THE GNOSTIC SOCIETY LIBRARY

Manichaean Writings

source:

http://gnosis.org/library/manis.htm

Archive Notes

As classical Gnosticism was waning, another Gnostic movement developed under the inspiration of the Prophet Mani. The Manichaean movement became a true world religion, spreading to Europe, Central Asia and China; it survived as a living religion in the Orient up until the present century. Though once anathematized and little understood, the discovery of several ancient documents during the last century, including large collections of Manichaean texts in Central Asia, has stimulated a new study and understanding of one of Gnosticism's most important living representatives.

Also available here is an archived lecture from The Gnostic Society introducing the Manichaean materials: Mani: Helmsman of the Ship of Light.  (This lecture is in RealAudio format and runs about 70 minutes.)

 

The Manichaean Prayerbooks

    The Psalms of the Festival of Bema (The Mercy Seat)

    The Psalms to Jesus

    Separate Psalms

 

The Kephalia of the Lord Mani

 

Parthian Hymns and Prayers

 

Hymns and Writings Ascribed to Mani

 

Parables

 

Miscellaneous Manichaean Scriptures

 


Secondary Sources: Anti-Manichaean Writings of Augustine

Psalm CCXXIIII
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 

Let us worship the Spirit of the Paraclete.
Let us bless our Lord Jesus who has sent us
the Spirit of Truth. He came and separated us from the Error
of the world, he brought us a mirror, we looked, we saw the Universe in it.

When the Holy Spirit came he revealed to us the way of Truth
and taught us that there are two Natures, that of Light and that of Darkness,
separate one from the other from the beginning.

The Kingdom of Light, on the one hand, consisted in five Greatnesses,
and they are the Father and his twelve Aeons and the Aeons of the Aeons,
the Living Air, the Land of Light ; the great Spirit breathing in them,
nourishing them with his Light.

But the Kingdom of Darkness consists of five storehouses,
which are Smoke and Fire and Wind and Water and Darkness;
their Counsel creeping in them, moving them and inciting them to
make war with one another.

Now as they were making war with one another they dared to make an
attempt upon the Land of Light, thinking that they would be able to conquer it.
But they know not that which they have thought to do they will bring down
upon their own heads.

But there was a multitude of angels in the Land of Light, having powers to go forth
to subdue the enemy of the Father, whom it pleased that by his Word that he would send,
he should subdue the revels who desired to exalt themselves above that which was more
exalted than they.

Like unto a shepherd that shall see a lion coming to destroy his sheep-fold:
for he uses guile and takes a lamb and sets it as a snare that he may catch him
by it : for by a single lamb he saves his sheep-fold. After these things he heals
the lamb that has been wounded by the lion:

This too is the way of the Father, who sent his strong son ; and he produced
from himself his Maiden equipped with five powers, that she might fight against the five
abysses if the Dark.

When the Watcher stood in the boundaries of light, he showed to them his Maiden who
is his soul; they bestirred themselves in their abyss, desiring to exalt themselves over
her, they opened their mouth desiring to swallow her.

He held her power fast, he spread her over them, like nets over fishes, he made her rain down
upon them like purified clouds of water, she thrust herself within them like piercing lightning.
She crept in their inward parts, she bound them all, they not knowing it.

When the First Man had finished his war the Father sent his second son.
He came and helped his brother out of the abyss; he established this whole world
out of the mixture that took place of the Light and the Darkness.

He spread out all the powers of the abyss to ten heavens and eight earths,
he shut them up into this world once, he made it a prison too for all the powers of Darkness,
it is also a place of purification for the Soul that was swallowed in them.

The sun and moon he founded, he set them on high, to purify the Soul.
Daily they take up the refined part to the height, but the dregs however they erase . . . . . . . .
. . . . . mixed, they convey it above and below.

This whole world stands firm for a season, there being a great building which is being built
outside this world. So soon as the builder shall finish, the whole world will dissolve and
set on fire that the fire may smelt it away.

All life, the relic of Light wheresoever it be, he will gather to himself and of it depict and image.
And the counsel of death too, all the Darkness, he will gather together and make a likeness
of its very self, it and the Ruler.

In a moment the living Spirit will come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . he will succor the Light. But the counsel of death and the darkness he will
shut up in the dwelling that was established for it, that it might be bound in it for ever.

There is no other means to bind the Enemy save this means; for he will not be received
to the Light because he is a stranger to it : nor again can he be left in his land of Darkness,
that he may not wage a war greater than the first.

A new Aeon shall be built in the place of the world that shall dissolve, that in it the powers of the Light
may reign, because they have performed and fulfilled the will of the Father entire, they have subdued
the hated one, they have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . over him for ever.

This is the Knowledge of Mani, let us worship him and bless him.
Blessed is every man that shall have trust in him, for he it is shall live with all
the Righteous. Glory and victory to our Lord Mani, the Spirit of Truth, that cometh from the Father,
who has revealed to us the Beginning, the Middle and the End.
Victory to the soul of the blessed Mary, Theona, Pshaijmnoute.

Psalm CCXXVIII
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 

He anointed him in his power,
he made him perfect by the Spirit of his love.
Implore him all.

He appointed him to three powers,
to tribulation, to the right hand, to bliss.
Implore him all.
He gave into his hands the medicine of life
that he might heal the wounded.
Implore him all.

He gave light with his Light to our Lamps.
Put oil into them by your faith.
Implore him all.

He gave the helmsman to the ships;
the butter he brought to the warm milk.
Implore him all.

He gave the bread of life to the hungry;
the clothing he brought to the naked.
Implore him all.

He gave light by his love to our Intelligence;
he made his faith shine in our Reason.
Implore him all.

He brought perfection to our Thought,
long-suffering to our Counsel.
Implore him all.

He bestowed Wisdom on our Intention
that it might be as butter for us.
Implore him all.

He wounded with his trumpet
in the worlds that are far, that are near, he roused them all.
Implore him all.

The ruler of the earth rose up against him
and persecuted him in his cities.
Implore him all.

He assumed the heart of his judges
that they might condemn him like the impious.
Implore him all.

They shut him up in their prisons
and loaded his limbs with iron.
We implore him.

They counseled against him in their evil counsels
that they might cast a slur on him daily.
Implore him all.
In the power of his glorious Father . . .
. . . he gave his Spirit.
Implore him all.

He was put to shame, the judge of lawlessness,
he brought his wrath down upon his body.
Implore him all.

They hung his head upon the gate,
knowing not what they were doing.
Implore him all.

The wise ones also that are among men
bore witness concerning his eminence.
Implore him all.

Let us bless him now, my brethren,
and sing to him in one spirit.
Implore him all.

We pray thee all of us together,
the Elect and the Believers.
Implore him all.

Do not make reckoning with us now, our Lord,
according to the multitude of our sins.
Implore him all.


Glory to the Father,
who sent thee for the salvation of thy holy Churches.
Implore him all.

Glory and victory to the Paraclete,
our Light, Man, and the soul of Mary.
Implore him all.

 

Psalm CCXXX
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms

Light resplendent, the Bema, thou art come;
we call unto thee, the children of the Paraclete, our Lord Mani.
I will keep festival for thee today : I have purified my heart,
o Bema, holy likeness, that overawes him that approaches it.
I bless thee, o glorious seat, the sign of the Wisdom ;
we worship the sign of thy greatness and the mysteries ineffable.

Thou art the blessed Root. Thou art the confirmation of the Luminaries.
Thou art the gift of the air. Thou art the manifestation of the victory of the Light.

We see thee now, blessed one, the word that is in singleness of heart:
we gaze after thee, the holy one, the . . . . . . .
that is new indeed.

Thou art he that waits for Christ, that he may judge the sinners through thee:
today also though thee the Mind puts to shame the portions of Error.
Thanks to thee and peace, the garland and the palm.
Thou art the new year's day of joy. Thou art the hour of gladness.
Thou art the medicine of the healing of our wounds, which are . . . . . .
and the wounds of the Faithful which cannot be healed......
. . . . . . . salvation and rest.

Thou art he that crushes the evil, setting a garland upon godliness :
thou art he that cleanses the Light from the Darkness ;
thou art he that gives rest unto the souls of man.

Thou art the honor that is honored before all the apostles ;
thou art the throne of the judges of godliness that separate the two natures.

Thou art. . . . . . . . . sparing ; thou art compassion entire ; thou art the holy . . . . . .

Glory to thee, Mani : victory also to thy Bema.
Victory to thy Elect and thy Catechumens and
the soul of Mary, Jmnoute, Pshai.

salm CCXXXV
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms


This is the memorial of the Living Spirit :
this is the memorial of the Twelve Maidens:
this is the memorial of the Helmsmen ;
this is the memorial of the Splenditenens ;
this is the memorial of the King of Honour ;
this is the memorial of the King of Glory ;
the memorial of the great stout-hearted Omophorus.

This is the purity of the Apostle of Light ; this is the
purity of the Saviour Christ ; this is the purity of the
Pacraclete-Spirit ; this is the purity of the Love (agapa)
. . . . . . . . ; this is the purity of the good Faith ;
this is the purity of the Perfection ; this is the purity of Patience;
this is the purity of Wisdom (Sophia) and Godliness.

This is the honour of the Paraclete-Spirit ; the honour of fasting,
Prayer, and Almsgiving : the honour of the commandment that
we lie not ; the honour of the commandment that we kill not ;
the honour of the commandment that we eat no flesh ;
the honour of the commandment that we make ourselves pure ;
the honour of the commandment of blessed Poverty ;
the honour of Humility and Kindliness.

My brethren let us pray with a great power . . . . . [large section illegible.]
. . . . . . . . . of your . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
one another. Ye Catechumens, repent in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
praying with a great prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


[large sections illegible.] . . . . above the elements. He gave . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be a sign of the Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thine is the glory and the victory,our Lord Mani , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
. . . . our Lord Sisinnios, this is the . . . . . . . Innaios. Victory to Gabriab, our Lord . .
. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . victory to Salmaios, our Lord Pappos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
our Lord Ozeos; glory to Addas, our Lord . . . . . Be there victory to all the Living Ones
. . . . . . . . . to the soul of Plousiane, the Soul of Theona, and the soul of the blessed Mary

Psalm CCXXXVII
from the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 

Sing ye all unto the glorious one, the Sage, the Paraclete,
the Spirit of the Dawn, and the Gods and the Father-Gods of
the Light, the glorious chiefs of the Kingdom indestructible,
they all praying in joy, and their Five Greatnesses.
They render glory unto the Giver of Light, the Sage, the Paraclete.

The Aeons, glorious and unperishing, the holy Emanations of the
mother of Life, the First man, the glorious firstborn, the five Elements,
active and strong - they render holy glory to the Sage, the Paraclete.

The Beloved of the Luminaries, the straight resplendent Word,
and the Great Builder that builds the New Aeon, the strong light-giving
. . . . . . . . . . . the Father of the Living - they render glory unto the Blessed One,
the Sage, the Paraclete.

The third Father who is victorious, the Rich one, the Blessed and the
Twelve Wise Maidens that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the Light, the Helmsmen
. . . . . . . . third ; thou art an envoy, another has send thee to us, o glorious one,
the Sage, the Paraclete.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . the Column of Glory and the powers of the Omophori,
the Angels and the . . . . . . . . . . . . . and the three wheels that are below, the winds,
the water and the fire . . . . . . . . . . . . this one alone, the Sage, the Paraclete.

The shining sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
and the glorious Maiden of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and
the Righteous Judge and the Light-Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . they render
glory unto the Sage, the Paraclete.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and the Heavens and the congregation of the stars
make song with harps and lutes, all worshipping him in joy, and the wise powers . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the sage, the Paraclete.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and the mountains of the earth, the rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
the waters, the four worlds and the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . blossoming trees, the
gardens of fragrance, and the breath of the wind - they render glory unto this
unperishing one, the Sage, the Paraclete.

The race of the Righteous and the spirits and souls of the wise, the assemblies of the
Apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . glorious, the living merchants, the preachers of Light,
they render glory to this conqueror, the Sage, the Paraclete.

Sing with the Angels and bless the Mind of the shining Light of the Father, the sun . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . and his strong active power and his glorious Wisdom (Sophia), ye
sons of joy, render glory unto the Sage, the Paraclete.

Let us all sing together unto Mani, the man of God, on the holy perfect day, and let us be glad
and learn the mysteries of the life of the Saviour Jesus and make festival and render glory
to the Sage, the Paraclete.

Light your lamps and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and keep watch on
the day of the Bema for the Bridegroom of joy and receive the holy rays of Light
of the good Father, and you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Sage, the Paraclete.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . all of us, the blessed ones, the Sage, the Paraclete who hast
forgiven all thy members - the Elect , the Righteous, and the Faithful also together . . . . . .
. . . . resplendent of the holy Bema.
Honour to the glorious one, the exalted living King, and the Luminaries that are held
in honour, and Christ Jesus.

Glory to the Paraclete, our sage Lord and all his holy Elect, and the soul of Mary, Theona!

Psalm CCXXXIX
from the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 

Lo, the amnesty of the forgiveness of sins has come ; it is Jesus,
who giveth repentance unto him that repents.
He stands in our midst, he winks unto us secretly, saying :
"Repent, that I may forgive you your sins".
He is not far from us, my brethren, even as he said in his
preaching , "I am near to you, like the clothing of your body".

He that is angry, sins : he that causes wrath is a murderer;
he that sheds a life, of him shall it be demanded.
The Good is destined to come : blessed is he by whom it
comes ; the Evil too is near to be : woe unto him because of
whom it comes.

When thou comest in with thy gift to set it on the table, be
reconciled with thy adversary that thy gift may be received from thee.
Look out, my brethren : smite not at the life of them that . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . pass you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

O man, thou desirest to honour thyself, let thy fruits . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
for the fruits of the tree which . . . . . . . forth . . . . . . .
Man, thou lovest thy life : love thy neighbour as thyself ;
that which . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do it not, that thou come not to
judgment concerning it. If thou art to give a lesson, perform it
first before thou givest it : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . thou shalt be a sign of that
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judge not thy brother in the thing which thou shalt be found . . . . . . .
look not at the mote which is in his eye lest . . . . . . . . . . . . all of it
beneath thine.

He has need of the physician who goes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and bears forth the
burning of the medicines, that he may see the light. The physician of the
souls, he is the Light-Mind ; this is the New Man : the burning medicines are
the Commandments. But the cool medicines, they are the forgiveness of
sins: he that would be healed, lo, of two kinds are the medicines of life.

Be not ashamed, o Faithful one, as thou goest unto thy . . . . . . . . . . . . life ;
do not seek to please man and become an enemy of God.
Thou hast been ashamed of Him today : He will be ashamed of thee
at the end: do not be at ease in thy body and pay the penalty with thy soul.
For all men are running about, desiring to profit their soul, fearing and all
confounded, desiring to save their lives.

The life and death of each man is in his hands, he knowing that perchance
this is the man who shall be half dead in the middle of the way.
They all passed him by , none pitied him save only the Faithful who knew their soul.
The fire that dwells in the body, its affair is eating and drinking ; but the soul thirst
for the Word of God always. Blessed is the man whose heart condemns him not;
the faithful man of God judges himself of his own accord.

Pray for thy enemies, bless them that revile thee, that thou mayest be good
like thy Father who is in heaven. He that shines . . . . . . . . . . . . that are evil and
them that are good equally, spreading his Light upon every man.
Let us be merciful to one another that we may ourselves receive mercy ;
let us forgive one another that we ourselves be forgiven.

Glory and honour to Jesus, the king of the holy ones and his holy Elect
and the soul of Plousiane and the blessed Mary!

Psalm CCXL
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 

We bless and sing to thee, our Father Mani, our Saviour, O glorious one.
Thou art he unto whom we call, Father, king , god immortal; hear the
prayer of thy fold, O glorious one.

. . . . . . he whom the Father sent forth from on high that he might release
the souls that are counted to him, O glorious one.

We now therefore make festival fulfilling thy holy day, passing the
night in vigil in thy joy, O glorious one.

Thou art a creature immortal on the day of this third; thou art an envoy,
another has send thee to us, O glorious one.

Wash us now therefore in the dew-drops of thy joy, for we are ordained
to the service of the holy Bema, O glorious one.

Open to us the passage of the vaults of the skies and walk before
us to the joy of thy kingdom, O glorious one.

We are wont to worship the sign of thy seat when thou spreadest
it out on the day of the Filling of the Measure which is hidden today,
o glorious one.

Glory to thee, Mani , glorious one; victory to thy blessed Bema,
o glorious one, and the soul of the blessed Mary.

Psalm CCXLI
of the Manichaean Bema Psalms

 


Open the doors of mercy; arise that we may receive the present.
The great Judge is seated: let us gather and glorify him and bless him.

Say: Hail new sun, that has come forth with his Light.
Hail Holy Spirit, that art come today to save us:
Our Lord Mani, that forgives us our sins.
Blessing to thy Father peace to the kingdom on high.
Thanks to thy divine brethren who have believed in they coming to us.
Glory to the Aeons of Light who commemorated the things pertaining to
the celebration of thy birth into matter.
We worship the ships of Light that ferried thee across as thou camest.
Honour to the Perfect Man, the way of peace whereby thou didst come.
We bless thy Light-familiar, the Christ, the author of our good.
Honour to thy wisdom that has defeated the Error of the divisions.
We bless the Angels that brought thee from bound to bound.
We worship thy sufferings which thou didst endure because of thy children:

For thou didst leave thy great glory, thou didst come and give thyself for souls.
Thou didst assume different forms until thou hadst visited all races:
For the sake of thy loved ones, until thou hadst chosen them out of their midst.
. . . . . . . . . . . the earth, the seas and the . . . . . . . . . . . . also.
Thou didst seek out thy beloved, thy Church, until thou hadst found her.
Thou didst appear unto the crowned ones, the princes received thy word.
Shapur honoured thee, Oromazd also received thy truth.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bahram . . . . . . for he believed not in thy preaching.
He hearkened to thy enemies, the deniers of thy hope.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Herod, who crucified Jesus Christ.

Woe unto them, the children of the fire; for they sinned against thy holy body.
I was speaking of the Magi who looked upon thy blood.
They loved the evil-genius of the persecutors, the murderers of God.
They wrote their lying screeds, they gave them our concerning thee.
O Judge of all the races, they arraigned thee and judged thee.
From the time that thou didst confound their Error they loaded thee with iron
and bound thee.
They loaded thy hands and feet and put fetters also upon thy body.
They cast thee into their prisons, thinking that they could hold thee in.
Thou didst spend twenty-six days and nights of them in irons.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . thy children beside thee, thou didst embrace them all.

[illegible section]

Thou didst appoint the twelve Teachers and the seventy-two Bishops.
Thou didst make Sisinnios leader over thy children.
When thou hadst set thy affairs in order thou didst implore thy Father,
he answered thee.
Thou didst leave them thy body and didst ascend to thy kingdom.
The lawless men were confounded, they brought their wrath upon thy body.
They shed thy blood in the midst of the street of their city.
They struck off thy head and set it on high upon their gate.
They rejoiced in thy murder, knowing not that there is a judgement:

For an account shall be demanded of thy death and thy blood shall be avenged.
Their godless city shall receive the recompense for the outrage which it committed.
Blessed are thy loved ones that shed their tears for thee.
Lo, the grief of thy body, the joy of thy spirit that has ascended.
Blessed one, our Father, number us also among thy Elect today.

[illegible section]

The Man who has suffered wrong - lo, the protection of the Judge let him hasten unto it:
He whom grief has killed, he on whom anger has leapt:
He for whom lust has soiled the whiteness of his clothes:
He from whom obduracy stole away the sweetness of his heart:
He whom folly made mock of and took away his wisdom:
He for whom the devouring fire allied with his enemies, doing him harm:
He whom overweening pride deceived and tumbled to the ground:
Lo, the judge has sat down, he calls out the name of him who has been wronged.
There is no favouring in his judgment, no turning in his justice.
He knows how to forgive him that shall sin and repent.
He makes reckoning with none that shall come to him and implore him.
But the divided man - him he forgives not.
Let us not neglect ourselves and fail in our hearts through our own fault.
Lo, the great physician has come; he knows how to heal all men.
He has spread his medicine-chest, he has called out, - "He that wishes to be cured, come hither!"
Look at the multitude of his cures; there is no cure save in him.
He does not recoil from him that is sick, he does not mock him that has a wound in him.
A skilful one is he in his work: his mouth is also sweet in its words.
He knows how to cut a wound, to put a cool medicament upon it.
He cuts and cleanses; he cauterizes and soothes in a single day.
Look, his loving-kindness has made each one of us reveal our sickness.
Let us not hide our sickness from him and leave the cancer in our members,
the fair and mighty image of the New Man, so that it destroys it.

He has the antidote that is good for every affection:
His Great Gospel, the good tidings of all them that are of the Light.
His water-pot is the Thesaurus, the treasure of life.
In it there is hot water: there is some cold water also mixed with it.
His soft sponge that wipes away bruises is the Pragmateia.
His knife for cutting is the Book of the Mysteries.
His excellent swabs are the Book of the Giants.
The [...] of every cure is the Book of Letters..
[illegible section.] . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hot, the two psalms, the lamentations
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cool also, his Prayers and all his Logia.

Lo, the test of our physician: my brethren, let us implore him.
May he give us a cure that heals our . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The forgiveness of our sins, that he may bestow it upon us all.
May he wipe away our iniquities, the scars that are branded on our souls.
Year by year there is the day: let us not forget, so that it goes . . . . . . . . . . . .
We are his holy ones, they that preach and they that hear, all of them.
He that sings a psalm is like them that weave a garland.
They that answer after him are like them that put roses into his hands.
Victory to the judge of Truth and his glorious Bema.
May he give it to all of us also, his Elect and his Catechumens.
Glory and honour to them that keep festival on this mighty day.
Victory to the soul of Plousiane, Apa Polydoxus, Apa Pshai, Panai, Pshai,
Jmnoute, Theona and the soul also of Mary.

Psalms to Jesus

 

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 Iimbs,
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 too 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.

Psalms to Jesus

 

Psalm II


Come to me, my Savior, the haven of my trust.
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 . .

Psalms to Jesus

 

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.

The Psalms to Jesus

Psalms VII

Jesus, the only-begotten, save me.
The body of the earth l 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.

The Psalms to Jesus

Psalms 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 too 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.

 

Psalms 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.

Psalms to Jesus

Psalms 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.

The Psalms to Jesus

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.

[illegible section]

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 (paKapia) Mary, Tbeona, Pshai, Jmnoute.

The Psalms to Jesus

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 bands 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 bumbles 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 winte r. . . . . .

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:
crime, 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 land victory to our Lord Mani and all his
Elect. Victory to the soul of the blessed Mary.