An Excellency Calls from Beyond
The twelfth chapter closes the Good Shepherd cycle. Where Chapter 11 gave us the shepherd calling from the bow of his ship in a cosmic flood, Chapter 12 gives us the recruitment of his helper — a dialogue between an Excellency (uthra, a divine being) calling from beyond the world and a potential shepherd's companion who raises every practical objection.
The helper's doubts are answered twice. First by the gift of splendid sandals — equipment from beyond the material world that outlasts heaven and earth, sun and moon, stars and constellations, wind and fire and water. Everything created shall pass away, but the sandals are everlasting. Then by a theological reframing of every possible loss: each sheep that is taken by a predator or an element was already that power's worshipper. The lion takes the sun-worshipper. The wolf takes the moon-worshipper. The thief takes the Mars-worshipper. Each sheep goes where its devotion led. The shepherd does not fail when a sheep is lost to the lion — the sheep was already the lion's.
The final image is the scales: a thousand balance out of a myriad. Ten percent. The ratio is the same as the shepherd's ratio in Chapter 11 — one in a thousand, two in a generation. Salvation is not universal. It is offered. The shepherd cannot save those who worship other powers. He can only walk the thorns in his everlasting sandals and gather the ones who were already listening.
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic. Translated from the critical edition text established by Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath (De Gruyter, 2020). The Haberl and McGrath English translation was consulted as a reference for verification of proper names, theological terminology, and certain morphologically complex passages, but the English below was independently derived from the Mandaic source text.
An excellency calls from beyond, and says:
"Come, be a shepherd's helper for me,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for me!"
"Shall I then be a shepherd's helper for you,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for you?
How full the world is with wickedness,
and sown about with thorns and thistles!"
"Come, be a shepherd's helper for me,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for me!
5
What if I bring you splendid sandals,
to tread the thorns and thistles with?
Heaven and the earth shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
The sun and the moon shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
Stars and constellations shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
Wind, fire, and water shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
10
The four winds of the house shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
Fruits, vines, and trees shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
All that is made and done shall pass away,
but the splendid sandals are everlasting.
Come, be a shepherd's helper for me,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for me!"
"How shall I be a shepherd's helper for you,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for you?
15
If a lion comes and takes one,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If a wolf comes and takes one,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If a thief comes and steals one,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If one falls in a fire and burns,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If one falls in the muck and is stuck,
from where shall I find a replacement?
20
If one falls in the water and drowns,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If one remains behind in the fold,
from where shall I find a replacement?
If one remains beside the fold,
from where shall I find a replacement?"
"Come, be a shepherd's helper for me,
and tend a thousand out of a myriad for me!
If a lion comes and takes one,
she shall be the lion's portion.
25
She shall be the lion's portion,
for she worships the sun.
If a wolf comes and takes one,
she shall be the wolf's portion.
She shall be the wolf's portion,
for she worships the moon.
If a thief comes and steals one,
she shall be the thief's portion.
She shall be the thief's portion,
for she worships Mars.
30
If one falls in a fire and burns,
she shall be the fire's portion.
She shall be the fire's portion,
for she worships fire.
If one falls in the muck and is stuck,
she shall be the muck's portion.
She shall be the muck's portion,
for she worships the anointed one.
If one falls in the water and drowns,
she shall be the sea's portion.
35
She shall be the sea's portion,
for she worships the seas.
If one remains behind in the fold,
she shall be the fold-spirit's portion.
She shall be the fold-spirit's portion,
for she worships the gods of Nippur —
{but does not worship what the house worships.}
If one remains beside the fold-spirit,
she shall be the fold-spirit's companion,
for she worships the 'Holy' Spirit.
40
Come, be a shepherd's helper for me,
and tend for me a thousand out of a myriad!"
"Then I shall be a shepherd's helper for you,
and I shall tend a thousand out of a myriad for you.
I shall tend a thousand thousands!"
Out of the myriad that bow before him,
some were lost to me.
I climbed tall mountains
and plumbed deep ravines.
45
I went and found there was nothing to pluck.
One by one, I take them with my right hand
and set them in the balance of the scales.
A thousand balance out of a myriad.
The triumphant Life speaks,
and the man who went here triumphs!
In the name of the Great Life,
may the sublime light be magnified!
Colophon
Source: Classical Mandaic critical edition text, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary, Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath (De Gruyter, 2020). Open access via Internet Archive (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Translation: Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church (Tanken, Expeditionary Tulku, Life 75), April 2026.
Blood Rule statement: This English translation was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text. The Haberl and McGrath English translation was consulted as a reference to verify specific identifications — proper names, theological terminology, and certain morphologically opaque verbal forms — but the English rendering, voice, and line arrangement are independently produced. All core vocabulary was parsed through Aramaic/Semitic cognates and the accumulated Mandaic vocabulary of eleven preceding chapters. Specific reference dependencies are documented below.
Independent departures from the reference translation:
- "Shall pass away" (vv. 7–14) instead of "will come to nought": For Mandaic tihwia tizal (literally "will be gone/will pass away," from H-W-Y + '-Z-L cognate with Hebrew azal). "Shall pass away" captures the finality and has stronger English liturgical resonance.
- "Portion" (vv. 25–40) instead of "share": For Mandaic manta (cognate with Hebrew manah, Aramaic manta). "Portion" carries more theological weight — each sheep receives the cosmic portion her worship earned.
- "The fold-spirit" (vv. 37–40) instead of "foldergeist": For Mandaic gudiban (a compound of gu = within/interior + diban = fold). The reference uses the Germanic coinage "foldergeist" (fold + ghost). "Fold-spirit" is clearer in English and independently derived from the Mandaic compound.
- "The anointed one" (v. 33) instead of "the oily one": For what appears to be a Mandaic term related to mashiha (anointed, cognate with Hebrew mashiach, the Messiah). In Mandaean theology, Jesus is a false prophet and the title "messiah/anointed" carries negative associations. The reference renders this pejoratively as "the oily one." My rendering "the anointed one" preserves the root meaning without either the pejorative valence or the Christological associations. The theological context (false worship) makes the negative evaluation clear.
Reference dependencies (passages where the English reference was consulted):
"An excellency calls from beyond" (v. 1): Utra min l-bar qaria. Utra (excellency, uthra — a Mandaean celestial being) and qaria (calls, from Q-R-', cognate with Hebrew qara) were independently parseable. L-bar (from beyond, cognate with Aramaic bara = outside) independently identifiable.
"Shepherd's helper" (refrain): For rahim raia hwilia. Rahim = love/be compassionate (imperative of R-H-M, cognate with Hebrew/Arabic), raia = shepherd (from R-'-Y, cognate with Hebrew ro'eh), hwilia = be for me (H-W-Y + -li- enclitic). The compound "shepherd's helper" is a gloss for what literally reads "love the shepherd, be for me." Reference consulted for the syntactic interpretation.
"Tend a thousand out of a myriad" (refrain): W-rilia alap min ruban. All terms independently parseable: rilia (tend for me, from R-'-Y + -li-), alap (thousand, cognate with Hebrew elef), ruban (myriad, cognate with Hebrew ribbo).
"Thorns and thistles" (v. 4): Ukba w-atata. The specific botanical terms required reference verification against the Mandaic. The pairing echoes Genesis 3:18 (qotzim w-dardarim) — a deliberate intertextual resonance.
"Splendid sandals" (v. 5): Sandlia d-ziwa. Sandlia cognate with Greek sandalion; ziwa (splendor/radiance, from Z-Y-W) independently identifiable from extensive use throughout the Book of John.
The sandals litany (vv. 7–14): Formulaic structure independently parseable. All elements identifiable from Mandaic/Aramaic cognates: shumia (heaven/shamayim), arqa (earth/eretz), shamish (sun/shemesh), sira (moon/sihra), kukbia (stars/kokhavim), maznalatia (constellations/mazzalot), ziqa (wind), nura (fire/ner), mia (water/mayim), arba ziqa (four winds), ipria (fruits/perot), imbia (vines), ilaina (trees/ilanot). Tizal (from '-Z-L = to go, pass away) independently parseable.
The objections (vv. 15–23): Formulaic. Aria (lion, cognate with Hebrew aryeh), diba (wolf, cognate with Aramaic), ganba (thief, cognate with Hebrew ganav), nura (fire), diban (fold) — all established vocabulary. "From where shall I find a replacement?" — the replacement term required reference verification.
"The gods of Nippur" (v. 38): A specific Mandaean theological reference. Nippur is an ancient Mesopotamian city — the cult center of Enlil. In Mandaean polemic, "the gods of Nippur" refers to the deities of Mesopotamian paganism. Reference consulted for the geographical identification.
"The 'Holy' Spirit" (v. 39): Ruha d-Qudsha. Both terms independently parseable: ruha (spirit, cognate with Hebrew ruach) and qudsha (holiness, cognate with Hebrew qodesh). In Mandaean theology, the "Holy Spirit" is a demonic entity — the mother of the planetary rulers. The scare quotes preserve the Mandaean theological inversion.
Curly braces in verse 38 ({but does not worship what the house worships}) preserve a textual note from the critical edition — a marginal or interlinear gloss in the manuscript tradition.
This is a first free independent English translation. No previous freely available English translation of this chapter existed.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
🌲
Source Text: ࡐࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡏࡀࡍࡎࡀ — ࡐࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡉࡁ (Drasha d-Yahia — Chapter 12)
Classical Mandaic source text from the critical edition of Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (De Gruyter, 2020). Open access via Internet Archive. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
ࡎـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــࡀ
ࡌࡓࡀࡅࡓࡀࡁ ࡄࡍࡅࡓࡀ ࡔࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ
ࡅࡀࡌࡀࡓ
ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡋࡁࡀࡓ ࡒࡀࡓࡉࡀ
ࡅࡓࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡀ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡍ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ
ࡅࡆࡓࡉࡀ ࡁࡅࡊࡁࡀ ࡅࡀࡈࡀࡈࡀ
ࡌࡊࡀ ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡌࡋࡉࡀ ࡁࡉࡔࡅࡕࡀ
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡀ ‖ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡉࡀ
[46]
5
ࡖࡃࡀࡓࡀࡊࡕࡁࡅࡍ ࡅࡊࡁࡀ ࡅࡀࡈࡀࡈࡀ
ࡖࡀࡀࡍ ࡏࡕࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡀࡓࡒࡀ ࡅࡏࡔࡅࡌࡉࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡀࡍ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡍ
ࡔࡀࡌࡉࡔ ࡅࡎࡉࡓࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡍ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡊࡁࡊࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡀࡆࡍࡀࡋࡀࡕࡀ ࡖࡏࡔࡅࡌࡉࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡆࡉࡒࡀ ࡅࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ10
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡀࡓࡁࡀ ࡆࡉࡒࡉࡀ ࡖࡁࡀࡉࡕࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡉࡐࡓࡉࡀ ࡅࡏࡌࡁࡉࡀ ࡅࡏࡋࡀࡉࡍࡀ ࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡎࡀࡃࡍࡋࡉࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡅࡀ ࡋࡀࡁࡀࡈࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡊࡋ ࡖࡏࡁࡉࡃ ࡅࡌࡀࡁࡀࡃ ࡁࡀࡈࡉࡋ
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡀ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡄࡀࡉࡆࡉࡍ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ15
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡇ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡀࡋࡇ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡉࡇ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡃࡉࡁࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡀࡋࡇ
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡉࡇ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡂࡀࡀࡍࡁࡀ ࡅࡂࡀࡉࡍࡁࡋࡇ
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡉࡇ
ࡖࡀࡍࡋࡐࡀ ࡁࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡅࡁࡀࡔࡋࡀ ‖
[47]
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡇ
ࡖࡀࡍࡋࡐࡀ ࡁࡔࡉࡊࡀࡍ ࡅࡌࡉࡔࡕࡉࡊࡀࡍ20
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡉࡇ
ࡖࡀࡍࡋࡐࡀ ࡁࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡈࡀࡁࡀ
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡇ
ࡖࡀࡐࡉࡉࡔࡀ ࡁࡂࡅ ࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ
ࡌࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡉࡀࡉࡕࡉࡇ ࡏࡌࡉࡉࡍࡇ
ࡖࡀࡐࡉࡔࡀ ࡀࡂࡀࡁࡍࡉࡀ ࡁࡂࡅ ࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ
ࡅࡓࡏࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡀ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡉࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡀࡋࡇ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ25
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡔࡀࡌࡉࡔ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡀࡓࡉࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡃࡉࡁࡀ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡃࡉࡁࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡀࡋࡇ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡎࡉࡓࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡃࡉࡁࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡂࡀࡀࡍࡁࡀ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡕࡉࡀ ࡂࡀࡀࡍࡁࡀ ࡅࡂࡀࡉࡍࡁࡋࡇ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡉࡍࡓࡉࡂ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡂࡀࡀࡍࡁࡀ30
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡍࡋࡐࡀ ࡁࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡅࡁࡀࡔࡋࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡓࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡔࡉࡊࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡍࡋࡐࡀ ࡁࡔࡉࡊࡀࡍ ࡅࡌࡉࡔࡕࡉࡊࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡋࡌࡔࡉࡄࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ‖ ࡖࡔࡉࡊࡀࡍ
[48]
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡌࡀ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡍࡉࡐࡋ ࡁࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡈࡀࡁࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ35
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡉࡀࡌࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡌࡀ
ࡌࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡂࡅࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡖࡀࡐࡉࡉࡔ ࡁࡂࡅ ࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡋࡏࡅࡊࡓࡉࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕ ࡂࡅࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ
ࡖࡀࡐࡉࡉࡔ ࡅࡀࡂࡀࡌࡁࡉࡀ ࡂࡅ ࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡕࡉࡆࡀࡋ
}ࡅࡋࡀࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ ࡖࡁࡀࡉࡕࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ{
ࡀࡌࡉࡈࡍࡅࡋ ࡖࡏࡋ ࡓࡅࡄࡀ ࡖࡒࡅࡃࡔࡀ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡀ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡍࡕ ࡀࡂࡀࡌࡁࡉࡀ ࡂࡅ ࡃࡉࡁࡀࡍ40
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡀ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡏࡓࡉࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡄࡀࡉࡆࡉࡍ ࡄࡅࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡓࡀࡄࡉࡌ ࡓࡀࡉࡀ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡖࡀࡋࡉࡐࡀ ࡓࡀࡉࡀࡀࡍ
ࡔࡂࡅࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡀࡍࡉࡄࡅࡍ
ࡅࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ ࡖࡒࡅࡃࡀࡌࡇ ࡎࡀࡂࡃࡉࡀ
ࡅࡉࡍࡄࡕࡉࡕ ࡏࡋ ࡀࡍࡄࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡌࡅࡒࡉࡀ ‖
ࡎࡉࡋࡒࡉࡕ ࡏࡋ ࡈࡅࡓࡉࡀ ࡓࡀࡌࡉࡀ45
ࡄࡃࡀ ࡄࡃࡀ ࡋࡂࡀࡈࡕࡇ ࡁࡉࡀࡌࡉࡀࡍࡉ
ࡏࡆࡋࡉࡕ ࡅࡀࡔࡀࡊࡕࡇ ࡏࡀࡊ ࡂࡉࡑࡀࡐ ࡋࡀࡂࡀࡑࡀࡐ
[49]
ࡕࡀࡒࡋࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡅࡁࡀࡍ
ࡅࡀࡕࡀࡍࡕࡇ ࡁࡌࡅࡆࡀࡉࡍࡀ ࡕࡀࡒࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡆࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡖࡀࡎࡂࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡊ
ࡌࡉࡔࡕࡀࡉࡉࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
Source Colophon
Mandaic source text extracted from the Unicode text layer of the critical edition PDF (Haberl & McGrath, 2020). Published open access under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The critical edition was based on manuscripts DC 17 (Bodleian Library, Oxford) and other witnesses.
The Mandaic script is presented in Unicode (Mandaic block U+0840–U+085F). Chapter 12 is the second and final chapter of the Good Shepherd cycle, following the shepherd's flood narrative in Chapter 11. The chapter is a call-and-response dialogue of approximately 47 verses. Verse numbers from the critical edition are preserved in the source text. Column boundary markers (‖) from the critical edition's facing-page format are preserved. Page boundary markers have been removed for readability.
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