..A. CREATION
...B. CREATION AND THE FLOOD
...C. THE CREATION OF MAN
...D. AND E. THE FLOOD
...F. THE MANDAEAN NATION
...G. ANOTHER VERSION OF THE RED SEA STORY
#2--OF ABRAHAM AND YURBA
#3--HOW HIBIL ZIWA FETCHED RUHA FROM THE DARKNESS
#4--THE STORY OF QIQEL AND THE DEATH OF YAHYA
#5-- NEBUCHADNEZZAR`S DAUGHTER
#6--SUN STORIES
#7-- THE BRIDGE AT SHUSTER
#8-- THE FIRE-WORSHIPPER AND ADAM BUL FARAJ
#9-- HOW DANA NUK VISITED THE SEVENTH HEAVEN
#10-- THE MILLENNIUM
#11-- CONCERNING THE MOUNTAIN OF THE MADDAI AND HOW THE TURKS CAME TO TAKE IT
#12-- HOW THE MANDAI AND THEIR GANZIBRA LEFT THE MOUNTAIN FOR A BETTER COUNTRY
#13-- THE CHILD CONCEIVED ON THE 29th NIGHT OF THE MOON
#14-- THE KANSHI UZAHLA
#15-- THE HAUNTINGS
#16-- THE PLAGUE IN SHUSTER
#17-- THE STONE-THROWING
#18-- THE KAFTAR
#19-- BIBI`S SONS AND THEIR STRANGE ADVENTURE
#20-- SHAIKH ZIBID
#21-- OF BEHOLDING EVENTS IN TRANCE
#22-- HOW EVIL SPIRITS ABUSE THE DEAD, ETC.
#23-- MEN WHO HAVE RETURNED FROM DEATH, ETC.
#24-- OF THE POWER T0 SEE SPIRITS
#25-- THE SIMURGH: THE TRUE HISTORY OF RUSTAM AND HIS SON
#26-- HIRMIZ SHAH
#27--THE MAN WHO SOUGHT TO SEE SIN THE MOON
#28-- THE SIMURGH AND HIRMIZ SHAH
THE FLOOD, ETC.
After 100,000 years an order came from the House of Life to Noh (Noah), three hundred years before the Flood, saying, 'Build a kawila (ark), for the world will be destroyed by water'. Sandalwood was brought from the Jebel Harrân, and an ark was built with a length of thirty gama, a width of thirty gama, and a height of thirty gama. A gama is the length of my arm. Noh asked for a sign and was told that when an 'angara (the green shoot of a young reed, or gasba) appeared in the oven, that should be the sign. Three hundred years later, Sam's wife, the daughter-in-law of Noh, was taking burning reeds from the tannûr (clay oven) and was about to place her bread in it when she saw, in the midst of the fire, a green 'angara growing. She cut it and gave it to Noh, and when he saw it, his spirit was straitened within him.
He brought a pair of all animals, even the wild ones, the lions and the hares, and drove them into the ark, and he and his daughter-in-law entered the ark. But Sam was outside in the chol (wilderness) herding his sheep. The heavens became dark, and for forty-two days and forty-two nights it rained, and water came down from Heaven and the waters of the earth rose. Sam drove his sheep to the mountains, but they were drowned with all living things. He managed to reach the ark and, as it was shut, he climbed on to the roof of it. There Hiwel Ziwa gave him food at the times appointed for eating. The ark was carried to and fro on the water for eleven months. There was nothing but water and the only thing to be seen on the waters was the ark. The mountains, countries, and cities were all covered. At last the wind brought the ark near Egypt, and there it stopped. Noh, understanding that the water had lowered, sent off the crow, saying to him, 'Go, fly about, and bring me news of the world'. The crow flew off, but, seeing a decaying corpse in the water, he forgot the words of Noh and began to eat of it. Noh waited and then, as the crow did not return, he set a dove (yauna) free. She flew and saw the crow eating the carrion, and also an olive-tree growing green above the water. She took a piece of the green olive-tree in her beak, returned to Noh and gave it to him. He kissed her, opened the door, and went forth from the ark, together with his daughter-in-law, and they saw Sam, sitting on the roof of the ark.
Noh called to him, 'Descend! I am your father and here is your wife!’ Sam descended and embraced his wife and father and praised the House of Life for their safety and health. Then he went out and built a house of clay in which to live, while Noh went forth to amuse himself on the earth, to walk abroad and recover. Ruha came forth and saw Noh and assumed the appearance of his wife. She greeted him saying 'I am Anhuraita, your wife !' and he took her and she became pregnant and brought forth three sons, Ham, Yam, and Yafet. These were the fathers of the human race, Ham becoming father of the blacks, the 'abid or slaves; Yam of the white nations, Abraham and the Jews; and Yafet of the gypsies (Kauliyah). But Sam and his wife Anhar are the progenitors of the Mandai.
Six thousand years later, the planets, who are the children of Ruha and 'Ur, built the Sacred House, that is 'Ur Shalam-Jerusalem. (The K'aba was built by Abraham.) In Jerusalem Ruha gave a share of her kingdom to Musa (Moses) of the Beni Israiil. Musa was against the Mandai and had quarreled with them in Egypt. Ardwan (Ardban) Melka of the Mandai had a vision and heard a voice coming out of the House of Life saying, 'Rise, go out of this place because of your health and well-being'. He rose and took the Mandai and they went out of Egypt and came to the sea, which became shut off, leaving a road with mountains of sea on either side. Thus they went from Egypt. But Firukh Melka, brother of Ardwan Melka, remained in Egypt and fought with the Jews there and was surrounded and discomfited by them and fled. Seeing the road through the sea still remaining, he went with his people upon it, but when they were in the midst of the sea, the mountains of water closed upon them and they were all drowned.
Ardwan Melka with his sixty thousand Mandai travelled and travelled till at last they came to the T'ura d Maddai. The mountain opened to them, for it was high, big, and impassable, and they entered and went behind it. It closed again and Hiwel Ziwa said to Ardwan Melka 'Remain here with the Mandaeans, and the Twelve [signs of the Zodiac] and the Seven [planets] shall not rule over you'. Musa pursued them, but when he reached the Tura d Maddai, he could go no further and so returned and Went to 'Urshalam.
There the Jews lived until Yahia (John the Baptist) was born of 'Inoshwey. Now Zakharia and 'Inoshwey were both old, but it happened like this: she drank water and became pregnant of the water. One of the Jews had dreamt that Zakharia would become a father and that his son would become a prophet, and they waited to kill Yahia. After nine months, nine weeks, nine hours, and nine minutes, 'Inoshwey was delivered of her son, and 'Annosh- 'Uthra came and took the child and carried him to the Frat-Ziwa (the heavenly double of the Euphrates) and put him beneath a tree which bore a fruit like teats (thaddi). Yahia sucked its milk for thirty days and 'Annosh 'Uthra sent a woman named Sofan Lulaitha to tend him. On the thirty-first day, an 'uthra came to baptize him in the yardna (river). He taught him his A, B, G, brought him the Book of Souls (Sidra d Nishmatha), put it into his hands, and taught him to read and recite it. He taught him all the Way of the House of Life. When he reached the age of twenty-one, the 'uthri consecrated Yahia and made him a tarmida. They taught him all the rites of the faith and ordered him to accompany 'Annosh 'Uthra to Jerusalem so that Yahia might become a prophet there. They brought a belum (boat) and the two traveled and went and came by the Shat't' al-Urdan (river Jordan) to 'Urshalam.
When they arrived, 'Annosh 'Uthra began to cry aloud, 'If there is one here who has lost a child, let him come and claim his own!’ The servant of 'Inoshwey heard, noted the description, and went back to her mistress with the news, saying, 'His eyes are like those of ' Inoshwey and his face resembled that of Zakharia'. 'lnoshwey was eighty, and had no menstruation, but was clean and pure. Zakharia was very old too. When the servant said, 'I saw a boy resembling you sitting in a belum in the river', 'Inoshwey rose, and in her joy went down to the river without an 'aba (wimple-cloak) covering her head. Zakharia, seeing this, was angry at her immodesty and divorced her. Shamish (the sun-god) saw it and called out, 'I wonder that you divorce your wife without cause! She ran out in joy at knowing that her son was alive'. Zakharia answered Shamish, 'Pardon, my lord! She went forth uncovered, and I divorced her, not knowing the reason'.
‘Inoshwey came down to Yahia in the river and rushed into the water, bosom-high, throat-high, and Yahia seized her and kissed her. 'Annosh-'Uthra chided him, 'Why do you kiss this Jewess ?'. 'Such conduct is forbidden, why do you thus?’ Yahia replied, 'Pardon, my lord! My Father, the Life, placed me for nine months in the womb of this woman. I lay lightly in her womb because I loved her. She is my mother, and the heart of every son yearns to his mother!' 'Annush 'Uthra said, 'Yea, verily, a man must honour his father and his mother!'
Then Yahia went into 'Urshalam. He opened the eyes of the blind, cured the sick, and made the lame to walk. The priests were angry and came to Yahia and ordered him to leave 'Urshalam immediately. Yahia refused to go and defied them, saying, 'Bring swords and cut me, bring fire and burn me, or water and drown me!’ And the priests replied, 'Yahia, we know that swords will not cut thee, nor fire burn thee, nor water drown thee'. When Yahia began to read in his Ginza Rabba, the birds of the air spoke, praising God, and the fishes opened their mouths and glorified the Life.
(The narrator continued the story of John, but as he kept close. to the text in the Drasha d Yahia, it is not worth quoting farther.)
..A. CREATION
...B. CREATION AND THE FLOOD
...C. THE CREATION OF MAN
...D. AND E. THE FLOOD
...F. THE MANDAEAN NATION
...G. ANOTHER VERSION OF THE RED SEA STORY
#2--OF ABRAHAM AND YURBA
#3--HOW HIBIL ZIWA FETCHED RUHA FROM THE DARKNESS
#4--THE STORY OF QIQEL AND THE DEATH OF YAHYA
#5-- NEBUCHADNEZZAR`S DAUGHTER
#6--SUN STORIES
#7-- THE BRIDGE AT SHUSTER
#8-- THE FIRE-WORSHIPPER AND ADAM BUL FARAJ
#9-- HOW DANA NUK VISITED THE SEVENTH HEAVEN
#10-- THE MILLENNIUM
#11-- CONCERNING THE MOUNTAIN OF THE MADDAI AND HOW THE TURKS CAME TO TAKE IT
#12-- HOW THE MANDAI AND THEIR GANZIBRA LEFT THE MOUNTAIN FOR A BETTER COUNTRY
#13-- THE CHILD CONCEIVED ON THE 29th NIGHT OF THE MOON
#14-- THE KANSHI UZAHLA
#15-- THE HAUNTINGS
#16-- THE PLAGUE IN SHUSTER
#17-- THE STONE-THROWING
#18-- THE KAFTAR
#19-- BIBI`S SONS AND THEIR STRANGE ADVENTURE
#20-- SHAIKH ZIBID
#21-- OF BEHOLDING EVENTS IN TRANCE
#22-- HOW EVIL SPIRITS ABUSE THE DEAD, ETC.
#23-- MEN WHO HAVE RETURNED FROM DEATH, ETC.
#24-- OF THE POWER T0 SEE SPIRITS
#25-- THE SIMURGH: THE TRUE HISTORY OF RUSTAM AND HIS SON
#26-- HIRMIZ SHAH
#27--THE MAN WHO SOUGHT TO SEE SIN THE MOON
#28-- THE SIMURGH AND HIRMIZ SHAH
Narrator: a priest in Iran (Drower gives no name)
