Canonical Prayerbook 106-168

Background information
from Drower

Various sections
of the Canonical Prayerbook

Copyists

BOOK OF SOULS Prayers 1-31

MASIQTA Prayers 32-72

The Letter ('ngirta) Prayer 73

COLOPHON #74

HYMNS OF PRAISE Prayers 75-77

The Responses ('niania) Prayers 78-103

The Rusma (Daily Ablution Prayers)--Prayer 104

ASIET MALKIA Prayer 105

Rahmia (Daily Devotional Prayers)--Prayers 106-168

     Colophon 169

    Tab Taba Ltabia (the full Commemoration prayer forthe dead and living--Prayer 170

     Hymns of Praise--Prayers 171-172

     Sumhata (The Names)--Prayers 173-176

     Little New Year's Feast Prayer--Prayer 177

     Prayers for honoring the crown--Prayer 178

    Hymns of marriage and a new priest (including the series Kt Azil Bhira Dakia-- Prayer 179-198

     Colophon 199

    Prayers 200-283

   Colophon 284

     Prayers 285-304

    Coronation Prayers and hymns (including two for myrtle)-- Prayers 305-328

      Colophon 329

BANNER HYMNS Prayers 330- 347

    Blessed Oblation Prayers and Hymns--Prayers 348- 374

Blessings on the chief celebrant after Blessed Oblation--                     Prayers 375-381

    Myrtle prayers and hymns--Prayers 382-385

     Various prayers 386-409

     Prayer of Yahia--Prayer 410

     Odd hymns--411- 412

THE CANONICAL PRAYERBOOK
OF THE MANDAEANS

RAHMIA

Prayer 106

Prayers 107 - 108

Prayer 109

Prayers 110 - 112

Prayers 113 - 116

Prayer 117

Prayer 118

Prayers 119 - 124

Prayers 125 - 130

Prayers 131 - 136

Prayers 137 - 142

Prayers 143 - 148

Prayers 149 - 154

Prayers 155 - 160

Prayers 161 - 162

Prayers 163 - 164

Prayers 165 - 168

Prayers 149-154

FRIDAY

The following three hymns and three chants are for the sixth day of the week

#149

In the name of the Great Life
Sublime 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!"

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,
What 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 ma�kna
She hath taken dislike 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 will 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.

# I50
On the day that the great gate of the Dwellings 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 will tell him everything: of how
All the worlds have harried me,
Many were the persons who harried me.

(But) my brethren, sons of Kusta,
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 lift 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 recount to Him everything,
How all the worlds persecuted me;
Many were the persons who harried me,
(But) my brothers, sons of Ku�ta, do not fail me.
The world stoned me with stones,

(But) my brothers, in words were angry (thereat)
They said to me "Why weepest thou, Daughter of Ku�ta?

(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 are uplifted and fortified
By a word of sure truth
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 invited,
And the souls of your good brothers
And of such of our sisters who are believing.

#I53

A cleft was cloven in the earth:
Thunder sounded in great Sion,
The being who breached the breach
Was unable with (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
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 will ye do on the Day of Judgement?

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 believing.

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,
And be Thou, Great Life,
To me a Helper"