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
OF THE MANDAEANS
In the Name of the Life!
Praised be the First Great Radiance
and praised the Great First Light!
Praised 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 Wellspring and Palm-tree ;
Praised is the great 'zlat: Praised is the great Yawar who was formed from the loins 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.
Praised is that first great Jordan : praised are those three hundred and sixty jordans 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 like 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 will have strength and greatness like a priest.'
And he shall say
"Thou art established First Life" and dedicate (his crown) sixty-one times and make (this) petition : (and say) Ye are blessed, praised and magnified, revered and established with high honour which is great and boundless, O Life, and my Lord Manda-d-Hiia and the great First Liie, 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 healings.
(O) 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,
(0) Ayar-Nhura, pure saviour 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!
O Hablaba (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, 0 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!
Haias'um, healer ; Kus'ta, 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 Mahnus' who have prayed this prayer and devotions.
Be there forgiveness of sins for me, and for my father and mother, and nor my teacher , for my wife and children, for my priests and for all souls who stood for the Name of Life and were firm in the sign of Manda-d-Hiia with a sincere and believing heart.
Yea, Life, verily Life, Life will be with the victorious.
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 dwellings:
Life is victorious over all works.
172
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 wife 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.
