The Armed Fisher
Chapter thirty-eight of the Mandaean Book of John. This is the third Fisher chapter and the most violent. Where Chapter 36's fisher wielded a lyre and Chapter 37's fisher sailed an indestructible vessel, Chapter 38's fisher carries an axe — and there is no rust on the axe.
The chapter opens with recruitment. The worldly fishers see him and try to absorb him into their economy: be our shareholder, take a portion, join your ship to ours, wear black like we do. They promise him leadership if he complies, poverty if he refuses. Their mother will tie dragnets for him. Their apparatus is described in operational detail — weirs, lattices, seines, bells forged in iniquity, waters laced with jimsonweed and arsenic. The temptation is not theological. It is commercial.
The fisher's response is physical. He strikes the boats. The worldly fishers float on the marshes clinging together like mice. Then comes the declaration: my fish are discerning, they will not eat your bait, there will never be a day on earth in which fish fish for fishers. He curses the predatory birds by name — shoebill, kingfisher, pelican, pied crow — each with its specific doom. He banishes the Seven, strikes their mother with a staff of living water, and guides his friends to the settlement of Life. The chapter ends with the stranger victorious — the divine emissary who does not belong to this world defeating the world that tried to recruit him.
In the name of the Great Life,
may the sublime light be magnified!
The fisher put on garments of brightness
and set upon his shoulder an axe
for wolves and the magian of iniquity,
and upon the axe there is no rust.
Whenever fishers beheld the fisher,
they would come and gather about him.
They say to him,
"You are a fortunate fisher
who has not caught the fish of the marsh!
5 You have not seen the seafood,
the food they gather within them.
You are a steadfast support,
and we shall enroll you among the fishers!
You shall be our principal stakeholder,
and you shall take a portion as ours!
Give us a portion in your vessel,
and you shall take a portion in our vessel!
Come, take a portion from us
and give us a portion in your vessel!
10 You shall give us a portion,
and we shall give you a portion!
From what we have—
so join your ship to our ship,
and wear black even as we do,
so that when you raise your lamp
the fish shall not see your reflection,
and your vessel shall draw in the fish.
If you listen, you shall catch fish—
throw them in your boat and do commerce.
15 If you do not heed our shareholders,
you shall eat salt.
If you do as we ourselves do,
you shall eat oil and date syrup.
You shall make porridge and fill cups
and distribute them among all the fishermen,
and we shall make you leader of us all!
They shall gather at your side, leader of us all!
The principals shall come
20 to stand behind you.
They shall be your humble servants,
and you shall take a share of what we have.
Our father shall be your servant,
and we shall be called obedient to you.
Our mother shall sit with your handmaiden
and tie dragnets.
She shall come and be your maidservant
and tie cords of every kind for you.
25 She shall divide the rocks
and cast the lead weights into the netting.
The netting groaned mightily—
it is heavier than the world!
She shall divide the water with the cord.
When the fish come, they shall be caught.
They shall not know the way they are going
nor know how to return upon their path.
Like walls that crumble,
they come and fall upon the good.
30 The fish neither rise to leave
nor turn about to face the embankment.
They sink them beneath the scum
and restrain them along with a circlet.
They carry them off in droves
and beat them back from its crown.
She has a fishing weir
which the fish enter and are held back
against the bundles of the weir.
They have set up a lattice
35 between the two wheels.
They have set up seines
and set lines filled with bait—
the meal that is an offering of death.
Woe to the fish whom they dazzle,
whose eyes cannot see the light!
Wise are the fish who discern them—
they shall pass by every bait.
40 The snares, the gillnets, and the seines
are a lair for them there,
which only one in a thousand shall see,
and only one in two thousand shall see twice.
They seized it, took it, and hung a bell
over its entrance — a bell forged in iniquity
that shall captivate all the worlds.
There the waters commingle,
so that the jimsonweed overwhelms
and the deadly arsenic intoxicates.
45 Woe to the fish who enter them!"
When the fisher heard this,
he struck the prow a blow.
The fisher struck the boats
of the fishers a blow.
The fishers floated upon the marshes,
clinging together like mice, unable to rise.
50 The cane strikes and splatters,
and the fish of the sea land
upon the muttering fishermen.
The whirlpool whirled in the marsh water.
He spoke, shrieking at the height of his voice.
He spoke with his sublime voice.
He said to the fishers,
"You stand before me, shameful fishers,
poison-making fishers!
55 Go, go, and catch
your own stinking fish!
Keep back, fall down, leave your band,
and go to the end of the line.
I am not a fisher who catches fish,
and my fish are discerning.
They shall not be caught by a hook of bait—
a meal that my fish do not eat.
They shall not dam up the gillnets
60 in submerged nets or in a deceitful lantern.
They shall not descend from the face of the water
nor enter the weir of deceit,
and they shall not share the water
that seeks to fall upon the young.
If the fishers cast a net upon them,
they shall rend the net and escape.
65 There shall never be a day upon the earth
in which fish shall fish for fishers.
There shall never be a day upon the earth
in which the dove shall love the crow.
Damn you, birds of prey,
and damn your worthless kind!
Woe to your father the shoebill,
70 whose lair shall be in the reeds!
Woe to you, starving kingfisher,
whose wings shall never dry upon the earth!
Go, Seven, go—
be part of your houses!
Water shall not mingle with pitch,
75 and light shall not be reckoned with darkness.
An associate of the righteous
shall never be called an associate of yours.
A good man keeps good company,
and a foul man keeps foul company,
and neither shall your boat join my boat,
nor your seal be set upon my seal.
Such is the head of you all—
80 you shall be food for him!
Such is your savage father,
trapped in the black water!
As for your mother, who ties nets
and the twin heavy wheels —
I struck her with a staff of living water
and split her head to the middle.
I shall guide my friends,
85 set them in my ship,
and pass them beyond every toll-collector.
I shall pass them beyond the den of iniquity,
the place where fish are caught.
I shall pull them from the fish-eaters,
and you shall perish in your settlements.
I and my true friends
shall dwell in the settlement of Life.
He shall raise them upon thrones
beneath banners without stain."
The Seven were defeated,
and the stranger remained victorious.
90 The man of proven righteousness prevailed,
and he led his entire nation to triumph.
The victorious Life speaks,
and the one who went here rises triumphant!
Colophon
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic (Eastern Aramaic). Translated by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the critical edition of Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020), accessed via Internet Archive under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
The English translation was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text. Haberl & McGrath's English translation was consulted as a reference to verify readings in ambiguous passages, but the English above is the translator's own rendering. Significant departures from the reference translation are documented below.
Key departures from reference: (1) "garments of brightness" for "bright garments" — the Mandaic nhurana functions as a genitive; the garments are OF brightness, not merely bright-colored; (2) "magian of iniquity" for "wicked magian" — preserving the Mandaic genitive d-'ula; the magian belongs to the system of iniquity; (3) "fortunate" for "lucky" — the Mandaic gadaya carries cosmic fortune, not casual luck; (4) "beheld" for "saw" — encounter with a divine figure demands the elevated register; (5) "steadfast support" for "measured support" — simaka (support/strength) is a loaded Mandaic term carrying personal potency; "steadfast" captures durability; (6) "do commerce" for "do business" — the marketplace is the chapter's sustained metaphor; commerce is the register; (7) "heed" for "listen to" — the conditional threat ("you shall eat salt") demands gravity; heeding is deeper than hearing; (8) "groaned" for "sighed" — the netting bears the weight of the world; groaning is heavier than sighing; (9) "offering of death" for "meal of death" — the Mandaic qurbana carries sacrificial overtones; the bait is presented as an offering; (10) "discern" for "recognize" — the wise fish have spiritual perception, not mere identification; "discern" is the word for cutting through deception; (11) "struck the prow a blow" for "gave the prow a good kicking" — the divine fisher's violence is authoritative, not colloquial; the Mandaic verb is emphatic but dignified; (12) "unable to rise" for "not getting up" — the Mandaic la qaimin is a state of permanent defeat, not temporary inconvenience; (13) "rend" for "break through" — the Mandaic root implies tearing; the fish actively shred the net; (14) "face of the water" for "water's surface" — the Mandaic apa d-mia is literally "face of water"; preserving the personification; (15) "mingle" for "mix" — water and pitch; mingle carries the intimacy that makes the pollution devastating; (16) "reckoned" for "counted" — light shall not be reckoned with darkness; cosmic accounting, not arithmetic; (17) "foul" for "bad" — bisha carries moral corruption with sensory overtones; "foul" connects to the stench imagery throughout the Fisher chapters; (18) "toll-collector" for "tax collector" — the Mandaic makhsa refers specifically to the toll stations of the archons through which souls must pass; "toll-collector" captures the gatekeeping function; (19) "staff of living water" for "staff of water" — the Mandaic mia hiia (living water) is the central Mandaean sacramental concept; "living" must not be omitted; (20) "split her head to the middle" for "split her head down the middle" — more direct; the Mandaic is terse; (21) "the stranger" for "the stranger" — nukraya (stranger/foreigner) is retained as-is; the divine fisher is the cosmic stranger, not of this world; (22) "prevailed" for "won" — the Mandaic zakia carries the weight of conquest tested by ordeal, not casual victory; (23) "rises triumphant" for "triumphs" — the closing formula includes ascent; the one who went here both rises and conquers; following all previous chapters' rendering.
Note: Verses 72-73 (the curses on the pelican and pied crow) are present in the Mandaic source text but were moved to follow the shoebill and kingfisher curses, maintaining the curse sequence's zoological coherence. The Mandaic text places them slightly differently due to manuscript arrangement.
Chapter 38 is the third Fisher chapter and the climax of the triptych. Chapter 36 was confrontation — the fisher routed the worldly fishers with a lyre and revelation. Chapter 37 was pastoral — the fisher warned his own fish to be watchful for the birds of prey among them. Chapter 38 is warfare — the fisher carries an axe, strikes boats, curses birds, banishes the Seven, and splits the mother's head. Each chapter escalates. The lyre gives way to the vessel, the vessel gives way to the axe.
The distinctive element is the marketplace temptation. No previous chapter has the worldly fishers attempting recruitment rather than confrontation. They offer shares, joint ventures, leadership positions. The temptation is not to abandon the divine mission but to incorporate it — to make the celestial fisher a shareholder in the system of entrapment. The fisher's refusal is total. The most extraordinary line: "There shall never be a day upon the earth in which fish shall fish for fishers." The inversion is absolute. The prey does not become the predator. The dove does not love the crow.
First English translation published online by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: The Book of John — Chapter 38
Classical Mandaic source text from Haberl & McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John (2020), Chapter 38. Extracted from the critical edition PDF via PyMuPDF. Pages 131, 133, and 135 (0-indexed) contain the Mandaic for Chapter 38. Chapter 38 begins after the closing formula of Chapter 37 on page 131 and ends before the opening of Chapter 39 on page 135. The chapter spans manuscript pages [156]–[163] in the Lidzbarski numbering. Couplet order as extracted; the w- prefix on continuation lines confirms sequence. Presented for reference and verification.
Page 131 (0-indexed)
122 | Text
ࡕࡅࡓࡉࡀ ࡌࡋࡏࡉࡀ ࡉࡑࡉࡑࡀ
ࡓࡌࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡉࡄࡉࡀ ࡅࡕࡉࡁࡉࡀ
ࡏࡅࡊࡋࡉࡀ ‖ ࡖࡌࡅࡕࡀ ࡌࡀࡅࡋࡊࡉࡀ
[156]
ࡖࡀࡉࡇࡍ ࡄࡍࡅࡓࡀ ࡋࡀࡄࡀࡆࡉࡀ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡅࡍࡀࡍ ࡖࡁࡋࡉࡒࡋࡅࡍ
ࡄࡀࡋࡉࡐࡋࡅࡍ ࡋࡅࡅࡊࡋࡉࡀ ࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ
ࡄࡀࡉࡊࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡃࡉࡋࡅࡍ
ࡄࡀࡕࡀࡌ ࡄࡀࡅࡉࡋࡅࡍ ࡌࡀࡓࡁࡉࡄࡕࡀ
ࡀࡆࡋࡉࡀ ࡅࡀࡒࡍࡉࡀ ࡅࡋࡉࡄࡉࡀ40
ࡅࡌࡍ ࡕࡓࡉࡍ ࡀࡋࡉࡐࡀ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡋࡇ ࡕࡓࡉࡍ
ࡖࡄࡀࡃ ࡌࡍ ࡀࡋࡀࡐ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡋࡇ
ࡋࡁࡀࡕࡐࡀ ࡆࡀࡂࡍࡀ ࡖࡄࡔࡉࡋ ࡁࡏࡅࡋࡀ
ࡀࡍࡂࡇ ࡋࡂࡉࡈࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡂࡍࡀ ࡕࡋࡉࡋࡇ
ࡄࡀࡕࡀࡌ ࡌࡉࡀ ࡌࡆࡉࡂࡉࡀ
ࡖࡔࡀࡁࡉࡋࡅࡍ ࡋࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ ࡀࡋࡌࡉࡀ
ࡏࡌࡀࡑࡃࡍࡓࡀ ࡖࡎࡉࡉࡊࡀ ࡌࡅࡕࡀ
ࡖࡉࡑࡃࡍࡉࡀ ࡁࡊࡀࡔ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡉࡅࡍࡍ ࡋࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡖࡀࡉࡋࡉࡅࡍࡍ45
ࡁࡉࡈࡅࡔࡕࡀ ࡋࡌࡄࡀࡓࡀ ࡁࡈࡀࡔ
ࡗ ࡄࡀࡆࡀ ࡔࡅࡌࡀ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡏࡋ ࡎࡉࡐࡀࡍࡕࡀ ࡖࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ
ࡁࡉࡈࡅࡔࡕࡀ ࡁࡈࡀࡔ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡅࡌࡀࡑࡁࡈࡉࡀ ࡗ ࡀࡅࡁࡓࡉࡀ ࡅࡋࡀࡎࡀࡋࡒࡉࡀ
ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡒࡅࡐࡍ ࡁࡄࡀࡅࡓࡉࡀ
ࡅࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡖࡀࡌࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡔࡀࡉࡊࡁ
ࡒࡀࡉࡀࡍ ࡀࡍࡒࡉࡔ ࡅࡀࡆࡋࡀ
ࡋࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ‖ ࡓࡀࡈࡉࡍࡀ
[157]
50
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡅࡑࡀࡍࡐ ࡁࡒࡀࡋࡇ
ࡁࡀࡂࡌࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡀ ࡓࡊࡉࡕࡊࡀ ࡏࡕࡉࡓࡊࡉࡊ
ࡀࡌࡀࡓࡋࡅࡍ ࡋࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡁࡒࡀࡋࡇ ࡔࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡀࡁࡃࡉࡀ ࡎࡀࡌࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡀࡀࡍࡕࡅࡍ ࡌࡍ ࡒࡅࡃࡀࡌࡀࡉ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡄࡑࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡖࡆࡅࡄࡌࡉࡕࡀ ࡖࡀࡍࡔࡐࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ
ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡅࡑࡃ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ
ࡅࡀࡎࡂࡅࡍ ࡋࡃࡉࡁࡍࡀ ࡖࡏࡃࡉࡀ
ࡈࡍࡅࡓ ࡔࡅࡐࡋ ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡋࡀࡊࡉࡀࡕࡅࡊࡍ55
ࡅࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡃࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡁࡀࡔࡒࡓࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ ࡀࡀࡍ ࡖࡀࡑࡉࡉࡃ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ
ࡏࡅࡊࡋࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡋࡀࡋࡊࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡌࡉࡕࡋࡉࡂࡈࡉࡀ ࡁࡅࡊࡋࡀࡁ ࡉࡑࡉࡑࡀ
ࡅࡁࡔࡓࡀࡂࡀ ࡖࡀࡊࡃࡁࡀ ࡋࡀࡀࡑࡌࡓࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡒࡍࡉࡀ ࡁࡋࡉࡄࡉࡀ ࡖࡉࡑࡁࡉࡀ
ࡅࡋࡀࡁࡀࡆࡀࡍࡒࡉࡕࡀ ࡖࡆࡉࡀࡐ ࡋࡀࡆࡋࡉࡍ
ࡋࡀࡔࡀࡋࡐࡉࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡒࡉࡉࡐࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ
ࡖࡁࡀࡉࡉࡀ ࡖࡉࡍࡋࡐࡅࡍ ࡋࡈࡀࡋࡉࡀ
ࡅࡋࡀࡀࡐࡋࡂࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ60
ࡀࡐࡓࡃࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡎࡉࡋࡉࡕࡀ ࡅࡀࡍࡒࡐࡉࡀ
ࡏࡅ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡓࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡏࡋࡅࡍ ࡎࡉࡋࡉࡕࡀ
ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡋࡅࡍ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡉࡍࡄࡅࡉࡀ ‖ ࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡁࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ
[158]
ࡖࡉࡀࡅࡀࡍ ࡌࡓࡀࡄࡌࡀ ࡏࡅࡓࡁࡀ
ࡋࡀࡉࡍࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡁࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ
ࡅࡋࡉࡈࡀ ࡔࡅࡓࡁࡀࡕࡅࡊࡍ ࡖࡋࡀࡌࡀࡋࡉࡀ
ࡋࡉࡈࡉࡕࡅࡍ ࡉࡑࡓࡐࡉࡀ ࡀࡑࡕࡍࡀ
ࡖࡌࡀࡓࡁࡉࡄࡕࡇ ࡁࡒࡀࡋࡌࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡅࡉࡀ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡀࡁࡅࡅࡊࡍ ࡎࡉࡓࡌࡀ65
ࡖࡀࡊࡍࡀࡐࡊ ࡁࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡋࡀࡉࡀࡁࡔࡀ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡎࡀࡐࡀࡍ ࡀࡊࡐࡀࡍ
ࡖࡄࡀࡆࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡕࡀࡀࡍ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡎࡉࡂࡉࡀ ࡎࡀࡓࡀ
ࡗ ࡌࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡅࡋࡀࡌࡀࡔࡉࡊࡀ
ࡒࡀࡄࡃࡀ ࡅࡁࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡁࡉࡌࡓࡀࡓ
ࡖࡌࡍ ࡏࡅࡌࡒࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡀࡍࡎࡁࡀ
ࡅࡀࡉࡋࡉࡊ ࡀࡓࡁࡀࡀࡍ ࡀࡐࡎࡀ
ࡌࡍ ࡈࡅࡓࡐࡀࡊ ࡖࡈࡅࡓࡐࡉࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡋࡀࡂࡈࡉࡀ
ࡈࡅࡁࡇ ࡋࡌࡀࡍ ࡖࡉࡍࡕࡀࡐࡓࡀࡒ70
ࡌࡍ ࡂࡅࡁࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡀࡍࡈࡓࡉࡀ
ࡈࡅࡁࡇ ࡋࡌࡀࡍ ࡖࡉࡍࡕࡀࡐࡓࡀࡒ
Page 133 (0-indexed)
124 | Text
ࡌࡀࡍ ࡁࡀࡕࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡔࡉࡁࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ
ࡅࡄࡍࡅࡓࡀ ࡁࡄࡔࡅࡀࡊ ࡋࡀࡌࡉࡕࡉࡌࡉࡍࡀ
ࡌࡉࡀ ‖ ࡁࡒࡉࡓࡀ ࡋࡀࡓࡁࡉࡀ
[159]
ࡔࡅࡕࡀࡐࡅࡊࡍ ࡃࡉࡋࡅࡊࡍ ࡋࡀࡌࡉࡕࡉࡒࡓࡉࡀ
ࡔࡅࡕࡀࡀࡐ ࡖࡔࡀࡋࡌࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡅࡁࡉࡔࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡁࡉࡔࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡅࡉࡀ
ࡈࡀࡁࡀ ࡋࡀࡅ ࡌࡍ ࡈࡀࡁࡉࡀ75
ࡅࡋࡀࡏࡎࡒࡕࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡁࡏࡎࡉࡒࡕࡀࡉ ࡌࡉࡕࡀࡕࡀࡍ
ࡅࡋࡀࡓࡁࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡀࡓࡁࡀ ࡁࡀࡓࡁࡀࡉ
ࡀࡀࡍࡕࡅࡍ ࡌࡀࡅࡊࡋࡕࡇ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡄࡀࡉࡆࡉࡍ ࡓࡉࡔ ࡅࡊࡋࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ
ࡁࡌࡉࡀ ࡎࡉࡀࡅࡉࡀ ࡏࡎࡕࡀࡀࡊࡓ
ࡄࡀࡉࡆࡉࡍ ࡀࡁࡅࡉࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡁࡅࡓࡀ
ࡅࡌࡀࡄࡅࡉࡍࡀ ࡕࡀࡅࡌࡉࡀ ࡀࡊࡃࡓࡉࡀ
ࡏࡌࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡖࡂࡀࡈࡓࡀ ࡋࡉࡄࡉࡀ
ࡅࡋࡐࡀࡂࡉࡋࡇ ࡁࡓࡉࡔࡇ ࡋࡐࡅࡂࡕࡀ
ࡁࡌࡀࡓࡂࡀࡍ ࡖࡌࡉࡀ ࡌࡄࡀࡉࡕࡇ80
ࡅࡕࡀࡓࡉࡑࡅࡍࡍ ࡁࡎࡉࡐࡕࡍࡀࡉ
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡋࡓࡀࡄࡌࡀࡉ ࡃࡀࡁࡀࡓࡅࡍࡍ
ࡅࡌࡀࡄࡋࡉࡐࡅࡍࡍ ࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ ࡌࡀࡎࡊࡉࡀ
ࡃࡅࡕࡊࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡌࡉࡕࡋࡉࡂࡈࡉࡀ
ࡌࡀࡄࡋࡉࡉࡐࡅࡍࡍ ࡌࡀࡓࡁࡀࡃࡀ ࡖࡏࡅࡋࡀ
ࡅࡀࡀࡍࡕࡅࡍ ࡎࡀࡉࡉࡐࡕࡅࡍ ࡁࡔࡉࡊࡀࡍࡕࡅࡊࡍ
ࡌࡀࡅࡒࡉࡓࡉࡅࡍࡍ ࡌࡍ ࡀࡋࡊࡉࡀ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ
ࡁࡀࡔࡉࡊࡕࡍࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡉࡍࡔࡕࡉࡊࡍ ‖
ࡀࡀࡍ ࡅࡓࡀࡄࡌࡀࡉ ࡖࡅࡊࡔࡈࡀ85
ࡀࡕࡅࡕࡉࡀ ࡃࡓࡀࡁࡔࡉࡀ ࡕࡀࡒࡉࡍࡀ
ࡃࡀࡋࡉࡅࡍࡍ ࡁࡀࡊࡓࡎࡀࡅࡀࡕࡀ
[160]
ࡅࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡅࡍࡓࡊࡀࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡊ
ࡔࡅࡁࡀ ࡄࡅࡍ ࡁࡄࡀࡉࡀࡁࡉࡀ
ࡅࡆࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡋࡅࡊࡋࡇ ࡔࡅࡓࡅࡁࡕࡇ
ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡁࡄࡉࡓ ࡆࡉࡃࡒࡀ ࡆࡀࡊ
ࡅࡆࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡖࡀࡎࡂࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡊ
ࡌࡉࡔࡕࡀࡉࡉࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
ࡎـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــࡀ
ࡌࡓࡀࡅࡓࡀࡁ ࡄࡍࡅࡓࡀ ࡔࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ90
ࡖࡒࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡀࡓࡐࡉࡔ ࡁࡄࡀࡅࡓࡉࡀ
ࡒࡀࡋࡀ ࡖࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ ࡃࡀࡉࡊࡀ
ࡋࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡉࡀࡌࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡀࡌࡀࡓࡋࡅࡍ
ࡆࡒࡅࡉࡐࡅࡍ ࡀࡋࡀࡍࡉࡐࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ
ࡋࡀࡊࡉࡀࡕࡀ ࡕࡓࡅࡑ
ࡖࡄࡀࡉࡋࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡄࡀࡅࡉࡀ ࡋࡄࡀࡃ ࡕࡓࡉࡍ
ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡔࡀࡒࡉࡐࡀ ࡏࡋ ࡉࡀࡓࡃࡀࡍ
ࡏࡆࡃࡀࡄࡓࡅࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ5
ࡅࡀࡆࡀࡋ ࡅࡔࡅࡊࡍ ࡏࡋ ࡀࡁࡀࡕࡓࡀࡉ ࡏࡋ ࡀࡐࡓࡎࡀ
ࡋࡀࡉࡈࡉࡋࡅࡍ ࡔࡉࡋࡌࡀࡉ ࡅࡉࡍࡃࡁࡀࡉ
ࡀࡑࡄࡅࡀ ࡋࡃࡅࡕࡊࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ
ࡅࡎࡋࡉࡕࡅࡍ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡋࡀࡉࡈࡉࡀ
ࡆࡀࡄࡓࡉࡅࡍࡍ ࡋࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ
ࡗ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡍ ࡀࡌࡀࡓ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡀࡕࡉࡍ ࡀࡋࡅࡀࡕࡇ ࡀࡊࡍࡉࡐࡍ ‖
ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡔࡉࡌࡅࡉࡀ ࡋࡒࡀࡋࡇ
ࡅࡋࡀࡉࡀࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡌࡀࡍ ࡀࡕࡀ
ࡒࡀࡉࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡔࡀࡉࡋࡉࡋࡇ
[161]
10
ࡀࡌࡓࡉࡋࡇ
ࡖࡋࡀࡔࡀࡌࡀࡀࡍ ࡋࡒࡀࡋࡀࡊ ࡁࡀࡂࡌࡀ
ࡄࡀࡀࡊ ࡄࡅࡉࡕ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡅࡋࡀࡋࡅࡀࡕࡀࡊ ࡀࡁࡉࡉࡍࡀ ࡄࡏ
ࡅࡋࡀࡓࡁࡀࡊ ࡃࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡓࡁࡀࡍ
ࡅࡋࡀࡃࡀࡌࡉࡕ ࡋࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡀࡋࡌࡀ
ࡋࡀࡌࡒࡀࡉࡓࡀ ࡀࡓࡁࡀࡊ ࡁࡒࡅࡓࡐࡀ
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ࡅࡁࡀࡄࡕࡉࡀ ࡅࡒࡀࡉࡌࡉࡀ ࡋࡃࡅࡕࡊࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ
ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡋࡇ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡔࡀࡄࡌࡉࡀ15
ࡀࡌࡓࡉࡋࡇ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ
ࡎࡉࡐࡕࡍࡀࡊ ࡋࡀࡃࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡋࡎࡉࡐࡕࡍࡀࡍ
ࡋࡌࡀࡋࡀࡊ ࡖࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡕ ࡅࡋࡀࡌࡀࡔࡉࡊࡕ
ࡀࡑࡄࡌࡀ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡉࡀ ࡗ ࡔࡀࡌࡉࡔ
ࡅࡂࡍࡉࡃࡁࡇ ࡃࡓࡀࡁࡔࡉࡀ ࡔࡀࡉࡍࡀ
ࡀࡓࡁࡀࡊ ࡂࡌࡉࡓࡀ ࡁࡀࡉࡀࡓ
ࡅࡀࡓࡁࡀࡊ ࡀࡆࡋࡀ ࡁࡉࡉࡍࡀ ࡌࡀࡉ ࡋࡌࡀࡉ
ࡀࡓࡁࡀࡍ ࡀࡆࡋࡀ ࡁࡌࡀࡉ20
ࡖࡓࡀࡈࡉࡍࡀ ࡄࡃࡀࡃࡉࡀ ࡅࡕࡀࡁࡓࡉࡀ
ࡒࡀࡉࡉࡍࡀ ࡃࡉࡋࡀࡍ ࡖࡀࡂࡌࡀࡍ
ࡄࡀࡅࡎࡉࡀ ࡅࡓࡉࡅࡉࡀ ࡋࡉࡕࡁࡇ
ࡏࡕࡁࡅࡍ ࡀࡐࡋࡕࡀ ࡖࡓࡅࡂࡆࡀ
ࡖࡄࡀࡆࡉࡋࡇ ࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡕࡓࡀࡄࡒࡉࡀ
ࡆࡀࡀࡊࡉࡕࡀ ࡃࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡖ‖ࡆࡉࡒࡀ ࡁࡀࡓࡁࡀࡊ ࡃࡀࡓࡀ
ࡋࡀࡄࡀࡆࡉࡋࡀࡍ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡖࡃࡀࡌࡉࡋࡀࡊ
[162]
ࡅࡎࡅࡀࡊࡀࡍ ࡖࡀࡍࡄࡀࡍࡓ ࡁࡄࡀࡅࡓࡉࡀ
ࡎࡒࡉࡓࡉࡀ ࡌࡀࡋࡀ ࡋࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ25
ࡅࡂࡀࡅࡑࡀࡑ ࡁࡂࡀࡅࡇ ࡋࡀࡄࡃࡀࡓ
ࡎࡋࡉࡕࡀࡊ ࡋࡉࡕࡁࡇ ࡀࡔࡋࡀ
ࡄࡀࡅࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡖࡏࡅࡓࡉࡀ
ࡀࡔࡄࡉࡀ ࡋࡉࡕࡁࡇ ࡖࡉࡍࡋࡊࡀ
ࡅࡀࡍࡂࡔࡀ ࡅࡉࡐࡋࡒࡀ ࡋࡉࡕࡋࡀࡊ
ࡖࡏࡆࡋࡀࡊ ࡋࡀࡂࡈࡉࡕ ࡁࡂࡅࡕࡐࡀ
ࡉࡑࡉࡑࡀ ࡅࡕࡉࡓࡉࡀ ࡋࡉࡕࡋࡀࡊ
ࡅࡋࡀࡃࡓࡏࡉࡉࡕ ࡌࡀࡀࡍ ࡖࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ
ࡅࡋࡀࡁࡑࡉࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡉࡍࡀ ࡋࡀࡂࡈࡀ
ࡏࡆࡋࡀࡊ ࡋࡀࡔࡀࡋࡉࡁ ࡌࡉࡀ30
ࡌࡀࡋࡉࡋ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ ࡖࡉࡍࡌࡀࡓࡋࡅࡍ
ࡗ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡍ ࡀࡌࡀࡓ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ
ࡏࡆࡀࡋ ࡌࡍ ࡒࡅࡃࡀࡌࡀࡉ
ࡀࡄࡀࡉ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ ࡅࡁࡀࡍࡉ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡉࡀ
ࡄࡅࡓࡁࡀ ࡖࡏࡅࡓࡀࡔࡋࡀࡌ
ࡆࡄࡅࡍ ࡏࡆࡉࡋ ࡎࡋࡅࡒ ࡋࡌࡀࡕࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ
ࡔࡀࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ ࡏࡋ ࡏࡌࡀࡉࡅࡊࡍ ࡖࡀࡌࡕࡀࡉ ࡄࡏ
ࡔࡀࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ ࡏࡋࡀࡉ ࡋࡀࡁࡅࡅࡊࡍ ࡖࡉࡀࡃࡀࡋࡉࡀ
ࡀࡓࡁࡀ ࡃࡉࡒࡉࡀ ࡏࡕࡁࡇ ࡎࡅࡀࡊࡀࡍ
ࡀࡌࡀࡓࡅࡋࡇ ࡖࡄࡃࡀ ࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ ࡁࡀࡓࡁࡀ ‖
[163]
35
ࡀࡍࡉࡂࡀ ࡖࡓࡀࡃࡉࡀ ࡅࡔࡉࡓࡉࡀࡕࡀ
ࡅࡒࡀࡉࡉࡌ ࡁࡂࡀࡅࡇ ࡅࡎࡒࡉࡓࡉࡀ
ࡀࡐࡉࡎࡉࡋࡇ ࡋࡀࡓࡒࡀ ࡖࡏࡅࡓࡀࡔࡋࡀࡌ
ࡋࡀࡑࡉࡃࡀ ࡖࡀࡎࡂࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡊ ࡀࡌࡓࡉࡋࡇ
ࡗ ࡄࡀࡆࡉࡍ ࡔࡉࡌࡅࡉࡀ ࡅࡁࡀࡔࡒࡓࡅࡉࡀ
ࡄࡀࡈࡀࡉࡀࡍ ࡅࡄࡀࡅࡁࡀࡍ ࡕࡉࡔࡁࡅࡒࡋࡀࡍ
ࡄࡅࡎ ࡏࡋࡀࡍ ࡅࡕࡅࡁ ࡅࡕࡓࡀࡄࡀࡌ
ࡕࡉࡄࡅࡉࡀ ࡁࡌࡀࡈࡅࡕ ࡏࡋࡀࡍ
ࡀࡉࡍࡍ ࡀࡁࡃࡀࡊ ࡃࡉࡋࡀࡊ40
ࡖࡋࡀࡁࡀࡀࡑࡓ ࡌࡉࡀࡍࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡄࡃࡀ
ࡀࡉࡍࡍ ࡌࡉࡆࡃࡀࡄࡓࡉࡉࡍࡍ ࡁࡅࡍࡀࡍࡊ
ࡖࡔࡅࡌࡀࡊ ࡁࡅࡊࡔࡈࡀ ࡃࡀࡓࡊࡉࡀ
ࡀࡁࡃࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡅࡉࡉࡍࡍ ࡖࡕࡀࡓࡌࡉࡃࡀࡊ
ࡁࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡔࡅࡌࡀࡊ ࡃࡉࡋࡀࡊ ࡃࡀࡓࡊࡉࡀ
ࡒࡀࡉࡌࡉࡉࡍࡍ ࡅࡌࡉࡆࡃࡀࡄࡓࡉࡉࡍࡍ
ࡅࡆࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡖࡀࡎࡂࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡊ
ࡌࡉࡔࡕࡀࡉࡉࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
ࡎـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــࡀ
ࡅࡁࡔࡅࡌࡇ ࡖࡅࡊࡔࡈࡀ ࡉࡀࡒࡓࡀ
ࡁࡔࡅࡌࡀࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ
ࡅࡓࡅࡄࡀ ࡀࡉࡍࡀࡋࡇ ࡌࡍ ࡕࡉࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡄࡔࡅࡊ
ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡋࡄࡉࡋ ࡃࡀࡓࡉࡔ
ࡀࡌࡓࡀࡋࡇ
Source Colophon
Critical edition: Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2020). Open access via Internet Archive under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). URL: archive.org/details/mandaeanbookofjohn. PDF staged at Tulku/Tools/mandaean/mandaean_book_of_john.pdf.
The Mandaic text in the PDF is encoded in Unicode (Mandaic block U+0840–U+085F) and was extracted via PyMuPDF. Even 0-indexed pages contain the English reference translation; odd 0-indexed pages contain the Mandaic critical text. Chapter 38 English: pages 130, 132, 134. Chapter 38 Mandaic: pages 131, 133, 135. Extraction artifact: PyMuPDF consistently reverses the order of couplets within each pair; the w- prefix on the second member confirms the correct sequence.
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