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
They took the Letter and put it in the hand of the Jews. They opened it, read in it and see that it does not contain what they would, that it does not contain what their soul wills. They took the letter and put it in the hand of Yohana, saying:
" Take , Rab Yohana," say to him "Truth"s Letter, which has come here to thee from thy Father."
Yohana opened it and read it and saw in it a wondrous writing. He opened it and read in it and became full of life.
"This is," says he "what I would, and this does my Soul will"
Yohana has left his body ; his brothers make proclamations, his brothers proclaim unto him on the Mount, on Mount Karmel. They took the Letter and brought it to the Mount, to Mount Karmel. They read out of the Letter to them and explain to them the writing - to Yaqif and Beni-Ami and Shumel. They assembledon Mount Karmel.
* * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * *
(What follows next is presumably the beginning of the Letter)
Gnosis of Life who is far from the height (writes):
"I have come unto thee, O Soul, whom Life has sent into this world. In the robes of the Eight went I into the world. I went in the vesture of Life and came into the world. The Vesture I brought of the Seven, I went as far as the Eight. The vesture of the Seven I took and took hold of the Eight with my hand. (I have taken them) and I take them, and I will take them and not let them go. I have taken them and hold them fast, and the wicked spirits shall change into good.
Wherefore do ye weep, O ye generations, wherefore weep ye, O peoples?
Wherefore fadeth thy splendour?
For you have I brought my Image, I betook myself into the world."
And Life is Victorious.
Mandaean John-Book by G.R.S. Mead pages 46 - 48
