65-72

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

The Masiqta

Prayers 32 - 42

Prayers 43 - 53

Prayers 54 - 64

Prayers 65 - 72

Prayers 65 - 72

65

Ye are set up and raised up into the Place where the good are established amongst manas of light, 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, and 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
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 light ariseth,
Darkness returneth to its place.
The souls of this masiqta
Approach a cloud of light.
Their journey is to the Place of Light.

And Life be praised.

[This is a masiqta hymn]

67

With him, with the Deliverer
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 will set you up in their midst.
To the place to which the good go they will guide you
And in the place in which they stand they will set you up;
Lamps of radiance are found before you,
Beams of light behind you.
Kušta will come at your right
And Piety will smoothen your path.

For you there will be loosings
From here to the Everlasting Abode.
For the ferry which ferries over the Elect
Will set out towards you and take you across.

(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 his two 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.

68

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 wrapping 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.
(There) the soul remaineth and waiteth in the hostel of the body
Which he had bequeathed her: sitteth and watcheth over it
Till its measure and count were accomplished.

When its measure and count were accomplished
The Deliverer came to her;
To her came the Deliverer
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 Deliverer, ran (after) him
Who had bound her to her dwelling.
The soul and her Deliverer (go):
Her course is to the Place of Light,
To the place whose sun goeth not down,
Nor do its lamps of light 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 will be
On the road which Adam attained:
Bliss and peace there shall 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;
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
Is filled with water!" And to her he saith
"Go in peace, daughter of the free, whom
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 škintas,
The place where `uthras abide, conversing;
And Life is victorious and triumphant 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 Yushamin,
For thou wilt give them thy helping hand.
Be ye praised, Shilmai and Nidbai,
For ye will give true witness concerning them.
And be ye praised, Hibil, Shitil, and Anush
For ye will ransom them from the House-of-Dues
And from Abathur of the Scales!

For toward you will go forth a messenger,
And the messenger who goeth toward you
Is all radiance and 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
And will shed light.

The Lord of Tolls will not confront you
Nor will lying judges put you to the question.
They will bring you liberating words
From here unto the Everlasting Abode,
The building that was built for you in the House of Life,
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 light", "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 will 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.

If thou readest for (several) souls, read as it is written, but if only for one soul, say "The soul of N." and pay attention, with all watchfulness, clearness of mind and studious attention and recite "Good is the good for the good"; perform Kušta with one another and recite "In great radiance am I immersed".

And pray a prayer for yourselves and make pihta and mambuha for yourselves and eat your pihta and drink your mambuha And offer up the prayer "Good is the good for the good", perform Kušta 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 light, thy glory and thy help.

Praised art thou, my father Yushamin the Pure,
Son of a transplanting of the mighty Life.

Praised art thou, Second Life, Life that is from Life.

Praised are ye, Shilmai and Nidbai, guardian 'uthras of the jordan.

Praised are ye, Nsab and Anan-Nsab.

(Praised are) our fathers Hibil, Shitil and Anush
The name and chief of the whole race.

Praised art thou, Lofty Abathur;
Blessed and established is the great škinta 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.

Blessed art thou, Nasirutha from whom the elect learn;
From thee learn the elect, and deal out reward and pious gift
They deal with reward and pious gift and rise up and behold the Place of light.

Praised art thou, jordan of living 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 life,
The good gifts of life and of knowledge of life,
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 will rise by Kušta '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 wreath 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.

(A 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
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
And 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 wicked and liars.

Strengthen our insight, our voice, our vigilance and our praise!

Thereby the Great Life communed with thee
And set thee up completely (?) with His radiance
And His light, 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 all 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 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 his sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes and (those of) him who furnished this bread, masiqta and (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 oblation, and their wives, children, their priests 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 ("Devotions" recite it, and after the Rahmia. And recite it when thou partakest of the (ritual) dish. ]

And Life is victorious.