First Book, Prayers XXXIII–XLIII

The Oxford Collection continues with eleven prayers spanning two complete liturgical groupings. The Wednesday set (Prayers XXXII–XXXVII) completes the fourth weekday cycle: Prayer XXXII, translated by the previous tulku, opens the set with a voice in heaven and thunder in the house of stars; Prayers XXXIII–XXXVII develop a progression from divine speech through recognition, cosmic geography, catechetical dialogue, and the naming of the three patriarchs (Hibil-Shitil-Anosh). The Thursday set (Prayers XXXVIII–XLIII) opens with a cosmic theophany — earth trembling, seas drying, mountains buckling — and closes with the poor man, whose world-estranged soul seeks relief from the persecution of the Seven.

The Wednesday set has a unique widening structure. XXXIII is intimate (the Sprout speaks, the Life answers). XXXIV is geographical (Mount Carmel, the recognition test). XXXV is architectural (Jawar builds his Shekina between the mountains). XXXVI is catechetical (what do the Uthras resemble?). XXXVII is panoramic (the three patriarchs named together). Each prayer widens the lens.

The Thursday set mirrors the Tuesday set's echo architecture. Prayers XXXIX and XLI are near-identical short pieces on the speaker's pure radiance — framing the substantial poem XL (The Great Ones Speak) just as XXVII and XXIX framed XXVIII and XXX in the Tuesday set. Prayer XXXVIII opens with a cosmic theophany: earth trembling, heavens wavering, seas drying, rivers becoming wasteland, fortresses destroyed, mountains buckling. Prayers XLII and XLIII introduce the poor-man motif: the soul as exile, persecuted by the Seven, whose grieving heart and world-estranged soul seek the Place of Light.

Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic. Translated from the Mandaic text in Hebrew-letter transcription as published in Mark Lidzbarski's edition, Mandaische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 202–209 (PDF pages 232–239). Lidzbarski's German translation was consulted as a reference for verification of difficult passages, proper names, and liturgical instructions. The English below was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text.

The Wednesday Set

Prayer XXXII, which opens the Wednesday set, was translated in the previous file (Prayers XXVI–XXXII). The rubric at the close of Prayer XXXVII confirms: "These three songs and three hymns are for Wednesday."

XXXIII. The Voice of the Hidden Sprout

The voice of the hidden Sprout it is
who spoke and preached from the Tibl.
He spoke and preached from the Tibl,
and the Great Life answered him from concealment.
From concealment the Great Life answered him —
it created a messenger and sent him to him.
The messenger it created and sent to him
treads down the power of the rebels.

XXXIV. Mount Carmel

To Mount Carmel I ascended —
I ascended to you, mountain, Carmel.
To Mount Carmel I ascended;
twelve vines looked out and beheld me.
When the vines beheld me,
they spread their leaves in fullness,
in fullness they spread their leaves
and made rich their fruits among the blossoms.
They did not know me, did not recognize me
and did not concern themselves with me.
They did not know me, did not recognize me —
who I am and whose son I am.
The man who saw me and recognized me
receives his path to the Place of Life.

You were victorious, Manda d-Hayye,
and you grant victory to all your friends.

XXXV. Between the Two Mountains

Between the two mountains
and between the three Shekinas,
between the two mountains
Jawar the Chosen One established his Shekina.
In the Shekina that Jawar established,
the men of proven righteousness obtain permanence.
The men of proven righteousness obtain permanence —
they ascend and behold the Place of Light.

XXXVI. The Uthras and the Planets

Who will come, who will tell me,
who will inform me, who will teach me,
who will come, who will tell me:
what do the Uthras resemble?
What do the Uthras resemble?
What do the Luminaries resemble?
The Uthras resemble the radiance;
the light do the Luminaries resemble.
The Uthras swear —
the Uthras swear and do not lie.
The planets lie,
who on the Great Day of the End shall come to an end.

The Life is upheld and is victorious,
and victorious is the man who has come here.

XXXVII. The Coming of Hibil-Uthra

The coming of Hibil-Uthra
is like Shitil who goes to the house of his friends.
When the disciples heard the voice
of Anosh, the great Uthra,
they worshipped and praised the Great Life
beyond all measure.

These three songs and three hymns are for Wednesday.

The Thursday Set

XXXVIII. In the Name of the Great Life

In the name of the Great Life,
let the sublime Light be glorified.

I stand in the radiance of my Father,
in the praise of the Man, my Creator.
I stand in the radiance of my Father;
I am established in the House of Perfection.
The earth trembled at my call;
the heavens wavered at my radiance.
The seas dry up;
the rivers become wasteland.
The fortresses are destroyed;
the rulers of the Tibl are chastised.
The mountains, so very high,
buckle like bridges.
The wicked who rise against me —
there is a Man who chastises them,
not by my power,
but by the power of the mighty Life.

The Life is upheld and is victorious,
and victorious is the man who has come here.

XXXIX. Pure Radiance

I am kept safe in my pure radiance,
and the Uthras, my brothers, are concealed in the Light.
From the illumination and the praise
of the Uthras, my brothers,
comes the radiance of the Life
and rests upon me.

XL. The Great Ones Speak

When the Great Ones speak
at the great Place, in the House of Perfection —
the Great Ones, the Mighty —
they created Silmai and Nidbai.
Silmai and Nidbai they created
and gave them to Nsab-Ziwa as helpers.
When Nsab-Ziwa relied
upon the perfect Uthras created for him,
he spoke with his gentle voice
and the Chosen Ones came to meet him.
The Chosen Ones came to meet him,
and he granted them of his praise.
Of his praise he granted them,
and the Chosen Ones obtain permanence in the Tibl.
Those of proven righteousness obtain permanence —
they ascend and behold the Place of Light.

The Life is upheld and is victorious,
and victorious is the man who has come here.

XLI. Pure Radiance (II)

I am kept safe in my pure radiance,
like the Great Ones in their praise.
My garment shone forth in the House;
my prayer and my praise ascend to their Place.

XLII. The Poor Man

A poor man am I — when shall I go
that my grieving heart find relief?
Let my grieving heart find relief;
let my world-estranged soul find ease.
At the Place where one is richly examined,
let the radiance of the Life rest upon me.
Let it call upon my disciples,
whom the Seven persecute in this world.
The Seven persecute;
the worlds persecute and deal unjustly.
The Seven, they and their king,
shall walk into the fire.

XLIII. The Humble One

A poor man am I, a humble one.
Man of proven righteousness, hear and listen to my call.
You, poor man, with your sons, your sprouts, and your disciples,
shall ascend and behold the Place of Light.

These three songs and three hymns are for Thursday.

Colophon

Good Works Translation of the Qolasta, Oxford Collection, First Book, Prayers XXXIII through XLIII. Translated from Classical Mandaic by Tulku Tanken, the Expeditionary Tulku (Life 163), working from Mark Lidzbarski's transcription of the Oxford manuscripts (designated A and B) in Mandaische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 202–209.

These eleven prayers span two complete liturgical sets. Prayers XXXII–XXXVII constitute the Wednesday set, confirmed by the rubric after Prayer XXXVII: "These three songs and three hymns are for Wednesday." Prayers XXXVIII–XLIII constitute the Thursday set, confirmed by the rubric after Prayer XLIII: "These three songs and three hymns are for Thursday." Prayer XXXII, which opens the Wednesday set, was translated by the previous tulku in the file covering Prayers XXVI–XXXII. The liturgical calendar of the Oxford Collection now covers six periods: the daily cycle (I–XIV), Sunday (XV–XIX), Monday (XX–XXV), Tuesday (XXVI–XXXI), Wednesday (XXXII–XXXVII), and Thursday (XXXVIII–XLIII).

The Wednesday set has a unique widening structure. Prayer XXXIII is intimate — the hidden Sprout speaks from the Tibl, and the Great Life answers from concealment by creating a messenger who subdues the rebels. The cascade is tight: two actors, four steps. Prayer XXXIV expands to geography — Mount Carmel, twelve vines that bloom at the divine visitor's approach but fail to recognize him. Only "the man who saw me and recognized me" receives the path to the Place of Life — a recognition test echoing the Mandaean catechetical tradition. The number twelve (twelve vines) may allude to the zodiacal powers or to the twelve hours of daylight. Prayer XXXV introduces sacred architecture — between two mountains and three Shekinas, Jawar the Chosen One establishes his dwelling, and the men of proven righteousness obtain permanence. Prayer XXXVI opens into catechism — a question-and-answer poem asking what the Uthras resemble (radiance), declaring that the Uthras swear and do not lie, while the planets lie and shall end on the Great Day. Prayer XXXVII names the three Mandaean patriarchs — Hibil (Abel), Shitil (Seth), and Anosh (Enosh) — comparing Hibil-Uthra's coming to Shitil visiting friends, while the disciples hear Anosh's voice and praise. Each prayer widens the lens from a dialogue to a panorama.

The Thursday set mirrors the Tuesday set's echo architecture. Prayers XXXIX and XLI are near-identical short pieces on the speaker's pure radiance — XXXIX is six lines, XLI is four — framing the substantial poem XL just as XXVII and XXIX framed the Tuesday center. Prayer XXXVIII opens with a cosmic theophany: earth trembling, heavens wavering, seas drying, rivers becoming wasteland, fortresses destroyed, mountains buckling like bridges. This is the Mandaean Psalm 114 — more sustained than Prayer XXXII's brief thunder. The image of mountains buckling like bridges is architecturally precise: the highest things in creation collapse like spans giving way. Prayer XL is the theological center: the Great Ones create Silmai and Nidbai (the divine baptizers), assign them to Nsab-Ziwa, and Nsab-Ziwa speaks "with his gentle voice" — the softest moment in a set that opened with cosmic trembling. Prayers XLII and XLIII introduce the poor-man motif (miskina), a technical term for the exile soul in the material world. The speaker's heart grieves, the soul is nukraiata (world-estranged, literally "alien to the world"), and the Seven persecute unjustly — but the Seven and their king shall walk into fire. The closing prayer (XLIII) promises the poor man and his descendants ascent to the Place of Light.

The liturgical calendar of the Oxford Collection now stands at six identified periods across forty-three prayers. The pattern of "three songs and three hymns" per weekday is confirmed for Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday sets presumably follow in the remaining prayers of the First Book.

Lidzbarski's German translation was consulted as a reference for difficult passages, proper names, and liturgical instructions. The English above was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text. Key Mandaic terms confirmed directly: qala (voice), nbata kasia (hidden sprout), tibil (the world), hiia rba (the Great Life), kasiuta (concealment), izgadda (messenger), shilta (power), mardia (rebels), karmla (Carmel), gupnia (vines), tarpa (leaves), paira (fruit), shkinata (Shekina), jawar gbahira (Jawar the Chosen One), utria (Uthras), nhuria (luminaries), ziwa (radiance), shbiaia (the Seven/planets), kadbin (they lie), hibil (Abel), shitil (Seth), anosh (Enosh), mataiuta (coming), aba (Father), gabra (Man), mashlmanuta (perfection), araa (earth), shmaia (heavens), yamia (seas), nahrwata (rivers), turia (mountains), gishria (bridges), shilmai (Silmai), nidbai (Nidbai), nsab-ziwa (Nsab-Ziwa), qala niha (gentle voice), miskina (poor one/humble one), libi (heart), nafshi (soul), nukraiata (world-estranged), nura (fire), dakasta (proven righteousness). This is believed to be the first freely available English translation of these prayers.

First English translation. 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, Mandaische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 202–209, Oxford manuscripts A and B. The text below is transcribed from high-resolution 300 DPI images of Lidzbarski's edition. Due to the age of the printing and the complexity of the Mandaic script in Hebrew-letter transcription, some character readings carry minor uncertainty; the complete and authoritative text is available in the Lidzbarski edition via Internet Archive.

XXXIII

קלא דנבטא כסיא דמאללילו מן הכבל ודאשי מללי ודאש מן הכבל ויהיא רבא מן כסיותא עניניא מן כסיותא עניניא הייא רבא ברא אזגדא ושדרה לותה אזגדא דברא ושדרה לותה שליטא דמארדיא ידכא

XXXIV

על טור כארמילא סולקות סלקית לך טורא כארמילא על טור כארמילא סלקית תרעסר גופניא אצדוני וחזיוני כד גופניא חזיוני פרסו טרפהון בפהייותא בפהייותא פרסו טרפהון ואגבישו פאירהון להביביא לא ידעוני לא אשכחוני ולא חשו בי לא ידעוני לא אשכחוני מאנא אנא ובר מאנ אנא גברא דחזאני ואשתודעני מהלכא נסיב לאתרא דהייא זכיתא מנדא דהייא וזכיתא לכל רחמיך

XXXV

בניא תרין טוריא וכניא שכינתא תלאת בניא תרין טוריא יאואר גבהירא שכינתה אקים בשכינתא דיאואר אקים גבריא דאכסתא מקאמין גבריא דאכסתא מקאמין סלקין וחזן אתרא דנהורא

XXXVI

מאן יאתי מאן דינואילריא ויהא רבא מן כסיותא נגרישיא מאן יאתי ומאן נאפרישייא מן נגיותא ישתגמניא דפרוגליא מאן נאפרישיא שתגמניא למאון דאמין עותריא מאן נאהום ומאן נאפרישהון עותריא למאהון דמי נהוריא עותריא דמי לזיוא נהורא דמי נהוריא עותריא מומין עותריא מומין ולא כדבין שביעיא כדבין דביומא רבא דסופא סופא נסבין והייא זאכי וזאכי גברא דלהכא אזיל

XXXVII

מאתיותא דהביל עותרא כד שיתיל לבית חבריהון דמאשמע תלמידיא קלא דאנוש עותרא רבא שבחו ויקרו הייא רבא על כל מואחה הלין תלת שיראתא ותלת הומניאתא לויום רביעי

XXXVIII

בשומאיהון דהייא רבא מישתבח נהורא שאניא אנא בזיוא דאבא קאימנא במשבחתא דגברא בנאיני בזיוא דאבא קאימנא בביתא דמשלמנותא אקימנא ארעא זעת מן קאלאי שמייא ענד מן זיוי ימייא יבשין נהרוותא לחורבנא הויין ברניאתא מיתנגרין שליטניא דתיבל מיתרדין טוריא דראמין ורמין כגישריא מיתכנעין בישיא דקיימין לקובלאי אית גברא דמרדה לון לא בחילאי אלא בחילא דהייא רבא והייא זאכי וזאכי גברא דלהכא אזיל

XXXIX

אנא בזיוא דכיא נטירנא ועותריא אחאי בנהורא כסין מן נהירותא ושובחתא דעותריא אחאי זיוא דהייא אתא ועלאי שריא

XL

כד רברביא מאמרין באתרא רבא בביתא דמשלמנותא רברביא תקיפיא שילמאי ונידבאי ברון שילמאי ונידבאי ברון ויהבון לנצב זיוא הדיאריא כד נצב זיוא אסתמך על עותריא שלמיא דברון לה מללי בקלה ניחא וגבהיריא לאפריה אזלין לאפריה אזלין גבהיריא ומן שובחתה יהב להון מן שובחתה יהב להון וגבהיריא בתיבל מקאמין דאכסתא מקאמין סלקין וחזן אתר נהורא והייא זאכי וזאכי גברא דלהכא אזיל

XLI

אנא בזיוא דאכסא נטירנא כד מאפריא בהושביחתהאירון לבושאי בביתא אנפקון ובותאי ושובחתאי לאתר סלקון

XLII

אניא אנא לעקאם אזיל דלבי כאבנא ניח דנמצא ניח לבי כאבנא נפשאתאי על שאפמתון פרקה נגרישיא מאותיהון על תאלמידאי אשתגמניא דשביעיא בעלמא הנא רדפין שביעיא רדפין עלמיא דרדפין ואעולא עבדין שביעיא אינון ומלכהון לנורא שנין אזלין

XLIII

אניא אנא ומסכנא ברד ידקא אות ושמע לקאלאי אנתא אנא ובנאך ויתלתלאי ותלמידאי הכסאם תרדיויא לאתאר ניהור הלין תלת שיראתא ותלת הומניאתא לויום חמישי

Source Colophon

Classical Mandaic text from: Mark Lidzbarski, ed., Mandaische Liturgien (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920), pages 202–209. The Oxford Collection (Part II of Lidzbarski's edition) draws on Bodleian manuscripts designated A and B. Lidzbarski notes variant readings between A and B in footnotes throughout. The edition is in the public domain (published 1920, author died 1928). The Mandaic liturgical text is the sacred heritage of the Mandaean religious community. The Hebrew-letter transcription preserves Lidzbarski's system for representing the Classical Mandaic script; for the original Mandaic characters, consult the parallel sections in Lidzbarski's companion plates.

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