Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Treatise of Mark (Mimar Marqe Book 2 Chapter 1)

A continuation in our series from John MacDonald's (1963) translation of the most important book in the Samaritan tradition after the Pentateuch. The central 'revelation' - not merely a midrash but a revelation given around the beginning of the second century - from which 'Samaritanism' itself is derived.

Also by Marqe the Favour of the Lord be upon him!

Everlasting life is in the deep waters of Eden's waterspring. Let us stand with perception to drink of its waters. We are thirsty for the waters of life (cmp. John iv.14); mighty rivers they are before us.

Blessed be the God who brought into existence the different kinds of creatures for the sake of man.

Glorious is the Form in the likeness of the Angels.

The Form of the mind is not the Form of the material body. He divided the various kinds of living creatures into four sorts, the first three for the sake of the fourth (i.e. beast, birds, fish; man is the fourth species). He made the body of the last with its wisdom implanted, so that the body should be capable of being illumined by the mind. Thus not one (of the other three) can withstand a man. He gave a perfect law to His servants to provide life and length of days, for by the observing of it is the soul disposed, and according to the state of the soul is the body disposed. As the stature of man lies with the soul, so the stature of the soul lies with the law, for that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Deut. viii. 3; cf. Matt iv. 4).


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