Miryai Saga
Miryai is Expelled from Jewry
A Variant of the Above from the Oxford Manuscript
The Exiled Community Settle on the Euphrates
The Jews Persecute the Mandaeans
They Beg Then to Return
Yahi-Yohanna Saga
Portents of John`s Birth
John`s Proclamation concerning himself
and his assumption of the Prophet's mantle
John`s Light-Ship
John the Ascetic
Of Judgement Day
The Letter of Truth
John`s Invulnerability
John and the Baptism of Jesus
John's Marriage
John on His own Passing
John's Birth , Uprising, and First Appearance
John's Answer to Jesus Concerning the Angel of Death
Fisher Saga
The Fisher of Souls Saga
The Light Ship of the Fisher
The Good Fisher Rejects the Overtures
of the Evil Ones and Overwhelms Them
The Final Submission of the Evil Fishers
Good Shepherd Prayers
THE LOVING SHEPHERDS
OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Odds and Ends
The Song of the Poor's Exhaltation
Exhortations
In the Beginning
The Treasury of Life
WITH JUDAISM
Miryai am I, of the Kings al Babel, a daughter, a daughter of Jerusalem's mighty rulers. They have given me birth: the priests brought me up. In the fold of their robe they carried me up into the dark house, into the temple. Adonai laid a charge on my hands and on my two arms: I must scour and cleanse the house [that isl without firmness- There is naught therein for supporting the poor, naught to revive the tormented souls.
My father went to the house of the people, my mother vent to the temple. My father went out and said to me, and my mother went out and charged me: " Miryai, close thy inner doors and bolt the bar. See that thou goest not forth into the main streets and that the suns of my Lord' fall not upon thee."
But I, Mirayi, listened not to what my mother did tell me, and hardened not with the ear to what my father did charge me. I opened the inner doors and the outer let I stand open. Out vent I into the main streets and the suns of my Lord fell upon me. To the house of the people would I not go, but my way bore me onto the temple (of the Mandaeans). I went and I found my brothers and sisters, how they stand and carry on proclamations. My brothers carry on proclamations and my sisters throw out explanations. With the voice of their proclamations and with the voice of their explanations I became drowsy and laid me down on the spot.
My brothers went forth and did not wake me, and my sisters withdrew and roused me not. But thou, my sister in Truth, dost rouse me from sleep, and dost say: " Arise, arise, Miryai, before the day breaks nod the cock lets crow his morn-call, before the sun shines and his glory rises over the worlds, before the priests and the priests' sons go forth and sit them down in the shade of the Ruins--Jerusalem, before thy father comes and brings upset upon thee such as thou never hast had".
I, Miryai, keep secret my prayers and utterly secret keep my discourses.
Early, day began to dawn, early the cock let crow his call, early- the sun shone and his glory rose over the worlds. The priests and priest's sons went out and sat them down in the shade of the Ruins--Jerusalem. Then came my bodily father and brought on me upset such as I never hare had.
He spake:
"Where host come from, thou debauched trough, whom (locks?) and bars (cannot keep in)? Where host thou come from? Woe (unto thee) thou b**** in heat, who (mindest?) not (door-) pins and lockings! Where hast thou come from? Woe, woe (unto thee) thou bit of coarse stuff that has been patched on my robe!"
"If I am a debauched trough, I will burst thy (boltings) and bars. If I am a b***** in heat, I will draw back the pins and the lockings. If I am a bit of coarse stuff that has been patched on thy robe, then out of thy robe cut and rip me"
Thereon he cried:
" Come (pl), look on Miryai, who has left Jewry and gone to make love with her lord. Came, look on Miryai, who has left off coloured raiment and gone to make love with her lord. She forsook gold and silver and went to make love with her lord. She forsook the phylacteries and went to make love with the man with the head-band."
Then Miryai makes answer onto him:
" Far lies it from me to love him whom I hare hated. Far lies it from me to hate him whom I hare loved. Nay, far from me lies it to hate my Lord, the Life's Gnosis, who is for me in the world a support, a support is he in the world for me and a helper in the Light's region. Dust in the mouth of the Jews, ashes in the mouth of all of the priests! May the dung that is under the feet of the horses, come on the high ones and Jerusalem's mighty rulers."
Life is exalted and is victorious, and victorious is the Man who has come hither.
Mandaean John-Book by G.R.S. Mead pages 62-63
