Chapter 31

Radiance goeth up to its place and Light to the Everlasting Abode. On the day that Light ariseth, Darkness returns to its place. The Forgiver of sins, trespasses, follies, stumblings and mistakes will remit them for those who love his name of Truth, and for those souls who went down to the jordan, were baptised and received the pure sign. Consuming fire will consume thee and thy ministration will be (noted?) in the habitations. The fragrance of life riseth to the House of Life, and we (too) will rise up to the House of Life: we shall be with the victorious 5). It is our support, and our confidence is in life in the Place of Light and in the Everlasting Abode. Life is established and set up in its indwellings, and Life is victorious over all works.

[This is the " loosing" (consecration) of incense for baptism.]

[In the name of the Great Life! May my thought, knowledge and understanding be enlightened, mine, Adam-Yuhana son of Mahnush, by means of these (prayers), admonitions and hymns of baptism, which were transcribed from the scroll The Great Wellspring. This is the baptism wherewith Adam the first man was baptised by Hibil-Ziwa when he breathed the pure mana into him and he got up, sneezed and lived.

And Adam questioned, and spoke, " Through the power of Hibil-Ziwa have I attained my end! "

Then Hibil-Ziwa arose, put on the seven vestments, and went to the jordan-bank. When Adam had placed the qauqa (and) fire before Hibil-Ziwa, Hibil-Ziwa twined a wreath for his staff and twined a wreath for Adam, then rose and went to the jordan and recited the prayer " Answer me, my father, answer me, for I have gone to the jordan in the strength of my father Yawar, and in the strength of Manda-d-Hiia a wreath hath been set upon the 'uthras."

Then he arose and recited " In the name of that First Being" for his crown and set it on his head, then recited " Life created Yawar-Ziwa", " Let there be light" and Manda created me" for the myrtle-wreath and set it beside the crown.

And he held the end of his stole and recited " Strengthened and enhanced is the great mystery of radiance, light and glory" over his pandama, folded his pandama over his mouth and recited " incense that is fragrant, yea, for the First Life" and cast incense on the fire. And he recited " We have acknowledged, " " Praises", " Thee, Thyself", " I sought to lift mine eyes", " The day that the jordan was bestowed on Sam-Smir", " I have worshipped and praised that Yawar-Ziwa" and " I am Yur son of Barit; in great radiance". And he held his stole and recited " I went to the jordan, but not I alone" up to the place where it says " give free movement to the limbs of my body; I go down, " and he went down into the jordan up to a fourth of his thighs. And he recited " In the name of Yusmir, the First Vine" over his staff, and at the place where it saith " covered with radiance and clothed in light" he cast the myrtle-wreath over the staff and " clothed" it with his stole.

And he recited " Bound is the sea" and traced three circles thrice over in the jordan. And he recited " I am a perfected gem", and " Avaunt, flee in fear" and splashed the water in the jordan at his right, his left and in front of him and recited " Piriawis" as written. Then he chanted a hymn and said to him " Any man who hath strength thereto and who loveth his soul, let him come and go down to the jordan, be baptised, receive the pure sign, put on robes of radiant light and set a fresh wreath on his head."

And Adam descended into the jordan and submerged himself thrice behind him (Hibil-Ziwa), who took him by the right hand transferred him to his left, placed him between himself and his staff, dipped him thrice and signed him thrice in the jordan.

And he gave him three palmfuls of water to drink and recited " Manda created me" over the myrtle-wreath and set it upon his (Adam's) head and pronounced the secret names over him.

(Then) he took his hand in kushta over the staff and made him go up before him.

(Then) he took water from the jordan into his phial and recited the hymn " At the waterhead I went forth" and " Blessed art thou, Outer Door", and recited " I rose up from the jordan, and a group (of souls) I met". And he came up out of the jordan and completed it (the hymn). And he took up the oil and recited " We have acknowledged the name of Life", " Precious oil art thou" and " Thou wast established, First Life" over the oil. Then he signed him thrice and made passes over him thrice, and at each signing he laid his hand on his (Adam's) head and repeated those names which he had pronounced over him in the jordan.

And he performed kushta with him. (Then) he took the pihta and recited the eight prayers for the pihta over the pihta and the two prayers for the mambuha over the mambuha. And he gave him the pihta so that he should eat and gave him the mambuha that he might drink, and he drank the rinsing (water).

And he grasped his hand in kushta and seated him before him and recited the " sealing" prayers, " When a jordan of living water and bestowed upon Sam-Smir, the great Radiance of Life", " Bound and sealed", " By 'Usar-Hiia" and the greater (longer) " Bound and sealed" and laid his hand upon him and stood and recited " Ye are set up and raised up", " What did thy Father do for thee, Soul? ", " How lovely are the plants which the jordan planted and raised up", " Rightly did my baptiser baptise me", " Shilmai baptised me with his baptism and Nidbai", " The jordan in which we were baptise will bear us witness", and " I rejoice in my priests and Nasoraeans who hearken to my converse".

And he chanted the hymns " Truly do I say to you", " To you I cry and explain" and " A new disciple am I who hath come to the jordan bank".

And he read all the hymns and homilies unto their end and recited " Blessed and praised be Life" of Shum son of Noah and " Good is the good for the good". And he recited " In radiance that is great am I immersed" and loosed his kanzala (stole) and " honoured" his crown.

And Life is victorious.]

[Then Hibil-Ziwa gave judgement and said " The Life hath anathematised and Manda-d-Hiia hath cried out against and the Great First Word hath pronounced against any man, priest, who performed a baptism without his pandama. He shall be accursed by the Name (Vein) Of the Great Wellspring: Shilmai and Nidbai the guardian 'uthras of the jordan will curse him and the Wellspring and Palmtree will curse him. Yukabar will take away his crown and his seal and hull him back to his natural home, the Place of Darkness. Moreover, before any Nasoraean who retains his pandama whilst performing a baptism, a vein of the Great Wellspring will heap up and all that he doeth will be confirmed. All mischances will avoid him and darkness will roll away from him. His vestments will be kept in our safekeeping. Whilst he is alive in his body the Seven will be powerless to loose fear against him and lofty strength will be sent to him.

When he departeth the body the clouds which precede 'uthras will come towards him and dread of purgatory-demons will be powerless over him (for) he will not pass through the Purgatories.

And Abatur will clothe him in his glory and all the 'uthras will shed their light upon him.

And Life is victorious.

This is the limit (end) of the baptism which came to this world, the (baptism) wherewith Hibil-Ziwa baptised Adam the first man and it was preserved in the ages for the elect righteous, for it was written down in the scroll of the Great Wellspring belonging to Ramuia son of 'Qaimat. And Bavan-Hibil son of Brik-Yawar wrote it here and distributed it amongst a hundred Nasoraeans, (copying) it from his own scroll which he copied from the scroll of Ramuia son of 'Qaimat.

It was written in the town of Tib and was placed with Haiuna daughter of Yahia, and Bainai son of Zakia.

Those who hold to it, (let them) expound it. (But) he who doth not establish it, let him keep away from it and not approach it.

And Life is victorious.]

Then said Yahia-Adam son of Sam-Saiwia, " When the scroll of Ramuia son of 'Qaimat found in the possession of Haiuna daughter of Yahia and Bainai son of Zakia came into my possession I put it together and arranged it as it was written originally, and removed nothing from it.

And Life is victorious.]

The Masiqta (" The raising up")

i.e. spiritual resurrection or ceremony to aid the ascent of the soul