Section 7

YAHYĀ proclaims and speaks: "Ye nobles, who lie there, ye ladies, who will not awaken,—ye who lie there, what will you do on the Day of the Judgment? When the soul strips off the body, on Judgment-Day what will you do? O thou distracted, jumbled-up world in ruin! Thy men die, and thy false scriptures are closed. Where is Adam, the First Man, who was here head of the p. 46 ćon? Where is Hawwā (Eve), his wife, out of whom the world was awakened to life? Where is Shit-il (Seth), son of Adam, out of whom worlds and ćons arose? Where is Rām and Rūd, who belonged to the Age of the Sword? Where are Shurbai and Shar-hab-ēl, who belonged to the Age of the Fire? Where is Shum bar Nū (Shem, son of Noah), who belonged to the Age of the Flood? All have departed and have not returned and taken their seats as Guardians in this world. 1 [The Last Day] is like a feast-day, for which the worlds and the ćons are waiting. The Planets are [like] fatted oxen, who stand there for the Day of the Slaughter. The children of this world are [like] fat rams, who stand in the markets for sale. 2 But as for my friends, who pay homage to Life, their sins and trangressions will be forgiven them." And Life is victorious. THE LETTER OF TRUTH (§ 26). [The introductory formula and beginning of this piece are missing from the MSS.] *      *      *      *      *      * [Yōhānā is apparently speaking.] I TAKE no delight in the ćons, I take no delight in all of the worlds, I take no delight in the ćons   *   *   * *   *   *   *   *   * *   *   *   by the Letter of Truth 3 which has come hither. They 4 took the Letter and put it in the hand of the Jews. p. 47 These open it, read in it and see that it does not contain what they would, that it does not contain what their soul wills. They took the letter and put it in the hand of Yōhānā. "Take, Rab Yōhānā," say they to him, "Truth's Letter, which has come here to thee from thy Father." 1 Yōhānā opened it and read it and saw in it a wondrous writing. He opened it and read in it and became full of life. 2 "This is," says he, "what I would, and this does my soul will." Yōhānā has left his body 3 ; his brothers make proclamations, his brothers proclaim unto him on the Mount, on Mount Karmel. 4 They 5 took the Letter and brought it to the Mount, to Mount Karmel. They read out of the Letter to them 6 and explain to them the writing,—to Yaqif and Beni-Amin and Shumēl. 7 They assemble on Mount Karmel. *      *      *      *      *      *