The passage in question references a ritual initiation which the angelic powers (identified in the Haran Gawaitha as Anus Uthra) perform on John before he crosses the Jordan to go on to threaten Jerusalem. In the Letter to Theodore Clement tells his reader that the 'secret gospel' only hints at the things pertaining to the mysteries and so only reads:
Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God. And thence, arising, he returned to the other side of the Jordan.
Yet I will demonstrate to my readership in my next post that Celsus identifies a rite very similar to what is described here being connected with Mark 10:17 - 31, the pericope which immediately precedes SGM 1. Celsus describes a series of prayers to seven angelic watchers where - like what is here described in the John Book - the soul of the initiated is declared to be 'pure' and ultimately redeemed. One might also compare the prayer formula of those of Mark in Irenaeus's Against Heresies 1.21.2 - 4.
I have already contacted James McGrath, Associate Professor of Religion, Butler University, Indianapolis who is working on a new translation of the material to see whether he can help clarify the meaning of the original Mandaean material. In the meantime let me present Mark Lidzbarski's 1905 German translation of the text alongside Mead's English translation so that the reader can see that there is clearly a parallel here to Secret Mark - i.e. (a) ritual initiation of John by the angelic powers and then (b) the crossing of the Jordan:
19. — Jahjä predigt in den Nächten, Jühänä an den Abenden der Nacht.
Jahjä predigt in den Nächten und spricht: "Durch die Rede von meinem Vater leuchte ich und durch die Lobpreisung des Mannes, meines Schöpfers.[1] Ich habe meine Seele von der Welt befreit und von den Werken, die häßlich und nicht recht sind. Die Sieben fragen mich aus, die Toten, die das Leben nicht geschaut haben, und sprechen: "In wessen Kraft stehst du da, und mit wessen Lobpreisung predigst du?" Darauf erwidere ich ihnen: "Ich stehe in der Kraft meines Vaters da und mit der Lobpreisung des Mannes, meines Schöpfers. Ich habe kein Haus in Judäa gebaut, keinen Thron in Jerusalem aufgerichtet. Ich habe nicht den Rosenkranz geliebt, nicht den Verkehr mit lieblichen Frauen. - Ich habe nicht das Mangelhafte geliebt, nicht das Gefäß der Weintrinker. Ich habe keine körperliche Speise geliebt, und Mißgunst fand bei mir keinen Platz. Ich habe nicht mein Gebet der Nacht vergessen, nicht vergessen den wunderbaren Jordan. Ich habe nicht meine Taufe vergessen, nicht mein reines Zeichen. Ich habe nicht den Sonntag vergessen, und der Vorabend des Tages hat mich nicht verurteilt. Nicht habe ich Silmai und Nidbai vergessen, die eine Wohnung im Hause des gewaltigen (Lebens) haben. Sie sprechen mich rein und lassen mich emporsteigen; sie wissen, daß an mir kein Fehl und Mangel ist."
Als Jahjä dies sagte, freute sich das Leben über ihn in hohem Maße. Die Sieben entboten ihm ihren Gruß, und die Zwölf verneigten sich vor ihm. Es sprach zu ihm: "Von allen diesen Reden, die du gesprochen hast, Jahjä, hast du nicht eine einzige unwahr gesagt. Angenehm und schön ist deine Stimme, und keinen gibt es, der dir gleiche. Schön ist deine Rede in deinem Munde und kostbar die Sprache, die man dir verliehen. Das Gewand, das das erste Leben Adam, dem Manne , gegeben hat, das Gewand, das das erste Leben Räm, dem Manne, gegeben hat, das Gewand, das das erste Leben Surbai, dem Manne, gegeben hat, das Gewand, das das erste Leben Sum bar Nu gegeben hat, hat es jetzt dir gegeben. Es hat es dir gegeben, Jahjä, damit du emporsteigest und mit dir emporsteige ********. Das mangelhafte Haus wird in der Einöde zurückgelassen werden. Ein jeder, der sündlos befunden wird, wird zu dir zum Orte des Lichtes emporsteigen; wer nicht sündlos befunden wird, wird in den Wachthäusern zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden."
Und das Leben ist siegreich.
20. — Jahjä predigt in den Nächten, Jöhänä an den Abenden der Nacht. Jahjä predigt in den Nächten und spricht: "Im Namen dessen, der wunderbar und außergewöhnlich ist. Die Sonne saß im Hofe-, und der Mond saß im Drachen. Die vier Winde des Hauses packen sich an den Flügeln und wehen nicht." Die Sonne öffnete den Mund und sprach zu Jahjä in Jerusalem: "Du hast drei Binden, eine Krone, die an Wert der ganzen Welt gleichkommt. Du hast von Masklil ein Schiff, das hier auf dem Jordan einhergeht. Du hast ein großes Boot, das hier zwischen den Wassern einhergeht. Wenn du zum Hause des großen (Lebens) gehst, gedenke unser vor dem großen (Leben)." Da öffnete Jahjä den Mund und sprach zur Sonne in Jerusalem: "Du fragst nach den Binden, Vollkommene bewachen deine Krone. Dieses Schiff Masklil haben sie mit herrlicher Pracht zusammengefügt. Auf das Boot, das zwischen den Wassern einhergeht, ist das Siegel des Königs gelegt. Die in deinem Namen buhlt, dahingeht und sich dem Misthause nähert, die sucht von ihrem eigenen Gatten Kinder zu erlangen und findet sie nicht. Wenn sie dann ihr Gelübde erfüllt haben - und sie abscheidet, ist sie für das Haus des Lebens unwürdig und wird nicht bestimmt für die lichte Wohnung."
Und gepriesen sei das Leben.
[1] Oxford reads "Im Glänze meines Vaters stehe ich da und in der Lobpreisung des Mannes, meines Schöpfers" = "In the glory of my father and I stand in praise of the man of my Creator."
And now Mead's English translation:
Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's evenings
YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights and says: "Through my Father's discourses I give light and through the praise of the Man, my creator, I have freed my soul from the world and from the works that are hateful and wrong. The Seven put question to me, the Dead who have not seen Life, and they say: "In whose strength dost thou stand there, and with whose praise dost thou make proclamation?" Thereon I gave to them answer: "I stand in the strength of my Father and with the praise of the Man, my creator. I have built no house in Judæa, have set up no throne in Jerusalem. I have not loved the wreath of the roses, not commerce with lovely women. I have not loved the defective, not loved the cup of the drunkards. I have loved no food of the body, and envy has found no place in me. I have not forgotten my night-prayer, not forgotten wondrous Jordan. I have not forgotten my baptizing, not [forgotten] my pure sign. I have not forgotten Sun-day, and the Day's evening has not condemned me. I have not forgotten Shilmai and Nibdai, who dwell in the House of the Mighty. They clear me and let me ascend; they know no fault, no defect is in me."
When Yahyā said this, Life rejoiced over him greatly. The Seven sent him their greeting and the Twelve made obeisance before him. They said to him: "Of all these words which thou hast spoken, thou hast not said a single one falsely. Delightful and fair is thy voice, and none is an equal to thee. Fair is thy discourse in thy mouth and precious thy speech, which has been bestowed upon thee. The vesture which First Life did give unto Adam, the Man, the vesture which First Life did give unto Rām, the Man, the vesture which First Life did give unto Shurbai, the Man, the vesture which First Life did give unto Shum bar Nū, — has He given now unto thee. He hath given it thee, O Yahyā, that thou mayest ascend, and with thee may those ascend ****** The house of defect will be left behind in the desert. Everyone who shall be found sinless, will ascend to thee to the Light's region; he who is not found sinless, will be called to account in the guard-houses."
And Life is victorious.
20 - Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's evenings.
YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights and says: "In the name of Him who is wondrous and all-surpassing! The Sun sat in his Court (? Corona), and the Moon sat in the Dragon. The Four Winds of the House get them gone on their wings and blow not."
The Sun opened his mouth and spake unto Yahyā: "Thou hast three [head-] bands [and] a crown which equals in worth the whole world. Thou hast a ship of mashklil, which sails about here on the Jordan. Thou hast a great vessel which sails about here between the waters. If thou goest to the House of the Great [One], remember us in the Great's presence." Thereon Yahyā, opened his mouth and spake to the Sun in Jerusalem: "Thou enquirest about the [head-] bands, may the Perfect (pl.) watch o'er thy crown. This mashklil-ship they have carpentered together with glorious splendour. On the vessel that sails between the waters, the seal of the King has been set. She who in thy house plays the wanton, goes hence and approaches the dung-house; she seeks to have children from her own proper spouse, and she does not find them. If she then10 has fulfilled her vow, and she departs, she is unworthy for the House of the Life and will not he alotted to the Light Dwelling.
And praisèd be Life.
While Lidzbarski couldn't figure out what to do with this term mashklil, I can't help it has something to do with the use of maskil at Qumran and also the Psalms where Mowinckel defines it as "die religios-moralische Einsicht," "a supranormal wisdom and insight. In other words, John who has clearly received something akin to the 'mystery of divine kingship' of Secret Mark - notice the reference to the 'crown which equals in worth the whole world' and the John's 'vessel' on which we are told 'the seal of the King has been set.' I see this as a possible Joshua cultic mystery especially with the crossing of this ship 'between the waters' of the Jordan immediately following thereafter. It is well known that the Mandaeans preserve knowledge of Psalm 114 (113 LXX) in the Mandaean Ginza R. 5.2 (Lidzbarski, 178); and later, in the story of the baptism of Manda d Hayye by Yohana in Ginza R. 5.4 (Lidzbarski, 192), it is said that the waters of the Jordan turned backward at the glory of Manda Hayya.
The very same idea is reused again in a puzzling reference in the Nag Hammadi treatise the Testimony of Truth which clearly rejects traditional water baptism:
the Son of Man came forth from Imperishability, being alien to defilement. He came to the world by the Jordan river, and immediately the Jordan turned back. And John bore witness to the descent of Jesus. For it is he who saw the power which came down upon the Jordan river; for he knew that the dominion of carnal procreation had come to an end. The Jordan river is the power of the body, that is, the senses of pleasures. The water of the Jordan is the desire for sexual intercourse. John is the archon of the womb.
The reference doesn't make sense in terms of the traditional notion of Jesus standing in the water and John the Baptist dunking his head into the river. Something else is meant here. The waters after all have receded in the manner of the original Israelite crossing. Similarly the defilement inherent in the Jordan river is presumably not touching the person of John whom we must assume is crossing the bare river bottom to get to the other side.
I will let you know if James McGrath responds to my original request. He's been pretty good in the past answering my questions about his exciting new project.
dating back to conversations with his grandfather, Gaston Frank. "He said we represent one of the last descendants of the Frankist Jewish faith in the world," he muses. "I grew up thinking that our family was something like the Last of the Mohicans."