Chapter VI
1. THE O-yra, the four angels with their thousands of assistant angel hosts, dwelt on the earth, with the Faithists; inspired them in peace, and rites, and ceremonies; inspired them in prayers, and psalms, and sacred dances; dwelt with them day and night; talked to their spirits when they slept; led them by inspiration to happy marriages, that they might beget offspring capable of the Voice.
2. And in each of the four countries the Faithists became as bands of brothers and sisters. And there came to them from the kings’ peoples tens of thousands, and joined them, living as Faithists, casting their wealth into the rab’bah’s hands, for the benefit of the poor.
3. In two hundred years there were in Jaffeth three million Faithists. In Arabin’ya there were two million Faithists. In Vind’yu there were four million Faithists. In Guatama there were one million Faithists.
4. But the Faithists were mostly poor people, and inhabited many far-apart regions.
5. But the kings’ peoples were rich, and had large cities, an abundance of elephants, and horses, and camels, and asses, and cheetahs.
6. The Faithists had little learning as to books and instruments for measuring the stars, and moon, and sun; they derived their knowledge from the angels of the Lords. The Faithists’ knowledge pertained mostly to perfecting the soul; but the knowledge of the kings’ peoples pertained mostly to earthly matters, and to the gratification of self.
Chapter VII
1. THE Anubi’s labor on earth was to win the disaffected of the kings’ peoples into association; and as far as possible bring them to the rites of Faithism.
2. Anubi sent tens of thousands of angels into all the regions of the earth. By inspiration and otherwise these angels established the rites of Anubi.
3. By these rites even kings were converted to Faithism and the full ceremonies of the brethren.
4. And by the same means were the Maichung, of Jaffeth, made into Faithists; and by the same rites were the Effins, of Vind’yu, converted into Faithists, adopting all the rites and ceremonies of Emethachavah afterward.
5. And it came to pass in course of time that there were no suffering poor in all the world. The Faithists had gathered them all up and made brethren of them; and the contributions to the Faithists by the kings’ peoples rendered all the people comfortable.
6. For the degree of Anubi any one (who desired to learn heavenly things) was eligible. The rites and ceremonies were in dark chambers; and the angels of heaven, clothed in sar’gis, took part therein. And the angels taught mortals by the voice the mysteries of spirit communion; how to sit in circles and in crescents; taught the four dark corners, and the four bright sides; taught them how to ascertain from what grade in heaven the spirits came; how to keep off evil spirits; how to attract righteous spirits; taught them how to develop in su-is and sar’gis; the secrets of falling water; the application of lotions to the skin, that would make poundings and rappings.
7. The second degree taught the people of the Great Spirit and His secret names; taught them His high holy heavens, where all is rest and happiness forever. Whoever took the second degree had to live one year with the poorest of the poor, going about soliciting alms, reserving only the poorest of things for himself. And if he found a person naked he must take off his clothes and give them to that person. Men and women alike served the same conditions.
8. The third degree taught the dominions of God and the Lords, and the place of their abiding, and the irrespective labors in heaven. And the members must learn the names of the God or Gods, Lord or Lords, and the Divan laws; the words of salutation; the anthems; the prayers; the praise; the positions of utterance; the orders of marching; to write sacred names; the secret of begetting pure offspring, and the key to the two preceding degrees.
9. The fourth degree taught the arrangement of the heavens; the places of the sun and stars and moon; the places and grades of the unseen worlds; the localities of the lower and higher heavens; the places and dominions of false Lords and false Gods; the places in hada, and of hells and knots; of familiar spirits, and also of fetals, both the harmless and the destructive vampires, that live on mortals and in swine and cattle, that induce mortals to eat flesh food for that purpose; the key to the place of the north star; the position of the earth’s vortex; the vortices that move the corporeal worlds, and hold them in place; and the rules for building temples and pyramids, with their spirit chambers.
10. Besides this there was the fifth degree, which reached the secret of life in the flesh; the power of will and how to use it far and near; how to rule over others without their knowing it; to cast spells; to enter the prophetic state; to estimate numbers without counting; to find proportions and distances without measuring; to forecast the time of things; to find the weight of things without weighing; to find the power of the capstan before it is made, and of the lever and screw; to find the friction of things before they were moved, in order to know the power required. The fifth degree was called the degree of prophecy; and the place of initiation was called the college of prophecy.
11. In this degree the angels came in sar’gis and taught these things orally, and mortals initiated thus learned them. But no one could take the fifth degree without having become proficient in all the four preceding degrees, and without the recommendation of the rab’bah (or priest) who had charge of the college.
12. And such was the wisdom of God that only Faithists could receive the degrees, save the first degree; and, therefore, the greatest knowledge of the earth was kept in secret with the Faithists. And the kings’ people, even the richest and most powerful, were beholden to the sons and daughters of the Faithists. To build a palace or a temple, or an aqueduct or canal, or a ship or any great affair, the kings and the kings’ people were obliged to employ Faithists of the fifth degree to superintend the work.