The Three Requests
Chapter forty-six of the Mandaean Book of John. A soul narrates its departure from light's place — the eternal abode — and its journey into the world. An excellency from the House of Life accompanies the soul, bearing a staff of living water whose foliage is a threefold medicine: first it heals the ailing heart, then fills the scrolls with knowledge, then restores sight to the eyes.
With sight restored, the soul recognizes its father and makes three requests: a great heart capacious enough for the mighty and the small, stillness without rebellion, and a level path by which to ascend in peace back to light's place. The structure mirrors Mandaean ritual prayer — the threefold giving, the threefold asking — and the chapter functions as a compact soteriology: departure, healing, recognition, petition, return. The staff of living water recalls the imagery of the masiqta (the Mandaean ascent ceremony), where living water is the medium of purification and return.
In the name of the Great Life,
may the sublime light be magnified!
From light's place, I went forth —
from you, enduring abode!
From the place that I departed,
an excellency from Life accompanied me.
The excellency who accompanied me from Life's house
held a staff of living water in his hand.
The staff that he held in his hand
was all foliage from end to end.
5 From its leaves, he gave me some,
and my ailing heart was healed.
A second time, he gave me some,
and the scrolls were filled.
A third time, he gave me some,
and he set my eyes in my head.
Within my head he set my eyes,
and I saw my father and knew him.
I saw my father, I beheld him,
and I gave him three requests.
10 I asked him for a great heart
that the mighty and the small may bear.
I asked him for stillness
in which there is no rebellion.
I asked him for a level path,
to ascend in peace to light's place.
The triumphant Life speaks,
and the man who came here is victorious!
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. Key departures from the reference: (1) "went forth" rather than "left" — inqpit (N-Q-P-T) carries the sense of deliberate departure, not casual leaving, consistent with the soul's narrative of departure from the Lightworld; (2) "enduring" rather than "everlasting" for taqan — taqan denotes stability and persistence rather than infinite duration; (3) "foliage" rather than "leafy" for aluwa — rendered as a noun rather than adjective, preserving the concreteness of the image; (4) "ailing" rather than "sick" for akiub — the Mandaic term connotes spiritual-physical decay, not mere illness; (5) "scrolls" rather than "books" for sidria — preserves the material culture of the ancient Near East; (6) "stillness" rather than "calmness" for nihuta — closer to the N-H-T root meaning of rest/settling, with resonance to monastic traditions of inner stillness; (7) "mighty and small" rather than "big and little" for rurbia/dirdaqia — preserves the social register of the original, where these terms describe ranks of being, not physical size.
Chapter 46 is a compact soul-narrative in the Mandaean tradition: departure from the Lightworld, divine accompaniment, threefold healing, recognition of the Father, and threefold petition for return. The threefold structure — three givings from the staff's foliage, three requests to the Father — mirrors Mandaean liturgical patterns. The staff of living water (gawaza d-mia hiyya) is a central Mandaean symbol, connecting to the baptismal rites and the masiqta (ascent ceremony). 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 46
Classical Mandaic source text from Haberl & McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John (2020), Chapter 46. Extracted from the critical edition PDF via PyMuPDF. Couplet order corrected from extraction artifact (PyMuPDF reverses paired lines; the w- prefix on continuation lines confirms correct sequence). Presented for reference and verification.
ࡌࡍ ࡀࡕࡓࡀ ࡖࡄࡍࡅࡓࡀ ࡉࡍࡒࡐࡉࡕ
ࡌࡉࡀࡍࡊ ࡃࡀࡅࡓࡀ ࡕࡀࡒࡀࡍ
ࡀࡕࡓࡀ ࡖࡉࡍࡒࡐࡉࡕ ࡌࡉࡇࡍ
ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡋࡅࡀࡍ
ࡏࡅࡕࡓࡀ ࡖࡋࡅࡀࡍ ࡌࡍ ࡁࡉࡕ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ
ࡂࡀࡅࡀࡆࡀ ࡖࡌࡉࡀ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡁࡏࡃࡇ ࡋࡂࡉࡈ
ࡂࡀࡅࡀࡆࡀ ࡖࡋࡂࡉࡈ ࡁࡏࡃࡇ
ࡅࡊࡋࡇ ࡀࡋࡅࡀ ࡌࡍ ࡓࡉࡔ ࡁࡓࡉࡔ
ࡌࡍ ࡀࡈࡉࡓࡉࡐࡇ ࡏࡄࡀࡁࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡇࡍ 5
ࡋࡉࡁࡀࡉ ࡖࡀࡊࡉࡅࡁ ࡉࡍࡕࡀࡀࡐࡍ
ࡕࡀࡍ ࡏࡄࡀࡁࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡇࡍ
ࡎࡉࡃࡓࡉࡀ ࡌࡋࡉࡍ
ࡕࡋࡀࡕ ࡏࡄࡀࡁࡋࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡇࡍ
ࡀࡉࡀࡍࡉ ࡕࡓࡀࡋࡑࡉࡀ ࡁࡓࡉࡔࡀࡉ
ࡀࡉࡀࡍࡉ ࡁࡓࡉࡔࡀࡉ ࡕࡓࡀࡋࡑࡉࡀ
ࡄࡆࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡅࡁࡀࡔࡒࡉࡓࡕࡇ ࡋࡀࡁ
ࡄࡆࡀࡉࡕࡇ ࡋࡀࡁ ࡅࡁࡀࡔࡒࡉࡓࡕࡇ
ࡅࡔࡀࡉࡉࡋࡕࡇ ࡔࡅࡋࡕࡀ ࡕࡋࡀࡕ
ࡔࡀࡋࡕࡇ ࡋࡉࡁࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ 10
ࡖࡎࡁࡉࡋࡉࡁࡇ ࡓࡅࡓࡁࡉࡀ ࡅࡃࡉࡓࡃࡒࡉࡀ
ࡔࡀࡋࡕࡇ ࡋࡉࡍࡄࡅࡕࡀ
ࡖࡌࡓࡉࡃࡅࡕࡀ ࡋࡉࡕࡁࡇ
ࡔࡀࡋࡕࡇ ࡃࡉࡓࡉࡊࡀ ࡌࡉࡊࡉࡊࡀ
ࡖࡎࡋࡀࡒ ࡁࡔࡋࡀࡌ ࡋࡀࡕࡀࡓ ࡄࡍࡅࡓ
ࡌࡉࡔࡕࡀࡉࡉࡍ ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
ࡅࡆࡀࡉࡊࡀ ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡖࡀࡎࡂࡉࡀ ࡋࡀࡊ
Source Colophon
Classical Mandaic source text from Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020). Accessed via Internet Archive under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Text extracted using PyMuPDF from the critical edition PDF; couplet order corrected based on the w- continuation prefix pattern documented across all chapters of this translation project.
Pages 143 and 145 (0-indexed) of the PDF. Chapter 46 Mandaic text, spanning book pages 134-136 (facing pages to Translation pages 135-137). Chapter 46 verses 1-13.
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