A Gnostic Fire Baptism
This fire baptism ritual is preceded and followed by baptisms of water and of the holy spirit. The whole sequence, therefore, seems inspired by the words of John the Baptist (in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16), "I baptize you with water ... but he will baptize you with the holy spirit and with fire." New Testament baptism with holy spirit begins following the resurrection, where it is a running motif in the book of Acts, but baptism with fire seems only to have been practised by these Gnostic Christians. (The Mandaen Gnostics did as well.--+Ryner) The setting here, as in Acts, is after the resurrection. The present ritual, however, is elaborated well beyond the ecclesiastical sacrament of baptism (though see the Mandaean sacrament below--+Ryner), with this ritual's list of magical ingredients (some used by the Mandaeans-- +Ryner), its invocation of exotic names (also seen in mystical Jewish and other such traditions--+Ryner), and its drawings of seals. For "orthodox" Christians, the only seal was the sign of the cross (Actually, we know the earliest Christians used the Ichthus, or fish, and the ankh was very early adopted by the Coptic Church.--+Ryner).
The botanical ingredients required for the ritual probably all have symbolic meanings (which should be known by our Church's clergy--+Ryner), but what are they? The pigeon grass, or vervain, that wreathes the disciples' heads was, according to several ancient writers, carried in religious processions. The tradition of ritual power pulled both from Greek religions with their ritual use of plants sacred to various gods and also from the Hellenistic philosophical tradition of "cosmic sympathy" (Actually, as Egyptian practices existed long before the Greek, it is more likely to be associated with the former people.--+Ryner). These combined traditions influenced ritual power well into the Middle Ages. One plant in our spell (sic) that is curiously evocative is "doghead." "Doghead," or kynokephalion, is a kind of snapdragon, whose flower was thought to resemble the head of a sacred Egyptian baboon. Pliny's Natural History tells us that it was an instrument of divination and a protection from sorcery. In this Gnostic ritual the plant is put in the disciples' mouths, and several other Greek spells give instructions to "recite like a dog-headed baboon (kynokephalion)" or, in the delightful translation of Morton Smith, "I invoke you, lord, in baboonic." The Greek spells also frequently mention the practice, seen here, of invoking while holding a pebble with a number written upon it.
TEXT
Jesus ... said to his disciples, "Bring me grapevines, so that you may receive the baptism of fire." And the disciples brought him the grapevines. He offered up (page 109) incense. He sent up juniper berries and myrrh, along with frankincense, mastic, nard, cassia flowers, turpentine, and oil of myrrh. And he also spread a linen cloth on the place of offering, (in accordance with the universal practice of the Church--+Ryner) and set upon it a chalice of wine, (in accordance with Paul's statement about the "one cup which we bless."--+Ryner) and set loaves of bread upon it according to the number of the disciples. And he had all of his disciples dress themselves with linen garments, (again in accordance with universal Church practice--+Ryner) and crowned them with the plant pigeon grass, and put the plant doghead in their mouths. And he had them put the pebble with the seven voices in their two hands, namely 9879. And he put the plant chrysanthemum in their two hands, and put the plant knotgrass under their feet. And he placed them before the incense which he had offered up. And he had them put their feet together.
And Jesus came behind the incense which he had offered up and sealed them with this seal:
This is its name: Thozaeez. This is its interpretation: Zozazez.
Jesus turned to the four corners of the world with his disciples and invoked this prayer, speaking thus, "Hear me, my father, father of all fatherhoods, infinite light. Make my disciples worthy to receive the baptism of (page 110) fire, and release them from their sins, and purify them from their transgressions: those which they knowingly committed and those which they do not know they committed, those which they have committed from childhood up to this very day, as well as their slanders, their curses, their false oaths, their thefts, their lies, their lying accusations, their whoring, their adulteries, their lusts, their greed, their and things which they have committed from childhood up to this very day. You must wipe all of them out and purify them all. Make Zorokothora Melchisedek come secretly and bring the water of the baptism of fire of the virgin of the light, the judge. Yea, hear me, my father, as I invoke your imperishable names that are in the treasury of the light:
Azarakaza A .. Amathkratitath Yo Yo Yo Amen Amen Yaoth Yaoth Yaoth Phaoph Phaoph Phaoph Chioephozpe Chenobinuth Zarlai Lazarlai Laizai Amen Amen Amen Zazizauach Nebeounisph Phamou Phamou Phamou Amounai Amounai Amen Amen Amen Zazazazi Etazaza Zothazazaz.
"Hear me, my father, father of all fatherhoods, infinite light, for I have invoked your imperishable names that are in (page 111) the treasury of the light. You must make Zorokthora come and bring the water of the fire come and bring the water of the fire baptism of the virgin of the light, that I may baptize my disciples in it.
"Yea, hear me, my father, father of all fatherhoods, infinite light. Let the virgin of the light come and baptize my disciples in the baptism of fire. Let her forgive their sins and purify their transgressions. For I invoke her imperishable names, which are:
Zothooza Thoitha Zazzaoth Amen Amen Amen.
"Yea, hear me, O virgin of the light, judge. Forgive the sins of my disciples and purify their transgressions, those which they knowingly committed and those which they do not know they committed, those which they committed from childhood up to this very day. And let them be numbered among the inheritance of the kingdom of the light.
"So, my father, if you have forgiven their sins, and wiped out their transgressions, and made them be numbered in the kingdom of the light, you must give me a sign within the fire of this fragrant incense."
And at that instant the sign that Jesus had mentioned happened in the fire, and Jesus baptized his disciples. And he gave to them from the offering and he sealed them on their foreheads with the seal of the (page 112) virgin of the light, that which makes them be numbered within the kingdom of light.
And the disciples rejoiced, for they had received the baptism of fire along with the seal that forgives sins, and because they had been numbered with the inheritance of the kingdom of light.
This is the seal:
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