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
In the Name of Great Life may hallowed Light be glorified.
A TREASURE calls from without hither and speaks:
"Come, be for me a loving shepherd and watch me a thousand
out of ten thousand."--
" So then will I be a loving shepherd for thee and watch thee
a thousand out of ten thousand. But how full is the world of
vileness and sown full of thorns and of thistles!--
" Come, be for me a loving shepherd and watch me a thousand out of ten thousand. I will bring thee then sandals of glory with them canst thou trend down the thorns and the thistles. Earth and heaven decay, but the sandals of glory decay not. Sun and moon decay, but the sandals of glory decoy not. The stars and heaven's zodiacal circle decay, but the sandals of glory decay not. The four winds of the [world-] house decay, but the sandals of glory decay not. Fruits and grapes and trees decay, but the sandals of glory decay not. All that is made and engendered decays, but the sandals of glory decay not. So then be for me a loving shepherd and watch me a thousand out of ten thousand."--
" I will then be a loving shepherd for thee and watch thee a thousand out of ten thousand. But if a lion comes and carries one off , how am I to retrieve him? If a thief comes and steals one away, how am I to retrieve him? If one falls into the fire and is burnt, how am I to retrieve him? If one falls into the water and drowns, how am I to retrieve him? If one stays behind in the pen, how am I to retrieve him? "-
"Natheless, come therefore, be for me a loving shepherd
and watch me a thousand out of ten thousand.
If a lion comes and carries ad one, let him go his way and fall prey to the lion. Let him go his way and fall a, prey to the lion, in that he bows himself down to the sun.
If a wolf comes and carries off one let him go his way and fall a prey to the wolf, in that he bows himself down to the moon.
If a thief comes and steals away one, then let him go his way and fall a prey to the thief. Let him go his way and fall a prey to the thief, in that he bows himself down before Nigrig (Mars).
If one falls into the fire and is burnt, let him go his way and fall a prey to the fire. Let him go his way and fall a prey to the fire, in that he bows himself dawn to the fire.
If one falls into the mud and stays stuck there, then let him go his way and fall a prey to the mud. Let him go his way and fall a prey to the mud, in that he bows himself down to Messiah.
If one falls into the water and drowns, then let him go his way and fall a prey to the sea. Let him go his way and fall a prey to the sea, in that he bows himself down to the seas.
If one stays behind in the pen, let him go his way and fall a prey to the pen-demon. Let him go his way and fall a prey to the pen -demon in that he bows himself down to the idols…
Come, be for me a loving shepherd and watch me a thousand out of ten thousand."---
"So will I then be for thee a loving shepherd and watch thee
a thousand out of ten thousand. I will watch a thousand of
thousands, yea of ten thousand those who adore him..."
" But some of them wander from me. I went up to the high mountains and went down into deep valleys. I went and found
him where he can crop nothing. Of each single sheep I took hold
wth my right hand and on the scale did I lay him. A thousand among ten thousand have the [rightl weight.."
Life is exalted and is victorious, and victorious is the Man who has come hither.
Mandaean John-Book by G.R.S. Mead pages 83 - 86
