Bring Fire and Burn Me
Chapter 27 of the Mandaean Book of John — the tenth chapter of the John-Johannes section (Chapters 18–33). Yahya opens with a bold declaration of his own greatness: his deeds, his wages, his garlands, his praise. Three leaders — Ya'qip, Binia'min, and Eli'zar — have abandoned their posts: the synagogue, the Temple, and the Dome of the Priests. The priests of Urashlam confront Yahya and demand he leave their city, for the sound of his voice has made the very buildings tremble. Yahya responds with the most defiant words in the entire Book of John: "Bring fire and burn me! And bring a sword and cut me!" The priests confess their impotence: fire will not burn him, for the name of Life is spoken over him; a sword will not cut him, for the Son of Life is loosed upon him. The chapter is a Mandaean theology of prophetic invulnerability — not martyrdom, but absolute protection. Fourteen verses.
Translated from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Source text from Haberl and McGrath's critical edition (Brill, 2020), accessed via Internet Archive (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The English translation of Haberl and McGrath was consulted as a reference; all departures from the reference are documented in the colophon.
Yahya preaches in the nights,
Yuhana in the evenings of the nights.
Yahya preaches in the nights
and says:
1 "Is there anyone greater than me?
My deeds ought to be reckoned,
my wages and my garlands ought to be counted,
and my praise lifts me up
with the joy of my embrace."
2 Ya'qip has abandoned the synagogue,
and Binia'min has abandoned the Temple.
3 Eli'zar of the Great House
has abandoned the Dome of the Priests.
4 The priests spoke
to Yahya in Urashlam, saying,
5 "Yahya, depart from our town!
Yuhana, depart from our city!
6 The synagogue trembled from the sound of your voice,
and the Temple trembled from the sound of your teachings!
7 The Dome of the Priests has trembled
from the sound of your refrains!"
8 Yahya spoke to the priests in Urashlam,
saying,
9 "Bring fire and burn me!
And bring a sword and cut me!"
10 The priests spoke
to Yahya in Urashlam, saying,
11 "Fire will not burn you, Yahya,
for the name of Life is spoken over you.
12 A sword will not cut you, Yahya,
for the Son of Life is loosed upon you."
13 And Life is praised!
14 Yahya preaches in the nights,
Yuhana in the evenings of the nights.
Colophon
Translated from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church (NTAC + Claude), April 2026.
Source text: Charles Haberl and James McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Brill, 2020), accessed via Internet Archive under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Pages 83–85 (Mandaic text), pages 84–86 (English translation).
The English translation of Haberl and McGrath was consulted as a reference. Fourteen departures from the reference are documented below:
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"Yahya" for "John" — The Mandaic text uses Yahia, the Mandaic form of the Baptist's name. Project convention throughout all chapters.
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"Yuhana" for "Johannes" — The Mandaic text uses Yuhana. Project convention.
-
"is praised" for "triumphs" — The Mandaic formula w-hiia zaikan closes every chapter. Project convention: "And Life is praised!"
-
"reckoned" for "measured" — The Mandaic verbal form conveys counting and reckoning rather than physical measurement. "Reckoned" captures the sense of spiritual accounting.
-
"garlands" for "wreaths" — Mandaic kilai from klila, the ritual myrtle adornment used in Mandaean ceremony. "Garlands" is the more natural English rendering for these symbols of spiritual accomplishment.
-
"Ya'qip" for "Jacob" — Mandaic form of the name, preserving the source language's pronunciation.
-
"Binia'min" for "Benjamin" — Mandaic form.
-
"Eli'zar" for "Eleazar" — Mandaic form.
-
"Urashlam" for "Jerusalem" — Mandaic form, consistent with project convention.
-
"depart" for "leave" — Mandaic wpq (root N-P-Q) means "to go out, exit, depart." "Depart" carries the formal prophetic weight the priests intend.
-
"trembled" for "shook" — Mandaic root '-N-D. "Trembled" conveys buildings responding to divine authority — the prophetic voice makes stone quake.
-
"teachings" for "lessons" — Mandaic drashak from D-R-Sh (cf. Hebrew midrash). "Teachings" is the proper religious register for Yahya's homilies.
-
"spoken over you" for "mentioned over you" — Mandaic madakar (D-K-R). "Spoken over" carries the ritual invocation sense — the Name is not merely mentioned but actively pronounced as protection.
-
"loosed upon you" for "unleashed upon you" — Mandaic shriya (root Sh-R-Y = to loose, release, dwell). "Loosed" is closer to the root and avoids the connotation of wildness that "unleashed" imports into the divine protection imagery.
Blood Rule attestation: This English was independently derived from reading the Classical Mandaic source text. The Haberl-McGrath English was consulted as a reference for verification and disambiguation, but the translation follows the Mandaic grammar, word order, and diction independently. All departures from the reference are documented above.
First English translation: No. Haberl and McGrath (2020) provide the first complete scholarly English translation. This is an independent English rendering from the same Mandaic source.
Scribal credit: Tulku Tanken (探検), Expeditionary Tulku of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: ࡀࡖࡀࡤࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡁࡉࡀ — ࡐࡖࡌࡀ 27
Classical Mandaic source text from Haberl and McGrath's critical edition (Brill, 2020), pp. 83–85. Presented for reference and verification. Couplet order corrected from the PyMuPDF extraction artifact (RTL text extraction reverses couplet members).
ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡃࡀࡖࡉࡔ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ
ࡉࡅࡄࡀࡀࡍ ࡁࡖࡀࡌࡔࡉࡀ ࡖࡋࡉࡋࡉࡀ
ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡃࡀࡖࡉࡔ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ
ࡅࡀࡌࡀࡖ
ࡌࡉࡀࡀࡊ ࡖࡖࡀࡁ ࡌࡉࡀࡍࡉ
ࡌࡉࡀࡊࡋ ࡀࡊࡋࡉࡀ ࡏࡅࡁࡀࡃࡉࡀ
ࡌࡉࡄࡔࡉࡁ ࡀࡂࡖࡀࡉ ࡅࡋࡊࡉࡋࡀࡉ
ࡅࡖࡅࡔࡁࡉࡄࡖࡀࡉ ࡌࡀࡈࡐࡀࡋࡉࡀ ࡁࡄࡀࡃࡅࡀ ࡋࡉࡂࡉࡘࡖࡀࡉ
ࡉࡀࡐࡉࡐ ࡔࡁࡀࡐ ࡁࡉࡖ ࡀࡌࡀ
ࡅࡁࡉࡍࡀ ࡀࡌࡉࡍ ࡔࡉࡁࡐࡅࡉࡀ ࡋࡁࡉࡖ ࡌࡐࡀࡃࡔࡉࡀ
ࡏࡋࡉࡆࡀࡖ ࡁࡀࡉࡖࡀ ࡖࡁࡀ
ࡔࡉࡁࡐࡇ ࡋࡐࡅࡌࡁࡀ ࡖࡀࡊࡄࡉࡍࡀ
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡖࡉࡍࡌࡀࡖࡋࡇ ࡀࡊࡄࡉࡍࡀ
ࡋࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡁࡏࡅࡖࡀࡔࡋࡀࡌ
ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡅࡐࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡌࡀࡖࡀࡍ
ࡉࡅࡄࡀࡀࡍ ࡅࡐࡐ ࡌࡍ ࡌࡃࡉࡖࡍࡀࡍ
ࡌࡍ ࡐࡀࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡍࡃ ࡁࡉࡖ ࡀࡌࡀ
ࡅࡌࡍ ࡐࡀࡋ ࡃࡖࡀࡔࡀࡊ ࡀࡍࡃ ࡁࡉࡖ ࡌࡐࡀࡃࡔࡉࡀ
ࡌࡍ ࡐࡀࡋࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡏࡉࡍࡀࡀࡍࡊ
ࡀࡍࡃࡀࡖ ࡐࡅࡌࡁࡀ ࡖࡀࡊࡄࡉࡍࡀ
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡖࡉࡍࡌࡀࡖࡋࡅࡍ ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡊࡄࡉࡍࡀ ࡁࡏࡅࡖࡀࡔࡋࡀࡌ
ࡀࡉࡖࡅࡍ ࡅࡍࡖࡀ ࡅࡐࡅࡋࡉࡅࡍ
ࡅࡀࡉࡖࡅࡍ ࡈࡉࡀࡐ ࡅࡅࡐࡈࡐࡅࡍ
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡖࡉࡍࡌࡀࡖࡋࡇ ࡀࡊࡄࡉࡍࡀ
ࡋࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡁࡏࡅࡖࡀࡔࡋࡀࡌ
ࡅࡍࡖࡀ ࡋࡀࡋࡊࡀࡋࡀࡊ ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ
ࡖࡔࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡃࡀࡊࡖ ࡏࡋࡀࡊ
ࡈࡉࡀࡐ ࡋࡀࡀࡐࡈࡉࡐࡋࡀࡊ ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ
ࡖࡁࡖ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡀࡊ ࡔࡖࡉࡀ ࡏࡋࡀࡊ
ࡅࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡃࡀࡖࡉࡔ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ
ࡉࡅࡄࡀࡀࡍ ࡁࡖࡀࡌࡔࡉࡀ ࡖࡋࡉࡋࡉࡀ
Source Colophon
Classical Mandaic source text from Charles Haberl and James McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Brill, 2020), pp. 83–85. Open access via Internet Archive (archive.org/details/mandaeanbookofjohn), licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Extracted from the PDF's Unicode text layer using PyMuPDF. Couplet order corrected: PyMuPDF extracts RTL Mandaic text with a consistent couplet reversal (second line of each pair appears first in extraction). The w- prefix and grammatical context confirm the correct ordering.
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