The mystic offering
And Jesus said unto them: “Bring me fire and vine branches.” They brought them unto him. He laid out the offering, and set down two wine-vessels, one on the right and the other on the left of the offering. He disposed the offering before them, and set a cup of water before the wine-vessel on the right and set a cup of wine before the wine-vessel on the left, and laid loaves according to the number of the disciples in the middle between the cups and set a cup of water behind the loaves.
The invocation
Jesus stood before the offering, set the disciples behind him, all clad with linen garments, and in their hands the cipher of the name of the father of the Treasury of the Light, and he made invocation thus, saying: “Hear me, O Father, father of all fatherhood, boundless Light: iao iouo iao aoi oia psinother theropsin opsither nephthomaoth nephiomaoth marachachtha marmarachtha ieana menaman amanei (of heaven) israi amen amen soubaibai appaap amen amen deraarai (behind) amen amen sasarsartou amen amen koukiamin miai amen amen iai iai touap amen amen amen main mari marie marei amen amen amen.
“Hear me, O Father, father of all fatherhood. I invoke you yourselves, ye forgivers of sins, ye purifiers of iniquities. Forgive the sins of the souls of these disciples who have followed me, and purify their iniquities and make them worthy to be reckoned with the kingdom of my father, the father of the Treasury of the Light, for they have followed me and have kept my commandments.
“Now, therefore, O Father, father of all fatherhood, let the forgivers of sins come, whose names are these: siphirepsnichieu zenei berimou sochabricher euthari na nai (have mercy upon me) dieisbalmerich meunipos chirie entair mouthiour smour peucher oouschous minionor isochobortha.
“Hear me, invoking you, forgive the sins of these souls and blot out their iniquities. Let them be worthy to be reckoned with the kingdom of my father, the father of the Treasury of the Light.
“I know thy great powers and invoke them: auer bebro athroni e oureph e one souphen knitousochreoph mauonbi mneuor souoni chocheteoph choche eteoph memoch anemph.
“Forgive [sing.] the sins of these souls, blot out their iniquities which they have knowingly and unknowingly committed, which they have committed in fornication and adultery unto this day; forgive them then and make them worthy to be reckoned with the kingdom of my father, so that they are worthy to receive of this offering, holy Father.
“If thou then, Father, hast heard me and forgiven the sins of these souls and blotted out their iniquities, and hast made them worthy to be reckoned with thy kingdom, mayest thou give me a sign in this offering.”
And the sign which Jesus had said [? besought] happened.
The rite is consummated
Jesus said unto his disciples: “Rejoice and exult, for your sins are forgiven and your iniquities blotted out, and ye are reckoned with the kingdom of my father.”
And when he said this, the disciples rejoiced in great joy.
Directions as to the future use of the rite
Jesus said unto them: “This is the manner and way and this is the mystery which ye are to perform for the men who have faith in you, in whom is no deceit and who hearken unto you in all good words. And their sins and their iniquities will be blotted out up to the day on which ye have performed for them this mystery. But hide this mystery and give it not unto all men, but unto him who shall do all the things which I have said unto you in my commandments.
“This then is the mystery in truth of the baptism for those whose sins are forgiven and whose iniquities are blotted out. This is the baptism of the first offering which showeth the way to the region of Truth and to the region of the Light.”
