The Treatise of Mark (Mimar Marqe Book 2 Chapter 7)

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.

At the beginning of the Song (Ex. xv) is THEN (titah), for (the letter) tit was made an extensive garden. The True One commanded it and Abraham made it - And the Lord God planted (Gen ii. 8), the True One spoke; and Abraham planted a tamarisk tree (Gen xxi. 33), the True One wrote.

Then Moses began and said in the sea; he composed his Song a garden of praises. He said THEN to rear a fine garden with living trees, and also when he began to proclaim the word THEN Creation was renewed at that. Then included Creation and Sabbath, Sabbath being an excellent pillar, all of it good, for God established it on the foundation of Creation; thus Moses began with mighty proclamation. THEN is the Beginning, the opening - wholly excellent! Sabbath is a city - wholly blessed! Beginning is an origin, wholly spiritual! Sabbath is a place, wholly sacred!

Here the knowledge of Moses was revealed to the world and it provided knowledge for the living and the dead. He then said SANG (YShR) - a momentous, unalterable word. These are eminent words, like shining light. THEN SANG (AZ YShR) he began it and proclaimed it. AZ whose inner meaning is of significance, is a foundation that cannot be destroyed.

Beginning was created and Sabbath brought into being. The covenant with Abraham was manifest in the number ZAIN (=7).

See the word YshR with which the great prophet began. He made it a shield in the face of all shame, five hundred and ten comprising of three sections - the years sojourning of the ancestors, the years of slavery for their children, the years of the prophethood by which Moses reached this high status. And also AZ - the great prophet Moses SANG, and all the Israelites with him.

There is a problem involved here about which we ask the Elders of the People who were gathered together to receive knowledge of the wonders which God did in Egypt through Moses his servant. These were prior to the wonders done in the Red Sea in Egypt in the presence of Israel. Why should the wonders done in the Red Sea precede the wonders done in Egypt in this song? (i.e. why Ex. xv. 1 - 7 before 8 - 10).

And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore (Ex. xiv. 30b) before The great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians (Ex xiv. 31a; Targ)?

The explanation of this problem is that they did not continue to believe in God and in His servant Moses. When they saw the wonderful deeds done by the Lord in the sea and the death of all the Egyptians, they believed in the Lord and in Moses His servant. After the death of the Egyptians through wrath and anger, He lifted them up onto the surface of the sea. The wonder is that He made their faces upturned that Israel might see them. After they had seen them, they sank down and they saw them no more.

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord (Ex. xv. 1). Each of them remembered the word YshR out of all the words of the praise, because it comprised all the words of the praises - an extremely fine arrangement was the arrangement by Moses and the Israelites in this Song by the sea!

Moses was standing by the sea, his face turned towards Mount Gerizim, Bethel. All the Elders of Israel were standing behind him and behind the Elders were all the Israelites. The prophet Moses sang the Song in sections. When he finished each section, he would fall silent and all the Elders would respond with the verse I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea (verse I). Then all Israel would say (The Lord is) my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation (verse 2) up to The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name (verse 3).

The would fall silent and the prophet Moses would begin to sing. In the same Miriam would sing and say Sing to the Lord (verse 21), along with the Elders, and the women would say with the Israelites. My strength and my song (verse 2) to the end of it. (She) For He has triumphed gloriously (verse 1, 2nd part), they Pharaoh and his chariots (as verse 4) whose power was great against the Israelites, The horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea (verse I, third part).