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

Sidra d-Yahia

ODDS and ENDS

THE SONG OF THE POOR'S EXHALTATION

IIn the Name of Great Life may hallowed Light be Glorified. A POOR MAN am I, who comes out of the (celestial) Fruits a Stranger to the world, who comes out of the Distance. A Poor man am I, to whom Great Life gave ear, a Stranger to this world, whom the Light-treasures made  world-strange. They brought me out of the abode of the good ones: ah me! in the wicked ones' dwelling they made me to dwell. Ah me! they made me to dwell in the wicked ones' dwelling, which is filled full of nothing but evil. It is filled full of nothing but evil, filled full of the fire which consumes. I would not and will not dwell in the dwelling of naughtness. With my power and with my enlightening I dwelt in the dwelling of naughtness. With my enlightening and my praise-giving I kept myself stranger to this world. I stood among them as a child who has not a father. As a child who has not a father, as a fruit who has not a tender I hear the voice of the Seven, who whisper in secret and say: "Whence is this Stranger man, whose discourse is not like to our discourse?" I listened not to their discourse; then were they full of wicked anger against me. Life, who gave ear to my call, a Messenger sent forth to meet me. He sent me a gentle Treasure, an armored, well-armored Man. With his pure voice he makes proclamation, as the Treasures make in the House of Perfection. He speaks: " Poor one, from anguish and fear be thou free! Say not: I stand here alone. For thy sake, O Poor this firmament was outspread, Was this firmament spread out, and stars were pictured upon it . For thy sake, O Poor, this firm land came into existence, Came into existence this firm land, the condensing took form, fell into the water. For thy sake came the sun, for thy sake the moon was revealed. For thy sake, O Poor, came the Seven, and the Twelve are hither descended Thou Poor one ! On thy right rests glory, on thy left rest (light) lamps. Hold steadfast in thy security, until thy measure has been completed. When thy measure has been completed, I will myself come to thee. I will bring thee vestures of glory, so that the worlds will long for them, desireful. I will bring thee a pure, excellent head-dress, abundant in infinite light I will set thee free from the wicked, from the sinners will I deliver thee. I will make thee dwell in thy shekinah free thee into the region unsullied." I hear the voice of the Seven who whisper in secret and speak: "Blessed is he who is to the Poor one a father, who is unto the Fruit a tender. Hail to him whom Great Life knows, woe to him whom Greet Life knows not." Hail to him whom Great Life knew, who has kept himself stranger to this world. The world of the defect in which the Planets are seated. They sit on thrones of rebellion and drill their works with the scourge. For gold and for silver are they disquiet, and strife they cast into the world. Disquiet are they and therein east strife; therefore will they go hence and seethe in the fire. The wicked shall seethe, and their pomp shall vanish and come to an end. But I with my offspring and kindred shall ascend and see the Light's region, The region whose sun never sets, And whose light-lamps never darken-- That region, the state (of the Blessed), Where to your souls are called and invited And so are our good brothers' souls And the souls of our faithful sisters. Life is exalted and is victorious, and victorious is the Man who has come hither.

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

From the book Gnostic John the Baptiszer: Selections from the Mandaean John-Book by G.R.S. Mead pages 93 - 96