The Nestorians and their Rituals/Volume 1/Chapter 15

by George Percy Badger

 

 

CHAPTER XV.

 

Churches at Asheetha and Leezan.—Nestorian Clergy, their incomes, and the veneration in which they are held.—Observance of Sunday and Friday.—Feast in commemoration of the dead.—Anthem used on such occasions.—Thank offerings.—Office for the purification of unclean water.—Design of that service.—Charms in use among the Nestorians.—Specimens of the same.

 

There is but one church at Asheetha, which is dedicated to Mar Gheorghees (S. George), a favourite saint among the Nestorians. The building is of stone, with a flat roof, and stands alone, in which respect the mountain churches differ from those of the plains, which for greater security against Mohammedan bigotry and oppression, are enclosed within an outer court. The church at Asheetha is small for the population of the place, being not more than fifty feet square, divided into two chapels, the inner one being used in winter, and the outer during summer. The sanctuary, or bema, occupies nearly one-third of the area, and is separated from the nave by a wall-screen, the opening through which is covered by a moveable curtain. The stone altar is fixed against the wall, and before it is a raised step where the priest stands during the celebration of the liturgy. In the chancel, which in the mountain churches is not generally marked off by a partition of any kind, stand two stone lecterns, one for the prayer-books, and the other for the New Testament lectionary. On the cover of the latter a metal cross is placed, which all devoutly kiss before and after divine service. The baptistery occupies a square apartment to the south of the sanctuary, and serves also for a vestry, where I saw the breeches, surplice, girdle, stole, chasuble, and shoes,^[1] used by the Nestorian clergy in their ministrations. These vestments are all made of white calico or linen, and are of the plainest shape: the breeches are not unlike the common shalwar of the country; the surplice, like a shirt with short sleeves; and the chasuble, a plain square cloth with a cross inscribed on the centre, which is thrown over the head and shoulders, and the two parallel corners held between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. The girdle and stole consist of a narrow band or scarf with alternate white and blue crosses worked on squares of the same colours, the white crosses on the blue, and the blue on the white ground. The stole reaches only as far as the loins, where it is confined beneath the girdle. In the above description I have described the only ecclesiastical vestments now in use among the Nestorians; those worn by the Patriarch and Bishops being of the same pattern, but of somewhat better materials. These robes, I ought to remark, are not generally used, except during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the administration of Baptism; at the daily prayers and other services of the Church, the priests seldom change their usual costume, which scarcely differs from that of the laymen, except in the turban, which with them is usually black or of a dark colour.

The annexed is a rough ground plan of Mar Gheorghees at Asheetha:—

Sometimes the Nestorian churches consist of three aisles, as does that of Mar Gheorghees at Leezan, which I visited in 1850, and of which the following is a sketch:—

All the churches in the Tyari are constructed of very rough materials, and the building, though substantial, is extremely rude and plain. The people, however, are very much attached to them, and numbers, I am persuaded, for greater safety would have settled in the plains after the massacre of 1843, had it not been for their associations connected therewith. "We would gladly go to Mosul," said many of them to me, "but how can we abandon the churches where our forefathers worshipped, and where their bones have rested through many generations?" The Syriac word for church is Eta, or Oomra; but the Nestorians frequently use the word Deira, which literally means a convent, though there are at present no monastic establishments in the mountains.

While on this subject, I may take the opportunity of noticing another of Dr. Grant's fallacies in his argument in favour of the Hebrew origin of the Nestorians, founded upon the internal arrangement of their churches, which he makes to agree with that of the Jewish temple, divided as it was into an inner and outer court, and a holy of holies. Now, if this identity of order proves any thing, it proves too much, since the same disposition is preserved not only in all the oriental, but also in all the occidental churches, and which the doctor would doubtless have been well acquainted with, had he not been brought up a Presbyterian or Independent. The Nestorians divide their churches into a hécla (temple) or nave; a khorôs, choir or chancel; and a medhbha (altar) denoting the sanctuary or sacrarium, into which none but the clergy are allowed to enter. And the same remarks apply to the churches of the Chaldeans, Syrians, and other Christians in these districts.

The Nestorian clergy receive little support from their people, and consequently are obliged to work for their living as do the laity. They generally cultivate a small piece of land, and not unfrequently weave and make wooden spoons. It is customary however, for the villagers to help them gather in their harvest, and some give them a tithe of their own produce as they feel disposed. They receive no burial fees, and the trifle paid for baptism goes to the support of the church, and is taken by the Wekeels, or Wardens, who are supposed to apply it to that purpose. Besides this the churches generally possess a few acres of land, which the wardens cultivate on the same account, but not unfrequently apply it to their own use. The value of about one shilling is given to the priest for celebrating marriages, but half of this sum he is expected to return to the bridegroom after the service is concluded. The bishops are not much better off in this respect, the only tithe which they receive being a capitation tax to the amount of five pence yearly, levied upon every male within their respective dioceses who had reached the age of puberty. Offerings in kind are occasionally made to them by their parishioners at harvest-time; but the quantity is determined by the will of the donor. The income of the patriarch will be treated of hereafter.

The Nestorian clergy, however, have great influence over the people, by whom they are highly venerated, and who seek their advice in every affair of importance connected with their political and domestic concerns. On meeting a priest, or in taking leave of him, laymen always kiss his hand, and then lift it to their foreheads, and not unfrequently remove their caps or turbans partly off the head with the left hand whilst they take his in their right to raise it to their lips. In addressing a priest they call him "Râbi" (Rabbi,) or "Râbi Kâsha" (Rabbi Presbyter,) and not unfrequently "Kessi," a Coordish word equivalent in meaning to our English "my dear," "my own," which term is also used by all classes in addressing the Patriarch. A Bishop is generally saluted as "Aboona," our father.

As the second volume of this work will be entirely devoted to an inquiry into the doctrines, rites, and ecclesiastical discipline, of the Nestorians, little need be said here on that subject; I shall proceed, however, to give an account of certain practices and superstitions prevalent among them which are more or less connected with their religious prejudices.

Sunday is observed with the greatest strictness by the Nestorians; none will work or travel on that day. It is generally spent by them in attending the services of the Church, in village conferences, and in rural amusements. Friday also, is considered sacred by the mountaineers to a certain extent; some go so far as to abstain from labour, and all deem it unlucky to enter upon any new undertaking on that day. "Sunday," said Mar Shimoon to me, "is a lucky day; but we do not work thereon, because there is a positive command forbidding us, Friday, on the contrary, has no such sanction, yet the fear of failure and disappointment prevents many from beginning any fresh enterprise on that day."

Once a year there is a kind of agape to commemorate the departed in all the mountain villages. This service generally takes place on some Saturday in the month of October, and for days previous such families as intend to contribute to the feast are busily engaged in preparing their offerings. These consist of lambs and bread which are brought into the church yard, and after the people have communicated of the holy Eucharist the priest goes forth, cuts several locks of wool off the fleeces and throws them into a censer. Whilst a deacon swings this to and fro in presence of the assembled guests, the priest recites the following anthem:

 

"The following is to be said over the lambs that are slain in sacrifice for the dead:—

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, both now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

When ye present oblations, and offer pure sacrifices, and bring lambs to be slain, ye should first call the priests, who shall sign them with the sign of the cross before they are slain, and say over them these words: He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth in His humility. O Lord, the mighty God, accept at our hands this oblation which we offer before Thee this day.

If ye vow a vow and purpose in your hearts to offer oblations and sacrifices, ye may not leave any part of it, but ye shall distribute the whole of it, and give the skins of the lambs to the Church.

If ye offer lambs to be slain in oblation, ye shall not bring them female but male, as was the oblation of Abraham and Isaac who sacrificed to their Lord, and the Lord will forgive our sins and the sins of our dead.

If ye bring lambs to be offered, the unbelieving and prayerless may not stretch out the knife upon them; but let him [who slays them] be pure that he may make others pure, whether he be Gentile or Christian, that the sheep slain may be fit for sacrifice.

Let this oblation which Thy servants offer to-day be for the forgiveness of their sins, and to their preservation and help, may it heal their wounds, and wipe out their transgressions, and save them from every plague. Even so, in Thy mercy, accept this oblation.

But if ye are not able to offer all male lambs, let there be female ones among them, that your work be not hindered; and if you so do in purity of heart, the Lord Jesus will accept your oblation.

O Lord, let this oblation which Thy servants have willingly and with a pure heart offered up before Thee this day be unto them a light in darkness to guide them to that place where all the righteous are at Thy right hand. Vouchsafe unto them, O Lord, the promised beatitudes, and the denarius of the bridal-chamber in the last day, that day of retribution.

O Lord, let the oblation which Thy servants have offered before Thee this day be acceptable as was that of faithful Abraham the righteous, who vowed his son in oblation and stretched out the knife upon his throat, whereupon he saw a lamb hung on a tree like his life-giving Lord who was crucified on Golgotha to save Adam and his race from punishment, and became the origin of righteousness and salvation to every Christian. O Lord, accept this oblation.

O Jesus, let this work which Thy servants offer unto Thee today be acceptable before Thee as was the blessed David. Be Thou the quickener of their dead, the forgiver of their sins, the supporter of their children, the comforter of their aged, the giver of chastity to their youth, the shelter of their widows, the defender of their orphans, and the nourisher of their babes and sucklings. Accept at their hands this oblation, and save them from death.

O merciful Lord, let the oblation which Thy servants have offered before Thee be acceptable in Thy sight as was the zealous Elijah, and Abel the head of the building, and Solomon the just king, and Hezekiah the happy king, and Daniel the seer, and like the oblation of Jonah the Hebrew, and of Joseph the Egyptian, and like that of the righteous of old. Let this their oblation be to their forgiveness from this time forth and for ever; and let it be acceptable before the Creator and before Jesus the triumphant King as was Moses of old.

Accept, O Lord, who art the Living and the Son of the Living, who fillest the heaven of heavens, and art the upholder of the earth by Thy hidden power, the work of Thy servants; forgive their sins, purify them from their transgressions, heal their wounds, and pardon their ignorances. The Church now calleth upon Thee to deliver them from the hand of him that taketh captive, from sudden death, from the thief that cometh by night, from the power of the unseen Satan, from the fire of hell, and from the voice which speaketh in the night, which when Thy servants hear, O Lord, they shall rise from their graves, even at the living voice of Jesus the King. And when the elect righteous shall wake up, and when He shall come in the clouds of heaven to raise up the cast-out dead, as saith the prophet, then may they offer praise to the Son of the Highest.

O Thou compassionate One, accept at our hands the service which we offer this day, and deliver us from the Evil one, who is the Devil, and from unprofitable words, and from every destroying plague. Deliver Thy servants, Thou merciful One, and accept at their hands this oblation.

O Thou compassionate One, have mercy upon us at this time, and accept from us this service. Hear our prayers and supplications, O Thou heavenly One, hasten to our help, and save our life from death, we sinners who have strayed, O Thou Blessed; we wicked and perverse, O Thou Strong One; we adulterers and liars, O Thou Upholder; we fornicators and plunderers, O Thou Helper; we sinners and blind, O Thou who dost give light; we vile and proud, O Thou pitiful One; we unjust and unmerciful, O Thou who art full of mercy; for if Thou shouldest weigh our sins the mountains would be found lighter than they. Woe unto us since we have become the companions of Satan!

On Thy great name, O Thou who art compassionate to all, do Thy servants call; have pity upon our life, O Thou who art the Quickener of all; put away from us all evil, cold, heat, locusts, grasshoppers, and blight, O Thou who dost avert adversity from all, through the prayers of the righteous who approved themselves unto Thee. Have mercy upon us, O Thou who art glorified of all, through the intercessions of the martyrs Mar Gheorghees and Mar Serghees, and of S. Mary the blessed, who put away all devouring insects, frost and death which destroy all, and who became a mother and parent to the Son of the Lord of all.

Accept from us this oblation which we have offered unto Thee with a joyful heart, through Thy own name, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the great and Eternal King, at whose command the glorious sun and moon go forth, and by whose hand all creation is upheld. On this day may the souls of Thy servants mix in glory and blessedness with Elijah and Enoch the meek, and in exultation and joy with Titus and Onesimus, and with the martyr Kuriakòs; may they rise up from their graves and put on glory, and ascribe honour and praise to Thy name.

Accept, O Lord the mighty God, the oblation which Thy servants offer up unto Thee this day as Thou didst the oblation of Abel in the field, and that of the blessed Noah after the deluge, and that of Elijah the righteous prophet, and Melchizedeck the high priest and priest, and Moses with whom God spake in a vision.—Even so, O Lord, in Thy mercy accept this oblation.

Accept, O Lord, this sacrifice as Thou didst the widow's two mites which she cast into Thy treasury, and the oblation which Thy Apostles offered in the upper chamber, and like those which the true martyrs of the Old and New Testaments offered up unto Thee in love and purity.

O Lord, the High, the Excellent, the Compassionate, who sittest on the ship of the clouds, at whose voice the dead shall rise up in the twinkling of an eye,—accept, we pray Thee, this service of Thy servants, and save them from death, give them the reward of heavenly happiness, deliver them from destruction, and from the envious and unpitying, O Christ, who art the hope of all who put their trust in Thee.

O Lord God the immortal, O Jesus the just. His only Son Christ, accept from this congregation the oblation which they offer up unto Thee with Diodorus, and Theodorus, and Mar Nestorius, and Anthonius, and Macarius, and Pachomius, and Serapion, and Arsamas, and with the seven youths of the cave of Ephesus, who fled from before Decius, and slept a sleep of three hundred years at the order of the Immortal, and the Lord of the sleepers awoke them. Have pity upon Thy servants who have offered these prayers and supplications unto Thee, through the intercession of the Apostles and Fathers the companions of Peter, and of the orthodox doctors, and of Stephen the first-fruits of the martyrs, and of Mar Gheorghees.

Upon Thee, O Jesus the triumphant King, do I who am a sinner call; cleanse me, O Lord, from my sins, save me from the hand of him who taketh captive, and do not number me with those who are on the left hand; but mingle me with those who are on the right, and fit me, in Thy mercy, for that kingdom which passeth not away, that I may exult with Enoch and Elijah, and with David the prophet, who sang hallelujahs by night and by day. Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, Thou that dwellest in the heavens, even as the eyes of a servant do look unto his master, that Thou mayest have mercy upon me in that great day when Thou shalt appear in Thy glory. Have pity upon Thy servant according to his need; have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to Thy grace when Thy justice shall judge us at the last day. Rebuke me not in Thine anger, but save me, through Thy name, in this world from all mine enemies, and from those who hate me. O Lord, I have called upon Thy name, answer Thou me. Listen, O Lord, to my words, and accept this service at the hands of Thy servants.

Be, O Lord, a help unto me; O Lord, be Thou my keeper at sunset, sunrising, and at noon, and deliver me in this transitory world from the power of the hater.

Hear, O God, and have mercy upon me, O Lord Jesus. In Thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, let me not be confounded at the last day. Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Thine anger for ever. Hear, O Lord, my voice when I call upon Thee, O Thou who dost exist from eternity, in the afternoon, at morning-tide, and at noon, by day and by night. Thou art my God, Thou art my God, upon Thee do I wait; save me from mine enemies, and have mercy upon me, O Lord.

O Jesus, forgive the dead who confess Thy glorious natures, and who were baptized in Thy name, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who rejoicest all, and have mercy upon us."

 

The above anthem concluded, the lambs are cut up and divided amongst those present, and so also the bread. On these occasions many come from distant villages to join with their brethren in commemorating the festival. A similar custom prevails among the Jacobites, Papal Syrians, and Chaldeans of these parts. Such of them as can afford it kill a lamb, and distribute bread and other provisions among the poor a week or month after the decease of any of their near relatives, with the idea that these offerings in some way profit the souls of the departed. We have already noticed a yearly feast of the Yezeedees very nearly allied to the practice of the Nestorians as above described; but whether kept up with the same design it is difficult to determine.

Dr. Grant notices another species of sacrifice which is occasionally offered up among the Nestorians. These, he says, "are usually offered to return thanks for God's benefits, or to obtain new favours from Him; as, for instance, the recovery of sick friends, or their own restoration to health. The animal is then usually slain before the door of the church, when a little of the blood is often put upon the door or lintel. The right shoulder and breast belong to the officiating priest of the church, though he does not always receive them, either through neglect of the person who offers the sacrifice, or, as some of the priests informed me, from a wish to avoid following the wicked example of Eli's sons, who made the sacrifices of the temple an occasion of selfish gratification. Few, however, refuse their portion on this account. The skin is also given to the priest, as was required in the burnt offerings. Lev. vii. 8." And this the doctor considers as a corroborative evidence of the Hebrew lineage of the Nestorians. But here again we may observe that this argument proves too much, since the Mohammedans throughout Turkey often sacrifice a lamb with the same intention at the door of their Mezârs (shrines), and sprinkle the building with the blood of the slaughtered animal, which is afterwards cut up and distributed among the people of the village. A like practice still prevails among the Jacobites around Mosul and in Jebel Toor.

On another religious rite common among the Nestorians, the same author writes: "'Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean.' Numb. xix. 13. This is the sentiment of the Nestorians; but, as in many other cases, it is modified by Christianity. Baptism, it is affirmed, purifies our bodies, so that no contamination is received from the dead body of a Christian. But if any person touch the dead body of a Jew, a Moslem, or a heathen, he is considered unclean, and must not touch any clean thing, or enter a church, till he has been duly purified with water. They are also careful to wash themselves after their own burial services."

The following office extracted from their own rituals, and which is still in use among the Nestorians, will serve to give a just idea of the original design of this practice, and to correct the somewhat confused idea respecting the same conveyed in the above paragraph.

 

"the purification of unclean water.

Our Father, &c.

Prayer.

May the adorable name of Thy glorious Trinity be ever worshipped, glorified, honoured, praised, blessed, and magnified, in heaven and in earth, Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Anthem.

He who is from everlasting.—The Lord is praised in the highest. Thou Self-Existent, Who dwellest in the lofty place. Who commandest and rulest over the depths, let the right hand of Thy majesty rest upon this unclean water, sanctify it in Thy compassion, that it may be to the forgiveness of the people, through the prayers of the nine ranks [of angels] and of the perfect and such as fast.

Prayer.

In Thy grace have pity upon us, Thou compassionate One; turn Thee unto us, Thou who art full of mercy; cease not to look upon us and to care for us, for our hope and trust are in Thee at all times, and in all places, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Canon.

Psalm li.—With the hyssop of Thy mercies let our souls be healed, O Thou compassionate One.

Doxology.

Come to our help, O Lord, and strengthen our weakness, for our hope is in Thee by night and by day.

O Christ, who dost not forget any who call upon Thee, in Thy mercy, cast not out the prayer of Thy worshippers.

¶ Then the deacon shall carry the vessel containing the water to the priest, who shall say over it this

Prayer.

Thou compassionate One, Whose name is holy. Whose abode is holy, and the place of Whose dwelling is holy, and holy are the powers above who sing thrice holy unto Thee in their hallelujahs, and Who art unceasingly worshipped by the Holies of the corporeal and incorporeal essences with holy voices; sanctify, O Lord, the temple of our souls, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, heal our diseases, blot out our ignorances, pardon our sins, and make us, O Lord, pure temples for Thy great Godhead, and adorned abodes meet for the honour of Thy service. O Thou sanctifier of all by the power of Thy word and spirit, Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

With Thy blessing, Lord, may Thy servants be blessed, and through the care of Thy providence may Thy worshippers be kept, and may the eternal security of Thy Godhead, and the endless peace of Thy sovereignty reign among Thy people and in Thy Church all the days of the world, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Then the priest shall say as follows:

By that sovereign and divine command wherewith the waters of Jordan were sanctified when our Saviour was baptized therein by the hands of His servant John, may this water be cleansed from all uncleanness of dead and drowned [corpses], and be to the life and health of all who shall drink thereof or wash therewith, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Here the priest shall sign the water with the sign of the cross, and shall afterwards say:

We beseech Thee, Thou holy One, who by Thy baptism, didst sanctify all seas, rivers, streams, springs, and fountains, to sanctify by Thy grace this water; let Thy Holy Spirit rest upon it that it may be to the help and health of body and soul, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Here the priest shall again sign the water, and say:

May the sovereign and divine power hidden in the sign of the cross rest upon this water, that it may be to the health of body and soul, and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Here the priest shall conclude by signing the water a third time."

 

The object, then, of this office is not to remove any personal contamination derived from touching a dead body, for no such idea is entertained by the Nestorians; but to purify the water in which any animal has been drowned, or into which any corpse has been thrown. On my first arrival at Amedia I had an opportunity of witnessing the performance of this service: a cow had fallen into a cistern in one of the adjacent villages, and a messenger was sent to Kasha Mendu with a bowl of the water, over which he recited the above form; after which he told me that not only was the water thereby purified from all defilement, but the flesh of the cow, which before was unclean from having been drowned, might now be eaten. The more common use of this office, however, is at burials: thus, if there happens to be a running stream in the road over which a funeral has passed, on returning from the grave the company stand on its banks whilst the priest goes through the service; if not, it is read over a bowl filled at the same spring or well from whence the water was brought with which the dead body was washed. It appears, therefore, that in all these cases the water is supposed to be contaminated by contact with corpses, and not the persons of those who touch or wash them. The Chaldeans, since their union with the Church of Rome, have abolished this ceremony.

As might be expected in a people among whom education has been neglected for so many ages, and who cannot consequently be supposed to possess any deep or adequate sense of the high and holy truths which they profess, the Nestorians entertain many superstitions respecting the powers of evil, and the value of certain talismans to allay or counteract them. Thus they have charms against the evil eye, the poison of reptiles and plants, the rot and other diseases in sheep, the tyranny of rulers and the designs of wicked men, &c. most of which adverse influences are believed to be destroyed by certain passages of Holy Writ which are profanely used to this end. I have in my possession an entire volume of these charms, from which the following specimens are translated.

 

Charm to remove hatred.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the security of the world and the peace of the universe, reconcile A. B. with C. D. by the power of that voice which called unto Cain the fratricide from heaven, saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

In like manner, and by the power of the same voice, may the malice and hatred of A. B. be openly destroyed, and all quarrels and disputes cease betwixt these two parties; so that A. B. and C. D. may agree together in love, and the gate of the sanctuary and the door of mercy be open to them, and the mouth of the devil be stopped against them, and they never again turn to hate one another; but let them be bound together in love and concord, and give heed to one another, in the name of the glorious Trinity. Amen.

 

Charm to destroy love and excite hatred.

In the name of the Father, &c. I beseech Thee, O Almighty Lord, that A. B. may separate from G. D. [a woman,] as far as the east is from the west, and the north from the south; and that as wax melteth before the fire so the love of A. B. the son of C. B. may melt, pass away, and be extinguished, from the heart of G. D. the daughter of H. D., and that as snow melteth from off the mountains, and ice from the cliffs, so A. B. may be separated from G. D. in the name of the devil, whose it is to instil hatred instead of joy. Amen.

 

Charm to prevent a smelting furnace from kindling.

In the name of the Father, &c. when thou passest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee. Nebuchadnezzar the king ordered the furnace to be kindled and cast therein the three children Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, and an angel was sent from heaven who scattered a dew upon them and the fire was extinguished. By the same power and command I bind, cast out, and excommunicate the fire, that it may not flame, kindle, or burn, so that the fire may not burn the wood, nor the wood the metal, in the furnace of A. B. the son of D. B. [his mother] by the same power by which S. George extinguished the furnace of fire which was kindled for him eleven days. By that same power let the fire in the furnace of A. B. be extinguished, that it may neither flame nor ignite on the right hand or on the left, and let it be so bound until I shall loosen it. Amen.

 

Charm to excite love in a man towards a woman.

I ascend seven mountains, and descend into seven valleys, and I saw there a tree of frankincense, and I conjure with awful oaths, that as incense burns in the fire even so may A. B. the son of C. B. [his mother] burn with the love of C. D. the daughter of E. D. [her mother.] Amen.

 

Charm to excite love in a woman towards a man.

In the name of the talismans, Hâzo, Tôf, Miseeteeso, Mar Dileetos, Partes Isteepis, Mar Yesus, Diotaros, and Maximus, go presently and hastily to A. B. the daughter of C. B. and deprive her of her mind and understanding, that she may run after M. D. the son of N. D. I demand of these names that A. B, may also go after M. D. and follow him from house to house, from town to town, from village to village, from city to city, and from market to market. Even so order it to be. Amen and Amen.

 

I regret to state that the clergy are generally the authors of these absurd and profane effusions; and I was not a little surprised to learn, on my visit to Leezan in 1850, that Kasha Kena, who is so highly spoken of both by Mr. Ainsworth and Mr. Layard, is in the practice of drawing up and transcribing similar charms, which he sells to the people in the surrounding villages.

 

1. Called severally in Syriac: prazôna, peena, zunnâra, hurrâra, estla or shoshippa, and msâné.