The Haran Gawaitha, translated by Lady E. S. Drower.

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Ben C. Smith
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The Haran Gawaitha, translated by Lady E. S. Drower.

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I have checked the online text against the original from Drower's 1953 book, The Haran Gawaita and the Baptism of Hibil Ziwa, and done a bit of reformatting. The online version lacks the extended Latin characters used in the original; I have restored them as best I can. I have also inserted the page numbers (3-23) from Drower's book and restored most of the italics she employed:

The Haran Gawaita

3 My Lord be praised. In the name of the Great Life, healing, vindication, health, soundness, speaking and hearing, joy of heart and forgiving of sins be there for me, Zakia Zihrun son of Šadia, and for my offspring and brothers (and sisters), and for my parents, in the strength of Yawar Ziwa and Simat-Hiia!. Finis.

...and Haran Gawaita receiveth him and that city in which there were Naṣoraeans, because there was no road for the Jewish rulers. Over them was King Ardban. And sixty thousand Naṣoraeans abandoned the Sign of the Seven and entered the Median hills, a place where we were free from domination by all other races. And they built cult-huts (bimandia) and abode in the Call of the Life and in the strength of the high King of Light until they came to their end. And they loved the Lord, that is, Adonai, until in the House of Israel there was created something which was not placed in the womb of Mary, a daughter of Moses. It was hidden in her womb for nine months and bewitched her until the nine months were fulfilled and she was in labour and brought forth a Messiah.

...and he called the people to himself and spoke of his death and took away some of mysteries of the (Sacred?) Meal and abstained 4 from the Food. And he took to himself a people and was called by the name of the False Messiah. And he perverted them all and made them like himself who perverted words of life and changed them into darkness and even perverted those accounted Mine. And he overturned all the rites. And he and his brother dwell on Mount Sinai, and he joineth all races to him, and perverteth and joineth to himself a people, and they are called Christians.

...and from Niṣrat (Nazareth), a city of the Jews, which is called the city of Qum....

...because it is a shrine; for Mercury founded a community in Qum, and Saturn founded a community in Sinai....

(Jews were settled?) in the Arab region which is called Basra, which is (also) called Sufat-Zaba...

...one. The First Life conceived a plan for gaining a grasp in order to destroy the mysteries of Adonai from the seas and to destroy the plot of Ruha and Adonai which came (emanated) from the House of Ruha; to ruin the scheme of Ruha before the presence of the great Father of Glory and to propagate the mysteries (of the Great Life?)....

5 ...in Tmar, the pure Jordan, and bore witness to the Truth. And in the great Jordan a pure seed was formed... and came and was sown in the womb of ‘Nišbai, so that from it a child might come into being, a prophet of the great Father of Glory — praised be His name! — in order to destroy the building of Ruha and Adonai.

...in the House which Ruha and her seven sons built I surrounded all the district....

...Madai, which Ruha and her seven sons could not reach because on it (were people who belonged?) to Hibil-Ziwa....

... of the Life, and to propagate a race in the House which Ruha and her seven sons built, so that she should not have dominion... in the midst of the worlds, and he shall be called Yahia-Yuhana, the prophet of Kušṭa, the apostle... who dwelt at the city of Jerusalem: a healer whose medicine was Water of Life, a healer that healeth... (evil spirits?) which go forth from Ruha and Adonai to destroy the physical body.

.... Then... when the boy was born Anuš-‘Uthra came by command of the great Father of Glory and they came before Hibil-Ziwa by command of the great Father of Glory and traveled over deserts towards Mount Sinai and proceeded... towards a community called Ruha’s that is situated near the place where the Ark was built (...?) 6 and she will be a deliverer (midwife?) to the child... into Parwan, the white mountain, an earthly place. And (in?) that place the fruit and sky are large. There... (groweth?) the Tree which nourisheth infants. And they took back Sufnai the lilith to a (?) place so that when they should perform a living baptism to purify the child, the apostle of Kušṭa, Yahia-Yuhana....

.... And they did not alter the order or commands which emanated from the presence of the great Father of Glory.... Sufnai the lilith took him (the child) before the eyes of his mother fell upon him... at the order of Anuš-‘Uthra. And they mounted up towards Parwan, the white mountain... (a place where) fruit and sky is (are?) large. There they set down Yahia near the Tree which nourisheth nurslings.... Then Sufnai the lilith returned to her place. When thirty days had passed, Hibil-Ziwa came at the command of the great first Father of Glory, and he came to the Median hill-country and sent Anuš-‘Uthra to Bihram, son of ‘uthras and to the Median 7 mountains. And they took Bihram from the Median hills and went... (to Parwan?) and performed baptism and baptised the child beside the Tree that nourisheth nurslings. And (when) he was seven years old, Anuš-‘Uthra came and wrote for him the A, Ba, Ga, Da. ...and, until he was twenty-two years old, he taught him about all naṣiruta.

...then, at the command of the great Father of Glory he set the crown on him and seated him beside himself, until they came to the city of Jerusalem amongst the community which Ruha founded... all belonged to her and to her seven sons except (those from?) the Median hills, Aharan....

...Hibil-Ziwa, of the Median hills, upon which they wandered from mountain to mountain. ...mountain to the city of the Naṣoraeans is a distance of six thousand parasangs; it is called the enclave (‘hdara’) of Hibil-Ziwa.... Then Yahia-Yuhana took the Jordan and the medicine Water (of Life)... and he cleansed lepers, opened (the eyes of) the blind, and lifted the broken (maimed) to walk on their feet... by the strength of the lofty King of Light — praised be his Name! — and gave speech and hearing to all who sought (him). And he was called in the world “envoy of the High King of Light” — praised be his Name! — (even) at the (very) abode and building of Ruha and Adonai and her seven sons.

And he taught disciples and proclaimed the Call of the Life in the fallen House (Temple?). Forty-two years (he dwelt) therein, and then his Transplanter looked upon him and he arose with his Transplanter — praised be his name! — and a time arrived, sixty years after Yahia-Yuhana had departed the body... the Jews, just as 8 their former strength (returned?) to Ruha and Adonai, who became arrogant.... Hence, after sixty years, Ruha and Adonai planned to erect... the fallen House (Temple) and spoke to Moses the prophet and the children of Israel who had built the House (Temple).... Then they raised an idle cry against the tribes of Anuš-‘Uthra, the Head of the Age, and shed their blood so that not a man of the disciples and Naṣoraeans were left.... Then the Jordan and its tributaries shrank back and mounted the dry land beside it. And the light of the banners of Abatur and Anuš-‘Uthra (was quenched?).... Then Ruha scattered the Jews... who is called ‘of the House of the Seven’, and then Adonai sent a staff.... And he spoke over it and struck Suf-Zaba, and the waters that abide in Suf-Zaba were divided like the two mountains of a gorge, and there was a road. And Ruha brought those (Jews?) over Suf-Zaba. And she built for them, and pressed out for them clay brick that is sacred, and constructed a building, and they set up for it column after column of falsehood, and raised up each (fallen?) column... and Darkness was formed therefrom, and they settled (therein?) the Jews, who sinned and caused havoc.... (The new Jerusalem had?) three walls, of which each was removed from its fellow, and he teacheth about them.... And Ruha surrounded the latter Jerusalem of the Jews (with these walls) and then... Ruha... the Jews, and they could not remove the walls from them.... Then Anuš-‘Uthra mounted up to his fathers and said to them, to his fathers: “Thou didst bring the Jews and Ruha over Suf-Zaba and she (Ruha) has built a building and has surrounded (it by) seven walls so that I am unable (to aid?) their armies. What have ye ordered about us”? ... (In this wise) did Anuš-‘Uthra speak with 9 his fathers, and told them how it had happened. Then there came and arose the great Father of Glory together with his mild son Hibil... and they acted, and then Hibil came... towards Anuš-‘Uthra and said to him: “Go down into Media and take seven shafts, that is seven darts, and go and pronounce (magic) words over them. And take with thee seven guards from Mount Parwan and take for them bows and they shall speak over them seven (magic) words, and they will crumble the sacred brick in the House of Ruha; for at every place where those arrows fall fire will break out and will devour (it, rising) into the sky, and eat into the ground for twelve nasks by virtue of those pure and important spells. And the rule of Ruha and her seven sons and of the Jews will be brought to naught from now until the end of the world”.

~~~

Thereupon Anuš-‘Uthra changed nothing of that which they commanded him (to do), and Hibil-Ziwa came and burnt and destroyed Jerusalem and made it like heaps of ruins. And he went to Baghdad and killed (there) all the cohens and took away government from them and pounded (to) dust every city in which there were Jews. Moreover for the eight hundred years that their government was in Baghdad they exercised an autonomy amongst themselves — four hundred rulers — (for) the duration of a Jewish autonomy in Baghdad was eight hundred years; four hundred rulers from the Jews (Jewish community) wielded kingly office.

Thus the House of the Jews came to naught and met its end, and the Host of Darkness became powerless.

Those seven guards, who (were of the?) Chosen Elect, summoned 10 by Anuš-‘Uthra at the word and command of Hibil-Ziwa, came as the great Father of Glory had commanded. And one of them was Zazai son of Hibil-‘Uthra. Him Anuš-‘Uthra installed in the city of Baghdad. And Anuš-‘Uthra installed one whose name was Papa son of Guda upon the great Tigris and at the mouth of the ‘Ulai (Karun River). And one, named Anuš son of Naṭar-Hiia, Anuš-‘Uthra installed at its source. Anuš-Šaiar son of Nṣab (he installed) on the Euphrates, and one whose name was Brik-Yawar son of Bihdad he placed at Pumbit (Pumbdita), a territory situated at the end of Sura. And one, whose name was Nṣab son of Bihram, he placed on the mountain(s) of Glazlak, and one whose name was Ska-Manda he set at the extremity of the mountain of the Water-springs situated at the tail-end of the Parwan range at the place from which those seven kings went forth and dispersed, (namely, those seven guards) who came with Anuš-‘Uthra to conquer Darkness and to bring the plot of Ruha to naught. And they annihilated the rulers of the Jews and made them as if they had never existed. And Anuš-‘Uthra placed them (the seven viceroys) at the seven corners of the House, upon the seven horns of the worlds, in order to crush the power of Darkness and to establish the Call of the Life and to make void the rebellious outcry.

When Anuš-‘Uthra had done that by order of Hibil-Ziwa whom the great Father of Glory commanded, Anuš-‘Uthra went to the ‘Ṭura ḏ Madai’ (Median mountains), called Haran Gawaita, and brought Bhira son of Šitil, a descendant of Artabanus king of the Naṣoraeans, and set him up in Baghdad (Babylon) and installed him in sovereign power (as its sovereign). And in his company there were sixty Naṣoraeans, and the Naṣoraeans in Baghdad (Babylonia) multiplied and became many. Some of the tribe of Bhira son of Šitil, Naṣoraeans, came with him until there were four hundred mašknia in Baghdad.

11 And it was revealed to me (?) and to all of them in this book, and they acted upon this reliable base acting according to this (its) light and removing nothing from this writing of great revelation that was given to Adam the first man and to his descendants (and to) all who bear witness unto this light and illumination until worlds’ end. Naught shall pass away from the Word of the great Father of Glory, praised be his name!

Then the said Zazai, one of the righteous elect, rose to the firmament and abode with Yurba sixty-two days, and ascended to his fathers; but those (other) six chosen righteous ones sent forth their descendants into the world. And in the earthly world there are some of the children (descendants) of disciples whom Yahia-Yuhana taught, and amongst the Naṣoraeans some from the first planting of kings from the beginning, middle, and end; (yea,) there are some amongst the Naṣoraeans at the latter end of the age, for they go forth that ye may be filled, and Naṣoraeans of the end of the age are amongst their descendants. (But) from the Root of those disciples of Yahia-Yuhana there come forth (also) people of no degree, for, when they speak of “descendants of kings of Baghdad, of the kingdom in Baghdad”, (they forget that?) two hundred and eighty years have passed since some of the sons of those disciples 12 of Yahia-Yuhana went forth, so that Ruha cometh and confuseth them and twisteth words and perverteth seals and changeth phrases and prayers by agency of descendants of those disciples, that is, those disciples that were propagated from Jewish seed. For the Son of the Pure Drop, the Mystery, (was of?) the Jews, Jerusalem of the Jews. Ruha caused them to obey the mysteries of the body, and (so) they fell away from purity (the pure doctrine?).

I will tell you, (O ye) priests who live in the Arab age, (of that which occurred) before the Son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, went out and prophesied as a prophet in the world so that they performed circumcision like Jews and changed sayings — for he is the most degraded of false prophets. Mars accompanieth him because he is the Seal of prophets of the Lie, (although) the Messiah will appear after him at the end of the age! I will inform you, Naṣoraeans, that before the Son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, emerged and was called prophet in the world and Mars descended with him, he drew the sword and converted people to himself by the sword. About eighty-six years before the Son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, Adonai sent Šurbiš-Ruha, who is his spouse, to the city of Tib, called locally the City of Ašganda because of all that was done (during) his rule in Baghdad. (For) Ašganda (dwelt?) in Tib; it was his native place; and it was called “the city of Šganda” (also) because in it there were Naṣoraeans and rišamia (ethnarchs). And there was one rišama called Qiqil.

13 And Adonai sent Šurbiš-Ruha into this world and said to her: “Go, appear to Qiqil of the Naṣoraeans disguised as Hibil-Ziwa, so as to take his judgement away from him. And distort the words by which the structure of (their faith) is defined. When thou hast done this, the whole nation of the Naṣoraeans will turn to us”.

And Ruha-Šurbiš, wife of Adonai, went and dwelt upon (entered into) Qiqil of the Naṣoraeans and disguised herself as Hibil-Ziwa — and there is none lovelier than Hibil-Ziwa whom the souls acknowledge! And she taketh away the judgement of Qiqil and instructeth him and saith to him: “I, Hibil-Ziwa, have brought parchment and reed-pen, so write a Root of Life and a Saying and a Mystery, and disseminate (them), send (them) forth and act in accordance with them. For the Life hath sent me and I have come to thee”.

Thereupon Qiqil brought parchment and reed-pen and wrote and distributed (doctrine emanating) from Ruha, whilst his understanding was reft from him. So schism ensued amongst the Naṣoraeans and candidates for priesthood as a result of those writings which he had written. Then she removed herself from his presence, and Qiqil’s mind and understanding returned and he recanted his words and revoked phylaeteries (scrolls?) of her construction and that which had been taught to him by Ruha, yea, every writing that he had by him of those writings (dictated) by Ruha, he burnt in the fire. And he sent to the Naṣoraeans and candidates for priesthood, (saying): “Bring the writings which I give (gave?) you; burn them with fire, for she (Ruha) deluded me when I knew not from whom she came”. And he took away his writing from such Naṣoraeans as practised the orthodox faith, and they gave it to him and he burnt it in the fire. But all those who were of the Root 14 of the Jews did not bring it back nor give it to Qiqil, and some of those writings remained with them.

And Hibil-Ziwa hath delivered this saying and warning to Naṣoraeans who exist at the end of the last age: “Beware, and again beware! Act only (in accordance) with this writing of the Great Revelation. The (Mandaean) Root (Church) shall be steadfast, shall testify, shall act and not neglect this pure warning, and (so) will ascend to the presence of the Father. (But) any man who doth not testify to this Way or lay hold of it, seeketh darkness and will fall. (O) ye Naṣoraeans that shall exist at the end of the last age, I exhort you, be firm and act according to this book — its name is the Great Revelation. For at that time peoples, nations and tongues will multiply, and every individual will seek his own gain. And books and religious treatises of Ruha and Adonai(’s making) will be many, and through them souls will sink down to the Darkness”.

Thus, before the appearance of the Son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, the Christian, Idumaean, Jewish, Hurdabaean, and Dilbilaean peoples became many. The peoples were divided and languages became numerous; even the languages of Naṣoraeans multiplied. This; and then sovereignty was taken from the descendants of King Artabanus, and (they were driven) from Baghdad; the Hardbaeans (Sasanians) taking over the kingdom. (Nevertheless) there remained one hundred and seventy banners and bimandia in Baghdad.

15 And so a Hardabaean (Sasanian) dynasty ruled for three hundred and sixty years, and then the Son of Slaughter, the Arab, set up as king, went forth and took a people to himself, and performed circumcision. (Even then), after this had happened and these events had taken place, sixty banners (still) remained and pertained to me in Baghdad. Then he took the sword and put to the sword from the city of Damascus unto Bit Dubar, which is called Bdin. He governed it all and ruled over the lord of the hill-country of the Persians who are called Hardbaeans and took away sovereignty from them.

Then, when this had taken place, in time there came (one) Anuš, called the son of Danqa, from the uplands of the Arsaiia [from (to?) the city of Baghdad biṣuš kings of the planting of Artabanus, and brought in his own, belonging to Muhammad son of ‘Abdallah son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, when he was seven hundred years old]. And he took him from his city to Suf-Zaba which is called Basrah, and showed him the hill-country of the Persians (unto?) the city of Baghdad. And Anuš(-‘Uthra?) instructed the Son-of-Slaughter, as he had instructed Anuš-son-of Danqa, about this Book (compiled) by his fathers, upon which all kings of the Naṣoraeans stood firm. And a list of kings is in this book, which teacheth (chronicleth) from Adam, king of the world, unto King Artabanus, (yea, even) unto Anuš-son-of-Danqa, who were (all?) of the Chosen Root. Then he told him about the king of the Ardubaiia (Sasanians), about all he sought to do and (of) his connection with the children of the 16 great Nation of Life, in order that they (the Moslems) should not harm the Naṣoraeans who lived in the era of his government. Thus did Anuš-son-of-Danqa explain and speak so that, through the power of the lofty King of Light — praised be his name! — it was not permitted to the Son-of-Slaughter, the Arab, to harm the congregation of souls, owing to the protection afforded by these explanations of the Great Revelation — praised be its name!

“And, concerning that which I found in these commentaries on the Great Revelation, I found not (its equal?) amongst all the treatises and miṣria and miscellanies about the Great Life which were in libraries and in my possession. I went round to all the Naṣoraean riš-amia that there were; I saw many scripts, writings of research and manuscripts of the Great Revelation, but saw not the like of this well-established Source. For it is reliable, existing from ancient times and eternally, from the beginning of the eighth world unto worlds’ end. (These are) writings which teach orthodox procedure, that are all clarity. Instruction about the beginnings of all light and the end of all darkness is found in these writings of the Great Revelation and not found in any other books. That which is taught in this book and Road of the Righteous hath been bestowed upon the righteous unto worlds’ end; this Road of the Righteous hath been bestowed upon (every) son of the True Root, upon (every) son of the Pure Drop who, when listening to the words and teachings of this writing of the righteous, witnesseth publicly thereto, and his mind testifieth thereto and is enlightened. But when a foolish person heareth these trustworthy words his mind groweth dark and he doth not appreciate them, nor can (such a person) discern that they are pure sayings. And (their) colours die away from his mind like as a burgeoning plant (fadeth) and the root from which it appeared”.

17 Hibil-Ziwa expounded these interpretations and revealed and declared: “Any Naṣoraean man in whose library these explanations are found should beware lest he reveal in the presence of foolish persons (mysteries) penetrated and revealed by deeply thinking theologians, because he that revealeth anything that is weighty in this writing (book) in the presence of foolish and ill-conditioned ‘uthras who would bring pure words into contempt, layeth up for himself sixty causes of stumbling and sixty sins. (But he that is silent before foolish persons concerning such interpretations) sixty offences and sixty sins shall be forgiven him and Abathur will grasp (his hand) in honourable kušṭa”.

Then Hibil-Ziwa — praised be his name! — taught that every man who concealeth it (the Great Revelation?) but observeth it, when his measure is full he will rise up without sin and (moreover) will loose and take with him sixty (souls) who are bound.

“And he will rise up towards his fathers and his Father will take his hand in honourable kušṭa and he will be acclaimed as one in a thousand like Abathur Rama. And he will behold the great Countenance of Glory and will take His hand in honourable kušṭa and will be set at the King’s right hand. (For) he whose mind testifieth 18 to these teachings about orthodox procedures belongeth to the portion of the lofty and great King of Light, and hell-beasts and purgatory demons have no power over him”.

And then Hibil-Ziwa — praised be his name! — taught Naṣoraeans about the end of the last age. For evil will increase and pollutions will be many and abound in the world, since it is decreed that wickedness will increase and pollutions multiply greatly in the world; because it is destined in that age. So that of a great shekel of gold but half-a-drachma’s weight will rise up to the Light; everything will sink down into Darkness. In that period and epoch — from the rule of the Arab Son-of-Slaughter unto the end of the worlds — persecution and tribulation will increase for Naṣoraeans; purity will decrease and pollutions, adultery, theft and fraud will increase. And men will be polluted and during that period man will drink the blood of fellow man. All that is fair (will disappear), (but), amongst Naṣoraeans, he that is steadfast in and holdeth to these teachings and this great revelation will rise up by the path of believers and will behold the great Countenance of Glory.

Hibil-Ziwa taught concerning this age — that is, the age of the Arab Law — that it must needs occupy its destined span, for the Law is constituted of four mysteries; part therein is (of) the Light, and part therein wholly Root of Darkness. And it endureth for (?) two kings. To it was imparted a kind of order. It is formed from four natural humours: the Root of Darkness is composed of and arrayed in blood, gall, (wind), and mucus.

19 (But) the habiliments of the soul are formed of mystery, light, and the Jordan; the soul is formed by proper observance of the three mysteries; by purification of the four natural humours is the soul’s vestment formed. For this is the eighth world, and it will turn from this habiliment, this garment in which it dwelleth; it will not tarry therein.

(During) this Arab age every evil creature multiplieth like evil weeds that grow apace, and peoples, nations and languages disperse and become measureless and numberless, like the Darkness that came into being with abundance.

Hibil-Ziwa taught that “at the latter end of the world, when the Arab, the Son-of-Slaughter, hath completed his (allotted) four thousand years, it will come to pass that the false Messiah, son of Miriam, will succeed him, and that he will come and will show forth signs (wonders) in the world until the birds and the fish from sea and rivers open their mouths and bless him and give testimony, until (even) the clay and mudbrick in a building bear witness to him, and until four-legged creatures open their mouths and testify to him”.

And Hibil-Ziwa explained (further): “(But) you, O Naṣoraeans, and righteous elect men, testify not to him, for he is a false Messiah that walketh by fraud and sorcery. He is Mercury, who attracteth attention and doth whatsoever he wisheth and his mind is filled with sorcery and frauds. I declare to you, (ye) chosen righteous ones and (ye) perfect ones that that are stedfast, abide by this pure line of separation and alter no word or command of the great Father 20 of Glory, that He may take you by the hand, watch over you and deliver you out of the hands of the children of Krun”.

Hibil-Ziwa taught: “When the Messiah hath returned, ascending to the sky — and his reign will last six thousand years — he will ascend and assume his first body. From that epoch until worlds’ end, wickedness will depart from the world; that which issued from the earth will enter the earth and that which descended from the sky will return and enter the sky. And there will be righteous people in the world, and no man will covet his neighbour’s goods. And people’s senses will return to them and they will not perform circumcision; they will be converted and Naṣoraeans will increase in the world. The eye of envy will be lifted from them and the sword will depart from the world. It will be as if the sword brought by the Son of Darkness, he whose sword was of the world of Satan, had never been in the world. And with it (goeth?) a force which he possessed not in the world, until Mars came and set up his sign and bound him thereto by oath”.

“(Yea), there will be righteous people and government will revert to sons of the Great Family of Life, and they will be diligent and have the ascendance. (But) kings bring accusation against the age, just as the Root of Naṣoraeans reprove it, for, before all (else) they cared for agriculture and gladdened the king (?). And people will be converted, and there will be righteous people and righteousness will increase. And fifty thousand years will pass in calm ease without disturbance, and all will keep to one word (speak one language?), and there will be no hatred, envy, or dissension amongst them, and ill will shall be removed from the minds of all peoples, nations and tongues”.

Hibil-Ziwa explained (further): “When (these) portents occur 21 and the time hath come, those fifty thousand years I will be my allotted portion, mine, Yawar-Ziwa’s, because the first age was (the age of) Anuš-‘Uthra and its consummation (or ‘development’) was bestowed upon me, Hibil-Yawar-Ziwa. Then the latter part of the age and the decadence and end of the world will be given to Mamit the Least-of-her-Brethren; (her portion) followeth my portion, Hibil-Yawar-Ziwa’s. Thus the latter end of the age and the decadence and final end of the world is given to Mamit daughter of Qin, the mother of the Seven (who?) occupied seven portions, and the eighth was given to Amamit as hers, for her own. And, as the utter end of light meaneth the beginning of total darkness, so the portion of Qin, the decadence of the Arab age, and the end of the eighth world (succeeded mine)”.

Hibil-Ziwa — praised be his name! — taught concerning the Word, that is the Great Mystery: “This writing, that is, the Diwan of the Great Revelation from the beginning of worlds of light unto the end of the eighth world, this Road of the Righteous shall not fail, because it is (concerneth?) the portion of Father-Life, the Ancient, the First — praised be His name!

“Let every man of the Naṣoraeans and Mandaeans who may be living in the eighth world be steadfast and bear testimony and act according to this reliable basis, and with a sincere heart and believing lips be of my allotted portion, mine the High King of fight, so that thereby Habšaba (Sunday) may be his deliverer, and save him from the children of Krun; and I will set him at my right hand. (But) any Naṣoraean or Mandaean that is of the True Root, yet doth not bear testimony to this Road of the Righteous but testifieth according to the Way of Ruha, their words have I rejected. (Such a one) will not be my allotted portion but will belong to Ruha 22 and the Messiah. Habšaba will not be his helper, and he will not be delivered out of the hands of the sons of Krun”.

These doctrines were imparted by Hibil-Ziwa to the sons of the great Family of Life. And he enlighteneth their minds and instructed their intelligence about the King of Light — praised be His name!

And this is a copy of the Diwan ḏ Gadana Rabtia. Finis.

This is the Diwan of Great Revelation called the Haran Gawaita which I copied for myself for the third time. I am poor, striving and childlike, a slave that is all sin, (unworthy to) kiss the shoes on the feet of Naṣoraeans, dust beneath the feet of the pious and least amongst my fellow ganzivri. I am Zakia-Zihrun, son of Rabbi Ram, son of Rabbi Yahia-Yuhana, son of Rabbi Ram, son of Yahia-Baktiar, son of Rabbi Adam-Mhatam, son of Rabbi Bihram-Brhiia, son of Rabbi Adam-Zakia, son of Rabbi Brhiia, family name Kuhailia. I copied from my own copy a third time. I am Zakia-Zihrun, son of Rabbi Ram, son of Rabbi Yahia-Yuhana, son of Rabbi... family name Kuhailia... from a copy of a Diwan belonging the great, lofty, and respected one, a reliable priest, Rabbi Mhatam, son of Yahia-Bayan, son of Yuhana-Šadan, son of Zakria-br-Hibil, son of Zakria known as Dihdaria, and his family name Sabur. And he had no copy but this. And Life is victorious. Finis.

Thus this venerated Diwan, Explanations and Great Revelation called the Haran Gawaita was set in order and completed on Friday the twenty-sixth of the Month of Second Sowing, which is Nisan (in the sign of) the Ram, the year of Friday in the year one thousand and eighty-eight of Arab chronology — may the (world) founder upon them and Manda-ḏ-Hiia make impotent their raging against the great Congregation of Souls! (It Was copied) in the city of Shustar by the waters of the Duganda and in the court of the respected craftsman Nairuz, son of Hadat, his name being Yahia, son of Bihram, son of Adam, son of Yuhana-Šadan, son of Zakria-br-Hibil, son of Zakria, son of Zihrun, known as Dihdaria, his family name being Sabur — may Manda-ḏ-Hiia forgive him his sins! So 23 these venerated Diwans were assembled from beginning to end with care, knowledge, and meticulous research. And my co-editor was my elder brother, a reliable and skilful priest, Rabbi Yahia- Yuhana, son of Rabbi Ram, (his) family name being Kuhailia. Manda-ḏ-Hiia forgive him his sins!

This formatting of the Haran Gawaitha is simply for the sake of my own personal acquaintance with, and future ability to draw samples from, this interesting text.

Ben.
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Secret Alias
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Re: The Haran Gawaitha, translated by Lady E. S. Drower.

Post by Secret Alias »

There are very strong parallels between this text and the John Book recently translated by McGrath and Häberl. What I find interesting is that the tradition is rooted in the hope for the destruction of the temple - something very esoteric for a sixth or seventh century sect. I believe that the Mandaeans are related to the Marcionites. The suggest is strengthened by verbatim parallels between Mandaean and Manichaean hymns. The Manichaeans held Marcion as a precursor of Mani. The Marcionites and Mandaeans also venerate a 'stranger' god.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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