The Coronation of the Great Šišlam

COMMENTARY ON THE CORONATION OF THE GREAT ŠIŠLAM

My Lord be praised!                      (The Mandaean alphabet follows) Then they shall arise and convene priests and ganzibria (head-priests). They shall immerse (baptize one another?) three times and baptize the rba and his šualia (postulant). The priests and ganzibria immerse and construct an ‘ndruna on the Saturday, and spread out the 'little sky'. And they shall bring the Book of Mara d-Rabuta, the Book of Souls, Yahia’s Teaching, Lofty Kingship and The First World and as many manuscripts as possible and place them in the initiation-hut. And they shall unfurl the banners Then that rba shall stand in the initiation-hut and pray the prayers ordained for Saturday evening; moreover, on his arrival he recites 'Incense that is fragrant' (CP no. 8) and 'Hail to the First Life' (CP no. 31) and casts incense on the fire. After that he shall recite the seven banner hymns (CP nos. 330) and the prayer for Sunday until he reaches the hymns appointed for the day. He shall recite the prayer for Saturday in the evening (CP no. 159) and 'It revealed itself and set off and came' (CP no. I60) and the prayer 'Life created me from within It(self)' (GR r. 342: 4) and the prayer 'Miriai went to the door of the sanctuary' (CP no. 162) and then he shall recite 'Poor am I, from the fruits' (CP no. I65), 'The ‘uthras rejoice in his treasure' (CP no. I66), 'Thee, my Lord, Do I worship ' (CP no.169), 'At the Beginning, ether' (CP no. I68) and ‘To thy name, Land of Light' (CP no. I69), and shall finish the Rahmia. And he performs the kušta (rite) with  the šganda (acolyte) and takes and cuts off two silken crowns, one for himself and one for His šualia (postulant) and cuts off twenty-four crowns. If the postulant be his first, it should be thirty cotton crowns and two silken crowns of (of which) one is for himself and the other for his postulant And they shall sew them. And new vestments shall be cut out  for the postulant. If he  (the latter) be a first postulant, the rba will pray the Rahmia in new vestments. They shall sew them (the crowns) before they put away the banner. Then the rba arises and recites

In the name of the Great Life! Thou shinest in thy pure eloquence And glorifiest the world by thy brilliance. Our father, thou shinest in thy pure eloquence Thy root will become exalted And attain the summit!

After they had entered the škinta and the rba and priests pray the Rahmia softly.  And when they reach the prayers for the day, they recite 'On Sunday, first of the days’ (CP no. 119) and 'My day, what is it amongst  days. (CP no. I20). Then the rba shall recite two other antiphonal hymns, the prayer ‘Three 'uthras come with him" (CP no. 163) and the prayer ‘I beheld a mountain white·’ (CP no. I64). Then they recite 'Poor am I from the fruits' (CP no. 165) and 'Uthra rejoice in his treasure', reciting quietly and attentively. Then they finish their devotions (rahmia), make pihta for themselves; complete the eight prayers for the pihta and the two prayers or the mamhuha, eat and link and recite 'Life is fulfilled' (CP no.59) and 'The Great Life is enshrined' (CP no. 60), and 'Good is the good for the good (CP no. 72), and 'praised be the Great Radiance' and mqaimitum sixty one times. They make petition  for themselves and perform kušta one another and with the rba. Those priests (then) sit down. (But) you shall say none of the deconsecrating prayers .And they shall command those witnesses to go and bring (them)the postulant, who has taken off his vestments. And myrtle and the Book of Souls shall be carried in his hand and (he wears?) that pious gift  (zidqa), (namely) that which they tied (to him)—the gold to his right (arm) and the silver to his left. They go to the škinta, the witnesses being one at his right and the other at his left. And they call out greeting (lit. "Heath”) and they (those in the hut) respond. And the postulant shall sit on a chair whilst the rba and witnesses and all of them hymn him (saying)

On the day that a vision was realized by eyes And a new banner was prepared in it, Banners participated in its consecration, And banners shone in its radiance. The rba shone in its radiance And he praised the king's crown. The rba praised his crown and said to it: Thy counterpart shineth in the ether! In the ether shineth thy counterpart And the ether delighteth in thee! 'Uthras, kings and Jordans, Kings and Jordans praise thy counterpart For ever and aye.

And they honor their crowns and sit down. And an order is given to two witnesses, and they give them the' benefaction'—to one the gold, to the other the silver. And they go to the postulant and examine him from top to toe, from the hair on his head to the nail on his feet. If he be a first postulant they shall clothe him in his new garments, (i.e.) in the five mysteries and fasten the gold to his right (arm) and the silver to his left (arm). And they give him the Book of Souls and myrtle to hold in his hand. And they bring him to the initiation-hut and give him greeting (asuta). And they sit down.. The postulant's chair must be below theirs. And he says:

“Kušta strengthen You In the name of the great First Strange Life!”

And then assess (his ability to memorize prayers and hymns) as far as 'Darkness is crushed back into the Dark' (and 'Light is up) in its place’ (CP no. I03) Yalufia (literates, clerks) perform their assessment. Then the witnesses and the postulants arise and they (the witnesses and other priests) go home and warn him against removal of any item of his clothing. Then the rba explains the Great Book to the postulants until dawn on the (following) Sunday. They construct a škinta bring in and spread out the 'miniature sky' unfurl the banners and place all the manuscripts in the škinta. The the rba, ganzrivri (head priests) and priests come and stand at the entrance to the škinta. And the recites:

"Hear me! In the name of the Great Life! Blessed be this škinta of the Mighty (Life) In which crowns have been put together Within it crowns have been formed, And in it a crown for a king, son of kings Will be set on Set on a song of kings, a crown will be set. And all kings will pay homage to thee! ‘Uthras, Tannas, and Drops Will all bow and worship thee For by thee crowns and treasures Are established are set up And škintas and in-dwellings of the Mighty (Life) By thee set apart By thee the elect righteous will be edified And will worship and give praise Because thou art called a škinta. Which nurturety sucklings From the beginning to the end."

'In the name of the Great Life! Shine, give out light, Pure mirror! In all worlds Thou art called an enlightener! Rise up, thou great 'uthra, to thy feet And awaken all thy treasure for us So that we may shine and rejoice therein And that 'uthras and kings who sit in this škinta May shine and rejoice exceedingly!'

And he shall get up to his feet, he and the witnesses. Then the postulant shall kiss the head of one of the ganzibras, of whoever senior in the škinta, and gives him the Book of Souls. Holding myrtle in his hand, he says "Truth (kušta) strengthen you!" and recites by heart (nandiz) from 'In the name of' to 'Darkness is crushed down’', reciting with care and quietly. Should his recitation stand the test and when in the course of his recitation of the set book he reaches (the prayer) 'A sealed letter' (CP no. 73), the rba places a gold ring on the little finger of the postulant's right hand, who continues to recite up to 'Darkness is crushed' (CP no. 103). When he has finished the set piece (andazta), the rba and all the priests with the exception of the witnesses, address the following antiphonal hymn to him:

Thereupon the witness recites the antiphon to this hymn

And after others have recited this hymn the postulant shall kiss the head of the ganzibra who has the Book of Souls, and offers him the myrtle at which to inhale (the perfume). Then he (the postulant) kisses all the priests and offers them myrtle to smell at, kisses his rba on his head and offers him the myrtle to smell. Then he kisses for a second time the head of the ganzibra who has the Book of Souls and takes the book from him. Then he addresses the following hymn to him

'In the name of the Great Life! Rejoice, rabbis, rejoice That Yawar hath looked for a banner of radiance! And rejoice (ye) Rays of Light That we have vanquished the Darkness And have brought to nought the rebellious voice. If thus we have acted and thus it  was ordained, Yet it is you, the Well-Ordered Who, nevertheless, ordered it.

And after this hymn the rba, the witnesses, and all the priests address this hymn to him

In the name of the Great Life! Thou hast become a re guardian our father! In all worlds thou has become an illuminator Rejoice, our father, rejoice in all thy kingliness Thou, our father, art one in whom we shine and glory To the utmost!

Introduction Commenatry on the Coronation of the Great Sislam The First Blessed Oblation Masiqta Colophon Texts

Then the rba shall take the myrtle from the postulant and twine a wreath for the postulant and (another) for himself and bring two twigs for the Jordan-wreath. He shall give the postulant the wreath and a staff into his right hand. And the rba shall remove his crown from his head. Then the priests shall each say the whispered (formula) over their crowns, and after that they leave and any man who wishes to defecate shall defecate, cleanse himself, return, enter the škinta and 'arm' (re-dedicate) his crown with (the payers) 'Life created' (CP no. 3), 'Let there be light' (CP no. 5), and 'Manda created me (CP no. I9). And after removing his crown from his head, the rba shall wash his face and shall come to the entrance of the škinta with myrtle and crown held in his right hand and shall call out 'Health! (asuta)'. And the priests reply; And the he (the rba) says 'By our permission: (0) priests great and small, I will (now) assume authority, will open up the Jordan and will baptize him'. He bows and makes obeisance and they the priests of the škinta, sav 'it is in order. Thy sins art forgiven thee'. Thrice does he request permission and the priests give the (same) reply. Then the rba says 'O ye whose sins Manda-d-Hiia hath loosed from you! Arise, .go with me to the bank of the Jordan of water of Life. our Father. And the priests say 'Let everything be done according to thy command.’ And he (the rba) say: 'Let one of the priests go to the banner and one go to (?)  the Great Book and kinta and go to the bank of the Jordan. Then the rba recites 'When myrtle, myrtle' (CP no. 79) and twining a wreath by the Jordan says:

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that myrtle emerged From the Wellspring of water It grew in glory The waters gushed forth and separated And ether emanated from light. The king took the first myrtle From the hand of the new king Who by him had been instructed In the sublime ginza (secret treasure, arcana) He twined him a wreath And at the Jordan bestowed on him its purity. The king(s office ?) was confirmed by the myrtle And the Jordan was crowned by the king. They were reciprocally crowned, mutually aggrandised And rise and behold the Place of Light. ‘ (CP 327)·

'In the name of the Great Life Hearken to me, my Father, hearken to me! For m the strength of my Father, Yawar, I have gone to the Jordanl And in the strength of Knowiedge of Life (Manda-d-Hiia) 'Uthras are crowned with a wreath!'

and shall say 'Hear me my Father, hear me' (the shorter) (CP no. 81) and shall then say 'In the name of the Strange (ineffable) Life, from worlds of light' being careful himself (about the insertion of names to be commemorated) and say 'There shall be forgiveness of sins for N. son of N. who goeth down to the Jordan to be immersed and receive the Pure Sign in the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia'. And he shall recite 'In the name of that First Man' (CP no. 1) and put the crown on his head and shall end when he puts his hand to his head. And he shall recite 'Life created Yawar-Ziwa' (CP no. 3) and 'Let there be Light' (CP no. 5) and put the wreath on his head beside the crown. And he shall recite 'Manda created me' (CP no. 19) and finish (it) and hold the end (lit. "horn") of his stole, that is to say its tip, and recite 'Strengthened, enhanced was the great mystery of radiance' (CP no. 32)· And he shall wind his pandama over his mouth and fetch sandarach; and recite 'Incense that is fragrant' (CP no. 8) and 'Hail to the First Life' (CP no. 34) and cast it (incense) on the fire. And the priest in possession of the Great Book shall read the lesser 'saying' probably (CP no. 57). Then the rba shall say 'Health, victory, and forgiveness of sins be there for this the soul of N son of N who descendeth to the Jordan and receiveth the pure Sign from the Life'. 'We have acknowledged and praises' (CP no. 75) and at each place where there is a rubric (zhara) he shall say 'N. son of N. who descendeth to the Jordan, is baptized', and (when he) finishes it (the hymn) shall recite 'Praises' (CP no. 76) and 'Thee, Life' (CP no.77) and at the end say:  'Make victorious and raise up this the soul of N who descendeth to the Jordan, is baptized and receiveth the pure Sign'. And he shall recite 'I sought to lift my eyes' (CP no. 35) and at its end say  'Thou wilt clothe him with thy radiance, cover him with Thy light and will set Thy living wreath upon the head of this the soul of N and the good shall behold'. And he ends. And he shall read prayer after prayer quietly until he reaches 'Piriawis' (CP no. 44?). And at the spot where it says 'testifying before the Great First Life' (he shall say) 'look upon this the soul of N who descendeth to the Jordan, is baptized an receiveth the pure Sign and who issueth from destruction to construction'. (And (so) he shall end. And the whole baptism shall be with zharas.  And recite all the prayers one after another a was commanded thee. And when thou has reached the Šal Šulta and hast asked mercy for him and hast performed the kušta (rite) with him (and co-celebrants) and said to him (and them)  ‘Kušta strengthen you: my  brother 'uthras, union of (with) the Life hath been achieved'. (and when) thou warmest him 'Pray a devotional prayer (rahma) for thyself', also 'Bind on thy pandama; ask mercy for him and afterwards recite 'Praised be the First Life (CP no. 58) and ‘Ye are set up and raised up' (CP no.65 or CP no. 99) Recite 'At the Begining, Ether  (CP no. 168), 'To thy name Land of Light' (CP no. I69) and 'Blessed and praised be Life (that of Šum br Nu) (Shem son of Noah) (CP no. 71)·  And bend the knee and recite 'Good is the good for the good' and insert (the words) ‘of our forefathers' and 'of the souls of Mandaean, priests and head-priests (tarmidia), treasurers (ginzaiia), chief people (rišaiia) and ethnarchs, (see CP no. I70) And make pihta and mambuha for thyself. Eat thy pihta and drink thy mambuha and drink the halalta, and bring a third halalta and recite 'Life is fulfilled' (CP no. 59),'The Great Life is enshrined' (CP no. 60), 'Radiance goeth up to its place' (CP no. 31) and 'Incense that is fragrant' (CP no. 8) and throw the water beneath the staff. And recite 'Good is the good for the good' (CP no. 72) for thyself and 'Praised be the Great First Radiance' and 'offer up (uqaiam) sixty-one times. And make the Petition (CP no. 80) and ask mercy for thyself. Perform the kušta (rite) with the acolyte, a Mandaean (layman who has clothed himself in the 'five mysteries', and say 'In radiance that is great am I immersed' (CP no. 63)· Loosen thy kanzala (stole) sit, put thy hand on thy head and say the whispered prayer ‘Kušta strengthen thee. Kušta strengthen thee' (CP no. 178), but beware, beware and beware lest thou recite (i.e.  do not recite)  'Illumined  and illuminating’  (CP no.2),  'As 'uthras stand' (CP no. 4) and ('A crown  of ether light) shone forth (CP no. 6), and be careful not to remove the crown from thy head. Then hold a veil over the head of the postulant and disrobe him from the ritual dress (rasta) in which he was baptized, but be careful that the wreath does not fall from the postulant's head. And bring new vestments that have never been worn, dress him and cover him. Then the rba shall place his hand upon his head and say  'In the name of the Great First Life' and put in a zhara for himself and a zhara for the postulant, then (says 'health and purity and forgiveness of sins be there for this the soul of N) who hath descended to the Jordan and been baptized and received the pure Sign in the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia'. And recite 'Life created Yawar-Ziwa' (CP no. 3), 'Let there be light' (CP no. 5) and 'Manda created me' (CP no. 19) a second trasa. Then they shall wash the feet of the postulant, wiping (them) on the head of a perfect woman, he throwing to her alms according to his means. And he who is in charge of the banner shall recite 'The Great (Life) rejoiced' (CP no. 344) and

'On the day that 'uthras put in order A jordan of living water'  (CP no. 345)

and moves the banner and the Book of Mara-d-Rabuta to the škinta and all the priests go in. And they sit down in the škinta. And rba and postulant come to the entrance of the škinta and call out Asuta (Health):' arid the priests rejoin ‘Benefit and blessing be yours’. The rba says: 'Shine and be happy in our škintas, (O) 'uthras!’ The priests answer ‘(At) the coming of Hibil-Ziwa to his škinta’ Then the rba save') ‘Kušta asinkun (may truth fortify you!) The priests Say:  'Seek and find!’ Then the rba recites 'In the name of the Great Life! When the proven, pure one went (CP no. 205) and repeats the doctrinal hymns of the (series) when (the proven pure one) went, one after the other, and the priests make the responses until he says

'The Great (Life) hath stretched forth His right hand to thee Put away passion from thy thought. Thy thought shalI be filled with Ours And thy garment and Our garments Will be one'.    (CP p. 122 tanslated text p. 277 rt lines I-4)

(at which) they put there a seat for the postulant and bid him sit upon it. [He (the rba) (continues) to read till the kušta (passage)] about the guardian (CP no. 253) and at the line [The Great (Life) hath stretched out His right hand to thee] the priests stretch out (their hands) and perform kušta with the rba as the latter holds his own crown and the postulant's in his hand, and (then) lays his hand upon the postulant's head. And (the priests) say:

'I have constructed thrones … and have instructed the 'uthras who sit on them' (CP no. 246, p. zo3)

'In the name of the great First Strange (Alien) Life! From the far-off worlds of Light Which are above all works May there be health, Purity, strength and firmness, Speaking and hearing And forgiveness of sins For N who is a postulant. In the strength of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hiia'

And the rba shall recite (the banner prayers (CP no. 330 ff.), all of them up to Nukraiia. And he ends and the priests give the responses and kiss the rba on his mouth Then all the priests say

And the rba and priests purify (wash) their hands and the rba gives into the hand of each priest a sprig of myrtle. And they hold the postulant's crown in their right hands and the rba and all the priests recite

'In the name of the Great Lifel Blessed is this pure mouth And blessed be this hymn. Blest is this škinta in which kings sit From beginning to end'.

and (then) recite

'In the name of that First Man'  (CP no. 1)

and at the place where it says

'Then that Lord of Lofty Greatness Took a circlet of radiance, light and glory And set it upon my head'

they place it (the crown) upon his head, and put their hands on his head and recite 'Life created Yawar-Ziwa' (CP no. 3),'Let there be light" (CP n. 5), and 'Manda created me' (CP no. 19) carefully and softly. And at each place at which an insertion should occur they insert the name of the postulant. And they end. Then they recite 'I sought to lift my eyes' (CP no. 35), and 'Lifting eyes' (CP no. 9), 'Bound is the sea' (CP no.15), I am a perfected gem' (CP no. 16), 'Avaunt, flee in fear' (CP no, 17), 'When (a Jordan etc.) was given to him' (CP no. 25), Bound and sealed' (CP no. 26) and 'By 'Usar-Hiia (Treasure of Life)' (CP no. 27) and the great (longer) Bound and sealed' (CP no. 28)Then the postulant shall bring fresh hamra in a phial when the mystery of the Datepalm and Grapes  have been placed in it. And the acolyte (šganda) clothed in the five mysteries  hands the postulant the drinking-bowl when the postulant’s hands are purified (i.e. washed). And he (the postulant) pours the hamra (wine) from the phial into the bowl. And all the priests recite:

‘In the name of Great Life ‘Uthras assembled, Dwellings came together’  (CP no. 180)

and ‘On the day that they clad Manda-d-Hiia in his vestment’ (CP no. 181) (etc.?) and wherever it says ‘Give him to drink’ they tell him to drink the wine and fill the bowl again with wine and read one hymn after another. And wherever it says ‘Give him to drink’ they make him drink the wine until he (has drunk) seven cups. And at the place where it says ‘Laying their pure right hands upon him’  they lay their hands on the postulant’s head. And they recite up to the place where it says ‘May pure ones (CP no. 199 has ‘pure guardians’) guard thee’ and end. Then rba rba shall recite

In the name of the Great Life On the day that they set the crown on the great Šišlam Jordans formed themselves at his right, At his right jordans were formed. In them signs were graven Signs were graven in them, Banners and holy kuštas (vows, pacts) Banners and kings, Tannas and Drops All bend and worship the Great Crown And the Vine which from It They have planted , For ever and aye’. (CP no. 305).

Then the priests entone the antiphon: the following antiphonal hymn (‘niana) of

‘Blessed is this pure voice’ (CP no. 312).

Then the rba recites

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they set the crown on the Great Šišlam Treasure-of-Life (Simat-Hiia) shone therein  ). And in his vesture twelve mirrors were formed Twelve mirrors were fromed in his vesture And seven others in his seal-ring, and five Drops. And eyes perceive therein sublime treasures. They twine the trees with gold And their fruit is pearls. Who, amongst all the kings Will confirm and view the crown That they set on him For ever and aye?’ (CP no. 306).

Then the priests give the response, this antiphonal hymn:

‘0 king! thou art a mirror, A son of kings!’.

and the rba shall recite

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they crowned Šišlam the Great The jordans frolick and dance Restless and giving the two banks no peace, Rejoicing, laughing and disporting themselves And saying “here our glory shone forth, It shone in this new crown The like of which existeth not. Blessed be this new crown And blessed its leaves which shall not fall For ever and aye”’. (CP no. 307).

Then the priests give response, this antiphonal hymn:

and finish it. (DC 54 has the correct version slightly misspelt)

‘How wondrous is the strength of kings’

‘How wondrous is the strength of the Great (Life) And how great is the glory which thou sheddest on us! Thou illuminest us with thy great radiance We praise thee and the crown of Šišlam -the-Great We magnify it and honour it, And bring it our homage For ever and aye’. (CP no. 314).]

Then the rba recites

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they set the crown upon Šišlam -the-Great All jordans assembled, and the Rays (pasimkia), And wellsprings, and the Tannas  ) And palms (sindirkia) are interwoven Into the tendrils of the crown And brighten Šišlam -Rba’s crown. And they (all) submit themselves to the glory Bestowed upon it, and all kings Do homage to its radiance, light and effulgence Worshipping it for ever and aye. (CP no. 308).

Then the priests respond (with) this antiphonal hymn:

‘In the name of the Great Life! Thou art a king, our father, a son of kings, And thou wilt crown kings Thou wilt set a crown upon kings And wilt bestow victory upon palm-trees(sindirkia) For Šišlam will bless his crown and ‘uthras and škintas will establish it. Cause some of thy glory which is great To rest upon us. Grant us that we rejoice In our treasure (or ‘in our thought)’ For ever and aye. (Cf. CP no. 315).

And the rba recites

In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they set the crown upon Šišlam -the-Great Rays-of-light (pasimkia) summon the kings, They call to the kings, the Rays-of-Light, And the škintas say to one another ‘Come. let us go, let us behold Šišlam -Rba Upon whom the Great (Life) hath set a crown. Seven trustworthy kings set it on. And King Manhir’il conferred the Sign (insignia?) upon him And grasped (his hand) in solemn pact (kušta yaqra); Raised him up, set him up in the House of Perfection For ever and aye. (CP no. 309).

And the priests respond in this antiphonal hymn:

‘In the name of the Great Life!] Hail to him! Again hail to him The King of kings, who (is) Sislam-Rha! Hail to him who crowned him.]

(Here the careless scribe of DC 54 repeats part of CP no. 309, then repeats the beginning of CP 316. Or. 6592 simply has ‘and finish’).

Whose kingdom abideth, The kingdom of a king passeth not away As long as air and water flow And for ever and aye.] (CP no. 316).

And the rba recites

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they set the crown on Šišlam -Rba Channels of light perforce burst through  ) They burst through, channels of light And the glory of the ‘uthras shone forth. There was radiance, there was light; Sublime ether was distributed in them Diffused into the flowings of water And streams without end. They come and kiss the crown of Šišlam -Rba And repose in its shelter For evermore’. (Cf. CP no. 310).

And the priests respond in this antiphonal hymn

And the rba recites

[‘In the name of the Great Life’] ‘Thou art the Teacher of ganzibria The king [of all ‘uthras art Thou Well is it for him whose eyes behold Thee: Good is it for him who discerneth Thee in his thought! He shall rise with Thee to the Place of Light!’] (CP no. 317).

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that they set the great crown Upon the Teacher of ‘uthras, Šišlam-Rba At his right jordans formed themselves Jordans formed themselves at his right Šašqali’il-the-Cloud journeyed onward with them  With them journeyed  Šašqali’i-the-Cloud And a škinta was bestowed on him in the Jordan In the Jordans a škinta was provided for him In the ether a banner was unfurled for him. Kings of the worlds of light assembled All of them laying their pure right hands upon him Laying their right hands of Troth (kušta) On the crown of Šišlam -Rba Blessing it and honouring it To the utmost’. (CP no. 311).

And the priests repond with this antiphonal hymn and finish it:

[‘In the name of the Great Life!] My day, what is it amongst days? A day. My day, what is it amongst hours? A single hour, My day, what is it amongst the days? The day on which kingship was accepted My day what is it amongst days? A day on which treasure was divided. The King divided his Treasure His Treasure the King shared out The King shared his Treasure (sic) And bestowed kingship on Šišlam-Rba. Šišlam-Rba shone in his crown And we praise and magnify Thee Because Thou art called Teacher of ‘uthras For ever and aye.] (Cf. CP no. 318).

Then the rba and all the priests gather together and place their hands on the postulant’s ring. The postulant’s hands (must) be on his head. And all of them address to him the following antiphonal hymn:

‘In the name of the Great Life’ Thy strength shall increase, our father And become mighty through this secret mystery Zihrun By which all ‘uthras are strengthened. Become strong and mighty by this ring Which is given thee and over which thou art put in charge. Thou hast authority over the Kimsa Of living flame, and over a Root Which is the product of gardens  Go, become great and glorious - And be watchful. Be confirmed (in office) By this seal-ring which is set upon thee So that thy strength yonder may increase And the rba recites

Then, when the rba and all the priests say (have said?) this Hymn of the Ring  ), (the ring is placed on the little finger of the postulant’s right hand). Then the rba shall recite

‘In the name of the Great Life’ On the day upon which they crowned the king And the king accepted his kingship, His radiance was seen in the light of banners  ) And the water-springs that were in the jordans Swirled round with one another. The king took the crown And shone in its wondrous glory And he distributed crowns to the kings, Crowns he distributed to the kings And his brilliance, light and great glory Rested upon them for ever and aye’ 2). (CP no. 320).

Then the priests recite this antiphonal hymn

‘In the name of the Great Life! On the day that kings assembled To be with the (new) king, son of kings, And he distributed crowns and treasures to the kings, The kings held out their right hands, Their right hands the kings held out And they took the crowns from the king, Crowns they took from the king Blessing him with a great benediction And they exalt him who gave them Crowns and treasures, For ever and aye’. (Cf. CP no. 321).

And as they finish this hymn they take the crowns from the rba. Then the rba informs the postulant that he (must) cleanse his face and hands and arrange the kinta  ), a new one, the new birihia (a clay heart-shaped receptacle for the fire, see MMII p. 106), the incense-holder, incense, and the pihta. And he puts his hand to his head and says ‘Health and purity’ for himself and recites ‘Up! arise, elect righteous (folk)’ (CP no. 106) and ‘My good messenger’ (CP no. 107), ‘I worship the Life’ and repeats it and recites ‘I worship the Life’ a second time and takes his hand down from his head and recites ‘In Their name’ and ‘In the name of that (First Man ?)‘, ‘Life created Yawar-Ziwa’, ‘Let there be light’ and ‘Manda created me’ (i.e. CP nos. 1 to 5) and removes his hand from his head. And he takes up incense and recites ‘Incense that is fragrant’ (CP no. 8) and ‘Hail to the First Life’ (CP no. 34) and casts it (incense) on the fire. And he shall recite the Sunday prayer (CP no. 113), ‘Early I arose from my sleep’ (CP no. 114), ‘We have purified our hands in kušta’ (CP no. 115), ‘Blessed be Thy name, praised be Thy name’ (CP no. 116) and Šrar, (the great first occult) Vine’ (CP no. 117). For the first Rahmia (daily office prayers) of the postulant are the dawn prayers and are clothed with (identical with) the rahmia of the seven hours. And he shall recite ‘Thee, Life, is it meet’ (CP no. 77), ‘Health and purity’ (the formula) ‘Raising my eyes’ (CP no. 9) and ‘I prayed, raising my eyes’  ) (CP no. 35). And he bends the knee and places his hand on his head and ends (the prayer). And he shall recite ‘Bound is the sea’ (CP no. 15)’ ‘I am a per-fected jewel’ (CP no. 16), ‘Avaunt, flee in fear’ (CP no. 17), ‘When there was bestowed upon’ (CP no. 25), ‘Bound and sealed’ (CP no. 28), ‘By ‘Usar-Hiia’ (CP no. 27) and the longer ‘Bound and sealed’ (CP no. 28). And he shall rise  ) to his feet and recite ‘Praised be the First Life’, finish it, cast incense on the fire and recite ‘Ye are set up and raised up’ ‘(CP no. 65) (but) without the ‘of our forefathers’  because these rahmia of the škinta are (not?) with zharas. And he shall recite the prayers for the day, (Sunday), ‘On Sunday, the first of days’ (CP no. 119), ‘My day, what is it amongst the days?’ (CP no. 120), ‘Before the Wellsprings were transmuted’ (CP no. 121), ‘0 lord of devotions’ (CP no. 122). ‘Poor I am, from the fruits’ (CP no.165), “Uthras rejoice in His treasure’ (CP no. 166), ‘Thee, my Lord, do I worship here’ (CP no. 167), “To thy name, Land of Light’ (CP no. 169), and the ‘Blessed and praised be the Life’ (CP no. 71) of Šum (Shem) son of Nu (Noah). but without saying the d-abahatan (the full commemoration prayer) (CP no. 170). And he shall bend the knee and shall recite ‘Good is the good for the good’ (CP no. 72) and shall include ‘our forefathers and the souls of Mandaeans, priests, ganzibria (head-priests), ginzaiia (treasurers), rišaiia (dignitaries, chief men), and ethnarchs in ‘forgiving of sins’. And he shall rise and take the pihta and mambuha and shall recite the eight prayers for the pihta over the pihta and the two prayers for the mambuha over the mambuha, and shall eat the pihta and drink the mambuha  ), and shall drink the halalta  ) and take up a third halalta, and shall recite ‘Life is fulfilled’ (CP no. 59). and ‘The Great Life is enshrined’ (CP no. 60) and shall throw the water beneath his staff, and recite ‘Good is the good for the good’ (CP no. 72) and ‘Praised be the First Great Radiance!’ and shall ‘offer up’ sixty-one times (the prayer of deconsecration) and make the Petition (i.e. recite CP no. 80) for himself. He shall perform the kušta rite with the rba and sit, and place his hand on his head (DC 54 keep his hand on his head). And the rba  ) shall say to him ‘Kušta strengthen thee’ at each of the devotional prayers that he (the postulant) prays in the škinta, (and utter?) one sentence. And the rba will say some of the deconsecration prayers  ). He (the postulant) shall pray (the Rahmia) up to (the prayer for) Saturday evening, and shall end them.  The priests who are witnesses together with Mandaeans (laymen) come into the škinta (whilst) the postulant is praying the Rahmia. And (when) he ends the Rahmia, and grasps the hand of his rba in kušta, he (the rba) shall say to him a word (or ‘sentence’) and he (the postulant) shall repeat it after him. He shall take from the beginning of the deconsecration prayers  ), word after word until he finishes it, and rises and recites “Illumined and illuminating (CP no. 2), ‘As ‘uthra5 stand’ (CP no. 4)‘A crown of ether-light shone forth’ (CP no. 6). And he removes the crown and wreath from his head, placing it (pressing it) to his right eye, and saving ‘Kušta strengthen thee, my crown!’ and kissing his crown, and placing it to his left eye, and saving ‘Kušta strengthen thee, guardian of my crown’ as many times as he is able. And then puts it and his vestments away (lit. covers up) until the break of early dawn  ).