196 Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ch. xxiv 



were dispersed over Irak and probably el Hasa^ 

 and are now reduced to the three thousand souls 

 mentioned. 



As regards their religion, which, in fact, is the 

 only interesting, or for that matter, authentic part of 

 the story, they say that they worship the Almighty 

 God, the maker of light and darkness, whom no one 

 has seen at any time. Their principal religious ob- 

 servance is Baptism, which they say was instituted 

 by God in the garden of Eden, Adam being himself 

 baptised " in the name of the first life, the second life, 

 and the third life," all three names of the Almighty^ 

 but this baptism fell into disuse, and was restored 

 by the preaching of their prophet, John the Baptist. 

 They acknowledge no other prophet, and take no 

 account of the Old or New Testament histories, except 

 to the extent of believing that Christ was the Holy 

 Ghost made visible to the world, but not God. They 

 believe in a resurrection of the body, a day of judg- 

 ment, and the reunion of every man to his wives. 

 If unmarried the men will receive new wives, the 

 number allowed in this world being four. They 

 have a sacrament of unleavened bread and wine, of 

 which their priests alone partake in private, and 

 according to certain secret rites. This they believe 

 to have been also instituted in the garden of Eden. 

 As to their rite of baptism, they say it must be 

 performed in running water, when it will wash away 

 sin and ensure salvation. They baptise the children 

 when thirty days old, but the rite is constantly re- 



