Coptic Psalms of the Manichaean Church
Nine devotional psalms from the Manichaean Psalm Book, a fourth-century Coptic manuscript discovered in the Fayyum region of Egypt in 1929. These psalms address Jesus as the Light-Bringer and Redeemer — not the Jesus of orthodox Christianity, but the Manichaean Jesus of Light, a cosmic saviour who awakens souls trapped in matter and leads them home to the Kingdom of Light. The poems are liturgical: each was sung by the Manichaean Elect, the celibate inner circle of Mani's church, and several bear dedications to named souls of the dead — Mary, Theona, Cleopatra — for whom the psalm was offered as a funerary rite.
The Manichaean Psalm Book (now in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin) is the largest surviving collection of Manichaean liturgical poetry in any language. Mani (216–277 CE), the Persian prophet who founded Manichaeism, is praised by name in several of these psalms alongside Jesus — a characteristic Manichaean pairing that scandalized both Christians and Zoroastrians. The lacunae (marked with dots) reflect physical damage to the papyrus, not editorial omissions. Translation from the Coptic by C. R. C. Allberry, A Manichaean Psalm-Book, Part II (Stuttgart, 1938).
Psalm I
Come, my Savior Jesus, do not forsake me.
Jesus, thee have I loved, I have given my soul . . . . . . armor (?);
I have not given it rather to the foul (?) lusts of the world. Jesus, do not forsake me.
Lo, the glorious armor wherein thou hast girded thy . . . holy commandment, I have put it upon my limbs,
I have fought against my enemies. Jesus, do not forsake me.
I wandered into the whole world, I witnessed all the things that are in it, I saw that all men run vainly to and fro.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
O how long is the evil genius and madness of the Darkness wherein they have been bound; for they have forgotten
God, who came and gave himself up to death for them.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
When I saw these things, my Lord, I took thy hope and made myself strong upon it. Thy yoke which thou didst enjoin on me,
I did not refuse it, my Lord.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
Thy excellent commandments which thou didst enjoin on me I have fulfilled them my Savior.
Thy lamps of Light, I have not suffered
my enemies to put them out.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
Now I call to thee in the anguish of my soul that thou mayest have compassion upon me; for the powers of heaven and earth desire to submerge me.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
O my prayers and my fasts and my virginity which I have perfected in thy name; for this is the hour of dread, wherein I need thee.
I beheld my judge, I was not confounded at all in my deeds that I have done. He gave me victoriously into the hands of the angels (?) and they escorted me to his kingdom.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
My brethren, be not hesitant in doing good by night and by day; for that which a man plants (?) the same shall he reap.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
The light-armed in the fight consume one another for a garland that passes away; and they shall be stripped of their (?) . . . and shall pay the penalty for that which they have done.
Jesus, do not forsake me.
He that . . . after you is a great one; for you have conquered heaven and earth, the powers and principalities, and you shall rest yourselves in your new Aeon.
Glory and Victory to our Lord, our Light, Mani, and his holy Elect, and the soul of the blessed
Mary, Theona.
Psalm II
Bestir thyself, O soul that watchest in the chains that have long endured, and remember the ascent into the air of joy; for a deadly (?) lure is the sweetness of this flesh.
May the first that . . . . to thee (?) persuade thy heart, and do thou fight for thyself to put senility behind thee and become new again.
Jesus, the new God, to whose hope I have hung:
I have made myself strong upon his coming:
He was not born in a womb corrupted:
not even the mighty were counted worthy of him for him to dwell beneath their roof, that he should be confined in a womb of a woman of low stature (?). Lo, the glory of my faith that shall help me to the end, that I have purified thee, my God.
Thy kin are these sure seals that are upon thee, O soul, by reason of which no demon can touch thee; for thou hast worshipped aright him, who has broken the goad (?) of Error, thou hast laid thy treasures in the heavens . . .
Come to me, my Savior, the haven of my trust.
Psalm V
Come, my Lord Jesus, the Savior of souls, who hast saved me from the drunkenness and Error of the world.
Thou art the Paraclete whom I have loved since my youth:
thy Light shines forth in me like the lamp of light:
Thou hast driven away from me the oblivion of Error:
Thou hast taught me to bless God and his Lights.
I have distinguished this pair of trees of this pair of kingdoms . . . . . . the bitter fountain and the holy essence of God.
The Light I have distinguished from the Darkness, life from death, Christ and the Church I have distinguished from the deceit of the world.
I have known my soul and this body that lies upon it, that they are enemies to each other before the creations, the . . . . . of divinity and the hostile power that are distinguished always.
The body of death indeed and the soul are never in accord.
The God of this Aeon has shut the heart of the unbelieving and has sunk them in his Error and the deceit of drunkenness. He has made them blaspheme against the God of Truth and his . . . . . .
. . . his power and his wisdom (Sophia).
If it was God who created the evil and the good and Christ and Satan . . . . . . .
. . . . ., then who sent Jesus, that he might . . .
and work among the Jews until they slew (?) him (?)
When Adam and Eve were created and put in Paradise, who was it that ordered them: "Eat not of the Tree," that they might not distinguish the evil from the good?
Another fought against him and made them eat of the Tree.
He cries out in the Law saying: "I am God . . . .
. . . . no cluster (?) falls from a tree without the Lord God; . . . . to fall into a snare nor to . . . . in a city; who then led
Adam astray and crucified the Savior (?)
The Savior and his apostles and they that belong to the race of life revealed the Darkness and the essence of the Enemy; they wept for the body of death, the son of the great . . .
this lion-faced dragon, and his mother also, Matter.
The Light has shone forth for you, O you that sleep in Hell, the knowledge of the Paraclete, the ray of Light; drink of the water of memory, cast away oblivion. He that is wounded and desires healing, let him come to the physician.
I have forsaken the world and its Error, I have loved my Savior, prayed, fasted, given alms . . . from my youth up, because of the hour of need. Come now, my Lord Jesus, and help me.
All hail, O busy soul that has finished her fight and subdued the ruling-power, the body and its affections.
Receive the garland from the hand of the Judge and the gifts of Light, and ascend to thy kingdom and have thy rest.
Glory and honor to our Father, the God of Truth.
Victory and blessing to his beloved son, Jesus, and his Holy Spirit, our Lord the Paraclete, and all his holy Elect.
Glory to the blessed soul of the blessed Mary, Theona.
Psalm VII
Jesus, the only-begotten, save me.
The body of the earth I will put off me: the . . . . . . . .
old . . . I will forsake it, the fire of the . . . . . . .
of guile, the camp of the enemies . . . . . .
through the armour of the Paraclete I will conquer them.
I have renounced thee, O devil; the angels of the . .
. . . . of the demons. I will strip myself of the world and the likeness (?) of these five stars, and I will destroy the guile of the Archons which I wear and I will shine in the remembrance of the Paraclete.
O Mind that subdues the Matter, spread thy mercy upon my spirit. I will anchor in thy congregation,
I, the new (?) man, and receive all the gifts which thou hast promised me, which are the victory in thy eternal kingdom.
Jesus is the first gift that was given:
Jesus is the holy flower of the Father:
Jesus is the first to sit upon the luminaries:
Jesus is the Perfect Man in the Pillar:
Jesus is the resurrection of them that have died in the church.
Thou art he that delivered me to the fight in the beginning:
thou art the second who didst give me thy right hand:
thou too art the third who didst shine forth with thy Light for me.
Thou too didst receive the victory (?) in the fourth war.
Save me now, I beseech thee, my Lord.
I call unto thee, O victor eternal: hear my cry, O compassionate one, and let thy members cleanse me, and do thou wash me in thy holy waters and make me spotless, even as I am.
Lo, the time has drawn near, may I return to my habitations.
Thou art the way, thou art the door of life eternal, in truth the son of God, my Savior, who has taught me to wear his holy commandments.
The weapons of the enemy, I bring them to the ground, thy . . . .
. . . . . being to me a landing-place.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for ever; thou art the . . . . . . .
. . . .
bend the knee to thee; the armies of the skies are looking for thee; thou also art he unto whom all generations call; thou also art the seal of every wonder;
thou also art he who shall give to the victory to the soul of Mary.
Psalm X
Christ, my bridegroom, has taken me to his bridechamber, I have rested with him in the land of the immortal. My brethren,
I have received my garland.
My land I have beheld, my Fathers I have found, the godly have rejoiced over me, my Aeons have welcomed me.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
There is a gain, my brethren, none shall be able to take it from me:
an imperishable treasure, to which thieves find not the way.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
I am like a sheep seeking for its pastor; lo, my true shepherd I have found, he has brought me to my fold again.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
Lo, the fight I have finished; lo, my ship I have brought to the shore, no storm has overwhelmed it, no wave has seized it,
I was sitting marveling, like poor men that have been taken prisoner: adoration to the mercy of the Father.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
I was heading for shipwreck before I found the ship of Truth; a divine tacking was Jesus who helped me.
Who then shall be able to tell of the gift that came to me?
An unspeakable grace overtook me.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
Take unto you the word of Truth, O men that love God; the world is nothing, there is no gain in it at all.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
Men are thinking that they are at rest yet they know not that trouble is preparing for them.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
They run and burst forth until the hour overtakes them.
They have been called, they have not understood; they have gone to and fro in vanity.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
I have despised the world so as to give life unto my soul:
the things of the flesh I have forsaken, the things of the Spirit I have been in accord with them.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
Since I found my Savior I have walked in his steps.
I have not hung back at all of this garland to receive it.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
O how great is the joy that is prepared for the Perfect . . . .
. . . . . . . . all of you, my brethren, we inherit it.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . against this deceitful friend the darts of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . ye have conquered them.
My brethren, I have received my garland.
Glory and honor to Jesus, the king of the holy ones, and his holy Elect. Victory to the soul of the blessed Mary, Cleopatra.
Psalm XI
Thou hast been released from the grievous bonds of the flesh:
thou hast been garlanded in justification over all thy enemies.
The joyous Image of Christ — thou shalt have thy fill of it now:
go thy way therefore victoriously to thy city of Light.
Thou art glad because thou hast mixed with the holy angels:
upon thee is set the seal of thy glorious purity.
Thou art joyful because thou hast seen thy divine brethren with whom thou shalt dwell in the Light for ever.
The authority of the flesh — thou hast passed quickly beyond it:
thou hast ascended like a swift bird into the air of the Gods.
Thou hast . . . . the nets of souls which is Hades of the dead:
therefore shall they not be able to compel thee to serve the . . . . .
Thou hast thrown upon the earth the garment of sickness:
thou hast trodden upon overweening pride which is deceitful and cruel.
The bitter darts of lust the murderers of souls, thou hast not tasted, thou, O holy son undefiled.
Thou hast put to shame the demons and devils of fire:
the rivers of dread marvel at thee now.
They summon thee today to dwell with the angels, because thou hast left the land of the . . . . men of Hades.
The Savior Jesus, lo, he has . . . . . . may he give . . . . .
. . . . to thee, thou hast been merciful . . . .
the army looks to the . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . therefore thou being confident, O holy Righteous one . . . . . . . . . from the need . . . .
. . . read books . . . . . . . . .
. . . . the judge who sees the universe . . . . .
. . . . . . O Light, he has given (?) . . . . . . . . .
. . . . therefore now, for thou hast received the palm . . . .
thou . . . find (?) . . . . . . . . . . harbor; the ships which . . . .
have . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . thee with the rays of the . . . .
death.
. . . . my son, thou hast finished thy fight, thou hast ascended on high from us, thou hast left behind . . . .
I myself therefore now will praise the strength of the . . . .
I will restrain my tears because of the perfection of thy godliness.
Thou hast quickly escaped from the fearful . . . thou hast . . . .
at rest to the Paradise of life.
Thou hast reached the place wherein there is neither heat nor cold, where there is neither hunger nor thirst, and the . . . . . . . body.
Thou art worthy of the Paradise of the Gods . . . . .
not preventing thee from rejoicing and singing unto God (?).
Thou hast been victorious, O Mani, thou hast given the victory to them that have shown zeal for God, to thy Elect and thy faithful and the soul of the blessed Mary.
Psalm XXI
Let me be worthy of thy bride-chambers that are full of Light.
Jesus Christ, receive me into thy bride-chambers, thou my Saviour. The body of death which . . . . . .
I have killed it, I have made it keep far from my members . . . . . .
indeed put me to shame. I am a maiden unspotted and holy.
Let me see thy image, my holy Father, which I saw before the world was created, before the Darkness presumed to stir up envy against thy Aeons.
Because of it I became a stranger to my kingdom, I severed its root, I went up victoriously on high.
Purify me, my bridegroom, O Saviour, with thy waters . . . . . . that are full of grace.
Psalm XXX
Jesus Christ in whom I have believed, show thyself to me quickly and save me.
O merciful and good, full of mercy upon . . . .
O First-born, Jesus, whom I have loved,
do not forsake me in my tribulations . . .
Since my youth unto thee have I given thanks; I forsook the universe, I believed in thee,
I stood in thy name, O only-begotten.
Do not forsake me in my tribulations.
It is heavy upon me, the vesture wherein I stood:
all men hating it and persecuting it; but thou it is to whom I gave my soul.
Do not forsake me in my tribulations.
Lo, they of the sky stand against me and they that are below multiply my tribulations; they that are with me also are filled with wrath against my soul.
I beseech thee in entreaties, for thou art the bidden joy of thy children.
I called unto thee: do not turn away from me, but . . . . and bear me quickly and make thy mercy overtake my weakness.
Hear me and make thy succor overtake me, that I may rest from all afflictions and my soul too rejoice because it called unto thee and thou didst answer it.
Glory and victory to our Lord Mani, the Spirit of Truth, who cometh from the Father, and his holy perfect Elect, and the soul of the blessed Mary, Theona, Pshai, Jmnoute.
Psalm XXXI
Jesus Christ, in whom I have believed, stand with me in the hour of my need.
I also am one in the number of thy hundred sheep which thy Father gave into thy hands that thou mightest feed them.
The ravenous wolf, the son of the desert, heard my sweet cry and came up raging.
Thy lot fell on me among all my kin: . . . . . .
until I had finished my fight.
I gave myself up to death trusting in the . . . divine word:
"He that dies shall live, he that humbles himself shall be exalted."
glorified in the wisdom that thou gavest me . . .
the Sects; never was man able to contend against me.
Lo, I made thy commandments an armour for me, I armed myself and went into the world, I called the . . . . .
When I hear the cry of thy . . . . holy trumpet sounding summer and winter . . . . . .
I follow thee.
I betook myself far from the world, I left my parents, I passed unto the Lord who is greater than heaven and earth.
I hid not from thee, my God, I did not do the will of the body, that thou mightest not leave me in the hour . . . .
For the things of the smaller life pass away, they do not satisfy the . . .
the lifetime also of men is a lamp that goes out.
As I was saying these things in tears the Saviour called me:
come, O busy champion, and give the garland of Light to me.
Who can see, my brethren, and return to the earth again and tell all men of the glory which I have received today?
I beseech you all, my brethren, my kinsmen, do not weep for me, for I have found the reward of my toil.
Glory and victory to our Lord Mani and all his Elect. Victory to the soul of the blessed Mary.
Colophon
Nine psalms (I, II, V, VII, X, XI, XXI, XXX, XXXI) from the Manichaean Psalm Book, Part II, translated from Coptic by C. R. C. Allberry (Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, 1938). The Psalm Book manuscript, now in the Chester Beatty Library (Dublin), was discovered in the Fayyum region of Egypt in 1929 and is the largest surviving collection of Manichaean liturgical poetry. These psalms represent the devotional heart of the Manichaean Church — prayers of the Elect addressed to Jesus as cosmic Redeemer, sung as funerary offerings for named members of the community. The lacunae throughout reflect physical damage to the fourth-century papyrus.
The source file contained massive web-scrape duplication: every psalm appeared three to four times in sequence. The Sub-Miko hand-read all 1,015 lines, identified the unique text of each psalm, removed all duplicate blocks, corrected OCR artifacts ("wiThout" → "without," "bumbles" → "humbles," "crime" → "come," "Iimbs" → "limbs," spurious spaces before punctuation), normalized capitalization ("o" → "O" in direct address), replaced hyphens with em dashes in Psalm XI's antiphonal structure, and wrote the blockquote and colophon. Source digitized from gnosis.org.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
🌲