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
'Niania
PRAYERS 91 -103
In the name of the Great Life!
May my thought, my knowledge and my understanding Enlighten me, Adam-Yuhana sun of Mahnus, By means of these responses and homilies for baptism and the masiqta.
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 myrtle 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-hymn "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, Hablaba) and Kana-d-Zidqa ,
Hear me, hear me, Abathur-Rama, whose strength
Presideth over the Scales!
Hear me, great Bihram! and raise me up
Yuzataq-Manda-d-Hiia!
Hear me, (ye) Seven Mysteries which reside
In the Great Wellspring
Hear me, (ye) three wellsprings which give out
Radiance, light and effulgence!
Hear me (ye) three manas
Who rest upon the jordan with your treasurel
Hear me, Anus-'Uthra ,
Whose strength dwelleth upon me!
81
In the name of the Great Lifel
Hear me, my Father, hear me!
And draw me upward, great Son of the mighty (Life) ;
Our Father, Son of the Life!
Silmai 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
In the name of the Great Life !
At the Fountain-head came I forth,
At the Source of springs of life 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 sublime, blessed and trusty
To the uttermost.
[Repeat this hymn when thou art baptising and takest up the mambuha 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
And raised up! Pure fruit have they borne
And on their heads they set living 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,
Well did my baptiser baptise me,
Truly did my baptiser baptise me
And your baptism shall attain its end.
85
Silmai hath baptised us with his baptism,
Nidbai hath signed us with his pure sign.
The great Anus-'uthra hath
placed living wreaths on our heads.
86
The Jordan in which we have been immersed
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 sublime Light be magnified!
Rightly do I say to you, my Chosen,
Who went up with me to the jordan,
Pervert and change me not, alter me not by hand,
Pervert not nor alienate 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 man's) 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 will enter the communion that is great
So that he will be united (therewith) and will arise
And will behold the Place of Light
And 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 stumblings!
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 Me.
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 .
If ye have attained my strength
Bear (arms for) me!
If ye bear (arms for) me firmly
Stand by me frombeginning to end!
But it 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 world,
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 flame of the Great Life
The sublime 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 my heart I took a Sign,
My Sign is not that of Fire,
Nor is it that wherewith the Anointed One
My Sign is a Jordan of living water.
The strength of which none can attain,
He chose one out of a thousand
And from two thousand he chose two,
Making traders of them
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 light,
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 will answer them?
Because it was given to them but they took not,
Who will 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
Who stand by the Jordan. I say to them,
"My children (who walk) in my road,
My children (who follow) 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 host 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.]
