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

EXHORTATIONS

From the Light-region have I (Life's Gnosis) come forth, from thee, thou glorious dwelling. With vestures of glory have I been clad and a crown of victory on my head has been set. I came and found the Nazoraeans, how they stand on the shore of the Jordan. I set up my throne and sat down, as a father who sits 'midst his sons. The Good sits there and teaches his sons all truth in which is no error. My sons! See that you commit no adultery: see that you no theft commit. They who commit adultery and who steal, mount not up to Life's house. They mount not up to Life's house and do not behold Light's region. My sons! See that you practice no magic and afflict not the soul in the body. The magicians and falsificatiors are hurled into seething pots and fire is their judge. My sons! See that ye remove not the boundaries, that the boundary-stone you displace not. The eye of those who remove boundaries, looks not on the Light. My sons! See that you do not abandon the slave to the hands of his master and the slave-girl to the hands of her mistress: abandon not the weak to the strong. [He who acts otherwise] will be fettered in a distant region, in the tax-gatherers, house: his eyes behold only the Darkness and his foot finds no firm ground. My sons! See that you take not (to wife) a sieve-girl who has not been made free, and thereby bring your sons into the house of a master. For if the slave one day sins, then on the day when his master passes judgment upon him, will the sins which the slave commits, fall an the head of his father. My sons! See that you are not hinters and that your eyes make no suggestions (sc. to women). For the hinters and wink- givers will be assigned to the guard-stations. To the guard-stations will they be assigned and be judged with stern justice. My sons! See that you eat not up interest and interest on interest, else in the dark mountain will you receive judgment. My sons! See that you pay no homage to the idols, the satans and demons, to the worship of idols -and to the lusts of this world; for on the godlings and satans will a stern judgment fall, and they who pray to them will not ascend to Life's house and not look on Light's region Give heed to what I have charged you, and let no evidence be given of crime and of lying; on evidence al crime and of lying you will be haled to account 'fore the judge. You will be haled to account 'fore the judge who judges all worlds. He judges each one according to his works and his merit. My sons! All that is hateful to you, do not to your neighbors: for in the world into which you have come, is a heavy justice and judgment. Heavy justice and judgment is there therein, and every day will minds made secure in it be chosen. For everyone who is laden, mounts upward; but he who is empty is judged here. Woe to the empty, who stands empty there in the house of the collectors of taxes. When he had it in his hand, he gave nothing; there will he search in his pocket and he will find nothing. The wicked and liars will be hurled into the Darkness. They will into the blazing fire cast, into the blazing fire will they cast him into whose ears the call has been made, but he would not give ear. I showed it him unto his eye, but he would not see: I showed it him, but he would not see with his eye. Life is victorious, and victorious is the Man who has came 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 91 - 93