasta
which was copied for himself by ’Amujda, R. Mhatam-Zihrun-Br-

Dakar "mentioning”, “a mentioner”. That is a relative or priest to

insert hisname when reciting the list of names commemorated at sacraments
for the dead.
A skilled person, a professor, a skilled craftsman.
I50 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Hiia son of Baktiar, Kuhilia by name. He copied from the qulasta of

R. Ram-Bayan son of R. Sam, son of Mhatam Daudania by name,
which was copied by R. Sam-Paiis son of Baktiar son of Sam, Tutu
by name. It was kept in the library {ginza) of R. Adam-Yuhana
son of Sam-Daudania and was copied from the qulasta of R. Bihram
son of Bihram-Yahia-Saiar, Tutu by name, who copied for himself
from the qulasta Sam-Bihram son of Bihran-Gadana that was
of
copied by R. Zihrun-Baktiar son of Adam-’qaiam son of Sarwan the
Deaf, who copied it from a qulasta he had copied for himself from a
qulasta copied by R. Adam-Zihrun son of Yahia-Yuhana son of
Bihdad son of Anu§-M’aiha who copied it for himself from a qula-
stahe copied for himself from the qulasta of R. Bihram-Baian son of
Br-Yahia-Baz, whose first pupil [candidate for priesthood) who copied
itwas the brother of his father Bihram-Baian son of Y ahia-Baz who
copied from his own qulasta which he copied from the qulasta of
Ruzba-Bulbul son of Bihram which Adam-Zihrun copied, the son of
Yahia-Yuhana- Bihdad son of Anus-M’ailia. Adam-Zihrun copied it
for his pupil, Adam son of Yahia-Sam-Paiis: he copied it from the
qulasta of Adam-Zihrun son of Yahia-Yuhana-Bihdad son of Anus-
M’aiha. And Adam-Zihrun copied it a second time for himself from
the qulasta of his father Yahia-Yuhana-Bihdad son of Anus-M’aiha,
And Yahia-Yuhana-Bihdad copied it for Zihrun-Br-Bihdad which
Zakia son of Yuhana copied. He copied it for Sam and Anus, the
sons of Br-Hiia. He copied from the qidasta he had copied for
his pupil, Mhatam-Bulbul son of Br-Hiia, from a qidasta which
Anus M’ailia copied — the son of Bihdad-Zakia son of Zihrun. He
copied from the manuscript of his father, Anus-M’ailia son of Anus-
Bihdad who copied it for himself a second time
he copied from the
:

qidasta of Hibil son ofYahia son of Sam-Saiwia from the manus-

cript of Baian son of Zakia. His mother was Haiuna daughter of
Yahia. It was copied from the library which remained with them
from the place Tib. And Ramuia son of ’Qaimat was its compiler,
and Ramuia copied from Sganda and Sganda copied from Zazai-d-
Gawazta son of Hawa: the name of his father was Natar. And
Zazai copied from the Scroll of the First Life.
And Life, rejoice for ever! Life is victorious over all works, and
victorious is Manda-d-Hiia and his helpers.

[Translator s note). — At prayerbooks used by priests

this point
vary in order, and D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 no longer run parallel. Into
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS I5I

D.C. 53 I have inserted the longer form of Commemoration used

at every masiqta. It is called the Abahatan Qadmaiia. In the hst
of commemorations, family names, the names of local priests,
friends or relatives are inserted according to the occasion, place,
or priests, but the beginning is always the same, and in the
Qadmaiia the names of heavenly beings, patriarchs, ethnarchs and
liturgists are permanently embedded.
This prayer, the major Tab taba Itabia, is not in its full form,
inM.L.
have included here also the six prayers which follow the Aba-
I

hatan Qadmaiia in D.C. 3.

170 1)

Good is the Good (one ?) for the good, and He set His nature
upon those who love His name. We will seek and find, and will
speak and be heard. We have sought and found, we spoke and were
heard in Thy presence, my Lord Manda-d-Hiia, Lord of Healings.
Forgive the sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes of him
who made (furnished) this bread ^), masiqta and tabuta ®). His sins,
trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes thou wilt remit for him,
my lord Manda-d-Hiia and Great First Life, (those of) the donor ®)
of fee and oblation.
For our forefathers there shall be forgiving of sins. For YuSamin
son of Dmut-Hiia there shall be forgiveness of sins. For Abatur
son of Bihrat there shall be forgiveness of sins. For Habsaba and
Kana-d-Zidqa there shall be forgiveness of sins. For the twenty-four
’uthras, sons of light, there shall be forgiveness of sins. For Pthahil
son of Zahriel there shall be forgiveness of sins. For Adam son of
Qin ’) and Eve his wife there shall be forgiveness of sins. For Sitil
son of Adam there shall be forgiveness of sins.
There shall be forgiveness of sins for Ram and Rud ®) There
. shall

3 Cf. No. 72; distinguished from No. 170 as the Tab taba Itabia of Sum
(Shem) son of Noah.
-) See p. 60, n. 3.

See p. 60, n. 4.
h See p. 61, note 2.
See p. 61, note 2.
*) The person or persons who ordered the masiqta.

’) “Son-of-a-Family” ? Priests translate Qin as “earth”, "dust”

“) Ram and Rud were a human pair who survived the destruction of the
world by sword and plague.
152 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

be forgiveness of sins for Surbai and Sarhabiel ^). There shall be

forgiveness of sins for Sum son of Noah and Nuraita his wife. There
shall be forgiveness of sins for Yahia-Yuhana son of ’Nisbai and
Qinta and Anhar his wives. There shall be forgiveness of sins for
those three hundred and sixty priests who went forth from the
district of Jerusalem the city. There shall be forgiveness of sins for
the souls of our good fathers and for this my soul, Adam-Zihrun
son of Mahnus, who hath prayed this prayer and devotions. There
shall be forgiveness of sins for the soul of my father, Yahia-Bihram
son of Hawa-Mamania. There shall be forgiveness of sins for the
soul of my mother, Mahnus daughter of Simat. There shall be
forgiveness of sins for the soul of my teacher Bihram son of
Mudalal. There shall be forgiveness of sins for his \wfe, Anhar
daughter of Hawa. There shall be forgiveness of sins for the souls
of my children Anhar daughter of Anhar. There shall be forgiveness
my brothers (and sisters) Anhar, and Sam, and Mudalal,
of sins for
and Ram; and Muhatam-Yuhana, and Adam-Yuhana, the sons
of Mahnus; forgiveness of sins be there for them. The souls of
Mandaeans Ram son of 5arat-Simat,-forgiveness of sins be there
;

for him; Zihrun son of Simat forgiveness of sins be there for

him; Anhar daughter of Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for
her; Simat daughter of Hawa, forgiveness sins be there for her;
Ram son of Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Yasmin
daughter of Yasman, forgiveness of sins be there for her. AU
the souls of our good fathers, be there forgiveness for them.
And for this my Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus, be there
soul, mine,
forgiveness for me. my teacher, Bihram son of Mudalal,
The soul of
be there forgiveness for him. The souls of priests, Adam-Zihrun
son of Mamania, forgiveness of sins be there for him. Yahia-Anus
son of Maliha, forgiveness of sins be there for him. Yaliia-Ram-
Zihrun son of Hawa- Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for him.
Yahia-Zihrun son of Mudalal, forgiveness of sins be there for him.
Sam-Bihram son of Mudalal, forgiveness of sins be there for him.
All souls of our good forefathers, forgiveness of sins be there for
them. And for this my soul, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus who have
prayed this prayer and devotions, forgiveness of sins be there for

Surbai and Sarhabiel were sole survivors after the destruction of the
world by fire.
A priest when prajdng this prayer always inserts the name of his
“teacher” i.e. the priest who initiated him into priesthood.
 ;;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 153

me.i) And the soul of my teacher Bihram son of Mudalal, forgiveness

of sons be there for him. The souls of ganzibria\ Yahia-Yuhana
son of Hawa-Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Zihrun
son of Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for him Sam-Bihram son;

of Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for him Bihram-Sitn son of

;

Sarat, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Zihrun son of Mahha,

forgiveness of sins be there for him; Adam son of Sadia-Mahha
forgiveness of sins be there for him; Yahia-Bayan and Yahia-Bihram
sons of Hawa-Mamania, forgiveness of sins be there for them;
Ram-Yuhana son of Mamania, forgiveness of sins be there for him;
Bayan-Zangia son of Anhar-Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for
him; Sam-Saiwia son of Sarat, forgiveness of sins be there for
him; Bihram son of Madinat, forgiveness of sins be there for him;
Yahia son of Anhar-Ziwa, forgiveness of sins be there for him;
Ram-Sindan and Saria, forgiveness of sins be there for them;
Hawa daughter of Daia, forgiveness of sins be there for her Anhar- ;

Kumraita daughter of Simat, forgiveness of sins be there for her;

Yahia-Ramuia son of Ramuia, forgiveness of sins be there for him;
Sam-Bihram son of Mudalal, forgiveness of sins be there for him
Adam son of Bihram {Bihyat?)-'Di\iga.n, forgiveness of sins be there
for him; Adam-Br-hiia son of Simat, forgiveness of sins of there
for him; Brik-Yawar son of Buran, forgiveness of sins be there for
him; Bihram Bishaq son of Hawa, forgiveness of sins be there for
him Sabur son of Dukt, forgiveness of sins be there for him Mha-
; ;

tam and Sitil, sons of Haiuna, forgiveness of sins be there for them
Anus son of Mihria-Zad, forgiveness of sins be there for him Saiar- ;

Ziwa and Sabur son (sons?) of Kaizar’il, forgiveness of sins be there

for him {them ?) Bhira son of Kujasta, forgiveness of sins be there
;

for him; Zakia son of Hawa, forgiveness of sins be there for him;
Ardaban-Malka-Baktiar son of Simat, foigiveness of sins be there
for him.
And all souls of our good fathers, forgiveness of sins be there
for them. And for this my soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus,
who have prayed this prayer and these devotions, forgiveness of
sins be there for me. The soul of my teacher, Bihram, son of Mudalal,
forgiveness of sins be there for him.
The souls of the ethnarchs: Adam-Bul-Faraz son of Hawa-

1) Some names are omitted from the (copied) text. In most prayerboo ks

the family-names vary, but the first and last parts remain the same.
 ;

154 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Mamania, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Anus Mu’ailia son

of Hawa-Zadia, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Yahia-Adam,
son of Zadia-Anus, Hawa (?), forgiveness of sins be there for him
{them?) ;
Bihdad son of Sadia, forgiv^eness of sins be there for him
Bainia son of Haiuna, forgiveness of sins be there for him Haiuna ;

daughter of Tihwia, forgiveness of sins be there for her; Ramuia

son of ’Qaimat, forgiveness of sins be there for him; Sganda son
of Yasman, forgiveness of sins be there for him, Zazai-d-Gawazta
son of Hawa, forgiveness of sins be there for him.
The of) aU Nasoraeans, priests and laymen
people, {consisting
{mandaiia), and ganzibria and ganzaiia ^) {headpriests and treas-
urers ?), from the age of Adam the First Man down to the end of the
world (and generations) all who went down to the Jordan and were
;

immersed and received the Pure Sign, who did not betray their
Sign, nor renounced (were converted from) their Baptism, forgive-
ness of sins be there for them. For them and their spouses and
their offspring, their priests, and for those who supplied this
bread and ritual food {tabuta), and for you, my fathers, my teachers
and instructors when ye upheld me from the Left to the Right,
Forgiveness be there for you. And ye shall say “Life abideth
®)’’
in Its Dwelling
And Life be praised : Life is victorious over all works.

171
{Note. — 171 is taken from D.C. 3: in D.C. 53 it begins as No.
257, p. 287 of the Mandaic text of D.C. 53.)
In the Name of the Life!
Praised be the First Great Radiance and praised the Great First
Light! Piaised be the Wellspring and the great first Palm-Tree^)
Praised be the mystic Tan(n)a “) which dwelleth in the great
mystic First Wellspring. Praised be the great Sislam ®) who sitteth
on the bank of the WeUspring and Palm-tree; praised is the great
zlat ’) Praised is the great Yawar who was formed from the loins

*) In most versions.
In some conclusions to this prayer daria is inserted here.
Or, lit. "the living stand in their shintas (dwellings?)".
I.e., the two first creative forces, one male, the other female (See
p. 14,
ns. 5 and 6).
Tan(n)a. See p. 9, n. 1.
•) See p. 105, n. 2; ’zlat is Sislam’s bride and the archetype of wifehood.
’) See n. 6.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 155

of Radiance: praised is Simat-Hiia (Treasure-of-Life) Mother of ,

all kings, because from them {both) all worlds proceeded for she —
was appointed as the result of secret mysteries.
i)
Piaised is that first great Jordan :
praised are those three
hundred and sixty j or dans which proceeded from that first great
Jordan. Praised is that great mystic first Skinta and praised are
the three hundred and sixty skintas which proceeded from that
first great mystic Skinta.
Yawar-Ziwa, the vigilant ’uthra, divulged, revealed and said,
“Upon every Nasoraean man who standeth at his devotions and
prayeth this prayer and offereth up this {prayer of) dedication
the glory of the Life will come and will rest on him, and he shall
have strength and increase hke Anus-’Uthra. Upon any Mandaean
man who standeth at his devotions and prayeth this prayer and
raiseth this dedicatory prayer the attention of the Life will descend,
will rest on him and he win have strength and greatness hke a priest.
And he shall say “Thou art estabhshed First Life’’ and dedicate*)
{his crown) sixty-one times and make {this) petition ®)
:
(and say)
Ye and magnified, revered and established
are blessed, praised
with high honour which is great and boundless, O Life, and my
Lord Manda-d-Hiia and the great First Life, the Second Life
and the Third Life; Yufin and Yufafin; Sam-Mana Smira; and the
Vine which is all Life and the great Tree which is all heahngs. (0)
Compassionate One, Forgiving One, Clement One, Pitiful One,
Deliverer and Saviour, O Looser of the bound, loosen him (me)
from and forgive his (my) sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and
blunders, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus, who have prayed this
prayer and “devotions”. Be there forgiveness of sins for me! O
Sunday, the lauded, pure guardian of Light, (O) Ayar-Nhura, pure
sa\Tour who art all piety, who art invisible and unbounded! be my
answerer and answer me be my supporter and support me, be my
:

Raiser-up and raise my soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus

who have prayed this prayer and “devotions”. Be there forgiveness
of sins for me!

The Great First Jordan is the River of Life, Water of Life. A Jordan
ISrunning water generally, but in particular a pool of running water used in
the cult-hut garden for baptism.
Qaiamta; a name given to a prayer of dedication.
Santa can also mean “heed" or “company", "fellowship”.
*) See p. 28, n. 3.

This prayer is called the Sal Suita (proa. Sal SulUia).

156 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

O Habsaba (Sunday) deliver me from hell-beasts and from

!

purgatory-demons and from water-penalties ®) and from pots ,

that seethe, from fire and ice, from the snare of the planets, from
the plots of the planets, from the slaying of the planets and from
the seven hell-beasts *), the chief Levier of dues and the children
of darkness. Great Bihram! baptise me in thy sublime Jordan and
deliver me in purity to the Place of Light. Stretch forth thy right
hand of holy truth ®) to clasp that of this my individual soul, mine,
Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus, who have prayed this prayer and
(offered up) these devotions. Be there forgiving of sins for me.
O Abathur-Rama, O
Abathur-Muzania ^) Weigh me in thy !

balance, build me into thy building and count me in thy reckoning!

Mahziel, Great First Word, which assured me sight in mine eyes,
pour wisdom into my heart! Open the eyes of my understanding!
Haiagum, healer; ®) Kusta, and Yusmir healer of the mana and
its counterpart, heal me {-preserve me) from pains, from blemishes

from hateful ®) curses, from a sickly body and from an oozing body.
0 Yawar-Rba, Yur-Rba ^®), Treasurer, king of worlds of light, free
me, rid me of my sin, my trespasses, my follies, my stumblings and
my mistakes, mine, Adam Zihrun son of Jvlahnus who have prayed
this prayer and devotions. Be there forgiveness of sins for me, and
for my father and mother, and for my teacher for my wife and
^i),

children, for my priests and for all souls w'ho stood for the Name of
Life and w'ere firm in the sign of Manda-d-Hiia with a sincere and
believing heart.
Yea, Life, verily Life ^-) Life will be with the victorious.

Zangaiia, see p. 100, n. 3.

2 See p. 62, II. 5.
)

Qnasia, varr. qnasia d-niia referred to also in D.C. 24, probably a form
of torture or ordeal by water.
Zangiania in all mss. for zangaiia, see n. i.
D.C. 53, p. 290 text, omits rab before niaksia.
®) A free translation. The kusta rite.
’) Abathur the Lofty and Abathur of the Scales.
D.C. 53 (Prayer 257) and D.C. 24 have d-kiista, but D.C. 3 is probably
right in omitting the particle. D.C. 53 has also d-Yusmir.
*) D.C. 24 lutata bisaia “evil curses”.
D.C. 53 (Prayer 257) has Yiiyba (one word).
Rbai, the priest who initiated him into priesthood.
^-) D.C. 53 (see Prayer 258) makes this a separate prayer. Both in this
and in D.C. 24 ’in hiia u’lin hiia. (Hiia is both "living” and “life”).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 157

They (Life) will not condemn those who love Their name: they
will be joined in holy union. Life for those who know, Life for
those who believe. Life for beings who instruct us^) Life is established .

in its dwelhngs: Life is victorious over all works.

1722)

Now {we beseech Thee), Life, {bestow) Thy pity. Thy clemency.
Thine attention. Thy compassion. Thine, Great First Life! Show
pity, be clement, be attentive to and show compassion on this, my
soul, mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus who have prayed this
prayer and (these) devotions. May there be forgiveness of sins for
me. (Three times) ®). For me and for my father and my mother, for
my teacher and for my wdfe and my offspring, and for my priest
and for whomsoever hath offered this bread and ritual foods. And
for you, my fathers, my teachers, and my instructors and those
who taught me the faith when ye supported me from the Left to
the Right, may there be forgiving of sins for you. And ye shall say
"Life is established in its dwellings”.
And Life is victorious over all works.

173 [The Sumhata] *)

The name of the Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia be pronounc-

ed upon thee! The name of the great mystic Wellspring is pro-
nounced upon thee. The name of the great mystic First Palmtree is
pronounced upon thee. The name of the great Sislam is pronounced
upon thee. The name of the great ’zlat is pronounced upon thee. The
name of the great Yawar is pronounced upon thee. The name of
Simat-Hiia is pronounced upon thee. The name of the great
Yukabar is pronounced upon thee. The name of the Mana and his
counterpart is pronounced upon thee. The name of the great
Mystery, the mystic Word, is pronounced upon thee. The name of
Shaq-Ziwa the great, the first, is pronounced upon thee.
The name of Sam, the pure, first-produced, beloved and first
radiance, is pronounced upon thee. The name of the Life and the
name of Manda-d-Hiia is pronounced upon thee, Adam-Zihrun son

Cf. G.R. p. 419, hiia lyadin hiia Isabrin htia Igitbria niasbiranan.
(D.C. 3 p. 215 text).
Read tlata zibnia: (D.C. 3 klata nubia!)
*) D.C. 3, p. 216 (text). De M. p. i fi "The Names.”
158 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

of Mahnus. May
malady, accidents, curses, vows and for-
illness,

feitures ^), and the

pains, infirmities, violent fevers, the evil eye
dimmed eye be loosed and removed from thee. They shall depart
(rise) to the mountains and heights from thy body, spirit and soul,

thy trunk and thy stature and (from) thine entire frame, thine,
Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus, through the strength of my Father,
their Father, Manda-d-Hiia, through the strength of the treasure of
the First Life and through the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-
Hiia. And the name of Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia be
pronounced upon thee.
174
I beseech the Life and my Lord Manda-d-Hiia and the ’uthras

and kings of the worlds of the light for a sponsor for this high
mystery (ginza) so that no lacking or deficiency may appear therein.
Should there be an3hhing missing or deficient, do thou, O Hibh-
Ziwa, (thou) great FulfiUer, supplement it from thy treasure which
is not deficient and from th}' plentj^ which lacketh in nothing. Rid

it and loose it from its sins, trespasses, follies, stumbhngs and mis-

takes, (and) mine, Adam-Zihrun son of Mahnus who have prayed

this prayer and (these) devotions. May there be forgiving of sins
for me.
0 Sunday, receive it, save it, establish it and raise it up to per-
fection !

175
In the name of the Great Life.
Then, when she reacheth the Seven Mj^steries, servitors of the
Seven go forth towards her. They come and surround her and
question her and say to her, “O soul, whence comest thou and whither
goest thou?”
1 say to them, ‘T come from the Body^), the name of which is
the Earth and I am going towards the Good Consummation ®)”.

They saj-’ to me, “Whose servant art thou and whose envoy art
thou called?”
I say to them, “I am the servitor of the Beloved Consummation,
and the envoy of the vast Ether”.

q Nidria nsalamaia are evils often mentioned in talismans.

The cosmic Body of Adam Kasia.
Kimsa (see p. 119, n. 2.) here has certainly the meaning of final consum-
mation.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 159

Then they bless her (me) and praise her and guard her and
say to her, “Everyone who knoweth this saying wdl rise towards
the Good Goal ^)” because they seek to grasp the mysteries of the
Body. And they question her and then she riseth towards the Good
Goal.

176
O King all kings, O Father of all 'uthras; O Adatan and
of
Yadatan; O
Silmay and Nedvay, ye guardian ’uthras of the Jordan;
0 Hibil-Ziwa, great FulfiUer who dehverest us from evil plots and
dehverest us from aU that is evil and ugly, O high King of Light,
thou wilt give me comehness of body, compassion of heart, fullness
of hand and integrity of eye. O Life, and my Lord Manda-d-Hiia
Thou dehverest me savest me and guardest me. O high King
of Light!

3
177 )

In the Name of the Great Life.

Vines shone in the water
And in the Jordan mighty they grew.
Ye are flourishing offshoots.
Messengers hither I bring you,
I give you great ’uthras.

I have twined for you and bring you

Garlands of myrtle and marjoram
For (ht. “in”) the doors of the houses.

The poem veers constantly from the ist to the 3rd person.
Kimsa. See p. 158 n. 3.
( ?)
This prayer exists in several versions and appears to be very corrupt.
Its use may elucidate the original meaning. It is recited when, at the Little
New Year’s Feast, priests hang weaths of myrtle and willow on the door
of every house. I venture on a reconstruction of the hymn as follows; —
[From the fourth line)

[Messengers (not a messenger) I bring you.)

Sgandia lhaka aitilkun yahhinalkun I’utria sagiia
Gadlilkun umatnalkun bbabia d~hilbitnia
Klilia d-asa umarwa (see note on this line)
Yanqia gadlalkun umatnalkun
Alma Ikimsat almia brikinun
Yardna sagia brikinhun masbuta d-labatla
Mn ns bris. (cont. next page).
l60 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

I win rear up for you babes

And bring (them) to you.
We you unto world’s end
bless :

The {yardnaY) hath blessed you

full river
And the baptism which is unfading
From beginning to end.

178
Kusta strengthen thee ^), my crown,
Kusta strengthen thee, my teacher,
Kusta strengthen thee, my turban,
Kusta strengthen thee, guardian of my turban,
Kusta strengthen thee. Great First Radiance,
Kusta strengthen thee. Great First Light,
Kusta strengthen you, my brother-priests,
Kusta strengthen You, Life, my Parents®),
KuSta strengthen thee, my treasure,
Kusta strengthen thee. Guardian of my treasure!
We with a pure mouth. (Sixty-one times)
kiss thee
In an inner vessel they concealed thee^).
The WeUspring of living waters hath blessed thee.
And the Nasirutha which emanated therefrom
WiU be thine assuagement, it will be thy portion.
And treasure will arise to its owner.
And Thou, Life, wdt be victorious for ever and ever!
And Life is victorious ®).

(Note.) — The section which follows in D.C. 53 p. 200 begins in D.C. 3

p. 357 after the Blessed Oblation Prayers. It is the section which
deals with marriage and with the newly-crowned priest. I translated

[cont.) I suggest that the pro.ximity of mama to yanqia led scribes to confuse
marba d-mrahia yanqia, D.A., p. ii, with the present line, especially as warJa
is pronounced marua. However, the verse is said at the New Year, when
priests visit houses and distribute wreaths which are hung on doors of houses.
My translation is free, based on this supposition.
1
)
The rams fill the river at New Year.
2
)
ASA in the sense of curing that which is sick, is unsuitable to the
Mandaic form of greeting kusta asiak, especially as addressed to divine
beings when “give thee thy full power” is implied by asiak.
The cosmic parents, the Father and Mother.
The taga (a silk fillet) is kept in a box.
This prayer is repeated at putting on and taking off the "crown”, see
’’)

p. 28, n. 3.
 !

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS l6l

the marriage hymns in Biblica et Orientalia no. 12, Pontificio Isti-

tuto Biblico, Rome 1950, but am glad to alter certain prayers, for
second thoughts have improved the earUer translation. The first
prayer, No. 179, is found in a slightly different version in the G.
R. (See G. R. Lidzbarski’s trs. pp. 271-2).]

179
My Lord be praised!
Kusta strengthen thee!
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be glorified!
A. Come, Kusta, in kindness.
Light which goeth to the house of its friends.
B. Chosen art thou, pure one.
For thou establishest thy people in innocency.
G. Thou art a perfected selected gem
Without flaw.
D. Thou art the Road of the perfect.
The path which leadeth up to the Place of Light.
H. Life art Thou, from eternity.
Who didst go and didst dwell in my true heart.
U. Woe to him who neither obeyeth nor listeneth to Thee,
my Lord
Whose path lieth in courts of gross revelry.
Z. Thou art the armour of the perfect.
Truth without deviation.
H. Thou art wise and weU-pleasing, my Lord,
For Thou teachest wisdom and faith to all who love Thy
name.
T. Well is it for him who heedeth and heareth Thee *), my Lord,
And walketh his road following Thee.
Y. Thou art a day of gladness
In which there is no mourning or lamentation.
K. Thou art a Wreath of Purities (or “victories”)
That is set on the heads of the enhghtened.
L. Thou art a Tongue of Praise,

Gimra, see p. ii, n. 9.

D.C. 3 and D.C. 38 (p. 9, 1 5) both have Sabilh. D.C. 53 like G.R. has
.

^bila “path”.
In G.R. “wisdom and praise”. D.C. 38 agrees with D.C. 53.
*) Masculine in D.C.
53 and D.C. 38; feminine in G.R.
i62 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

For every day thou praisest the Life.

M. Thou art the First Mana (Primal Mind),
Which Life constructed and built up.
N. Thou art the Light of Powerful {Life)
For thou didst go, and didst come to the v.mrld.
S. Thou art the Medicine that cureth pains.
The Healer who cureth all who love His name,
‘
Thou art the Eye of the chosen righteous.
Which looketh daily toward the Life.
P. Thou art a Fruit of pleasant taste.
Which hath no blemish in it.
S. Thou art the First Consort
An Espousal that none preceded
Q. Thou art the First Cry:
The Life evoked Thee from its Nature.
R. Thou art the Teacher of head-priests.
And Thy glory resteth upon them.
S. The dead heard Thee and lived.
The sick heard Thee and were healed.
T. Thou turnest (to Truth) the elect righteous,
Men who have laid hold of and believed in Wisdom,
Good men, proven and perfect;
Truth dwelt in their hearts.
Life is renowned, (and) victorious.
And victorious the man who goeth hence.

i8o 3)

In the Name of the Great Life!

’Uthras assembled and Dwelhngs *) came together
And they up a throne for Yawar, King of ’uthras.
set
They set up for Yawar, King of ’uthras, a throne.
And placed on his head fresh wTeaths.
And his hght shone forth over ’uthras and dwelhngs.

Or “association”. The reference here is undoubtedly to the Father-

Mother union at creation.
2
)
Nisubta here is better translated thus. It is used poetically for “mar-
riage” or “bride”. See p. 135, n. 2.
M.L. p. 232. These prayers describe the investiture of Manda-d-Hiia
and are read for the investiture of a new priest and also for the bridegroom.
See S.d-Q. p. 45, n. i.
*) Skinaia: probably the cult-huts, personified.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 163

The ’uthras and dwellings that beheld the radiance of Yawar,

king of ’uthras,
All flocked towards him, they all flocked towards him.
And laid their pure right hands on him and blessed him
With the great blessing wherewith Yawar-Ziwa the king
Was blessed in his dweUing {^kinta)
And Life is victorious.

181

In the name of the Great Life!

On the day that they clad Manda-d-Hiia in his vestment.
His radiance shone forth over worlds of hght.
His brilliance shone forth on worlds of hght.
And the worlds of hght that beheld his radiance
All gathered to him, all flocked toward him.
And opened their mouths and blessed Manda-d-Hiia,
Saying to him, "Blessed is thy radiance
That shine th over the waters!
How bright is thy radiance!
Thine appearance giveth out hght and becometh not dim!”
{Give him to drink)

182

In the name of the Great Life!

On the day that they tied the girdle on Manda-d-Hiia,
His radiance shone forth over ’uthras and Dwellings.
Tn? ’uthras and dwellings that beheld Manda-d-Hiia’s radiance
Were aU afraid of his radiance.
At his radiance all were in awe.
And aU gathered to him, all flocked towards him
And laid their pure right hands upon him
And blessed Manda-d-Hiia, saying to him
"Blessed art thou, our father, Manda-d-Hiia,
And blessed is this girdle wherewith they have girt thee!”
{Give him to drink.)

The hamra (wine) given to a is water into which grapes or

bridegroom
raisins (symbolical of female fertility and of the Mother) and dates (sym-
bolical of male fertilit}' and of the Father) have been macerated into freshly
drawm water.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 12
164 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

183
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they invested Manda-d-Hiia with the tunic
His radiance shone forth over ’uthras and dwelHngs.
The ’uthras and dwellings that beheld the radiance of Manda-
d-Hiia
AU gathered towards him, all flocked towards him.
Laying theii pure right hands upon him.
Blessing Manda-d-Hiia and saying to him
“Blessed art thou, our father, Manda-d-Hiia,
And blessed is he who hath transferred to thee these vestments
For all the worlds which behold thee
Are awestruck at thy radiance.
{Give him to drink)

184
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they invested Manda-d-Hiia
With the stole®), SamaMel,
Three hundred and sixty weUsprings of radiance sprang forth
therein,
Three hundred and sixty weUsprings of radiance sprang forth.
And the radiance of the weUsprings was visible at the jordans.
And the {radiance of the?) jordans and the radiance of the
weUsprings is bright
And iUumineth aU the worlds of light.
{Give him to drink)

185
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they set the crown on Manda-d-Hiia
His radiance shone forth upon the Houses *),

Upon the Houses his radiance shone forth.

And He (that is) King of ’uthras, on beholding
The radiance of Manda-d-Hiia’s crown,

’) Lit. “planted”, "transferred” = “conferred on”.

^) The long tunic worn by a Mandaean (whether priest or layman) is called
the ksuia or the sadra.
A long strip of white cloth used shng-wise by the priest whilst baptising
to secure the staff which he plants in the river-bed. from falling or floating
away. This frees his hands. See MMII, p. 31 ff.
h Hilbunia=^ “eggs” (a hha is an egg, and "a house”). Seep. i2i,note4.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 165

Leapt up from he arose.

his throne;
From his throne he leapt up, stood up.
And the three hundred and sixty thousand ’uthras
With the King, stood and, la}dng their pure right hands
Upon him, they bless Manda-d-Hiia, and say to him
“Blessed art thou, our father, Manda-d-Hiia,
And blessed this crown which they have set on thee.
All worlds thereby shine from end to end.
{Give him to drink)

186
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they invested Manda-d-Hiia with the sarwala
Nsab,
His radiance shone forth over the Houses,
Over the Houses his radiance shone forth.
His radiance shone forth over the Houses.
And the nitufiata *) (heavenly spouses) who beheld Manda-d-
Hiia’s radiancy
Say to one another; "Whence cometh this radiance that shineth
upon us?”
And a Youth standing in their presence said to them,
"This is radiance emitted by Manda-d-Hiia’s sarwala, Nsab”.
And all the heavenly women standing on the roofs.
Bless him and say to him, "Blessed art thou, our father,
Manda-d-Hiia! and blessed be he
Who invested thee with these vestments!
This their radiance is surpassing!”
{Give him to drink)

187
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they invested Manda-d-Hiia wdth the staff
{margna),
Its radiance shone forth on the jordan.
The jordan that beheld the radiance of Manda-d-Hiia’s staff
Leapt and rejoiced in the radiance of Manda-d-Hiia

*) The ritual leggings, part of the rasta or ritual dress.

*) Lit. “Drops”, see p. 37 notes i and 4.
i66 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And said to him, “How abundant is thy Jordan!

The fruits and grapes and trees that are by it
Will be estabhshed.
Great is thy glory, and thy Root shall be preserved
From beginning to end”.
(Gme him to drink)

[Read these prayers for the staff and the crown both for a priest
who celebrates a masiqta {for the first time) and for a bridal pair and
chant these h5Tnns.]

188
In the name of the Great Life!
Itwined a VTeath of myrtle and marjoram
And set it on the head of Yawar, king of 'uthras
And said Yawar, rejoice in thy hving wreath.
to him, “Rejoice,
Rejoice, Yawar, Spouse
rejoice in the
Of brightness who hath been bestowed on thee.
Rejoice, Yawar, rejoice
At the kingdom that is bestowed upon thee.
Rejoice, Yawar, rejoice in the jordans
That they made flow for thee.
Rejoice, Yawar, rejoice in Sahrat ®),
The Cloud of radiance who is bestowed on thee.
That floateth and floweth onward in thy Jordan
From its source to its end *).
189
In the name of the Great Life!
\Mio, amongst the ’uthras, was it.

That placed the Wreath of the Great (Life)

Upon his head ?
The T annas ®) and the Nitufiata ®) embrace one another
In the shade of the Wreath.
In the shade of the Wreath they embrace one another

1
)
Lit. “cloud” see p. 37, n. 4. The wTeath is the “consort” or spouse of
the taga, “crown”.
2
)
Malkuta. Or, better perhaps, “kingliness”, i.e. status of kingship.
So in all my mss. M.L. has Sarhat.
h See S-d-Q. p. 47, n. 3.
“) Tannas (tania), see p.9, n. i. and p. 12, n.6.
®) Xitufiaia, "Drops”, see p. 37, n. i.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 167

And they lay their pure right hands upon him

And bless him with the mighty benediction
Wherewith Yawar was blessed
In the Place of Light.

190
Our father,they made thee chief in Tarwan
And gave thee authority (lit. “word ’'or“ speech”) in the place
of Light
Yawar set a crown upon thee
In the radiance whereof ’uthras shine,
’Uthras shine in its radiance
And the planets are in fear of it.

191
On thee, our father, they have conferred a pure sovereignty
And a command which the Great (Life) hath entrusted to thee.
They have given thee a banner of radiance.
By which all the worlds of hght are illumined.
They have given thee a staff of living water,
A rod by which all rebels shall be laid low.

192
Who hath sent thee, new king.
Cause ^) of all these rites ?

Thou hast illumined the world of Ether

And brightened the whole earth from end to end.

[193 ^)

Who sent thee, new king

That sitteth in the saka ®) of his teacher ?

Thou hast watered it with a great watering ( ?)

*)

Lit.“that from thee all these doings take place”.

The scribe of D.C. 53 has omitted Xo. 193, but, a repetition of these
hranns includes it as Xo. 30S, It is inserted here in its proper place.
Saka is translated Bereiche by Lidzbarski, p. 242, 1. 10 of the translation.
Rhih (quite plainly m the mss.) refers to the teacher. The word probably
means that the novice is still under the tutelage of the priest who has
initiated him. In S.d-Q. I translated “booth”, but saka is pbilologically un-
likely to be the sukkah.
*) Af ilSA (see Af. JLflaio)- Or (equal'y) “hast consolidated it by a great
solidification”. The former meaning seems the likelier.
l68 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And thou hast illumined and ordered

The ’uthras in their dwellings [skinata)
From end to end.]

194
Our father, Sihlun-Ziwa, rejoiceth in his crown
And the Mighty (Life) rejoiceth in His Word.
The DweUings of the Mighty (Life) rejoice and are glad
With King Yawar-Ziwa who hath planted thee (here).

195
Our father, They wall guard thy wreath for thee.
And the fellowship of the Great Life will rest upon thee.
Thine eyes shall enlighten thee, good one.
For as chief of the communion of Life ®)
Thou earnest hither.

196
Our father,thy wreath is from the Vine Ruaz,
And who twined it is from the Place of Light.
the being
Our father, the perfume of thy wreath is pleasing,
Like {the fragrance of?) the great Anus-’Uthra in his Dwelling.

197
Planter of Plants, plant it {or “him”) *)

Twiner of weaths, twine it ®)

Estabhsher®) of purities, establish

The bridegroom ’) N. and make him prosperous.

198
I am small amongst ’uthras.
And a babe amongst Rays-of-Light
Yet I grow great and my soul w'axeth great.
For I have drunk water from the mouth of the Euphrates

1) Nsablak in most mss: M.L. nsablun.

®) Ainak.
The exact meaning of this phrase is doubtful. The prayer is also intended
for the bridegroom, hence the translation I gave in S. d-Q “Because thou
comest hither for the chief function of life-union’’, is too free a rendering.
Either the plant for the wreath, or the new priest or bridegroom pos-
;

sibly both are included.

If the priest is meant —
"make him great’’.
®) Read mtaqnanin.

’) If a priest, "the priest X.’’ ?

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 169

199
May pure guardians guard thee.
May thy root be raised up and flourish exceedingly,
And thy doings be made prosperous.
And mayst thou rise up and behold the great Place
The House of Perfection.
And Life is victorious.

[These (antiphonal) hymns are to be recited over a priest who

celebrates {for the first time) a masiqta, and over bridal pairs( ?)
These are prayers for the vestments and clothing (investiture)
which I have copied who am poor, lowly and striving, small amongst
my brother-ganzivri and priests, kissing the shoes on the feet of
Nasoraeans. I endure the world’s persecution with a faithful and
believing heart. I copied for myself so that there might be a comme-
moration for me on earth, and yonder in the mighty and lofty
worlds of light. A slave, am I, who is all sin. I am Rabbi Adam-
Yuhana son of Sam son of Bihram son of Sa'dan son of Msa’ad
known as Kamisia, Ri§-Draz by name. I copied for myself so
that I might work and succeed, I copied from the qulasta of
the skilled craftsman Baktiar grandson of the skilled craftsman
‘Aziz son of Kiria son of ‘Aziz son of Faruk of the sons of the Dih-
daria, Sabur by name. It had been copied by the great, lofty and
honourable R. Ram-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R.
Zihrun son of R. Adam known as Manduia, (family) name 'Kuma.
He had copied it from a qulasta which R. Ram-Yuhana had also
copied for himself — the son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R. Zihrun
son of R.Adam, name ’Kuma. He had copied it for a "perfect” ^)
craftsman Hadaiat son of craftsman Qasim son of Hadat son of
Bihram son of Zakria of the children of the Dihdaria, Sabur by
name. He copied from the qulasta of the great, lofty and honourable
ganzibra, a reliable and tested {priest), a paragon in "treasure”,
and a high- (minded) and liberal dispenser (or “copyist”) of his Nasi-
rutha (priestly wisdom), namely, R.Sam-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-
Adam son of Bihram-Zihrun son of Adam-Yuhana son of Zid son
of Sam son of Bihram son of R. Adam, ’Asikir by name. He copied
for himself from a qulasta which was (also) copied for himself by
R. Sam-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Adam son of Bihram-Zihrun son

See p. 70, n. i.
170 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

of Adam-Yuhana son Zid son of Sam son of Bihram son of R.

of
Adam son of R. Mhatam
son of R. Baktiar son of R. Yihia ’Asikir
by name; who copied from the qulasta of R. Yahia-Yuhana son of
R. Ram son of Yahia-Baktiar son of Adam-Mhatam son of R. Bih-
ram-Br-Hiia, Kuhiha by name. He copied from the qulasta of his
was also) his teacher {i.e. initiated him into the priesthood)
father, (who
and put the crown on his head (made him a priest), R. Ram son of
Yahia-Baktiar son of R. Adam-Mhatam son of R. Bihram-Br-Hiia,
Kuhiha by name. He copied for himself from the qulasta of his
teacher and also copied it and respected, the
for the great, lofty,
reliable and tested ganzibra, R. Yahia-Mhatam son of the father
of ganzibras R. Sam- Adam son of Zakia son of Ram son of Yahia
son of Adam, known as Manduia, ‘Kuma by name. He had copied
from a qulasta which his brother had copied for himself, R. Sam-
Yuhana son of R. Sam-Adam son of Zakia son of Ram son of Yihiia
son of Adam, known as Manduia, 'kuma by name. That he copied
from the qulasta of R. Yuhana son of Sam son of Adam son of
Zakia son of Zihrun son of Adam-§itlan son of Yahia- Anu5 son of
R. Baian ’Asikir by name, which was copied by the great, lofty
and respected R. Mhatam-Zihrun son of Br-Hiia son of R. Baktiar
son of R. Adam-Bihram son of R. Y ahia, Kuhiha by name — may
Manda-d-Hiia forgive him his sins! — from the g-M/aste of R. Ram-
Bayan son of Sam-Daudania which had been copied by R. Pahs
son of Baktiar son of Sam son of Zihrun son of Adam, Furayih
by name, from the qulasta which v'as copied for himself by R.
Yihiia-Saiar, Tutu by name. He had copied from the qulasta that
had been copied by Zihrun-Baktiar son of Adam the Deaf, who
had copied it for his pupil Sam-Bihdad son of Bihram-Gadana.
That was copied by Bahran son of Adam-Zihrun son of M’aiha,
from his o\to qtilasta which was copied from the qulasta of Yahia-
Baktiar son of Yahia-Baz, copied by his nephew, he was his teacher
— R. Adam son of Zihrun son of Yahia-Baz. And Adam copied from
his own qulasta copied from the qulasta of R. Adam-Abulfaraz son
of Bihram-Sitil-Barubai, which Adam-Zihrun copied a second time.
His father copied it, Yahia- Yuhana-Bihdad son of Anus-ilu’ailia,
who copied it for Sam-Zakia and Anus, sons of Br-Hiia, who copied
it for Yahia-Zihrun son of Anus who copied it for his pupil who
copied it for for Bihram-Zakia son of Zihrun-Sakara, from the

qulasta of Anus-Mu’ailia son of Anus-Bihdad who copied it for him self

a second time from the manuscript of Baj^an son of Zakia and his
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 17I

mother was Haiuna daughter of Yahia, which they copied from the
library that was placed with them, from Tib, the town. And Ramuia
son of ’Qaimat was its compiler in it [that city). Ramuia copied from
Sganda son of Yasmin and Sganda copied from Zazai-d-Gawazta
son of Hawa. His father was Natar. And Zazai copied from the
scroll of the First Life. And Life is victorious, and victorious are
Hibil-Ziwa and his helpers, Hibil, Sitil, and Anus. Finis.)

[In the name of the great First Strange (Not-of-this-world) Life,

from worlds of light, the Ineffable who
above all works, be is

there health, purity, strength, soundness, speechand a hearing, joy

of heart and forgiving of sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus.
And for my father Sam son of Anhar, and my mother Mahnus
daughter of Hawa-Simat, and for my wife, Hawa-Simat daughter
of Maliha. And for my offspring, Adam-Yuhana and Sarat-Mamania
the children of Hawa-Simat. And may our thought, our mind, and
our inteUigence enhghten us about the treasure of the First Life in
these hymns and chants (called) “When the Proven One, Pure One
went”. Finis.)
200
name of the Great Life
In the
Sublime Light be glorified!
(Lo) the Voice of Life from the fruits
And the voice of radiant-light from afar;
The voice of ’uthras from the Land
of Light
Who speak in their subhme voices and say,
“Whence came we into being? By whom was implanted
Our power of reproduction ? Wdiy was it implanted.
Our reproductive power ? Our form, what doth it resemble ?

Wdience springeth our strength, that lofty strength

To which ah the worlds cannot attain?
Whence came our voice, a pure voice
That is other (-worldly ^), clear *) and dignified ®) ?

1
)
could refer either to the worlds [ahnia) or to the Great Life (hiia
rbia). It IS difficult to decide to which the adjective belongs. See p. i, n. i.
Seep. 135 n. 2 and P.S. Supp. under Here the question concerns the
urge to reproduce, the vivifying principle, especially in reference to sex.
This is a marriage hymn.
Sanai = "other”, "strange”, "changed” etc.
*) Baiar "luminous”, "shining”, “clear.

yiitraurab (Palpel and Ethpauel of RAB; "magnified”, glorified”, "mag-

nificent” etc.
172 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Our praise is praise of the Great (Life),

And our form is in the hkeness of the Place of Light.
Whence cometh our strength, lofty strength
To which all the worlds cannot attain ?
Our voice is the pure Voice by which the bridegroom is summoned
i)
Into the skinta in which ’uthras are sitting.
And he is instructed.
The king of ’uthras came.
He set off and came, the king of ’uthras
To the skinta in which the ’uthras sit.

He said to them "About what have ye been instructed,

?’’
(O) ’uthras
"About the Mana that is within the Occult,
About the Mana that came into being in the Hidden,
And about the Radiance that gloweth
In a hidden place’’.

201
O hang up light, let lamps of glory be hung up therein!
"Whose is this brightness? From whom cometh this hght?
From whom doth this effulgence
That is vast and boundless emanate?’’
“This is the radiance of HibU,
This is the hght of Sitil,

This is the effulgence of the great ’uthra Anus,

Which is great and boundless.’’

202
The radiance of Hibil is beauteous.
The hght of Sitil is bright.
And this is the effulgence of the great ’uthra Anus
That is great and boundless”.
O hang up hght!
Let lamps of glory be hung therein!
0 hang up hght.
Let lanterns of hght be hung therein!

The reference is to the heavenly cult-hut (or wedding-booth in which

the priests and bridegroom sit for the ceremony).
I.e. the priests, who represent the 'uthras.
TaJai Imperative, feminine: A female attendant is addressed.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 173

203
“This building 1), whose is it?

Whose is it, this building?

This building, whose is it.

That hath so sweet a fragrance.

Whose fragrance is so sw'eet
And which fair trees are set?”
in
“This Yawar’s building.
is

This is the building of Yawar,

This is Yawar’s building.
This, whose fragrance is sweet.
This, so sweet of odour.
And wherein fair trees are set”.
Enjoy the perfume of the trees.
For the fragrance of Yawar hath rested upon them.
Enjoy the fragrance of the trees.
For the fragrance of Manda-d-Hiia hath rested on them.”
O hang up light.
Let lamps of brightness be hung therein
O hang up light.
Let lanterns of light be hung therein.

204
They sent Hibil-Ziwa to make report
Unto the ’uthras who sit there.
And he said unto them,
“From the Radiance proceeded Light,
And from Light proceeded Ether:
Ether proceeded from Light,
And glory is manifest to the 'uthras
Who are sitting here”.
“Sweet thy voice, youth Hibil,
is

When thou speakest in the garden of Adam

The 'ndritna or skinta in which the priests who perform a marriage sit
is a light booth built of reeds and intertwined with myrtle and roses, so that
it has a pleasant perfume.

“) This is a reference to the marriage ceremony. Here Hibil-Ziwa is the

prototype of the priest sent to report that the bride is properly attired etc.
to report that the bride is properly attired etc. (See S. d-Q.)
Or "companionship”, "fellowship". Lidzbarski translates Glanz.
174 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

And chantest sublime hymns.

Sweet is thy voice! and its sound went thither”.
And Life is victorious.

205 1)

When the Proven One, the Pure One, went

To the Place where perfected (beings) dwell
— Great isGood (Spirit)!
he, the —
Towards his Father ®) was his course set.
His course was set towards his Father,
To say to Him that which was sublime and ineffable
In the Occult Place.
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

A Home of splendour *) (and) glory ®)

Shall be founded therein.

Glory will be enshrined therein.
And ’uthras wiU seek one another in prayer,
’Uthras will pray to one another.
Each one will glorify his his brother.
His brother each one will glorify.
By counsel which goeth thither from thee”.
“Thou art empowered, great Spirit!
Go, shed glory there.
Go, shed glory there: let them be glorified
With the glory that is Ours and thine.
They shall be glorified with that glory.
And receive the blessing that we have sent them.
The blessing we have sent them they shall receive.
They will grasp Thy benefaction.
It shall be so that 'uthras mav know
That thou art the greatest of all the 'uthras;

b Lidzbarski omits this prayer till the lines Sahtit anat rba ^zil (see M.L.
249 : I).

b So literally. In S. d.-Q. 4, 4. I tiislimia, a plural, to be an epithet

:

for the Great Life (also a plural). Several passages in this group of prayers
confirm my
original idea, that the Great Life is meant.
Plural, because he is speaking to the Great Life,
b See op. cit. p. 54, n. i.
Or "honour”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 175

For thou hast opened up and shown to them

And bestowed on them radiance and praise”.
“I went thither, thither went I,
And shed upon them a blessing.
The blessing that I shed upon them
They receive, and in their blessing
We bless Thee We bless Thee with
:

A benediction, with theirs.

They will glorify Thy praise,
(And) wiU be glorified by Thy praise.
By Thy Word they will be raised up.
They will be raised up by Thy Word,
And from (that which is) Thine
They will not depart”.
Priests bless the great (spirit) in secret
And bless the great (spirit) who honoured them
And honour dwelt upon them.
And Life is victorious .

May there come One from Thy radiance before me

And One from Thy Ught behind me!

206
(The alphabetical prayer on pp. 161 and 162 is repeated here)

207
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified!
A Vehicle ^) am I, a small one.
Light rested on my thought.
I travel on, I go on,
I and the life’s traveller whom they bound to me.
I spoke to her, to life’s travelling-companion
Whom they joined to me, sajdng.

The 2nd. person plural indicates the Great Life.

Only the latter a part of this poem is in M.L. p. 249, 1. i ff.
The word ’gla is derived from the root ’GL “to roll, bis hence an ’gla
is a “roller”, “wheeled vehicle”. The idea of motion is conveyed. Here,

in 'gla, the last meaning is possibly a typical Mandaean pun on one meaning
of the mana. It is here, therefore, the rnana, rolling onward on its life’s jour-
ney. (The other possible meaning “calf” is, of course, unhkely).
176 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

“I travel^) by my own strength;

(But) thou, in whose strength dost thou journey on?”
She spoke, the life-traveller that is they joined to me
Saying to me, “Just as thou traveUest onward
By thine own strength, I {travel) by faith.

Kusta (ruleih) my heart ^), my eyes are

The eyes of Radiance.
And my heart hath been tested by chosen ones”.
We entered into garments and covered ourselves
And the act of reproduction was brought into being.
The act of reproduction came into existence
And began and rviU be established.
elect ones
Life is renowned (and) victorious
And victorious the man who went thence.
208
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified.
His nuptial couch is spread for the bridegroom

And bowls of wine are mixed for him.

The bridegroom’s bolster is clods of earth,
(Earth) the bridegroom’s pillow, his vault is the sky.
The bridegroom’s robes are of pure *)

The bridegroom’s girdle is all of weU-springs,

FuU hght and glory.
of wellsprings of radiance,
The bridegroom’s tunic is of foaming waters.
The bridegroom’s wreath is of a pure kind of vine.
The bridegroom’s staff is of camel-thorn tree ®)

This prayer is said whilst walking from the marriage booth to the bridal
chamber.
*) D.C. 38 Ibab like D.C. 53. D.C. 3 Ibar.

I must stress that my translation of these curious and obscure poems

is tentative. When translating D.C. 38 (S.d-Q.) p. 53) I took the "fellow
traveller” to be the dmuta, the prototype, or spiritual counterpart. It seems
to me now that the reference is to the bride.
In S.d-Q. (p. 15, 1 10) I assumed that D.C. 3’s ruhzan was correct, and
.

therefore suggested that the word was ruhsan from RHS "to wash, perform
lustration”. D.C. 53, however, hke D.C. 38, has quhzan. Arabic
=
qahz or
^
qihz "a cloth of wool and silk”. The context suggests a rough cloth o^
some kind. It is possible, however, that my first conjecture, based on D.C. 3,
was correct.
A flowering and highly scented shrub or tree common round the Medi-
*)

terranean and in the Middle East. Its leaves are shaped hke the print of a
camel’s foot in sand.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 177

And they say "Come, that we may make

A great wedding-feast for the bridegroom
As hath been commanded us by the Great (Life),
To make his appearance bright.
To prosper him from beginning to end
And cause good fortune to rest upon him.
And we will say unto the bridegroom, hymning him,
“Rejoice, Bridegroom, rejoice.
Rejoice in thy hving wreath!
Inasmuch as thy wreath is fresh.
Thine appearance shall be bright
And thou shalt be confirmed in the happiness {lit. “glory)
Which the Great Life hath sent thee”.
209
They bring in white flour by the khor (heap)
They enter with sacks of fine meal and {household?)
requisites^),
And finest flour*) without measure.
Sheep arrive in flocks, and numberless oxen.
They bring in myrtle by the load.
And trails of jasmine in bunches.
Okes of gold they bring in.

And up in moneybags;
silver tied
Precious stones and pearls,
AH the handiwork of craftsmen;
Oiland wine, all collected by experts.
them
All of —
a thousand standing on the ground
And two thousand standing on the roofs.
(And) the thousand thousands of ’uthras
Standing by the bridal-canopy, say,
"Come, let us make a great wedding-feast for the bridegroom.
As hath been commanded us by the Great (Life),
To make his appearance bright.
And to make him prosperous from beginning to end.
To cause good fortune to rest upon him.
And we will hymn the bridegroom, saying to him,
‘This radiance,whose is it ?

This hght, whose is it ?

Silia = requests, desires (things asked for or needed) needs, requisites.
*) simad: ? Or simat “treasure" ?
lyS THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

This effulgence, that is great and boundless,

Whose is it ?’

“This radiance is Hibil-Ziwa’s, this light is Sitil’s;

And this effulgence is of Anus the great ’uthra,

So great and boundless”.
"The radiance of Hibil is beauteous.
And the Ught of Sitil bright.

And this effulgence of the great ‘uthra Anus,

Is great and boundless”.

210
Sun in his majesty bowed down before the bridegroom
And shed some of the rays of light which clothed him
And clad the bridegroom therein and said to him,
“I and my warriors and doughty men,
Will stand and take care of thee
From beginning to end”.
Moon, lord of croum and wreath,
Placed his crown and wreath on the bridegroom,
And said to him “Our father, thy wreath is the wreath of ’uthras,
And thine ardour proceedeth from the strength of Radiance.
The king of ’uthras that beheld thee
Removed his robes of radiance;
He clad thee therein and said to thee,
’How lovely are thy robes!
Thine appearance is bright, and shall be confirmed”.
Mars, lord of arm.s and wur, put on his armour
And war-harness and standeth before the bridegroom’s bridal-
canopy.
And slayeth de^dls and demons.
Putting an end to and slaughtering his foes.
And he said to him “I, with my wurriors and mighty men,
Wni stand here and will guard thee from beginning to end.’
Mercury, learned and wise, instilled some of his wisdom
Into the heart of the bridegroom.

D.C. 3 has siigandak, D.C. 38, like 53 sgandak. The word is an obvious
substitution of a familiar word for one unfamiliar, probably a word derived
from the root SXG which appears only in Singilan 'ittra, the name of a spirit.
In SjTiac .^1 m = to be in love and a (variously vocalised) =
love, desire, passion.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 179

And hymned the bridegroom and said to him ,

“Who sent thee, new-made king?

These doings all take place on t hi ne account.
Thou hast brightened the Ether-world
And hast made the whole world better
From one end to another”.
Jupiter, Son of the water, bringeth his vesture to the bridegroom
And h5mmed him and said to him,
“Thy vesture, our father, is the vesture of ’uthras.
And the Mght thrown upon (thy) shoulders
Will make thee (weigh) light ^) our father, in the Scales.
And sealeth thee with the Pure Sign”.
Saturn, in his beauty and his ruddiness,
Bringeth his smock to the bridegroom.
And he hynrned the bridegroom and said to him,
“O ’uthra in whose resplendence Nasoraeans exult.
Vaunting themselves in the Word,
The world of hght vaunts itself about thee,
(And) about the king Sihlun-Ziwa(?) who hath transplanted thee.”
Venus, Lady of Beauty and Desire,
Brought her wreath and girdle-string to the bride.
Which they placed on the head of the bride;
And they hymned the bride and said to her,
“O crowned bride, who sittest upon columns of water 2),
Rejoice, and rejoice in the spouse who hath taken thee to wife.
And rejoice in thy hving wreath.
Inasmuch as thy wreath is hving (refulgent)
So shah, thine appearance shine.
And thou shedt be preserved rmth world’s end.”
And Life is victorious, and victorious the man
Who goeth hence.
211
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified.
{Refrain)
I and the bridegroom’s groomsman
Are the straps of his sandals
And the poles of the bridal canopy.
It is easy to confuse the 2nd. sing. Imperfect of QLL with TQL.
“) See S.d-Q. p. 58 n. 5.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 13
l8o THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

I and the bridegroom’s groomsman

Washed in the waters of the sea : in the waters of the sea we
washed
We revealed not our secret to the sea,
To the sea we revealed not our secret.
Nor did we broadcast our wisdom to the wilderness !

O crowned bride, who was it,

Fruit thatis crowned for bridal ,
who
Revealed our secret
And broadcast our widsom in the wildemess?
Perchance Sun revealed our secret
And broadcast our wisdom in the wilderness?
{Nay!) Sun revealed not our secret
Nor bruited our wisdom in the wilderness.
Sun, of whom ye spake.
Rose at dawn and set at dusk.
Sun revealed not our secret
Nor broadcast our wisdom in the wildemess!

{Refrain “7 and the bridegroom’s groomsman" etc.)

0 crowned who was it ?

bride,
Fmit that crowned for bridal, who
is

Revealed our secret and broadcast our wisdom in the wilderness

Perchance Moon revealed our secret
And broadcast our wisdom in the wildemess ?

{Nay!) Moon revealed not our secret

Nor broadcast our wisdom in the wilderness.
Moon, of whom ye spake.
Rose at dusk and set at dawn.
Moon revealed not our secret
Nor broadcast our wisdom in the wildemess.

{Refrain repeated)

O crowned bride, who was it?

Fmit crowned for bridal, who
Revealed our secret and broadcast our wisdom in the
wildemess ?

Three ’uthras not of this world revealed it.

1) See P.S. Supp.

®) The three 'uthras, Hibil, Sitil and Anus.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS l8l

They are hke one another in stature and dimension,

They are clothed in one {and the same) radiance
And one light is spread over them all.
When they speak, the speech of these good beings is one.
Like the speech of Mighty Beings
In the Great Place, the House of Perfection.
Betwixt them there is no hatred.
Quarrelling or division.
Life is renowned (and) victorious
And victorious is the man who goeth hence.

212
In the name of the Great Life
Subhme Light be magnified.
There is a Vine for Sitil and a Tree for Anus
Sitil hath a Vine yonder

In thee. Land of the Leal,

Laden with reward, laden with oblation and laden
With Nasirutha. The tendrils that are at the leaf-ends
Bore prayers, hymns and sublime recitations.
WTien I rose in my place
I made a request that was great;
I asked that a tall ladder be given me
That I might place it against the Vine for ascent.
Against the Vine for ascent I might place it.
And might mount into my Vine,
Might wax great and grasp its fohage.
Might eat, be refreshed by its shade
And enjoy its leafiness.
Might twine me a VTeath of its tendrils
And place it on my head.
When I rose in my place, they granted the request I made.
They gave me a tall ladder that I could set against the Vine
for ascent.
Against the Vine for ascent I placed it.

I rose into my Vine, I waxed great, I grasped its foliage,

I ate, was refreshed by itsshade and enjoyed its leafiness;
From the tendrils of my Vine I twined a WTeath

1) Sitil (Seth) and Anus in this poem symbolise the soul and human spirit
which compose the personality.
i 82 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

And set it upon my head.

The worlds gathered together, the generations assembled,
Twiners twined (wreaths) in imitation of my wreath.
They twined that which had no resemblance {to it).
They went, they put vines {vine-leaves?) on themselves
And they say, "Man, whence is thy wreath,
And whence (came) the being who twined it?”
To them I reply, “Vanish, begone from my presence,
(Ye) dead, wicked ones who beheld not the Life!
As for me, my wreath is not from here;
The being who twined it is not of this world.
My wreath is of the Vine Ruaz
And the Being who twined it ^) is from the Place of Light.
The Being who brought it and setit on my head

Is from the Eternal Home ^)”.

Renowned is Life Victorious
And victorious the man who went hence.

213
In the name of the Great Life
SubUme Light be magnified!
I am a mana of the Great Life,
A mana am I of the Mighty Life,
A mana am I of the Great Life,
A mana that emanated from Manas ®)
A mana that proceeded from Manas ®)
That went towards two lawful spouses of this world.
I came and I opened living waters
And gave them to the terrestial pair to drink
I opened living waters and gave of them
To the bridal pair of this world to drink.
I sowed in them pregnancy and birth
And with sexual desire I enflamed them
And caused love to dwell in both of them.
With Kusta ®) I spread them a bed of leaves
1
)
Three words missing from D.C. 53.
See p. 2, n. 2.
I translated this "the Mana" in S. d-Q., because the plural here might
denote the divine Being.
*) Kisria “legally-joined-together" i.e. (allowed by ritual law).
:

Here "troth”, "vow” i.e. the marriage pact cemented by oath.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 183

That were from {living?) trees.

They will Uve and be happy and I, the Messenger Hibil,
Have performed and arranged
That which my Father commanded me.
And Life is victorious, and victorious the man
Who went hence.
2143)
In the name of the Great Life
Sublime Light be magnified.
A. Thou art come. Pure Pearl, who hast illumined dark hearts!
B. Radiance sought to be *), and Light to awaken.
G. I laughed at the planets, at what they plotted and did.

D. I sojourned amongst them, but they, the Seven,

Knew not about me.

H. There shall be benefaction for the Elect who loved the Life.
U, W. Woe to the planets that scheme evil against my Chosen ones.
Z. He is the Great Radiance,
The Light which hath no limit.
H. He is the first Life
Before Whom none existed.
T. Well is it for him who obeyeth
And hearkeneth to Thee, my Lord!
And walketh his road behind Thee.
Y. He is the great Yura
Like a soul when she cometh from the great House of Life.
K. He is the pure Wreath wKich they set
Upon Hibil in his skinta.
L. My heart beseecheth the Life
That He, the Life, will seek me in His skintas ®).

Some adjective is missing, hiia or rauzia.

'^)
Plural, for the Life.
D.C. 3 inserts a rubric before this hymn. A
version of Pet. (r.) 276. It is
also in the Ginza Rabba, (p. 274 Lidzbarski’s translation).
*) D.C. 3 and D.C. 53 have Bi Imihuia, although the two words have been
run together.
Lidzbarski (G.R. trs. p 274 30) "Er war der grosse Glanz”. Pet.(r.) 276:
:

17. As Yura
is unusual as a form of Yur it is tempting to consider "the mV
first rain”, "spring”, "early season”.
®) In G.R. bskinatun. D.C. 53, D.C. 3 and D.C. 38 Iskinatun. Possibly
should be read "will build me into his skintas", a metaphor found elsewhere.
184 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

M. From the day that Hibil transplanted me

My soul hath acknowledged the Place ot Light.
N. Thou art the first (Source of) Rest,
Because of Thee, ’uthras find repose.
S. The Twelve Gates stray from the right path ®),
And do not ascend by roads (that lead) to Light.
The profundity of Nasirutha is vast and boundless.
P. He is a sweet Fruit,
Pleasing of taste and without blemish.
S. I hearkened to the call of Life
In the Great Place, the House of Perfection.
Q. It is the Voice of Pure Radiance
WTio speaketh and discourseth in his skinta.
R. It is the Pure Sign by which
The living ^) are signed in their skinta^.
S. I hear the converse of living [souls)

Who have been established in the DweUing of Life.

T. He is the lovely Door, the Light which is Boundless.
Renowned is Life victorious
And victorious the man who went hence.

Here D. C. 3 has a rubric: —

[When thou hast recited this hymn “Thou art come, Pearl” and
endest then recite the wedding songs [hadiata, hidiata) “Behold,
it,

the wicked degrade” etc. but thou shalt not recite the wedding
songs for a wdow. Instead, they shall recite “Pure guardians shall
guard you” only, without the wedding songs. (These) thou shalt
not recite for a widow.]
The wedding songs are purely lay in character and I do not propose
to include them amongst the liturgical prayers and hymns. They are
essentially folk-songs and have a popidar flavoitr. For 7 ny attempt to
translate them, see S. d-Q. They are: —
215. ’hai qasaflia “Lo the wicked degrade my people” S.d-Q.
18 : 3
216. ’hai ya daragai “Behold, my portal” S d-Q. 18 : 8

Read ’uthras as in GR.

“iw to turn from the right path);Pael.
(J.
Hiia here refers to spirits living in bliss, not to the Great Life.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 185

217. ’hai ya rabutia "Lo, my little mistress” 5 d-Q. 18

. : 13
218. ’hai ya rabutia “Lo, my little mistress” S. d-Q. 18 17 :

219. ’hai ya rabutia "Lo, my little mistress” §. d-Q. 18 20 :

220. ’hai ya rabutia "Lo, my little mistress” §. d-Q. 18 23 :

221. ’hai ya rabutia "Lo, my little mistress” §. d-Q. 18 27 :

222. ’hai ya tawasta d zahba "Lo, O thou (bride) that glitterest

(with gold)” §. d-Q. 18 : 30
223. Brata d man anat "Whose daughter art thou” S. d-Q. 19 i :

224. Mn yuma d ’ttras rba atalia “From the day that the great

'liras came for her” S. d-Q. 19 :

4
225. Hiduia man d amarlak “Bridegroom, who told thee” S. d-Q.
19 :
7 2)

226. Man d araslh Ihiduia "Who wedded the bridegroom”. §. d-Q

19 : II
227. Brakinkun hibil ziwa "Hibil-Ziwa hath blessed you” §. d-Q.
19 : 16
228. Hda ’dai atutia riih “One of my hands beneath his head”
§. d-Q. 19 25 :

229. Atutia diqla qaima "Standing beneath the palm-tree” §. d-Q

19 : 27.
230. Htimitun b’sqat hiia Ye are sealed with the seal of Life”
S. d-Q. 19 : 23
231. Tiriankun [tariankun) “Your table” S.d-Q. antepenult.
232. Ninatrunkun natria dakiia "Pure guardians watch overyou”
S. d-Q. 19 ult.

[This is the conclusion of the wedding songs {hadaiata).^

In the name Great First Strange Life from worlds of light,
of the
the Ineffable that above all works, be there for me, Adam-Yuhana
is

son of Mahnus healing, victory®), strength, soimdness, speech and a

hearing, joy of heart and forgiveness of sins, (also) for my father
Sam son of Anhar, my mother Mahnus daughter of Hawa-Simat,
my wife Hawa-Simat daughter of Maliha, my offspring Adam
Yuhana and Sarat-Mumania the children of Hawa-Simat.
And may our thought, mind and intelligence enUghten us, (en-
lighten me)and my offspring, for the treasure of the First Life in
these hymns and psalms of "When the Proven One, the Pure one
went”.
’) Variously spelt, D.C. 3 has rabituia.
See M.L. pp. x - xi.
Or, of course, “purity".
i86 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

233
In the name of the Great Life!
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where the perfected dwell
To the Place which is all Radiance
And hght and abomid (there),
glory
The Proven Pure One speaketh to the Perfect One
Hidden and guarded within Its veilings ^),
Set apart by Its glory
And giving out hght in all Its wisdom.
The Proven One, the Pure One speaketh
Saying to the Great (Life),
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),

The Ether hath ah been made, ®)

Created ®) is the Ether, aU of it.
And in it, great Radiance will form itself
And subhme Light be set up therein.
In it there will be ’uthras
And Rays-of-Light will be estabhshed therein.
Appearances that shine with lovely radiance.
Enhghtenment *) will be raised up
And win watch over all the ’uthras
’Uthras wiU shine in the enhghtenment
Which went thither from Thyself.
The Great Predestinate speaketh ®)
To the Proven One, the Pure One,
Saying to him “These be {welcome) words
That thou hast spoken to us.
Go thou, and become guardian to them.
And ah wiU shine through thy strength

*) Either “perfected (ones)’’ or “the Perfect Being". Mandaean theologian

apparently accept both meanings

Lit. “coverings”, “raiment".
D.C. 53 tiibid, D.C. 38 mitbid, D.C. 3 titbar. The difference in meaning is
slight.
*) Or “vigilance”. It is personified. As the next phrase refers to guard-
ing, "vigilance” may be more suitable.
Lidzbarski (p. 251 M.L.) begins at this line.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 187

And thy Garment

will praise
And honour thine appearance”.
will
The Chosen One gave praise with a pure mouth
Because of that which the Great (Life) said to him.
And Life is victorious.

234
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where perfected (beings) dwell,
To the Place which giveth out light.
And its praise is unsulUed ’^),

Unsullied is its praise;

Foreordained and blessed is its benediction:
Foreordained is the blessed benediction
Which holy manm pronounced.
Which was pronounced by holy mana%
Predestinate, calm and perfected.
The Proven, Pure One speaketh.
Saying to the Great Life,
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),
A world of hght hath been made.
Created ^) is a world of hght

And a company hath been estabhshed therein.

Dwellings ®) have been set up therein.

It wiU be bright in Thy praise

Thy praise it will shine.
In
And will be blessed with Thy blessing.
Mystic Sprouts (offspring) will come into being
.And at Thy Word they will flourish.
They will flourish at Thy Word
And Sprouts that are worthy will be raised up”.
The Great Life speaketh with Its pure mouth ^)
Unto the Proven One, the Pure One.

Taqna "firm”, “reliable”, "constant" has also the meaning whenapplied

ro light, “steady”, "unwavering”, “steady”, "continuous”. P.S. Thes. under
part. adj. gives “unsullied”, which suits here admirably.
Again, D.C. 3 has titbir "created”.
Skinata, could be translated better by some word like "sanctuaries”.
*) A few lines of this hjmin were translated by Lidzbarski, M.L. p. 252 II.
l88 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

It saith tohim, “Thou art Our Thought,

“Our Knowing and Our Understanding,
Our Heart that is hmitless. Our First Voice,
Our Pure Garment and Our well-equipped
First Discemer; for Our sake
Thou wast transplanted.
Go! Perform thy work, and thy pure offspring
Shall attain perfection.
They shall attain the highest, thy pure offspring.
And be joined in union inseparable.
Make a World of Light,
And they will shine therein, yea, it shall be
All radiance and hght
And wtU attain perfection”.
And the Great Life be praised.

235
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where the perfected dwell,
To the Tana of glory
Whose blessing hath blessed the Place
In which the Secret One sitteth ®)
And uttereth in Its Awakening
Giveth utterance there in its Arousing
And by Its o\vn thought;
giveth out hght
The Proven Pure One speaketh
To Predestinate Perfection,
Saying to Him, to the Pure Vein
And Tongue that is hmitless,
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life)
May it be that we transport jordans,
Permit that we transport jordans

1
)
In S. d-Q. I translated this "glowing heart", a very free translation.
See p. 190, n. I. and p. 9, n. i.
2
)
D.C. 3 has brik not brika as in D.C. 53 and D.C. 38.
See S. d-Q., p. 73, n. 2. Plural, indicating the Great Life.
Here ’mta (See P.S. Thes. should be thus translated. The
idea appears to be that the Great Life has its periods of quiescence, ceasing
to be, and that 'ruta is its awaking, its renewed activity, ’ruta also has a
"light” meaning-"light which awakens”, "enlightenment”.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 189

And a Pure Sign shall be established therein,

A Pure Sign we will establish therein
And there wiU be increase for all ’uthras.
And ’uthras wiU be baptised
As ye were baptised, they will confirm themselves
By themselves, i) (as) ye were confirmed
Completely. They will shine, will enlighten one another
And instruct one another about Thee, and Thy pure Vesture
Which is sublime, and brighter than any (other) appearance
And about that which was transplanted from its place ^),
And about that which is destined to exist.
And about that which was created in a hidden covering”.
The Great Predestinate spoke®).
Saying to the Proven Pure One,
To His pure Garment *) ( ?)
There nought without limit! ®)
is

All that thou hast done shall be established.

AH thy vines wiU be illustrious.
And in all thine actions there will be nought
Lacking or amiss. In none wiU there be blemish
And they will not go foolishly astray”.
And Life is victorious I

236
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where perfected beings dwell.
To the Place where His appecirance is lustrous,
His countenance shineth and His Counterpart
Issupported each and every time
That they seek and find and discourse of their Creator.
The Proven Pure One speaketh.
Saying to the Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),

If it please Thee, Mighty (Life)

If it please Thee, Great (Life)
Great (spirits) sit in glory.

Qualify themselves for grades of priesthood ?

2) I.e. the soul.

Lidzbarski begins here, see M.L. p. 253, III.

*) Doubtful.

Lidzbarski p. 253, i. 6, itl’lia d saka litlh, which he translates “zu dem

VVesen, das endlos 1st”, probably a better version.
190 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

In glory they sit, the great (spirits),

And converse in their speech that is not mortal ^),

They talk in their gentle voices.

And Thou sheddest upon them some of that which is Thine.
And they sit in fellowship with Thee
And employ themselves with Thy praise;
And in Thy place, in prayer to Thee, do they converse.
We will confirm their works.
Their works we wiU confirm:
We wiU raise up the horn on their heads
And will estabhsh their Root.
And we will increase their victories: we will inciease
Their victories derived from Thy strength.
Transmitted from Thy strength,
(That) went forth, came and dwelt with Thine own”.
The Gieat Predestinate spoke to him ^),
Saying to the Proven, Pure One,
"Go! invest ®) the great (spirits) with radiance;
Settle them in a place which is unsulhed *),

Reveal ®)and give them pihta ®)

And in praise thy (spirits) will shine!
Act (thus) and support the Mana.
Life will show Itself grateful to thee.
Life be praised: Life is victorious.

237
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the Perfect One dwelleth.
To the place where His converse is calm
And His appearance wondrous.
To the place where all are kings
And where lust and misdoing exist not,
To the place which is full of goodness

Lit. “not vain”, “not worthless”, "not temporary”, “unending”; ‘‘not

mortal” is a very free translation.
Lidzbarski begins at this hne: p. 254, IV. M.L.
Lit. “plant”, “implant”, "transplant”, "transfer”.
*) Taqna, see p 187, n. i.
Lit. “open”, "open up”.
*) The sacramental bread, ht. "the opened” (“broken into pieces” ? or

“revealed” ?). See M.L. p. xxiii 1 i ff.

.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS I9I

(And) where Their raiment is prepared

For the pure arriving {spirit)
And for him whose form giveth light,
The Proven Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, mighty (Life)
If it please Thee, Great (Life),
There shall be built a wondrous building,
A wondrous building shall be built.
Thy right hand shall erect it.
Thy right hand will set it up
And Thou wilt not cut it off from Thee.
Thy first plan ^), it wiU rise towards Thee,
It will be set up, it will rise Thee-wards,
And thou wilt not cut off from Thyself
The First-bom that Thou hast created.
He shall be set up as Thy counterpart.
He is a fair portal, he will rise Thee-wards,
He will be established, will mount.
Will direct himself Thee-wards;
And wiU converse in Thy speech that is eternal.
He will not sever from Thee nor from Thy society.
Condemn him not!”
All that the Proven Pure One had said ®)

Everything the Proven Pure One said

Pleased the Great (Life),
And Sublime-Light riseth:
He said to him “Thou art possessor of will.
And lord of all victories.
Thou hast conquered and hast prevailed over thy brethren
And thy Father, (\Vhom) in secret thou blessest.
Go, show hght {ziwa) to Yusamin and reassure his heart!
Say to him he shall not fear and reveal to him
That which is established here.
Explain it to him so that his heart may hghten
And confirm it that his mind may be enlightened.
The couplet is obscure and translation tentative. Read ‘taqnilh for taqnalh ?
“) Or “thought”, or “device”.
3
)
See M.L. p. 254 V.
192 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Be gracious and kindly to him and bless him

And show him the light of thy countenance,
The thy countenance show to him,
light of
And say to him that he shall not be cast down,
(But) be meek and humble, and he will illumine
The ’uthras”.
The Pi oven One did that which was commanded him.
And the Mana thereupon supported the Proven One
So that he performed that which was commanded him.
And he went to the House-of-Life,
He went, he said to Them, “Thus have I done.
It hath been set in order. Should it not be so.
Set Ye in order”.
The Great (Life) blesseth the Proven One
With His pure mouth for having made his report.
And Life is victorious.

238
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where Perfection dwelleth,
To the Mighty-in-Glory, to the Well-Ordered and Well-
Ordering,
(Who) speaketh in His calm voice
And ordereth His ordinances;
Uttering in His calm voice
His trustworthy teaching. His mystic i) prayers.
And His wise discourses ^) which are not vain.
The Proven One, the Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life),
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

We will twine circlets ^) of radiance.

Circlets of radiance will we twine.
And will set them on the heads of the 'uthras.
We will bring them from the Great Light.

D.C. 3 has suiaikiin.

NTF has as a derived meaning "to let fall a weighty observance” "to
prophesy”. (The usual meaning of mtufiata "drops”, "consorts of divine
beings” is impossible here.)
Lit "wTeaths”: "crowns” of priesthood is the understood meaning.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 193

We will watch over them.

If Ye do not thus.
In what can the ’uthras prosper?
In what can the ’uthras delight ?
How can there be certainty for Rays-of-Light ?

From what viH they derive fame and honour?

And how can we preserve them.
And with what will they seek and find.
Speak with Thee and be heard?”
The Great Predestinate speaketh
He saith to the Proven One, the Pure One,
“Go, join with [imite with?) Radiance
Take heed that they raiment.
Give them of my Wreath of Ether
And all the ’uthras will rejoice.
And from Us and from thee
They will acquire renown and honour.
Renown and honour they will have,
And in strengthening honour they \vill be preserved.
Our name and thy name shall be upon them
And they will give praise in the Secret Place”.
And Life is victorious.

239
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the perfected dwell.
To the place of pure wrappings.
Vestments which radiance illumineth.
To the place of Living Flame
Where all are full of goodness.
All open their eyes in radiance.
In the radiance they open their eyes.
And they shine in that Light;
The Proven, the Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life),
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),

1
See M.L., p. 255 VII.
)

“) An obscure line. “Change raiment” is unlikely, but I can make nothing

else of it. M.L. has “und bewahre die wundersamen Gewande.”
Read ahbalun klilia ayar (“give them ether- wreaths”) ?
194 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

I would say one word to Thee,
One word to Thee I would say.
That is sublime and illuminating
And not {to be?) cut short!
How is Thy Likeness
superexcellent
And how greatly hast Thou increased
And established Thy sublime company!
In the Ether (World) there is no water!
As there is no water in the Ether,
By what can the ’uthras be invigorated ? ^)

How can the ’uthras thrive ? i)

And (how can) priestly knowledge be installed into their
hearts ?”
The Great Predestinate speaketh ^)
Saying to the Proven One the Pure One,
“How zealous thou art, Yawar!
And how dutiful and faithful
Are the words which thou hast spoken!”
They created stocks of living water
They let it flow down to the ether,
They sent it down, caused it to flow down,
To the ether, to the dwelling of the ’uthras,
AU of them savoured it and it was fragrant!
’Uthras savoured it and it was fragrant!
AU ’uthras will savour it and it will please.
The ’uthras aU drank and throve.
They drank and rejoiced thereat.
And into their hearts Xasirutha
Was poured. Life renowned and victorious
is

And victorious Manda-d-Hiia

is

And those who love his name.

240
When the Proven One, the Pure One went

U Niriuzitn: or “will be glad”.

2
See M.L., p. 256 VIII.
)

So D.C. 53, Both D.C. 3 and D.C. 38 have the singular. The passage
was not properly understood in S.d-Q.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 195

To the Place where Perfection dweUeth,

To the Place where dweUeth the pure perfected Being
Which proceedeth from Itself, and Its speech (Word)
Which proceedeth from Itself —
And its speech and words are from It

And from Its Counterpart^).

The Proven One, the Pure One speaketh
To the Great (Life), saying to Him,
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life).

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

We wiU summon Zihrun-Raza,

Zihrun-Raza we will summon him and his seven—
Mystic brethren who are with him.
One is called ’’Radiance”, another is called ’’Light”.
We will plant [them?) and they will shine forth
And will be made manifest.
And we will transfer for them jordans (flowing streams)
That are transcendent, transcendent jordans
We will transmit for them.
They will govern a Kimsa ®) [treasure?) of hving flame
And the Root which the Son of Hidden Mysteries led forth.
They will be baptised and established
And w'e will establish the Kimsa ®).

In their vestments we will establish their strength.

There it shall come to pass, and at Thy name
The elect thus far ^) will be estabhshed.
If Thou dost not act thus,
Transitory matters may cause the Kimsa to stumble aw'ay
from Thee,
Things which lead to destruction may cause it

To fall away from Thee, and all sacramental rites ®)

Will become marred.

The verb is plural in agreement with tuslimia, here undoubtedly the sup-
reme Being.
Dmut-Hiia, the female aspect of creative Life.
Kimsa here seems to refer to the body of believers, the Mandaean
“Church” as a whole.
b Lhaka lit. “to here”, “up to this point”.

Razia, “mysteries” = sacramental rites.

Deower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 14
196 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

WTien the Proven Pure One said this i),

A Voice went down into all the worlds
From the Secret Radiance.
It spoke, it called Zihrun-the-Mystery;
It spoke, it called on Zihrun-Raza,
On him and on his seven mystic brethren
Who are with him. It summoned them
And it transported for them jordans.
And it set them in rule over the jordans;
Over the jordans it made them rulers
And (over) never-ceasing well-springs.
Renowned is Life victorious
And victorious the man who went hence.

241
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where perfected beings dwell.
To the Place which was self-created
And a Presence (Parsufa) set up therein,
A Voice issued from the Presence
Announcing to the Chief of Rays of-Light,
And causing the Great(est) Ray-of-Light to hearken:
Teaching him about every matter.
About every principal [important) subject.
So that it was explained: thus it is. —
The Proven One, the Pure One speaketh.
Saying to the Great (Life)

“If it please Thee, Great (Life),

If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),
I will tell Thee all that I have seen.
Ihave seen — and I desire to call forth 'uthras
— please Thee!
If it
I will call forth three ’uthras.
And I wiU instal them in my abode [skintai).
One shall be my companion.
Another shall be, as it were, my counterpart.
Another shall be young, and be

See M.L. p. 257 IX.

Or ''summon'’.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Satisfactory to my mind.
They shall chant sublime hymns
And read in secret books
And recite therefrom.
In aU their wisdom performing rites that are seemly.
Walking with me in the boundary of the Self ( ?)
Walking according to my commands
And not departing from (my word)
From (my word) they shall not depart.
Nor alter my pure Word,
Nor change my rites which they perform
And were ordained (to carry out).
Ihave created them according to my design,
And have set the Sign of Life upon their minds.
Have marked them with the mark of the Great Life
And placed my own name upon them.”
And Life is victorious.

242

When the Proven One, the Pure One went

To the Place where the Perfected dwell,
To the Place which is aU radiance.
And nought is as subUme or of hke purity!
(The Place) which is full of serene (beings)
Honouring Thee with their praises ^)
The Proven, Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),

I will call my 'uthras, one,

forth from
One from (amongst ?) my ’uthras I wdU summon.
And I will clothe him in my radiance
With my radiance will I clothe him.
And with my light I will cover him.
I will cover him with my light

And he will be protected by my name.

He will have that which w'as apportioned him;

The construction is curious - "in Your praises honouring”, i.e.

of the Great Life”.

igS THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

He will arise with his great {spirits) and his host

And YdU take to himself Knowledge of Life (Manda-d-Hiia)
Who went thither.
He go to the world of Abathur,
will
From whom imperfection originated,
From him imperfection came into being
And he sowed bad seed ^).
Bad seed did he sow and created creations
Not worthy of him®), w^ho asked no advice.
Received no baptism, nor did they (he ?)
Grasp the right hand of his (their) father.
But did that wLich was not commanded
And performed that wFich w'as useless.
One of my 'uthras shall go and shall confound
All (those) creations, he will confound
AH the creations w'hich he created,
{Creatures) that have neither hand nor foot.
He wiU straighten a road in the world.
Whereby chosen ones mount
will hitherwards.
At his call *) they wiU come
And wiU set up my boundary-stone
And testify to the one, great, pure Name.
The horn on their heads will be e.xalted.”
Renow'ned is Life and victorious.
And victorious the man w'ho went hence.

243
When the Proven One, the Pure One w'ent
To the Place wLere perfected (beings) dwell:
Pure is the place, there is no grief in it.

No infirmity existeth therein, nor is disquiet admitted there.

Friction is not accepted therein.
Wrath and violence have no place therein.
Therein are no wrath and violence

h In D.C. 53 plainly sagiik. D.C. 38 and D.C. 3 both have nigum bsigia
“wiU arise to go”.
2
)
“Bad seed” refers to Pthahil, the unsuccessful creator, who w'as Aba-
thur’s son.
Or, which were not accomplished successfully for him.
'*) So in D.C. 53. D.C. 3 and D.C. 38 have "my call”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 199

But all is calm, all is kindliness.

Because they within it are in harmony ^).
The Proven One, Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

Thy will shall be (wrought) on the ’uthras.

Upon the ’uthras Thy wiU shall be (done)
All that Thou hast willed Thou doest!
I have have spoken.
seen, I
And him whom I mention in Thy presence,
I will reveal to him — this Abathur-Rama —
Why he is fallen from his throne.
Why from his throne he is fallen
And went and became Him-of-the-Scales ^),

When I call in Thy name a second time.

Lay Thou Thy right hand upon him!
The Great Predestinate speaketh ®)
Saying to the Proven One, the Pure One,
“Thou knowest all hearts and discernest all thoughts.
Thine eyes are well-open
And thou distinguishest aU those who know thee *).
For thy fame’s sake and for Our name’s sake.
When he is sinning, who will (can) permit it ?
MTio will let him be when he offendeth ?
And casteth Our root into polluted waters?
{One) who accepteth favour from Us and then goeth
And casteth it nito the abode of the dark (powers)!’’
When the Proven, Pure One heard this.

The root is and elsewhere I have discussed the varied meaning of

the Ethpe. “Smoothened”, “equalised” ?
“) Abathur-Rama is the higher counterpart of Abathur-Muzama (Abathur
of the Scales). The latter is in charge of the balances in which souls are
weighed, with the soul of Sitil, the purest of all human being) in the opposing
scale. See p. 105, n. 4.
^) IM.L. (p. 25S) here has twelve lines (only) of this poem. Owing to ignor-

ance of the context, Lidzbarski has misunderstood it. Yawar is pleading for
Abathur but the Great Life explains that he cannot allow Abathur’s conduct
to pass.
*) Yadak = “thy knowers”: see N. 177; 18 and for parsit, ibid p. 22 n. 4.
200 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

He prostrated himself before Him and worshipped:

He bowed himself and prostrated himself before Him
And uttered much praise and said,
“How sublime is this that I have heard from Thee!
I have accepted and am corrected by Thee!”
And Life is victorious.

244
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the Perfected (One) dweUeth,
[He said) “I vill speak to Thee, Mystic Perfection,
Who art hidden and guarded by Thy Veihngs:
I would Thee, Mystic Perfection,
tell

Secrets told by the ’uthras.

One whom, according to Thy plan, I created,
I sent to that world.
How hideous and without beauty
Was everything that he saw in that world!
A world of sons of perfection
From whom there was imperfection.
He who went from here a noble
Yonder they made him a slave,
A slave they made him yonder.
From the seven planets he suffered,
He suffered from the seven planets
And was tormented in the world.
He who went from hejice rich^) [or “having plenty”)
Was in need in the world.
Yonder they made him their feUow,
Yonder their associate they made him.
From the seven planets he suffered.
He suffered from the seven planets
Was reduced to misery in the world”.

') D.C. 53 omits sanai. D.C. 3 has kma sanai etc.

Or “free”.
Both D.C. 53 (p. 263 te.xt) and D.C. 3 omit the lines in itahcs, viz.
Ihil abda sawiuih saieiuih abda ttmn siiba sibiahia sbal sbal mn sibiahia
asniq bgauh d alma yatira d azal mn haka. For the missing lines see No. 272
(D.C. 53, p. 312 text), D.C. 3 p. 411 text, and D.C. 38, S.d-Q. p. 24, 1 11 ff. .

*) Or “virtuous”. Yatira from ^n’ to be rich.

'
TT
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 201

The Great (Life) with pure mouth (speaketh) ^),

Saying to the Proven, Pure One,

“This that one of thine ’uthras hath told thee,
If virtuous is he about whom one spoke,

He about whom one of thine 'uthras spake.

One of thine 'uthras shall bring thee information.
We are creating ( ?)
an earth of fire,

And the planets who enslaved him

WiU go to fiery chains.
Pthahil, who made the earth shall be baptised
Here in the white Jordan.
The thousand thousand vestments
That will go out towards him
And presences without end
WiU have compassion *) and wiU together
Stretch forth (their hands) in pact and peace ®)."

“How subhme is that which Thou sayest to me!

Thou hast reassured my heart!
Thou dost indeed support and lift up,
Equippest with arms and givest enhghtenment!''
And Life is victorious.

245
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where the Perfected (Being) dwelleth.
To the Place where the Almighty
Empowereth Itself and its Presence {Parstifa),
And steadfast and shining is its Countenance,
Showing forth Its Likeness in the Secret Place;
The Place where Their Voice is lovely
And the sound of Their speech is sweet;
And subhme is the Place where the Great (Life) abideth!
Praise of Them is unbounded ®)

M.L. p. 258 has the following lines only in a shghtly different form.
Lidzbarski (M.L., p. 259 i. 2 f.) anin tibil nura qria. Re& 6.qrainin we
have created”. (S-d-Q qrainh)
A punning equivalent for mania.
*) Lit. “will be theirs”, i.e. compassion for Pthahil.

A free translation, they “extend (their hands) in kusta”.

An idiomatic form, see p. 197, n. i and elsewhere. In this type of hymn
It IS always difficult to distinguish whether the plural refers to the Supreme
Being or the spirits surrounding Him.
 ;

202 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And mighty [beings) shine in their hierarchies

And perform all that They (He) desire (desireth)
The Proven Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
Reveal to me the mysteries of blessing (prayer)
And about the armour i) of their souls.
And about the radiance transmitted to Thyself”.
The Great with His pure mouth (speaketh)
(Life)
And Proven One, the Pure One,
saith to the
“Thou art blessed from the Place [in which) we are blessed ®)

And from the Place in which We came into being

Thou earnest into being.
And from the Place in which We were [self-) planted
Firm and implanted was thy native strength? ^).

Our radiance and thy radiance are victorious,

Victorious is Nasirutha °) that is of Us
And victorious is he whom I summon into it.

And (those whose) eyes open in radiance and light”.

And Life be praised!

246
When the Proven One, the Pure One goeth
To the Place where Perfection dweUeth:
MTien, filled with innocency
And bright in all his goodness,
When beautified by his great radiance
And by his pure being ®)
They( ?) travel to that Place,
The Proven, Pure One spoke.
Saving to the Great (Life),
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),

1) Siriana= (a) a vein, artery, channel”, “stream”, (b) “body-armour,

cuirass”.
-) See M.L.,p. 259 XIII. The first part is missing in M.L.
The verb is passive.
As indicated on pp. 135 and 1 7 1 the meaning of the verb XS B and the word
msubta is wide and vague. Hence the couplet is paraphrased with misgiving.
“IHere, the vocation of priesthood.
is obscure. My former translation
The verse impossible. Should
®) is it be
“with a pure being” ? ’tia is always abstract!
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 203

If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

Support my words! Let there be thrones

And we will set them up in the worlds of light.

So that ’uthras shall sit (thereon)

And recite thereon.
So that their ranks ^) will shine thereon.

By their words they will edify them.

So that their ordered array may beseem their splendour.
And the revered ones, when sitting on their thrones.
Sitting on their thrones,
Will shine with a steady hght.
He spoke with His pure voice.
The Great (Life) who dwelleth in that Place ^)

Spoke with His pure mouth

And said to the Pure One,
“Thou art a pure Helper! (Go),

Do aU that thou desirest (to do)”.

“According to Thy will and mine
I have constructed thrones.
Thrones I have provided
And have instructed the ’uthras who sit on them.
The who sit on them I have instructed.
’uthras
And they praise the Great (Life) Wbo counselled me.
They praise me, for I prepared for each one
His throne. The ’uthras stood and praised
That which I had sought and found
Through the goodness of the Life.
For them had I sought and found
Through the goodness of the Life
Who supported them.”
Renovmed and victorious
is Life
And victorious the man who went hence.
247
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the Place where perfected beings dwell.
The Chosen One, whose vesture becometh him

Sidna also means "recitations", “chants”.

“) See M.L., p. 260, XIV.
204 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

And maketh his personality i)

greater
Than all the ‘uthras.
His personahty maketh him greater than all the ’uthras
Greater than all ’uthras doth his personality make him,
Because he beheld the Form of the Great (Life),
Because he hath seen the Likeness of the Great (Life)
Their radiance controlled his thought
And Their thought: it was reciprocally outpoured.
And They pray a prayer for the ’uthras.
All ’uthras trust one another.
Love one another in sincerity.
There is no division amongst them
Such as the Second ^) brought about.
So ’uthras are undivided from one another.
All arearmed with one armour.
They are equipped with one armour
And their speech is one in sincerity.
In sincerity their speech is one.
And they dwell in lovely radiance.
In lovely radiance do they dwell
The Being whose love filled them.
And whose tranquillity and love rested upon them.
Life be praised and Life is victorious.

248

When the Proven One, the Pure One went

To the place when perfected (beings) dwell.
—Great good (spirit)!
is he, the —
He set his course towards his Father,
Tow'ard his Father was his course set.
To say to Him that which was subhme and precious
In the secret place.
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
May it please Thee, Great (Life),

*) In these poems nafsa is often used for “soul”. Properly speaking it is a

thircomponent of man’s make-up; the self, or individuality as distinct from
the niha and msimta
“The Second”, “Second Life”; the manifestation of the material world. ?
Read rhamth. .sidqh. .
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 205

(That) a home of splendour i),

honour within it,

Be estabhshed, dignity resident therein,

And ’uthras will seek one another,
’Uthras will seek one another {j,n prayer).
Each wiU reverence his brother.
Everyone will reverence his brother
According to the counsel which went thither
From Thee”.
‘‘Thou art empowered. Great (Spirit)!
Go, let Honour abide in that place.
Let Dignity rest on that place.
And Our glory and thine they will become
in glorious.
They will become glorious with that glory
And will accept the blessing that We sent them;
The blessing We sent them they wall accept
And be grateful to thee.
It will take place so that ’uthras may know
That thou art the greatest of all ’uthras;
For thou hast revealed and shown them light
And dost give them the praise”.
‘‘I went, I went yonder.
Yonder I went;
I caused blessing to rest upon them.

The blessing I shed upon them

They {thankfully) receive.
And we will bless them with a benediction ^),
Benediction we will pronounce upon them
And in Thy praise they will {themselves) gain honour.
They wiU gain honour in praise of Thee,
They will estabhsh Thy word.
Thy word they will estabhsh
And will not depart from Thee.”
Priests in secret bless the great (spirit)
Who honoured them and caused honour to rest upon them.

‘) A pun on 'qai' and 'gai'a follows; play on words is characteristic of

Mandaean poetry.
Read dilkun for dilun? (“and bless Thee with a benediction”).
2o6 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

249

When the Proven One, the Pure One went

To the Place where perfected beings dwell.
To the Place where dwelleth the Perfected ^),
Hidden within its Self and aloof.
He goeth towards Him, speaking to Him,
(Uttering) a subhme sa3dng.
“If it please Thee, great (Life),
If it please Thee mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, great (Life),

I YiU speak: accept Thou mine (utterance).
There shall be pure signings;
And there shall be perpetual watchfulness.
It will be Thine armament;
With it ‘uthras will equip themselves.
Thou equippest them with Good-Faith (kusta)
And Good-Heed ^).
Nor will they rest idle when Thou hast armed them
With Good-Faith and Good-Heed.
They will keep silence and observe obedience.
Thinking like Thee and acting like Thee,
Thinking and acting Mke Thee.
And their deeds will be honest,
Rehable will be their rites ®).

And zealous counsel will issue from them.

Kings, they will counsel one another
And unite, great and small, in communion.”
And Life is victorious.

250

When the Proven One, the Pure One went

To the Place where the Perfected One abideth,
To the Place w'here the sound of His voice *) is mild.

q I.e. the great Life.

Or “Truth and obedience”.
Both translations of this line are possible.
Again here the reversion to the singular points to tushmia as an epithet
for the Great Life. The narrative returns to the plural after “luminous and
lovely”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 207

His appearance fair; and luminous and lovely

Are Those who dwell there
And to Themselves absolutely true;
Truth and armed-readiness are at Their head;
In Their place They discern, know and distinguish
And in their inmost Self They are watchful.
The Proven, Pure One speaketh.
Saying to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),

If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

Speak ®), open (reveal) Thy treasury.

Speak ^) ,
reveal Thy treasury
And take therefrom a boon,
A boon take out of it

And grant to me a servant.

A servant give to me in whom
There is no lacking or fault.
With him bring my brethren, with him bring
AU my sons, bring my sons;
So that in him and in Thee they may be raised up,
Be raised up in Thy resurrection
And be blessed with a benediction
That is from Thee.”
The scheme w'hich the great (spirit) planned *),

He planned it for good. (At) the place

That the great (spirit) thought out
The ’uthras bow^ down and give praise.
The 'uthras w'orship and praise
The Being who opened His treasurjL
The Being who sent them a benefit.
The 'uthras bowed in adoration
And were grateful for all His favours.

See p. 206, n. 4.
themselves”.
Lit. “in their heart of
Malil Or, (Biblical Hebrew, demon, of VlD' ‘to present, show”) "Reveal" ?

(See J. under bbs III).

’) M.L. has the final lines, p. 260, XV.

2 o8 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

251
When the Chosen One, the Pure One went
To the Place where the Perfected (Being) dwelleth,
To the Place where deeply reverenced
Is His steadfast Form, he {the Chosen One)
Spoke, saying to the Great (Life) Whose Form is constant,
"If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

(Let us) open a Light-Euphrates,
A Light-Euphrates we will open up
And set therein a sturdy root
So that from the root there wiU be pure Vines
Who will offer up praise to Thee;
So that from the Vines which appear
Sprouts may grow out, healthy offshoots;
So that from the offshoots that show forth
We may institute, reward and oblation^).
We will institute reward and oblation,
We will lead in a congregation of souls ^),

In a congregation of souls we wiU take the lead.

From it {the Euphrates) water vill gush out,
There wiU be assurance for all Rays-of-Light,
They wiU be full of faith and put their trust in Thee".
“Thou hast spoken and thou hast established ,

Do thou confirm it and bring it to a successful conclusion".

“I came, and I opened up a Light-Euphrates
And estabhshed therein a baptism that is efficacious ®),
I setup thereby a sturdy Root
That giveth forth Hght and is bright
And will not be cut down".
And Life is victorious.

252
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the Perfected {Being) dweUeth,

1
)
Or “fee and oblation”, i.e. the offerings of the faithful in money or
kind which constitutes the stipend of everj' pnest.
Individuals, see above p. 204, n.i.
Lit. “that is not void”, “not useless”.
 .

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 209

To the Place where His speech is pleasant

And His converse sublime and foreign (to the earthly world).
To the place where personality and manhood exist not;
[He spoke to the Great (Life) saying:)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

We will set up a pure Crystal,

A pure Crystal will we set up
And arcana that are within it

Shall be estabhshed. The ’uthra Hibil

Shall come, shall dwell on the Euphrates
And win guard it. At his right hand
Two beings will come. We will estabUsh and found ^)
Three skintas. On them Thou wilt cause blessing to rest:
Blessing Thou
bestow on them.
wilt
The arcana concealed therein, one by one
WiU come into being ^). There wiU be
A Pearl that will enlighten darkened hearts.
AU will be filled with faith.
It win arouse the fahen (who have stumbled).
He who is aroused by it wiU get up,
(But) he who causeth stumbling
Win perish on the spot.
He who is worthy, deserving and perfect
Win not be cut off from his place.
He win be completely confident,
(For) the Life win be his support.
His support win be the Life
And he win he protected in his own place.”
And Life be praised!
253
WTien the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the perfected dweU,
To the place of Safe-keeping
That is set apart for the company®) of the Great (Life).

t^istiknat ? (D.C. 3 Nistaknat, also D.C. 38. Read (mistiknia t)

D.C. 38 repeats tihuia.

I.e. companion spirits.
210 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The Proven, Pure One speaketh

And saith to the Great (Life)
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

I will speak a word ^): uphold it!

I word I would speak, uphold it!

If it please Thee, Great (Life),

This shall be done ^) ; a secret watcher

{Be appointed?) set over Man,
His guardian. I will remain a long time,
— And wiU guard him!
I —
To cheer®) him and to raise him up toward Thee;
To cheer him and to raise him up
Towards Thyself, so that he may come
And behold Thy countenance, may come
And grasp Thy right hand in fealty*).
May rise up and hsten to Thy converse
Which is not of this world ®)”.

“Thou hast said it! Go, seek him out

And bring him here seek him out ®)

:

And bring him hither

And the Life wtU be mindful of thy goodness”.
Bringing abundant radiance and boundless hght.
Bringing radiance in abundance I went;
To the secret watcher I came. “Rise up”.

I.e. “make a suggestion’’.

2
)
D.C. 38 (S. d-Q. p. 26, ult.) nitbad iiazin.
I have been in doubt about this word. In D.C. 53 it is spelt bimh and in
S.d.-Q. p. 27 I buiuia. Theverb
; (Arm, BAA ’S73 ‘‘to seek” is the first and easier

solution, but the unusual first ’i” in biiiih makes this unlikely. It may come
from a verb equivalent to the Aramaic “to rejoice” ’SyS and this is
confirmed by the S^iiac Pa. 'to console” (i.e. “gladden”) ((JLoSs conso-

lation). According to the poem, there is no need for the speaker to seek the
watcher, since, apparently he is already with the watcher (a priest, or
priesthood, personified?).
^) It is usually necessary to paraphrase sentences which refer to the act

or rite of kitsta.
Mnakria ht. “estranged” foreign, remo\-ed i.e. “not of the mortal world”,
“transcendent”, “ineffable” convey the meaning.
®) Buih.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 2II

{I said to hitn) “Rise up! Watchers^) are many.

Thou hast kept thy watch; arise, put on
{The rohe) which the Great (Life) hath sent thee
And go towards Him. Come! He hath required thee with Him
And I have sought thee, so come to us
And hearken to His converse which is ineffable 2).
The Great (Life) hath stretched forth His right hand to thee ®)

Put away passion from thy thought.

Thy thought shall be fTLed with Ours
And thy garment and Our garment will be one”.
Life be praised and Life is victorious.

[These two “responses and two hjmins are to be recited for the
owner crown *) when thou celebratest his wedding. Recite them
of a
after the chant “To the place where speech is pleasant”. And recite
them for the novice in the skinta: (but) do not recite them for a
layman’s wedding. Beware! for they are recited for the owner of a
croYm ^). And then recite the hymn “To go and to perform his
works” unto its conclusion ®).]

254
When One went
the Proven One, the Pure
To the place where the Perfected dweUeth,
To go and to perform his works
And to be manifest therein
And to institute a guardian '’)

I, whom the Great (Life) had commanded

To reheve ^) all the skintas,
I, the First (Life?) enlightened Him.
“Because of me, the ’uthras were set at rest,
Because of me, the ’uthras were satisfied
And the Rays-of-Light ranged in their degree;
All of them shone in one another’s radiance

') Mataraiia a rare use of the word in this sense. which usually
: means
inhabitants of the matavata.
See p. 210, n. 5.
See p. 210. n. 4.
h The 'owner of a crown”, i.e. a priest.
‘

The rubric of D.C. 38 is slightly longer.

®) A passage here is apparently missing.
’) Or "to serve”, "to gratify”.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 15
212 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And light was estabhshed in all minds.

Over all the works that I had made
I up the Great (Life).
set
And became a guardian in them
I

1 was a guardian within them

And I upheld^) aU the worlds of hght
In their places.”
And Life is victorious over woiks
all

And victorious the man who went hence.

255
When the Proven One, the Pure One went
To the place where the Perfected One dwelleth,
To the place of veiled radiance
(Where) His Likeness is beauteous;
The Proven Pure One speaketh
And saith to the Great (Life),
“Thy disciple am I, for I have grasped
And understood some of Thy wisdom
I stood before Thee hke a son
Who standeth before his father.
Thou spakest to me and I hearkened,
And that which Thou didst command I did.
The glory which Thou didst bestow on me
I transmitted to all the worlds of light.
With that which Thou didst vouchsafe to me
I benefitted aU the Rays-of-Light.
From Thee I have not departed
And the speech of others existed not for me”.
The Great (Life) praiseth the Proven One, the Pure One,
With His pure mouth, (saying to him)
Who had made his report,
“How submissive and humble thou art, Yawar!
What an alleviator^) and peacemaker thou art!
Thou makest ’uthras agree and pacifiest them
And givest stability to the Rays-of-Light!”
And Life is victorious.

S. d-Q. p. 27; 23 iiasmikit.

Lit. "smoothener”, “straightener” (of rough places).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 213

256
When the Proven One, the PureOne went
To the Place where the Perfected One dwelleth,
To the place in which the Transcendent i) abideth,
Dwelling therein in a set limit
Within an appointed limit abiding therein,
Resting within it, in the Holy Place,
The Proven, Pure One speaketh
Saying to Them, the Great (Life),
“If it please Thee, Great (Life),
If it please Thee, Mighty (Life),
If it please Thee, Great (Life),

The works which I have performed are set in order.

They are set in order, the works I have performed.
And all that I did in Thy presence
WiU be estabhshed, and these words
Which I spoke before Thee (also).
And (as for) me, they will realise my vision.
I have acted as thou didst desire”.
When the Proven Pure One had spoken thus.
The Great (Life) rejoiced thereat, embraced him
And kissed him with His pure mouth.
And he veiled him with esoteric veils ®)
With esoteric veils did He cover him.
And a cloud which emanated from Himself
He spread over him: it hid the great (spirit)
Which He had concealed therein.
And they called him “All- ’uthras-confirm him”
And “One who arrangeth-orchnances-and-subhmates-
All-minds” is he called*) (?)
And Life be praised.

Translator's note. — The preceding hronn-cycle, known as the Kt azil

•

bhira dakia selection from a volume of gnostic poems with

must be a
Three other poems from this lost composition are included
this title.
in the G. R. (right side). The first two of these were translated

Lit. Strange.
Yaqra —“precious”, “venerated”; “holy” conveys the idea.
Mama ganaiia “inner vessels”, “inner garments”, “inner vehicles” ? —
in any case, something which conceals, or covers up.
^1 My translation of the last few lines is very tentative, it is obscure.
214 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

by Professor Mark Lidzbarski in his Ginza, der Schatz oder das grosse
Bitch der Mandder, (in these pages referred toasG.R.) pp. 355-370.
They were also translated into Latin and transliterated into Syriac
by M. Norberg in his Codex Nasaraeits (3 vols. 1815-1816) pp. 3-23.
(Lidzbarski belittled Norberg’s work in a somewhat unfair fashion.)
The third poem, included in some codices of the Ginza Rba, as in
my own copy, D.C.22 (dated 1274 A.H.), but missing in copies seen
by Lidzbarski and Norberg and also in Petermann’s facsimile (1867),
is undoubtedly from the same lost book.

To take the first two of these, both deal with ’uthras who have
in some manner bungled their parts in the cosmic plan; namely,
Yusamin, Abathur and Pthahil. The first two become reconciled
to the Great Life. Yusamin’s re-instatement after intercession by
the “Pure, Chosen One” is the theme of the latter half of hymn 237
in the present collection,and hymn 243 is an attempted intercession
for Abathur. Pthahil, however, persists in rebellion and turns to
the planets and demons for support. The Great Life intervenes in
Yusamin’s plan to punish Pthahil, and, softened, the latter at last
makes his submission.
In the second Ginza poem the ’uthras urge Manda-d-Hiia to re-
prove Yu§amin for mistreating the “pure pearl” (the soul) and
Manda-d-Hiia tells Hibil-Ziwa to remove the “pearl” from material
and perfume thereupon depart from the
creation. Light, lovehness
earth.Yusamin and Pthahil protest, Pthahil from the chains into
which he was cast for his rebellion.
The story is a comphcated one, but all ends satisfactorily with
the restoration of the soul to earth and the triumphant supremacy
of hght and order.
The third poem, that which is missing in G. R., is in the style
of aU the poems of the collection, including the formula “If it please
thee. Great (Life)”. It describes the resentment of Pthahil who is
still in bonds. He complains and threatens ’it haizin aksalta mak-

slitlia hasta msawina Ifistista d-lahuat (If thou hast made me f all

thus, then now I \vill make such a breaking-up as has never been”)
and he summons the planets one by one and arms them.
Just in time, a message reaches him from the Great Life, and
meditation and repentance change his attitude to one of humility.
He is immediately surrounded by hosts of ’uthras and re-instated
in favour, whereupon he calls the planets to order.
 :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 215

Translator’ s note. — Following the Kt azil bhira dakia in D.C. 3.

D.C. 53 and D.C. 38 there is an astrological section bound into the
prayerbook for the convenience of priests performing marriages,
for they are always consulted by bridegrooms as to the propitious
day and hour for the consummation of the union. It would en-
danger the happiness of the pair if the act took place under un-
favourable astrological conditions. The section, known as the Sabania
Saiia was translated by me in the Sarh d-Trasa d-Qabin d-Sislam
Rba (S. d-Q.) so that I propose to omit it here together with the
long colophon which follows it. A on page
third part therefore begins
257 of D.C. 53. It contains prayers which have occurred earher in
the manuscript, for the same prayers serve on a variety of occasions
those for marriage are used at the consecration of a priest, and so
on. When duplication occurs, I shall refer back to the prayer by
number and page of both translation and text, but \wll not re-
translate.

257
See no. 171, p. 154 of the translation, p. 287 of the Mandate text
(D.C. 53).

258 1)

Then from (You), Life, (I ask) Your pity. Your forgiveness,

Your heed. Your compassion, Yours, Great Life! Pity, forgive, be
heedful of and have compassion on this my soul, mine, Adam-
Yuhana son of Mahnus who have prayed this prayer and [offered
lip these) devotions. Forgiveness of sins be there for me! Again,
from (You) Life, (I beg) your pity. Your forgiveness. Your heed.
Your compassion, (Yours) Great First Life. Pity, forgive, be heedful
of and have compassion on this my soul, mine, Adam-Yuhana son
of Mahnus who have prayed this prayer and [offered these) devotions.
Be there forgiveness of sins for me.

259
Then from (You) Life, (I ask) Your pity. Your forgiveness. Your
heed. Your compassion. Yours, Great First Life. Pity, forgive be
heedful of and have compassion on this my soul, mine, Adam-Yuha-
na son of Mahnus who have prayed this prayer and [offer up these)

b Nos. 258 and 259 are practically identical with no. 172, p. 157.
2i6 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

devotions. Be there forgiveness for me and for my father and my

mother, for my teacher i),
for my wife and children and for my
priest (s) who set out the bread and {ritual) food for You.
And for (you) my fathers, elders, teachers and instructors when
ye supported me from the Left to the Right®) ,
may there be forgive-
ness of sins for you. And may Life be estabhshed in their skintas.
And Life is victorious over all works.

[This prayer of “Blessed is the First Radiance” is the sealing *)

of all sacramental rites®), “devotions” baptism, masiqta, commemo-

rations and “names”: it is the final prayer of all sacramental
rites ®).]

260
In the name of the Great Ineffable Life from worlds of light Who
is above all works, healing, victor^'^, strength, soundness, speech and
being heard and joy of heart and forgiveness of sins be there for
me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus. And for my father Sam son of
Anhar, for my mother Mahnus daughter of Hawa-Simat, And for
my wife, Hawa-Simat daughter of Maliha, and for my offspring
Adam-Yuhana and Sarat-Mamania children of Hawa-Simat. And
for my brothers®) {and sisters ) Maliha, Adam-Zihrun, Zihrun, Yahia-
;

Yuhana, Sarat and Mamania, the children of Mahnus. And for my

other ’) brothers {and sisters) Bihram, Simat, Bibia, Hawa-Samra,
and Yahia-Yuhana the children of Mahnus. And may my thought,
mind, knowledge and intelligence enlighten me, myself and my
children, about the treasure of the First Life in these antiphonal
hymns and chants of “When the Chosen One, the Pure One went”.
261
(No. 233, p. 186 trans.: pp. 243 and 294 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

262
(No. 234, p. 187 trans; pp. 244 and 296 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

The rba is the priest (teacher) who initiated him into priesthood.
Tabuta.
The “Left”
is the material, non-spiritual, also spoken of as the “Mother”
the “Right” IS the spiritual, the “Father”.
“Sealing” a name given to a concluding prayer.
=) Ginzia (hidden treasures), here = razia, “sacramental rites”.
A gloss adds “Sam-Saiar and A'ahia-Bihram”.
’) By a former husband ? Stepbrothers and sisters ?
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 217

263
(No. 235, p. 188 trans. : pp. 246 and 297 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

264
(No. 236, p. 189 trans.; pp. 248 and 299 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

265
(No. 237, p. 190 trans.; pp. 249 and 300 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

266
(No. 238, p. 192 trans.; pp. 252 and 302 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

267
(No. 239, p. 193 trans.; pp. 253 and 304 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

268
(No. 240, p. 194 trans.; pp. 255 and 305 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

269
(No. 241, p. 196 trans.; pp. 257 and 307 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

270
(No. 242, p. 197 trans.; pp. 258 and 308 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

271
(no. 243, p. 198 trans.; pp. 260 and 310 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

272
(No. 244, p. 200 trans. ;
pp. 262 and 312 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

273
(No. 245, p. 201 trans.; pp. 264 and 313 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

274
(No. 246, p. 202 trans.; pp. 265 and 315 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

275
(No. 247, p. 203 trans.; pp. 267 and 316 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

276
(No. 248, p. 204 trans.; pp. 268 and 317 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

277
(No. 249, p. 205 trans.; pp. 270 and 319 Mandaic text, D.C. 53.)

278
(No. 250, p. 206 trans.; pp. 271 and 320 Mandaic text, D.C. 53).
2i8 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

279
(No. 251, p. 208 trails.; pp. 272 and 322 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

280
(No. 252, p. 208 trans. ; pp. 274 and 323 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

281
(No. 253, p. 209 trans.; pp. 275 and 324 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

282

(No. 254, p. 211 trans.; pp. 275 and 326 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

283

(No. 255, p. 212 trans.; pp. 278 and 326 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

284

(No. 256, p. 213 trans.; pp. 279 and 328 Mandate text, D.C. 53).

(These are hymns of “When the Chosen One, the Pure One went”
I copted for myself so that there should be commemoration [of my
name) on earth and yonder in the mighty and celestial worlds of
hght, and for love of holy truth and (with) reliance on the high
King of Light, His name be praised in the great place of light! I am
poor, lowiy and infantile, a slave that is all sin and as dust beneath
the feet of Nasoraeans, one who kisseth the shoes on the feet of the
pious, the least of my brother-ganzivri. I am Rabbi Adam-Yuhana

son of Sam son of Bihram son of Adam-Yuhana son of Msa’ad

known as Kainisia, family name Ris-Draz. I copied for myself from
the qulasta (collection) of the great, lofty and revered R. Ram-
Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R. Zihrun son of R. Adam
son of R.Yahia-Adam son of R. Sitil son of R. Ram son of R.
Zakia son of R. Yahia son of R. Zakia son of a father of ganzivri,
R. Mhatam son of R. Sam, known as Manduia family name ’Kuma.
He copied it for Statad (? ’stadi craftsman?) Baktiar son of Mha-
tam-Zihrun son Bihram son of Adam-Yuhana son of Yahia son
of
ofZihrun son of Yahia-Anus son of the great, lofty and revered R.
!Mhatam son of Yahia-Baian son of Yuhana-Sadan son of Zakria,
from (one of) the Beni-Dihdaria Sabur by name; who copied from
a collection that R. Rani-Yuhana also copied for himself (he w'as)
the son of R. Yahia-Zihrun son of R. Zihrun son of R. Adam, family
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 219

name ’Kuma, who copied it for a salmana (a “perfect one” ^)) Hada-
iat son of Qasim son of Hadat son of Bihram son of Zakria of the
Beni-Dihdaria, family name Sabur. He copied it from the collection
of the great, lofty and revered one, a rehable and chosen ganzihra,
a copyist^) of his library and a lofty paragon in priestcraft {Nasiriita),
(namely) R. Sam-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Adam son of Bihram-
Zihrun son of Adam-Yuhana son of Zid, son of Sam, son of Bihiam
son of R. Adam son of R. Mhatam son of R. Baktiar, family name
’Asikir, who copied from the collection that had been copied for
himself by R. Sam-Yuhana son of R. Yahia-Adam son of Bihram-
Zihrun son of Adam-Yuhana son of Zid son of Sam son of Bihram
son of R. Adam son of R. Mhatam son of R. Baktiar, family name
’Asikir who copied from the collection of Zakia-Baian son of Yahia-
Bihram son of Yahia-Sam son of Bihram- Yuhana son of Yahia-
Zakia son of Bihram-Saiar, family name Sa’puria, who copied from
and revered ganzibra, a chosen one, R.
the collection of a great, lofty
Yahia son Sam- Adam son of Zakia-Zihrun son of Adam-Sitlan,
of
family name ’Asikir, which was copied by the great, lofty and revered
copyist of (his) library, R. Mhatam-Zihrun son of Yahia son of
Baktiar, family name Kuhilia, which was copied a second time by
the great and lofty R. Mhatam-Zihrun son of Br-Hiia son of Bak-
tiar, famil}^ name Kuhilia, who copied from the collection of R.

Ram-Baian son of R. Sam-Paiis son of Baktiar son of Sam-Baktiar

son of Sam, family name Parih {or Farih?). He copied from the
collection which R. Bihram- Bihad copied for himself (he was) son :

of Yahia-Saiar, family name Tutu. He copied from the collection

of R. Adam-Bihram son of Bahran-Gadana that was copied by R.
Zihrun-Baktiar son of Adam the Deaf who copied from the scroll
of the most reverend of ganzivri, R. Adam-Abulfaraz son of Bihram-
Sitil son of Ruzba-Barubai, who copied it a second time for himself,
copied it for R. Adam-Zihrun son of Mhatam son of Yahia son of
Hibil-Yuhana, a paragon, there acted as assistant to them therein.
Ram son of Adam, there was not ?) and R. Bayan-Hadada son
(

of Zihrun. They copied from a Diwan {scroll containing several texts)

of a commentary on ’’When the Chosen One, the Pure One went”.

Salmana. A person who, in anticipation of death, lives in a state of

complete ritual purity, subsisting only upon sacramental food and drink.
Xasaka (a) from .Arabic and P. .< "pious” (b) from
i ; "to copy”.
220 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And they compared and studied them carefully^) according to

their powers (ability).
And Life is victorious.

Prayers 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, and 292 are identical
with prayers 180-187, pp. 162-166 of the translation, and pp. 202-
207 and 330-335 of the Mandate text, D.C. 53.
Following, prayers 293 to 304 inclusive are identical with prayers
188-199 trs. pp. 166-169 and pp. 335-338 Mandate text, D.C. 53.
:

The colophon which follows differs from other colophons in the book,
and I omit it. The series of hymns which occupies the next section
are for the ordination of priests, known as their “coronation”. All
the features of coronation are present, the immersion, oath, unction,
and investiture with royal insignia. The “crown”, however, is a
tubular silken fillet. Sislam-Rba is the prototype of priest and
bridegroom.
305
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they placed the crown on Sislam-Rba
Jordans formed themselves at his right,
At his right jordans formed themselves.
In them signs were graven.
Signs were graven in them.
Banners and holy vows ^),
Banners and vows.
And kings, Tannas^) and Drops
All bow down and worship the great Crown
And the Vine which they had transplanted from it *)

For ever and aye.

306
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they placed the crown on Sislam-Rba

1
)
Haqiriun
Kustia yaqna {Or, "precious pacts”).
Tannas and Drops are mentioned together m Prayer 189. Lidzbarski
translates “Drops” as "women”. The reference may be to bystanders, probab-
ly women of two classes.
Some obscurities in these hymns defy translation! The "vine” which
•*)

has been transplanted is, presumably, the new priest. Could the “crown”
{taga) at one time have been of vine-tendrils ?
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 221

Treasure of Life [Simat-hiia ^)) shone therein.

And in his vesture twelve mirrors were formed.
Twelve mirrors were formed in his v'esture
And seven others in his seal-ring ^).

And five Drops ...(?) ®)

And eyes discern in them sublime treasure.

They twine *) trees with gold {Trees are twined with gold?)
Bountiful is their load of pearls!
Who, amongst all the kings.
Will confirm and view the crown
Which they set on him
For ever and aye?

307 -

In the name of the great Life!

On the day that they set the crown on Sislam-Rba,
The and dancing.
jordans, frolicking
Restless, and giving the two banks no peace
Rejoicing, laughing and disporting themselves.
Say, “Our glory hath shone here.
It hath shone in this new crown.

The like of which existeth not.

Blessed is this new crown
And blessed are its leaves, which shall not faU!
For ever and aye.
308.
In the name of the great Life!
On the day that they set the crown on Sislam-Rba
The jordans all assembled, and Rays-of -light.
And wellsprings and Tannas'.
And palms are interwoven ®) into the tendrils
Of the crown and brighten Sislam-Rba’s crown.
And they submit themselves to the glory

Prayer No. 388 (text p. 469) omits hiia.

Gnsbanqa = “a cylinder-seal, signet-ring”
Perhaps ainia here should have been ainaniata (see N0.308) and that
scribes inserted a gloss ?

Sarsin (P.S.Thes. <« "to twist, to twine".

For the missing line, Ikifh trin see D.C. 53, No. 389 p. 470 text) and
B.M. Or. 6592 352. (It IS also missing
: D.C. 3.) m
®) In all versions ’sink, except D.C. 3, which has ’utrik.
222 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Conferred upon it. And all kings

Do homage to its radiance, light and effulgence.
Eternally.

309
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they set the crown on Sislam-Rba,
Rays-of-light summon the kings.
They call to the kings, the rays-of-light.
And skinias say to one another,
“Come! let us go and see Sislam-Rba
Upon whom the Great (Life) hath set a crown;
Seven rehable kings set it upon him
And King Manhiriel conferered the sign (insignia) upon him
And took his hand in holy troth
And raised him, set him up
In the House of the Perfected,
For ever and aye.

310
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they set the crown on Sislam-Rba
Channels of light were formed ®) therein
Channels of light formed themselves (therein)
And the glory (or “praise”) of the ’uthras shone bright.
There was radiance, there was light!

Sublime ether was in them.

It was diffused into flowings of water
And streams without end.
They {all?) come and kiss the crown of Sislam-Rba
And rest in its shelter
Evermore.
311
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they set the great crown
1
)
At the “coronation of a king”, i.e. ordination of a priest, seven "kings”
(priests) must assist the ganzibra who is chief celebrant.
A free translation: the rite of clasping the right hand in oath. “King
Manhiriel” =
the chief celebrant at the “coronation”.
For read, as in Xo. 392 (the same prayer) stararbh. D.C. 3 p. 336
'styia '

has ’stna, (so has D.C. 34 and B.M.O. 6592 380). :

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 223

Upon the Teacher of 'uthras, Sislam-Rba,

Jordans formed themselves at his right,
At his right jordans formed themselves
And the cloud Sasqahel (journeyed?) with them,
With them (journeyed?) the cloud Sasqaliel
And a skinta was founded for (him her ?) in the Jordan;
For (him her ?) in the Jordan a skinta was founded ^).
And in the ether a banner was unfurled for him.
Kings of the worlds of light assembled.
All lajdng their pure right hands upon him.
Laying their hands of troth (kusta) on the crown of Sislam-
Rba,
And blessing it and honouring it
In the highest degree.
[These seven prayers of Sislam-Rba shall be recited by the ganzi-
bra when placing the crown on a postulant and the priests shall
recite these seven other hymns and make the antiphonal response.]

312
In the name of the Great Life!
Blessed is this pure voice and blessed your planting!
Blessed is this new crown and blessed this hymning!
And blessed is this sanctuary (skinta) in which kings are sitting!
For ever and aye.

313
In the name of the Great Life!
O king, thou art a mirror! (Yea)
Radiance art thou, of genuine form;
Oh thou art a lofty force!
For all strength *) is derived from thee!
Blessed is this new croum
And blessed its treasure which thou hast shared with them
For ever and a3^e.

The root SSQL (Saf. SQL) is used with sails or \vings. The "cloud
Masql’il” (var. Misql’il) is mentioned in the (Lidzbarski's trs.
p. 402) 1 26. .

Here rdibun, but in the same prayer later {No. 393) qrabwi. B.M. Or
6592 391 rdabun. D.C. 3 p. 337 6 has rdubiin. The reflection of a cloud in
: :

water is a sjunbol of marriage. Cf. Prayer No. i88.

Probably “for him".
Lit. "all strengths” in the plural.
224 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

314
In the name of the Great Life!
How wondrous is the strength of the Great (Life) i),

And how great is the glory which thou sheddest on us!

Thou hast illumined us with thy great radiance
And we praise thee and the crown of Sislam-Rba.
We magnify it and honour it
And bring it our homage
For ever and aye!
315
In the name of the Great Life!
Our father, thou art a king, a son of kings.
For thou puttest on the crown for kings.
The crown thou puttest on is for kings
And thou bestowest victory on pahn- trees ®).

Sislam blesseth his crown

And ’uthras and sanctuaries (Skinata) establish it.

Cause some of thy glory, which is great.

To rest upon
and give us us, *)

So that our minds may rejoice in it

For ever and aye.

316
In the name of the Great Life!
Hail to him! Again, had to the king of kings,
Sislam-Rba! Hail to him on whom the hand of a king
Hath whose kingdom abideth and passeth not away.
set his crowm®) ;

It passeth not away, the kingdom of a king

As long as air and water flow -
For ever and aye.

317
In the name of the Great Life!

h D.C. 3, p. 338 9 “of ’uthras”.

:

2
In Prayer No. 397 the couplet is tagia Imalkia tarsit tagia tarsit Imalkia
)

(thou puttest crowns on kings).

The palmtree is the symbol of “the Father”, (see p. 14, n. 6.) also of
priesthood.
*) “Give us thereof?No. 397 has uahbilan d ’usran hadibh; D.C. 3 p. 339 ; i,
uahbalan etc. (“Give us that in which our minds delight”).
“) Bis.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 225

Thou art the Teacher of ganzibria ^),

Thou art the King of all ’uthias!

Good him who beholdeth Thee with his eyes,
is it for

Good is it for him who discemeth Thee in his thought!

He shall rise with Thee to the Place of Light.

318
In the name of the Great Life!
My day, what amongst days ? A day.
is it

My day, what amongst hours ? A single hour.

is it

What is my day amongst the days?

The day on which a kingdom was accepted.
My day, what is it amongst days ?
The day on which treasure was divided.
The King divided His treasure
And gave his kingdom to Sislam-Rba.
Sislam-Rba shone in his crown
And we praise and magnify Thee
Because Thou art called the Teacher of ’uthras
For ever and aye.
[These are seven antiphonal hymns. The response *) to these
hymns “Sislam-Rba” shall be recited by the priests. Should the
of
ganzibra recite those hymns, the ganzibm shall recite one and the
priests one.]

319
In the name of the Great Life!
Thy strength shah increase, our father.
And grow mighty by means of this secret mystery, Zihrun,
By which all 'uthras are fortified.
Be strengthened and increased in might and power
By this seal-ring which is bestowed upon thee.
And thou hast authority over it.

h Rbaihun = “their teacher”.

Ganzibria, (plu. of ganzibra). Now the title of the chief priest.
The words b’usrih, “in his thought”, omitted in No. 317, are in No. 39S
(which includes both Nos. 316 and 317), and also in D.C. 3, p. 339 12. The :

line is repeated in No. 398.

*) Pasuk = response; the part read by the priests in an antiphonal hymn.

At coronation (ordination), the new pnest is in\'ested with his ring of

office; a gold seal-ring upon which are engraven the words Sum yawar ziwa
(“the name of Yawar-Ziwa”). It is worn on the little finger of the right hand.
226 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Thou hast been given authority over a treasure

Of living flame, and over a Root
Which is the product of gardens .

Go, become great and glorious!

Guard be confirmed [in office)
thyself,
By this seal-ring which is set upon thee
So that thy strength may increase Yonder,
And the Elect righteous may be uplifted by thy fame!
And Life is victorious!

[This hjunn for the seal-ring shall be recited by the ganzihra and
priests over the seal-ring for the novice-priest when he assumeth
thereby his kingship.]
320
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that they set the crown on the king
And the king accepted his kingship.
His radiance was seen in the light of the banners *),

And the water-springs that were in the jordan

Waltzed with one another!
The king took his crown
And was resplendent in its sublime radiance.
And he distributed crowns to the kings.
To the kings he distributed crowns®).
And his brilliance, his light and his great glory
Rested upon them
For ever and aye.
[The ganzibra chants this hymn tothem {whilst) distributing crorvns

amongst the ’uthras") and kings, and the ’uthras and kings give him
myrtle ;they give him m)rrtle.]

h Kimsa, see p. 195, n. 3 and p. 119, n. 2.

2
A play on words br gninia, lit. a son of mysteries (things hidden)
) is also
"a son of gardens”.
In D.C. 3 ’tgadal is repeated.
*) The word drabsa comes from the a bright or glittering object
“anything ghttering or flashing”.
Or “whirled round together”, i.e. danced for joy.
At the coronation rite of a postulant to priesthood, newly woven fillets
(“crowns”) are distributed to ganzivri and priests present at the rite.
) The word ’tithras refers to the ganzivn, just as malkia (“kings”) means
“priests”.
*) The rubric in D.C. 3 differs: it directs the ganzibra to distribute myrtle
with the crowns.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 227

321
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that the kings assembled (to be)
In company with the king, the son of kings,
And he distributed crowns and treasures to the kings^),
The kings extended their right hands.
Their right hands the kings held out.
And they received crowns from the king.
Crowns they received from the king.
And they bless him with a great benediction
And honour him who gave them crowns and treasures
For ever and aye.
[The priests shall repeat this hymn, taking the crowns from the
ganzibra who set the crown on the postulant.]

322
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that a vision was verified by eyes ^) ( ?)
And the newly-inaugurated banner was purified ?) ( ^) thereby
Its inauguration {consecration) ®) was shared amongst the banners
And the banners shone in its radiance.
They shone with great radiance and praised the king’s crown.
They praised the king’s crown and said to it
“Thy counterpart®) shineth in the ether.
In the ether thy counterpart shineth
And the ether dehghteth in thee!
’Uthras, kings and jordans praise thy counterpart
For ever and aye.
[The ganzibra shall recite this prayer for the Sevang of the postulant’s
crown. When praying the devotions before the secret prayer is said.

Lines in italics are missing in No. 321, but are given in No. 402 (p. 477
in the text), also in D.C. 3 p. 341, and B.M. Or. 6592 423. :

Or “his vision". Tiqnat = was stabilised i.e. realised.

Msaria = “begun", “new, “inaugurated”; as a derived meaning “con-
secrated”. The new priest has his own banner, a new one. Read drabsa here
as in Prayer No. 403 (text p. 347) not drabsia.
*) Both D.C. 53 and D.C. 3 have here ‘stalalbk = “prepared
“purified”) B.M. Or. 6592 4 has ’salalbh. D.C. 53 No. 403, however has
;

’tkalalbh = “is perfected thereby”.

“) No. 404 has “praised the great crown”.
®) Or “thine archetype”.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 16
 !

228 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

he shall sew the postulant’s crown and shall recite this prayer over
the crown.]

323
In the name of the Great Life!
Shine forth, give out light, pure Mirror!
For in aU worlds thou wilt be called ’’Illuminator”.
Rise to thy feet, great ’uthra!
Let all thy treasure awake for us
That we may shine and rejoice thereat:
’Uthras and kings who sit in this sanctuary
Will beam and rejoice thereat
From beginning to end.
[The priests and ganzivri who are sitting in the sanctuary shall
recite this hymn when the postulant comes and sits upon a chair.
Then he shall rise to his feet and recite the appointed prayers [man-
diz) as far as the prayer ‘‘Darkness is crushed down”; with wit-
nesses, one on his right and the other on his left.]

324
In the name of the Great Life!
Thou enlightenest them by thy word(s)
Sublime ®) and pure,
And worlds by thy glory.
glorifiest the
Our thou enlightenest them
father,
By thy pure eloquence
And thy root shall be exalted
And attain the summit.

[The priests and ganzivri shall recite this hymn when the postulant
is ending his set pieces, and the witnesses shall sit and recite this
hymn, as below.]

1
The crown is tubular. At the consecration of a priest long tubes of
)

woven silk and cotton are cut by the ganzibra into short lengths two of silk :

for himself and the postulant, 24 of cotton for other priests

the postulant is(if

the ganzibra’s first pupil). Women present sew the ends together so as to
form “crowns”, but it appears from the above insertion that the ganzibra
himself completes the silken crown of the new priest.
The "treasure” which the new priest is to “awake” or “illumine" (the
word means both), is his accurate recitation of the Book of Souls before the
assembly of examining priests.
®) Only D.C. 3, p. 342 has sania. B.M. Or. 6592 : 126 also omits.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 229

325 ")

In the name of the Great Life!

The Great was glad
(Life) rejoiced. It

That Y awar
hath looked for a banner of radiance.
And the Rays of Light rejoiced because
We have crushed down darkness
And brought to nought the rebellious Voice.
If thus we have acted, and thus it was ordained.

Then it is You, the Well-Ordered,

(Who hath) ordained it.

[The witnesses recite this h3Hnn whilst sitting on chairs, and shall
recite all the hymns (given) below.]

326
In thename of the Great Life!
Our father, thou art a pure mirror!
In all worlds thou hast become an Illuminator.
Rejoice, our father! and take joy
In all thy kingliness!
Thou, our father, art he in whom we shine and glory.
And (in whom) the ’uthras and kings
In this sanctuary shine and glory
For evermore.
[All shall recite this hymn ;
then the postulant (when) he has risen ®),

shall kiss them on their heads, give them myrtle to smell at, and
shall kiss the ganzibra and take the book *) from him.]

327
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that Myrtle emerged from the Wellspring ®)

And her waters, grew upward ®) in its glory.

it

The waters rushed forth and were divided

And ether emanated from hght.
This prayer (No. 325) is the only one of the coronation series translated
by Lidzbarski; (M.L. p. 272).
Isuspect strongly that the original had sakaklh = “planted”, (“stuck
in”) the banner.The pointed end of the pole is driven into the earth.
The Perfect tense.
The Book of Souls.
The “Wellspring” = the “Mother”, see p. 14, n. 5.
’tgadal= “became great”, "was raised up" (to dignity).
 ;

230 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The king took the first myrtle

From the hand of the new king
Who by him had been instructed in the sublime mystery.
He twined him a (myrtle-) wreath
On the Jordan he bestow^ed its purity.
The king was ratified ( ?) ®) by the myrtle
And the Jordan crowmed^) by the king,
They are reciprocally crowned ,
mutually aggrandised
And rise and behold the Place of Light.

[The ganzibra recites this h^mm, takes the myutle from him,
smells at it, twists a wreath for himself, twists a wreath for the
postulant and gives it to the postulant who takes the w'reath and
staff. Then he gives the order that they should honour (their

crowns).]
328
In the name of the Great Life!
Blessed be this skinta of the Mighty (Life)
In which crowms have been formed
Crowns have been formed in it
And a crowm for a king, son of kings, was set on,

A crown was set on a king, son of kings.

All the kings pay homage to thee •*)

And Tannas and Drops

kings, ’uthras,
All bow^ down and reverence thee
In whom crowms (or “his crown”) and mj^steries
Have been confirmed
And skinias; an indwelling of the Mighty (Life)

Hath proceeded from thee (?) ’).

One would expect "from his first-born”, but the bukra refers to the
first myrtle that the new king twines as a king into a wreath.
D.C. 3 omits gdalh and has asia for asa.
D.C. 3 has tns for tqiin. Cf. the barsom as confirmation of Persian king-
ship.
The Ethpe. and Ethpe. pf KRK (to turn, surround, enfold, encircle
etc.)have many derived meanings, ’tkarak “crowned" occurs in the phrase
hu taga ’tirsa d-malkta bgauh ‘tkarak (D.C. 36) "it is a crown set on, wherewith
kings were crowned”.
5
)
D.C. 3 has the correct mitkarkin: D.C. 53, Xo. 408 p. 480 i.i.has mit-
gadlin
®) In the other mss Idilak. The cult-hut, scene of the coronation, is addressed
’) skinat kabiria ntinak pias, The meaning appears to be that the Great
Life 13 incarnate in the priest’s office. Skinat here might be rendered as "shec-
inah”, "indwelling” ?
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 231

And in thee the elect righteous will be uphfted;

They will worship and give praise
For thou wilt be called
“A skinta which nourisheth sucklings”
For ever and aye.
[This is the prayer for the consecration of the cult-hut {skinta)
when thou intendest to take thither the first postulant on the
Sunday. The priests recite this hymn before entering the cult-hut;
{they recite it) and then they enter the cult-hut.]

329
In the name of the Great Life!
Oh a burnished treasure art thou!
Oh a ghttering thing art thou!
(Thou) mirror ®) of kings!
In its glory kings shine; the}' shine in its glory.

They prepare crowns with his ; *)

Crowns they fashion with his.

Watersprings are crowned ( ?) by his {crown) ®)

And and mirrors

watersprings, radiancies *)

Worship the great Crown; they praise it, guard it

And say to it “Blessed is this {thine) appearance

Which we praise; and by it, in thy skinta
We shall be guided aright, we shall be rightly guided ’)

In thy Skinta, and wth thee we shall be united

For ever and ever.

[This is the hymn for the releasing of crowns on the Sunday

This prayer the last in Lidzbarski’s collection, but his version differs
is
from those in my two texts. He takes it as an address to
collection, cf. the
the banner (which it is not, even in the Oxford version, see 1. 2 of the prayer)
for it IS addressed to the crown and its wearer.
Drabsa here is “that which glitters” see p. 226, n. 4; not “banner”: the
crown is meant. (P. jUijj = “to shine”.)
^) Or “vision”.
The reference, as the insertion which follows it shows, is to the prepa-
ration and presentation of crowns to all the priests present at the ceremony.
^) Lidzbarski (and the Oxford ms.) b:iu.'h mitkarkan. Bzru.'h is missing in

D.C. 53, and I translate mitkarkan in the same sense as “And the Jordan
crowned by the king”, see p. 230, n. 4’
Or “radiant beings”. (Lidzbarski Glanzh.'esen.)
’’)Xitns. (TRS to make or set right, etc.)
*) Or “inauguration”, “consecration” see p. 227, n. 3.
232 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

when the cotton crowns for the

the ganzihra wishes to consecrate
priests^).Wearing all his vestments®) and all his clothes*), the
crown in his right hand and the staff in his left, he goes to the bank
of the Piriavds, the j or dan, and takes also in his right hand with
his own crown the cotton crowns which he wisheth to consecrate.
Then he performs the ritual ablution in the or dan and comes tow- j

ards the kinta ®) and the banner. And he examines all the clothes
and recites the Asuta^) to the Gate of Mercies’) and the kings
as much as he is able. And after that he entones this prayer over
each crown, once over every one. And Life is victorious.]
These are the antiphonal hymns of Sislam-Rba and their refrain,
the hymn of the ring, and all the hymns for postulants {ordination
hymns). I copied this collection from beginning to end for myself,
so that I might act and be successful in the world and that there
may my name on earth and yonder in the mighty
be one to mention
and lofty worlds of light. For I have copied with a sincere and believ-
ing heart my heart hath testified to the Life and to my lord Manda-
;

d-Hiia, so that they would be my support and my saviour. I am poor

and lowly (etc.) . .
.

{The colophon resembles other colophons in the hook) ....

This miscellany of the Coronation was set in order and brought

to successful conclusion from beginning to end in the name of the
Life and as a token of Knowledge-of-Life and trust in the high King
of Light, and in the names of Hibil, Sitil and Anus praised be —
their names in the great Place, the House of Perfection! It was
completed on Friday {yitma d-rahatia) which is ’riifta (Friday), the
fourth of the month Akir-Paiiz (Last-of-Autumn) which is Tahit,
Capricornus, in the year of Wednesday {i. e. which began on a Wed-
nesday) in the year 1217 by Arab computation -may the world —
founder upon them and Manda-d-Hiia bring to nought their rage
against the congregation of souls!
It was copied in Huwaiza, by the waters of Karka. .
.
{etc.)

See p. 227, n. 3.
Plural in D.C. 3.
Mania in D.C. 3
*) I think that this means the new priest’s clothes later inspected at the
kinta.
An altar in box form.
*) The “ Asut-Malkia” no. 105.
’) The North, the North star.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 233

[The end of the autobiographical part of the colophon of D.C. 53 is

missing.]
THE BANNER HYMNS
In the name of the Great Life! may there be health, victory and
forgiveness of sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus because
of these antiphonal hymns for the banner.

330
In the name of the Great Life!
When radiance came forth the white land, Paris ^),

A young lad, Arsapan, son of radiant-beings.

Unfurled a banner He unfurled a great radiance
.

So that ’uthras and skintas shone in the banner’s brilhance.

They shone in the brilliance of his banner
(That was) hke the radiance in the House of the Mighty (Life)

331
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that Sislam-Rba ^) unfurled his banner
Over corporate beings ®),
Three hundred and sixty wellsprings
Of radiance, hght and glory were formed by him.
The glory of SiSlam-Rba’s banner
Shone forth over three ®) Wellsprings of Radiance
And the three wellsprings of Radiance
Who beheld the brightness of Sislam-Rba’s banner
Prostrated themselves before its glory;
They prostrated themselves.
The three wellsprings of radiance.
Praising the banner
To all eternity.

Lidzbarski included nineteen of the banner hymns in his collection

(M.L. pp. 264 ff.).
Lidzbarski (M.L. p. 264, n. i) suggests that ‘‘Paris’’ is “Pars, Persis im
Gegensatz zum Schwarzland (sawwad) Babylonien so benannt’’.
For the banner as a light-symbol see p. 231, n. 2 and p. 226, n. 4.
*) The great Sislam is the archetype of king (priest) and bridegroom.
’
Usfitnia = lit. “bodies” (headless). ’Ustuna is the word used in priestly
commentaries to connote the physical; the trunk (column) of Adams
“Body”, i.e. the universe conceived as a human shape.
®) “Wellsprings” are, I imagine, a poetical name given to the three
celebrants necessary for a masiqta: other ceremonies require seven con-
celebrants. See 1 5 of the next hymn.
.
234 the canonical PRAYERBOOK of the IIANDAEANS

332
In the Name of the Great Life!
On the day that Sislam-Rba nnfurled his banner
Its glory shone out over three hundred and sixty thousand
jordans,
The glory of the banner of Sislam-Rba
Shone out over seven wellsprings.
And the wellspring Sihmai spurted upward
Before the radiance of Sislam-Rba’s banner.
The perfume in the banner was delightful
And appeared over the skinata (sanctuaries).
{as) it

How it becometh Sislam-Rba when he is illumined

By the wondrous banner Zihrun!
How beauteous it maketh Sislam-Rba
When he is proclaimed King of all beams of hght!

333
In the Name of the Great Life!
On the day that Si§lam-Rba shook out the banner Pirun
And unfurled it at the head of the skinta,
Its gloryshone out over Wellspring and Palmtree*).
{When) the Wellspring and Palmtree beheld
The glory of SiMam-Rba’s banner,
A gush of radiance inundated Sislam-Rba’s banner
And made his banner, Pirun, bright
Beyond measure.

334
In the Name of the Great Life!
On day that the banner Sislamiel was unfurled.
the
Its radiance beamed forth over three hundred and sixty
Worlds of Light.
Over three hundred and sixty worlds of light
Its radiance beamed forth.
And the three hundred and sixty worlds of light

*) SHN = “to be brilliant”.

See p. 14, notes 5 and 6.
d hzath is influenced by the gender of ainoi.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 235

Which beheld the brightness of the banner Sislamiel

All flocked towards it.

Towards it they all gathered

And uttered a benediction on the banner of the Great
Bihram ^),

Saying toit, “Thy radiance, (O) banner Manhariel,

Hath dawned and thine appearance shone out.

And thy or dan hath strength and flow
j

From end to end.

335
In the Name of the Great Life!
On the day that Bihram the Great unfurled the banner Sislamiel,
Its radiance shone out over the waters.
Over the waters its radiance dawned.
Its radiance dawned over the waters
From the waters its radiance flooded upward
Its radiance surged up from the waters
And shone out over the w'orlds.
Worlds and kings who beheld the radiance of
The banner Sislamiel, all gather townrds it.
All gather towards it and utter blessing
Upon the banner of Sislam-Rba and say to it
“Blessed be thou, Sislamiel-Banner,
And blessed be the man that hath unfurled thee.
Great glory hath he given thee
And great is the crown ®) he set on thee!
He hath given thee myrtle which strengtheneth ’uthras:
Jordans exult in thy radiance
And ’uthras delight in thy fragrance
Exceedingly”.
336
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that Sislam-Rba unfurled his banner

b In the VendiJad {19:37). Varatliragna’s epithet is bar 6 -/''ar 9 }ia\ usually

translated “glory”.
Motion.
At the consecration of the banner, which is e.x;tended full length before
the white silk is draped over the crosspiece, a myrtle-wreath is slipped over
the peak by the priest or priests officiating.
*) D.C. 3 has sahfia “flow out”, D.C. 53 pike M.L.) sahbia (SHB to exult
in, vaunt, joy in etc.).
,
 ,

236 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The radiance of Bihram-Rba’s banner

Shone forth like the great mirror
That resteth in the Jordan.
Its radiance appeared and his skinta
Shone, and his people were confirmed in victory.
And Life is victorious.
[Recite these seven hymns for the banner when unfurling it 2)
.]

337
In the name of the Great Life
It hath risen, it hath shone forth
Thy radiance, king of ’uthras!
Itcame; upon the ’uthras and skintm it shone.
The ’uthras and the skintas who beheld thy glory
All bless thee with a blessing,
A blessing they pronounce upon thee
And the ’uthras honour thee
Because thou earnest into existence
Through the hand of a king.
The king blessed thee with a great blessing
And gave it {thee?) to me, Hibil-Ziwa.
To me, Hibil-Ziwa he gave it
To give light to worlds, to kings
And to jordans and skintas
All of them, fully.

338
Hibil blessed thee with a great blessing
And gave thee to the Occult Adam *)
Adam blessed thee with a great blessing
And gave thee to the Chosen Elect.
He gave thee to the Chosen Elect
To enlighten and stabihse their counterparts
Fully.

*) Surbta, a race, tribe, family, descendaiits, kinsfolk.

These seven prayers are said by a priest over the banner during the
recitation of his daily office.
This prayer and 348 are said whilst crouching and holding the staff of
the banner.
*) This Occult Adam, is the cosmic Adam, archetype of the physical Adam.

“) The dmiita is the over-soul, the counterpart of the earthly being them
ideal world of ^Msunia Kusta. It often acts as conscience or guardian angel,
according to commentaries.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 237

339
The Chosen Righteous rose to their feet
And grasped thee with their right hands.
They went to the jordan of living water
And set thee up, so that thy radiancy
Might be shed on the jordan.
The water and thy brightness become blended together;
Thy brightness and the water are combined
Enhancing [the brilliance of) Silmai and Nidbai.
And these, the elect who go to the jordan.
Are illumined by thy radiance.
Do thou guard them and estabUsh them
And make their baptism successful!
Life is victorious.

[Chant these hymns before thou conveyest the banner to the

jordan.]

340

In the name of the Great Life!

Who took up the banner Zihrun
In which the worlds and generations glory
And went to the bank of the jordan Piriawis ?

The jordan Piriawis on beholding the brilliancy

Of the banner Zihrun, leapt towards its radiance:
The waters and jordan and springs which dweU
In the jordan {Piriawis) leap towards the radiance
Of the banner Zihrun and exult exceedingly.

341

In the name of the Great Life!

Yawar took up the banner Sislamiel
In which the worlds and generations exult.
And went bank of the jordan Piriawis.
to the
The jordan Piriawis when it beheld the banner Zihrun
Rejoiced with a great joy, exceedingly.

[Chant these hymns and take the banner to the jordan and plant
it on the bank of the jordan. Then recite “Shine forth, shine forth,

brightness of Yawar”.]
238 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

342
In the name
of the Great Life!
Shine forth, Yawar’s radiance shine forth
let

Over the jordan. The brightness of the banner

Hath shone forth over the living waters! It shone forth:
The waters dance towards its radiance
And the radiance towards the waters. Waters and radiance
Are intermingled ^), are interlaced, and its brightness
Inspiriteth the ’uthras in their skintas
Immeasurably.
(Recite these hymns when thou graspest the banner on the jordan-
bank. Then recite “As the head of three skintas” .)

343
In the name of the Life,
As head of the three skinata —
Who was set up as their head (Chief) ?
Whom did they set up as their chief?
Who unfurled the banner at the jordan,
Who at the jordan unfurled the banner?
And who took the staff into the jordan ?

As the head of the three skinata

Who placed the great crown on their heads ?

On and banners Yukasar placed the great crown;

their heads
He unfurled the banner at the jordan,
Yukasar unfurled at the jordan the banner
And Yusmir took the staff into the jordan.
And Life is victorious.

[Recite these hymns whilst grasping the banner on the jordan

bank^), then perform thy baptism).®]

344
In the name of the Great Life!
Or “embraced one another".
-) Three cult -huts ? Or are, as I think may be the case, three concelebrants
meant ?

D.C. 53, p. 363 and D.C. 3, p. 235 have biisaiin iidrabsaiin. Lidzbarski,
using De Morgan’s transcription, (D.AI. p. 175) has brisaian. “on our heads”
and omits mention of the banners.
The banner is grasped first below the peak and then, standing, above
‘‘)

the peak.
Or “perform thine irrjmersion”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 239

The Great (Life) rejoiced; It rejoiced when Yawar looked i)

Towards the banners of radiance and beams of light.

It rejoiced that we have trodden down darkness
And have brought to nought the rebellious Voice.
If we have done thus and it wa.s brought about,
Nevertheless it is You, the ordered.
Who have ordained it!

345
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that ’uthras put into order
A jordan of living water
And a baptism was performed therein.
They took the banner Bihram
And brought it into the Ikinia of Sislam-Rba.
And at the door of his House of Radiance
They unfurled it so that ’uthras and skintas
Might shine in its brightness and rejoice
Exceedingly.

[Recite these two hymns after thou hast performed the baptism,
and take the banner into the cult-hut.]

346
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that great Bihram furled his banner
Three hundred and sixty guardians presided thereat .

They concealed it in its strong-box

And set the seals of the might j' (Life) upon it.
The mighty (Life) blesseth with His pure mouth
The Being who liad settled here, and saith to him
“Lend with increase some of thy radiance.
And illumine the whole world with thy light!’’
Our father enlighteneth with his wondrous voice;

h For skarlk, D.C. 53, p. 363, 1.17, read skalh as in D.C. 3, D.M. and other
mss.
I.e. were present, lit, rested upon it.

Lidzbarski (il.L. 273 g) transliterates N'DDND3 and translates “Ketten

;

von Edelsteinen”. D.M. however (17S; penult.) like D.C. 53 (364 ii) and :

D.C. 3 (236 21) has bsaftia hilih. Safta (the more usual form of the word)
;

in Arabic and Persian = “chest for valuables”, "wallet”, “purse” “casket”

etc. and occurs several times in Mandaean te.xts in this sense, (e.g. bsaftia
d-zahba, D.C. 36 II no. 189). The banner is. in fa^t, kept in a box.
240 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And he said, “Any man who is pious and believing,

Who went not early in the morning to the jordan
Nor is signed with the sign of the jordan ^))

Utterly.

[Recite this hymn and up the banner on the great day of

fold
Daima ^), by itself. And, any day on which thou baptisest, fold the
banner and cover it up with this hymn.]

347
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that the radiance of the banner Saslamiel *)

Was hidden in its casket of radiance.

All the 'uthras rose from their seats.
And pronouncing a sublime blessing upon Zihrun-Saslamiel
The banner, thej^ took it from its pedestal ®) of radiance
To inner houses ’) so that it was hidden.
They cover it, bless it, guard it and say to it,
“As surely as thy radiance waiteth safe in its casket.
Will thy form be kept safe. All worlds which behold thee
Will bless and praise thee for ever and aye”.

[Recite this prayer and furl the banner when thou hast finished
aU thy rites. Recite it by itself alone and fold it before they cover
(pui away) the banner of the day, whilst thy crown is on thy head,
except at the festi\'al of Daima. {On that day?) read both hymns.
Then roll up the banner and hide it in its chest (or “casket”). And
Life is victorious! )*]

348 [THE BLESSED OBLATION PRAYERS]

In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that Ayar (Ether, Air) emerged from the Wellspring
The waters flowed hither, hither flowed the waters
And radiance in the jordan. [The use of)

A line must be missing, condemning such a man, for the daily ablution
and signing at the jordan is a religious duty. The version given is on all
copies I saw, including D.M. p. 178.
The feast of Daima, a baptism-feast, occurs ninety days after Panja
(Parwanaiia), the five intercalary days.
The banner is about three meters long and an ell wide.
Var. Sislam’il.
°) Not Zihrun and Saslamiel as written (v. D.M. op. cit. pi. 178 10). :

Its base, its column, i.e. the banner-pole.

’’)
Lit. “to inner eggs”.
*) Here Lidzbarski’s collection has No. 329 (given in this book on p. 231).
 , ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 241

Myrtle was appointed, i)

they twine its sprigs
And its destination is the sacred table ^).

We asgandia (acolytes) have become acolytes *)

And were admitted into the radiance of the mighty (Life)

By the radiance of the mighty (Life) we are sheltered.
And the Wreath is set up, into circlets it was twined,
It was plaited with myTtle leaves.
Trees bore their fruit {lit. “burden”)
Nasirutha was manifest in the full Jordan
And they were refreshed in the full Jordan,
Before you, ’uthras, my brothers.
Fully.

The sganda reciteth this hymn for the Blessed Oblation when
the myrtle and phial are in his hand. Then the ganzibra taketh the
myrtle and phial of wine ®) from the acolyte and reciteth “Come,
come, lofty acolyte, from the House of my Father”.]

349
In the name of the Great Life!
Come, come, lofty messenger ®)
Come, come from the House of my Father!
Come and irradiate us with the radiance of Life,
With the radiance of Life irradiate us!
And refresh us with some of the good things
Provided there®). For thou®) art called
Sustainer ^®) of ’uthras for ever and aye.

)
Myrtle and its ritual inhalation is an important rite in the “Blessed
1

Oblation”. Cf. the barsom in early Zoroastrian ritual.

Lit. “its course, (“its journey) is to".
The paiura, corresponds to the sacramental table or altar. It may be a
clay table, or a mat, or a purified washed surface. The sacred meal is arranged
on it, see p. 61, n. 5.

h Asganda, sganda, see p. 5, n. 4. Usually a young man or boy who must

be of priestlj- birth. He is consecrated for his office every time he officiates.
“) The “wine”
is unfermented.

*) Sganda, in its more ancient meaning, see p. 5, n. 4.

Tabnta (“goodness”, “good things”) here refers to the food-offerings.
®) A better version of this prayer occurs in D.C. 42 Is. 617 ff. utaibinan

mn tabnta d-’sra (var. ’hia) ’Ih aniintul d-miaibana d-uthria 'tiqrit. The same
version occurs in D.C. 50. The form is Afel. Cf. Hif. (J., 2) “to provide a
livdng for”.
'tiqria in both D.C. 3 and D.C. 53. I prefer ’tiqrit, see n. 8.
*“) Mtaibana = one who refreshes or provides nith food and drink, “sust-
ainer”, “food-giver” etc.
242 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

[The ganzibra shall recite this hymn and take the phial of wine
and the mjTtle from the acolyte]

350
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that a root of fresh m^Ttle
Was set up before the king.
The king stretched forth his right hand for it

And gave it to the ’uthras and acoljdes

And said to them “Take from me this fresh myrtle
And bless the skinata with a blessing,
A blessing pronounce on the skinata
And illumine and restore the ’uthras and skinata
Situate at thy right and at th}’ left

For ever and aye.

[The ganzibra shall recite this hymn and distribute m^Ttle to the
’uthras and priests. Then they shall recite the “sealing” prayers, *)
to the end of that which blesseth (bless) the Blessed Oblation, and
he shall seal (conclude) it.]

In thename of the Great First Strange Life from worlds of light,

the Ineffable who is above all works, may there be health, purity,
and forgiving of sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnu§
{etc., the itsual insertions ivith family fiaines occurs in all mss.)
And we shall be blessed by means of these prayers and benedic-
®) of the Blessed Oblation, and our thought,
tions of the pihiania
mind and understanding shall be enhghtened by the might of
Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia.

351
In the name of the Great Life!
This is the Blessed Oblation!
Kusta regaleth his friends.

The cult-huts, where the Blessed Oblation is celebrated.

2
)
For a slight {and possibly better) variant of this praver see 5 . d-Q. pp.
61-62.
See p. 226, n. 7.
'*) Halaniata = confirmatory or concluding prayws.
Pihta (= ‘‘opened”). Bread broken ritually and distributed and eaten
sacramentally is so called. Cf. the Aramaic “piece”, “bread (Targ. 0 Gen. .

xi'iii t.; Targ. Y. ib.xl, 16); etc. See p. 37, n. 3. pihtama appears to be the
plural form, “pieces of bread”).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 243

Kusta his friends regaleth.

He hath prepared and blessed it with his blessing.
I Yawar-Ziwa
testify to
Of whose bounty we have partaken ( ?)

352
In the name of the Great Life!
I am the white Pihta
From Life’s treasure-house was I transplanted;
Iwas transplanted from the treasure-house of the Great Life,
With the Jordan they sent me to earth,
With the Jordan to earth they sent me
To spread truth in the world.
In the world to spread truth.
To enlighten darkened hearts.
My which I instUled into it *).
treasure,
I illumined and transformed it completely

Completely did I illumine and transform it.

I brought and set down in it a good ®) (gift)
I removed from it the misery ’)

Which the Seven had brought to bodies

(That) the Seven had brought to bodies
And they dwelt in darkened hearts.
Pihta they ate not. {but) his Creator spoke
And made man, who ate not pihta,
Listen to Him. And He said,
“Look to it lest ye eat with a he!
Beware that ye eat not falsely!
Look to it lest ye partake of it hypocritically!”
For the wicked and liars who eat it rvith falsehood

h Or, if we read, as in D.C. 53. pp. 376, 379, 380, 382 and D.C. 3,pp. 247,
248, 250 and 251, “who quickeneth us with his bounty”.
ttTieat for the pihta is the best and whitest. Ground by the priest, it is
mixed with water from river or Jordan (salt being first added). Formed into
discs, the dough is baked over the ritual brazier just before use. T'he pihta
consumed during the masiqta by' the priest as proxy for the deceased is made
othenGse. See W.W.
pp. 242-255 for full description of the rite.
Or "from the Jordan".
I.e. into the world.
D.C. 3 has atit “I went” (as translated in Z.D.M.G. Band 105, Heft,i p.
134- I- 5 -)
Tabta = “a good thing, gift”, etc. or “goodness”. See p. 254 n. i.
h Lit. “sighing” “lamentation”. ^
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 17
 . .

244 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

Will be bound and lie in darkness,

They will be bound and lie in darkness.
Darkness degraded and lay heavy upon them.
The eyes of the wicked look on darkness
And their feet find nothing stable.
[Blit) the good, who eat it with sincerity
Arise and behold the Place of Light.
Their eyes behold the light
And their feet find firmness.
And Life is triumphant.
I Yawar-Ziwa
testify to
Of whose bounty we have partaken ‘^)

353
In the name of the Great Life!
The white Pihta am I!
The creature of light, I came into existence.
Pihta am I, the white.
For Yawar was my Transplanter
My Creator was Yawar, from his treasury he brought me.
Yawar-Ziwa took me and gave me to Nsab-Ziwa.
Nsab-Ziwa took me and gave me to Zarziel-Nhura-Rba.
Zarziel-Nhura-Rba took and gave me to Hibh-Ziwa.
Hibil-Ziwa took and brought me into the earthly world;
He took me, brought me down set me down in the earthly world.
;

As food for Adam and all his sons.

Whilst the first generation existed
They ate me in good faith.
In good faith did they eat me;
No tricker}' did they perform with me.
They performed with me no misuse *)
Nor did they omit or subtract from ®) me
They committed no omission or subtraction
1) Af. of ZLL or ZUL.
^) See p. 243, n. i.
Or "creator”.
••)Hargta = (a) friction, rubbing (b) “distortion", "obliquity”, "false deal-
ing”, "misuse”: e.g. hiiUana damia Imiizania d-mutaqin ulaiit bgaith hargta
(G.R. r. 214, Lidzbarski’s trs. Der tVahrhafte gleicht einer Wage, die gerade
gerichter und an der kerne Schiefheit ist. The crookedness is intentional (hrig =
"cunning”).
°) Lit. "they performed me with nothing lacking or deficient”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 245

And the creatures of the Seven

Had no dominion over me.
When a second generation came into being
They {too) ate me aright,
Sincerely they ate me;
No trickery did they perform with me.
They performed me with no crooked dealing.
They did not omit or subtract from me.
From me they neither omitted nor subtracted
And the creatures of the Seven had no power over me.
When a third generation arose,
Adonai built a House,
A house did Adonai build.
And the Seven obtained a hold in it.

Then was dispersed amongst the three hundred

it

And sixty two nations ^).

And then I was taken from their midst
And they cast me amongst the three hundred
And sixty-two nations.
Then they ate me with falsehood.
With falsehood did they eat me.
Wrongly did they use me.
They used me falsely
And did with me that which was deficient and lacking.
That which was deficient and lacking they did with me
And creatures of the Seven gained dominion over me.
Then strength was taken from me.
And radiance, order, taste and glory.
And they made me the fodder of beasts.
Souls departed from bodies without their measure.
Nasoraeans who eat me falsely
WiU be burnt upon coals of fire.
The baptised *) in water who eat me with a clot of blood ®)

“My Lord” the Jewish name for Yahweh, Jehovah.

Colloquially “got hold of it".
Lit. “tongues" i.e. those who speak another language.
'’) Or “immersed in water”, (not in mia hiia?).
“) Hrara used in a double sense, (aj "illusion”, “delusion, (b) “a clot of

blood". The reference may be to the Christian chalice, in which the wine is
spoken of as “blood".
246 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Will be made to dwell with the demon Mahzur ^).

Any woman who believeth not in prayer and praise

Make no bread with her!
She will be made to dwell in the dwelling of Ruha-d-Qudsa!
When Bel and Shamish ®) beheld me
They assumed an air of arrogance;
An air of arrogance they assumed
And going into the presence of Pthahil
Bend and bow themselves before him
And prostrating their forms and uttering compliments
They say: “By thy life, our father Pthahil,
Grant us a commission, that we may go
And may create a creation from start to finish”.
Then their father Pthahil arose and gave them commission
And said to them “Go, create the thing that ye have wished
{to create)".
Thereupon, with the mystery of ashes and red dust
And the overflow and dregs of the clouds
They went, they created Rice,
They went, they created Rice.
And held it before Pthahil.
Pthahil, when he saw it

Clenched his fists and beat on the forecourt of his breast

And he said “From this creation thatye have created
How can bread {pihta) come therefrom?
How can bread be produced therefrom?
Or food from that thus prepared
From beginning to end?”
Then They summoned an angel, one of (those)
Before Them, by whom Pihta was produced.
By him was Pihta produced.
And they held it before Pthahil.
Wdien Pthahil saw it he brightened

b ShiTTOa Jewish prayerbook for annual festivals ? (Targ. Y. Gen. i, 14.)

2
“Holy-Spirit" is in later polemic an epithet for Ruha, a personification
)

of the emotional, lower and feminine elements m

human personality.
Jupiter and Sol.
*) The demiurge who created the material world. He failed in his task,

for the breath of life was lacking.

b Unhusked rice m
Lower Babylonia is red in colour, and the dust-storms
which sometimes obscure the light in davtime are often red.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 247

And rejoiced and was glad and delighted

Beyond measure. And he said
“The exceUence of this mystery which ye have created
Surpasseth all creations which exist in the earthly world!
Yon two fundamentals —
the Oblation and Table —
Yawar hath blessed with his blessing!
And this, the third fundamental, I, Pthahil,
Have blessed it with my benediction”.
And this is my secret teaching
WTiich hath issued from mine own mouth, Hibil-Ziwa’s,
“He who casteth it abroad in turbid waters
Shah be beaten with a scourge of wrath
And sobs will convulse him ^).
[He that hringeth shame on) my treasure.
They wiU him with mighty iron combs;
tear
They will cast him into the cauldrons.
Of Messiah and Holy Spirit ^).
[Btit] he who covereth and taketh care of it

Will (himself) be cared for in a worthy place.

Any man who disseminateth it amongst righteous folk
And believers will rise and behold the Place of Light!
And Life is victorious.
I testify to Yawar-Ziwa
Of whose bounty we have partaken *).

354
I am the white Pihta whose Transplanter was Hibil,
HibU was my Transplanter.
And he brought me, caused me to dwell in the earthly world.
Brought me, set me down in the earthly world
Which is this world.
The blessed Pihta speaketh
And saith to Yawar-Ziwa,
“When thou broughtest me

Kania (kannia) “sources, foundations, bases”: or (see. p. 260, n. 3).

Guha (“thunder”, “sobbing”) may have been inserted by a scribe who
misunderstood the verbs GNH and GNA. To make sense, I have inserted
“He that bringeth shame on”. The original line may have been d-nignalh
I'usrai “that shameth my treasure”
See p. 246, n. 2.
h See p. 243, n. I. ,
248 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Into a world of evil ones and liars,

They ate me with lie and deception.

During the first age
They ate me in good faith.
And when the second age arrived
Then (also) they ate me aright,
(But) when the third age came into existence
Liars obtained power over me, w'ho arise.
Commit murder, not cleansing their fingers from blood.
They arise, commit murder and come and approach me
Depriving me of strength
And causing lack and defect in me”.
Yawar-Ziwa speaketh and said to the blessed Pihta\
"When we brought thee into the world
Of evil ones and liars,

I delivered a pure warning, sa^ung

'Yawar-Ziwa speaketh to Nasoraeans
And sayeth to them: My Chosen!
When ye partake ^) of my bounty
Partake thereof in sincerity.
Silence and purity.
Cast it not as invitation to the Lion ®)

From whom every wild beast had its being.

Cast it not down as invitation to the House
Of the devil Simiael *)

Which is full of foul pollutions!

The crumbs ®) which fall from you.
Cast into running water ®) lest they fall to the ground,
Lest your feet be placed thereon.
Trample it not underfoot! ')
For it came from the Place which is life-giving,

Xot “they surrounded me”. The tense is Perfect, after Kt.

2
)
The Pael and Ethpa. of TUB when speaking of sacramental meals =
“to partake of”, “refresh oneself with”.
2
The Lion of Judah ? The wild beasts which
) it produced were presumably
sects which originated from Judaism.
'*) A demon of blindness, mentioned in G.R. (trs. p. 200 n. i), and several
times in D.C. 40 and other mss. Lidzbarski takes it (mistakenly in my opinion)
for Ismael.
’) Lit. “the fallen that fell”, i.e. any fragments or crumbs.
®) “Jordan” is not necessarily consecrated running water.

’) Lit. “Do not put your feet on it”.

 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 249

From the Place which is life-giving it came;

Itwas transplanted from amongst
Worthy treasurers. My Elect!
Hearken and hear, and take care of my benefaction
Which came from the House of the Great Life!
And Life be praised!
I testify to Yawar-Ziwa
Who quickeneth us with his bounty.

355
The white Pihta am I
Which the Life summoned and sent
In His benevolence.
In the strength of Hibil-Ziwa
He sent me to this world;
Made me chief of His Kimsa {hidden treasure? ^))

And called me Uplifter of prayers.

I came, and became an offering set apart

For the world, and source of strength for the priests.

I held a portion of Life,
And called %vith the voice of a son of the Mighty (Life)
I set apart Sunday and the mom of the day
Whose name is reverenced.
And I dwelt therein to reveal its glory.

I revealed (it) to the priests

And dwelt in their hearts.
Goodness I give to them: enlightenment in plenty
So that they be not lacking or faulty.
They shall offer up prayer and praise
And put them up in a sublime voice.
They will shine in the Treasure of Life
And the Word that came from the House of the Great Life.
They shall be estabhshed in sanctuaries:
They \vill rise up, they will behold the Place of Light.
And Life is victorious.

Here not taibinin but taibtnan in both mss.

-) Risa d-kimsa. Kimsa is a word of obscure meaning. It sometimes seems
to be derived or influenced by K^MS (not KMS) as here. (OOD Ass. ODD
“to hide, store away”.
’) A free translation.
250 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

I testify to Yawar
Who refresheth us with his bounty.

356
In the name of the Great Life!
The voice of Manda-d-Hiia
Calling to the chosen righteous.
To the chosen righteous it calleth
Warning them about my Oblation.
It uttered to them a first warning.
Admonishing them about my Oblation.
He said to them: "Behold my oblation.
Behold my oblation, behold my oblation
That was transplanted from the House of the Great Life;
My oblation translated from the House of the Great Life!
Partake thereof in sincerity, silence and purity”.
With a second warning he admonisheth them about my oblation
He said to them "Behold my oblation.
Behold my oblation, behold my oblation
Transplanted from the House of the Great Life!
Partake thereof with prayer and praise”.
With a third warning he admonisheth them about my oblation.
He said to them “Behold my oblation,
Behold my oblation, behold my oblation
Transplanted from the House of the Great Life,
My oblation transferred from the House of the Great Life.
With hynms and recitations partake thereof.
Behold my oblation, behold my oblation, behold my oblation!
Eaters of my oblation are like sibia
Like sibia are those who eat my oblation.
Like a hon Ijdng *) halfway on the road.

D.C. 6 Yawar-Ziwa.
=) D.C. 53. p. 378 ult. has aklh man; D.C. 3 p. 249: 13!. aklh mn. The latter
appears the more likelv version.
Sibia. My attempted translation in Z D.M.G. p. 141:12 (op. cit.) is
unconvincing. The whole passage is obscure. The mention Just below of the
lion lying mthe road suggests that sibia was m
the original sidia (hunted,
ambushed), but such a simile appears out of place. Sibia are evidently
people who misuse the mdqa in some way.
See n. 3. Rmia (past part. = “cast", “placed”, “laid down" or
RMA
“lying". In Z. D.M.G. I ^ook it as a miscopying of ramia.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 251

My zidqa (charity) i)
is like a mountain,
A mountain over which no highway hath been levelled.
My charity is like a sea,
A sea over which there is no way of crossing.
He who eateth my oblation but surrendereth nothing
Is cut off and w'ill fall into the great Sea of Suf
He that hath but giveth nought.
His eyes will not behold the Light.
This is a Blessed Oblation!
Kusta regaleth his friends,
Kusta his friends regaleth!
He prepared and gave it his blessing.
I testify to Y awar-Ziwa

Who refresheth us with his bounty.

357 ®)

Behold my oblation, behold my oblation, behold my oblation!

Who ate it?
The Jews, an evil nation, accursed and blasphemous ate it.

The Kiwanaiia ate it, who cut it ( ?) in flames of fire.

’’)

The demented Yazuqaeans ate it, who reverence fire

Crazed creature who reverence fire
Serving a thing that is powerless.
Idumaeans ate it, who destroyed their virility.
Cast away, destroyed is their manhood,
And they set up Death ®), worshipping him.
Zandiqs (Manichaeans ?), who rest on supports of falsehood,
ate it.

On pillars of falsehood do they rest

And cut off their seed from the world.
Arabs ate it, a wicked race
evil liars,
Who drink blood. Nasoraeans ate it.

Here zidqa has the more abstract meaning of “charity”.

D.C. 3 has mabiita, D.C. 53 mabra “traversing”.
Or “Is not made perfect therein”. Again obscure. My translation is
influenced by what follows.
*) The Sea of Reeds, which swallowed up Pharaoh and his host.

Here, and at the end of the next hymn. D.C. 53 omits Ziwa.
®) This hymn is not separated from that which precedes it.

’) KiiL'anaiia: “people of Saturn”, “Satum-worshippers” ?

®) Or “a corpse” (iWI’D).
,
252 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

A people, a stock, a family group ^).

The faithful of heart ate it.

Righteous and beheving people ate it.

Those baptised in water ate it who at their baptism
Arise and behold the Place of Light.
And Life be praised! Life is victorious!
I testify to Yawar-Ziwa who quickeneth us with his bounty.

In the name of the Great Life be there heahng and victory and
forgiving of sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam!

358^)
In the name of the Life!
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed,
When Radiance appeared, to whom was light given?
To whom was light given and to whom was enlightenment
revealed ?

Enlightment, to whom was it revealed,

And on which of the ’uthras did They bestow it ?
When He opened the Garment of Life
And the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared,
(When) Radiance appeared in its Place,
Light was given to Yawar,
Light to Yawar was given,
And he, YaAvar, told it ^) to all the ’uthras.
The ’uthras who hstened to the enlightenment (teaching)
Of YaAvar, rejoiced and gloried therein to the uttermost.
Without measure they rejoiced and gloried therein
And Avere stabhshed thereby completely
He said to them “Rejoice and be edified, (ye) ’uthras
B}’ the enlightenment AA'hich your father hath transmitted to
you
1) ama kana umkanana (a free translation).
2
The series which follows is devoted to praise of Yawar. The name is
)

derived from YAVR or ’WR, and illustrates the use of a regular but rare form
of Peal active participle of roots ending in ‘r’, usually connoting an active

agent, e.g. dakav (a mentioner), pasar (a loosener, exorcist) natay (watchman,

guardian). See N. p. 230. Hence Yawar means one who blinds or dazzles
with light.
^) “Opened His Garment”, a mystical expression meaning “revealed Him-
self”, “appeared”,
^) ’mrh in in both mss. petter perhaps "caused
:
it to rest on all the ’uthras”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 253

From the Mighty (Life)!” And they say to him,

i)
“Blessed art thou, our great First Enlightenment
Brought hither for our sakes, by virtue of which
We (too) give hght. And we praise the Great (Life)
Who gave thee”. And Life be praised!
I testify to Yawar, who quickeneth us
With his bounty!

359
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared, to whom was construction 2)

entrusted ?

To whom was (the work of) construction given ?

And who was named as head of reproductive power ®)

Who was named as head of reproductive power ?

And who became chief of mighty ones ?
When the Life opened Its Garment,
And the Radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared;
When Radiance was manifested at its place.
Production was entrusted to Yawar,
To Yawar was (the work of) construction given.
He, Yawar, was named head of reproduction ®),

He was created chief of mighty ones.

He implanted the reproductive power
In his brethren, and set them up
And instructed them in their places.
He estabhshed them and instructed them
And showed them archetypes
So that aU should not pass away.
For the radiance of Yawar *) is not cut off
From above them in the Secret Place.
The Life accepteth ®) the dues and oblations
Of Yawar who quickeneth us with his bounty.
And Life is victorious.

D.C. 3, 252 5 ’rutan.

;

-) Tuqna in both, its meanings, “light" and “construction”,

h See p. 135, n. 2.
Or “dazzling”, “dazzler”. Yaway is not a loan-word from the Persian
yawar “assistant”. See p. 252, n. 2.
D.C. 3 hiia qabhh, D.C. 53 hiia qabluih. The sentence is somewhat
suspect.
254 THE CANONICAL PR.LYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

360
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed,
Wdien Radiance formed itself.
On whom did the Great (Life) bestow a good gift
On whom did the Great (Life) bestow bounty?
And whom did They endow ^) with blessing ?
When Life opened His Garment,
And the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared,
{Wheti) Radiance manifested in its place.
The Great (Life) bestowed bounty on Yawar,
Yawar took the good gift
And therewith refresheth (both) great and small.
He refreshed Yusamin and refreshed the ’uthras his sons.
And the ’uthras, sons of Yusamin.
Rejoice in the benefaction 3)

In the benefaction they rejoice

MTiereuith Yawar had refreshed them completely.
Of his benefits they partook ®), all of them.
For the radiance of Yawar is not cut off
From above them in the Occult Place.
And the Great (Life) accepted the fee and oblation
Of Yawar. They partook of his bounty fully.
And Life is victorious.

361
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared,
L^pon whom was Understanding ^) bestowed ?
To whom was Perception given.

must be remembered that these hymns refer to the sacred bread,

It
fruit,vegetables and wine of the Blessed Oblation, i.e. to natural products
eaten sacramentally. Hence tabia and tabula refer to the good gifts of the Life,
and the Pa. of the root TUB apphed to the sacramental acts of eating and
drinking, which impart life and strength to body and soul, is best translated
by such words as “refresh”, “quicken” and “partake of”. The latter word
IS employed in the same sense that Christian communicants employ it.

Lit. “in whom They made blessing dwell”.

Tabiita, see above, n. i.
Madihta = Understanding, perception, discernment. Part of the hne
missing in D.C. 53.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 255

To whom did They give explanations ?

To whom didThey explain about all the distinctions ^),

And whom did They proclaim as the Voice of Life

That is not interrupted?
When Life opened His Garment,
And the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared,
Radiance appeared in its Place,
Understanding was given to Yawar,
Perception was bestowed on Yawar,
And he, Yawar, hearkened and received understanding of Life.
He was instructed b}^ by Their Word,
And he hearkened to Their pure Voice.
And he came and summoned all the ’uthras.
They came, and heard that which the Life had said to him.
Heed that which the Great (Life) taught!
Heed that which the Great (Life) explained!
And following it, be ye all united!
Hear its praise from me. Rise to the Place of Light!
And Life is victorious.

362
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared,
(As) envoy, whom did They send ?
Whom did they send as Life’s messenger ?

Whom They set in command over them

did all ? ®)

\Wiom did They put in command over them all?

With Their warning whom did They warn ?
When Life opened His Garment,
And the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared,
W’hen Radiance appeared in its place,
Yawar They sent (as) Envoy
As Envoy They sent Yawar.
They sent not all (any of) the 'uthras

D.C. 3 has Ikiil afrista: “about every explanation” (or "distinction”),

D.C. 53 Ikiil afrisata, as translated.
2
)
The construction is curious but, the context makes it evident that
Yawar was the Envoy and not the being to whom an Envoy was sent.
For kiilhun D.C. 3, 255 8 and kiilhin D.C. 53, 385 3 read Ikulhiin as
: :

in the next line.

256 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

They did not send all ’uthras;

Nor did they teach all worlds (persons),
All worlds they did not teach
That they will rise, that they will see Us
That they will rise, and will see Us
And be established in praise of the Mighty.
They say to him ^), ‘‘Blessed and lauded be the Great Life
Who raised thee up that we might praise the Life
And thyself who art sent to us as Life’s Envoy”.
And Life is victorious!
363
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared.
To whom was prayer and praise given?
Prayer and praise, to whom were they given?
And for whom was gloiy {ziwa) reserved and appointed?
The Great invested Yawar:
(Life)
He (They) called him and gave him command, sa5dng to him,
‘‘Go, go, Yawar and make thine appearance
To the Elect Righteous yonder.
Come! rejoice in Us, and gladden the ’uthras with thee.
’Uthras shall be jo^dul: ’uthras shall rejoice
And ’uthras shall know who is more revered
Than any other ^).

And Life is victorious.

364
W’henHe opened His Garment,
And when Radiance was formed ®)
When Radiance made its appearance.
To whom was mystic converse ^) given ?
On whom was mystic converse bestowed?
And into whose heart was it poured?
Into the heart of whom was it poured,

I.e., the ’uthras say to Yawar.

Lit. “than whom’’.
’starav in this line is missing in D.C. 3.
‘j D.C. 3, 256 14 has hita kasiata “talk
: (of) secret things’”, but below
like D.C. 53, suta kasita.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 257

Awaking all its perfections ?

When the Life opened His Garment

And the Radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared in its Place,
Mystic converse was given to Yawar.
Yawar was on guard and was watchful!
And came and kept watch over all the 'uthras!
And Life is victorious.

365
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed,
When Radiance appeared.
Who was the architect of the ether-world?
In the ether- world who was the architect ?

Who built a building therein.

In it who built a building?
Who designed it ^), set it in order, *)

And upheld it so that it shineth

From end to end?
It was to Yawar that They gave charge of it.
Because of his radiance They set him in charge.
And he whose glory is sublime sheddeth light upon it;

In his building he standeth ®).

It is not vain, or void, not hath it come to naught

Because he consulted the Life,
Because he was advised by the Life about it.

Life designed and founded the building

And Life is victorious.

366
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared.
Radiance [Ziwa) appeared with Yawar.

These two lines might also be an address to Yawar [natar is an alter-

native form of yitur).
A line is missing here in D.C. 3, p. 257.
J- to lay out, plan (a city) {Pi. BNA ?)

*) D.C. 3, 257 7 tiqnh

:

Or “confirmeth his building”.

258 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

They [the Great Life) created Light within the Garment.

When Light approached Radiance,
They called to Yawar and commissioned him, saying,
“Go, go thou Dazzling One,
Show thy divine image to the elect righteous
That they maj'’ see thee and shine
And may Lanfa (communion)
exalt to its rightful place.
At they will behold Us
its rites

And will be confirmed in praise of the Mighty (Life).

They will behold the Great (Life)
And the Place which hath no end!
And Life is victorious.

367
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared.
To whom was his mystic archetype *) given,
A mystic counterpart, to w'hom was she given
And for wLom w^as she guarded and established?
When He opened His Garment,
And when Radiance w'as formed,
When the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared
And Radiance appeared in its place,
A mystic counterpart for Yawar
Was concealed and guarded.
And Life is victorious.

368
When he opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared.
For it. Transmitters w'ere appointed
For it, there w’ere appointed Transplanters.

1
)
In such texts as the Alf Trisar Siiialia it is assumed the nhitra (light)
isthe (female) complement of the (male) force zi'a;a (radiance, glory).
2
)
Laiifa (union, communion), is the simplest form of commemorative
meal for the dead. See W.W., pp. 232-5. Its modern name is lofani.
D.C. 3 p. 258 2 I’bidatak “at your rites”.
:

Dmiita, translated m
No. 366 as “divine image", is the ideal counter-
part; also “appearance”, “likeness”. See p. 236 n. 5.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 259

(But) yonder, yonder They covered up its arousing brilliance,

Itdoth not flash forth amongst dull-witted Plants!
But was reserved for one, one {only).
And wiU rise with him to the Place of Light.
And Manda-d-Hiia will watch over him in his place;
He will guide him, wiU rejoice with him
And be his companion for ever and ever.
And the Great Life be praised in his hghtl
Life is victorious!

369
When He opened His Garment
And when Radiance was formed.
When Radiance appeared.
Who was king over the Light ?

Who became king over Light ?

And who, in his realm, was named chief.

Who was named chief in his realm

And who became Captain of the mighty?
Who was it who twined [wreaths] of virtues
And set them on the heads of enlightened ones?
When Life opened His Garment
And the radiance of the Mighty (Life) appeared,
Radiance appeared in its place
Yawar became king over Light,
He it was who became King over Light.
In his realm he was named Captain,
Captain he was called in his realm
He became Captain of the Mighty.
He twined ®) [wreaths of) virtues
And set them on the heads of enlightened ones.
{Yea), Yawar arranged and did nought therein
aU,
Amiss or lacking. Nought was wanting, nought defective.
Nothing grieved him, [for) in it aU
There was nothing awrj-d
And Life be praised!

In the name of the Great Other Life, be there health, purity,

’nita (from ’WR, YWR, AWR) I hav'e translated by two words to

convey the double meaning here.
Or “purities”.
’Ustiin, ’tisfiina (see p. 233, n. 5.) I.e. the bo'Jy of the cosmic Adam.
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 18
26 o THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

strength and soundness, speaking and a hearing and the aid of

mighty ’uthras, sons of light, for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
and for my offspring, Adam-Yuhana and Sarat-Mamania children
of Adam-Yuhana.
May it establish our names in the House of Life and may the eye
ofManda-d-Hiia be directed upon us, with the help of Hibil, Sitil

and Anus!
370
They appointed, and the Body i)
consisteth of
Radiance within radiance, ether within Ether,
Counterpart of Life wdthin Counterpart of Life
Piriawis within Piriawis!
The Being who came and opened their eyes
To the living waters (Water of Life)
And poured them into their hearts
And {bestowed) wisdom and faith on the 'uthras:
He, (that) Being, will come and will open my eyes.
Mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
And pour into my own heart wdsdom and faith,
So that I may stand and may worship and praise
The Mighty, Other -world (Strange) Life;
That I may bless this kana d-zidqa ®) and Table.

And (bless) thee (also), our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam*),

And the priests and laymen of the ^kinta (cult-hut)
M’ho sit at thy right and thy left,
For an age of ages and for world without end;
And Life is victoiious.

371
In the name of the Great Life!

See p. 259, note 3.

Both have dmiit hiia bgn diniat hiia. Here dimat undoubted^ is dmut,
counterpart” and not "tear”! See p. 40. n. 3.
Kana d-zidqa. The word kana (receptacle, storing-place, assembly,
assemblage, gathering, congregation; base, fundament, origin, place of origin
etc.) m the series of hymns which follows refers to the various ritual foods
set out on the holy table or platter for the sacred meal, in short, the foods
collected for the purpose.
This part of the hymn refers to the celebrant, and is chanted anti-
phonally by the priests present. (Today, owing to the lack of priests, the
celebrant himself repeats the whole hymn.)
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 261

At the Source of the great Stream

Of the predestined Ether-World do I stand!
I am the Word of the First Life.
Pre-existent am I to all ’uthras.
me and blessed me
For the Life created
And gave me strength, benison and goodness ^),

And sent me to bless my mystic brethren,

and to be obeyed.
All the 'uthras; to speak
And came and blessed them and gave them
I strength,
Benison and goodness, just as my Father *)
Had given them to me.
And I, likewise, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam —
Or any man who is sincere and believing
And utters this saying sincerely —
Will receive a blessing like the blessing
And outflow of the Ether-Land,
Foreordained and blessed by the Second Life.
And all 'uthras of the world of Light
Are blessed by it.

It came to this world which is all birth

And to sons of the great Family of Life.
And Life is victorious.

372
At thy name. Predestinate One,
Predestined by the Life, and at the source
Of the great Outflow of the Ether-land,
— Predestined and blessed is all the Ether,
Son of plenteousness ( ?) from which Light emanated!

Again it happened the Life produced ’) Radiance.

:

The Tanna dissolved: waters came into being

*) Or, “vein’', “channel". See p. 228, n. 5.

’tita (“ready”, “prepared”, “future”, “designate” “predestined”. Lidz-
barski G.R. trs p. 403, n. 4 says “XriTIS findet sich an einige Stellen als
Bezeichnung fur hbhere Wesen".
D.C. 3, p. 261 omits a line here.
Plural, i.e. Life.
Sii'iana, see p. 202, n. i.

®) Br malia.
') Cf. these lines with that obscure hymn. No. 12, substituting ham ziwa
for sam ziwa.
®) D.C. 3 p. (262 :
8) has pras for psaz. •
262 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

There were freshet springs ^),

There was union without division,
Abundance that never lacked
And blessing never incomplete.
Lift up thine eyes!
Behold yon great mystic primeval Sar-Ziwa!
He is from the lofty, secret and protected Place,
From mighty and celestial springs of light [he emanated),
A being who spoke and heard.
Was judged and was vindicated
Before the celestial Mara-d-Rabutha ®).
Come! Lay thy hand of truth [knsta)
Thy great right hand of healings
Upon this kana d-zidqa *) and thy table,
[And upon?) our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
And the priests and laymen of the skinta
Who sit at thy right and thy left.
Bless these (persons) and those souls
Of the hving ®) bless (also) and mention
;

[Their names) with “forgiving of sins’’

[“Be there for them”) and with “Thy blessing shall
Rest upon them for an age of ages
And world without end’’.
And Life is victorious.

373
In thename of the Great Life!
And in the name of the Manda-d-Hiia
And in the name of the great powerful Mind ®)

WTio thought and evoked companionship for Himself,

And said “There shall be companionship for Me
1
Mambuhia = mambitgia, i.e. natural springs, in ritual the sacred drink.
)

2) Sar-Ziwa is an epithet applied to Hibil-Ziwa (See G.R. trs. pp. 163, 28).
Mara-d-Rabutha, “Lord of Greatness” is, in the texts which describe
the ordination of priests, the prototype of rba or rbai, the priest who initiates
and trains the young postulant to priesthood,
h See p. 260, n. 3.
5
Haiania. This might mean either the dead who are commemorated, or
)

hving persons, the relatives or teachers of the priests.

Mana here has this (foreign) meaning (Avestic manah), and not the
Aramaic meaning (“garment”, “vessel” etc.) Mandaean writers love word-
play, and therefore references to a robe or vessel are sometimes hidden
references to mana mec^ning “soul” or “mind”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 263

Inmy dwelling! And I will administer all works

And will create a world of ether
And make a durable i) Abode.
There shall be mystic 'uthras
By whom elect righteous (people) wiU be set up (fortified)
Prepared for the everlasting i) Abode.
And then He, the great and powerful Mind ‘^)

Pondered and created mystic ’uthras.

And he created one mild ’uthra
Who was sublimer than aU the ’uthras.
And He blessed him, established him and strengthened him.
To him he gave the waters, and spread
Abundance in the worlds of light.
He set him over aU jordans and streams
And over the Root which originated therefrom.
He showed him favour, blessed him and confirmed him.
And over the kana d-zidqa (Oblations) and the Table ®)
He made him ruler. And He made him ruler
Over aU sanctuaries (Skinata),
So that they should exist through his strength.
And they will thrive in their sanctuaries
For through him aU the ’uthras are refreshed.
They rejoice and are completely enlightened.
And they praise Manda-d-Hiia who instituted for them
This kana d-zidqa and Table
In their sanctuaries. So that from him
There was tabuta ^), and by him it was bestowed
Upon the righteous elect who were worthy
Of the Everlasting Abode. Because it was prepared for them ®)

By him. And by [means of) that kana d-zidqa and Table

By which their souls are uplifted ®),
Everyone who partaketh thereof in silence
Shall have strength and firmness like ’uthras.

Daura taqna, a firm {or steady, durable. lasting, abiding) abode is the
antithesis of daura batla —
the vain (or void, perishable, null, useless, ceasing)
abode.
“) See p. 4, n. i.
®) Patura “table”, see p. 61, n. 5.
*) I, e. the sacred meal on the ritual tables.

®) D.C. 3, p. 264 9; D.C. 53 has 'titlh.

:

®) Read mitqaimia? nitqaima is obviously WTOng^.

264 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And increase and knowledge like sons of salvation,

And his name shall be established with his Father.
(But) he who doth not partake of the Oblation in silence,
- And there is nought w’hich hath not its limit !
— i)

have neither lot nor portion

^^hll in the House of Life.
The great Mighty Mind (Mana) taught and revealed:
He said “From him who refresheth himself
By this Kana d-zidqa and Table in silence.
And pronounceth over it the name of the Life
And the name of Manda-d-Hiia,
My charity will not be cut off”.
So I worship, laud and praise the Life,
My Father, who planted me and raised me up.
Gave me strength and water
And set me in authority over
Kana d-zidqa and Table.
I accepted it from Him and went towards the skinata,

I came and established the ’uthras in their skinata

So that in them they should speak and be heeded.
Should have strength and increase
And praise the Being rvho placed them therein.
(But) any man who doth not partake
Of this kana d-zidqa in silence
And doth not pronounce the name of Life
And of Manda-d-Hiia over it,
A great retribution will befall him.
He no more be counted among ’uthras.
will
For when this kana d-zidqa and Table were transported hither,
I was its guardian, it was I who transferred it [them?)
From my Father, and distributed it [them)
Amongst the skinata of aU the ’uthras.
When elect righteous (men) have come into existence
I will go towards them with guardian (-spirits)
This tag, probably a proverb, occurs in several IMandaean compositions,
it means roughly, “and there is always an e.xception”. See G.R.
pp. 75, 290,
291 and 292.
Hlaq itmnaq = hlaq iimna.
Or, in ritual language “partaketh of",
h Lit. ”I took it from Him”.
The skinata of the ’uthras are the prototypes of earthly sanctuaries
(the cult-huts), and 'uthras are depicted as performing in the world of light
the sacred rites which men perform on earth.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 265

I will give them strength, and water and abundance,

And knowledge like (that of) mighty ’uthras.
Sons of wiU set up for them
light. I
A kana d-zidqa and Table.
In their houses, and by association therewith
Their souls will be uplifted.
For this kana d-zidqa and Table
Were the product of the great First Vine.
And when He appeared and came into being
And created companionship for Himself,
He said, "For me there shall exist an Ether-world,
And in it there wiU be sanctuaries {skinata)
We wiU set up 'uthras in them.
Upon them wiU rest (my?) glory ^):
They will speak with the voice of Life
From beginning to end. And we will transport to them
Sublime and illumined jordans ^), and we wiU bless them
With a So that there wiU be bounty ®)
blessing.
From them, and the kana d-zidqa and Table
Will be given (furnished) by them.
Strength and soundness will result to aU the worlds of light,

And (also) to the elect righteous who are refreshed

By this kana d-zidqa and Table.
And they wiU speak and will be heard.
Now I worship, laud and praise
That great First Vine who ruleth all the worlds of hght
And blesseth the elect righteous with His blessing
And with the bounty (good food) brought to them.
By which they are strengthened and increased in might.
Their hearts leap for joy: they are elated
And their appearance becomes bright in every way.
They praise Manda-d-Hiia who bestowed upon them
This kana d-zidqa and Table
Set up for them in their sanctuaries.
(But) anyone who doth not partake in silence

b Santa has at least six possible meanings (including “thirst” and “obe-
dience”!)
2
)
Rivers are meant here, I think.
Tabuta. Here better rendered "wholesome food” i' See p. 254, n. i.
 ;

266 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE ilANDAEANS

Of the kana d-zidqa and Table and omitteth to mention

The name of the Life and the name of Manda-d Hiia, thereon.
All demons and devils will not absent themselves from his table !^)
Because he heedeth not every word of his Father
The Seven will become his persecutors
He be put to the question before his Father.
rvill

The great and mighty Man a taught and told

The elect righteous and the Nasoraeans
Who are to exist in the earthly world *),

“When ye beget generations and when ye teach them

Their knowledge. Explain to them.
Show them and tell them
About the rites which ye have performed;
About the kana d-zidqa and Table.
{Teach them) to partake thereof in silence
And mention the name of Life and the name
to
Of Manda-d-Hiia thereon. “Partake of it.
And when ye have refreshed yourselves
Pronounce this blessing upon it
And a Helper wiU be yours!”
Then I worship, praise and laud
That Mystic, Great First Cloud {Spouse)
From whom all good things came forth.
And all the ’uthras who {were found?) worthy ®)
WTien these wholesome things were transplanted.
They gave me orders concerning them
To set them down and protect them ever5-Avhere
In every place where partakers refresh themselves.
And they shall have strength and {bodily) soundness in their
skinata (dwellings)
When they refresh themselves therewith
The}^ rejoiceand their souls exult exceedingly.
They praise Manda-d-Hiia who gave them
This kana d-zidqa and Table of which they have partaken
And praise him eternally.
Lit. “From before his table”.
Plural, (Hiia rbia).
Lit. ‘‘his persecution”.
*) D.C. 3 has mistakenly saiatlh for saialth
Anana: “Cloud”, see p. 37, n. 4.
Or zealous”. <
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 267

Manda-d-Hiia revealed and said

“Any man who partaketh in silence
Of kana d-zidqa and Table and pronounceth thereon
this
The name of Life and the name of Manda-d-Hiia,
’Uthras of hght shall bless him with their blessing;
He shall be protected by the Secret Name
And it will protect all the ’uthras.
There shall be one Helper for him;
AH that he hath said will be heard by hosts
Of ’uthras of the Ether-world”.
And Life be to (those who) know.
Life to the believing and Life to men
{Who) instruct us (in the faith)
And Life is victorious over all works.

374
In pure raiment do I stand;
In that glorious splendour in which I stand
I worship, praise and laud
The four hundred and forty four thousand names
Of Yawar-Ziwa, son of Nbat-Ziwa, King of ’uthras.
The great Viceregent of Skinata (sanctuaries).
Chief over mighty and celestial worlds
Of radiance, hght and glory;
Who is within the Veil, within his own skinta,
Before whom no being existed.
Then I worship laud and praise
The One Great Name, which is great
And the Name which is powerful.
Moreover I worship laud and praise
That Mystic First Mind {Mana) of Glory,
Who emanated from Himself, Whose briUiance
Exceedeth all (other) mystic glories;
It is greater than word of mouth (can describe)
And His hght mightier than lips can express.
For He is the great mystic First Mind [Mana)
Whose glory w^as transmitted
Neither from the uttermost ends of the earth
Nor from gates within it.

For He is the Mana (Mind),

268 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The great, the M3^sterious, the First,

Whose glory was transmitted by redoublings of radiance
By intensifications of light.
Then I worship, laud and praise
The redoublings of radiance
And intensifications of light by means of which
The great mighty Mana was formed and made.
Then I worship, laud and praise
That pure Staff which was convej^ed to him
‘‘*)

Bj' Sar-Gufna, the great mysterious First.

Then I worship, laud and praise
That pure Wreath which was transmitted to him
B\^ Pirun, the great, mj'stic. First Vine,
Then I worship, praise and laud the pure vestments.
And the coverings of radiance which were transmitted to him
From the mightj^ Tannas of the jordan.
Then I worship, laud and praise
That banner Zihrun, which was unfurled before
The great mighty Mana, in the radiance of which banner
Three hundred and si.xty-six mighty celestial worlds of light shine.
Then I worship, laud and praise
That ’Uthra whom they summoned
From amongst a thousand thousand ’uthras, ’uthras
Innumerable. Thej^ clothed him with radiance.
Covered him with light, transmitted to him strength
From the strength of the Great First Life his Father,
And “speaking and being heard” *)
From the “speaking and being heard” of the great Mana,
The mighty, mysterious. First, of the glor\’ of Life.
They called him, armed him and sent him saj'ing to him,
“Arise, go to Msiinia-Kusta ®), to the chief of worlds.

A t^-pical play on words. “Aufia = increase, doubling, output, sprouting,

foliage. (Cf. Sjwiac and “to fold over, double, multiply, increase”.
2
)
The
ritual olivewood staff, part of the regal msignia of priests.
Like Lidzbarski, I am mystified by this word. It dissolves, [ham zitua
psay tana Ao. ig), it is personified in company with nitufiata, “Drops”,
suggesting “vapours” Xo. 308, also Xo. 378, p. 284. (See p. 9, n. i).
This is a religious expression for prayer and communion in thought.
I cannot understand why ATsiinia-Knsta, a world of immaterial ideals
or prototypes, should here be called “of the darkness”. The line may have
been inserted by accident. ,
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 269

That which is called ‘of the darkness’.

And teach pious, believing and amiable Nasoraeans
That they should set up their Table,
(A Table) replenished with food;
And their Cup (a Cup) full of mambiiga ^).

So that the good may behold and be refreshed ^),

The wicked be discomfited and the children of the world
Put to shame.
The righteous ®) will see that the Life existeth.
They will raise their eyes
Toward the great First Father of Glory
And toward the Lord of Celestial Greatness *)

Who giveth light (and?) sure strength

To the righteous.
And ®) Adam-Yuhana son of Sam, (be there)
to thee,
Lofty strength, great and mighty confidence,
Grace, fame and honour!
And shouldest thou seek the honour that is hidden.
The Mana will come and will rest upon thee.
Our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
And (upon) thy brother-priests here.
And the right hand of the ’uthras
Will be laid upon thee, thyself, our father
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam and (on) all the priests
And laymen of the sanctuary {skinta).
And Life is victorious.

375
I have blessed, my Lord, all the good things ®)

YTiich Thou didst make for the ancient world in the beginning,
(For) from Thee they opened and came forth.
This is a tree ’) which is a Tree of Life,

And a Vine, a Vine of Life!

Mambiiga, see p. 262, n. i.

Or “partake thereof".
Sahnania = those who are perfect, the righteous.
Mara-d-Rabiita, see p. 262, n. 3.
This part of the hymn is probably chanted by the assistant priests.
®) Food, ritual food, wholesome food.

“The tree” here probably refers to the priestly bridegroom, and the
“vine” to his bride? See the rubric at the end.
 .

270 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Satisfying (fare) that is superior to all means of healing

Is that which thou hast brought, revealed
And given to these souls!
Blessed is this pure oblation
Which goeth before its Giver.
In joy he (or “it”) opened his mouth
At the Judgement and pleadeth his cause
Before the Being sitting in judgement!
(It is) a deliverer of the bound,
It cheereth those who are in affliction,
Causeth sucldings to flourish.
Is the sight of the bhnd
And the hearing and pleasure of the deaf.
It establisheth speech in the mouths of the stammering.
And the deaf and the dumb.
Its presence is praised.
For thereby souls are held together.
And {it -provideth?) means of ascent
To the Great Place of Light
And to the everlasting Abode.
And blessed art thou, our good father!
For we have eaten of thine Oblation
And have hved ^).
And we have drunk from thy mamhiiga ®)
And were refreshed {have benefited by)
Thine unction, thine oblation, thy bounty *),

Thy basket ®) when full of food

And thy bowl when full of spring-water ®)

And may this kana d-zidqa and Table

Increase and be plentiful in thy house.
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
As was the table of Adam the First Man,
Which lacked nothing, nor was it stinted.
{So be it with) this kana d-zidqa and table

1
)
Lit. "talketh its speech”, i.e. makes a speech in defence of the soul to
the judge.
2
)
D.C. 3, p. 273 uyainin: D.C. 53, p. 406 uhiainin.
See p. 262, n. i.
‘‘) Here probably the sacramental food.
Sala (or “a straw or reed food-mat”).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 271

In thy house, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,

For an age of ages and for ever and ever!
And Life is victorious.

“The great Father of Glory”

[This petition of is a blessing bestowed
on a bridegroom,]
{Note. — Probably for the marriage of a priest. One such marriage
forms part of the consecration of a ganzibra.)

376
In thename of the Great Life!
And in the name of the great Father of Glory!
Now thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that benediction wherewith
The great first Pahn-tree was blessed.
And the Palm-tree blessed the bursting forth
Of its fohage. It was so, and the sprouting {branches)
Blessed runnels {of sap) and estabhshed them
And estabhshed the waters of hfe.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing conferred upon
The eight hundred and eighty thousand banners ®)
And conferred upon the great Mirror.
And the jordans were blessed thereby and the running streams
And (that) whereby the seven mystic mirrors were blessed.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
And the ’uthras and the skinata, by that blessing,
Bestowed upon the *) Tanna and Ham-Ziwa (Radiance-glowed ®)),

And upon the First Word given them.

Then thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewith the Great Mystery was blessed.
And the Great Mystery blessed the two manas
Who dwell with one another.

The symbol of the male principle of creation, see p. 14, n.6. ("it sprouted,
gushed forth”, “burst forth” see p. 84 n. 7).
Nbat the name of a hfe-spirit), with which here nhat is confused; one
would expect nibta, as in the next hue. The context makes the meaning clear.
Nibta= “a shoot, sprout, a sprouting outward and upward, hence newly-
sprouting vegetation and branch. Fig. “an emanation”.
“) Or “rays of light” (see p. 226, n. 4).

D.C. 3 p. 274 inserts latiqria before tana ("tiqria “not created” ?)

*’)See obscure references in prayers Nos. 12, 18, io6 and 372.
272 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Then thou shall be blessed, our father, with that blessing

Wherewith the secret and guarded Treasure was blessed.
And a mystic Sprout emerged therefrom.
And the mystic Sprout blessed the Eggs [hilbiinia ^))

And the Drops concealed within them.

Then thou shall be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam
With that blessing wherewith Smandr’iel was blessed.
Whose fragrance is pleasing like the fragrance of the Vine
When in leaf, like the fohage of the fresh myrtle
Which was set up before the King, also the blossom
WTiich came from them.
Then thou shall be blessed, our father, with that blessing
Wherewith the mystic Table was blessed.
And wondrous apparel, and the great Cror\m,
Were blessed therewith.
Then thou art blessed, our father Adam-Yahia son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewith were blessed
Zihwat-Aina, Kihwat-Aina, Pirsat-Aina and Nibtat-Aina *).

Then thou shall be blessed, our father, with that blessing

Nbat-Mana-Kasia was blessed
V.Tierewith
When He was sitting in his House {hilbuna) and had no consort.
WTien He was blessed with this blessing
A WeUspring gushed up ®) before Him
And She, the Wellspring, parted for the nisnbta ®) Planting ?

(Bridal?)
Within the Tanna ').
Then thou shall be blessed, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewith was blessed
King Ganzaiel, so that the treasure of ’uthras

See p. 271, n. 2.
2 Hilbuna: (usually a poetic term for “house”, "dwelling”, p. 121, n. 4):
)

the word here may refer to testicles.

The Blossom-spirit, a spirit of fertility, often mentioned. In J.B. text
p. 5, 1. 1 6 Samandiriel receives praise and prayer and keeps them in his
treasury.
The Wellspring moved (or “trembled”), the Wellspring kihwat (was
troubled ?), the Wellspring parted, and the Wellspring gushed forth (or sprang
upward),
“) See p, 271, n. 2.
®) The whole of this very obscure passage seems to deal with the union

of the two creative principles, see p. 135, n. 2.

’) Tanna, see p. 9, n. j.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 273

Was set up (?) with him^).

Then thou art blessed, our father, with that blessing
Wherewith the covering seal was blessed;
And the covering seal blessed the drops
Which w'ere directed towards it, and the seven drops
Blessed the ’uthras, the lords of seals.
Then thou shaft be blessed, our father, with that blessing
Wherewith the great kinta of two kings was blessed
So that they were completely established.
And the great kinta blessed the two kings.
And the two kings blessed the ’uthras, guardians
Of the kinta. And they said to them,
"As abundantly as flow the waters in the jordans which travel on.
May your love and favour flow to the ’uthras.”
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing w'herewith w'as blessed
The great kindly Aether-air of Life.
And they {the Life) said to it,

"Just as rare air delighteth {the soul)

So doth thy fragrance give delight,
O lord of the houseand these benefactions! *)
And thou have increase like holy manas
shalt
In their perfection Thou shalt have the lustre and glory
:

Of (hke?) the Jordan®). As abundantly as jordans (rivers)

Flow, so will love of thee ’’)
increase before thee
In the minds of thy brother-’uthrasl
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewdth was blessed
The mystic Tanna. And the mystic Tanna

All this is very doubtful.

Kinta (Lidzbarski “ein Wort kosmischer Bedeutung”). In modem ritual
a clay box used as altar, it is found in such varied meanings as "wrapping”,
“veil”, “receptacle”, "box”, “cavity”, “hole”, “community”, “foundation”,
and “constitution”. D.C. 3. p. 276 15 has kinta d-rba trin malkia for kinta
:

d-rabtia trin malkia in D.C. 53 410 4f. ;

See line 24 f.

The house of the priestly bridegroom (a ganzibra must be married

himself, and must perform a marriage-ceremony for a priest before he is
properly consecrated in his office).
“) Klulaihun. Klula = (a)veil, wrapping (b) fulness, completeness.
®) D.C. 3 d ardna; D.C. 53 uyardna.

’) Lit. “thy love” (for “love of thee”).

^
274 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

Blessed the rivers and running streams

And said to them, “Whoso amongst ’uthras drinketh water from
you,
Shall have strength, increase and perception;
Strength and soundness wiU abide with him
Like beams of light”.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing which Ham-Ziwa bestowed upon
The Beam-of-Light whom he set beside him.
And he endowed her with his wisdom and his faith.
And from them proceeded fertility [nisitUa).
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
By that blessing which two pure manas
And holy kings pronounced.
And They say to him “Arise,
Go, lay down an earth; spread out a firmament
And hang up therein three hundred and sixty lamps.
Found a dwelling-place, draw down rivers
And distribute streams; make worlds of light;
Cause kings to dwell therein and give them fame,
Honour and increase. Bestow on them the power of reproduction
And mystic treasure, so that they may worship.
Praise and raise up prayer and praisegiving
To the great Father of Glory.”
And the great Father of Glory gave them living waters,
And wholesome food ^). And he conferred on them
Pregnancy and birth and increase and benefaction .

And He set up a Table for the good

So that they might eat well and be refreshed
He gave them banners of radiance and beams of light
And He gave them pure-air (Aether) *) which delighteth them
And sweeteneth the sanctuaries {skinata).
He gave them rays (of light) in which the Table [might he) set up
And draw [the faithful) into their sanctuaries
And running streams of living ®) water —
This comprehensive word nisuhta (see p. 135, n. 2) again.
Or “Water of Life”.
Tabula.
h Ayar, see p. 86, n. 2.
“) Hiia isomitted in D.C. 3.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 275

That for which their hands had pleaded,

(So that) they praise Thee for evermore.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith the Vine of Life
Was blessed and liveth
And the wondrous Vine blessed her young vines ®), her sons.
And said to them “Ye shall have strength and increase.
And the lustre and glory of the Jordan,
And an assignment in the worlds of hght”.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father, with that blessing
Wherewith the great Ganzaiel was blessed;
And he blessed three 'uthras
And gave them strength and firmness and said to them
"Like as the bud which appeared in that Vine
And remained and sent forth a shoot ®),
May the radiance that resteth on its tendrils

Have blessed thee” ®). And he said to them

“As long as water flows will the lovingkindness
Of the mystic Mana flow on, and He wiU enlighten thy mind
’’)

With Nasiruta (priestly wisdom) and thou wilt receive

Fame and honour from the ether”.
(And he said to them) Ye wiU shine like the brilliance
(Of the sun?) ®) and your forms will give out
A sublime effulgence ®) Ye wiU beam like Hibil-Ziwa
Amongst the 'uthras. And thou shalt (ye will?) have
Increase hke the subhme Vein 1®) which They created.
And They constructed skintas, made 'uthras,
Drew down rivers, distributed streams
And gave them food (tabuta) and a Table,
And bestowed upon them the blessing
Qaima as in D.C. 3, not qaimh.
“Plants”, “offspring”, i.e. "shoots”, “suckers”.
See above, p. 273, line 23 f.
*) Ganzaiel appears to be the archetype of a ganzibra and the “three
’uthras” the three concelebrants.
5
)
Nis[u)bta (snas’? J.).

®) The construction is obscure.

’) D.C. 53 has Tana (for Mana as D.C. 3, p. 279 : penult.).
®) Ziwa is attributed in Mandaean poetry to the sun, tuqna to the moon.
°) Tuqna, see n. 8.
10) “xj^e sublime Vein” probably means the Jordan.
D.C. 3 has "which ’uthras created” (d-qrtin iutria; p. 280 : 4).

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook. 19

276 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Which They bestowed upon kings ^).

Then thou wilt be blessed, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
Yith that blessing w'herewith the three kings blessed Ayar 2),
They appointed and made him Chief of the skinata
And he was signed with a great seal
And set up [as chief?)

For ever and ever. They erected a throne for him;

Spread above him a canopy of radiance.
Hymned him and said to him,
“Since the day that the great Jordan extended itself
And a channel w'as allotted to each of the skinata,
They made thee a king, our father!
A collector of dues (of) portions allotted *) to the Life,
And a twiner of the WTeath for postulants {to 'priesthood).
Instruct the young plant (nisnbta) ®) about the skinta
(0) establish er of its treasures! Our father!
0 matia which passeth not away!
Troth is not broken and Union
In wLich there is no imperfection or fault!
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
By that blessing w'herewith Ziwa-Kasia (Mystic Radiance)
And Nhura-Yaqra (Holy light) ®) were blessed:
And ye shall have abundance, renown and honour.
And honour, “speaking and being heard” w'ill be thine.
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam
Like the great Father of Glory by Whose word
Worlds were created, and by Whose utterance
Dwelhngs {skinata) came into being.
And He gazed, looking upon His Likeness,
And created ’uthras in His likeness;
Made Seed and gave (it) to the ’uthras.

') Priests. (D.C. 3, 280 7 brakbin malkia).

:

2 Ayar, or Ayar-Rba, see p. 86, n. 2, in ritual scrolls which describe rites

)

performed by spirits as prototypes of those performed on earth, (see p. 264

n. 5), is always cast for the role of chief celebrant.
-) D.C. 3, p. 280 15 has the probably correct version, giiiza, “channel”.
:

D.C. 53 (4i4:ult.) has ginza, “treasure”.

njiO, and ]a = “portion”, “food”.

Here probably the young priest.

®) The reference is to the “holy union” of the male and female principles
of light.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 277

Then thou wilt be blessed, our father,

With that blessing w'hich the great Father of Glory
Bestow^ed on His First-born, and the First-born
Blessed the Palmtree and Wellspring
Which proceeded from Him.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which King Nbat bestowed
Upon the Egg, the secret mystery which proceeded
From himself.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which the Egg, the Secret Mystery,
Bestowed upon its inner covering
Which proceeded from the Hidden.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which Yaw'ar bestowed
Upon the Living Flame.
And it increased and was increased.
And [may) the kana d-zidqa, Table, and this mambuka
Increase and become plentiful in thy house.
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
And the ’uthras and skinata
Who sit at thy right and thy left.

Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.

With that blessing which the mystic Vein pronounced
And burst forth into si.xty watersprings.
And it said to them, “Your images will shine
In my image, and your roots ®)

Will become numerous ‘‘)

,
and my root.
And ye will have renowm and honour
Like holy manas in their skinata.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing bestow'ed upon
The great mystic First Skinta.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.

Palmtree and Wellspring, see p. 14, notes 5 and 6.

-) The mystic Vein (or Mystic Channel) = the Jordan.
“Root” (sii'sa) here has the extended meaning of "stock”, “kin”.
The double meaning of the root NF§ is implied* i.e. refresh”, “revive”.
278 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

With that blessing bestowed upon the great Sacred Unique One ;

And He blessed the ’uthras, his sons,

And the ’uthras and skinata blessed the postulants
Who stand before them.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which was bestowed on the three holy manas
When remaining in their hilbunia (“eggs”, “houses” ?)

So that none can behold their forms.

Then thou \vilt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing bestowed on the pure Nisubta ®).

From the jordan she arose, she endowed ’uthras with radiance.
Gave light to the skinata, wreaths to the Drops
And a chart to postulants. Blessed is this {chart)
By it they are strengthened and praise
The prolific Vine and the source of the flowing channel
Which hath no end.
The three holy manas will bless thee.
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam.
They will hymn thee and say to thee,
"As a leader of radiant spirits®) art thou come hither;
As a captain of hght thou goest thither,
As head of the skinata thou twinest a wreath
For the rays of hght.
Jordans wiU come into being, Yawar, in thy brilhance,
And in thy Root ®) [amongst thy kindred) rays of light will be set up
At thy call and at the sound of thy preaching
’Uthras gather about thee.
Many vines will be raised up for thee.
And they said to thee, “Just as jordans become many.
So may thy charity to ’uthras increase”.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,

This mysterious Person is often mentioned in the rehgious texts. A

masiqia is in his name. In the secret scrolls he is Adam-Kasia.
See p. 121, n. 4.
What are we to make of nisubta here? Is she the personified spirit of
procreation, or “the Bnde”, or ? See p. 171, n. 2 and p. 135, n. 2 for possible
. .

interpretation.
*) Parsigna P., = "information (conveyed by a document) as chart, decla-
ration, explanation, report, manual”.
D.C., 3, p. 283 : 15 has ziwa. D.C. 53 ziwia (p. 418 : 6).
®) See p. 278 b, n. 4.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 279

With that blessing bestowed upon Simat-Hiia ^).

And Simat-Hiia was blessed when she arose,

(And) came from the worlds of darkness.
They retreated(?) ^), and worlds of light were estabUshed.
And all the ’uthras gather about Yawar,
Blessing him ®), Yawar, father of all worlds
And founder of all skinata.

The ’uthras and skinata arose

Blessing the sublime one, Yawar, great ruler of the skinata,
And saying to him, “Blessed art thou, Yawar,
And blessed is the Bride of Life who was thus proven ( ?).

Blessed is the breach which thou, Yawar, hast broached!

Thou didst come and didst broach a breach.
Thou hast exalted horns and hast separated
The goodness of the good {good beings?) from the evil {evil beings?)
And the wicked from the good and orderly.
(Of aU worlds of Ught) ®)

And the Disposer {of all worlds of light and? ’)

Of worlds of darkness transported his Bride ®)
From her pit ®), that Place.
The Skinata were blessed, and their Disposer,
So that they were illumined
By the blessing he bestowed on ’uthras. ( ?)
^®)

And he set up a Table for kings.

Spread out the firmament
And stars appeared therein.

Simat-Hiia is the consort (here the bride) of Yawar, and they are
usually mentioned together as a pair. From this passage it would seem that
Simat-Hiia is identified with Zahriel, who came form the worlds of darkness
as bride of Hibil-Ziwa.
D.C. 53 (418 ult.), uthasab; D.C. 3 (284 9) uthasib. For itthabisl
:

One would expect mbarkilh!

*) D.C. 53 (419
5) qam; D.C. 3 {284 : 9) qiim.
;

D.C. 3 (284 16) d-sarat; D.C. 53 (419 8) d-srat.

: ;

®) I suggest that "of all worlds of light” is obviously misplaced, and should
follow msadrana, making the next line "and the Disposer of all worlds of
light and of darkness”.
’) See n. 6.

®) That is to say, Simat-Hiia who had left the worlds of darkness to become

his spouse.
Gibta (Giibta "hill” or "pit”) Or, "by her choice” ? Doubtful. The word
is rare, but occurs in Pisra d-Ainia (J.R.A.S. 1937, 590 20). :

“) The construction makes translation doubtful.^

28 o THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Then thou be blessed, our father,

wilt
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing bestowed upon beloved ’uthras
Formed from the loins of Radiance
And nurtured by beams of light.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that benison bestowed upon the holy Mana
When He was in His own skinta.
He blessed the jordan and extended it before Him
And blessed the Table and set it up before Him
So that they might eat at it and be refreshed.
And be sustained thereby on their thrones
Of radiance, light and glory.
And He created the Crown, set it upon His head.

Blessed and held it on his right arm ^).

it

And He, the Holy Mana taught and said,

"Any man who crowneth himself
Will have neither lot nor portion ®) in the House of Life”.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewith the great First Mana
Blessed Himself^). And the great First Mana
Blessed the eight hundred and eighty ’uthras
Who grasped the banner ®) of the king.
And they hj'mn Him, saying to Him,
“When Yawar was successful, {with his Bride?)
She was neither wanting nor unworthy.
There was nought in her imperfect or amiss”.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing bestowed on the disembodying (spirits ®))
Of good ganzivri, and thou wilt be blessed

The crown, when not on the head, is slipped over the right arm and
kept there until the preliminary praj-ers are over.
For qra in both mss, read yaqva as translated.
Hlaq umnaq = hlaq nmna.
*) The First Mana was without predecessor.

A reference to the consecration of the banner before baptism. The

priests (and later persons to be baptised) grasp, first the lower part of the
pole and then the peak when reciting the banner hymns.
®) See J.B. trs. p. i8i, n. “fur die den Kbrper abstreifenden Seelen”;
i.e. spirits casting off the body.
 !

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 281

{With a blessing bestowed) by Dmut-’Qara, andNisubta-Qadmaita^)

And The Drop upon whom the seal of a king was placed.
And the Beloved 'Uthra blessed thee when he was baptised
In those jordans. They immersed him, but he was not purified,
(He was still imbued with) the hue of darkness
Until Simat-Hiia arose. She took a pot of frankincense
And a king’s crown, cried in the Jordan
And blessed Yawar. And Simat-Hiia spoke
Hymning the Jordan and saying to it, (and) say ye it (too ®)

“From two mountains didst thou come into being!’’

How fitting it is that ’uthras pronounce blessing
Upon Yawar, blessing him and uplifting him.
And raising his Bride up to the Place of Light!
They twine for him a wreath, a wreath of purities,
So that Darkness on beholding it
Is confounded and ashamed. When (thus) confounded
The plots which it had in mind are nullified’’.
When Simat-Hiia had said this.

All the 'uthras observed silence «)

(But)Yusamin and Simat-Hiia bless Yawar

Saying to him “Blessed art thou, Yawar;
And blessed are ’uthras who abide with thee
With that benediction wherewith the copious
Flowings and upsurgings of mighty springs of light
Were blessed; and wherewith was blessed,,
’^), the mystery which resteth within the Well-
spring.
Further, thou wilt be blessed, thou,Yawar;
And thou, our father Adam-Yuhana son of Sam;
With that blessing wherewith Sislam was blessed

') Literally the names of these personifications are “Counterpart-of-Glory”

and “First-Bride” or “First-Propagation”. Obscure allegorical references
make the text unintelligible.
“The beloved ’uthra” “is probably Hibil-Ziwa, who was baptised after
his sojourn in the world of darkness and marriage with Zahriel.
“) Tiinandh D.C. 53, 421: penult, but D.C. 3 has himarulh.
'') This could mean “I came into being”.
Nisubta. Could here be either “his procreation”, “his fertility” or “his
Bride”!
®) More literally “held their peace”.
h D.C. 3, (287 15) hassar iidnasar, D.C. 53 {422
: ; 14) sar utnasar. Possibly
a miswriting for saq itdna “rose up and appeared”.
 ;

282 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

When he ascended and abode in his skinta,

In his own House (Egg).
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father with that blessing
Bestowed upon the Occult Radiance and sublime Light
(Which) inspired the ’uthras.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father with that blessing
Bestowed upon the mystic Vein ^) that dwelleth
Within the Wellspring.
And thy root will multiply (branch out)
And the root of the ’uthras, thy sons.
Like the Vein which is lodged within the Jordan.
And thou wilt have chosen righteous ones
Who will exalt Treasure of Life.
And we will assign thee thy Nisubta of Life
{Spouses?) who bear witness ®) to Life,
Acknowledge Knowledge-of-Life
Give alms and offer up this (prayer of) blessing
Which was bestowed on the holy Mana.
And Life is triumphant over all works,
And victorious is Knowledge-of-Life
And his devotees and his people for ever and ever.

377
And they address a hymn to him:
“The Egg, the Hidden Mystery, hath blessed thee
And establisheth thee.
The Vein *) which hath no end hath blessed thee;
Jordan and Table have blessed thee; Holy Kusta ®) hath confirm-
ed thee
The three Wellsprings which give benediction in the Jordan
Bless thee, our father! ®)

Crowns, and the secret treasure of the Egg of holy Manas

Have blessed thee. The Spouse (cloud) hath blessed thee;
A sublime Vine confirmed thee.

1
)
Siriana. See p. 277, n. 2.
Reproducing power ? Or “planting” in the spiritual sense ?
The verbs which follow nisubta are fern. plu.
The references appear to allude to the various offices of a head priest,
beginning with simple baptism.
“) The kusta rite in all ceremonies, and at marriage.
*) The triple baptism necessary in cases of pollution. (Read birkak).
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 283

The Great Life blesseth thee with His pure mouth

And the subhme Treasure which is wath thee confirmeth thee ^).

[This prayer seeketh blessing on an infant, a postulant, or a

masiqta. And when they brought Adam into his body, it consecrated
him.]
378

In the name of the Great Life! may there be health, purity, joy
of heart and forgiving of sin for Adam-Yuhana son of Sam!
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which Hibil-Ziwa pronounced upon Adam,
The first man. Moreover, thou shalt be blessed,
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
And aU thy skinta and the ritual food (tabuta)
And these priests and Mandaeans (laymen)
Who sit to right and left of thee.
With that blessing wherewith Manda-d-Hiia was blessed
When he sprang forth and proceeded from the waters
And from celestial springs of light.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
With that benediction wherewith Sam-Gufna was blessed.
And Sam-Gufna blessed jordans and running streams
And said to them "Just as ye have increased,
(Ye) jordans and running streams.
So shall the progeny of Adam the first man increase.
His race, his planting and his disciples ^) (pupils),
Adam’s”, and thine (also) our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
Shall be plentiful as this spring of hving water —
And how profound it is no man knoweth! ®)
Thou wilt be blessed, our father, with that blessing
Pronounced upon Hibil-Ziwa by three ’uthras.
They said to him “Go, bring us joy, purity and goodness!
And bring us hving waters (Water of Life) to the skinata (sanct-
uaries).
And bring us a sturdy stock *) by which sanctuaries and 'uthras

This prayer, hke some of the more ancient and obscure prayers in the
early part of the Book of Souls, makes the translator despair. It is full of
esoteric and forgotten symbohsm.
Sualania and asualania i.e. postulants for priesthood.
D.C. 3 has, instead of this line, iilika d-adatn ’utra (a miswriting).
*) Sirsa, see p. 277, n. 3.
284 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

May be maintained.
In it they will shine and Rays-of-Light thrive”.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father.
By that blessing conferred upon the Jordan Sindiriawis
And the great and lofty Fruit-tree ;

And that which the great and lofty Fruit-tree

Conferred upon its offspring, that is, its foliage.

Then thou wilt be blessed, our father, that that blessing

Conferred upon the Jordan Hus and the torrent Pirun,
Conferred upon Jordans (rivers) and running streams.
And upon the Table which is without stint
And given to ’uthras and to skinata so that
They may eat thereof and be refreshed.
And pronounce the blessing of the Table
Laying their pure right hands on it
And saying to it, “Ma}'' this kana d-zidqa and Table be life-sus-

taining
And plentiful” (and) in th}' house, thine,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam, {thy table and that of) thine ®) offspring,
Adam-Yuhana and Sarat-Mamania the children of Adam-Yuhana,
and Table which the Great and
Shall resemble that kana d-zidqa
Mighty Mana
Brought and bestowed upon His offspring and sons.
Then thou wilt be blessed, our father,
With that blessing conferred upon Sar-Ziwa,
The First Being, who emanated from the vapours ®) ?) of the (

waters.
When he rose to the bank of the Jordan, blessed the Jordan
And blessed (all) Jordans and running streams.
And he blessed the abundance-producing ^) utterance
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
Like that speech that bestoweth plenty .

') The “Jordan” or river Sindiriawis is often mentioned, in G.R., as “a

Jordan of Life” (145 4, 146 37) and J.B. (p. 12 n. i).

: :

-) Pira = “fruit” and "fruit-tree”.

See p. 260, n. 3 and p. 61, n. 5.
"J The root NFS has two meanings, and there is a play on these in this
passage: i.e. also “abundant and increased”.
In D.C. 53 “my offspring”, D.C. 3 “thy offspring”.
°) Panama: see p. 2bS, n. 3; p.g. n. i.
’) Pa. YTR, active participle fern, yatarta.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 285

i)
So that thy treasure, thy oblation and thy goodness
And thy prayer and thy praise may be much;
Be increased, be life-giving and refreshing ;

— Thine, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam —

Like the Sprout which came and grew great
In the worlds of Light.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing imparted to the mystic Crown
They set upon the ’uthras.
Thine appearance will be radiant and bright
Like that crown that they set upon Manda-d-Hiia .

And thou wilt have plenty and renown

Like the great Crown, which hath great renown
In the worlds and ages. Thou wilt have honour
Like that of teachers ®) and postulants
When they perform (rites) and give instruction
And (so) acquire fame and increase.
Then thou shalt be blessed our father.
With that blessing wherewith Sar-and-Sarwan ') was blessed.
The Emanation which came into being of Itself;
And thy radiance wiU be vital and wax great ®)
Like His radiance, and thy light increase
Like His light. Thou shalt have jordans.
And abundance like His abundance.
That of the Emanation which emanated from Itself.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing bestowed upon the living waters
And given to skinata. And they (the waters) spread and come®)
To the skinata: Hibil drew them down
And sent them to the worlds.

1
)
Here again probably refers to the food-offerings.
The word-play on the two meanings of NFS occurs repeatedly in this
hymn.
Nasinita (the cult, priestly gnosis, etc.) here might have this unusual
meaning of “offshoot”, “sprout”. (J.'T^Jjii) (Cf. Tan Lekh, ed. Bub. 9).
h D.C. 3 d-tvaslun, D.C. 53 d-trailh.
’

Read d-’tlh for d-tla.

Rbania (the rabbis) i.e. the priests who initiate postulants into the
priesthood.
’)Sar and Sarwan, usually a pair, here an “emanation” are mentioned
in Prayer 45, also in G.R. 172 5, 221 4 and 374 14.
: : :

D.C. 3 (293 : 3) tajin bissav qiris {uatin etc.) Corrupt.

286 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

[And thoii shall he blessed with) the blessing

That HibU-Ziwa gave to Adam. He pronounced benediction
And said to him “Thou art blessed, Adam, First Man,
And thy plants (offspring) shall be blessed.
And thy dependants ^), and thy basket when full of bread
And thy cup when full of mambugia ®), and thy sons
When they stand before thee,”
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith the 'uthra Smandriel was blessed.
*)

And the ‘uthra Smandriel blessed fruits, grapes and trees.

Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith mighty fruit (trees) were blessed,
And wherewith was blessed the Living Flame
And the Table that lacketh nothing.
Rham and Rhamiel-’Uthra were blessed by it
And Rham and Rhamiel-’Uthra blessed clouds of mist and rain.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam, with that blessing
Which blessed all clouds so that they are not wanting or lacking,
And so that this kana d-zidqa and Table
Shall be neither wanting nor ill-provided
In thy house, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
With that blessing wherewith those seven stars
Were blessed, and sovereignty was given to them.
Thou shalt be blessed, moreover, our father,
With that blessing wherewith were blessed
Those twelve constellations of the Zodiac.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
Wherewith the five sensitory organs ®) were blessed.
Moreover thou shalt be blessed, our father,
With that blessing bestowed on heavens and earth;
And they blessed the covering of Smandriel ®) -’Uthra
And spread it out. Then thou shalt be blessed,
Siilia.
Or “postulants” ?

“Watersprings”, i.e. the sacramental drink.

The spirit of blossom, see p. 272, 11. 3.
Gidia.
®) The "covering” is over the earth only, since here it must mean vegetation,
the province of Smandriel.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 287

Our father, with that blessing wherewith

The two pure mountains are blessed.
In which {lie?) outstretched the earth and sky.
And they do not move, and are not removed.
be removed this kana d-zidqa and Table
{Neither) shall
From thy house, Adam-Yuhana, son of Sam.
Then thou shaft be blessed, our father.
With that blessing bestowed upon the First Word,
Assigned to ’uthras and skinata.
And on beholding the First Word,
The ’uthras and skinata all rose from their thrones,
And addressed a hymn to Him sa3dng to Him,
"Our father! the Guardian of Truth (Kusta) hath blessed thee
And the Nasiruta from which thou earnest into being hath blessed
thee.
Our father! the Cloud thatgave thee being blesseth thee
And a sublime Beam-of-Light wiU estabhsh thee’’.
Then thou shaft be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith the holy Tanna was blessed.
And by which the three hundred thousand ’uthras
Who sit on the bank of the Tanna are blessed.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith Sihmai 2) was blessed.
The Pure Mirror into which all the worlds of hght gaze.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith the Mystic Vein was blessed.
And it was divided into three hundred and sixty thousand
channels,
And was given to the ’uthras and skinata.
And ’uthras and skinata shine therein.
And are estabhshed thereby.
And thine appearance, our father, shall shine
Just as ’uthras and skinata shine, and thou wilt be estabhshed.
And up unto thee,
plants (offspring) wiU be raised
Thy sons, hke There came a glory
those.
Which resteth on ’uthras, and it shafl come and shah rest upon
thee.

The probable meaning is that from these two mountains a wide horizon,
sky and earth, hes extended below ?
SHM = to beam, gleam. ,
288 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam!

Then, our father, thou shaft be blessed
With that blessing wherewith are blessed
Fruits, grapes and trees, and that conferred on
The beloved ’uthra. And the beloved ’uthra
Blessed the plants, his children: he gave them strength
And increase and water.
Then thou, our father, shalt be blessed.
With that blessing wherewith was blessed
The holy Splendour (Banner) i) it was endow^ed with radiance
:

From beginning to end, and to the ’uthras

It gave the pure Word which they speak
And which they hear [and obey).
Hence those ’uthras blessed the holy Banner.
And they come and bless thee ^),
And hymn thee, our father. They shed radiance.
They blessed thee and the skinta of the mighty (Life)

Blessed thee, and the great Tree which is all-healing. ®)

Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,

Y’ith that blessing wherewith were blessed
The Seven Ships ^) which float and traverse the Dwellings.
Thou shalt have progress-onward ®) like those Ships.
And thou shalt have speech and hearing
Like the ’uthras who dwell in them.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
With that blessing wherewith are blessed
Books and reliable teachings; moreover, our father.
Thou shalt be blessed with the blessing
AtTiich ’uthras pronounced upon Yawar
When he brought his treasure and came towards them.
Those ’uthras who blessed Yawar
\Yill come and bless thee and hymn thee
Sajnng to thee “(O) Advent of a pure Mirror! [Thou art)

Chief of all enlightened beings!”

See p. 226, 11. 4. Here personified as a divine light.

D.C. 3, (297 ; i) has “bless us”.
Lit. “all healings”.
*) The planetary ships. The illustrations to D..\. show the planetary ships
and their occupants.
=) Sagia (a) way, moving forward, “procedure” etc. (b) “abundance”
“plenty”. ^
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE HANDAEANS 289

They pronounce blessings in the Jordan

{Saying?) “An Overlord^) (?) of fair mirrors {art thou),
Bestower of blessing in the Jordan,
And an Establisher ^) { ?) of all purities” ®).
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
With that blessing wherewith holy manas were blessed.
And the holy manas blessed the Jordan of living waters
YTiich they drew down hither and it cometh from its place.
(5o also) may kana d-zidqa and Table
Be drawn to and come to thy house.
Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam!
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith was blessed
Sindiriawis, Jordan of hving waters.
That was drawn down to the Earth and given
To Adam, the first man.
And a kana d-zidqa and Table r\all come
To thy house, our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam,
Like the Sindiriawis, Jordan of living waters
Which overflow ®) and come (hither). {In like manner)
They will come, and a kana d-zidqa will come
And the Table and {all manner of) good things ®)

And will flow abundantly to thy house.

Our father, Adam-Yuhana son of Sam.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing which the three Vines bestowed
Upon the holy Mana, imparting to Him strength and increase.
They said to Him, “Go, appoint vines like thyself
(Vines) which they have blessed {consecrated?) to the Holy Mana”.
(And they vail come and will bless thee {also), our father! ’))
‘‘With Thy strength, (O) conquering Radiance!
And conquering is the Cloud ®) from which thou didst derive
being”.
Should probably be scilituH d as translated.
Should probably be mqaimanun d-zakwata as translated.
The hymn is obscure and translation tentative,
h Or “flowed”, “spread”.
Both MSS have a miswriting —
tatin for tafin (perhaps for d-atin)
®) I.e. foods for the ritual table.
’’)
This reads as if in parenthesis.
®) I.e. the “Spouse”, i.e. the Mother. «
290 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Rejoice, our father rejoice! rejoice in thy skint a\

Rejoice in the Plants, thy sons!
How great is the glory of thy banner!
Thy waxeth and increaseth
brightness our father,
Over thy skinta and all the ’uthras!.
Then thou shaft be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith was blessed
The Pure Pearl, and she came and dwelt in the generations.
Then thou shaft be blessed, our father,
With that blessing wherewith were blessed
The Three Wellsprings of Radiance,
Whose hght is lent to one another.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith is blessed
The fair Radiance, whose Hke is not found
In the worlds and generations.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father,
With that blessing wherewith was blessed
The pure Kimsa in which there is no fault
Or falsehood, from which ’uthras had being.
And from which polished mirrors appeared.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing wherewith
A Mystic Emanation was blessed.
And the Mystic Emanation blessed the Ether Earth *)
And established the corporate forms ®) that dwelt therein.
Then thou shalt be blessed, our father.
With that blessing they bestowed
Upon the Cloud Sarat. And thee {likewise)
WUl they come and bless: they will hymn thee and say to thee,
“0 Son of Treasuries of Radiance! ®)
O Son of skinata ’) of the mighty (Life)

The adjective indicates that which commands reverence and admiration,

hence “holy”, “fair”, “valuable” and “important” are legitimate translations.
In Mandaic it cannot be translated “heavy” in the hteral sense.
2
)
Kimsa, see p. 119, n. 2.
*) See p. 271, n. 2.
The immaterial world is meant, a counterpart of the earth.
’
Ustimia.
®) Or “thoughts of radiance”.
’) Here perhaps “ind'-'ellings of” etc.
 THE CANONICAL PRAA’ERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 291

O Son of banners erect (firmly set).

Who goest towards thy Father! Thou art steadfast ^),

Alterest not, nor changest aught

Of that which the Life hath given thee.
Evil (spirits) never held thee back!
Thou dost walk according to the word of the wicked.
Ruha was no enchantress ^) for thee ( ?)
Nor did she cast thee into her dark cauldrons!”
And Life is victorious over all works

[This prayer, the blessed “priest’s portion” (?) ®) is for a

for
postulant, and the booth*) ( ?), Parwanaiia, a book®) and the Great
Baptism. ®)]

379
Health, purity and forgiving of sins be there for me, Adam-
Yuhana son of Sam!
Thy propitiatory gift thy portion.
shall provide
For each one {for whom) thou and help over.
didst intercede
And didst pile up ’) {gifts) here, Manda-d-Hiia will lay up
A thousand thousand {gifts) in the world of light.
Thou wilt have joy of heart, ease of body and fulness of hand!
And thou shalt clothe with garments and cover with coverings ®)
Shalt break bread into fragments and set it in place,
Shalt recite masiqtas, celebrate Oblation and make tabuta (ritual
meals).

*) This should be Sarit, as translated and indicated by the context.

La huat lak ruha baznaqita D.C. 53 (437; penult.), D.C. 3 (306 penult.) ;

baznarita. “Ruha was not to thee an aznaqita". As a second meaning under

J. gives "to make a person’s mouth water”. Here perhaps “to make
lovesick”, or “desirous”. This meaning fits Ruha’s character as representing
physical desires.
®) Hilita = (a) propitiatory gift, propitiation (b) a gift to the priest. (J.

Pi. HLY “to make sweet by a gift”, “propitiate”). See p. 113, n. 5.

*) Saha is a word used for the novice’s booth. Gifts of money are given

to the priests for the novice-priest.

®) A z’dqa brika should be celebrated by the copyist on completing a holy

book. A sheep is killed for a lofani in which he and those who commissioned
the copying share.
®) Three hundred and sixty baptisms, necessary to expiate a serious

pollution.
’)

*)
Amart om
may have this meaning here as it is with nidgar.
perform the ceremony known as Ahaba d-Mania, a zidqa brika
I.e.
performed for one who dies naked or in lay dress a proxy wearing the rasta
;

for the deceased.

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 20

292 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Then strength, soundness and victory will be thine;

And goodness, beauty, repute, honour.
Glory, aid, speech and hearing; such as that
Which the Life, His Father, gave to Yawar and Tauriel.
And which Yawar and Tauriel bestowed on Hibil-Ziwa;
And Hibil-Ziwa came and blessed three ’uthras
And the three ’uthras blessed Adam and all his descendants.
With that blessing shalt thou be blessed, our father,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam.
Moreover, we bless thee for i) the Unique Great Sacred (Being)
Whose name is called “the great Mighty Mana (Mind)’’.
When He came into being, formed Himself in His owm perfection.
Him there was no companion.
Alone, in His skinta, for with
Then He, the Great Mighty Intelligence pondered
Within mighty inner Eggs that are hidden
And created Companionship for Himself.
In the beginning. He uttered a first cry ^)

And created four hundred and forty-four thousand ’uthras

And set them upon His light.
With his second Cry he created three hundred and sixty-six-
Thousand ®) ’uthras and set them at His left.
And at His third Cry he called into being
Twenty-four thousand ’uthras and set them
Before Himself. And He clothed them in His radiance
And covered them with His light;
And placed upon their heads outflowings *) of Radiance and light
And created for them wreaths in the likeness of
His {own) vTeath, the Great Mighty ana’s. M
He placed in their hands a staff of living water
And estabhshed in their right hand
The holy handclasp of troth ®).

He spoke with his pure mouth

And blessed them with his honest tongue
And with faithful lips of radiance, light and glory.

q Probably originally “The U.G.S.M. blesseth thee” - see p. 306.

-) Qrita = “a calling-forth”, “a creation”; “a cry”.
A gloss in D.C. 53 has “and six”.
*) Taiifia lit. “overflowings”,
q The act of kiista.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 293

He created habitations (skinata) i) for them

And drew down or dans of living water for them
j

And said to them, “Ye shall rejoice and be glad

In your skinata ^), like a jordan (river)of living water
Your consort^) will resemble the Cloud®) {divine Spouse)
From which ye came into existence.
And your perfume and sweet odour like the fragrance *) of ’uthras.
And a skinta was created: it was founded, it was, it appeared
Of was a great Canopy [or pavilion?)
itself. It

For the Great Unique Holy One,

A canopy of radiance, light and glory
Which was all eyes.
In the (eyes ? ®))

It stretched out before Him, so that

It doth not reveal to them, the ’uthras. His appearance.
Then the Great Mighty Intelligence (Mana) planned and created
Vast and pure worlds of light.
Jordans He deployed. He made skinata ^)

Installed ®) ’uthras and appointed aSgandia ’’)

Chief of these {asgandia) envoys before Him

Was Adakas, “the Great Word’’ is his name;
For he is a "go-between’’, taking out ®) praise.
and enlightenment ®).
Blessing, prayer, heedfulness
And them he giveth and he bestoweth on the jordan
His blessing. So the ’uthras worship his name
arise,

And praise his title: they do not oppose his calling (name)
For he, (as) the asganda (envoy), receiveth the praise of the ’uthras
And conveyeth it into the presence of the Great Mighty Mana
And layeth it up in His treasure-house.
Then those seven-hundred and seventy-eight thousand ’uthras.
Who were created by the Second Cry of the Life, will bless thee.
') Or “sanctuaries” the word has its customary vagueness!
Or “companion” ?
“Spouse” ? See p. 37, n. 4.
Rha d-’utria both mss.) should surely be riha d-ntria as translated here.
(in
“) D.C. 3 (303:13) bania ptakibh, D.C. 53 2) bainia ptahibh? Ohscuie.
:

®) D.C. 3 iiahib D.C. 53 uautib ’ntria

'iitria,

’) The Akkadian as-gan-du meaning “Messenger”, “ambassador” conveys

the meaning of a “go between”, "an envoy” and asgandah&ieis exactly that:
“an intermediary”, a “go-between”.
®) D.C. 3 mafaq.

®) Or, “glory and vigilance”.

294 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

By Them, and from those ’uthras one ’uthra was singled out,
Younger than his brethren and older than his fathers.
They assigned to him his name, “Mahzian ^)-the-Word,”
That is Yuzataq ®) Manda-d-Hiia is his name —
And he gave them prayer and praise, {so as)
To furnish the ’uthras in the Divine Presence *)
With praise {befitting) the worship
Of their Father, the Great, Mighty Mana.
And a messenger came to them, an envoy from the Presence
Of their Father, the Great Mighty Mana, {saying)
“The ‘uthras’ prayer is acceptable ®) in the Presence
Of your Father, and your prayer fitting
In the eyes of ®) the Chief of Envoys,
The Messenger who came to Mahzian-the-Word,
To rectify the rites of ’uthras, {to purge them)
From fault and to put in order the worlds of light’’.
Then the great Mighty Mana, when summoning Manda-d-Hiia
From His left, seated him on His right.
And pronounced blessing on him and made him —
— The younger brother, more reverend than his parents —
Made him ruler over mighty and celestial worlds of light.
Over jordans and running streams
And over all dwellings, in order to regulate and to station
The ’uthras in their (appointed) places.
And by his brother-’uthras he is called “the Capable’’.
Manda-d-Hiia called three ’uthras and blessed them.
And he summoned his elder brother Hibil-Ziwa
And clothed him with his radiance
And covered him with his light and shed on him
Some of his glory, and held him {by the hand)
In the presence of the great and mighty Mana,
And said to him “At thy command have I summoned him.
And I wish to send him to the worlds of darkness.
To the powers of Siniawis, the under-world”.
The great Mighty Mana blessed Hibil-Ziwa,

h Missing in D.C. 3.
Mahzian, a spirit who bestows sight ?

Yuzataq = Yuzadaq (Holy-Spirit? Spirit of righteousness?).

*) Lit. Their Presence, i.e. the Divine Presence.
Lit. “is accepted.”
®) Lit. “in the presence of”, “before”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 295

Gave him lofty strength and aid.

And Hibil-Ziwa said "I will come.
And with me come Habsaba (Sunday)
will
And Kana-d-Zidqa. With me will come lofty strength
And help: with me wiU come sixty-six jordans.
And within each jordan nine hundred and ninety-nine
Skinata. And in each skinta
Fifty thousand ’uthras wUl dwell!”
With that blessing thou art blessed, our father,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam! Moreover the mystic
WeU-ordered and well-ordering Mana will bless thee,
And the hidden (unseen) and watchful ’uthras win bless thee.
For their names abide in the secret and guarded place
The radiance of which burneth and its light
Was set up for all the ’uthras of the Ether-world.
They acknowledge and praise it and the Great Life also
Who is concealed in praise {addressed) to Itself^) (?).
Praised be all generations of hving beings
Which issue therefrom and exist and praise
That mystic Intelligence, and the Radiance which bumeth.
And the Light set up in the great Presence of primal Glory
In the Place where They sit, speak and are obeyed.
{Yea), concerning everything that Ye have planned.
Word came, and was obeyed in each aerial world!
So also shalt thou speak and be heard, our father!
Thou wilt ask, and it will be answered thee
By that mystic and (all-) arranging Intelligence,
For all that He planneth cometh into being.
For He made, and establisheth before Him,
Sixty worlds of light when He spoke there came into being
:

The ’uthras of the Ether-world, with their mysteries

And their owm speech.
And then the mystic Intelligence, who giveth to every individual
Strength and glory, appointed an ’uthra.
An organizer, a great and lofty teacher of Truth,
A pleasing being, an Enlightener,
And He set him up as chief of all the ’uthras.
And granted him speech and hearing so that

Or meaning perhaps addressed to the Mana ?

 ;

296 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

He speaketh with him and he heareth Him,

And He gave him dominion, and (granted him)
To speak and be heard, from yonder radiance^) unto the depths
of the earth.
With that blessing thou shalt be blessed, our father
Adam-Yuhana son Sam. of
Moreover, the Tree Starwan shall bless thee.
From which proceeded wreaths of radiance.
Light and glory for the Great mighty Mana.
Then that supreme Vine shall bless thee.
That which was revealed from below the First Vine Ruaz ^).

It came to the earth (world) of Taiwan

And Nsab gave it to Tauriel-’Uthra
Who extended it over the Ether-earth.
And he made gushings forth of water
And made it flow to the world
Of sons of Perfection.
Then the First Life will bless thee,
And the Second Life will bless thee;
Manda-d-Hiia will bless thee
And the pure Yusamin *) will bless thee.
All the ’uthras of the world of hght win bless thee;
Sons of Perfection will bless thee;
Sihnay and Nedbay wiU bless thee;
Hibil, Sitil and Anus will bless thee;
Abathur of the Scales wiU bless thee;
The Place that is all radiance and beams of light
WiU bless thee. Those wLo are covered
With holy and weU-kept garments wiU bless thee.
Radiant beings, hghts and beams of light wiU bless thee,
And ’uthras, skinata and jordans.
Vigilance wiU bless thee, and the piaise-giving
In which all 'uthras shine. Holy, predestinate.
Calm and perfected manas will bless thee,
And the FeUowship wLich existeth in the skinata will bless thee,

mn
hihil-zivoa D.C. 53 (445 ult) has nm Ihil the
h D.C. 3 (308 2) ; : ziiza,
latter being the more probable version.
Or, “the plant ’starwan". (Satra, wild thyme?).
’) Rnaz (He-flourished, sprouted) is mentioned in Prayers 71 (a Vine,)
117 and ig6.
*) Yusamin, see p. 1,1, n. 4.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYEEBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 297

That (their?) praise of the great First Life

Will bless thee. Those mystic sproutings (emanations)
Which bloomed at the word of the Great (Life) bless thee.
That pure Vestment will bless thee, and that union
That was knit together and cannot be divided, will bless thee.
That mana i) of glory which was blessed with a hidden blessing
Will bless thee, for those who sit within it wiU bless thee.
Yon pure great Vein will bless thee
And the Tongue which hath no ceasing will bless thee.
Those multitudinous ones who sit in pure glory
And converse in speech which is not mortal, will bless thee.
The Enduring Place in which they dwell will bless thee, ^)
The Place whose glory is great will bless thee.
That predestinate, pure Being, whose form sheddeth hght
Will bless thee. That mighty (Being) ®) of radiance
Will bless thee, that well-ordered and well-ordering One
Will bless thee. All gentle voices, all bright banners *)

Will bless thee: those secret prayers will bless thee.

And those columns *) of white water will bless thee.
And the Vein of pre-existent Ether will bless thee.
Yon pure Sam-Ziw'a, whom the First Life created in secret
Will bless thee, and that ’Ustuna ®) (Body) will bless thee
Which dwelleth in the pre-existent Ether
From which all ’uthras of the Ether-W'orld proceeded
And which they worship and praise.
It created Ether, (It) created ’uthras for Itself,
For Itself It created ’uthras.
And dwellings (Skinata) and lovely manas
Proceeded from It. It will bless thee.
That sublime Ether, from which there came to life ’)

A living flame. And it is incorporated in aU ’uthras

And (in?) aU that exists. Its name in secret and its appelation

') Here mana must have its Semitic (Aramaic) meaning, i.e. "robe”,
“garment” or "vessel”. Play on this word is implied.
D.C. 3 (310 I f.) has atra d-nafsa sauth tmibirbak hanik rurbia d-ziwa
:

nibirkak hanik sdiria umsadria etc.

The plural here indicates the Divine Being.
*) Or “erect banners” ?

'nstunia.
®) The ’ustuna more or less personified here, must refer to the cosmic
body of Adam Kasia.
’) Or “awoke”, “came to consciousness”. ,
 .

298 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

Is magnified in (by?) the ’uthras.

And Mara-d-Rabuta (the Lord of Greatness) i) v.dll bless thee,
He who hath interpreted, declared and professed
In his mind the First [Life).
And yon Ether-Piriawis will bless thee.
The being who bestowed and abideth within yon Jordans
And that one (here).
And that Occult Lord of Greatness will bless thee,
Whose form not one of the uthras beholdeth.
And that great Vine which standeth in the presence
Of the Lord of Greatness, will bless thee.
The great body (corporation) of Piriawis will bless thee:
The Treasurer of the world of light will bless thee
And the pure mountain the radiance of which shineth forth
And its light flameth, will bless thee.
All these names will bless thee, our father,
Adam-Yuhana son of Sam!
Moreover, thou wilt be blessed with the blessing
Pronounced in the Jordan and in the land of Hauraran,
The great land of light. And upon thee shall rest
Its glory and joy, that which abideth in the Innermost ^).
On account ®) of its magnificence they rejoice, embrace one
another
And take one another’s hands in troth *)

Thy fragrance will be sweet like the scent

Of trees of the world of hght. Thy brightness
Will break forth and thy hght shine out
In the earthly world like flashings of radiance,
And beams of light, going forth to bring into existence
And illumine a thousand thousand
And eight hundred and eighty-eight thousand myriads
Of mighty and celestial worlds of hght.
Thou wilt arise in the name of Life
And wilt w'alk in the road of the upright.
Mighty ones, sitting in glory, the living.

The prototype of a priest who initiates postulants.

Status constructus of giuta is unexpected, as the sentence ends here.
It was probably suggested to the writer by the frequent expression giwat
’qara, especially as ’qara occurs in the following line.
Hiinat for nm himat.
Freely translated; i»e., perform the kiista rite.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 299

Will ask about thee, and living (souls) will discuss thee
With praise of the Mighty Life.
Filled with glory will thy heart be.
And its joy rightly directed.
And thou wilt ask and wilt find
In the presence of the Great Life,
Thou and thou wilt be heard
wilt speak
In the name Yukabar-Kusta.
of
And thy fame will be the fame of the Life
And thy renown will be the renown of Yukabar-Kusta.
And thine appearance wiU be (like unto)
The appearance of mighty ’uthras, sons of hght.
Thou wilt be made great with the greatness of Manda-d-Hiia.
On earth thou wilt be as one of the 'uthras.
And on earth thou wilt be named as
One of the men (who were) the first Chosen Elect.
Thou wilt be great and lofty, {they will ascribe to thee?)
Fame and (good) taste, (name thee) head of the age.
And thou wilt be a father of honour, w’ho provideth
His friends and the elect and the distinguished.
With viaticum, {thou wilt be one) who appointeth
‘Uthras in their place and helpers of the Chosen
Whose Signs were taken from the Jordan.
{Thou wilt be) the support of the discerning
Who discern with their minds;
The helping hand of the perfect
WTio, from first to last, establish perfection.
The guide of sons loving the fellowship of Life,
The deliverer of the righteous who are
(True) graftings ^) from the Stem of Life.
Thy perfume, our father, is fragrant; thine appearance
Is effulgent and giveth out light.
Thy presence giveth joy.
Thou makest thy conversation alien to®) the worlds {the worldly) ( ?)
And thine actions we wiU make whoUy fair and bright.
Thy speech will delight and be pleasing
And will resemble (that of) the worlds of Ufe.

*) Lit. “who are planted from the stock (or stem) of Life”.
Obscure, translation is approximate. ,
300 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

And thy words be like radiance, light and glory.

Thou an earthly dweUing:
wilt seek
Thou and tread out roads to the Place of Light.
wilt ask for
Manda-d-Hiia will set up for thee a kana d-zidqa
And a Table in thine own house, our father.
And thy basket, so that it is filled with bread.
And thy cup, so that it is filled with mamhiiga i)
And thy Table he mil set up.
Thou wilt gather together friends.
Wilt satisfy the hungry and refresh souls.
Then came the glory of Life! It will rest on thee
And the Likeness of the Great (Life) will protect thee
From all that is hateful.
Thy radiance mil shine forth with the sun.
Thine effulgence with the moon and thy glittering
With the stars. Thy strength will be hke
{The strength of) the waters.
Thy pleasantness like (that of) pure air .

And thy glory hke fire.

All the planets and the Twelve Gates ®)

That look on thee will bow themselves before thee.
Care will remove itself from thy heart
And sighing from thy thought. Thou wilt have
Joy of heart, wilt speak and be heard,
Wilt ask, and there will be granted thee
The strength of gods, with the command of angels.
Thou wilt seek in the day and find by night.
We will confirm thy speech in thy mouth
And will set up thy throne in majesty.
Thou wilt be the companion of the perfect
And friend of the righteous and believing.
The w'ords of thy mouth mil bring thee victory
And thy good fortune will rejoice thee.
Thou wilt act and succeed, wilt be on trial

And be vindicated; wilt strive and wilt attain.

Thy strength mil be that of the storm-wind:

1) Cf., p. 286.
Ay ay IS sometimes better rendered by “pure air” than by the word
“ether”.
Other sects and faiths, each under a sign of the Zodiac.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE ilANDAEANS 301

Thy race will multiply (spread) like the waters.

And — however long thine existence in the body — i)

No illness, sickness, pain, blemish, wound

Or (other) plague of the planets will reach thee
Or get the mastery (over thee), our father.
Great is thy blessing! Nevertheless, I {too) have blessed thee
With a mouth of flesh! Manda-d-Hiia blessed thee
With a pure mouth. I have blessed thee with a tongue of flesh:
Manda-d-Hiia blessed thee with a true tongue of praise.
I have blessed thee with lips of flesh.

But Manda-d-Hiia with faithful -) hps of radiance.

Light and glory.
When thou bearest him to the earth ®)
And mentionest thy fathers *) at thy time and moment.
When thy measure (of years) is accomplished.
In a blessed old age when thou hast become
A greybeard full of honours and blessing.
We will bring thee into a state of peace.
One will set forth tow’ards thee to set (thee) free,
Adakas-Mana, thy father®) And he will take thee
Out {of the body) upon a road in which there is no heat.
Or trembling or quaking. He will pass thee over
The watch-houses of the planets and thy brightness
Will shine out over the purgatories
Lentil fear cometh upon those purgatory-dwellers
And guilty (souls) and (those) who have pined aw'ay {there ®)).
From their purgatories they will plead for thy favour
And w'ill say “How' great is the radiance, how' mighty the light
Of the elect righteous being who passeth over us!”
And thou wilt free and bear away with thee

D.C. 53 (454 4) ukulman d-aitak bpagiak; D.C. 3 (315 7) the correct

: :

ttkma d-aitak bpagrak.

D.C. 3 (315 penult.) mhaimata; D.C. 53 {454 14) mhaimanata.
; :

Or, “Thou wilt endure the earth” ? The first two lines are perhaps
addressed to a bystander, meaning "when he (the ganzibra blessed in the
poem) is carried to the grave”.
*) When the mourner recites the commemoration prayer “Our Forefathers”

’) The death-angel, usually called Sauriel. Adakas is an abbreviation of

.Adam Kasia (the Occult -Adam). .Adakas-Mana is mentioned in G.R. trs.
pp. loy, 143, 146, 244 and 245. D.C. 3 (316 5) has the correct abuk.
:

°) D.C. 3 (316 :lo) has haiban iimadabin; D.C. j3 (455 8) habin umidabin.
:
302 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

A thousand thousand souls which were bound and fettered

And sojourned therein i).
And he {Adakas) will protect thee, and thou wilt recognise
Abathur.
And Abathur, when he seeth thee, will take thy hand in holy
troth.
Will clothe thee in his radiance and cover thee with his light.
And he will set thee in his scales.
Thou wilt be clothed in thy radiant-body
And mighty wrappings of light.
He will set wreaths of victories on thy head;
Thou wUt become akin to ’uthras.
An (inhabitant) of the world of hght
And the everlasting abode.
Thou wilt pass on to sons of perfection, who.
One by one, will bring thee his radiance
And wiU lend thee some of his light.
And thou wilt cross the Waters (of Death) ®)
And Adatan and Yadatan will set out towards thee
And will place upon thee thy Mving *)

And wiU raise thee up as member of a company ®) of souls.

They wiU show thee ®) new and unused chambers ^)
Thou wilt rise up to the place which is the House of Perfection.
Thou wilt wander freely *) in the ether
Wilt behold the subUme Vine of Souls
In which sons of the great Family of Life are represented.
They will send out towards thee
A banner of radiance, light and glory.
And they will take thee down and wiU immerse thee
In seven jordans, and will hymn thee, saying to thee,
“Thy raiment shineth and thine appearance is honoured.
1
)
The three verbs are all in the singular!
Tartabunia, not “turbans” see p. 8i, n. i.
See p. 45, n. 6.
h Knaf D.C. 53 (456 8); D.C. 3 (317 8) knak.
: Read kanfia “wings”?
:

Here
guda apparently has its original Aramaic meaning, and is not
hr
the P. STinS Possibly the verb was altered to suit the later (misunderstood)
meaning ?
®) D.C. 3 (317 :
9) unihauiak. (In D.C. 53 the word is unclear.)
’) ’ndirnnia. The \vord ’ndiruna, ‘ndruna today indicates a booth built
of greenery and reeds.
®) Titkarak = “goest Ijither and thither”.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 303

In the House of thy Father, the Lord of Greatness.

Thy fame and thy perfume will pervade
Three hundred and sixty worlds of light”.
And all the ’uthras of the world of light will assemble.
Take one another by the hand and will say,
“Up! we will go and see the man who hath freed himself.
And ascended from worlds of darkness, from amongst them
{Who harhouy}) evil plots”. They will call thee
“Teacher of ’uthras” and will say to thee
“How thy radiance hath increased! How greatly thy Ught
is

augmented!
How sublime and tranquil is thine appearance! how fragrant thy
perfune!
Rise with us, and we will show thee
The Eternal House of Life, the place
Where the souls of thy father dwell”.
’Uthra after ’uthra will take thee by the right hand
And will show thee the worlds and dwellings
Of the Treasure-House. Thou wilt see the road
Of the great {Life?) yonder, which was (led?) from
The pure Tanvan. Thou wilt see the Vine Tauriel
Which stands by the Jordan of the pure Tarwan,
Of ether-light. Thou vilt behold the Vine Yusmir,
Which is situate in the Jordan of the pure Tarv'an.
Thou wilt see the Tree Tatagmur ^), which is situate
In the Jordan of the Lord of Greatness.
Thou wilt see the Vine Ruaz, from which
Blessing issueth, a blessing goeth out from it;

And all ’uthras delight in its fragrance.

Thou vilt see the Vine Yusmir which is situate
In the land of Sam-Ziwa.
Thou wilt see Sarhabiel who is situate
In the cloud (?) of Hibil-Ziwa.
Thou vult behold the seven canopies of radiance.
Light and glory which are outspanned over
The sublime \hne. Thou wilt see two pure mountains.
Serene, and situate behind them thou vdlt see
The subhme ether-hght that is set up
h Read minam for minak.
2
)
D.C. 3 (319 i) has Tatagmir.
:

Or, “in the building” ?

 . .

304 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

In the place of the mighty First Life.

Thou wilt see the Vine Pirun which is situate
i)
In the territory of Sarat-uabdat-ukisrat
Thou wilt behold the ether- Vine set up
In the land of the First Life. Thou wilt see
The Vine which is situated in the land of Future Ether.
Thou wilt see the great Vine by the juices of which
The souls of earthly babes are nurtured.
They imbibe and are satisfied by its succulence ®)
Their souls fly about, they fly about, their souls:
In the world of hght they are established (brought up ?).

Thou shalt behold the great mystic Yura

Whom They planted. Thou wilt see Silmai and Nidbai
Dwelling in a great cloud of light. In that cloud
They dwell and are put in charge of aU jordans.
And thy name will delight and thy fragrance be pleasing to
The great and mighty Mana, and to the great Presence of Glory,
And to the great First Archetype Who is hidden
And quiescent within His mighty inner Eggs,
For He is the Radiance above aU radiance.
The Light above aU Ughts.
And he uill send thy baptiser (out) before Him:
Adakas-Mana will go forth to meet thee
And will take thee in his right hand, wiU rise
And show thee the High King of Light.
will
Thou wilt see His beams of radiance — they illumine
His right hand. He will grasp thee with His hand.
Will lay his right hand {upoti thee?)
And will grasp thine in holy troth ®).

He will clothe thee with His radiance.

Cover thee with His light, bless thee with His blessing
And His glory will rest upon thee.
He will make thee a judge in the ether

1
)
“She-was-firm-and-she-acted-and-was-successful’ '.
2
)
Mamb-tihia here is the heavenly drink of babes who die in infancy.
See D.A.
D.C. 3 (320 : i) ’bibh {its thickness, luxuriant output); D.C. 53 (459 : 9)
(its sweetness).
q Yura, a spirit of light. Or perhaps of rain? (mT’ = “early rain, early
season, spring”).
°) I.e. performs the rite^of kitUa with him.
 ;

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 305

Thou wilt illumine ( ?)

the jordans that thou reachest
And the skinata over which thou passest.
And thou shinest in thy radiance.
'Uthras call thee an arbiter and peacemaker 2),

And (one who) gave assurance to Rays-of-light.

Three hundred and sixty worlds rejoice in thee.
They will instal thee in abodes of radiance, light and glory.
Moreover, the blessing of the Mighty Life
Resteth upon thee. Life is victorious over all works!
And all that thou hast done will be put in order.
All thy vines will flourish, and in none of thine acts
Will there be lacking or fault.

380
In the name of the Life!
I worship, praise and laud that great mystic First Jordan
From which there was praisegiving.
And its brightness inspired the ’uthras.
From it living waters came into being
And its light reinforced all light-beams.
From it resulted the enlightement of the ’uthras:
In it they rejoice, and from it a weUspring of radiance
Came into being. From it, fruits, grapes and trees
Came to life; from it pihta (bread) derived its existence.
And it was broken and given to the One Great First Mana.
And He, the Great First Mana was invigorated thereby ®)
And worlds of light, ’uthras and aU skinata
Refresh themselves therewith.
Exist (live) and flourish.
And they wmrship and give praise.
Glory, serenity “*) and delight come upon them
They rejoice, are glad, laugh and make merry.
Exult and disport themseWes.
And on thee [too), our great, lofty and respected father.
Glory, bliss, perception and felicity will rest.
Yea, that jordan will bless thee

b (TQN II).
2
)
See similar couplet in Prayer 255 (lines 22 and 23).
Or, in the language of ritual, “partake thereof”.
D.C. 3 (322 8) has nihutai (“my serenity” or "my calm”) for nihuta.
:
3o6 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

From which praisegiving originated, and it was great ^).

There will come kana d-zidqa and a Table

And good things (food) will abound and be plentiful
In thy house. Thy strength here on earth will be firm,
And yonder, in the worlds of light like [that of)

The great First Mana.

Thou shalt have speech and hearing;
Thou wilt speak and be heard.
Thou wilt call thy brother-priests here on earth
And they will answer thee. There, thou wilt call on
'Uthras and they answer thee.
will
Here on earth thou shalt have assurance
Because two of Kusta’s witnesses stand in thy presence.
Seeing and noting what thou doest and what thou thinkest
Day after day and hour by hour.
Yonder, thou wilt be accounted as one of the ’uthras.
Life will joy in thee and the ’uthras will hymn thee
And say to thee
“Thou wast from the First Joidan, our father!
From a Stock of great brilliance
Did they call thee forth! Ninsab clothed thee in vestments of
water.
Tunics of righteousness cover thee.
On thy head he set a wreath, a wreath of praise,
For ’uthras and skinata are twined®) into the leaves of thy WTeath.”
Moreover the Great Unique Sacred One *) will bless thee.
Whose throne they set up at the kana d-zidqa.
He measureth ®) the pious offering of each individual
And according to his works. He recompenseth him.
He dehghteth in the Chosen Elect and bestoweth raiment of light.

And four Beings, Sons of perfection, bless thee.

They who guard treasures of life and confer
Garments of radiancy on the elect who dwell in the world.

Utnafsat in both texts. Either “was great”, "increased”, or perhaps

"refreshed” ?
D.C. 3 [323 9 inserts before nimarlak (read nimarulak ?)] Probably a
:

miscopying.
A play on words, mitgadlia also means “glorified”.
See p. 292. He is identified with the Mana Rba Kabira and with Adakas.
D.C. 53 is defective here: D.C. 3 {323 antpenult.) has ukaiil zidqa
:

d ’nis ’;n's.
 : :

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 307

It is they who make abundant

i)
thine oblation and thy Table
Which is thy brother-priests.
set before
AU thy brother-priests gather about thee
And open their mouths, all of them, in a loud voice,
With acclamation, prayer and praise, they bless thee,
Hymn thee and say to thee, “All that thou doest wiU be rightly
ordered
2
All thy vines )
will give light.
And in all thy works there will be nought lacking or in fault.
And some of the blessing of the mighty First Life
Wni rest upon thee.”
And Life is victorious.

381
Darkness is crushed back into the Dark 3)

Light is established in its place.

Life hath accepted your prayer
And ’uthras have received your praise.
In the name of Sarhabiel, the First Great Radiance,
To support the Great Mana at His Place;
And to uphold the hands of good people.
There shall be healing (power) of Life
And blessing upon this kana d-zidqa and thy Table,
Our father, Adam-Yuhana, son of Sam!
We estabhsh thy consecration *) {as ganzibra)
And thy confirmer ratifieth thy consecration
In the w'orld of light. And thy confirmer is sinless.
Thine advent is ®) with sinless ones ’) and thy confirmer sinless.
Come! as deemed worthy, and estabhshed
(one) fulfilled,
In future honour and ample blessing.

Ninifsuia (or, perhaps, “inspire with life thine oblation" ?).

By “vines,"the ganzibra’s pupils, postulants to priesthood or his sons,
are meant.
See prayer 103, p. 102, n. i.
Tarsa, tarasa (lit. a “setting-up”) is a ceremony of dedication or con-
secration, e.g. of the cult-hut before a masiqta, of the “crown" when set on
the head of a new priest, and of a ganzibra newly appointed to office.
®) Mqaimana here is the celebrant at the service of consecration of the

new ganzibra. He must himself be a ganzibra.

®) Or “induction”, his coming as ganzibra.
’’)
Ritually clean priests and head priest.
^

Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 21

3o8 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

He will be possessor of fee and alms [flowing like)

The great rill ofwhich was drawn down (hither)
Water of Life
And came from its Place. Tauriel-’uthra drew down to earth
(Those waters) which come and come; come and cease not;
They are never cut off, or lacking, or deficient.
(In like manner) this kana d-zidqa and Table
Shall never lack or be wanting in thy house,
Adam-Yuhana son Sam, our father.
of
For an age of ages and for ever.
And Life is victorious over all works!

[Then they shaU set up the table ^) of Blessed Oblation in (on) the
altar-table ®) And when they finish the dedicatory prayer ^) the
.

ganzibra takes the phial of wine®) and reciteth the hymn “Vines
shone in the water”, and he poureth ®) (the wine) into the drinking-
bowl and giveth it to the hanika ’) and the two witnesses.]

382
In the Name of the Great Life!
Vines shone in the waters:
Mighty ones were confirmed ®)
For perfecting, for clearing the waters.
Establishing Your likeness and giving us light
Let your radiance shine upon us, great ’uthras!
Shine, shine forth, come in mystic transfiguration®),

1
)
Agva ttzidqa, “reward and oblation” i.e. fees received by priests for
their sendees, and offerings in kind and money brought to them by the
faithful.
As I have seen this rite, I can explain the nature of "table” here. It is
the earthen tray, or small earthen altar-table (taviana) on which the ritual
food is laid out.
The larger altar-table {taiiana) on which the smaller (see n. 2) is placed.
Qaianita.
Water in which grapes or raisins have been macerated.
«) (Cf. Hif pn’n).
’) The priest who has recited the foregoing prayers of blessing for a
ganzibra.
This prayer (given in another form in Stiidi e Testi 176, p. 64) is hope-
lessly garbled. D.C. 3 (326 7) has (for Ika Ihil in the latter) Ikalh (D.C. 53
:

divides the word on two lines.) ;\Iy translation in S. d-Q. was governed by
the variations. Hence for rnitqaiam which here obviously refers to the
elevation of the ganzibra, I had "were established” (here). See also Prayer 177.
®) bhilfa kasia. In the §. d-Q. I translated "instead of concealing it”. I
think the translation given above may be the truer, but the whole prayer
is obscure.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 309

Let your radiance shine forth and the radiance of the king.
Let your fragrance come and overpower (us with its sweetness)
[This hymn the ganzibra shall pronounce over the wine-bowl,
giving it to the baruka (blesser) and to the two witness.]

383
In the name of the Great Life!
On the day that Hibil-Ziwa
Walked with Yawar,
Myrtle with them was plentiful,
Plentiful was the myrtle.
And to Yawar he gave it.
Into his right hand.
And he said to him,
“Take from me fresh m3n'tle
And pronounce blessing in the skinata
pronounce in the skinata.
Its blessing
Then Yawar opened his mouth.
Blessing Hibil-Ziwa, blessing Hibil-Ziwa
And said to him, “Blessed art thou.
Our father, Hibil-Ziwa!
Like the myrtle that is in thy right hand
Thy Root shall flourish
Like the root of fresh myrtle:
And thou shalt have strength and increase
Like the living waters”^).
[The “blessers” recite this hymn and give myrtle to the ganzibra].

384
Myrtle, myrtle! The king took it;
The king was surrounded by the perfume of myrtle.
The king was surrounded by m5ndle-perfume,
And blessing Hibil-Ziwa,
He said, blessing Hibil-Ziwa,
“Blessed art thou, our father Hibil-Ziwa,
WTio hast brought this plant of fresh myrtle
And hast set it up in the dwellings of 'uthras.

There is a characteristic play of words on the two meanings of SGA.

There are variants of the myrtle-hj-mns I translated some in Studi e
:

Testi, 176, p. 65.

 ; . .

310 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

The dwellings shine in its brightness

And delight in its fragrance for ever i)

[The ganzihra recites this hymn and taketh the myrtle from the
“blessers”.]

385
In the name of the Great Life!
All who inhale thy perfume and are crowned by thee
Sixty heinous sins will faU away from him.
And all pure spouses will be made perfect,
DeUvered from evil actions.
(Those) who twine the wreaths and set them on our heads *)

Will arise without spot and behold the Place of Light.

(The ganzihra reciteth this prayer over the myrtle, ®) inhaleth
its fragrance and giveth it and to
to the sganda (acolyte) to smell,
the “blessers” and aU persons present; then he throweth the myrtle
into the Jordan and {folds and) putteth away the banner. And (then)
they "honour their crowns.”) ®)

Note. — Here D. C. 3 f. 328 has a colophon which begins: —

These are the prayers for the pihtania (breads) and all the bless-
ings of the Blessed Oblation which I copied for my brothers and
parents so that there may be support and a guardian for us on earth
and forgiving of sins before the Life, my Parents, in the worlds of
hght, so that they may be instructed therein. I am poor, lowly. .

etc.

{Note. — Before No. 386 D.C. 3 inserts "In the name of the Great
Life! On the day that Radiance appeared” etc. Prayer No. 414,
p. 316).

1
See the variation, op. cit. p. 66.
)
2
D.C. 3 (327 ult.) ubgaiiak mitkarak: D.C. 53 (468 i) ubgauak mit-
)
: :

harkia. For the rendering “crowned” (certainly apphcable here) see p. 230,
n. 4,
D.C. 3 (328 2) mistalmibak D.C. 53 (468 2) mistalman, {fern).
: :

D.C. 3 (328 4) ttbrisaian; D.C. 53 (468 3) brisaiia.

; ;

These mjTlle prayers and the ritual inhalation recall the Persian barsom
rite. Its perfume was apparently inhaled ritually and was also a symbol of
kingliness as appears in the Shahnameh (Shahnameh, ed. Sa’id Nafisi, Tehe-
ran, 1914, vol. 9, p. 2995, 1.496 ff.). In this passage the king asks for barsom
when food is offered; “food should be taken (only) when barsom is there”.
His request for barsom reveals that he is the king and results in his death.
®) I.e., take off their “crowns” and kiss them, see p. 28, n. 3.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 3II

386
See Prayer No. 329.
{The rubric differs slightly, so I give it)

[This is a hymn crowns on the Sunday when

for consecration of
the ganzibra wishes to consecrate the cotton crowns for the priests.
Wearing his vestments, with the {novice’s) vestments and the crowns
in his right hand and his staff in his left, he goes to the bank of
the jordan, grasping the crowns which he wishes to consecrate
together with his own Then, after performing
in his right hand.
ritual ablution in the jordan, he approaches the cult-hut and
examines each {item) of the vestments, and recites the ‘Salutation’
at the Door of Mercies {i.e. facing North), to {as many) kings
as he is able. After that he shall recite this hymn once over each
crown. And Life is victorious!]^)

387
See Prayer 305, p. 250.
388
See Prayer 306.

389
See Prayer 307.
390
See Prayer 308.

391
See Prayer 309.

392
See Prayer 310.

393
See Prayer 31 1.

[The ganzibra shall recite these seven hymns of the Great Sislam
when he placeth the crown on the postulant. And the priests shall
recite these seven other hymns, and give their reponses.]

394
See Prayer 312.

395
See Prayer 313.

For notes, see those on p. 231 and MMII p. i^6 ff.

312 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

396
See Prayer 314.

397
See Prayer 315.

398
See Prayers 316 and 317.

399
See Prayer 318. and the rubric which follows it.

400
See Prayer 319 and the rubric which follows it.

401
See Prayer 320 and the rubric which follows it.

402
See Prayer 321 and the rubric which follows it.

403
See Prayer 322 (and compare Prayer 386).

404
See Prayer 323 and the rubric which follows it.

405
See Prayer 324 and rubric which follows it.

406
See Prayer 325 and rubric which follows it.

407
See Prayer 326 and rubric which follows it.

408
See Prayer 327 and rubric which follows it.

409
See Prayer 328 a^d rubric which follows it.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 313

410
In the Name of the Great Life!
Health, victory and forgiving of sins be there for me, Adam-
Yuhana son Mahnus, who have prayed this prayer and (these)
of
Devotions. Forgiving of sins be there for a man whose eyes wait
upon his Father and whose thought is directed to the Life and
whose mind doth not stray from KnowIedge-of-Life.
Poor am I who make this petition: a lowly man who hath kept
aloof from the Seven. And I say “O Lord of the lofty firmament,
(O) Being who accepteth request, receive my prayer and my praise
here; guide it with Thy directing (power), grant me a place in Thy
Place, give me a dwelling in Thy world. Do not question me about
my sins and the burden which hath weighed down my soul in this
world. Behold me, who have sought purification before Thee! Look
on me, who have borne persecution for Thy name! End for me acts
of violence, for I am Thy servant and Thy child. Now I humble
myself and my children to Thy name, for I have been true to Thy
name, and speak {it) in my heart and talk {of it) in my mind. And
I subdue my form and my loins, (O) i)
superior to all
glories, before the pure Light which is above all lights.
And I say, “0 Lord of gleaming banners. Lord of mystic books.
Lord of “Letters-of-Truth” 2 ). Lord of praj'er and praise. He who
uplifteth the prayer of ’uthras and sponsors the praisegiving of
kings. Support of praj'erful thoughts! Let there be strength and
constancy for aU lovers of Thy name! Look upon me with Your
eyes and pity me in Your heart! Support me with Your strength,
clothe me with Your glory, cover me with Your light. Cut me me
not off from Yourself! And put far from me fear, dread and terror
of the seven stars and the twelve constellations: deliver me from
the hands of the wicked, and loosen my feet from the bonds of
death. Cut me not off from Your presence. Arm me against all that
is evil: be for me a bulwark against rebels and a Hand of Truth

against the destructive powers of this world. Turn away, repulse

h Sihrialia him? Sihriaha = "rulers”, “governors”, as plural might

be read as "(Divine) Ruler”. Silta might be the plural of hlta = “need”,
“want”, "desire”. Obscure.
A reference to the rite for the dying. Preceded by a form of immersion
(the “proven Sign") the ceremony of “The Letter” or the Letter of Kusta
is performed, during which a phial of oil is placed in the pocket of the ritual

dress, and a ritual handclasp [kusta) is given to the dying or his proxy.
 . ;

314 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS

from me insecurity 1) (?), poverty, ill-luck, lack of sleep and hours of

agitation, an evil day and blows (onslaughts) which occur aU the
time. Be to me Life inhfe; give me to drink of freshly-flowing
Water of Life. Set up for me a kana d-zidqa, a Table and good
fortune so that they are fuUy supplied by Nasirutha. And my
brethren will be with me and will provide (me with) a peaceful
transplanting ®) : my wife, my plants (children), and my priests
shall accomphsh it.

I shall depart and come towards You after a (ritually) perfect

departure (death), with pure od^), and with the proven Sign; in
ripeness of years ®), without feebleness ®), in a blessed old age, in my
own home ’)

Look on the plants, marvel at the sualania [those entering the

priesthood under tuition)] then let there be with You a for giver of
sins for me, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus who have prayed this
prayer and these “Devotions”. Forgiveness of sins be there for me,
for my fatherand mother, for my teacher, for my wife, for my
offspring, for my
priests and for all souls who arose at the name of
Life and verified the sign of Manda-d-Hiia wth pious and believing
heart.
Yea, Life, verily Life, life with the victorious there shall be for
those love Their name! They will not sever the holy union knit
between living ones, with those who know the Life and believe in
the Life, and Avith those who teach us the faith. And Life abideth
in Its DweUings and Life is victorious over all works!
And now [I ask) of Life, Your compassion. Your forgiveness.
Your reconcihation ®) and Your compassion. Yours, Great First Life!
Pity, forgive, awake and have compassion upon this my soul, mine,
Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus who have prayed this prayer and
these “Devotions”. Let there be forgiveness of sins for me! (thrice)
for me and for my father, my mother, my teacher, my wife and my

Several roots (NZH, NZZ, NUZ) have the meaning of unsteadiness,

wavering, etc.
2
)
Pa. MLA. lit. “they were full”, “they were replenished".
I.e. “arrange the proper death-rites". The death-angel is sometimes
called “the Transplanter”.
«) See p. 313, n. i.

Lit. “in full measure” (of years).

®) Read kadra for kadfa.

Kaliuta = exile, banishment, enforced absence from home: Lit “without

absence from home”.
®) P.S. Ethpe. See also G.R. trs. p. 251, note 4.
 THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK OF THE MANDAEANS 315

wife and my plants (children) and my priests who have placed bread
and (ritual) food i)
{here) (and) you, my fathers, my teachers, my
instructors and those who taught me the faith, when ye supported
me from the Left to the Right. Forgiveness of sins be there for you!
Life abideth in Its dwellings and Life is victorious over all works!
[This is a prayer {called) Yahia’s Petition (“John’s Prayer’’). Pray
it in all your devotions.]

411 2)

Our forefathers, there shall be forgiving of sins for them. Yusamin

son of Dmuth-Hiia, there will be forgiving of sins for him.
.... {the prayer continues from this part as in Prayer lyo, inserting
the name of the copyist, Adam-Yiihana son of Mahnus, and his
relatives, and teacher wherever such insertions are customary. The
insertions are called zharia, “injunctions” , ’’rubrics”)

[This is the chant of “Our forefathers’’.]

412
In the name of the Great Life.
Then, when she {the soul) reacheth the seven mysteries.
Servants of the Seven go out towards her
And come and surround her and question her.
And they said to her “O soul, whence comest thou?
And whither goest thou?’’ She said to them,
“I the Body the name of which is Earth.
come from
And go toward the good Kimsa 3)’’.
I

They say to her “Servant of whom, art thou ?

Messenger of whom art thou called?”
She said to them “I am the servant of the beloved Kimsa
And the envoy of the vast Ether”.
Then they bless her and commend her and say to her,
“All who know this (pass-) word shall rise

h Tabuta.
This the great Commemoration prayer known as the 'Our forefathers”.
is
‘

It is usually preceded by the Tab taba Itabia prayer as in prayer 170. It is

recited at every rite for the departed.
Ndldeke suggested “End” for kimm (root KMS), noting that ‘k’ and
‘q’ are often interchangeable. Lidzbarski doubted this interpretation
(see J.B.
p. 192, n. i) and in his note to Prayer 126 (M.L. p. 192, n. i) suggested an
"Ort im Jenseits”. In Prayer 126 I translated the word “a formation”,
“taking shape” etc. The word is of a very nebulous^meaning. Seep. 119, n. 2.
3i6 the canonical prayerbook of the mandaeans

Towards the good Kimsa”.

For they seek to grasp the mystery of the Body
And (so) question her.
And thereupon she ascendeth
Towards the Good Kimsa.
[This is a prayer about the questioning of the soun).]

413
See Prayer 177.
D.C. 53 ends here. I afpend as a continuation the prayer which in
D.C. 3 [p. 331) precedes Prayer 386.

414

My Lord be praised!
name
In the of the Gieat Life!
On the day when the radiance within Radiance
Broke through and emerged,
A counterpart of the Jordan was formed in mirrors;
In mirrors a counterpart of the Jordan was formed.
And water was produced in the Ether.
The Jordan emerged in its glory
And the water was intermingled with the Ether,
Intermingled was Water with Ether.
And the strength of Light increased greatly,
Was increased and estabhshed.
A wTeath they trvisted into crowns
(Of) myrtle leaves. And trees bore their burden [fruit).

Nasirutha spoke therein to kings [priests)

And their purities were intertwined.

(The bridegroom shall recite this prayer when entering his house
before he “taketh ku^a with his wife”. Then he shall "honour” his
crowTi ®). Beware of performing a marriage 01 (entering into) a
partnership when the moon is in Cancer, Capricornus, Sagittarius
or Scorpio: they are evil days for a wedding.)

*) See 175. Prayer 412 varies sUghtly from it, and the explanation is
missing from the former.
The union of wreath and crown is symbohcal of marriage.
The hymn is for the marriage of a priest.
 INDEX
Note. On Names

In Mandaean literature spirits, angels, demons, and persons are given names
denoting abstract qualities, activities, virtues, vices and so on. The abstract
nature of the divine First Cause is divested further of any tinge of anthropo-
morphism by use of a plural form: It is named Hiia, from the verbal root HIA
“to exist”; hence it means “existence”, “life”. To this appellation are attached
such adjectives as “First”, “Second”, “Third”, “mighty”, “majestic” and
“multiform”.
Abstract qualities of varied shades of related meaning are covered by the
name Kusta, a personification of “truth”, “pact”, “sincerity”, “good faith”;
whilst category or species is personified in such names as Adam “man”, —
“mankind” and Anus “humanity” “human being”.
It is not always possible to discover the original meaning of a name. Most,
indeed all of them, derive from a verbal root, or from a substantive. The suffix
’il or 'lil (corresponding to the “iel” of angel-names in English) is often attached
to such names, for instance, RHM
Rham’il “to love”; Taun’il {taiiya, a bull);
Nun’ll {nitra, fire); Gadfi’il {gadfa, iving) and Gabri’iil (gabya, male, man).
In magical texts angel and devil-names are legion. In the Canonical Prayers
they are comparatively few.

Abahatan Qadmaiia 15 1 ff. Angels 1

Abathur, Abatuy 6f.. 31, 42, 44 ff., Anhar, wife of John the Baptist 152
58 f., 66, 72, 76, 105 n. 4, 151, 198, .•Anointed One, the: see Messiah
214, 302; A.-Muzama (A. of the Anus (Enos) 6, 10, 19, 56, 58, 78 n. i,
Scales) 54, 56, 105 n. 4, 106, 133, 87, 104, 108, 181, 232, 260, 296; A.-
156, 199 n. 2, 296, 302; A. Rama Uthrago n. i, 91, 104, 127, 155, 172,
22. 89, 156, 199; House of A. 44 f, 178
50. 65, 67 Aiabata see Rahbaia
Adakas 293, 302; A.-Mana 301 f., Arabs, the 251
304 Archetype, the First 304
Adam (the First Man) 29 f., 32, 53 ff., Argba uminuna 94 n. 3
67, 79 n. 3, 106, 151, 154, 244, 270, Arsapan (Arspan) 147, 233
283, 286, 289, 292; A.-Kasia (Oc- asganda, sganda, (acolyte), 5 n. 4, 28
cult or Secret A.) 88 n. i, 158, n. 2. 66 n. 2, 150, 154, 171, 241 n. 4,
236, 297 n. 6; garden of 173; 293, n. 7; = envoy 255!.. 293 n. 7
A. andEve (Hawa) 22, 67, 151 Avar: see Ether; Ayar-Nhura 112, 155
Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnus i and Azmiuz, wine of 134
passim
Adatan and Yadatan 13, 46, 86 n. 8, Babylon 143
104. 159, 302 Bainai son of Zakia 32, 67, 71
Adonai 245 n. i Banner (drabsa) 8 n. 2. 50, 226 n. 4,
Adulterv- 27 288, 310 passim] banners 22o; pas-
Ahaba-^f-Mama 291 n. 8 sim; b. hymns 233 ff. 240, 288, ;

Alaha-Alihun (“God of gods”) 124 290 f.‘ 302,310; the b. Zihrun 234,
n. I 237, 240, 26S; of Bihram 235 f., 239;
Anan-Nsab 21. 58, 105, 146 f. Pirun 534; Sislamiel 240 f.; Sasla-
3i8 INDEX

miel 235, 237; Manhariel 235. Sis- Daima (festival) 240 n. 2

lam's, 233 f Daium 61, 62 n. i
Baptism 6 f., 13 ff., 24, go f. and Darkness, place of 130, passim;
passim; the Great B. 291 n. 6. mountain of D. 124; worlds of
Barbag-’uthra 105 D. 279
Bel 246; see Jupiter Datepalm: see Palmtree
Benediction of Oil; see Oil Daura taqna (everlasting or light
Bhaq-Zhva 85 n. 6 abode) 2 n. 2 10, passim.
Bihram 8, 18, 21 f., 85 n. 3, 88, 103, Day, the (Great) Last 7, 47, 115,
147; B.-Rba 67, 85, 103, 156; 127, 137; of Judgement 79: 133,
(banner), 235 f 239 of Joy 79, 81 ;
Day of Redemption 81
Bihrat, B.-Anana (a heavenly spouse) Days, unpropitious 316
105, 151 Death, angel of 314 n. 3: see Sauriel;
Bihrun 146 Waters of 45 n. 6., 48 n. 5, 63,
Biriawis 40, 86 n. i 95, 99 passim
Black magic 27 Demons ii f., 20, 22, 31, 36, 156,
Blessed Oblation, the; see Zidqa brika 246, 266: of disease 23
"Blesser” [baruka) 308 ff. Dmutha, [Dmiita) (divine counter-
Body (’stuna.) 54 n. i, 138, 259 n. 3, part) 236 n. 5 258 n. 4
260, 297 n. 6, 315 f. the Great B.
;
Dmut-Hiia (Counterpart of Life) 15 1
106 n. i; (corporate beings) 195 n. 2, 260, 315
233 n. 5, 297 n. 5 Dmut-’Qara 281 n. i

Book of Gadana, the 69, 72; Book Door, outer 15, 22, 30; of Mercies,
of Souls 228 31 1 see Gate
Bread, sacramental (pihta) 7 n. 3, Dove {ba) 48 n. 2, 49 n. i
17, 24!., 27 37 n. 3, 154,
f., 30, Drabsa; see Banner
190 n. 6, 59, 61 n. 2, 242 n. 5, 243 Drop, the First {niiufia) 37 n. i, 50,
n. 2, 305; prayers for 51, 66, 281; Drops (nitufiata) 9 n. i,
243-250, 310; bestowed on 'uthras 37 n. I, 165 f., 192 n. 2, 220 n. 3,
190 221, 230, 272, 278
Bridegroom 168, 175 ff., 184 f., 215,
Eggs (hilbunia) 159 n. 3 272 n. 2;
316; see Contents for Marriage- The Egg 282
292, 304, 277,
Hymns Elect Righteous, the no, and passim
Bridge, the 80 n. 8
Ether (Ayar) 7, 81, 86 n. 2, 109, 146,
158, 167, 173, 194, 240, 260, 261, 273,
Carmel, Mt. 125 n. 2.
274, 276, 297, 300, 315 f. E. earth ;
Circles, traced by priest 29 n. 5 or world 167, 179, 194, 261, 265,
Clay 63
290,295!., 304; E. -light 109, ii2ff.
Cloud (anana) 95 a heavenly spouse
303; E. -wreath: see Wreath; E.-
;

37 n. 4, 1 14, 166, 223, 266, 282, Piriawis 298; creation of the E. 186,
286 f., 289 f.
240; E. of Life 273; E-vine 304.
Commemoration prayer (see Tab taba
Ethnarchs, the 71, 153
Itabia 151 n. i, 301 n. 4, 315 n. 2
Euphrates 19, 168, 208 f.; Light-E.
Coronation of priests 220 ff., 307 n. 4
208 f.
Creator, the 2, 243
Eve: see Adam
Crown (taga) i n. 3, 2 f., 4 n. 4, 5, Evil (personified) i ;
see Planets
160 n. 4, 220 ff., 272, 280, 285, 31 1
Exorcism ii f.
prayers for the 64, 160 ff., 164;
honouring the c. 28 11. 3, 160, 230, Face-veil [pandama) 5 n. 3, 28 f., 48 f.,

316; cotton crowns 23 1 f, 3 1 1 making ; 66, 68

crowns 228 n.’ 1, 227 the great C231 Fatira 48 n. i, 49 n. i
Cult-hut [maskna) 130 n. 2, 138 n. 4; Father, of 'uthras 6, 35; of Glory 269,
prayer to 230; see also skinta 271, 274, '2y6i; Father and Mother
 INDEX 319

(cosmic) 11311.2,16211.1,16311.1; 2, 125, 138 f. ;

H. of Life 9, 10,
see Wellspring and Datepalm 18, 20, 24 f., 28, 41, 48, 56 f. 63, 77,
Ferry, of the dead 45 n. 6, 53 84, 87, 96, 303; H. of Perfection
Food, eaten by lion or wolf 27; 127 f., 144, 169, 232, 302
disgorged 27; Food-tray {rahbata) Hus, a Jordan 284
89 n. 5, 68; (tariana) 67 n. 5,
loi n. 2, 308 ns. 2, 3; ritual 59
Idol-worship 34
n passim
2,
Idumaeans 251
Framer-of-Bodies see Pthahil
Incense {riha) 5 f., 28, 34, 36, 50,
55 f. ;

Ganzibra(s) (head priest) 148 f, 64, 68, ii2f. ;

and passim: incense-
70,
154. 241 1, 273 n. 4, 275 n. 4, 282
pan (qauqa) 6 n. 3, 29 n. 2
Tn-Hai (Well of Life) 12, 45, 87
n. 4.307 ns 2, 4, 5, 6, 308 ff., passim.
Ganzaiel 272 and 275 n. 4 Inhalation, ritual 310 n. 5

Gate of Prayer 14 n. i Gates, the Investiture 44!, 162 ff.

Twelve 184,300; of Mercies 232 Ishtar 19

n. 7, see Door Tt-yawar 4; Tt-’nsibat-’utria 4
Gift, propitiatory, [hilita] 113 n. 5, Jerusalem 36, 130, 152
291 n. 3
Jesus 1 19
Ginza Rba ii, 214 f. and passim in
Jews 130, 251
notes
John, prayer of 315; J. the Baptist
Girdle, ritual (himiana) 54. 57, 163 152; see Yahia Yuhana
Gimra (gem) 1 1 n. 9 Jordan (yardna) flowing (living) water
Gnosis-of-Life 34 ; see Manda-d-Hiia (of Life) 6 ff., 10 n. 2, 13, 15, 17, 19
Great Unique Holy One: see Sacred
90 ff., 119, 155 n.
n. I, 27, 63, 73, 87,
Unique One I, 188, 195, 223, 278, 28off, 294 ff.,
298 and passim-. First J., 155, 306;
Habsaba (Sunday) 18, 89 n. 4, 90, praj'er of the 15
105, 109 1140., 116, 136, 138,
ff., Jupiter (Bel) 179
151, 156, 249, 295
Haiasum 156; H.-Kusta 85 n. 5 Kan(n)a and Kana-d-Zidqa i6n. i;
Haiuna, daughter of Yahia 32, 67, 18 n. I, 89 n. 5 105, 151, 260
f.,

150, 171 n. 3, ff. 270, 277, 284, 286, 287, 295,

Ham-Ziwa (Radiance-glowed) 9, 13, 300, 306 and passim
107, 271 n. 5, 274 Kanat-nitufta 105
Hamamulai 46 n. 7 Kanfiel 146
Hamgai-Ziwa 3 Hamgagai-Ziwa ; 3 Kanfun 87
Hamra: see Wine Kanzala: see Stole
Haran Gawaita 32 n. 2 Karkawan-Ziwa 43
Harran (city) 32 n. 2 Kimsa 119 n. 2, 158 n. 3 f., 195 n.
Has 85 n. I H, u Pras 147 ; 3, 226, 249 n. 2, 290, 315 f. n. 3
Hauran and Hauraran 23; Hauraran, Kinta 232 n. 5, 273 n. 2
43.298 Kissing the hands 27
Haza-zban, Hazazban, 15, 23 Kiwanaiia 251 n. 7
Hell-beasts (zangaiia, zangiania) 100 Klila: see Wreath
n. 3, 156 n. 4 Knowledge-of-Life see Manda-d-Hiia :

Hibil (Abel) 6, gf., 22, 56, 58, 78 n. i, Krun, a regent of the Underworld 69
87, 89, 108, 172, 232, 260, 285, n. 4
296; H.-’Uthra 127, 209; Hibil- Kt azil bhira dakia, see Chosen Pure
Ziwa 27, 29, 68 f., 104, 106 n. 2, One
159, 173, 214, 244, 275, 281 n. 2, Kusta, (troth, pact, hand-clasp) 2
286, 294, 309, passim n. I, 5, 13 ff., 17, 26 ff., 30, 35, 44,
Hilita'. see Gift 52, 63, 66 f. 75, 102 f., 1311, 156,
House, the (= the earthly world) i n. 161, i'^6, 182 n. 5, 206, 210 n. 4,
320 INDEX

242 f., 282, 287, 292 n. 5, 298 n. 4, 2, 104, 262 n. 3, 298, 303, passim.
313 n. 2, 316 and passim Marjoram 89, 159
Laufa {lofam) = union, communion, Mars 178
6 n. 2, 258 n. 2 passim Masiqta, (“raising-up”) 32 n. 4,
Left, the 292; Left to Right 61 n. 32 ff., 64, 95, 291 and passim) mis-
3, 157, 216, 315 takes during 68
Letter, the (rite for the dying) 61, Marriage-hymns (hadaiata) 184 f.
64, 313 n. 2 Medicine [sama) 162
Lidzbarski, Mark 214 and passim Mercury, the planet 178
in notes Messiah (Anointed One) 87, 93 n. 6,
Life, the Great 174 n. 2 and passim) 103 n. 2, 1 19, 247
the First i, 7, 8, 12, 20 f., 39 ff., 58, Miriai, a Jewess 129 f. and n. 3, 140
70, 84, 88, 15 1, 260, 268, 296, 304 Misra 62 n. 2
passim) the First Great Strange Mirror 221, 223, 231, 236!., 271,
(Other-worldly) i, 12, 33, passim; 287 ff, 316
the Second 1, 7, 58, 84, 155, 261, Moon, the 16 f., 178, 180
296; The Third i, 7, 84, 155; Mother, the (cosmic) 61 n. 3; see
the Family of 9, 43, 79 ff., 261, 302; also Wellspring, Drop, Palmtree
passim House of, see House. Msunia-Kusta 268 n. 5
Light 2, 3 ff. and passim) see also Myrtle 89, 159, 177, 241, 272, 309 f.;
ziwa) Great First 33, 154 passim) distribution of 226, 242 prayers ;

Place of 5, passim, creation of for 309 f. m,-wTeath [klila] 5,

;

world of, 188; worlds of, passim. 14, 15 n. 2, 29 f., 36, 41 f,, 64, 89,

Magians ii n. 80 n, 6 91 n. 2, 230, 309 f.

5,
Mahzian the Word Mysteries (razia) 195 n. 5, 196;
294
Mahziel 1 56 Mystery, Great 157, 271 Zihrun the ;

Mahzur, a demon 246 n. i

G. M. see Zihrun.
Man 12 Kamrus, Nimrus 115 n. i; a name
Mana 4 n. i,42, 47, 65 f., 93,
14, of Ruha
96 L, 124, 157, 172, 175 n. 3, 182, Kasirutha (priestly wisdom) 58 n. 6,
190, 192, 26211.6, 269, 275!., 280, 83, 112, 130, 160, 181, 184, 194, 202,
282, 289, 297 n. 1 First, Mighty,
; ^ 4 ^. 275. 285 n. 3, 287, 314,
Great etc., 4, 20
36 ff., 39, 49, 89,
f, 316, passim
147, 162, 262, 264, 266 f., 268, 280, Nasoraean(s) 31, 38 f., 52, 68, 71,
284, 292 ff., 296, 3.D4 ff;. 306 ff. manas 83 n. 8, 91, 139. 148, 154. 155.
4.7. 39. 65, 81, .-82, 187, 2'j'], 282, 179, 245, 248, 251, 269 and passim)
289; two manas 271, 274; three N. and Mandaeans 139
manas 90, 278; seven manas 8; Nabataeans 32 n. 2
Adakas-waiza see Adakas. Nbat 18, 21, 84271 n. 2, 277;
n. 7,
Mana-Smira (Yusmir) 47, 65 N.-Mana-Kasia 272; N.-Ziwa 267
Mambuha or mambuga, the sacrament- Nhura see Light; Nhura yaqra (holy
al drink 17, 27 f., 30, 65 f., 269 f., light) 276; Nhur-Hai (light of Life)
277, 300, 304 n. 2 ;
prayers of 33, 3, 45, passim.
41. 51. 90 Nidbai; see Silmai
Manda 52 n. 2 Nisubta, 135 n. 2, 171 n. 2, 202
Manda-rf-Hiia (Knowledge - of - Life) n. 4, 272, 274, 276, 278, 281 n.
I, 2f., 8, 14, 20 ff., 23, 27, 29, 31 ff., 5, 282; N. Qadmaita 281
and passim) prayer to 34 f. ; in- Nisibtun 104
vestiture of 165 f. 'Nisbai, mother of John the Baptist
Manhariel (banner) 235 152
Manhiriel 222 and n. 2 Noah 136 n. i, 152; see also Sum
Manichaeans 251 Norberg, M. 214
Mara-d-Rabutha (Lord of Greatness) North 14 n. 1, 232 n. 7, 31 1.
 INDEX 321

Novice (see Postulant) 21 76, 98, 106 n. 2, 151, 201, 214, 246 f.

Nsab, Ninsab 21, 165, 296, 306; Purgatory (s. matarta) pi. [matarata)
Nsab and Anan-Nsab see Anan- 31 n. 4, 51, 62 f. n. 5, 100, 21 1 n. i
Nsab; N.-Ziwa 128, 244 301
'Nsibat-’utria 4
Nuraita, Noah’s wife 152 Qin 151
Qinta, wife of John the Baptist 152
Oil, 19, 21, 30, 36, 43 n. 3; sesame-
19 ff.; prayer for 52; for “Letter” Rabutha, Mara Mara-
d-, see
63 ff. benediction of 67, passim.
;
Rahbata or rahwata 67 n. 5; see
Olive wood staff see Staff
Food-tray
Opening the Mouth 49 n, 2 Ram R. and Rud
21, 88, 147; 151
Palmbranch n. 8; R.-Rba-Hiia 8
53
Palmtree [sindirka], symbol of the Rahmia (devotional prayers) 26 n. i,

Father 14 n. 6, 142, 157, 224 n. 3, 271 27 ff., 61, 106 ff.

n. r see Wellspring and Datepalm
;
Ramuia son of ’Qaimat 32, 67, 71,
Pandama: see Face- veil 150, 154, 171
Pardun 87 Rasta (ritual dress) 162 ff., 291 n. 8
Paris Responses (’niania) 88 (n. 2) ff.
233 n. 2
Parwanaiia (the intercalary days) 291 Rham and Rhamiel-’Uthra 286
Patura (food-tray, dish, table) 61 Rhum-Hai 12, 87
n. 5 and passim Rice 246 n. 5
Ring (= seal) (’siqia) 10 n. i, 65,
Pax, the 57 n. 3; see Kusta
Petermann, H. 214 and passim in 221, 225 n, 5. 226;
notes Rinsing-water {halalta) 28, 30
Pihla 59 n. 3 Ruaz (a vine) : see Vine
Pihta see Bread, sacramental
:
Ruha (Spirit) 62 n. i, 74, 115, 123,
Piriafil-Malaka 9 f., 12 246 11. 2, 291 n. 2; Ruha-d-
Piriawis, the (Great) Jordan 7, 12,
Qudsa (Holy Spirit) 246
15, 18, 30, 86 n. i; 102, 143 n 2,
Rusma, the 102 ff, in n. 7
232, 237, 260,298; P.-Ziwa 9, 12
Pirun the Vine 37, 268, 304; torrent Sabbath, the 130, 136, 138
P. 284; banner 234 Sacred Unique One, Great U.S.O.
Planets, the Seven (or “the Seven 278 n. I, 292 f., 306
Ships”, “the Seven”) i, 31, 44 n. Sahrat 166
2, 53, 62, 96, 98, no, 113, 129 f., Sam 137; Sam-gufaian 2; Sam-
144!., 156, 17811., 183, 200 f,, 214, gufna 2, 283 Sam-Mana-Smira ;

243, 245, 288, 300, 313, 315 7, 84 n. 3, 155; Sam-Pira-Hiwara

Pool, the baptismal (yardna) 9 n. 3; 2; Sam-Smir 7 f., 18, 21, 29 f.;
see Jordan Sam-Ziwa 297, 303
Proven Pure One, the 185 ff. Samasiel 164
Postulant(s) for priesthood [sitalia plu. Sanasiel 85 n. 4
malania] 21 1, 226 n. 6, 227 ff., 262 n. Sandalwood 6
3, 314 passim see Coronation. Sar and Sarwan 21, 146, 285 and n. 7
Priest (tarmida) 27, 71, 154, 156 and Sar-Gufna 37; 268; Sar-Ziwa 262
n. II, 157, 172 n. 2, 211 n. 4, 215, n. I, 284
220, 224, 262 n. 3, 273 n. 4, 285 n. Sarat, (a cloud) 290; Sarat-Nitufta
6, 298 n. I, 308 n. 7; "coronation” 105
of 220 ff. Sarhabiel 22, 303, 307; Surbai and
Prisaia-rba-qadmaia 147 S. 152 n. 2
Pta-hai (“He opened-Life”) 23, 46, Sarwala (leggings) 165 n. i
84 Saslamiel, a banner, 240!.
Ptahil, the demiurge 29 n. i, 46, jbn. i. Sasqaliel a cloud 223 n. i
322 INDEX

Saturn 179, 251 n. 7 Staff {margna) 5, 10, 13, 27 ff., 30,

Sauriel the Releaser (the Angel of 121 n. 3, 167, 230, 238, 268, 292;
Death) 44, 53 n. 3, 65, 301 n. 5 bridegroom’s 176
Sbabut 18 n. 5 Stars 42, 144, 279; see also Planets
Scales of Judgment 7, 45, 50, 89, Stem of Life, the 299
133; see also Abathur-Muzania Stole, [kanzala) 9 n. 2, 29, 31, 33,
Sesame (siisma) 19 see Oil. 164 n. 3; prayer for 164
Seven, the, see Planets; Mysteriesi^S ’Stuna (mistakenly ’ustuna) column,
Sganda see asganda
: body, trunk; see Body.
Shamish (sun) 246 see Sun Suf, sea of 251 n. 4
Shaq-Zhva 14, 104 n. 3, 157 Sum (Shem) son of Noah 26 f., 31,
Signing (at baptism) 14 f., and n. 57, 60, 66, loi, 152
3. 19, 21, 23, 26 f. 30, 68, 179, Sum-Hai (Name -of-Life) 12, 45, 87
184 passim. Sun, the 16, 144, 178, 180; see
Sihiun 87 also Shamish
Sihlun-Ziwa 168, 179 Sunday see Habsaba
Sihmai 234 n. i, 287 and n. 2 Surbai 152 n. i
Silence 4. 34, 42
Silmai and Nidbai, the guardians of
Tab taba Itabia (commemoration
the Jordan 8 ff., 12 f., 22, >6, 31,
prayer) lesser 6of., great 151
39. 56. 58, 86 n. 9, 89 ff., 105, Table (tariana) 308 ns. 2 and passim
3,
108, 128, 159, 237, 296, 304
see also Food-tray
Simat-Hiia (Treasure-of-Life) i, [4,
Tabuta 6i n. 2, 154, 241, 254 n. i,
105, 155, 157, 221, 279 ns.
107,
passim
275, 291
I and 8, 281, passim
Tan(n)a(s), the Great Occult 9 n. i,
Sindiriawis (name of a jordan) 284, 289
12 107, 136, 154, 166, 188, 220
f.,
Simiael 248 n. 4
n. 3, 221, 230, 261, 268, 271 ff., 284
Sindirka: see Palmtree
287
Singilan-’Uthra 105 Tartabunia, 81 n. i, 100 n. 4, 302
Siniawis (the Underworld) 294 Tar and Tanvan (a pair of genii), 146;
Sins, forgiveness of 33 ff., 38, 43, Tarwan, 167, 296, 303; Tarwan-
64 f., passim. Nhura, 3, 21.
Sion 132
Tauriel, an 'tdhra 86 n. 5, 292, 296,
Sislam, S.-Rba (the great §.) 14,
308; a vine, 303.
104 f., 105 n. 2, 107, 154, 215, Temples 22, 27
220 ff.; seven livmns of 223 ff.,
Theft 27, 34
233 n. 4 and f., 239, 281, 311 Sisla- ;
Tib (town) 32 n. 2, 71, 150, 171.
miel 240, banner 5 234 .

Tree, the 7, 35, 84 f., 155, 181;

Sitil (Seth) 6, gi., 16 f., 22, 56, 58,
Tree ofRadiance 4; Tree of Life
78 n. I, 87, 104, 106 n. 4, 108, 127,
269; Tree Starwan 296 and n. 2;
151, 171, 178, 181, 232, 260, 296 Tree Tatagmur
passim. 303 and n. 2
Truth: see Kusta
Skinta (habitation, cult-hut) pi. skinata
Turban [burzinqa) 2, 3, 160; prayers
3n. I, 9, 13, 26 n. 4, 38 n. 4, 44 ff.,
of the I ff.
90, 126, 155, 172 n. I, 173 n. I, Twelve, the: see Zodiac
183, 187 n. 3, 222 ff., 23of., 262 f.,
275 and passim'. First Great S. ’Ldai, River 46 n. 7.
155. 277; creation of 293, 295, 297 Lmique One: see under Sacred Unique
Smandriel 272 n. 3, 286 n. 4 One
Soul (nisimta, mana, nafsa) 204 n. Urfiel and Marfiel (Urpiel and Mar-
I, passim-, group or congregation piel) 146
of 8, 16 n. I passim Spirit; {ruha) 'Usar 38; 'L'sar-Hiia, ’U.-Hai (Trea-
see Ruha. sure-of-Life) 23 f., 30, 46, 73, 75,
 INDEX 323

84 ;
’U-Nhura (Treasure-of-Light) 48!, 58 n. I, 163 f. and n. i ; of
12 f., 39f. Azmiuz 134
’Usfar-Manharbiel-’Staqlus 12 Womb 18 n. 4
’Ustuna-Rba 106, see ’Stuna and Word, 18,50, the First 261, 287,
Body. 293; see Mahzian
’Uthra(s) (spirit of Life) i ff., 8, 15, Wreath (klila) i n. 3, 4 f., 13, 15,
21 f., 35 ff., 86, 126 ff., 146, 171 ff., 29 f-, 36, 51 f-, 54. 57. 59, 64, 316
192 ff., 223 ff., 241, 254, 263, 268, passim] prayers for 15, 19 n. 4,
278 and passim] baptism of ‘uthras 29 n. 4, 42, 51, 91, 166, 182, 241,
189; creation of 186 f., 292, 295, passim spoilt 20 Ether-w. 42, 59, 63,
; ;

297; king of 122, 162, 172 66, 241 see also Crown, Myrtle
;

Yadatan; see Adatan

Vein, the [siriana] 275 n. 10, 282
Yafefiyah (“divine beauty”), 84 n. 2
n. 287, 297
I,
Yahia-Yuhana (John the Baptist)
Venus (Libat), the planet 179
106 n. 3, 152
Vestments 31, 164 ff. 201: see Girdle,
Yaha-yaha ii
Rasta, Stole etc.
Yaluz-yaluz 18, 46 n. 6
Vine 26, 35 ff., 47, 84 ff., 126,
I, 7,
Yardna: see Jordan
134. 155. I59> f-. 208, 220, 272,
Yatira i n. i
275, 278, 282; the First 10, 37,
Yawar (Radiance) 3 n. 4, 10, 29,
39, 112 ff., 263, 268, 304; the
39. 47. 88, 126, 147, 154, 156, 157,
Vine Pirun 37, 268, 304; the Vine
162, 194, 212, 2376,, 252 n. 2 andff.
Ruaz 26, 59, 113, 168, 182, 296 n.
278 281 f., 288, 292; hymns in
ff.,
3,303: the Vine Sar 37; the Vine
praise of 252-259; Y.-Ziwa (Dazz-
Srar 112; the Vine Yusmir 10, 303;
hng Radiance) i ff., 8 f., 21, 29,
V. of Life 269, 275; of Souls 302:
38 f., 64, 72, 89, 91. 107, 112, 155,
Ether-V. 304; Twelve vines 126:
158, 163, 168, 244, 247 f., 257, 267,
passim
passim] Y. Tatgmur 147
Yazuqaeans 251
Year, New Y.’s feast 159 n. 3
Water, running 248 n. 6 and see Yufin-Yufafin 4, 7, 18, 23. 42, 84,
Jordan; of Life 21, 27, 33 n. 2, 48, 105. 155
n6, 155, 182, 194, 260, 285, 308, 314; Yukabar 13, 23, 31; Y.-Hiia 47;
of prayer 36 n. 2, 49, 68; waters, Y.-Kusta Y.-Ziwa 5, 7, 15,
299;
the black i of Death {hafiqia
23, 63, 65, 85; Y-the Word 18
;

mia) 45 n. 6, 48 n. 5, 63, 95, 99, Yukasar 48 f., 52, 85 n. 7, 238

302 Yur son of Barit 9,13,29; Yur-Rba
Wedding 161 ff., 211, 215, 316; songs
156 (voc. Yurba) 156 n. 10
184 f.
Yura 183 n. 5, 304 n. 4
Weighing of Deeds 7 f. and see Yusamin (a vegetation spirit) 7, 13
Scales of Judgement n. 4, 56, 58, 69 n. I, 86 n. 4, 104, 141,
Well Sumqaq, the 69 n. 2
151, 191, 214, 254, 281, 296, 315
Wellspring, the Great (symbol of the Yusmir 10, 13, 23, 47, 156, 238;
cosmic mother) 14 n. 5, 28, 31, 72, Yusmir the First Vine: see Vine;
90, 157, 160, 240, 272 n. 4, 282; Yusmir-Yusamir 10
W. and Datepalm [aina ustn- Yuzataq 294 n. 3; Y.-Manda-d-Hiia
dirka) 14 ns. 5 and 6, 31, 107, 10, 21, 33, 36, 85, 89, 294
5, 44 ff.,
i54< 234, 277; Three Well-
157.
springs 233, 282, 290 Seven d®
234, 360 d° 233 f. Zahriel 106 n. 2, 151, 279 n. i, 281
Wine (hamra) 48 n. 4, 241 f., 308 n. n. 2

5 and f. ;
mingled with water 41, Zandiqs (= ? Manichaeans) 251
Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook 22
 1

324 INDEX

Zangaiia, (the “roarers”) loo n. 3, 6,291 ns. 5, 8; prayers of 240 ff.,

156 254 n. I, 307f.
Zamar-Hai 12, 87 Zihrun 105; banner Z. 234, 237,
Zarziel-Nhura-Rba 244 268; Z.-Raza 2f., 3. 195!., 225; Z.-
Zazai-d-Gawazta 67, 71, 150, 154, Saslamiel 240 n. 5
171 Ziv-Hai (Radiance-of-Life) 45
Zha-Zha 1 Ziwa: see Yawar; First Great Z. 154
Zhir 23; Z. and Zahrun 105 (read Ziwa-Kasia (Mystic Radiance) 276
Zihrun) ’zlat 105 n. 2, 107, 154, 157
Zidqa (charity) 251 Zodiac, Signs of the (“the Twelve”)
Zidqa-brika (Blessed Oblation) 89 n. 98, 144, 286, 300 n. 3, 313
 : !

ERRATA
page 6, note i, read: Abel, Seth and the Biblical Enos (Anus)
page 7, line 14, read: Sam-Smir, instead of: Sam-Smira
page 9, note i, delete after vapour; here

page 31, line 32, read: Abathur, instead of: Abatur

page 32, line 16, read: possession, instead of: possesion
page 40, line 9, insert after (They revealed treasure : )
from the
First Treasure
page 41, line 26, delete : . Note 2 to be replaced by : ‘‘ruta. Lidzbarski
translated Erleuchtung. The implied meaning is

light which awakens, brings to life’

page 48, note 5, read: D.C. 3, instead of: D.C. 31

page 54, note i, read: ^stuna, instead of: ^ustuna
page 78, note i, read: Anus, instead of: ’Anus
page 87, note 5, read: Adam Kasia, instead of: Adam Kasca
page 104, line 5, read: Asut, instead of: Asiet
line 27, read: Shaq-, instead of: ’Shaq-
page 105, line ii, read: Zihrun, instead of: Zahrun
page 117, note 5, read: kul man d, instead of: kid man d
page 129, line 28, read: my daughter, instead of: My daughter
page 151, line 23, read: Abathur, instead of: Abatur
page 154, line 25, read: p. 288, instead of: p. 287
page 172, Une 8, delete:

page 174, note 2, read: In S. d.-Q. 4: 4., instead of: 5 d-Q. 4,: 4.
.

page 199, line 29, read: into, instead of: nito

page 209, note i, read: Nistiknat?, instead of: Nistiknatl
read: (mistiknial), instead of: {mistiknial)
page 213, note 4, insert a colon after: tentative
page 233, note 5, read: ^stiinia and ^stnna, instead of: ’nstunia and
^iistiina

read: Adam’s, instead of: Adams

page 246, line 4, read: Ruha-d-Qudsa!, instead of: Ruha-d-Qudsa
page 259, note 3, read: ^stun, ^stima, instead of: '‘iistun, ^ustuna
page 285, note 7, read: Prayer 25, instead of: Prayer 45
page 297, line 22, read: ^siuna, instead of: 'Ustnna
line 32, read: appellation, instead of: appelation
in notes 5 and 6, read: "stnnia and ^stima, instead of:

^ustunia and 'uHiina *

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