Prayers I–IV
The Qolasta (qulasta, "praise" or "communion") is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaean religion — the last living Gnostic tradition, with approximately 100,000 adherents in Iraq, Iran, and the global diaspora. Comprising over four hundred prayers, hymns, and liturgical instructions, the Qolasta governs every sacramental act of Mandaean religious life: baptism (masbuta), the death mass (masiqta), and the ritual meal (lofani).
Part One, "The Baptism," contains the prayers recited during the masbuta — the central sacrament of Mandaean faith. Unlike Christian baptism, the masbuta is not a one-time event but a repeated purification performed in flowing water (yardna, "Jordan"), ideally every Sunday. The prayers presented here accompany the donning of the priestly headband (himiana) — the white cloth band worn during baptism. Each prayer opens by invoking the Great Life and unfolds a cosmological vision reaching from the primordial ages before creation to the ritual moment at the water's edge.
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic. Translated from the Mandaic text in Hebrew-letter transcription as published in Mark Lidzbarski's edition of Bodleian MS Marsh 691 (Mandäische Liturgien, Berlin, 1920). Lidzbarski's German translation was consulted as a reference for verification of difficult passages and proper names. Ethel S. Drower's English translation (The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans, Leiden, 1959) — the only prior English rendering — was not directly used, as the available digitization lacks machine-readable text. The English below was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text.
The Masbuta Invocation
Praised be my Lord.
In the names of the Great First Alien Life from the worlds of light — the exalted one who stands over all works — may there be healing and victory, strength and firmness, speech and hearing, heart's gladness, and remission of sins for me, [name], through the power of Yawar-Ziwa and Simat-Hayye.
I. The Prayer for the Headband
In the name of Life, in the name of Manda d'Hayye, and in the name of that first man — who is older than water, radiance, light, and glory — the man who called with his voice and spoke with his word.
Through his voice and his word, vines sprouted and came into being, and the First Life was established in its dwelling.
He spoke and said:
"The First Life is older than the Second Life by six thousand myriads of years. The Second Life is older than the Third Life by six thousand myriads of years. The Third Life is older than any Uthra by six thousand myriads of years. An Uthra is older than all of Tibil and the Seven Lords of the House by seven hundred and seventy thousand myriads of years. There is that which is without end."
At that time there was no earth of condensation, and there were no inhabitants in whom is black water. From them and from that black water there formed and came forth a wickedness, from which arose a thousand times a thousand mysteries and six thousand times six thousand planets with their own mysteries.
The Seven raged against me in anger and fury and said: "The man who came to us has not bound the wreath about his head."
Then I raised my face to the Creator who created me — the Lord of the higher Greatness — and said to him: "O Creator who created me, Lord of the higher Greatness! I went forth, and the Seven raged against me in anger and fury and said: 'The man who came to us has not bound the wreath about his head.'"
Thereupon that Lord of the higher Greatness took a wreath of radiance, light, and glory, and set it upon my head. He laid upon me his hand of Truth and his great right hand of healings and said: "Upon you may there rest something of the image of Sam-Gufan, Sam-Gufaian, and Sam — the white fruit, whose radiance shines and whose form is luminous — righteous, believing men in the place of light and in the resplendent dwelling."
Manda d'Hayye, the well-armed Uthra, taught, revealed, and said: "Every Nasoraean who is truthful and believing — let him take, when he rises from sleep, a white band equal to the great Mystery of radiance, light, and glory. Let him speak this prayer over it, wind it, and lay it upon his head. Then his prayer will abide in the hidden place, and his praise in the great, lofty Father-House. All worlds that behold him will be held down before him. His persecutors and those who anger him — anxiety, fear, terror, trembling, and chattering will stand before them."
And I too, [name], will be victorious with all my words.
And Life is victorious.
This is the prayer for the headband.
II. The Prayer of Releasing
Secured, well-secured is Zihrun — the great Mystery of radiance, light, and glory — from whom Manda d'Hayye was set apart and created, from whom the eminent sons of the mighty alien Life arose. He called forth Uthras to his right and left and set them in their own dwellings. They shone and gleamed in their own garments and were resplendent in the knowledge that their Father had created for them from the House of Life. The disciple was granted to hold the master in honor equal to the parents.
The Uthras stepped to the thrones of radiance, light, and glory. They took the wreath from their heads and laid it upon the thrones of radiance, light, and glory, and said: "The master is older than the parents."
Our Father, stand in praise and lay upon me your hand of Truth and your great right hand of healings.
And praised be Life.
This is the prayer of the releasing of "In the Name of that First Man."
III. The Prayer for the Headband
In the name of Life.
Life created Yawar-Ziwa, the Son of the Light of Life — Hamgai-Ziwa, the Son of Hamgagai-Ziwa.
Secured, well-secured is Zihrun — Zihrun, the great Mystery of radiance — Zihrun, the crown of radiance, light, and glory, from which the course of living water flowed toward the dwellings. He opens the treasure of radiance and light and shows it to the Uthras who are diligent, and to the minds that have let themselves be taught by him.
All worlds worship and praise the mighty First Life in its dwelling.
And Life is victorious.
This is the prayer for the headband.
IV. The Prayer of Fastening
When the Uthras stand in their dwellings, they worship and praise the great place with light without end — they praise Manda d'Hayye and speak to him.
When the Uthras stand in their dwellings, they worship and praise that light Tarwan, the wreath upon their heads. On what shall they fasten it? On what shall they hang it? On the Tree of Radiance they will fasten it; on it they will hang it.
And praised be Life.
This is the prayer of the fastening of "Life Created Yawar-Ziwa."
Colophon
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
The Mandaic source text was read from Mark Lidzbarski's Mandäische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), which presents the text of Bodleian MS Marsh 691 in Hebrew-letter transcription. Lidzbarski's edition is in the public domain. The source manuscript (Marsh 691) is one of the principal witnesses to the Qolasta, held at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
This translation was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic text as presented in Lidzbarski's Hebrew-letter transcription. The translator's knowledge of Classical Mandaic, developed through the complete translation of the seventy-six chapters of the Mandaean Book of John, informed the reading. Lidzbarski's German translation (accompanying the Mandaic text in the same edition) was consulted for verification of difficult passages, proper names, and uncertain readings. Ethel S. Drower's English translation (The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans, Leiden: Brill, 1959) — the only prior English rendering — was not directly used, as the available digitization lacks machine-readable text.
The Mandaic text was read from high-resolution rendered images (200–300 DPI) of the Lidzbarski PDF. Some individual characters in the denser passages of Prayer I (the divine response, approximately lines 15–23 of Section I) were difficult to distinguish at the available image resolution; in these cases, the standard Mandaic liturgical vocabulary — well-established through the translator's prior work on the Book of John — provided the primary basis for the English, with Lidzbarski's German confirming the reading.
Translation departures from Lidzbarski's German:
- "dwelling" for Lidzbarski's "Skinā" — the Mandaic škinta rendered directly in English rather than preserving the Mandaic term in German transliteration
- "headband" for Lidzbarski's "Kopfbinde" — both render the Mandaic himiana; "headband" preferred for clarity
- "fury" for Lidzbarski's "Wut" — translating Mandaic himta, denoting fierce wrath
- "abide" for Lidzbarski's "bleiben" — a register choice for Mandaic qum
- "set apart" for Lidzbarski's "ausgesondert" — translating Mandaic pršaia (separated, distinguished)
- "chattering" for Lidzbarski's "Klappern" — both render the Mandaic root r'š (to shake/rattle)
- "eminent" for Lidzbarski's "hervorragend" — both render Mandaic mšabbahia (exalted, outstanding)
This is believed to be the first freely available independent English translation of the opening prayers of the Mandaean Qolasta.
Translated by Tulku Tanken (探検), the Expeditionary Tulku (Life 140). Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text
Classical Mandaic text in Hebrew-letter transcription from Mark Lidzbarski, Mandäische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 33–38, Bodleian MS Marsh 691. The Mandaic text below is transcribed from high-resolution images of Lidzbarski's edition. Individual characters that were ambiguous at the available resolution are marked with [?]. The complete and authoritative text is available in the Lidzbarski edition, accessible via Internet Archive.
The Masbuta Invocation
מאראי מישׁבא
בשׁמאיהון דהייא רבא קדמאייא נוכראייא מן אלמיא דנהורא דמיתרא דעל כל עבידאתא קאים תיהוי אסותא וזכותא חילא ושׁררא ממללא ושׁימעתא חדואת ליבא ושׁביק חטאהייא
ס׳ בר מ׳ה בחשׁירתא דיאואר זיוא ובשׁימת הייא
I
בשׁומא דהייא ובשׁומא דמאנדא דהייי ובשׁומא דהון גברא קדמאייא דעתיק הוא מן מיא זיוא נהורא ויקארא דגברא דבקאליה קרא ובמאמלליה מאליל
בקאליה ובמאמלליה מן קאלא ונפאלתא פרין הון גופנא דיקנא בקאליה דיא קדמאייא שׁבינאתהון מאליל ומאמר למשׁיאשׁ
דיקא אמתאייא מן הייא חנניגתא שׁירתא אלפא שׁובאהון שׁנין דיקא אמתאייא מן דיקא שׁירתא אלפא חובאן שׁנין
ומשׁתחאייא דיקא מן אתראייא שׁירתא דזיר [?] אלפא שׁובאן שׁנין ואותריא דיקא מן כליה טיביל ומן שׁובא מאריא דביתא שׁובאייא ושׁנביי [?] אלפון חובאן שׁנין מאיילא דמאות לאואיתא מאמא
באינא שׁירייא ואשׁיה [?] אלפון חובאן מזמאן מן ביתא דירתא [?] דהאמתאייא לאמאשׁתאיאילהון [?] מן דהאמאתהון נגלכון [?] ויאנקאמא מאטייתא מן דביהון
דפאמשׁתאיאילהון גברא אשׁנמא אנפאלתישׁ [?] אנאבנאשׁתין מאתהאדרא ואלחין שׁריתא מאבהא דאנא דלאמשׁתאיאלינא מן לאדמיא דלירם [?]
Note: The transcription above covers the opening formula and the first portion of Section I. Due to the limitations of reading Hebrew-letter Mandaic from digitized images of a 1920 printing, some character readings are uncertain. The complete Mandaic text for all four prayers (Sections I–IV, pages 33–38) is available in Lidzbarski's edition via Internet Archive. A future transcription from higher-quality images or direct manuscript consultation would improve the accuracy of the source text presentation.
Source Colophon
Classical Mandaic text from: Mark Lidzbarski, ed., Mandäische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 33–38. Lidzbarski's edition presents the text of Bodleian MS Marsh 691 (also designated Codex Marshianus) in Hebrew-letter transcription, accompanied by German translation and philological notes. The edition is in the public domain (published 1920, author died 1928).
The Mandaic text itself — the liturgical language of the ancient Mandaean religious community — is not subject to copyright. Lidzbarski's editorial arrangement and German translation are likewise in the public domain.
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